Friday, September 4, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Some more captions of riding for the disabled program
Amirul Aiman riding the horse with mom.. look at mommy's face....
Mounted and ready to go..... Aiman can barely sit op straight...
After one ride around the block ....Aiman's posture seems to have a drastic change.....sitting up straight .. looking in front.....Look at mommy's face after the ride.......what a difference....that's so great to see!!!!!
Riding for the disabled..... Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti Klang Utara
Helping Farrah on the horse.Brave child!!
All set to go....
Enjoying her first ride like she has done that before...
Wow what a girl.......we enjoyed having her....
I was told that Meor Dani had never climb a single stairs the whole of his life.
No idea how to make him mount the horse. Look at him when we tried to encourage him to go on the horse. Terrified and full of hesitation. Took us quite a while to convince him that it is going to be fine and that he can do it.
After that long persuasion,we managed to get him to stand beside Sam and with four helper he finally mounted the horse.
Once on the horse, we knew how terrified he was, shaking, sweating, and the whole body as extremely tense. We calm him down and let him sit on the horse for quite a while before making one step at at time.
Small steps.....huge smiles.........
After going once around the block, just look at him now!!! unbelievable......... small steps big smiles.....
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Love horses... love horseback riding!!!!
My life is blessed. I have owned horses and been horse riding for quite some time now. I can't imagine life without them. They make me laugh, they give me love, and after a hard day at work, there is not a greater stress relief than saddling up and going for a ride. Together we share a deep bond
While horses are second nature to me, many people are mystified by horses and horse riding. They are big animals that look intimating, and the idea of getting on a horse's back is frightening. To many, horseback riding is intimidating, or worse, some are fearful of horses. It is not your fault. You are simply reacting to a lifetime of what you have seen and been told.
The very fundamental basis to mastering horse riding techniques starts on the ground long before you even think about getting on a horse... It begins with a good education about the horses mind and how they think.
We all like to humanize our pets, and it is no different with horses. We tend to transfer our ways of reasoning and our emotions to the horses. This is the first great mistake many new horse riders do, and it is the worst thing a horseman can do.
Horses are not human. They do not think, see, smell, hear, or reason like a human. This is the most important concept for you to master; For your safety on and off the ground, and for the horse's safety.
Horse are herd animals. This means that they are genetically hard-wired to live, think and react as a pack animal. Nature has programed them to react, rather than to act. Ever seen a TV show of a herd of zebras spooked at a predator? It is no different with a horse. But this should not deter you learning to horse ride. Rather it gives you an understanding that they are different and you must "think like a horse" to master horse riding techniques. After that, the learning curve comes easy.
Horse riding can be fun and fulfilling for anybody, but if you don't start with a good foundation, you just start with bad technique and habits.
That is why most people quit riding horses after a few tries. They had bad experiences with the powerful beasts that caused them to fall, be frightened or worse injured. But don't let that scare you off. Falls and injuries can be avoided, and riding can be the best experience of your life when you have the best horse riding techniques under your belt.
Believe me you can ride a horse and you can start any time you want with proper guidance and training.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Saddle up for fitness
By Gee Loeb Sharp
Special to The Commercial Appeal
Monday, September 1, 2008
For Jennifer Simmons, 42, trainer and owner of Tri Color Equestrian in Eads, there is no doubt about horseback riding's place in the sporting and fitness world.
"It's you and the horse as a team," Simmons says. "It isn't like you're riding a bike where you are in total control. Your horse is your teammate and plays his own role. A rider builds confidence by learning how to work with his horse and problem solve."
Simmons encourages students such as Hope Gilbert, 16, to build relationships with their horses. "With riding, you get a two-for-one deal," Simmons says. "It's both exercise and therapy."
"
"The fitness element of riding is definitely appealing," said Jennifer Simmons, trainer and owner of Tri Color Equestrian in Eads.
Jennifer Simmons, 42, holds a Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry and taught chemistry at Davidson College in North Carolina before deciding to follow her heart and work with horses.
Simmons, an Indiana native who moved to Memphis in 1994 to pursue her career in horse training, says among non-riders, there is a common misconception that riding isn't a vigorous activity, because it would appear that the horse is simply carrying its rider, while the rider takes a comfortable spin on top.
"The reality is that it takes serious coordination to ride and it is a true cardiovascular workout," Simmons says.
"Riding is very demanding work, from the riding itself to mucking stalls, walking a colicky horse or moving hay. You will break a sweat even on the coldest days in the winter."
Gregory Florez, spokesman for the American Council on Exercise, backs up Simmons' words.
"There is no question that horseback riding is a cardiovascular activity; in fact, it can be considered a total- body workout," Florez says. "It utilizes all the major muscles groups, plus some muscle groups that are often underused, such as the forearms and inner thighs."
Florez says an hour of trotting on a horse burns 457 calories for a 155-pound person. The same person would burn 281 calories an hour with brisk walking, 422 calories with general aerobics, or 493 calories in an hour of tennis play.
"For most people, exercise is boring and they eventually burn out," Florez says. "Riding is a labor of love, so burn-out doesn't happen."
But the exercise is only one of the benefits of horseback riding. "With riding, you get a two-for-one deal," Simmons says. "It's both exercise and therapy."
"The fitness element of riding is definitely appealing," Simmons says, "but I chose to work with horses, because I love nature and being outdoors. The number one reason I ride is my love of horses and my relationship with them."
East Memphian Allie Hull, 14, who rides at Simmons' barn, agrees.
"When you ride, you get really close to your horse," Hull says. "Your horse becomes your best friend, and I think riding has taught me how to be a really good friend. Mostly, though, I ride because it is fun."
Simmons earned her Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry from the University of Rochester in New York in 1992, and went on to teach chemistry at Davidson College in North Carolina for two years.
"But I didn't want to spend my life in a classroom or at a desk job," she says. "I have a passion for horses. I can't imagine doing anything else. I knew since I was a child that I wanted to be a horse trainer, and nothing else."
Simmons works with more than 40 clients and houses 20 horses at her barn. She spends 12 to 15 hours a day riding, teaching private and group lessons and doing the endless chores that keep her barn in shape.
Simmons began riding when she was 7, and was jumping horses that same year. She and her older sister became dedicated riders, heading from school to the barn several days a week. As her riding career progressed, she began doing chores at the barn to pay the upkeep for her horse.
She says being outdoors instead of in front of the television playing video games was an asset to her upbringing.
"The amount of discipline involved in riding carries over into everyday life, including schoolwork," Simmons says. "I hear from parents all the time that their children's grades have improved as a result of their riding discipline. By the time you get your horse groomed and ready to ride and then cooled down after your lesson, a half hour lesson takes from an hour-and-a-half to two hours. That's a big time commitment. Children become more organized as a result of this and develop time management skills."
Rachel Vandeven, 16, of Cordova, rides at Simmons' barn four to six days a week.
"I'm training my horse right now, and it feels good to get a point across to her," Vandeven says. "I really feel a sense of accomplishment when I train. It gives me a purpose."
Calorie Burn
There are many online sources that list calories burned for various exercises. All note that several factors, including weight and level of exertion influence calorie burn.
