Ask

Did you ever ask your horse what something means to him? For example we often will make a request of our horse to do something. The horse will respond by either doing what you asked, partially doing what you asked or doing something that it didn't seem you asked for. But what if that is what he thought you meant.

When I work with a horse for the first time. I observe a lot and ask a lot of questions as I would of a new person I was meeting. I ask questions to find out what the answers or meanings are to the horse. I don't judge the answers. I just want to get a dialogue going. I want to know what the horses responses are naturally. Once I get a feel for the "meaning" of things in the horses mind, I can set about possibly changing the meanings of things that may need re-defining or leave the good responses as they are.

A horse may have been taught an undesirable response unconsciously by his person releasing on the wrong timing. Or he may have learned it to protect and defend himself. Either way, it is what he has determined the meaning of a request to be.

A horse may react to a request to move move sideways by offering backwards or forwards. I would think that this horse is trying different responses or "searching" for the meaning of the request. I would NOT think "oh he is being stubborn or he knows what I want, he's just not doing it. I would set my intention, think sideways and then release when I felt the slightest try to change the "Meaning" of the request. I'd build up from there gradually.

Another point I'd like to make is the idea that a horse is not listening to you. They are ALWAYS listening. They may not be doing what you request but they are listening. Did you ever ask someone to do something and you know they heard you but they opted not to comply? I see that as the same with a horse. You may want to walk over there and he may want to eat grass instead. This is not intentional disobedience. It is a difference of opinion of what the task should be. So the Question might be phrased " I see you'd really like to eat grass but maybe you could go over here followed by some body language that would make it clear what you wanted.  If the horse complied, you might show appreciation by letting him eat the grass over "there" when you say it's ok and on your terms. I try to always keep training fair and balanced. I want to give my horse as much as he gives me. That means giving him things he truly likes ie. Grass, a groom with my hands not brushes, healthy treats like carrots and apples, or a roll etc...down time...Remember all interaction with your horse is an opportunity...
More oats for thought....
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Lipizzan Soccer, Horse-fun-ship, How and why

I recently posted this video with one of my students and a Lipizzan playing with a ball. It is part of my Horse-fun-ship series but I wanted to explain more how and why I do "Playing" like this.

When we first started working with this mare, she was very dominant, somewhat spooky, unfocused, and disinterested in interacting with us. She came into the arena and just wanted to leave. She was also PETRIFIED of that ball. We have been working with her for about 6-8 months and she now dives for her halter and bridle and shows total focus in the ring whether at Liberty, riding and/or Playing. We started with Carolyn Resnick's Waterhole Rituals to build connection, bond and trust and then moved into Playing Advanced Liberty and Games around everyday tasks. I am always astounded by how quickly horses seek to connect when played with this way. They become so interested and curious and playful. All you need is your own creativity to guide the fun. I have seen even some really serious cases turn around in a few months time to my surprise as I always go in with no idea how long things will take.

Ball and Toy/prop work is fun and a great way to get horses bolder, bring out their Play/herd instincts and teach them to focus on a task and build bond and connection. I don't like to use the word desensitize as much because it is over done and misused to the point of breaking trust and shutting horses down in some cases. I prefer to try to get the horse to play with things that they are afraid of or find hidden surprise treats in scary areas. This changes their perception quickly and provides a positive reinforcement for getting brave.

To start the ball game, you can start with a food and verbal reward when they touch the ball and build from there. You can use voice commands and hand signals as well. Another way is to put the food under the ball and show them to move it to find the food.
So if you haven't seen the video here it is....Lipizzan Soccer!
http://youtu.be/qGK9FW3h7os
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Confident Horseman exercise part 3...Change your mind, Change your horse

Riding Mercury Bridless requires me to be completely focused on what I want to have happen and not what bad and dangerous things could happen...

I will be offering for those who want to participate, a Flower Essence mix suggestion for a new approach to dealing with fear in the horse and person. It will complement the next exercise which has 3 steps to it, is the hardest but also the most powerful.

The next part of the exercise is:

Step 1: Learn how to identify fear coming up in yourself as it starts. Then recognize the fearful or negative thoughts that follow.
Example: "Oh my horse is scared of dogs, and hear comes one" the next thought may be "oh he's going to spook and I'm going to fall off!"
So this is how the fearful mind starts to gain power or the situation.

