To the FB whiners :P

Warning long post- BUT well worth your time to read I hope :D

I see SO often people asking for help on various FB Equine help groups or posting comments on their wall. In a lot of ways this is great, if you are over faced with horses, it is important to seek help. Unfortunately so many of these comments are soaked in peoples' frustration and anger about their horses. These people all appear to be trying to fix the ‘problem’, not the source. For example a person who complains (yes I said complains…. because that is what it is…. it is a complaint about the behaviour of their horse) that their horse goes nutty when it gets to shows. Well #1 the horse is just doing what it needs to do to survive! Many will think- oh that is a bit dramatic, without realising that a horses primal instinct is to survive. If they feel threatened at shows (problem), which let’s face it is a fair call on their part, they obviously do not think they are safe (cause). It is at this point people need to stop and think………...

A common pattern that emerges in these comments is that people only mention the errors of the horse in their comments and that they want their horses to do things 'they' (the person) perceive as easy, but to the horse very challenging.

Now do not take this post as a 'Natural Horsemanship rant', as that is not at all what I am about. Good horsemanship is good horsemanship, regardless of the 'title' or 'label' it is given. Regardless of the 'method', 'style of riding' or experience of the horse, ALL people who own and associate with horses SHOULD know the basic psychology of the animal and their responsibilities in being with them. 

Yes people can learn this psychology through so called, 'Natural Horsemanship' ways, ..... OR NOT.... because they believe that is is voodoo and give it a wide swerve. But the fact is that a person who deeply understands the psyche of the horse, will never feel need to whinge and moan on Facebook about their so called beloved equine partner. This is because they will know what is ACTUALLY important to the horse, meaning that most of the time you need to sit your own ego and goal related notions to the side, to be there for your horse. Trust me I know, I do this every day! I cannot wait for the day that I compete my horse at high levels of dressage, but there is NO way I am going to force the horse to do this at the speed I desire, because let's face it, I would be doing it tomorrow. Instead I know this information and I keep it in the forefront of my mind at all times. It is this information that ensures EVERY day I am with my horses is a good one and I am on the road to my goal. It ensures that I NEVER feel anger and frustration toward or about horses, it ensures that I do the best I can every day, to be GOOD enough for my horses and the horses of other people I work with.

The things above, and what I am about to share below, are the key things that will get me to my goal of becoming a top dressage rider; with my horses mental, physical and emotional health in check. We will get there in a way that is ‘together', in a way that the horse does not feel I make unreasonable demands of it, nor have preconceived and conceited expectations.

1- The relationship I have with my horses ALWAYS comes first. What this means is that I take the time to get them used to things, exposed to things. I ensure that I properly prepare them by teaching them things in logical, manageable steps. I am constantly reflecting on ALL of this from the horses point of view. I equip myself with the knowledge I need to make informed decisions about what manageable steps even are (most of the time this involves some ground skill teaching first).

2- I know that horses cannot learn positively if they do not feel safe, if they do not trust people and if their point of view is not acknowledged. One way I do this is that I take the time to allow them to be caught, to catch me. I NEVER walk into my horses paddock assuming they will be ‘caught and worked’ that day. I take my time, after all their paddock is their home, it is only polite to knock……. I look into their faces and ask them how they are doing, I ask them what they wanna do that day if we were to ‘do work’, or play as I like to call it. During saddling and bridling, I ask for permission, after all it is their body that has to have the equipment on them, I would hate to be forced to wear a straight jacket.

3- I am well aware of the complexity of the tasks I want my horses to do. I try to never over face them; they always come out feeling like a winner. I encourage this sense of pride in my horses, I want them to want to please, but I cannot make this happen. It can only come about through taking the time it takes, understanding what is important to them on any given day and never putting my horses in a place where there are no answers.

4- I know how much better I need to be, to even come close to being good enough for them. I know that my riding at times makes movements difficult for my horses and that I am forever in their way. What I mean by this is that every movement we request for our horses to make, has a perfect point of balance and to find this is to be in complete harmony in the move. Realistically though, haunches in at the trot for example, is a challenging movement for both horse and rider. It is my job to set the horse up to do movements with ease, as a rider I challenge myself every day to be in a perfect point of balance. If the horse does not execute a movement perfectly, I know that they are not well-prepared enough, either through my own inadequacies as a rider or my failure to put in place a logical teaching sequence to allow them to do it!

5- My horses NEVER take the blame, they are NEVER at fault. The horse that kicked me in the back of the head and fractured my skull, during my time in Australia was a lovely horse, I have no ill feelings towards her. I only hold them against myself, for putting her in the position where she felt that she needed to defend herself and unfortunately I was in the way!