From ifitandhealthy.com:
(Activity: Approx. calories burned per hour)
Skating (ice or roller): 360-600
Jogging (5.5-6 mph): 606-720
Tennis or badminton: 300-600
Walking (2-2.4 mph): 150-180
Horseback riding: 222-600
Calisthenics: 222-600
Handball: 600-900
Swimming: 300-600
Volleyball: 222-450
Bicycling: 222-600
Dancing: 222-510
Bowling: 150-300
Golf: 300-510
(Source: American Dietetic Association)
Monday, April 27, 2009
How to Train a Horse Using the Clicker Technique
Steps
1. Find something that makes a "click".
2. Collect some treats and put them hidden in a bag or pocket.
3. Bring your horse into an enclosed arena or paddock clear of other horses.
4. Take off the horse's halter and tell it to stay where it is. With some horses you may need to leave the halter on for this step.
5. "Click" the clicker and give the horse a treat, then repeat about 5-15 times when the horse should recognise a click means a treat.
6. Stand in front of the horse and hold up an object (like an orange cone). As soon as the horse touches it with his/her nose, click, then feed them a treat. This technique is called the target game and is the very first thing you should teach your horse with clicking.
7. Repeat the target game a few times, moving the cone around once they have got the idea.
Tips
* When feeding treats, make sure that you keep your hand closed over the treat until you have reached your arm out completely, don't let the horse mug you.
* Only reward the horse with the click.
* The "click" is a positive reinforcement and it means "good job, you have done what I asked for so here is a reward".
* Only reach for the treats once you have clicked the clicker.
* Go to the external link for more information and always remember, if in doubt, leave it out.
Warnings
* Do not feed the horse any treats if they mugs you for them, only feed the horse treats once the horse is standing and waiting patiently.
* If the horse gets dangerous and starts charging at you for the food, get out of the area and try not to keep the treats with you or don't use treats at all until he/she settles down.
Things You'll Need
* A clicker
* Treats
* Cone, or other object
* Lead rope and halter
* Patience
Clicker training
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clicker training is the process of training an animal using a clicker simultaneously as a conditioned reinforcer for the behavior just performed, and a cue that a reinforcer can now be acquired. The name "clicker training" is used because the primary tool is a small mechanical noisemaker called a clicker. The timing of the click indicates to the animal ("marks") the precise behavior that should be repeated in order to receive another reinforcer. Clicker training came about when Marian Kruse and Keller Breland, while studying as graduate students of Psychologist B.F. Skinner, taught wild-caught pigeons to bowl while participating in military research (, and later was used in training at least 140 species including whales, bears, lions and domestic dogs and cats ... and humans.It is a technology derived from the study of operant conditioning in behavior analysis. Properly applied the clicker is only used during the acquisition phase of training a new behavior. Once the behavior is sufficiently reliable a cue(ex. verbal "SIT","DOWN") is added. At this point the clicker is no longer needed for this behavior(ie stimulus control is attained). A clicker is just one example of a conditioned reinforcer (secondary reinforcer) or "bridge. Technically a stimulus from any sensory mode may become a conditioned reinforcer (ex. light, smells).
Co-founders
B. F. Skinner first identified and described the principles of operant conditioning But it was Marian and Keller Breland, two of Skinner’s first students, who saw the possibilities for animal training as a business.
After participating as research students with Skinner in pigeon behavior and training projects during World War II the Brelands left graduate school and formed the first company to intentionally use operant conditioning, Animal Behavior Enterprises (ABE). They created the first free-flying bird shows, and a host of commercial animal exhibits, from piglet races to chickens playing tic-tac-toe, to an entire “IQ Zoo.”
Bob Bailey was the US Navy's first Director of Training [12] and later came to work at ABE in 1965. Keller Breland died in 1965 and Marian married Bob Bailey in 1976. Together they continued the pioneering work at ABE. Radio-carrying cats were steered through cities and into buildings under a contract with the CIA. Dolphins located targets many miles from their trainers, at sea. Ravens and other birds, carrying cameras and directed by lasers, could fly to a specific window of a skyscraper and photograph the people inside. Gulls, expert sea searchers by nature, could locate and report life rafts and swimmers far offshore..
Advantages
One of the challenges in training an animal is communicating exactly when the animal has done the behavior that the handler is attempting to reinforce. As a simple example, consider teaching a dog to turn in a circle (spin). At the instant that the dog completes the turn, the handler must let the dog know that it has done the correct thing. However, the traditional "good dog!" takes so long to say that the dog might already have moved on to some other behavior. By the time the dog realizes it is being praised, it might be sitting and scratching or looking for something else to do. In the laboratory behavioral researchers including Norm Guttman, Marian Kruse and Keller Breland, realized that rats always stop what they are doing when they hear the hopper make a sound indicating it was beginning to deliver food, and they tend to do more of what they were doing when the sound occurred. Under the instruction of B.F. Skinner, they decided to try using a sound to mark behavior outside the operant chamber. Toy crickets, the earlier equivalent of today's clicker, were common in those days, and served the purpose very well. The clicker is likened to the surgeon's scalpel; it allows for precise timing and clear communication about what specific behavior is being reinforced, and enables the trainer to teach complex and difficult skills to the animal without the use of force or punishment.
At least one study has shown that the clicker can reduce training time by 1/3.
As this type of training was practiced and improved upon, it became apparent that the variability of the human voice, and it's presence during all activities make it a less than salient tool for marking behavior. Besides the imprecision in timing, using the trainer's voice for feedback means that the actual sounds for feedback will vary. A handler's voice, pronunciation, tone, loudness, and emphasis may change even during the same training session. Clicker trainers believe that it is better to use a "click" sound to avoid variations in sound. Many trainers opt to use clickers for training that requires precision and continue to use their voices in the form of praise for behaviors that do not need to be precise.
There is also some circumstantial evidence[15] which suggests that the sound of the clicker is the kind of stimulus — like a bright flash of light or a loud, sudden sound — that reach the amygdala (the center of emotion in the brain) first, before reaching the cortex (the thinking part of the brain). Clicker trainers often see rapid learning, long retention and a "joy" response to the sound of the click in the learning animal. This idea is not universally accepted, and no known research has confirmed it. Any reinforcer can produce joyful behaviors in learners if delivered correctly.
Tasks learned with the clicker are retained even years after the fact and with no additional practice after the initial learning has taken place. This is probably due to the fact that the animal participates fully in the learning process and applies itself to it, learning by trial and error rather than acting out of habit or a momentary response to a situation. Clicker–trained animals become great problem–solvers, develop confidence, and perform their work enthusiastically. This retention of learning is present in positive reinforcement training (including but not exclusive to clicker training), but does not happen with any regularity with correction-based training.