Step 2: Recognize the the thoughts coming up and make a choice to change them to a positive thought.
Example: "I am now changing my mind about this" We are walking calmly past the dog, and nothing is going to happen" You'll note I said "we" not the horse is going to. "We" is a team, a partnership. You can add calm deep breathing to release your own fear and tension and mirror to your horse. Two other very powerful exercises is to visualize you and your horse doing exactly what you'd like. So I'd see me and my horse walking calmly past the dog together. I'd see that picture in my mind and hold it and breath. Some of you may find it nearly inpossible to not visualize a bad experience so instead, I want you to visualize something calming and soothing that may have nothing to do with that moment. Examples would be a sunset, A beach, doing yoga, a hot bath, even a glass of wine! Hold that though until you can own it and the moment has passed. This takes practice but it does become a new thought pattern with time.

Step 3: I consider an advanced exercise and a goal to set for yourselves. It involves getting to the point where you don't even get to a place of fear anymore when a possible situation arises. This is when you have mastered the power of the mind.
Example: You are riding toward the dog and you immediately send a picture of the two of you walking calmly passed the dog. In this scenario you exhibit what I call Calm Leadership. You recognize the horses concern and using positive visualization. you "Lead" your horses mind to a calm place with yours. You maintain clear focus and your horse has confidence in your Leadership and guidance. We don't want our horse to feel like he has to take over every time he is afraid because we get just as frightened as him.

One other scenario I want to talk about is "Real" fear, necessary, sensible, self preservation fear. This is the voice that says "We are in real danger and we need to get safe. That is the time to listen to your instincts and stay as clear as possible. Try to learn the difference between your gut telling you the truth and your mind taking over control of clear thinking.

As for the Flower Essence part of this. There are Essences that can help release the grip of fear and "Stuck Thinking Patterns" I am offering to help anyone who may feel they need additional help of Flower  Essences to help release a really stuck pattern in themselves and or their horse. Respond in the comments section. Let me know how your confidence is improving!
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From Fearful to Confident Horsemanship...

Mercury has been a very good teacher to me about Calm leadership , focus and clear thinking...

Carrying on the theme for the last post of using positive thought patterns and breaking stuck thinking patterns, I want to continue with more ideas for working through and past fear. We cannot be seen in a leadership position if we are mirroring fear to our horses all the time.

People often want a trainer to make the horse fearless so they can be less afraid. But at the same time we need to work on our fears because a horse will mirror back whatever you are feeling. An example is a horse being calm when I work with him because I am exhibiting Calm Leadership. This same horse can be given back to his person who is afraid and the horse begins to mirror the person he is with. Horses are in the moment with whoever they are with. Some horses are generous and confident of nature and not as bothered by a person being fearful around them. Others are too un-confident themselves to have a person be the same.

If you find yourself in this situation, It is good to start breaking down the issues into little achievable goals. The first thing to do is to get an idea of what your fears really are.

There are three fears I see when working with people. 1. I am afraid of certain things but my horse is actually quite confident. In this scenario, you are working on your own fears and your horse may actually build confidence. 2. You are afraid of your horses behavior because you have had an accident or you think you could have one with him. So you are actually afraid of your horse. 3. You are afraid and your horse is afraid as well. You both need to work together to become more confident as a team. It also ok to find another partner if it seems like a better situation for both horse and person. Sometimes this is the best option.

So if you thought about those 3 categories and thought you might fit in one, you are on your way to becoming a more Confident horseman.

The exercise is to write down a list of what exactly you are afraid of and also what you are not afraid of. Be as detailed as possible. Also write down what you would like to be able to do as a goals that you are afraid to do now. If you would like to share these lists in the comments section, please do so as we can all learn from each others experience. I will post the next step in the next post.
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Thought

Mercury and I are thinking the same thought here...

Energy follows thought...."Think" about that. What it means is, what you think, dwell on, worry about, or visualize is drawn to you and broadcast back out like a radio wave.

This week, the theme in lessons and training was overwhelmingly, change your mind, change your experience which of course goes right to your horse.

I caught myself not helping my situation with Mercury where he was spooking and I got mentally "stuck" on the behavior and it kept happening at the same spot in the arena on each pass. After about the 3rd time, I said to myself " why aren't you thinking about him going past this point calmly and thinking of the destination after the scary spot. As soon as I did that, He went past the rest of the ride with minimal fuss. Thank you Merc for the reminder to stop focusing on what was happening and think about what I would like to have happen.

