Lateral Flexion

How to get Lateral Flexion

In a nut shell lateral flexion is when the horse turns his head left and/or right while keeping his feet still.

Why do you need this…?

-Emergency stop

-To supple your horse

-Support transitions

-Is the key to vertical flexion

This can be taught to the horse on the ground or under saddle. I will describe it on the ground first, as I always teach concepts on the ground first. We will start at the horses left shoulder

Step 1: Stand at your horses shoulder

Step 2: Hold the lead rope in your right hand, with slack in it and rest it on the horses wither

Step 3: Slide your left hand down the rope and take up a soft grip

Step 4: Gently pull your left hand up towards your right hand

Step 5: As SOON AS you feel the horse flex, even if it is just a mm, drop the lead and give him lots of slack

Success tips

-Do not expect them to fully flex in the beginning

-Re-read our pressure and release suggestions post from the blog

-Ask gently to begin with get firmer if the horse does not respond

-Release the rope VERY quickly when the horse flexes a tiny bit

-Make sure the horse feels good about himself

-Try not to stop flexing when you horses moves (which will probably happen in the beginning)

This is one of the many concepts I teach during lessons and clinics.

Listen to your Horse

Always remember to listen to your horse

What are they telling you?

I remember the days when I never used to listen to my horse, it wasn't that I didn't want to, it's that the thought never occurred to me, then one day when it did I didn't know what to do! 

When I see horses ears pinned, tails wringing, face tight, lips taut, and eyes staring, to me that spells an unhappy horse. This causes me to wonder how many other people are in the situation I was, of not knowing what to do? I see a lot of the above behaviours in other peoples horses and I think to myself, what is the person doing to help the horse be happier, or have they not even noticed and if they have noticed do they care? 

My horses at times can definitely still show these things and I am forever trying to figure out why. What ever the reason I try not to let these little things go unnoticed. Be it the horses fault, the riders fault or none of the above I believe that we should all take note.

For example: I go to catch Jewel and she turns to walk away. Instead of thinking, "ohhh, you little rat bag and MAKING her be caught", I stop and ask myself why this may have occurred. In walking away (unusual behaviour as normally she comes to me, if not on her own them definitely when asked) Jewel is trying to tell me something, it is my job to acknowledge it.

In the above example Jewel could be telling me any number of things:

1. "Buzz off you mean nothing to me today".
2. "I have a sore back so am protecting myself".
3. "Walk with me to the end of the paddock and give me a new break of grass". 
4.  "Last time you worked with me you rushed me and made me feel wrong".

You may do nothing more than think to yourself, how fascinating and proceed as normal. I swear the horses feel this acknowledgement and appreciate it. If they showed example #1 I would be convincing them that coming to me really is a more appealing option, if they showed #4 I would slow down and take my time with them that day to rebuild trust. Generally you get a pretty good feel of the reason why and respond accordingly

Noticing these subtle signs you horse is giving your could be the difference between a safe or unsafe experience with your horse. Too often I hear people telling me of things that happened with their horses. Most often their sentences begin with "all of a sudden out of no where…..". I guarantee that if people started to notice these little signs the horse gives them, they would be saying this less often! 

Yes indeed at times things really do come out of the blue, who could have picked that a plastic bag would fly out at the exact second a truck whizzed by and that the horse would spook. But if your horse has been getting tighter and tighter eventually they will blow, if their tail is repeatedly swishing watch out because a buck could be on the way, or maybe the saddle is causing major damage and pain.

I in no way have perfect horses who are happy all the time, but there has to be a line where the person needs to step up and think I NEED TO TAKE NOTICE, NOW!

Simple look into body signs: Equi-search Ideas

A deeper and more spiritual look into body language and horses: Carolyn Resnick Blog: body-language-body-talk

This is me with an Australian Stock Horse stallion called Star King and Country. He god very assertive with his body language telling me to FEED HIM NOW, so here I am reminding him of his manners with my body language.

Horses Should be FUN!

Horses should be fun!

Short and sweet! In what ever you do with your horse, have fun, don't turn it into a chore! Life is too short to create more jobs that you need!

If you are not having fun with your horse, what can you do to change that?

Scary objects: Under Saddle

De-spook your horse while riding

Getting your horse more confident under saddle

If your horse is fearful of a spooky object, make sure you get him confident with it on the ground first! It is important to do this so that you do not put yourself in danger and you are clearer to the horse.

See Sunday's post on pressure and release as this approach is imperative to your success.

If your horse is afraid of something when you ride him, the worst thing you can do is force him ALL the way up to it! Instead build his confidence just a little bit at a time. Walk him up to the object, then just before he gets scared walk him away. Repeat this process over and over, asking him for one more step closer each time. Eventually he will build up the confidence to get there and no fight is necessary.

The reason people 'fight' with their horses in these situations is because they do not give the horse time to THINK and problem solve for himself. If you just slow down and let him dictate the pace, you will get there faster. Parelli quotes, "take the time it takes and it takes less time!" My own version of this is, "spend the time to get it right, build his confidence, not destroy it!"

