Even if you'll never be one of those people who needs to have a horse flown to/from a destination- have you ever wondered how it's done? This is a quick read article that was sent to me recently and might cure your curiosity!
http://www2.equigaia.com/horse-transport-by-air/
Enjoy!
Unwanted Behavior: Horse Grazes Constantly while on Trail Ride
Topic_Info: Grass eating on trail
Website_Info: yahoo
Location: TN
Date: May 13, 2011
Question:
I have a 7 yr. old TWH, who is having only one problem. That is when we start out on trail, he ABRUBTLY, without prior notice, stops and starts eating grass. It's a fight to get his head back up, and when I finally do, he may take 10 or so steps, and again without notice, stops and eats. This is the only bad habit he has. He out in pasture from 4:00 pm until 6:30 am and then put in his stall.
He is not under-fed. Most times other riders are back at least a horses length from me, and his quick stopping usually ends up in a rear end collision.
Vet says I need to use spurs on him. Others say, carry a crop and smack him when he does this. I'm not into smacking him. What can I do?
Thank you for your time.
Bruce
Answer:
My philosophy is that a horse's actions are a direct reflection of his mental and emotional state. If he THINKS about something he can then physically commit to it. Right now your horse is displaying signs that his brain is "unavailable" and more committed to thinking about the grass on the trail, therefore his body tries to go after the grass. Keep in mind the trail grazing is a symptom, not the issue, which is lack of clear communication from you and therefore a lack of respect from your horse towards you. My guess is that this is not the "only" unwanted your horse offers, but rather, this is the only seemingly "unmanageable behavior." I'd say you might have assess the standards and quality of what you ask and what your horse really offers before ever thinking about the trail/grass symptom. Waiting for the moment your horse is offering you an unwanted behavior is too late, instead, you'll need an effective set of "tools" when you ride that offer clear communication so that as your horse starts to show signs of mentally checking out, you can influence his thoughts away from things such as grazing on the trail, rather than waiting until he is committed and then reprimanding him for it.
Your goal for when you ride is for your horse to offer "What would you like?", rather than displaying his current, "Why should I?" attitude. Physically trying to "force" a thousand pounds of horse forward and not to graze is not going to happen. Crops, spurs, etc. and other "training" devices may temporarily help, but your horse will eventually learn to "tune out" and resist those foreign aids too.
Horses are herd animals, so when they aren't getting "what they need" from people, their brain tunes them out. Too many times people get distracted by unwanted physical behavior (such as the grazing), rather than slowing down and assessing where the horse's brain is. If the horse understands, trusts and respects you, he'll mentally be "with you" and therefore physically participate in a "happy" manner.
The physical signs of resistance such as prioritizing eating versus paying attention to you are ways of your horse telling you he is having a problem. Typically horses show small signs of resistance before they reach a point of physically completely ignoring you, but if they have been ignored by a rider who "pushes" them on without recognizing the horse is asking for help, even if he isn't physically acting out - yet the horse soon learns to tune out the rider. The horse starts to learn that his pleas to be addressed and not just reprimanded will be ignored, so he mentally and then physically "shuts down" and becomes more resistant in listening to his rider's aids.
You'll need to step back and review the basics to find where the lack of clear communication between you and your horse starts. I would say as of the moment your horse is displaying symptoms that show that he is pretty convinced he can "tune you out" and continue with what he'd like to do. Keep in mind horses don't "just randomly" do things.
Finding a "safe" place such as a round pen and starting while working him from the ground you're going to need to re-establish clear communication using effective "tools" that you will eventually transfer over to using when you are riding. You may work at liberty (with your horse loose) and/or you may work with your horse on the lead rope (using the rope as if it were like a rein when you ride.) When you do something, it must MEAN something to your horse. If you are hopeful (meaning you ask something and then wait and see if your horse eventually addresses you after he has quietly tuned you out) when you communicate with him and allow for him to ignore or "take advantage" of you on the ground, the same behavior will continue in the saddle.
You'll need to be able to "break down" asking your horse to first look (literally) at different "things" without moving. This is asking for a mental commitment. He'll need to learn that ignoring or tuning you out when you're specific, doesn't work and that he must address you mentally. Then you'll need him to understand to "mimic" your energy so that as you increase or decrease your energy so should he. If he can first mentally address, and then physically "softly" move towards what you've presented, you're on the right track for creating a quality ride.