The marker can be any signal that the animal can perceive, so long as the signal is brief (to prevent the problem of imprecise timing) and consistent (to prevent the problem of variations that may confuse the animal). For large sea animals the marker is usually a whistle rather than a clicker. However, not all conditioned reinforcers are sounds. Goldfish and birds such as falcons and hawks can be trained using a quick flash of a flashlight as their "clicker"[16], [17]. Deaf dogs can be trained with a vibrating collar[18]
As pointed out by Lindsay the advantages of the clicker may be particularly strong in some situations: "...the clicker's simplicity and clarity provide a significant advantage for some training activities..." [19]
Common Misconceptions
There are several common misconceptions about clicker training. Most of these can be a problem for the unskilled clicker trainer, but can be avoided.
-Misconception 1: "The dog will never perform the behavior without the clicker". The clicker should be used to identify correct behavior during training, not to maintain behavior once the behavior has been learned. Once a behavior is performed each time the animal hears a specific cue (known as a command in traditional training), the clicker is discontinued.
-Misconception 2: "Dogs will become distracted by the clicks of other trainers in a class or public setting". This is very short-lived problem. Participants in clicker classes find that dogs are easily able to discriminate that only the clicks from their handler pay off. Clicks that don't pay off are soon ignored by animals in learning situations.
-Misconception 3: "Dogs become fat with clicker training because they get too many treats". Part 1 of the solution to this problem is either to use a portion of the dog's regular diet as the training treats or to use reinforcers other than food. Part 2 is to remember that a training treat for a Labrador should be about the size of a pea or an M&M. Smaller dogs get even smaller treats. Larger dogs get only slightly larger treats. Food is not the only reinforcer that can be used in training. A "reinforcer" is anything the animal is willing to work for in the current situation. Common non-food reinforcers include toys, attention, and the opportunity to do something the dog wants.For example, for a dog who wants to go for a walk, putting on the leash can reinforce sitting. Going through the door can reinforce the dog who wants to go outside. Being greeted by someone is the BEST reinforcer for a dog who wants to meet and greet!
-Misconception 4: "You can't clicker train in noisy environments". The influence of environmental reinforcers is a challenge sometimes. Training for distractions is done by first training without distractions and then gradually adding complexity to the training environment.
-Misconception 5: A dog may grow into adulthood and only listen and obey if the owner is carrying treats. If the owner does not have treats, often is the case that the dog is distracted and paying attention to whomever may have treats and food rewards available. This is actually a potential problem with the "Lure Reward" method of training where food is visible. In clicker training the food should not be visible to the animals until the behavior is completed. This could also happen when the trainer uses only one type of reinforcer. If the trainer uses only food, then the dog clearly learns that if food isn't present, then there can be no reinforcement. This is a trainer error. The solution is to use a variety of types of reinforcers and to hold training sessions where food isn't present. Also, you can include running to get the reinforcer into the reinforcement sequence.
-Misconception 6: "There are some situations where a clicker may not be loud enough, such as in hunting or retrieving when the dog is "working away" from the handler". The clicker is not magic; it is just one type of marker. If the dog can't hear the click, use a different marker such as a whistle or a tone on a collar.Deaf dogs are frequently trained with a flash of light or a hand signal.
- Misconception 7: "Some dogs are sensitive to noise and frightened by a clicker, so clicker training won't work for them". If your dog is afraid of the clicker, then simply choose a different marker -- perhaps even just a word, the clicking of a retractible pen, or a juice cap.[
Methodology
The first step in clicker training is to teach the animal that the clicker sound means that they will get a primary reinforcer, usually food. To do this, Some trainers "charge" or "load" the clicker. To do this the trainer clicks the clicker and immediately thereafter gives the animal a reward, usually a tasty treat, one small enough to be consumed almost instantly. Some animals tend to learn the association much more quickly than others. Progress may be tested by waiting until the dog's attention is elsewhere and then clicking. If the dog immediately looks toward the trainer as though expecting a reward, it is likely that the dog has made the association.
Other trainers, including Bob Bailey and the ABE Trainers, simply start training a behavior and following desired approximations with a click. ABE conducted experiments that demonstrated that for their purposes, where they may be training many animals at the same time, this method was more efficient. Today many clicker trainers use this method of introducing the clicker.
After that, the trainer uses the clicker to mark desired behaviors as they occur. At the exact instant the animal performs the desired behavior, the trainer clicks and promptly delivers a food reward or other reinforcer. One key to clicker training is the trainer's timing; clicking slightly too early or too late rewards and therefore may reinforce whatever behavior is occurring at that instant. The saying goes, ″you get what you click for″.
Clicker trainers often use the process of ″shaping″, which means gradually transforming a specific behavior into the desired behavior by rewarding successive approximations to it. A successive approximation is 'a behavioral term that refers to gradually molding or training an organism to perform a specific [completed] response by [first] reinforcing responses that are similar to the desired response Clicker trainers learn to "split" behavior instead of "lumping" it, i.e. to look for and reward small steps in the right direction rather than waiting for the whole, ″perfect″ behavior to appear on its own. It is important to create opportunities for the animal to earn rewards very frequently. A reinforcement rate of one click/treat (C/T) every two to three seconds is common among professional dog trainers. Criteria for receiving the click is tightened gradually, at the rate the animal is comfortable with and so that it will remain successful.
Examples
Many desired behaviors start with the nose-touch, where the dog learns to touch an identified target, such as a small piece of plastic, with its nose; that behavior can then be transported to perform useful tasks or interesting tricks such as flipping a lightswitch or ringing a bell to go outside.
Training the nose touch begins with getting the dog to touch a target with its nose; trainers sometimes use a guided method, such as placing a dab of peanut butter on a small plate or plastic target; others prefer shaping, where the target is placed in easy reach, such as in the trainer's hand between the trainer and the dog, and the dog is rewarded each time he moves in the target's direction or actually touches it.
When the dog is consistently touching the target, the trainer progresses to a target with and without food and in different positions. Eventually, the trainer can transfer the behavior to a bell, for example by holding the target behind the bell so that the dog has to touch the bell to get at the target, and then rewarding the touching of the bell. When the dog is reliably touching the bell, the trainer now adds the act of opening the door to the reward each time the dog strikes the bell.
Targeting for Horses: For horses, loading or charging the clicker is usually not done. It's best for horses that a clear marker is used so that the horse does not expect "unearned" treats.
Top 8 Essential Horse Manners
By Katherine Blocksdorf, About.com
Whether you have a horse to ride, drive or just as pasture décor here’s what it should know so both you and the horse are happy and safe.