6- I have spent HOURS and HOURS and a lot of money. I have brought MANY training DVD’s, from MANY trainers and taken the best of all of them. I invest my time looking at You Tube clips, I can even learn from the things I don’t like! I have bookshelves full of books from top horse people and people who many have never heard of. I have STUDIED Horsemanship intensively and reflect on my Horsemanship ALL the time.

7- I know a lot about horse psychology and continue to extend this learning ALL the time. I know about the predator/prey theory, I am aware of my body language (active/passive) and how this dramatically impacts my horses. I am open to the power of the mind and communicating with horses through awareness of space, visual pictures and body language. I know the importance of leaving my ego behind with horses, as to them it has no place. I am not afraid to be an open book, I do not try to hide my intent from my horses. I have studied extensively the inner workings of horse herds, observed their interactions and related this to the horses I work with to this day. I know that EVERY horse is a complete individual and so I treat them as such, to assume something will work like it did with a different horse is a naive way of thinking. I understand deeply the difference between a ‘right’ brain horse and a ‘left’ brain one and have strategies, exercises and perspectives for supporting ALL horses to learn. I consider the motivation and desire of the horse. Understanding the difference between an introverted horse and an extroverted one has also taken my interactions with horses to another level.

8- I do a balanced amount of desensitising and sensitising. If my horse is flighty I will do MORE desensitising, if my horse is dull I will do more sensitising. I consider the ins and outs of why a horse is flighty, dealing with the ‘root’ of the problem, not just the problem itself.

9- Key to all of this is that I put a good foundation on my horses (see below).

To be truly good at this you HAVE to put in the time and sometimes the money. There is no EASY way and you need to be the best you can be for your horse, EVERYDAY! 

YOU need to take responsibility for your own inadequacies. This does not just mean asking questions on Facebook. This means being open to how much you suck, paying people to come to you and your horse to support you, getting help from people- good people, not some person who ‘thinks’ they know, pay the money to get good support! It means reassessing your goals and mapping out some essentials you need to get where you wanna go, if you don’t know what your essentials are GET help, buy a book, watch a video, UP-SKILL!!!!

Learn about getting a good ‘foundation/basics’ on your horse. For all the whiners out there who are not actively getting of their butts to make a positive change in the relationship they have with their horses, your biggest problem is that your horse does NOT even know the basics, how can they when you do not even know them yourself :) Pretty much every problem I support people with comes from a lack of understanding and knowledge of the person, which is then transferred to the horse. 

Basics will look different to a lot of people, but for me the list is huge, a few key things are (and there are many more!):

-Horse can laterally and vertically flex

-Horse can walk, trot and canter on a loose rein

-Horse as a soft back up with little to no rein pressure

-Horse comes to be caught

-Horse stands still to get on

-Horse bridles without difficultly

-Horse picks up feet confidently

-Horse can walk/trot over, on, through and around scary things

-Horse can float load

-Horse can stop off my body

-Horse moves through upward gaits with minimal pressure

-Horse disengages hind quarters

-Horse moves front end over

-Horse can be brushed and touched all over with no flinches

-Horse leads without resistance

-Horse ties calmly

-Horse can take a few steps sideways

-Horse can lower its head on command without fear or resistance

-Horse is calm and confident during saddling

YES, these things are BASIC and can be done under saddle and on the ground (except maybe riding into the float lol, that is a bit more advanced :P ).

It is only after these things are FIRMLY in place I would ever expect my horse to do anything else, especially flying changes, half-pass, going to shows etc.

So before having a whinge about the ‘problem’, consider the ‘cause’ of the problem. By this I mean….. for example….. if a horse doesn’t tie up, that is the problem, the cause is that the horse is distrusting, potentially has a lack of respect for the lead rope and does not understand the concept of moving into pressure, not pulling away from it. It is also more than likely that the horse is difficult or lazy to lead, and drags on the end of the lead rope when being led. Another example, horse is difficult to bridle, that is the problem, the cause is probably a lack of trust, a feeling or being rushed, was not prepared properly or has had bad experiences in the past and needs to be retaught how to positively accept the bridle. Another classic example a horse goes crazy at shows, that is the problem, the cause probably lies in the lack of emotional fitness of the rider, can they get to shows and be calm themselves? Have they developed strategies and exercises at home for calming, which can then be used at shows? Has the horse had enough stress-free outings to shows prior to being expected to go out and perform? I am sure you get my point- there is always a REASON why horses behave the way they do and it ALWAYS comes back to the people being the cause (either directly or indirectly)!

