So, this filly I bought, Spring, just had a growth spurt. She was grossly underweight when the people I bought her from rescued her. She was still very scrawny when I brought her home, too. With the good food she's getting, her body is kicking into gear and off she sprouted.
With a sudden increase in height, and when it looks like the "grew and inch overnight" that is pretty much what happens, tendons and muscles are suddenly stretched more tightly than usual. This is normal, but can create soreness in the horse. Likewise, they are suddenly dealing with a higher forehand or hind end, and that can be quit awkward.
Spring, and any horse going through this period of growth, needs a few days for her soft tissues to adjust to the increase in bone length. If you work a horse through this, you will likely encounter resistance (because they may hurt of feel uncoordinated), lack of balance, and poor quality gaits. Each horse is different, but with room to move around and a few days of either really light work or time off a youngster will recover nicely and be ready to continue in his or her taller frame.
I will caution you to remember that these 2 year olds are YOUNG! They are going through dramatic physical changes. Respect that by giving them breaks in their training (which should be appropriate for a young horse anyway) when they need it, and you'll have fewer problems and less downtime in the long run.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Young Minds
About 3 weeks ago, I bought a horse. She's a 2 year old Quarter Horse filly. I named her Spring. Her background is sketchy. I purchased her from the people who own her sire. She bought her off someone who'd bred their mare to the sire and then didn't do much with the result, namely Spring. When I first brought Spring home, she knew nothing. She hadn't been handled much at all, and there are suspicions of abuse. Before I could close her stall door that night, she busted out. Fortunately I was able to get a rope around her neck and return her to the safety of the stall. She kicked quickly and violently when a friend stroked her hind end as she passed by the door a couple of days later. Did I mention that she'd pin her ears when someone approached the stall?
I had to intimidate her to the back of the stall to prevent her from charging the door and subsequently running me over when I wanted to get her out. While she wasn't overly spooky, she was bent on not seeing me as a leader, nor did she think that I had any value at all for that matter, when I led her the first few times. Catching her was a challenge, so she spent much of her time outside of her stall in a small pen. I never put it passed her to kick out if she thought she had a decent reason. She was in need of a trim, so my farrier and I had to wrestle this clueless youngster in order to take a few swipes at her feet with a rasp.
For all intents and purposes, this filly appeared to be belligerent, aggressive, hyper, and unpredictable. She wasn't. She was lost, afraid, defensive, and uneducated. Given a leader to follow, which did take some convincing, consistent, calm and predictable handling, this filly has made a dramatic turn-around in her behavior and connection with me.
It would have been easy to call her "crazy" throw a chain across her nose, yank her across the yard, and tell her to "knock it off." Instead I have worked to build her confidence, help her relax when she feels stressed, taken into account her age and her uncertainty, and kept things simple and low-key. Now, three weeks after she arrived, she waits patiently away from the door while she's haltered in her stall. She leads on a loose line, usually happy to follow from a few feet back. She stops when I turn to face her, or forgets and calmly accepts a reminder. She's letting me touch her all over. She's easy to catch, well, relatively. She likes to walk away at least once and then comes over to me when invited. I suppose she wants to play a little hard to get still. She has a way to go on the connection front, but it has only been 3 weeks.
Horses have their own personalities, baggage, and motivations. In spite of that, we have a huge amount of power when it comes to shaping how their interact with their world. Did I bring home a bad horse? Nope. I brought home a good horse with problems. There are a lot more of those around than you'd think. Horses that are downright bad are few and far between. They are usually just misunderstood and mishandled.
Horses are simple creatures. They want to feel safe. They want to be comfortable. They want calm and competent leadership. They want to feel secure and relaxed. Give them that, and they can't help but to be good.
I had to intimidate her to the back of the stall to prevent her from charging the door and subsequently running me over when I wanted to get her out. While she wasn't overly spooky, she was bent on not seeing me as a leader, nor did she think that I had any value at all for that matter, when I led her the first few times. Catching her was a challenge, so she spent much of her time outside of her stall in a small pen. I never put it passed her to kick out if she thought she had a decent reason. She was in need of a trim, so my farrier and I had to wrestle this clueless youngster in order to take a few swipes at her feet with a rasp.
For all intents and purposes, this filly appeared to be belligerent, aggressive, hyper, and unpredictable. She wasn't. She was lost, afraid, defensive, and uneducated. Given a leader to follow, which did take some convincing, consistent, calm and predictable handling, this filly has made a dramatic turn-around in her behavior and connection with me.