A phrase I often say is "If you are not happy with a current situation, think about how it would look if it went the way you wanted."

Another statement I give to new riders is, If you think about falling off all the time, you will think it into reality. The horse will keep getting this mental  "text message" of you hitting the ground. And....he will think that is where you want to go! If you think about your horse spooking all the time, he will think about spooking etc.

It's human nature to get caught in negative thought cycles and also to want perfection and a feeling of being totally safe. So what if we went to the barn every time we saw our horse and said "We are perfect" and "I feel safe with you" or "My horse and I are not afraid" Every statement has the ability to move you toward the place you want to go or hold you in a "stuck" pattern.

Here is a list of examples of how you can switch your thinking which in turn will send a positive message to your horse.

1. "I am not a good/confident rider." Positive: I am becoming more confident all the time, I am a confident rider. Horse hears " I am not a leader" or I am becoming a better leader.

2. "I am stiff" Positive: I more flexible, balanced and strong everyday. Your horse hears "I am a good rider and getting better all the time"

3. "That transition was bad, my circles are horrible, I am terrible at "X" etc. Positive: These transitions are improving, My circles are so much better than 6 months ago, We are really improving "X" Your horse hears " I can never get it right no matter what" Or "We are having a good ride/liberty etc!"

I could go on but you probably get the point. The exercise is write down all the "Negatives" you say about anything especially goals and then write a positive statement that reflects the outcome of what you'd like to see REALLY happen. How ever long it takes. More oats for thought! : ) Let's hear some thoughts in the comment section!

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Horses are the greatest teachers!

Sometimes I gotta step back and let the horse do the teaching. Who better to learn Horsemanship from? Enjoy a good laugh at this one!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=sQVIyYdLBFQ

http://fdhorsetraining.com/WelcometoFDT.html

Conversation

Mercury and I having a Lively Conversation! The most fun ones!

As I have become more experienced in my approach to horses, I have learned the value of a Two way quality Conversation with a horse as I value a good conversation with a person.

I often see in my travels, People shouting, talking over, and cutting off their horses side of the Conversation. I look at it like a bad conversation with a person. I wouldn't like it if someone asked me question, then before I had a chance to reflect on it, asked me three more questions then just when I was about to "Try" to respond, cut me of and yelled at me (so to speak) for not answering quick enough and getting the answer right. I would start to not want to be in that conversation anymore.

 Being good with a horse has as much to do with Being a good Listener as it does to a good conversationalist and being a Quality "Leader".

My conversation would look something like this. I'd let the horse start by telling me some things and then I'd come in with an "I understand" and "I see your point" and a "I could definitely see how you could see it that way" and then a question like "How about if I asked you to do "X" "How would you feel about that?" and then I'd leave space for him to tell me how he felt about it. Good or bad.

So what does a bad Conversation look like? Well for starters it looks like "Talking or Making orders" too quickly with not enough space in between for your horse to read what you said, respond positively or try to change the subject. Trying to change to subject means just that. Your horse saying "Hmmm I hear what you're saying, but maybe we could eat grass instead or "fill in the blank"...

It could also look like your horse not being clear about your request because it was too fast or too complicated and needs to be spoken slower and maybe spelled out one letter at a time. Meaning break it down to very small steps.

And my personal favorite is Are You Speaking Clearly AND Thoughtfully. If you are unclear about how to explain your request to your horse, Don't expect him to be clear about it either. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to do it if you aren't clear. It just means be as clear and precise as you possibly can so your requests are easy to follow. Imagine someone trying to explain a concept to you in a foreign language but they're not quite sure how to get it across....Sounds tough right?...Exactly.

I often look at the different incarnations of Natural Horsemanship and Traditional Horsemanship and they all are some sort of "Horseglish" or "Eqglish" if you will. You will understand if you've ever heard the term "Spanglish" It means no matter how good you speak "Horse", you'll speak it with a human accent and the accent of the place you're from and throw in a few Human words when you need them. That actually means our horses learn to understand "Horseglish" as well.

So Training or your time with your horse should be a great conversation. One that stimulates both of you, makes you both think, laugh, sometimes a whisper, sometimes loud, and sometimes lively and animated. But you both walk away feeling like you listened to each other and made strides to wherever you may be going together. Also remember, a conversation that seems firm and about yours or your horses "likes" and "dislikes" (if you know what I mean) can lead to a better working partnership just as it would between you and another person. More food for thought....
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