I just hope this post reaches those who need it most, if you are one of those people, do not feel attacked or targeted, rather take this as a learning opportunity to be the best you can be for your horse/s. If you are on the same page as me, I encourage you to share this with people who need it. And if you are far exceeding where I am at and wish to extend my learning, please feel free to start a healthy discussion ;) 

Thanks for reading if you managed to get to the bottom of this post!.

Jazzy- lead only!

It was absolutely blowing a gale today (Sat 30/11-12)! But I am so impressed at Jazzy, despite the wind and that she hasn't seen me since Monday she was AMAZING!

This is the first time I have ever worked her like this without a halter. A big thanks to Deb Prately of Acuvet Ltd as I feel much of our success is from the treatment she gave Jazzy on Monday!

On Monday Deb came out to help loosen Jazzy's back end. Prior to this Jazzy found cantering extremely difficult and when going to the right, she would always go on the wrong lead. Well today she taught herself how to do a flying change to make cantering a circle more comfortable!

We started off just getting her to check in, back up, sideways and hind quarter yields, just to make sure she understood the concept of moving with only the rope around her neck and stopping with only the rope around her neck. Once I had this established I asked her out on a circle.

She went out easily and throughout the session only put pressure on the rope twice. She moved out fluidly at a walk and trot, so I asked for the canter. To the left she was hesitant, but found her flow and went around on the correct lead, maintaining the canter until I asked her to stop. Then to the left she was so cute, she tried really hard to canter, but could only manage a little hop in the front. I did not continue asking her for the canter. Instead I just asked her twice at the same point on the circle each time, if she didn't get it I just left her alone and asked her again when she got to the same point again- thus conditioning her that she needed to make a change at that point.

She tried about 5 times like this, then she managed to pick up and maintain a canter, but on the wrong lead. I brought her back in and rewarded her for trying. Then the next time she went out she went on the wrong leg and then did a flying lead change!!!! She knew instantly that she was amazing and flew into me for a reward pat, which she received wholeheartedly!

I tested this 3 more times and each time she did a lead change to make the canter circle more comfortable for herself!!

Love, love, love this pony! She is teaching me so much, especially the importance of wait time!!

VE Mag: Issue 1- Nov 2013

YAY, our first mag is LIVE!!!

Click on this link to view and download online- FOR FREE
http://www.scribd.com/doc/184744969/Versatile-Equines-Magazine-Issue-1-Nov-2013

First Time Saddling

Question to VE: Okay...so what's everyone's thoughts on first saddling? The process and acceptable response from the horse?

Parelli allows a horse to buck it out. Cox doesn't allow bucking. What about Clinton?

My goal/hope is that I won't get bucking at all. I want to do all that I can to prevent it from happening. At the moment I've been putting ropes around his belly and pulling them tight-ish and asking him to walk which he's ok with but not yet confident. What else can I do?


Person A: I'm a Parelli girl and I've never had bucks with first saddling with the horses and ponies I have started since learning the concept Parelli introduced me too of approach and retreat, and breaking it down into small parts.

I introduce the saddle blanket, on and off until solid. Then I introduce the girth, either surcingle or rope- it's the concept of 'tight' in that area that needs to be built up, the tool itself is not such a big deal. I don't move on to the next step until the horse is 100% confident- accepting not just tolerating. Then together blanket and girth - this is where a bareback pad is handy but once again it's not the tool that matters but the concept of a 'pad' tied to the horses back. Then saddle without girth, then saddle with girth, then I add stirrups. The most interesting response I have had was from my very claustrophobic filly, who thought the pressure of the girth was another puzzle to find a solution to ( she was thinking porcupine game instead of friendly game) Her solution was to lift her foreleg up and hold it. It was cute, better idea than a buck and good feedback ( if i had ignored it i don't doubt that she would have tried other things possibly including the buck). I knew she was bothered but was she trying to think of a way to make it go away instead of panicking, and gave me a clear signal. I listened and loosened on request, gradually making the comfort zone bigger until she got over it. With my own horses this process is started as early as possible. For example one of my horses was wearing a saddle at less than 18 months old although I never intended to ride her until she was 4. It was part of her budding work ethic to be saddled up and to come out on rides like a grown up horse but being led from an experienced horse, or just me leading. When she was ready to ride she started offering- and did it sooner than i expected too.
I have found that if I ask for permission at every stage and always allow them to say 'no' without overriding, then eventually they believe I am trustworthy and accept my decisions as safe. This has also worked with older horses- my Kai mare was 10 years old, with a 30m bubble, never touched except for being mustered and having her foals stolen, and hated and feared humans. this general approach applied to every step of her education worked really well. If you get the trust first they will believe in you and all your weird human ideas and tools

Person B: I started off with a towel (small) and then moved on to a saddle blanket then a bareback pad with 'D's" to clip on stirrups (never did tho) then from there i drove him with it on then i introduced my saddle. I think i did this over a period of 2-3weeks, and never moved on until he was happy and relaxed, he'd often be brought in for an hour or more and just hang out tied up or loose in a yard, i did the same with my endurance bridle so he got used to me putting that on with out a bit then I'd put the bit in and clip it on. hope that helps my pony was not very trusting when i got him!