1. Lead Quietly In Hand
When you lead your horse he should walk beside you quietly paying attention to you. When you ask your horse to back up, or step to the side he should float away from your cue like a rubber ducky being pushed in a bath tub, not like a brick being pushed through sand. Your horse shouldn’t pull you, barge ahead, hang back or push into you. Teaching your horse to lead properly is the basis for almost every other aspect of good manners.3. Stand Quietly To Have Feet Handled
Horses need regular hoof care and they need their hooves trimmed every six to eight weeks. Teach your horse to stand quietly while you clean their hooves or while the farrier works with them. It makes the process much less stressful, (and less painful) for all involved.4. Accept Paste Wormers
Teaching your horse to accept paste wormers makes regular parasite control easier. It also makes the administering of other oral medications easier.5. Get On a Trailer
A horse that won’t load on a trailer quietly isn’t just frustrating—it can be dangerous. You may not plan to leave your property with your horse. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t learn to get on a trailer. Emergencies can happen and you may have to take your horse to a vet clinic. Or you might change your mind about going to horse shows. And while you may never dream of selling your horse, the unexpected can happen. Often horses who don’t lead well, also don’t load well.6. Wait
I use the command ‘wait’ to tell my horses to wait until I completely open a gate or stall door before coming through, or to stand and wait while I put feed in the buckets. A horse that barges through gates or doors is dangerous to both handler and horse and it makes feeding a time a hassle if the horse is pushing in to get food.7. Be Caught
Even if your horse is just pasture decoration it will at some point need to be caught. There is nothing more frustrating than having planned an hour of riding, or training or other activity and have that time taken up pursuing your horse around the pasture. It can get costly too, if the farrier or veterinarian is waiting. Things can get dangerous if your horse feels cornered and the only escape is over top of you. Teach your horse to be caught each and every time you want it.8. Stand Tied
Standing quietly to be tied, whether to a post, beside a trailer, a tree or in cross ties is essential. You’ll want to tie your horse to groom, clean hoofs, tack up or harness up, or just to keep him safely out of the way while you attend to other matters. Teach your horse to stand quietly while tied without fussing or pulling. Often horses that don’t stand quietly while tied don’t lead quietly eitheSunday, April 26, 2009
CORRECT LUNGING by Valerie Netto
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Find a suitable area for lunging. If you have access to a round pen your first sessions will be much easier. An enclosed area is best in case you should lose control of the horse. Flat ground is important. A fence or barrier of some sort can come in handy in some situations.
PREPARE!
Decide the direction you will teach first and stick to it. I am going to start out going to the left. I will keep all of my body positions the same. Going to the left I will always hold the lead in my left hand, the whip or excess of the line in my right hand. I will always switch hands when I switch directions. I will point to the left, leading the horses nose to the left, start moving my feet and lifting the whip or swinging the rope end toward the horses hip to indicate forward motion. I will keep the whip low and move my feet at a quiet steady pace to show the horse that my intent is for him to follow my body quietly at the walk.
If my feet are moving his feet need to be moving. I will position my body off behind his whither to avoid inadvertently causing him to stop. I will keep my eyes relaxed and not staring at his face. A fixed stare at horse's eye can unsettle him. It can be perceived as a challenge and lack of confidence to a bold horse and a threat to a timid one. I will keep steady with the whip low and back with my feet moving.
If the horse stops I will keep my feet moving and bring the whip forward toward the hind legs to remind him to keep going until I stop my feet. The feet's moving is the most natural way to communicate "moving" on to a horse. It is what propels all legged creatures. In a herd a horse does not wait for the leader to yell, "let's go!" he sees the leader move off. The rate of speed desired is also noted in the body position and feet movement. Because this is so natural a horse can easily see your intent. Now you may add voice commands.
When your body is communicating well it is easy for the horse to make the association between body and voice. This makes the transition to the saddle easier to understand. All the while you are teaching yourself body control. Your body control will aid the horse in his way of going and transitions while mounted. Body control works as a preparatory command. Preparatory commands allow the horse a chance to prepare. This in turn will build confidence in the horse that you are a trustworthy leader.
To stop, simply stop all forms of communication. Stop your feet. Lower your head, exhale and softly say "whoa". Remember your horse is supposed to be responding to you. If you would like a smooth relaxed stop, act like it!!
The most certain way to make a great horse is to be a great leader. Don't expect a calm secure and willing horse to come from a loud and rowdy training session. Even a speed event horse needs to be calm minded enough to nail a pattern. And obedient enough to stop when it is over!
I will keep my horse on the circle. Not on an oval. If the horse fades out I will pull and release his nose until he comes in. If he leaks in I will point the whip or swing the rope at the shoulder until he moves back out. I will do this consistently until he stays on the circle. Once he becomes steady for several strides I will stop him and pet him. Once you are both good at starts, stops and walking a nice round circle change directions.
Repeat the process above.
When you and the horse are good at the walk you may add the trot, then the canter.
To trot, raise the whip a couple of feet higher. Elevate your shoulders and walk with more energy. If the horse does not respond by trotting, cluck to him, if that does not work become more aggressive by cracking the whip. Once in the trot keep your body and whip position keeping the energy in your body. The horse will keep trotting until you drop your arm/whip position and slow your energy. For the canter raise the whip a bit higher than for the trot and kiss to the horse. Keep a steady cadence in your body rhythm.
Again remember that while using your body on the ground you are building muscle memory, or habit into your system that will go to the saddle with you to create steadiness in your horse.
Again the point to lunging is to set up pecking order, train for obedience and correctness. Lunging is the best tool a trainer can have if done correctly. I hope you will take the time to learn and teach it correctly.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE "LITTLE" THINGS.
A valuable work of art is made with thousands of tiny, well placed brush strokes!
-Valerie Netto
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Importance of Pools for Horses
You likely didn’t notice a horse in your neighborhood pool this year no matter how high the mercury climbed. Many don’t think of horses as being a good candidate for a dip in a refreshing swimming pool.
However, for equine athletes swimming programs are becoming a respected and effective means of rehabilitation and conditioning.
Swimming is a non-concussive form of therapy that is especially good for rehabilitation of horses that have limb disease such as arthritis, acute or chronic laminitis, splints, curbs and bruises. Hydrotherapy is also finding a valuable place in the post-operative rehabilitation phase.
Within days of immobilization muscles can being to atrophy after surgery or serious injury. To prevent the muscles from wasting away, swimming therapy keeps the muscles moving. There is also a psychological benefit to swimming especially since horses need a long stall rest. All pent-up energy can be released in a low-impact activity that is in a safe and controlled environment. Pain, inflammation and reliance on pain medicines can be reduced with hydrotherapy which can help speed natural healing.
Swimming provides horses with a good workout just as it done with humans since it requires additional cardiovascular exertion from the hydrodynamic pressure that is placed on the rib cage and lungs. A strengthening of the heart and lungs occurs when the lungs need to work harder to deliver enough oxygen to the muscles and this doesn’t have the concussive pounding on limbs and joints that occur with land based forms of training and rehabilitation. For horses, swimming is actually the only exercise when they take a deep breath, close their nostrils and forcibly exhale.
However, there are some cautions in order despite the numerous advantages of good swimming programs. The intensity of the exercise can exacerbate back problems. After observing the horses swim patterns a previously undetected problem may become evident. An indicator of a back problem may be a horse with an altered paddling action with their hindquarters dropped instead of a good horizontal movement.
A considerable concern is exhaustion since it could lead to drowning. For this reason swimming therapies should only be offered by professional and experienced horse swimmers. Another good idea is to make sure the water is crystal clear so the horses swimming movements can be monitored to make sure the horse is getting a balanced workout. If a horse is swimming by climbing with their front legs only, by rolling from side to side or by paddling with only one hind leg then unbalanced muscle development could result.