He'll need to understand to change his energy by either a physical aid (such as bumping the stirrup by his side) or a movement from you. Most people stand still or sit still in the saddle hoping the horse will figure out what speed they want. Instead, you must "take your horse for the ride" by offering what you want him to do. I tell people within each gait there should be ten different energy levels. This should first be established from you working your horse on the ground. If he's unclear with you on the ground, he will not just "figure it out" when you're in the saddle.
Too many people are unclear in what, where and how they communicate with their horse. They "challenge" the horse into guessing what they want; reprimanding the horse every time he can't figure it out. Or they present the same manner of communication repetitiously driving the horse bonkers until he accidentally figures out what the person is asking. The more the horse has to "guess" at what the person wants, the more they tune out the person's aids or communication.
The more specific YOU can mentally be in presenting literally one-step-at-a time scenarios, the more your horse can "get it right." The more he realizes he can be successful when addressing you, the more he'll want participate and offer you. One quality step will turn into three and then 10 and then eventually a whole circle and then the entire ride. But it takes clarity and awareness of riding every single step to "help" your horse find the right answer, rather than forcing him to guess. The more clear your communication is, the more your horse will respect your aids, the less effort it will take from you to get him to happily participate.
Good Luck,
Sam
Website_Info: yahoo
Location: TN
Date: May 13, 2011
Question:
I have a 7 yr. old TWH, who is having only one problem. That is when we start out on trail, he ABRUBTLY, without prior notice, stops and starts eating grass. It's a fight to get his head back up, and when I finally do, he may take 10 or so steps, and again without notice, stops and eats. This is the only bad habit he has. He out in pasture from 4:00 pm until 6:30 am and then put in his stall.
He is not under-fed. Most times other riders are back at least a horses length from me, and his quick stopping usually ends up in a rear end collision.
Vet says I need to use spurs on him. Others say, carry a crop and smack him when he does this. I'm not into smacking him. What can I do?
Thank you for your time.
Bruce
Answer:
My philosophy is that a horse's actions are a direct reflection of his mental and emotional state. If he THINKS about something he can then physically commit to it. Right now your horse is displaying signs that his brain is "unavailable" and more committed to thinking about the grass on the trail, therefore his body tries to go after the grass. Keep in mind the trail grazing is a symptom, not the issue, which is lack of clear communication from you and therefore a lack of respect from your horse towards you. My guess is that this is not the "only" unwanted your horse offers, but rather, this is the only seemingly "unmanageable behavior." I'd say you might have assess the standards and quality of what you ask and what your horse really offers before ever thinking about the trail/grass symptom. Waiting for the moment your horse is offering you an unwanted behavior is too late, instead, you'll need an effective set of "tools" when you ride that offer clear communication so that as your horse starts to show signs of mentally checking out, you can influence his thoughts away from things such as grazing on the trail, rather than waiting until he is committed and then reprimanding him for it.
Your goal for when you ride is for your horse to offer "What would you like?", rather than displaying his current, "Why should I?" attitude. Physically trying to "force" a thousand pounds of horse forward and not to graze is not going to happen. Crops, spurs, etc. and other "training" devices may temporarily help, but your horse will eventually learn to "tune out" and resist those foreign aids too.
Horses are herd animals, so when they aren't getting "what they need" from people, their brain tunes them out. Too many times people get distracted by unwanted physical behavior (such as the grazing), rather than slowing down and assessing where the horse's brain is. If the horse understands, trusts and respects you, he'll mentally be "with you" and therefore physically participate in a "happy" manner.
The physical signs of resistance such as prioritizing eating versus paying attention to you are ways of your horse telling you he is having a problem. Typically horses show small signs of resistance before they reach a point of physically completely ignoring you, but if they have been ignored by a rider who "pushes" them on without recognizing the horse is asking for help, even if he isn't physically acting out - yet the horse soon learns to tune out the rider. The horse starts to learn that his pleas to be addressed and not just reprimanded will be ignored, so he mentally and then physically "shuts down" and becomes more resistant in listening to his rider's aids.
You'll need to step back and review the basics to find where the lack of clear communication between you and your horse starts. I would say as of the moment your horse is displaying symptoms that show that he is pretty convinced he can "tune you out" and continue with what he'd like to do. Keep in mind horses don't "just randomly" do things.