ME: Clinton is also of with the bucking- but only on the first saddling, after that he works the poop outta them until they don't wanna do it any more. In saying that though he prepares them well, so generally there is not alot of buck.

I have never had a horse buck during the introduction of a saddle phase, as like person a, I am properly prepared. I think the key for me is the simulation of the girth going up and down (tight to loose), is key in getting them ok with it.

So after they are ok with the gear, I slide a girth strap through the girth (on a bareback pad, lunge roller or saddle) and tighten slightly, wait for the horse to relax, then undo it, rub all over the area and take the saddle off, then repeat over and over for days in a row. Eventually moving up to higher deals of pressure.

Then I do the same thing, but have them walking out around me (so make sure your leading by is spot on before beginning). I am always in a position to pull the saddle off also, never to let it fall at their feet.

Then there is 'stirrup driving', it is a thing I have seen Clinton Anderson do, Jordan always does it, I have a little bit (can be done with horses already under saddle too). I will try to find a clip of it- I know there is one on the VE page of Jordan doing it.

In regards to the 'worried about bucking', I remember those days too. You will come to a place where you will JUST KNOW, yes today is the right day. You will know this because when you think of doing it you do not tighten in your stomach, get light headed or think of the what ifs, because you will genuinely know that your horse is well prepared. When I girth mine for the very first time there is less than a 1% chance that they may buck.

On top of this however, before you are too concerned with girthing up, check your ground work- have you worked your horse at a walk, trot and canter with changes of direction, do they back up with life immediately, can you shut your horse down in very startling situations, does your horse stay out of your space unless instructed 100% of the time. The reason I say this is that he may startle and run off, have you practiced this first- before the fear?

Like everything the success of your girthing, will related back to how good you have things on the ground.

Just remember don't rush, it is like float loading, if you instil fear in the first session, it will be more challenging to have success, I am not saying you wont have success, but the horse will have developed a mental brace.

I LOVE HORSENALITIES (thanks Parelli)

Important to note: A horses Horsenality is determined by 4 things:

                              Spirit Level- low, medium, high

                              Innate Characteristics- how they are naturally in the pasture/as a baby

                              Learned Behaviour- good or bad

                              Environment- influence of changes, people, places and things

I freaking LOVE Horsenalities!!! I urge people to look more into this fascinating concept!!! My horsemanship has gone to the next level because I a more aware of how to approach different horses. I have also attached links to some supporting documents :)

To support you I have compiled a list of some very informative clips and documents :)

Horsenality is not an excuse:
http://linda.parellinaturalhorsetraining.com/2012/05/horsenality%E2%84%A2-is-not-an-excuse/

Overview of Horsenality:
http://www.parelli.com/horsenality.html
MUST LOOK: actual excerpt from Horsenality DVD- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B6NgYQ0q4o

Map your horses Horsenality:
http://files.parelli.com/HorsenalityChart.pdf

The Do's and Dont's of Horsenalities: http://www.freewebs.com/derwentvalleyhorseriders/Parelli%20Do's%20and%20Don'ts.pdf
http://www.parelli.com/what-horsenalities-teach-us.html

When Linda designed Horsenalities:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Hs4fGlIAQ

Linda on different Horsenalities:
Extrovert-
Understanding Extroverts- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC9OI5W7xHc
Right Brain Extrovert- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr_2vE_CY4k
Introvert-
Understanding Introverts- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gi-zYwb1S0
Motivate Lazy Horse- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvtRm2eut34
Horse eating grass- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoCy619ktvQ
Getting a circle- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNEMd8Ibbzw
Calming a tense one (RB)- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Me3kzWHl6c

Horsenaity Q&A with Linda:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts3tVpw5cLk&list=PL8A82EC68A3EC32E2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SohezxxpM4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIf5ErRXvEo&list=PL8A82EC68A3EC32E2

Working with a Left Brain Introvert (Remmer):
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-dlpzdXU1U
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buclvhtZ0eU
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdtOdyx7ndI
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef5PiNUCyMI
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDxPsVD6r6E
Part 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHXGSW1iQ-M
Part 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv9p1_Kx7Sc

Working with a Left Brain Extrovert (Allure):
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZceHllDe3c
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXMM8GKJR0I
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSYj2zLKpNU
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6MAAqaFnIo
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXKliGSy8oI

Other
Wait on an Introvert: http://central.parellinaturalhorsetraining.com/2012/04/giving-an-introverted-horse-time-an-extroverts-challenge/
Living and Learning with an RBE: http://central.parellinaturalhorsetraining.com/2012/03/learning-and-living-with-a-right-brain-extrovert/

My horses charts below

Jewel's Charts

Success is just around the corner!

