Just think of how good it would be if your horse did anything that you wanted at the "click" of a button. You can learn that with some time and patience.
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
Monday, April 27, 2009
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
 |
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