Finding a "safe" place such as a round pen and starting while working him from the ground you're going to need to re-establish clear communication using effective "tools" that you will eventually transfer over to using when you are riding. You may work at liberty (with your horse loose) and/or you may work with your horse on the lead rope (using the rope as if it were like a rein when you ride.) When you do something, it must MEAN something to your horse. If you are hopeful (meaning you ask something and then wait and see if your horse eventually addresses you after he has quietly tuned you out) when you communicate with him and allow for him to ignore or "take advantage" of you on the ground, the same behavior will continue in the saddle.
You'll need to be able to "break down" asking your horse to first look (literally) at different "things" without moving. This is asking for a mental commitment. He'll need to learn that ignoring or tuning you out when you're specific, doesn't work and that he must address you mentally. Then you'll need him to understand to "mimic" your energy so that as you increase or decrease your energy so should he. If he can first mentally address, and then physically "softly" move towards what you've presented, you're on the right track for creating a quality ride.
He'll need to understand to change his energy by either a physical aid (such as bumping the stirrup by his side) or a movement from you. Most people stand still or sit still in the saddle hoping the horse will figure out what speed they want. Instead, you must "take your horse for the ride" by offering what you want him to do. I tell people within each gait there should be ten different energy levels. This should first be established from you working your horse on the ground. If he's unclear with you on the ground, he will not just "figure it out" when you're in the saddle.
Too many people are unclear in what, where and how they communicate with their horse. They "challenge" the horse into guessing what they want; reprimanding the horse every time he can't figure it out. Or they present the same manner of communication repetitiously driving the horse bonkers until he accidentally figures out what the person is asking. The more the horse has to "guess" at what the person wants, the more they tune out the person's aids or communication.
The more specific YOU can mentally be in presenting literally one-step-at-a time scenarios, the more your horse can "get it right." The more he realizes he can be successful when addressing you, the more he'll want participate and offer you. One quality step will turn into three and then 10 and then eventually a whole circle and then the entire ride. But it takes clarity and awareness of riding every single step to "help" your horse find the right answer, rather than forcing him to guess. The more clear your communication is, the more your horse will respect your aids, the less effort it will take from you to get him to happily participate.
Good Luck,
Sam
Getting my horse on the bit- NOT a bit/equipment issue
Topic_Info: getting my horse on the bit
Location: Australia
Date: May 05, 2011
Question:
I go to pony club on a 15yr old appy mare and I been riding since I was 7 now I am almost 18. and every time I go to these shows I never get anywhere as my horse will not go on the bit. She can do it in walk to trot but not neatly and not in canter. everyone else has a Pelham bit with a double bridle they all tell me to use one but I want to know if it would work I'm always soft and caring towards my horses and I know Pelham bits are hard on them but I want to know if it would work with practice.
Answer:
Thanks for writing! Many times people work with horses to try to create an outward appearance of what the person visualizes as the "ideal" look in how their horse bends, engages or uses his body. Everything physical you see your horse doing with its body is a reflection of what it is feeling on the inside. The easy fix is to use stronger or more severe training aids to get the "look" a person would like to see in his horse, but over time this creates a resistance in the horse. The person then needs to use harsher aids to get the same "job" done.
Let me put this into people terms. Let's say you were stressed from your job. Every day you woke up with a certain amount of tension in your body day after day because of the consistent stress. You have a friend who is a masseuse who can see your body is compensating because of the tightness caused by your stress at work. Your friend could physically work on your body, and you might relax by the end of the massage. You might have even loosened up in some of your tight spots (your neck, lower back, etc.). But if you went home that evening and started thinking about work and feeling the emotional turmoil caused by your job, how fast do you think your muscles would reflexively tighten up in the areas that had just a few hours before been relaxed? Now let's imagine instead of your friend giving you a massage, your boss called you in to acknowledge what a great employee you were. Your boss had noticed your job was quite stressful, and she wanted to discuss how she could lessen your work load to decrease your stress. In each of the scenarios you could perhaps relax and release some of the emotional tension, which would then relax what you were physically feeling, but one of these ways might offer you a more long term and influential change.
The same goes for when we work with our horses. We can use different bits, aids, "training devices," etc. to attempt to change the way our horse is physically moving or carrying herself. I would offer instead for you to work towards influencing your horse's emotional and mental status that will then be reflected in her outward movement. The act of "relaxing the poll" is one of many behaviors we would like to see in our horses.