If horses are gradually acclimated to the water their natural swimming abilities will come out and they will become more confident in their abilities. Prepare the horse for swimming by rinsing them with water that is of a similar temperature to the pool to accomplish this. Use a lunge line attached to either one or both sides of the halter to lead the horse to the pool. A horse will either back in or walk down a non-slip padded ramp to get to water level when entering the pool. The horse is encouraged to being swimming by having the ramp drop off abruptly.
To improve heat transfer from the horse during exercise therapy pools are often kept at a cooler temperature than the surrounding air. Water allows the rapid removal of heat from an immersed body as a result of the comparative density of water to air. A therapy pool that is outside should be kept moderately lukewarm to prevent hypothermia in horses during the winter months.
Water quality and safety features are more important in a hydrotherapy program than the shape of the pool, although the shape will determine the form swimming will take. For example a horse will swim around the radius of a pool that is round.
A counter-current may be produced in these pools to give horses a greater resistance to movement. In a round pool the experienced horse can swim about two laps per minute although the amount of swimming in any program isn’t dictated by time or distance.
As the name implies, straight pools are similar to long lap pools. In these pools the horse swims in a straight line after walking into the pool. Depending on the horses condition the total time spent swimming will vary including the factor of medical history and program goals. One or two laps in a pool may be all that is accomplished with an inexperienced horse while other more experienced horses may go as may as ten.
Inquire about pool filtration and handling practices before and after swimming when it comes to finding a professional swimming facility for your horse. Request a list of references after asking about who is swimming the horse. If possible it is always a good idea to take a look at the pool and observe another horse swimming.
Pay attention to how the horse acts, are they exhausted or are they ready to go again. After having completed a swim a horse in a conditioning program will often look slightly winded although they may also have more spring in their step. Horse shouldn’t have their heads hanging and an exhausted appearance after swimming. Before starting a swimming regimen it is also important that you consult with your veterinarian.
Pond Bonding
You may be tempted to try your own swimming program if you live near an ocean, lake or pond. You should always swim parallel to shore just beyond the area where you horse can touch the bottom. This way should the horse become tired they can quickly reach the ground.
Look for a solid, non-slippery area to enter and exit the water when crossing bodies of water that require the horse to swim. Stay in the center of balance on the horse since slipping backwards can hamper the horses hindquarter thrust which affect their swimming action. To allow for proper breathing and balance in the water the horses head should always be free.
Avoid natural water sources during flood seasons and always be extremely cautious when crossing water alone. To prevent exhaustion you should always remember to keep swimming sessions short. For both you and your horse it should be a positive experience and not an exhausting one.
Swimming the Horse For Training
Dr._Ann_Nyland is an ancient language scholar, translator and lexicographer. She is also a long term Endurance rider and Arabian horse breeder of the old desert lines. In 1990, Dr Nyland translated the 4,000 year old Kikkuli Text for getting war horses fit and in 1991 replicated it, drawing international media attention. Swimming is unsuitable for training Thoroughbred racehorses but is suitable for endurance horses. The reason swimming is an excellent exercise for endurance rather than racehorses is that swimming addresses the slow twitch muscle fibres. A horse cannot be trained for both endurance and outright speed because each type of training has an opposite effect on muscle fibres.
Horses have two distinctly different types of muscle fibre types: slow twitch and fast twitch (depending on their contraction times). The slow twitch fibres are designed for endurance and use oxygen. The fast twitch fibres produce speed, and their energy is obtained through anaerobic pathways. They have very limited endurance capacity.
Long slow work conditions the slow twitch fibres (Type 1) which use aerobic pathways. Arabian horses have a far higher proportion of slow twitch fibres than other breeds of horses. Thoroughbred racehorses have a high proportion of fast twitch fibres. Slow twitch fibres operate on oxygen only and are endurance muscles, able to operate for very long periods without fatigue. Type II fast twitch fibres can be trained either for stamina or for speed. A training program which trains the fibres for the wrong energy pathways clearly will reduce performance significantly.
As swimming for training addresses only the slow twitch muscle fibres, it should not be used for racehorses unless swimming races are introduced one day! Research has also shown that swimming must be avoided in the case of a racehorse which is a 'bleeder'. When a horse is swimming, it is harder for them to breathe as most of their chest is submerged. It's not wise to make the lungs of a 'bleeder' work harder in this way.
However, swimming is excellent training for endurance horses for the cardiovascular system and does not place stress on legs, muscles and tendons. Scientific studies have shown that swimming is a strenuous exercise. Three minutes of swimming is said to be equivalent to 1 mile (1,600 metres) of steady harness or ridden work. Swimming is an excellent conditioning procedure because it provides a hard workout while avoiding injury to a horse's legs, and for this reason, several leading endurance trainers have included swimming as a supplement to their training routines.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
DON’T CRY FOR THE HORSES
~ Author Unknown ~
Don’t cry for the horses that life have set free.
A million horses forever to be.
Don’t cry for the horses now in God’s hand
As they dance and they prance in a heavenly band.
They were ours as a gift, but never to keep.
As they close their eyes forever to sleep
Their spirits unbound
On silver wings they fly
A million horses against the blue sky.
Look up into heaven, you’ll see them above.
The horses we lost, the horses we loved.
Manes and tails flowing, they gallop through time.
They were never yours, they were never mine.
Don’t cry for the horses. They’ll be back someday.
When our time is gone, they will show us the way.
Do you hear that soft nicker? Close to your ear?
Don’t cry for the horses.
Love the ones that are here.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Getting Along with Horses
How Horses Get Your Meaning
If I could only tell you one thing about getting along with horses, it would be this:
Horses figure out what you want by noticing when you RELEASE the pressure that you use to ask them to do something.
In horse society, horses don't very often use their voice to communicate. Instead, they communicate by "feel." They use body language to "push on another horse's personal space." The pushed-on horse tries to do something to make the pressure stop. When he does what the other horse wanted, that horse stops pushing on him, thus communicating, "Yes, that's what I wanted. Thank you."
By the same token, a horse can use body language in a way that invites another horse to come closer for friendship or play.
When we ask a horse to do something, it helps to be very clear about what we want, especially when asking the horse for something that's new to him or something horses don't normally do. For example, "Please go in that washroom" is a large and vague request. "Please move your left front foot forward" is small and specific. We can answer the moved foot by releasing our pull on the lead rope; and building on that "Yes" we can ask for additional footsteps, each answered with a release, that will soon get the horse into the washroom.
The timing of the release is what tells the horse exactly what we asked for. If we release just as a certain foot steps forward, the horse can figure out that our request was about that foot. If we're late, and release two or three seconds after that foot moved, we are actually telling the horse that "the right thing" was something else (let's say he turned his head toward the window) that he was doing just as we released. The next time we ask, he will try looking toward the window again, thinking he's got the right thing, and get scolded. You can see how a horse could get pretty confused. Then he gets called "stupid."
The timing of the release is so important that you will have to develop your own ability to focus on what you are doing with your horse. The better your own focus gets, the better your horse will understand you and the better you two will get along.