Hooked the float up ready to continue playing with Jazzy at liberty with her float loading... but.... we didn't end up doing that!

Decided to ride her in from her paddock and a learning opportunity presented itself.

Due to the rain, a steep drain/swamp, has filled up more in the middle of her paddock. Throughout the week I have ridden her few there a few times, but not with it this full.

I feel like this was the most progressive and building session Jazzy and I have ever had. We were back back in a halter, with one 12ft lead rope attached (not set up as reins), so I will one-rein riding.

The first time Jazzy went through the swamp it took her a few minutes to feel confident, then she went up. When getting to the top she could not stand still and blew out alot.

After she relaxed again I rode her around the paddock, over a dirt bridge thing, under a low tree and back to the drain, this time she was more resistant. But eventually she went through and relaxed much quicker. We repeated this about 7 times, each time she was stronger in her refusal to go through.

Each time I had been pondering the situation and by the 7th time I stopped and thought to myself 'is this a lack of confidence, or is this a dominance game?' I was pretty sure it was a battle of wills as I know she is not a fan of mud and water, I have also experienced a similar situation like this with drain crossings on the side of the road.

So any way, I pushed on, repeating the pattern, disengaging her to face the drain every time she turned away- or if I was quick enough at throwing the lead over her head I just turned her back.

During this time I was also second-guessing myself thinking, maybe I should have just left it after she went through the very first time. Then I thought even harder and thought no, actually this is a good relationship moment for Jazzy and I.

But on the 8th attempt, I was still full of self-doubt, thinking of the messages I was sending her, trying to remember to look up where I wanted to go and not at the drain, ensuring that when she tried I relaxed and rewarded, even if only for a brief second. So the 8th time she was better and that that boosted my confidence.

Then on the 9th time, OMG it blew my mind, WE GOT THERE. She walked confidently down the hill straight at the drain and walked calmly through and relaxed on the other side!!!!!

So I rode her up to the top of the hill and just sat on her, she blew out shook and every ounce of tension left her body- in the whole time I have had her (2.5 years), I have never felt her this genuinely absent of tension!!!

So moral of the story is, and Clinton Anderson says this too, "success is just around the corner, unfortunately most times people quit before they get there". I am proud to saw I saw the corner and I knew I was going to keep going until I got around it, and I DID!!!

I can see why people do not get there though. It is so easy to have self-doubt and make messages unclear to your horse. I encourage everyone who is reading this to get around the corner. Sometimes success is no more than the ability to hold on long after others have let go!

Ask yourself the 'Why' question

After much thought and discussions with others, I am feeling like a problem with the Natural Horsemanship movement is that people see SOOO much stuff out of context. With the wide variety of trainers, methods, clinicians and disciplines around, it is very easy to acquire knowledge and ideas.

For example, a person may watch a clip about 'join up' or 'hooking on' and then go out with the ideas and subject their horses to it. They may do this with no understanding of the horse psychology behind that concept, no concept of the steps that may be involved before that point and what do do at the end- eg was it successful, if not….what next?

As many horsemen say, and I will quote Buck Brannaman, "everything you do with a horse ought to be a dance". There is often nothing elegant about the mosh pit that occurs when people take one idea in isolation and 'do it' to their horse.

Now I by no means exclude myself here. You do not know what you do not know and I am very much a ‘why’ person. I make it my business to learn as much as I can and try to work with my horses in a holistic* way- encompassing what the horse needs at the time, with my practical experience and theoretical knowledge.

So next time you are with your horses consider this idea. Through conversations I have with the people I teach, I often find their reasoning is not grounded in the fact of what the horse needs, rather something they saw (with no background knowledge or understanding) or were told to do. By all means experiment, that is often when the best learning happens, but do not become straight line thinking in your ideas. If something is not working, do not get mad or upset; just simply ask why. Or if you were Linda Parelli or a student of, you would say, “hmmmm, how interesting!”

*Holistic: analysing a whole system of beliefs and/or considering all factors when with a horse.

Bitless Bridles

From a post I started on Facebook. Join our Versatile Equines Discussion Group to see where our conversation took us!

I am having a discussion with a lady about bitless bridles, here is my opinion, would love to hear yours 

I don't like them because it doesn't release properly (no model I have seen to date any way), the horse always has some pressure on its face. People will try to tell you that constant pressure is called 'neutral pressure', bull crap, pressure is pressure. I want it to clear to my horse, no pressure is nothing, pressure is something.