Pushy Horses

Do not let your horse push you around

Many of the problems people face with their horses can be attributed to the fact, they are not the horses leader.

The term 'leader' can be interpreted in many ways, some trainers believe you have to dominate the horses to lead, others believe you lead passively and some think that you need to become the alpha member of the herd to lead effectively.

Mine is a mix of all of the above. I believe the type of leadership you need depends on the type of horse you have. I do not believe that a finite definition of a 'leader' can be drawn. Basically I want to lead in such a way that causes the horse to listen to me for cues etc without fear or resentment, and I wish not cause them to feel a need to get defensive.

For example: A more pushy horse may need to be lead in a 'stronger way' as they are less likely to become fearful or resentful, where as some horses are so sensitive or damaged that even a tensing in body language at the wrong time can cause fear in them. This right here is the true art of horsemanship, knowing what you have to do at each exact moment to bring out the best in your horse.

Leadership can be gained in MANY ways, one of the ways I like to show my horse I am the leader is through awareness of space. I want my horse to know where I am AT ALL times. If he is aware of this he is less likely to jump on me when he spooks, rush past me in small areas and put me in other dangerous situations.

When I first start out with a new horse or am working with a pushy horse my space is LARGE. I imagine I have a bubble around me with about a 2 meter radius. The horse has to prove to me that he can maintain that distance without trying to cut in and run me over, before the distance will ever get any smaller. I do what ever is necessary to maintain this space, normally it is just by waving a stick at the horse when he cuts in. This exercise can be done on a cidlc or simply walking in straight lines.

Success Tips
-Do not nag him, once he has moved out of your space leave him alone (remember back to our post on pressure and release: the same concept applies)
-Be consistent, do not allow him to crowd you one day, then allow it the next
-Do what ever it takes to defend your space. This is not to be mean to the horse it is to SHOW him the answer, if you are very clear about your space he will find the solution of where he needs to be.
-Do not let him dictate when he wants to come in close to you, eventually when your relationship strengthens this becomes an acceptable thing (in my world, not all people believe this and that is ok :)).
-It is easiest to show the horse this with a stick as you can do less with your body
-Have a clear picture in your mind of what you want the situation to look like, if you are picturing him in close that is what he will do.
-Do not make him stay away ALL the time, use a healthy mix of both, just make sure when he comes in close that it was your idea.

Stay out of danger

Safety is #1

If you feel like you are in an unsafe situation with your horse, you need to get out of the situation immediately to a place where you are safe and not try to be 'the hero' or 'beat' the horse. Clinton Anderson puts it nicely when he says, "there are plenty of heroes in the graveyard".

When you are out of potential danger, then you can re-assess the situation and decide on a course of action. It may be that it is ok to get back on, maybe you need to phone a friend, or just maybe you need to put the horse to work to convince him that what he did was a bad idea.

What ever the reason and decision you reach, just make sure you do your thinking AWAY from the danger zone.

Being able to do this seemingly simple thing, is one many horse owners struggle to do. I certainly remember when I was younger; I had to 'show the horse who was boss!' Experience though has taught me that it really is NOT worth it!!!

Horses that Freak Out: On the Ground

Scary objects: On the ground

If your horse is afraid, listen to him and help him become more confident!

When your horse is 'freaking out' he is not being silly or doing it on purpose. He is actually doing what horses are SUPPOSED to do, it is an instinct that has kept their species alive for centuries. If they sense danger, their innate responses kick in and tell them to get to safety- even if in our eyes we know a plastic bag or tarpaulin will not kill them!

Unfortunately too many times I see people PUNISHING their horses for this, they whack them, yell at them and haul on their mouths, when in reality it is the persons responsibility to better prepare their horses for the many situations we subject them to. Prime example; a rider is warming up in the practice ring for a show, ALL of a sudden a balloon flies past…. the horse FREAKS out, spins around to get to safety and dumps his rider accidentally in the process. The rider hops up angry, embarrassed and disappointed, in their frustration they yank the horse in the mouth and yell at him like he should have known better. My question to these people is… "what have you done prior to this day to help your horse become more confident with spooky objects?"

Thankfully horses can be taught to not rely so heavily on this instinct. It is done through a process called desensitisation. So if your horse is afraid of something, it is your job as his leader to help him over come his fears.

Desensitisation is taught to the horse through a method called 'pressure and release'. It is important to note during desensitisation that the horse learns from the RELEASE OF PRESSURE, not the pressure itself. This is because horses seek comfort, so when the pressure is taken away they feel comfort (release). As such it is CRUCIAL that you release the pressure ONLY when the horse has shown you a sign of relaxing AND they have their feet STILL (and have committed to standing still). If you quit the pressure before he has relaxed, YOU are in effect teaching him that if he freaks out he makes the scary thing go away.