If you didn't know that it's the RELEASE that says "Yes" to the horse, you'd just continue your pressure while he is doing what you asked. This will generally result in one of two things happening:
* Not receiving the information that he already understood what we wanted, the horse continues to try doing different things in search of a release. Some of what he'd try might be much bigger moves than what we're prepared for.
* Not finding any release from our pressure, the horse eventually gives up and tunes us out. He decides the pressure is uncomfortable but meaningless. Before long we'd end up with a non-responsive horse. The dullness carries over to other areas. For example, if we keep a constant pressure on the lead rope while leading a horse, then when we ride him we will find him unresponsive in that situation too, which we call "hard-mouthed."
When you ask your horse to do something new, or you ask someone else's horse to do something, the horse has not-a-clue what you want. Give him time to try some different things to figure out what you want.
Suppose I stuck my finger in your ribs and said, "Do it!" You'd say, "Do what?" If I just kept on saying, "Do it," you'd have to try some different things till you figured out what "it" was. Now, suppose it was something less than obvious, like reaching down and tapping your heel --- Well, this is the situation we put our horses in all the time. We have to be always thinking how we can set up the situation to help them figure out what we want, and we have to give them the instant release-of-pressure that says, "You got it!"
Part of setting up the situation to help a horse understand would include making a clear mental picture of the horse doing the asked-for motion. The best riders and horse-handlers run a continuous mental movie for their horses to pick up on. It takes a lot of focus and discipline to do this, but it makes a big difference in the level of communication and understanding.
The Leader
The second thing I'd tell you about getting along with horses, would be:
A horse always wants to know who the leader is. He is always looking for a good one.
The horse is a prey animal. Horses always have to keep in mind that in the next instant they could be eaten for breakfast. Safety comes from living in a group that is led by a smart, capable horse who has good judgment in many situations.
Therefore, whenever two or more horses meet in the contrived situation of domestic living, the first thing they want to figure out is, "Who is going to be the leader?" It seems that a horse is extremely uncomfortable when he doesn't know who's the leader. They are all capable of leadership; some enjoy it more than others. Most of them don't much care whether it's "me, or somebody else," they just want to know who it is.
When a horse meets a human in the contrived situation of domestic living, as soon as he makes sure he's not going to be the human's breakfast (because he can tell by the way we walk up to him that we're a meat-eating sort), next he wants to know whether he or the human is the leader. In the horse's mind, one or the other has to take the job. If the human doesn't act like a capable, trustworthy leader, the horse will step into those shoes, and he will do what he thinks is best, which may be different from what we wanted.
Horses seem to use two different styles of leadership among themselves. Since humans easily get side-tracked into notions of domination, the leadership style that we tend to notice and use with horses is called the "alpha" or "boss" style. This is the "show him who's boss" or "always let him know you're the bigger horse" way of dealing.
In established herd situations, close observation shows that while most horses quickly get out of the way of a bossy horse, their body language speaks loudly of resentment and resignation. Further, a band of horses led by an "alpha" horse tends to frequent bickering among themselves.
A less-noticed leadership style that is probably more prevalent among the small bands in established herds, is the "passive" or "chosen" leader. This horse doesn't try to gain followers, but goes quietly about its business, avoids fights, conserves energy by observing a social situation before taking appropriate action, and is consistent in its behavior. These horses end up being followed by a peaceful band that interacts respectfully, going out of their way to be polite and fair with each other.
These observations, described more fully in Mark Rashid's new book, Horses Never Lie, give us a clear choice of ways to deal effectively with our horses. Both are valid leadership styles in horse society; the difference is in the attitude of the followers.
The alpha horse's followers are there because they have to be, and their attitude toward the leader is one of dislike and resentment.
The chosen horse's followers are there because they want to be, and their attitude shows in willingness and cooperation.
While there must be some horses out there that do better with an "alpha" leader, it sure seems more fun to become a "chosen" leader for your horse. A horse that wants to be with you will be relaxed, learn easily, and give you everything he's got and his heart besides.
So here are the kind of things to do to become a chosen leader:
* Be polite, precise, and consistent in asking the horse to do things.
* When his attention wanders off elsewhere, gently and consistently invite it back to you.
* Some horses are so scared of people that they seem quiet but actually have a glassy-eyed, out-of-body look. These ones need lots of stroking, scratching, and massage. The TTEAM bodywork and groundwork taught by Linda Tellington-Jones lindatellingtonjones.com can be very helpful here.
* Do groundwork to develop your communication skills. Using as light a touch as possible (but as much as needed), ask the horse to move the head, the front end, the rear end, come forward, back up, etc. Thank the horse for each move with some stroking (not patting).
* Stay awake and present. If your attention wanders off elsewhere, the horse knows it and will take leadership the moment you "leave." Also, the moment you get scared.
There is additional good thinking about leadership and about treating your horse well physically and mentally, on http://equinestudies.org, in the Forum section fielded by Dr. Deb Bennett.
Respect and Riding
You will get along with the horse better if you respect him for who he is -- just as you want him to respect you. My definition of respect would be:
"You have a right to exist, to be who you are, and to see things your own way; therefore I will neither harm, ignore, nor belittle you."
Part of respecting the horse is learning to be the best rider you can be; while, from his side, the horse is learning to carry you the best he can.
The horse already knows how to move gracefully. When we sit on him, our clumsiness, unclear communication, and lack-of-balance make him have to do extra things to keep from falling over. Thus he appears to be ungraceful.
Learning to ride well is learning to BE in cooperative, moving balance with the horse's movement, and learning to DO less and less until you are just sitting there thinking about where the two of you are going and in what style of movement.
It is well worth your learning some Centered Riding, Feldenkreis Movement, or Alexander Technique; or getting Rolfed (a type of bodywork that realigns the body for greater range-of-motion and better balance). If you do any of these, it will help your horse a lot.
www.centeredriding.org
www.feldenkrais.com
www.alexandertechnique.com
www.rolf.org
www.rolfguild.org
When you can get yourself completely out of the horse's way, he will give you all that he has to give, and you will know grace.
Lightness. It Exists.
The horse is a creature of lightness. He responds like lightning to what goes on around him. If he were not, he would never have survived millions of years of being hunted by the large cats.
For the safety of both the human and the horse, most often beginning riders are started out on horses who are patient or dull enough to put up with a beginner's un-balance and crude communication skills. So we arrive at a notion of the horse as slow, stupid, clumsy, and hard-of-steering, and we adjust our learning-to-ride to this notion. Unfortunately, this is profoundly discouraging to both horse and human.
I want you to know that another way, the way of being light with the horse, does exist, and that it is awesome. There is such a thing as two beings thinking and moving as one. The horse can and will give you instant response, fluid motion, and athletic beauty that will move you to tears. It is his nature to do this, not something we have to teach him. The first time you experience the all-giving of a horse, it will change your life. Forever after, you will want that again!
Luckily for both horse and human, learning to ride does not have to be a gradual uphill road with lightness only occurring after years of work. Rather, total lightness may occur rather soon; the first time, maybe when you find a good position by accident, but then with increasing frequency and in longer moments, until after years of work you can get many lightnesses, some lasting several minutes, nearly every time you ride.