But let's step back to when you first greet your horse. Was she relaxed then? Keep in mind there is a difference between a relaxed horse and a tolerant horse. Horses can "deal" with things for along time that might be disturbing them until one day "out of the blue" they blow up or have a melt down. First, does she live in a "happy place" or does she struggle to live in a stall or find his rightful place among the other horses? Does she have plenty of "free time" during each day to move about a large paddock or field? Is there tension in her before you arrive? Is she happy and relaxed when greeting you? If tension has already developed by this point, I would say this is where the outward "resistance" has started.
If she is relaxed from when you first approach her, will she voluntarily come to you from a distance of 20 or even 50 feet? Do you have to catch her or go to her? If she's in a stall, will she turn to face you and walk to you, or do you have to go to her? If she comes on her own willingly, can you notice if there is a certain point during your grooming and tacking up that starts to indicate or initiate discomfort in her? Does she paw, fuss, breath inconsistently, etc. or do anything but stand quietly?
Example: A horse came to us with the explanation that she had terribly sensitive skin and the previous owner's instructions were to use only the softest brushes on him and to use them in a light manner. If you used a curry comb or hard brush, the horse would pin his ears, shake his head, bite at the air, paw and show an overall discomfort. We quickly noticed that if you groomed him after a ride, he would stand completely relaxed and half asleep no matter the severity of the grooming tool. His outward physical appearance of anxiety towards grooming was really a reflection of his anticipation of the upcoming ride. As soon as the ride was over, he could relax mentally and emotionally and therefore stand quietly for his brush down. We changed how he felt about being ridden and now he stands peacefully for grooming before and after a ride.
Will she ground tie and stand without fussing as you groom and then tack her up? Does she stay relaxed until you step in the saddle? Can you start to recognize subtle areas of resistance when you lift your right rein and ask her to think, look and step to the right? If you ask her to halt, does she offer to halt by shifting her weight onto her hindquarters to stand square and relaxed, or does she try to push through the bit forcing you to "hold her" to maintain the halt with her weight on the forehand?
When riding, all of these little areas influence the quality of your ride when asking more difficult movements. That's why we talk about "back to basics." If you are having a lack of clarity and communication between you and your horse while doing the "small" tasks, you have not created enough relationship to ask more difficult maneuvers of your horse. The true quality ride comes from recognizing the almost undetected communication between horse and rider in order to create a two-way conversation to create the ideal fluidity in a ride.
You might need to step back and offer your horse a "clean slate" with no expectations as to what she may have been able to do or had accomplished in the past and revisit some of the "basics" when riding. As she regains a confidence in you as her partner first with your ground work and then during the ride, her trust will increase which will cause her mental, emotional and physical availability to try what you are asking when you ask for more difficult movements and collection.
Finding a "safe" place such as a round pen and starting while working her from the ground you're going to need to re-establish clear communication using effective "tools" that you will eventually transfer over to using when you are riding. You may work at liberty (with your horse loose) and/or you may work with your horse on the lead rope (using the rope as if it were like a rein when you ride.) When you do something, it must MEAN something to your horse. If you are hopeful (meaning you ask something and then wait and see if your horse eventually addresses you after her has quietly tuned you out) when you communicate with her and allow for her to ignore or "take advantage" of you on the ground, the same behavior will continue in the saddle.
You'll need to be able to "break down" asking your horse to first look (literally) at different "things" without moving. This is asking for a mental commitment. She'll need to learn that ignoring or tuning you out when you're specific, doesn't work and that her must address you mentally. Then you'll need her to understand to "mimic" your energy so that as you increase or decrease your energy so should he. If her can first mentally address, and then physically "softly" move towards what you've presented, you're on the right track for creating a quality ride.
Too many people are unclear in what, where and how they communicate with their horse. They "challenge" the horse into guessing what they want; reprimanding the horse every time she can't figure it out. Or they present the same manner of communication repetitiously driving the horse bonkers until she accidentally figures out what the person is asking. The more the horse has to "guess" at what the person wants, the more they tune out the person's aids or communication.
The more specific YOU can mentally be in presenting literally one-step-at-a time scenarios, the more your horse can "get it right." The more she realizes she can be successful when addressing you, the more she'll want participate and offer you. One quality step will turn into three and then 10 and then eventually a whole circle and then the entire ride. But it takes clarity and awareness every single moment you interact with her in order to "help" your horse find the right answer, rather than forcing her to guess. The more clear your communication is, the more your horse will respect your aids, the less effort it will take from you to get her to happily participate.