Signs of relaxing include:
-Cocking a hind leg
-Lowering his head
-Blinking
-Yawning
-Licking and chewing
-Sighing
-Blowing snot out his nose
-Being able to stand still for 15 seconds

Scenario Examples
Good: A person is rubbing their horse over with a plastic bag (pressure). After about 10 seconds the horse shows a sign of relaxing while standing still, so the handler takes the bag off the horse and stands still and relaxed (release of pressure). In this situation the horse has been positively reinforced for learning to deal better with the plastic bag
Bad: A person is nervously rubbing their horse over with a plastic bag (pressure), the horse continues to move around and cannot stand still, so the person takes the bag off anyway (release of pressure). In this situation the release of the pressure has further reinforced to the horse that freaking out is the best thing to do.

Tips to effectively teach:
-You may not be able to touch your horse right away so just desensitise the air
-Get him confident with one spooky object, then use the same method for another spooky object.
-Stay calm yourself
-Be CONSISTENT
-Make sure his feet are definitely still
-Do not release the pressure when the horse has not calmed down!
-The same principle can be applied in the saddle (see tomorrows post!)

Common spooky objects include:
-Saddle blanket
-Halter
-Bridle
-Stick
-Plastic bag
-Tarpaulin
-Ropes
-Balls
-Coloured poles

-Horse float

See this link for the Parelli's interpretation of pressure and release
Parelli's on Pressure and Release

See this link for Clinton Anderson's take on it

Clinton on Pressure and Release

And one more way of thinking about it

Karen Musson's ideas

Horses that Pull Back

How to teach a horse to tie

If your horse pulls back DO NOT tie him solid.

It is an age old belief that you teach a horse to tie, by tying him up to something unbreakable and letting him figure it out. This is NOT correct, it is also not ideal tying him to bailing twine so if he pulls back it will break, as this does not FIX the 'problem'.

Horses that do not tie up, do so because they do not understand how to appropriately respond to pressure. What this means is that they THINK when they feel pressure they need to pull away and fight it. Instead we want to teach our horses that when they feel pressure they need to do the opposite, by doing this they get 'comfort' as they are no longer being pulled on. So first off, if your horse pulls back AND doesn't lead well, he doesn't know how to appropriately respond to pressure.

It can take some time to break the habit, but it can be done, even in horses with HUGE fear issues created by tying up.

It is important to note that horses that pull back, do so because they are afraid they are trapped. By nature horses are very claustrophobic and instinctively if they feel trapped they think they must get away at once (fly from fear)!!!

This is a complex issue to deal with at times. I do not often swear by ONE product, but in this case the Clinton Anderson Aussie Tie Ring is a must have!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evul8o7AHyE
See this link for more information from the inventor himself: Clinton Anderson.

Image of the tie-ring. Available on Tack Shop website or TradeMe

Mounting your horse

Mounting your horse

If you horse moves away when you go to get on, do not get on until he is standing still.

Hopping on your horse while he is moving away reinforces the behaviour in a positive way, so he thinks that is what you want. It is unfair of us to punish him for this, as he is actually doing exactly what we taught him, by never pulling him up for it.

It can take some time at the start, but once your horse recognises what you want he will put more effort into getting it right.

To begin the new pattern of correctly being mounted:
Step 1: Stand on a mounting block, or similar object.
Step 2: Ask your horse to stand next to it, as soon as he does rub him and let him know he is good!
Step 3: Go to hop on
Step 4: If he moves away, ask him back to the correct spot INSTANTLY, any way you can, even if you have to temporarily get off the mounting block.
Step 5: Then rub him again to reward him for being in the correct spot.
Step 6: continue this process until you can mount with him standing still

Eventually he will pick rubs over moving away. It is very important he is not 'punished', rather you can make him uncomfortable for making the wrong decision of moving away.

Success Tips:
-Make sure your body language is clear- when you want him to move for not standing you should have life and energy in your body. As SOON as he stands in the right spot you should take the life OUT of your body and relax, this will help him relax too.
-You may have to ask him up to the mounting block in small increments, such as one step, rub, one more step, rub and then when he is in the perfect position give him a BIG rub
-Expect this behaviour EVERY time you mount- be consistent.
-If he walks off as soon as you get in the saddle, stop him, hop off and repeat the process.

Mounting from the fence.

This sort of thing is what I teach at lessons and during clinics! Watch this space for more handy tips!!!

Welcome

Welome to our Horse Training Tips blog!

I love learning and sharing my current knowledge!

I hope you will find the tips on this blog useful. Remember that there are MANY ways concepts can be taught to horses and these are just my thoughts. As with most things, my thoughts may change depending on the horses I work with. I feel it is important to have AS MANY training ideas as possible, so try not to instantly disregard things. Rather I think to myself, I can see the concept, maybe I will find that more relevant with a different type of horse.

I welcome thoughts and suggestions and value conversations around philosophies about horse training.