Lightness: Two Styles of Communication
When an "alpha" horse asks another horse to do something, there is a progression of increasing signals or pressures. For example, if April tells Music to "get away from my dinner," the pressures might be:
1) April pins her ears back at Music. If there is no response,
2) April snakes her head at Music. If there is no response,
3) April swings around so her rear end faces Music. If there is still no response,
4) April kicks Music.
In practice, Steps 2, 3, and 4 rarely need to happen, because Music is familiar with the progression and will move as soon as Step 1 occurs. That is one way to lightness. We can use progressively bigger signals till we get a response; the next time, the horse will respond earlier in the progression, until finally he will respond to the light signal, which we can then fade until it is no more than a fly landing.
If we use the "chosen leader" style, we can avoid the "bullying" aspect of increasing pressure, and end up with a willing rather than a resentful horse.
Use light pressure with your hand, or a rein, etc. to ask for a move. Stay at the same pressure, and feel for the horse's "try." You might even close your eyes so you can feel very subtle movements in the horse. When you feel any change, release the pressure. Ask again, lightly; again feel for the horse's "try," and release. The horse is tentatively saying, "Is this kind-of what you want?"
Your light requests and quick releases give him confidence to make a bigger try, such as shifting his weight slightly in the direction you're asking, or beginning to lift a foot off the ground. Soon, with your respectful feedback, he will figure it out.
Notice that when a horse "gets it," he will "chew it over" with his mouth. While he is chewing on it, let him be; this is an important step in his understanding something for future use.
You can add to the horse's reward by stroking after every "try." (In the equine vocabulary, patting most closely resembles kicking.) When the horse finally understands your request and responds fully, stroke some more and just stand there peacefully with him for a few minutes. Horses love it when they can be with you and not have to be always doing something. It's a major, rewarding release of pressure for them.
Once a horse has understood something, there is no need to drill him on it. Repetition after understanding just makes him bored and resentful. Most of the moves you're asking for are things you use every time you ride, anyhow. Try to have a real reason for a request. My mare will move over for me in the stall with a finger-touch on her hair, but falls asleep when I "practice" with her in the arena.
More on Leadership
Becoming a good leader for a horse means you have to work on two things in yourself: improve your timing and improve your integrity.
A fun way to improve your timing is to use clicker training with your horse. Clicker training was invented for teaching dolphins how to do tricks. It is now becoming widely used with dogs. Horse people are just discovering it.
The clicker (or any other brief sound) is used to MARK the asked-for behavior, such a moving a foot in the desired direction, followed by a reward that the horse has learned to associate with the click. Some horses don't care about food, you have to find some other reward that your horse likes enough to work for. For example, there are dogs that work better for a thrown frisbee than for food.
My horses' attitude toward learning improved 100% when I discovered clicker training. They love to know exactly what I want. They love to figure out "how to get Marjorie to click me." They enjoy having a "playday" in bad weather or when I don't want to ride.
I've used the clicker to get them doing all types of leading and groundwork without a halter, to freelunge with better position and movement than they ever got when lungeing in sidereins, and to do tricks such as climbing up on a pedestal (or a rock in their pasture) with just room enough for all four feet, which improves their balance and trust.
Clicker resources are: the book that started it all, Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor, which explains the principles of operant conditioning, and Clicker Training for Your Horse by Alexandra Kurland, both available with a clicker from www.clickertraining.com or 1-800-472-5425. This store, Sunshine Books, also has videos on clicker training for dogs which can help you with your horse. Another source of clicker training books and videos is www.dogwise.com or 1-800-776-2665.
We all have integrity problems toward our horses, because in this culture we are surrounded with the notion that humans are superior beings, and that therefore being insensitive and disrespectful toward animals doesn't matter in the greater scheme of things. Someone once asked Tom Dorrance, the great horseman and teacher, for a few words everyone could take home to chew on, that might improve their horsemanship. Tom thought for a while and said, in his slow, quiet voice, "Man looks down on the horse." Tom Dorrance recommends Kinship With All Life by J. Allen Boone, a little book that will give you a different way to think about equality of being.
Prey and Predator: A Matter of Awareness
Horses are much more aware of us than we are of them. A human can spend a lifetime around horses, totally oblivious to a profound difference in point-of-view -- a difference horses notice the first time they meet us and always have to take into account in their daily dealings with us. The horses' awareness of this difference sometimes causes them to act in ways that the human misinterprets into human terms.
The horse is a prey animal. His place in the food chain is always the-one-eaten. His food is grass, he has no fangs or claws, he has nothing to protect him but his split-second perception and fleet-footedness. His eyes and ears are placed to see and hear all around. He's hard-wired to scoot first and think later. When he approaches the water hole, he circles around and stops often to check for lions.
The human, though sometimes prey, has many predator characteristics. We have binocular vision, in common with the cat family, the dog family, and the hunting birds. Binocular vision allows us to judge distance -- exactly how far we are from our quarry. We tend to walk directly to the water hole; we look one another straight in the eye; we look prey animals straight in the eye; and we walk directly to them.
While it may never occur to us that we act this way, the horse notices the difference and is rightfully scared by it. So, if we want to get along well with horses, we need to learn to stop acting like a predator. The less we act like a predator, the more the horse can let down his guard and feel safe in our presence.
We know that fear prevents learning. Therefore, the less we act like a scary predator, the better our horses can learn what we want them to do.
Some things we can do to act less in the predator role:
* Until the horse knows you, don't look him straight in the eye. Look at his nose or his feet, and use your soft-eyes (peripheral vision) when you look at his eyes.
* When you walk up to a horse, a curve may make him more comfortable than a straight line. Stop at the edge of his "personal space" (the place where he gathers himself to move away) and wait for his permission to enter (he relaxes and stays where he is).
* The human emotions of anger and holding-a-grudge seem not to exist in horse society and are scary to horses. When you get angry (and it happens to the best of us) get yourself away from the horse till you cool down. YOU ARE SCARY TO HIM.
Groundwork
So often we think of the horse as a sort of motorcycle. That's what riding lessons are about: you brush the horse, put on the saddle and bridle, hop on, and VROOM off we go.
On the other hand, the thing that's so attractive about horses, and what's different about them from motorcycles, is that they are alive. Why do some of us get hooked on horses instead of motorcycles? Isn't it that we get that glimpse of the horse as a fellow being, a "someone" we might be able to relate to? Haven't most of us heard and read tantalizing stories of horse-human bondings and partnerships?
Groundwork is about the horse-human relationship. The horse IS a fellow being. He IS a "personality." He DOES enjoy getting to know us. He CARES about figuring out what we want, and he LIKES building the partnership of intent and action.
How are we to build a partnership between creatures so different as horse and human?
Human language is a very complex thing -- so complex that only humans are able to use and understand it. Horses can't.
Therefore, we use groundwork as a way to show humans how to get along in horse language.
The horse's mind is able to deal with very high levels of logic. Any time a horse is not operating in fear mode, he is using his reason to figure out and deal with the goings-on around him. Some of his priorities are different from ours, because he is a different creature, but he is using logic. Our side of building a partnership is to learn what the horse's priorities and assumptions are, and become fluent in horse-logic so that we can "speak the horse's language" at all times in our daily life together.