Good Luck,
Sam
Location: Australia
Date: May 05, 2011
Question:
I go to pony club on a 15yr old appy mare and I been riding since I was 7 now I am almost 18. and every time I go to these shows I never get anywhere as my horse will not go on the bit. She can do it in walk to trot but not neatly and not in canter. everyone else has a Pelham bit with a double bridle they all tell me to use one but I want to know if it would work I'm always soft and caring towards my horses and I know Pelham bits are hard on them but I want to know if it would work with practice.
Answer:
Thanks for writing! Many times people work with horses to try to create an outward appearance of what the person visualizes as the "ideal" look in how their horse bends, engages or uses his body. Everything physical you see your horse doing with its body is a reflection of what it is feeling on the inside. The easy fix is to use stronger or more severe training aids to get the "look" a person would like to see in his horse, but over time this creates a resistance in the horse. The person then needs to use harsher aids to get the same "job" done.
Let me put this into people terms. Let's say you were stressed from your job. Every day you woke up with a certain amount of tension in your body day after day because of the consistent stress. You have a friend who is a masseuse who can see your body is compensating because of the tightness caused by your stress at work. Your friend could physically work on your body, and you might relax by the end of the massage. You might have even loosened up in some of your tight spots (your neck, lower back, etc.). But if you went home that evening and started thinking about work and feeling the emotional turmoil caused by your job, how fast do you think your muscles would reflexively tighten up in the areas that had just a few hours before been relaxed? Now let's imagine instead of your friend giving you a massage, your boss called you in to acknowledge what a great employee you were. Your boss had noticed your job was quite stressful, and she wanted to discuss how she could lessen your work load to decrease your stress. In each of the scenarios you could perhaps relax and release some of the emotional tension, which would then relax what you were physically feeling, but one of these ways might offer you a more long term and influential change.
The same goes for when we work with our horses. We can use different bits, aids, "training devices," etc. to attempt to change the way our horse is physically moving or carrying herself. I would offer instead for you to work towards influencing your horse's emotional and mental status that will then be reflected in her outward movement. The act of "relaxing the poll" is one of many behaviors we would like to see in our horses.
But let's step back to when you first greet your horse. Was she relaxed then? Keep in mind there is a difference between a relaxed horse and a tolerant horse. Horses can "deal" with things for along time that might be disturbing them until one day "out of the blue" they blow up or have a melt down. First, does she live in a "happy place" or does she struggle to live in a stall or find his rightful place among the other horses? Does she have plenty of "free time" during each day to move about a large paddock or field? Is there tension in her before you arrive? Is she happy and relaxed when greeting you? If tension has already developed by this point, I would say this is where the outward "resistance" has started.
If she is relaxed from when you first approach her, will she voluntarily come to you from a distance of 20 or even 50 feet? Do you have to catch her or go to her? If she's in a stall, will she turn to face you and walk to you, or do you have to go to her? If she comes on her own willingly, can you notice if there is a certain point during your grooming and tacking up that starts to indicate or initiate discomfort in her? Does she paw, fuss, breath inconsistently, etc. or do anything but stand quietly?
Example: A horse came to us with the explanation that she had terribly sensitive skin and the previous owner's instructions were to use only the softest brushes on him and to use them in a light manner. If you used a curry comb or hard brush, the horse would pin his ears, shake his head, bite at the air, paw and show an overall discomfort. We quickly noticed that if you groomed him after a ride, he would stand completely relaxed and half asleep no matter the severity of the grooming tool. His outward physical appearance of anxiety towards grooming was really a reflection of his anticipation of the upcoming ride. As soon as the ride was over, he could relax mentally and emotionally and therefore stand quietly for his brush down. We changed how he felt about being ridden and now he stands peacefully for grooming before and after a ride.
Will she ground tie and stand without fussing as you groom and then tack her up? Does she stay relaxed until you step in the saddle? Can you start to recognize subtle areas of resistance when you lift your right rein and ask her to think, look and step to the right? If you ask her to halt, does she offer to halt by shifting her weight onto her hindquarters to stand square and relaxed, or does she try to push through the bit forcing you to "hold her" to maintain the halt with her weight on the forehand?