It would have been easy to call her "crazy" throw a chain across her nose, yank her across the yard, and tell her to "knock it off." Instead I have worked to build her confidence, help her relax when she feels stressed, taken into account her age and her uncertainty, and kept things simple and low-key. Now, three weeks after she arrived, she waits patiently away from the door while she's haltered in her stall. She leads on a loose line, usually happy to follow from a few feet back. She stops when I turn to face her, or forgets and calmly accepts a reminder. She's letting me touch her all over. She's easy to catch, well, relatively. She likes to walk away at least once and then comes over to me when invited. I suppose she wants to play a little hard to get still. She has a way to go on the connection front, but it has only been 3 weeks.
Horses have their own personalities, baggage, and motivations. In spite of that, we have a huge amount of power when it comes to shaping how their interact with their world. Did I bring home a bad horse? Nope. I brought home a good horse with problems. There are a lot more of those around than you'd think. Horses that are downright bad are few and far between. They are usually just misunderstood and mishandled.
Horses are simple creatures. They want to feel safe. They want to be comfortable. They want calm and competent leadership. They want to feel secure and relaxed. Give them that, and they can't help but to be good.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
"Performance Through Partnership" Horse Training
My personal approach to horse training, which I call "Performance Through Partnership," is more about being a good observer and listener than anything else. Watch your horse. Listen to him. Is he holding his breath, grinding his teeth, or swishing his tail? Is he shaking his head, or unable to stand still? He or she is constantly sending you new information about how he is perceiving and interacting with you and his environment. Those behaviors we label "annoying" or "bad" are more often than not expressions of your horse's state of mind.
Today as I led my profoundly uneducated two-year-old filly through a pasture she had never been in before, I could hear her breathing change as we walked across the berm that separates the pond from the tree line. She switched to my other side and began to walk faster. She was nervous about being between a body of water and the dark and tangled woods. My job is to be her leader and step in when she needs help dealing with stress. So, I took a moment to soften her body and her mind followed. She let out a sigh of relief, lowered her head, fell into position as follower, and confidently matched my pace as we continued on.
Let your horse tell you what he needs. That is the mark of a true horseman. Respond to your horse and he will respond to you.
Today as I led my profoundly uneducated two-year-old filly through a pasture she had never been in before, I could hear her breathing change as we walked across the berm that separates the pond from the tree line. She switched to my other side and began to walk faster. She was nervous about being between a body of water and the dark and tangled woods. My job is to be her leader and step in when she needs help dealing with stress. So, I took a moment to soften her body and her mind followed. She let out a sigh of relief, lowered her head, fell into position as follower, and confidently matched my pace as we continued on.
Let your horse tell you what he needs. That is the mark of a true horseman. Respond to your horse and he will respond to you.
Welcome!
I am new to the world of blogging. Just like those of you who are new to horses, we are taking our first steps toward adventure. Although, there is no comparison between blogging a few thoughts and observations to the awesomeness of being in the vicinity of a 1000 lb. equine that can explode in any direction at lightening-fast speed, be as gentle as a lamb, or perform with an athletic prowess that is unmatched by any creature on earth.
Is my horse-loving bias showing? I hope so!
Horses give so much to us. Every day I strive to give back to them, so that they can thrive and generously continue to give of themselves. Too often we forget that horses feel discomfort, fear, aggravation, and occasionally just have a bad day. If we don't notice their problems, we perpetuate them and ultimately make them worse. Your horse bucks? Sure, he might feel frisky, but he may also have a sore hock, a back that's being pinched by the saddle, or he's trying to tell you that he doesn't know how to respond to your spur.
They are just horses. They can't solve their own problems. That's our job.
Is my horse-loving bias showing? I hope so!
Horses give so much to us. Every day I strive to give back to them, so that they can thrive and generously continue to give of themselves. Too often we forget that horses feel discomfort, fear, aggravation, and occasionally just have a bad day. If we don't notice their problems, we perpetuate them and ultimately make them worse. Your horse bucks? Sure, he might feel frisky, but he may also have a sore hock, a back that's being pinched by the saddle, or he's trying to tell you that he doesn't know how to respond to your spur.
They are just horses. They can't solve their own problems. That's our job.
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