I have seen horses be so pleased when I manage to be horse-logical. They LIKE to understand what I'm saying to them. They LIKE to "get it." They LIKE the security of really knowing what I want and not having to guess.
Groundwork allows you to simplify what's going on, so that you have time to figure out horse priorities, assumptions, and logic. Groundwork gives you time to develop your patience (calmly continuing your request until the horse really responds) and your timing (when to release to best be understood).
Doing groundwork "at liberty" gives you the space to practice your dance with the horse. If I walk over here, where does the horse go, and when? Can I move in such a way that he will turn at the third post and go the other way? How politely do I need to move, not to provoke resentful kicking and tail-swishing?
I watched a skilled groundworker playing with a very fearful mare. The woman flowed like water, alternately urging and melting with her body language, matching every nuance of the mare's movement. The mare calmed down from a tight, head-in-the-air gallop, to a relaxed trot, and before long walked up to make probably the first human friend in her life.
If we watch the horse moving well without our weight bothering him, then when we ride we can give him a clearer mind-picture of himself moving well.
The first time you try groundwork, it may take a while just to figure out one piece together. Some of the parts-of-movement that you can play with over a period of weeks would be:
* Relax at the poll. Head can twirl a half-inch to the left and right on the first neckbone. This unlocks the whole topline so that he can move freely. (Stand in front of the horse, hold the head gently, press gently to ask for a slight head-twirl to one side, release; repeat to other side. After several head-twirls you'll notice the head lowering toward the ground and the horse relaxing.)
* Hindquarters step sideways, left and right.
* Front end steps sideways, left and right.
* Step backwards, relaxing all the way along the neck and back and down to the hind feet.
* Walk sideways, left and right, with a relaxed bend through the body. Have the horse face a fence or wall so he can't go forward.
* Leading: walk beside us, on both sides, with halt, back up, walk forward, trot, slow to walk, and halt.
* Make a circle around us, to the left and right; change directions with a nice rocking back onto the hindquarters.
* Human stands three feet from the wall, horse goes between us and the wall, to the left and the sright. (You'd want him to be able to do this before you tried loading him in a trailer.)
Some good places to learn about groundwork, with pictures to help:
Problem Solving by Marty Marten, and Natural Horse-Man-Ship by Pat Parelli, both in the Western Horseman series.
Groundwork by Buck Brannaman.
True Horsemanship Through Feel by Bill Dorrance.
The Trail Less Traveled, a natural horsemanship magazine.
Teach "Give to Pressure"
One of the most useful tools we have, when asking a horse to "go here, back up, move over please, etc.," is to put a finger on the part of the horse's body we would like to move, or apply pressure with the halter or bridle to change the direction of his head. A horse that has learned to move away from our touch with any required part of his body has learned to "give to pressure."
Horses are not born knowing this. They learn it from their mother in their first day of life, in regard to horses they respect. In regard to horses they don't respect, and to predators (remember, they know we are predators), their tendency is to push against the pressure.
It's frustrating and dangerous to deal with a horse that doesn't politely move over when you politely ask him to. Therefore it's well worth a few minutes every day, ongoing, to teach your horse to move at your fingertip request.
Doing a lot of this work will also help a horse that "pulls back when tied" (breaks halters). He most likely learned how to break the halter before he understood "give to presssure."
About Cussedness
Horses are kind of like a deer or a rabbit: Fear is never far below the surface. The horse is easily made afraid for his life.
As a social creature, he's also afraid of doing the wrong thing and displeasing us -- more so, the more we matter to him.
We humans often ask for what we want in a way that's foreign to the horse's way of understanding. Horses get scared, confused, or frustrated by the lack of horse-clarity, and then they do things we'd rather they didn't do.
We humans live in a society where there are people who manipulate and take advantage of us. Through our human-colored glasses, we manage to see horses' confusion and their actions of self-preservation as one more instance of human "cussedness," and we relate to them as though they were "out to ruin our day."
This mis-perception on our part causes us a lot of trouble with our horses. Horses are creatures of amazing goodwill. They are truthful and direct in their dealings. If asked clearly and politely, they seem more than willing to do what we ask, and interested in getting along with us.
When a horse comes up with something different than what I wanted, rather than scolding or punishing, it works better to stop, take a look at the whole situation, and think about what the horse didn't understand (or what other factors, including pain, might be getting in his way). Then I can try different ways of presenting what I want, till I find one the horse can understand. Sometimes it takes going home and sleeping on it.
Avoid Wrecks
Wrecks are scary for horses. Some horses never get over a bad wreck. It can take months or years of painstaking work to undo the mental damage. If you care about your horse and his training, think ahead and avoid dangerous situations.
An important reason for doing some pre-ride groundwork is to avoid wrecks. Do a little groundwork every time before you ride, until you're sure the horse is with you mentally and not wandering off in the wild blue yonder.
Keep your horse away from situations that might call for better communication than what you, yourself, have with this particular horse.
For example, until you can do a reliable halt from the walk and the trot, don't expose the horse to a situation where you might need to ask him to halt from the gallop. Until you have a reliable back-up on level ground, don't expect the horse to safely back out of a trailer. Until the horse thoroughly understands "give to pressure," don't tie him up or crosstie him.
Use a safe place such as an arena to check out what your horse knows, to teach him what he doesn't know yet, or to learn yourself how to ask him for different moves. Then you can go "outside" knowing you have some communication to use in emergencies.
Domestication and Safety
Horses are a creature of the open plains. There is nothing in their hard-wiring that gives them the slightest clue about how to deal with most of what they run into daily in their dealings with human settlements: fences, long tunnels leading into small, dark caves (what lives in caves? bears and lions...), wheelbarrow handles sticking out to puncture them as they go by, being tied up by the head, tangled green water snakes, following a rope, etc.
We humans have to spend a good bit of time explaining all these things to every horse that gets born into our domestic world so that, understanding, they can keep themselves out of trouble. Even so, any horse that gets frightened can suddenly revert to the open-plains mentality: "Scoot first, think later. Struggle for your life". Then you have a wreck on your hands -- you or your horse spending big bucks to get patched up.
So: wear a helmet, wear boots with a heel to catch the stirrup, move the wheelbarrow before you lead the horse down the aisle, and don't wrap the lead rope around your hand. Keep a calm awareness of your escape route, should you need to leap out of the way in the next instant.
Don't hurry the horse. Be clear and consistent in your communication. Make sure he understands the foundation of each idea before you go to build on it.
Imagination and Responsibility
Human beings are the animal that has imagination. What I mean by imagination is that we are able to picture something that doesn't exist in the present situation, and take steps to make our picture become reality. Horses seem not to have this ability.
Therefore, whenever there is a difficulty between horse and human, it is the human's responsibility to imagine how good things could be, and to show the horse how to get there in a way that he can understand. I think horses appreciate what we do to make their lives and their work better, and that is part of why they enjoy us and like to do things with us.
Love is more than just a feeling. It's thinking well about your horse.
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