When riding, all of these little areas influence the quality of your ride when asking more difficult movements. That's why we talk about "back to basics." If you are having a lack of clarity and communication between you and your horse while doing the "small" tasks, you have not created enough relationship to ask more difficult maneuvers of your horse. The true quality ride comes from recognizing the almost undetected communication between horse and rider in order to create a two-way conversation to create the ideal fluidity in a ride.
You might need to step back and offer your horse a "clean slate" with no expectations as to what she may have been able to do or had accomplished in the past and revisit some of the "basics" when riding. As she regains a confidence in you as her partner first with your ground work and then during the ride, her trust will increase which will cause her mental, emotional and physical availability to try what you are asking when you ask for more difficult movements and collection.
Finding a "safe" place such as a round pen and starting while working her from the ground you're going to need to re-establish clear communication using effective "tools" that you will eventually transfer over to using when you are riding. You may work at liberty (with your horse loose) and/or you may work with your horse on the lead rope (using the rope as if it were like a rein when you ride.) When you do something, it must MEAN something to your horse. If you are hopeful (meaning you ask something and then wait and see if your horse eventually addresses you after her has quietly tuned you out) when you communicate with her and allow for her to ignore or "take advantage" of you on the ground, the same behavior will continue in the saddle.
You'll need to be able to "break down" asking your horse to first look (literally) at different "things" without moving. This is asking for a mental commitment. She'll need to learn that ignoring or tuning you out when you're specific, doesn't work and that her must address you mentally. Then you'll need her to understand to "mimic" your energy so that as you increase or decrease your energy so should he. If her can first mentally address, and then physically "softly" move towards what you've presented, you're on the right track for creating a quality ride.
Too many people are unclear in what, where and how they communicate with their horse. They "challenge" the horse into guessing what they want; reprimanding the horse every time she can't figure it out. Or they present the same manner of communication repetitiously driving the horse bonkers until she accidentally figures out what the person is asking. The more the horse has to "guess" at what the person wants, the more they tune out the person's aids or communication.
The more specific YOU can mentally be in presenting literally one-step-at-a time scenarios, the more your horse can "get it right." The more she realizes she can be successful when addressing you, the more she'll want participate and offer you. One quality step will turn into three and then 10 and then eventually a whole circle and then the entire ride. But it takes clarity and awareness every single moment you interact with her in order to "help" your horse find the right answer, rather than forcing her to guess. The more clear your communication is, the more your horse will respect your aids, the less effort it will take from you to get her to happily participate.
Good Luck,
Sam
Ask the Trainer: Panic Problem & Dangerous Behavior
Topic_Info: Panic Problem & Dangerous Behavior
Location: Alabama
Date: April 08 2011
Question:
I bought a new horse about six months ago and he is a super sweet boy. He is five years old and there is a good chance he was abused before I bought him. The only problem he had when I bought him was that he would stiffen his front legs and panic when you tightened his girth. I found that if I took my time, left him untied, and walked him during the process he would do fine. Last week, I was taking him to a trail ride and when I started to load him, he pulled back, panicked and threw himself over on his back. He has done this one other time also, when he was tied to the trailer. Panic, then right over backwards! I really love this horse but I'm starting to get afraid that he will panic and flip over under saddle. This is a hard problem, do you have any advice?
Answer:
Your horse is mentally "checking out" when his stress, panic, worry, fear, insecurity, etc. takes over. Horses don't just randomly one day start acting out dramatically, so my guess would be he probably showed signs of stress that you either didn't recognize or were not addressed in a way that made him feel better so that he could mentally and emotionally "let go" of the worry and replace it with confidence. The scenarios such pulling back when tied, panicking when the cinch was tightened, etc. present that your horse is having issues with pressure- towards him, on him, around him, etc. The issue itself is not dramatic or unwanted behavior, but rather why his brain is getting so stressed that he's acting out as he is.
Horses are herd animals, and especially with young ones, they need a confident leader in you who offers them clear communication to help them mentally slow down and address any concerns they have. Naturally they physically react to something, then stop and mentally address. For the sake of both our and their safety, and in teaching our horses to be reasonable when they are having a problem, we need to teach them to stop, address, think and then move.
Right now your horse is mentally unavailable to "hear" you and does not currently ask "What would you like?" Instead he "takes over" in a situation as a matter of self preservation- not because he is trying to be "bad."