Also the way you pull the reins does not put the correct pressure on a horses face, you have to teach them how to understand it. It is not as simple as putting it on and hoping for the best. It has a different feel to a halter and bridle, so it is not wrong, just different to what I prefer.

Also the horses can evade them much easier as it takes longer to get a clear message to them as opposed to halter/bridle.

Another reason, the way they fit on a horses face is more critical than with a halter, I feel to be effective they need to be designed specifically to the horses face shape, length etc.

Another reason, clip reins hang almost in mid air, so the pressure is like unclear....

I have other reasons too, overall any time I have used on, on a few different horses I have not liked the feel between my horse and I.

I also see people riding around in them, having trouble with their horses and it is simply because they try to ride in them like it is a bit and bridle and/or halter. A bitless bridle is different again so needs to be used differently to a bit or halter 

Any way would love to know what you think. Do not let my rant scare you off lol. I am always interested to hear a different side and I do not judge people by the gear they have on. You could ride with a bicycle chain in their mouths if that is where you are at in your journey, in this case I would judge privately  

All jokes aside if you have a success story to share please feel free to share it

GROW- Think of the Process

What I mean by this is...

Goal: Get Jazzy to put all 4 feet on the mounting block

Realities: Has never done it before, can be unconfident at trying new things, is a right-brained introvert by nature, horses have poor depth perception.

Opportunities: Make sure she can put her front feet on confidently, use a pattern to make putting her feet on the mounting block the comfort zone, have her walk over the whole thing not asking her to stop, stand with her back feet on but front feet off, do it at different lengths of lead rope, use a lower pedestal, use a bigger pedestal.

Where to next: get her to want to put her front feet on a low pedestal.


You will notice the acronym above spells GROW, so GROW your horsemanship and be aware of the process needed to achieve your goal. If you goal is seemingly out of reach or unachievable, go back through your process to find out what is missing.

So above with my GROW demonstration, I have tried to demonstrate SOME of the ideas that may be running through my head- eg the process.

So I will set a REALISTIC Where To Next, then once that is achieved I will choose another 'Opportunity' to work on, then eventually all of these things will come together and she will just put all four feet on and stand.

I encourage you to do this with your current goal. This GROW is a work in progress also and will change and adapt as you and your horse do. So do not see this as a rule, see this as a way of organising your thoughts.

Forward Focused

Success

Ugly to Pretty

There is alot to criticise of me in this clip (will try to get video loaded, otherwise it is on VE Facebook Page)

My theory in horsemanship at this current point in time is that sometimes it looks ugly at the start, but that can often be the progression needed to get to the good stuff.

I find that too often people shy away from the ugly stuff, sometimes this is a good thing because they do not have the skills to get through it, but too often people doubt their skills and quit before they get to the place they want with their horses.

So for example in this clip this wee pony is highly reactive, runs over his child owner, does not respond appropriately to pressure etc etc. So in my eyes I am thinking, OMG nothing is more important than safety at this point and if that is at the expense of this ponies feelings for a brief moment then so be it!

So what is happening here is that the pony cannot handle the stick and string slapping the ground. So I am helping this pony understand that the stick will not harm him and that the only answer is to "hurry up and relax". The people that own this pony had only had him for 2 months, I suspect that his previous owners potentially may have been 'avoid-a-holics'. By this I mean that they avoided anything that upset him. Unfortunately all this does is repress the problem, then it comes out in a BANG!

So the thought process I have while doing this is
1. do not release the pressure (stick and string moving) until he has stood still!
2. only stop the pressure when the horse shows a sign of relaxing AND has feet still
3. if I release the pressure when the horse is fearful, I am teaching him that being fearful is the right answer
4. horses do not learn from the pressure (stick and string), they learn from the release fo pressure (stopping the stick and string)
5. Keep him out of my space as much as possible
6. ABOVE ALL- My safety is the MOST important thing!

Signs of relaxing may include:
-big blink
-cocking a hind leg
-lowering head
-sighing
-blowing nose
-licking and checking

It is important to note that a horse does not WANT to be like this, they just do not know any other way to be. I see it as my responsibility to the horse to help them find a place where they can best survive in humansville, this means that they need to be able to cope with any and all situations we force them into! Along the way I hope to help people do this themselves and on the same token, learn ways that I can do this EVEN BETTER!

Sorry this is a big novel, hopefully I have explained clearly the mission I was trying to accomplish lol!

If this was a horse I did not know, I would be more vigilant about the hind end and not let the horse turn his head away as much.

Horsenality

I really do love the perspective of the Parelli's. In saying this I follow many other trainers also.

