Starting Django: The Approach

I thought I would talk a bit about how my approach to Django unfolded as he showed me what would work best for him. For those of you who don't know, I have been keeping a Vlog of his training from Liberty-Line-Mounted in my Classroom.  Django is a 3 year old Friesian that was sent to me for starting under saddle. I did not know anything about him except what his owner described and what I observed from the time he arrived. I of course, started with Carolyn Resnick's Waterhole Rituals which allowed him to shape his training program. 

I observed in the first few exercises that he was friendly, playful, dominant, smart, and very food oriented. He also loved to be groomed. 

After spending some time Sharing Territory and Saying hello, I opted to work with food exercises with him in his paddock for almost a month. He loves food but was not respectful around it. It became a very powerful approach to his focus and progression to all other areas. 

The first food exercise I used is inspired by Carolyn Resnick's Intimacy exercise. Mind you I did not attempt to do any of this until I knew I could reliably move Django slowly and quickly out of my space without food. This is a very important safety precaution. 

I sat on a chair with a pan of food at my feet first asking Django if he could wait to put his nose in to eat. I could see he understood after a time when he stopped trying to go past my hand which was blocking his nose from the bucket. When he showed that pause and focus, I invited him to eat out of the pan. I allowed him to eat and then asked him to wait several times so he got the idea about being close to me with food around. This was a particularly important lesson for him because he was rude and pushy around feeding time. I knew though, that he did this because no one had explained to him that this might be seen as rude. 

The next food exercise I did was Claiming Territory around the food. I showed Django that sometimes he would have to leave where the food was and could not come back to the pan of food until he halted from my body language. Then when he looked at me and halted instead of trying and push past or go around me to get the food, I would get him a handful and feed it to him. This help him learn to focus on me and that the food would come through me sharing it with him. He would not be allowed to help himself until then. This made him want to focus on my requests more. This is very different then using treat rewards at certain times. It is the way horses handle each other around food and leadership. 

Once these exercises were firmly established, I was able to start asking him to yield his body around the food (ie. circle and move sideways prep for natural and liberty lunging). I was also able to ask him to leave the food and eventually walk away with me all over the paddock. The food no longer became a source of focus at all except to occasionally walk back for a reward for good work. 

This work carried into being lead and working around grass and the ability to have the treats in the arena where we have graduated to for our Liberty to Line phase. I'll talk more about how all this helped him with him understand how to be "Lead" or have manners on the lead and stop dragging and barging into people without ever putting him on the lead in the next post. If you'd like to follow his progress, you can subscribe to my classroom here http://www.fdhorsemanship.com/#!classroom

What Natural Horsemanship is to me

 
As a real student of Horsemanship, I am always learning everyday from and with horses and their people. I have spent most of my life studying horses and great horseman alike to accumulate the knowledge I have to date. As I have gained more experience and found a path that really resonates to me, I found that I was drawn to working with a horse in what was my definition on Natural Horsemanship. There are so many approaches that fall under this category these days. But I have always looked at things from the horses' point of view. I decided a while back a few personal guide lines for myself when watching others work with horses (professionals and amateurs alike). I tell people in my clinics in a sea of experts how do you/I know who to listen too or follow? Well the first questions I ask myself is a really simple one. "If I was a horse, would I like to be handled or treated that way?". If the answer is no, then I don't use it. I can find nuggets of wisdom from anyone, even if it's what not to do.

I started breaking down what Horsemanship was to me. I found a stronger desire to build Connection with my horses and my clients horses. I didn't just want horses "fix" horse all day, I was drawn to Liberty work in various forms and Carolyn Resnick's Waterhole Rituals. To me Liberty is generally not done in a round pen unless there is no other option but in a large area if not even in an un-fenced area (once you have gotten to that level). I thought about how it didn't seem natural to me to put a halter and rope on a horse or pressure them in a small round pen. I do put horses on a training line or lunge after I have Connection not to build the relationship but to continue building it. When a horse is on line or confined, he is being "trained" to Pressure and Release which is how most Technical Communication is achieved with a horse. This has it's place in training but goes much easier once Connection is in place. I have softness with my horse that remains after the tack is added because it becomes just an extension of our Connection. This is of course built over time and I never see it as a means to an end but more of a daily interaction with my horses that continues to grow our Connection.

So back to Liberty and what Natural Horsemanship is to me. I started thinking about how horses could not put halters and lines on each other. They could not put each other in small pens and chase around another horse. They did not have tools except for there own body language. They built leadership, bonds, Connection, friendships, communication, pecking order and understanding in their territory in open areas.

We, of course have given ourselves many advantages to gain control of horses. I started taking away my advantages. I took away everything as long as I felt safe in my person right down to any sticks/whips/etc. I wanted to learn to communicate how horses communicate, bond how they bond, lead how they lead and learning to integrate into herd dynamic. I always tell people to watch herds (wild if your lucky and domestic if you have them available). I have the good fortune to have several herds to watch everyday and learn from. I also get to see new horses integrate and sometimes my horses have to integrate with new herds. They are the best teacher and where the real learning is done. Observe and experiment, keep yourself safe, and have fun!
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Simple Horsemanship tips from Mercury

Here are some simple tips Mercury told me to
share that will change your connection and horsemanship.


1. Appreciate every second the generous nature of a horse.
2. Balance down time with work time in your life and theirs especially performance horses.
3. Make training positive and fun for you and your horse.
4. Be clear in your Intention setting before you make requests.
5. Keep the conversation two way.
6. Always work slowly and patiently.
7. Be mindful when you are with your horse.
8. Be as focused as you expect your horse to be.
9. Practice Clear Communication as much as possible.
10. Practice good Leadership
11. Use positive Visualizations especially if you are fearful.
12. Practice positive reinforcement.
13. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and let your horse make them too.
14. Be ok with whatever mood your horse is in and work with not against him.
15. Breathe together.
16. Treat how you would like to be Treated
17. Keep training flexible and organic.
18. Keep the bar adjustable
19. Goals should be attainable and fun.
20. Working with what your horse offers rather then against.
21. Listen to how your horse as much as you ask him to listen to you.
22. Respect is a two way street.
23. Don't ask your horse to do something you don't really want to do.
24. Remember your horse is your Mirror so be mindful of what you are reflecting.
25.Horse time is sacred!

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