If your horse has felt "ignored" by you or other people in his past, he now makes decisions on his own with no mental availability towards you when he is having a melt down moment. A horse's physical actions are a direct reflection of his mental and emotional state. The more "warm and fuzzy" he feels on the inside, the more he'll look relaxed on the outside. The more stress he is carrying inside of him, the more stress you'll see in his physical behavior that can lead to dangerous behavior.
Your horse does not want to reach a point of "panic" but he's probably pretty convinced at this point that people are not there to help him through a stressful scenario. The more dramatic the behavior, the worse the horse is feeling.
I'd say you're going to have to go back and revisit the basics and assess the quality of clear communication you have with him (or the areas that may be lacking) so that you can establish effective "tools" when you work with him. You're going to have to offer him a "clean slate" and assume he knows nothing so that you can find the "holes" in his training and address those in order to get him mentally, emotionally and physically feeling better about life.
Trying to address your horse the moment he is physically exploding is too late and after the fact. You're going to need to be able to influence his thoughts, energy within his movement, respect of personal space, etc. You're going to need to recognize when your horse starts showing the slightest signs of being stressed and stop and address them. Many times people "push" a horse through a situation they think is "no big deal" not realizing even if the horse "goes along" with being forced through it, that he is still carrying a lot of internal stress that continues to build until he can no longer handle it. This is where you hear people say "he blew up all of a sudden." Well no, it wasn't all of a sudden. The stress may have started a month ago, last week, or this morning, but because it wasn't addressed in a way that the horse could diffuse and let it go, it had to come out at some point- like the "needle that broke that camel's back."
You want to be able to influence your horse ahead of time, rather than being reactive towards what he offers and always reprimanding him for getting something wrong. People who try to be "nice" or "loving" to their horse create a "gray area" in communication- the horse operates in the black and white. He needs to learn where the boundaries are so that he can operate within them. If you're not consistent, then he'll always have to be searching for what you want, which will lead him to soon ignoring you. The more you are clear, specific, and intentional by addressing every step with him, the better he'll feel about life. The more his confidence will increase and the dramatic and dangerous behavior will dissipate on its own.
Finding a "safe" place such as a round pen and starting while working him from the ground you're going to need to re-establish clear communication using effective "tools" that you will eventually transfer over to using when you are riding. You may work at liberty (with your horse loose) and/or you may work with your horse on the lead rope (using the rope as if it were like a rein when you ride.) When you do something, it must MEAN something to your horse. If you are hopeful (meaning you ask something and then wait and see if your horse eventually addresses you after he has quietly tuned you out) when you communicate with him and allow for him to ignore or "take advantage" of you on the ground, the same behavior will continue in the saddle.
You'll need to be able to "break down" asking your horse to first look (literally) at different "things" without moving. This is asking for a mental commitment. He'll need to learn that ignoring or tuning you out when you're specific, doesn't work and that he must address you mentally. Then you'll need him to understand to "mimic" your energy so that as you increase or decrease your energy so should he. If he can first mentally address, and then physically "softly" move towards what you've presented, you're on the right track for creating a quality ride.
He'll need to understand to change his energy by either a physical aid (such as bumping the stirrup by his side) or a movement from you. Most people stand still or sit still in the saddle hoping the horse will figure out what speed they want. Instead, you must "take your horse for the ride" by offering what you want him to do. I tell people within each gait there should be ten different energy levels. This should first be established from you working your horse on the ground. If he's unclear with you on the ground, he will not just "figure it out" when you're in the saddle.
Too many people are unclear in what, where and how they communicate with their horse. They "challenge" the horse into guessing what they want; reprimanding the horse every time he can't figure it out. Or they present the same manner of communication repetitiously driving the horse bonkers until he accidentally figures out what the person is asking. The more the horse has to "guess" at what the person wants, the more they tune out the person's aids or communication.
The more specific YOU can mentally be in presenting literally one-step-at-a time scenarios, the more your horse can "get it right." The more he realizes he can be successful when addressing you, the more he'll want participate and offer you. One quality step will turn into three and then 10 and then eventually a whole circle and then the entire ride. But it takes clarity and awareness of riding every single step to "help" your horse find the right answer, rather than forcing him to guess. The more clear your communication is, the more your horse will respect your aids, the less effort it will take from you to get him to happily participate.