So interesting studying lots of trainers, there is alot of contradiction!

Any way, this article is very good, food for thought if nothing else!
http://www.parellinaturalhorsetraining.com/pattern-savvy/


In saying it is amazing, there are some things I would change, I am currently considering my own classification in my head, will get it down on paper one of these days!

The sensitivity of the horse

How sensitive they are

Have just watched the Parelli's latest savvy club DVD. It is called "Calm, Connected and Responsive, Under Saddle". 

It is a really good watch, it was a follow up from the last one which was on the ground. It is so good to see Linda work with an RBE horse and an LBE horse, and their owners, and explain the strategies they used to get the horse C, C and R, BASED ON their horsenalities.

Has any one else seen this yet?

What I really took from this was how the horses respond to people, based on their horsenality/personality. There was a RBI person, so a person who was tense, on an LBE horse. The horse felt her tension, so acted out (kicking up back legs), as soon as Linda got on, who was loose and fluid, the horse changed immediately. SO what I saw happening was that an extrovert wants to move their feet, so was getting agitated by its rider subconsciously saying don't go through the tension in their body.

So just reiterates how sensitive these wonderful creatures are. I would love to hear your stories of extreme sensitivity, when have you had or seen an experience like this?

Key
LBE- Left brained extrovert (thinking, wants to move feet)
RBE- Right brained extrovert (instinctual, fly from fear, move feet)
RBI- Right brained introvert (instinctual, go internal, frozen to the spot)



My facebook share:
I moment I recall is when I was at my friend Lisa's house (about 8 years ago!). I was a on a mare named Tara-toot. She is a kaimanawa x QH/Appy. She was part of Lisa's trekking team, so was ridden by many people. I quite liked the look of her so hopped on to have a ride. She started off un-connected, then after 5 minutes it was like we had the same brain! It was almost like she had been craving for this connection. I would think stop and go and she was doing it- INSANE, blew my brain out!

A saying is in my head- "how little can you do?"

My revelation- picking up the foot!

My revelation from today!

Jewel and I have always been able to do a front end turn, but it has always felt like a difficult manoeuvre. The way I would go about it was to soften up her face and put some outside leg on and kind of push her around with my rein and outside leg....

Well today at Tielcey park I was riding around, trying to pay attention to what Jewels feet were doing, I am feeling thefeet much better at the walk, starting to pick which foot is leaving the ground etc.

Then I did Buck's exercise where he picks up the 'inside rein' just a bit as the inside front hoof is leaving the ground, which causes the horses foot to place further in on the circle.

Picture it: I am on a straight line walking, as the Jewel's left hind hits the ground I am thinking, ok the right front is about to leave the ground, at which point I pick up my right rein and take it out to the right a bit, thus picking up the right rein as she picks up the right front.

I played with that a bit, then did this in succession causing her to make a circle as she was stepping in slightly every time.

Then the revelation happened, I was working on moving the front end over and was thinking about the rein to foot concept, instead of my pushing concept. I just backed her weight up slightly and picked her foot up, and up again, and up again in quick motions, which caused her to take her front around her hind... it felt sooooo easy, I had my outside rein and leg there sort of in case, but I didn't need to use them as such.

Good Reads- Karen Rolf

http://dressagenaturally.net/reading-room

Float Loading

Set up for success: Float Loading.

If you cannot load your horse the worst things you can do are:
1. Force them
2. Get angry and frustrated
3. Try to teach them the morning of a show

To understand the concept of float loading you first need to understand the psychology of the horse.

Horses are claustrophobic by nature, there is nothing more unnatural and foreign to a horse than being shoved in a metal box and being driven around!


Set yourself up for success with these following tips:
-Allow your horse to explore the float without being forced
-Do not growl them for pawing at the ramp- this is them testing it
-Leave float in their paddock
-Learn about pressure and release and apply this concept when teaching the horse to load (also see out blog)
-Make sure your horse knows how to back up before trying to back them out of the float
-Do not take them the whole way in before backing them out, take them up a bit and then back them off etc
-Have a long lead
-Use a stick and string
-DO NOT shut the gate until they stand in the float FULLY relaxed

Jigging Horses

Don't like your horse jigging- don't let it!

One of the most frustrating things for riders is a horse that jigs!

For most horses jigging is easily fixed, for others though it can take quite a while of consistent, patient training.

The first thing I do is ask myself, "why is the horse jigging?"

Reasons could be

-Nervous in new situation

-Rider has reins too tight

-Horse is in pain

-Rider has a tense seat

-Other horses are emotional

-The horse feels rushed

Before I try to 'fix' the horse, I fix myself, I make sure I am relaxed and that my reins are not so tight that they are causing my horse to feel coiled up. I always make sure my gear fits my horse well and that there is no pain any where. I then consider the intensity of the reasons why it jigs. I always work on the problem in an area where the horse feels safest- e.g. NOT out on a trek with 5 other horses!

