Voice

Electra learning directional language and Voice Communication

There is a lot of debate about using your voice when training. Some are for it and some are against. I don't mind either way. I sometimes use my voice when I feel it's useful and sometimes I prefer my body language. Sometimes I use both.

If you were a fly on the wall during my training sessions, you would hear me babbling conversationally to my long time friends and trainees. It is how I personally set intention for myself. I feel in turn the horses read that intention and my patterns and inflection. I don't always talk though. I know that there will be times when I cannot use my voice for a variety of reasons so it is good to be able to ask your horse things both with and without verbal communication.

For young Electra, I am teaching her words like Walk, Trot, and Canter. Also, most importantly, the word "Good" you've done well. We've done well. It is important in her development that she learn the word and the body language so she has what I call an association cue when I am mounted on her. By combining Liberty FUN!damentals with Voice, Line and In Hand exercises, Electra will be well prepared to understand direction and the progression to Mounted by the time I feel she is ready for me to get on her. She will mainly have to get used to my weight and the communication coming from her back.

It's important to discipline ourselves to say a word only once. Also to cluck no more than twice. Alright, all you readers out there, who is a unconscious violator of this rule? I know I see plenty of repeating of words and clucking in my travels! That is my only suggestion when using voice communication. It is a fine way to communicate but always have a body language to make it clear what that word means. Horses are VERY fast learners and literally Electra learned those words in one session.

I tend to do things with balance in mind. Never too much of any one thing. So use your voice or not by your own decision and train in a way that works for you and your horse. It really comes down to learning to be a clear, effective, Communicator. Oats for thought.
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11/30-12/2 FDH clinic in New Zealand: at Taralee stables, Carterton, NZ
11/22-11/24- FDH Clinic in Australia Strath Creek, Victoria, Australia
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Context

In this Context, I see the perfect moment to bring up Eye Contact

I talk a lot about trying as much as possible to keep things in context for Horses. What do I mean by that? It means that horses don't just do things for the sake of doing them. They do them with intention and purpose. For example, a horse will only move another horse because he wants to communicate something. He is not practicing moving the other horse. There is always a rhyme or reason.

When I am training horses, I try to keep things in context by doing them in real time and working with situations which are directly in front of me in the moment. It even works with more advanced exercises. Let's take an easy example. My horse is in my personal space a bit too much. If I ask him to back up a certain distance and halt. This Communication has Intention, Meaning and Clarity to the horse. I didn't move him just to see if i could. I moved him because I feel safer with him a little bit farther away. He will not take that personally because he sees there's a reason for the request. You see what I am getting at?

While working with the young Mare Electra. I noticed she was very oral and liked to chew on things. I gently communicated what I thought was ok to play with (hula hoops, barrels and she loves tarps!) and redirected her away from things I'd prefer her not to chew. She understands now which things are ok to put her mouth on and which things are not. She is young and she will like to inspect things out of curiosity which I want her to freely express. At first, she was unsure of the video camera and then became very interested in it. Using the context of wanting to show her it was my territory but I wanted her to be able to inspect it gently (and not damage it) I allowed her to come in with her nose but not to push it or get it wet. In this interaction, There was context. I was communicating that this object was mine and how I would like it to be treated without deterring her curiosity. This is a very important balance.

Food exercises will bring up Context immediately with most horses. You have it or another horse does and they want it. It is the way I build quick rapport with horses if i have the opportunity, when I have very little time to do so. 

In more advanced exercises, Patterns and Intention set the Context. For example, If I carefully visualize and focus on a specific shape (a square), at a specific speed (a walk), at a specific symmetry (in shoulder in) ( I know that's a lot but I said more advanced! :)) I have given my horse a clear context for what the objective is. As opposed to thinking things like "I really wish my horse would put his head down" "Why isn't he responding to my cues?" "I must not be doing it right" None of these provide context. This does "Let's make a Square" "The square is exactly this big" "Let's do it in this gait" "In this shape" And remember, This is not about the doing and perfection, It is about the Conversation that comes up when we create the Context. That is the fun discovery part if you let go of expectation and needing it to be perfect right away. The shape pattern gives you a purpose and you use it to guide the conversation without judgement.

I brought this up because it is very important to our daily practice and how we avoid what feels like drilling to our horses. I also always say if I need to practice something for my own understanding a few more times, I explain to my horse, It's for me to learn not for you, you are doing fine! And I thank them for having patience with my learning process. Oats for thought.
http://www.fdhorsemanship.com/
Sign up for http://fdhvirtualclinic.vidmeup.com/
Upcoming events
9/31-10/2 FDH Horsemanship Clinic: Plainfield, MA
11/30-12/2 FDH clinic in New Zealand: at Taralee stables, Carterton, NZ
11/22-11/24- FDH Clinic in Australia Strath Creek, Victoria, Australia
for more info and registration
Calendar:http://www.fdhorsemanship.com/#!calendar

Intention

Intention is a very important part of everything we do with horses. Especially because animals, not just horses can sense our intentions. I posted this photo because interestingly, I never intended to ride bridless. It evolved out of my Intention to communicate with less equipment and more language.

There are numerous examples of this in action but here's an easy one you may have seen. A person goes out to a pasture of a hard to catch horse. They have a halter hidden behind their back. This makes me laugh always. That horse knows the intention to catch him. He is reading the person not the halter.