One thing I might try is:

Step 1: Make sure my horse stands still while I mount (see blog for tips on how to fix this)

Step 2: Walk on a loose rein

Step 3: As soon as the horse starts to jig turn it in small circles until it comes to a stop

Step 4: As soon as the horse stops let the reins back out to a loose rein

Step 5: If the horse walked off without being asked repeat the steps

Step 6: Continue the steps repeatedly every time the horse jigs

Success Tips

-Make sure your horse can flex its head left and right (see blog: Lateral Flexion)

-Do not pull hard and fast (this will scare the horse)

-Be patient- this can take ages to fix
-Have the horse keep his head turned around once you have stopped him (like in photo), before you give the reins back to him. This way you are checking he has committed to stopping.

-If you are stuck ask for help

This is one idea, it will not work for all horses, but it is one place to start!

Vertical Flexion: At the stand still

Vertical Flexion: At the stand still

If you cannot get your horse to vertically flex at the stand still (like in the photo), then do not expect them to hold vertical flexion at the walk and trot etc.

I believe, and there are many varying philosophies this is just my one, that a horse needs to understand the cue for 'vertical flexion' at the stand still, before it can be expected at a moving gait. 

The most common way I see people trying to achieve this head carriage is by holding the reins tight and clenching with their legs when the horse is at the trot or canter. In this situation most often the horse is hard in the riders hands (often seem by the BULGING arm muscles of the rider and gaping mouth of the horse). In this situation also, the rider normally has to have ALOT of leg on and grip tightly with their thighs. None of this situation is ever very pleasant for the horse. 

Do not get confused by vertical flexion and collection. Vertical flexion on its own is NOT collection. Collection is when the horses hindquarters are actively engaged (it is NOT all about the face).

To achieve vertical flexion I normally go through the following steps;
Step 1: Hold the rein at the buckle up high in the air with your left hand, then slide your right hand equally down the rein until it is resting on the horses neck
Step 2: Put one hand on each rein at this point and take them out as wide as your hips (make sure they are equal)
Step 3: Hold a steady pressure on the reins- NOT pulling
NB: If the horse was to dip his nose at this point I would completely release the reins.
Step 4: If the horse has still not given to the pressure I would take my hands out wider, which would put more pressure on the horses face.
NB: Again if the horse gives to the pressure let the reins go completely loose to show him he did the right thing.
Step 5: If the horse is still leaning into the pressure I would put a jiggle in my fingers to encourage him to dip his nose. 
Step 6: If he does not respond to step 5 just WAIT, stay doing what you are doing eventually he will want the jiggling to quit and he will drop his nose.

Success tips:
-A jiggle is NOT a saw, it is one finger on each rein moving about 3cm to cause the rein to move a little bit
-Release the rein right out QUICKLY as soon as the horse does it correctly
-Try to ensure that the horse understands you want him to stand still and just move his head
-Use Step 1 method for gathering your reins, the reason is so that your reins are 1, even and 2, that they are the right length

Ride on the Buckle

Ride your horse on the buckle!

It is very important to be able to turf the reins away and walk your horse on the buckle!

Reasons why this is important:
-Safety!
-Allow horse to stretch
-Horse becomes responsible for maintaining gait/direction
-More relaxing for the rider
-Horse does not feel claustrophobic
-Less chance of developing a horse that 'head flicks', 'pulls at the reins', 'jigs', 'bolts' etc.

I am not suggesting you never collect your horse up with your reins, but be CLEAR for your horse. An idea is to have TWO rein positions, one that means something and one that doesn't. 

If you have contact with the horses face/mouth, then make it mean something. You should only have feel on the horses mouth if you are asking for collection/softness/flexion of some sort, too often I see people use tight reins to 'control' their horse. Holding a horse in like this just makes them show all of the negative behaviours listed above.

If you are not asking your horse to do anything, then LET THE REINS GO (or learn to)! The belief that holding the reins tight 'control your horse' is so wrong. Every single person SHOULD be able to and CAN ride their horse on the buckle. If you cannot do this you are on borrowed time and not supporting your horse in having correct posture.

I can hear many people saying, "gosh if I let my horses reins go I would be..... in the dirt, or on a bolting horse etc.... If you are in the situation of not knowing how to ride your horse on the buckle, do not worry you are NOT alone and you and your horse CAN both learn :) I know from experience as I used to be a 'tight rein' rider.

If you want to know more, drop me a line and make a booking for a lesson or clinic.