I had a mare in training a long time ago who hated to be de-wormed. I swear she knew the day I woke up and "thought" today is worming day before I even came out of the house. She was no where to be found that day and wouldn't come near me. Any other day she was no problem at all.

So how do we do we use Intentional thinking to create positive communication instead of sending out unclear and unintended ideas and body language.

Today I was at the farm and Mercury had gotten a cut under his eye. These are notorious difficult areas to doctor due to the proximity of the eye and the delicateness of the area. I did not put a halter on Merc. I simple stood with him and said I need to look at your eye so I can help you heal it. I made my actions slow, patient and deliberate and he allowed me to put the Calendula gel on the wound. He never pulled away or even flinched.

In training communication, Intention looks as broad as "we're going to have a fun session today" to "I am going to help my horse learn to push more with this hind leg" All Training starts with a thought of what you would like to do BUT no attachment to what the outcome is. That is something that needs to be felt in the moment and is a constantly changing energy. My Intention during training may change and evolve throughout the session. The key is staying slow and giving space for thoughtful Intentions. Sometimes my horse does something so fantastic and unexpected because of this. Training without expectation is the key to more fun and relaxing times with your horse. Learning when to let your intention shift with the horses is another good thing to practice.

That would look like, I intended to do some high energy work and my horses energy was low. The path of least resistance would be to recognize this and adjust my intention to match my horses true energy levels. Some lower key less energetic play. Anyone who is really into their technical work knows you can fill an hour with quite complex Liberty, Line or Mounted walking movements!

Clear Intention, combined with clear communication and adaptability will assure you of fun, positive sessions with your horse.
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Visualization and Intention Setting

Visualization and Intention Setting are two powerful and under utilized tools in our relationship and training of our horses. How many of you have uttered the phrase " I just thought it and he did it" while working with a horse? I bet some of you have.
It is in our mind but we cast it off as a unique incident or that the horse is really trained or super sensitive. Now those factors of course can be in play but what if we worked from this place all the time.
First let's break down Visualization and the different uses for it. I use Visualization in Riding, Training, and other times with my horses. The reason I put the two together is that when you Visualize you are starting to set your Intention. Visualization is when I clearly picture something in my head. It could be a particular movement as small as moving the horses body or leg a certain way, it could be a larger movement of leg yielding, it could be seeing the horse take the canter on the left lead etc. It could also be a calming visualization for me or the horse. I may see the horses posture in a more relaxed shape with the head lower and may mirror breathing calmly to the horse. I may see myself as softening and relaxing my body by visualizing something the triggers that in me. It is only your imagination that is the limit.
When it comes to Intention Setting. This can be a long and short term idea. I may say I want to do a Liberty Piaffe with my horse or I want jump four feet. So I have set my intention. By doing that, if we stay fluid and opened to the path to that goal it will most certainly happen. As soon as I set my intention, if I get out of the way, everything starts to move in that direction. Even training problems seem to fix themselves. Another good place for Intention setting is for a fearful rider. You may say "I want to walk out on the trails with my horse in 3 months and feel safe and calm" This helps you start on a positive path as opposed to this mind set of "I'm afraid to do this, I can't do this". Setting small achievable goals and knowing exactly when to push past yours or your horses comfort zone are keys to moving forward. Even so called backward steps are just reminders of readjusting your intentions or slowing down. If you listen to these little guides you will stay more fluid with yourself and your horse. Mistakes are only road signs to pay attention to. Read them and follow what they say and you'll get back on the path. The next time you go to your horse, try setting your Intention and then Visualizing what it is you want the horse to do. Let me know how it goes in the comments! Also write your Intentions down so you can start working toward them. Below you will see and example of my own Intention setting and Visualization. A long time ago, I never dreamed of riding without a bridle and doing dressage or jumping and then I saw people do it and I said "I can do that" and I saw myself doing it and I did it on a horse that was very difficult to ride it was a testament to what you can accomplish when you use these tools. See my first free ride in an open field I did last week and my first jumping video on only my second attempt at bridless riding in the videos below...
FDT

Communication

Clear Communication is a very important and often overlooked part of our relationship with our horses. When I am working with a horse young or old, I am always trying to build a conversation with him while I'm introducing a new task.
Communication to me is made up of several things. It starts with a clear idea in my head or setting my intention. Then I think carefully about my body language, verbal cues or tools I will use and the clear precise way I will use them. Another important piece is giving you and your horse time to read and respond to each other. And how much energy you are going to need. So if I make a request, I need to make sure I am clear and wait to see what my horses response will be. If he responds well, I can positively reinforce the response with praise, a release, or food, If I don't get any response, or the horse offers something other then what I requested, I can decide how I want to proceed after that. I may also make the task easier or simpler if I feel that is the problem.
A problem I often see is people moving too quickly with their cues and body language without thinking and bombarding their horse with too many signals. One of two things happens then, The horse is confused and doesn't know what to respond to first or they get desensitized to the language seeing it as "noise" or chatter.
It is important to break exercises into very small parts and build on and positively reinforce the smallest positive effort. You will engage your horse and create a willing participant who will seek out the next task with enthusiasm and interest.
Ask yourself if you have taken the time to be clear yourself before you make a request to your horse and get frustrated with his response. Also, take time before you ask for each thing and ask for them one at a time increasing the difficulty as your horse gains confidence and going back to an easier exercise if need be. Ignore any "wrong" answers as long as they are not dangerous, rude or disrespectful. Focus only on the positive reactions your horse gives. You will see you sessions together get better and better.
FDT