Good Luck,
Sam
Location: Alabama
Date: April 08 2011
Question:
I bought a new horse about six months ago and he is a super sweet boy. He is five years old and there is a good chance he was abused before I bought him. The only problem he had when I bought him was that he would stiffen his front legs and panic when you tightened his girth. I found that if I took my time, left him untied, and walked him during the process he would do fine. Last week, I was taking him to a trail ride and when I started to load him, he pulled back, panicked and threw himself over on his back. He has done this one other time also, when he was tied to the trailer. Panic, then right over backwards! I really love this horse but I'm starting to get afraid that he will panic and flip over under saddle. This is a hard problem, do you have any advice?
Answer:
Your horse is mentally "checking out" when his stress, panic, worry, fear, insecurity, etc. takes over. Horses don't just randomly one day start acting out dramatically, so my guess would be he probably showed signs of stress that you either didn't recognize or were not addressed in a way that made him feel better so that he could mentally and emotionally "let go" of the worry and replace it with confidence. The scenarios such pulling back when tied, panicking when the cinch was tightened, etc. present that your horse is having issues with pressure- towards him, on him, around him, etc. The issue itself is not dramatic or unwanted behavior, but rather why his brain is getting so stressed that he's acting out as he is.
Horses are herd animals, and especially with young ones, they need a confident leader in you who offers them clear communication to help them mentally slow down and address any concerns they have. Naturally they physically react to something, then stop and mentally address. For the sake of both our and their safety, and in teaching our horses to be reasonable when they are having a problem, we need to teach them to stop, address, think and then move.
Right now your horse is mentally unavailable to "hear" you and does not currently ask "What would you like?" Instead he "takes over" in a situation as a matter of self preservation- not because he is trying to be "bad."
If your horse has felt "ignored" by you or other people in his past, he now makes decisions on his own with no mental availability towards you when he is having a melt down moment. A horse's physical actions are a direct reflection of his mental and emotional state. The more "warm and fuzzy" he feels on the inside, the more he'll look relaxed on the outside. The more stress he is carrying inside of him, the more stress you'll see in his physical behavior that can lead to dangerous behavior.
Your horse does not want to reach a point of "panic" but he's probably pretty convinced at this point that people are not there to help him through a stressful scenario. The more dramatic the behavior, the worse the horse is feeling.
I'd say you're going to have to go back and revisit the basics and assess the quality of clear communication you have with him (or the areas that may be lacking) so that you can establish effective "tools" when you work with him. You're going to have to offer him a "clean slate" and assume he knows nothing so that you can find the "holes" in his training and address those in order to get him mentally, emotionally and physically feeling better about life.
Trying to address your horse the moment he is physically exploding is too late and after the fact. You're going to need to be able to influence his thoughts, energy within his movement, respect of personal space, etc. You're going to need to recognize when your horse starts showing the slightest signs of being stressed and stop and address them. Many times people "push" a horse through a situation they think is "no big deal" not realizing even if the horse "goes along" with being forced through it, that he is still carrying a lot of internal stress that continues to build until he can no longer handle it. This is where you hear people say "he blew up all of a sudden." Well no, it wasn't all of a sudden. The stress may have started a month ago, last week, or this morning, but because it wasn't addressed in a way that the horse could diffuse and let it go, it had to come out at some point- like the "needle that broke that camel's back."
You want to be able to influence your horse ahead of time, rather than being reactive towards what he offers and always reprimanding him for getting something wrong. People who try to be "nice" or "loving" to their horse create a "gray area" in communication- the horse operates in the black and white. He needs to learn where the boundaries are so that he can operate within them. If you're not consistent, then he'll always have to be searching for what you want, which will lead him to soon ignoring you. The more you are clear, specific, and intentional by addressing every step with him, the better he'll feel about life. The more his confidence will increase and the dramatic and dangerous behavior will dissipate on its own.
Finding a "safe" place such as a round pen and starting while working him from the ground you're going to need to re-establish clear communication using effective "tools" that you will eventually transfer over to using when you are riding. You may work at liberty (with your horse loose) and/or you may work with your horse on the lead rope (using the rope as if it were like a rein when you ride.) When you do something, it must MEAN something to your horse. If you are hopeful (meaning you ask something and then wait and see if your horse eventually addresses you after he has quietly tuned you out) when you communicate with him and allow for him to ignore or "take advantage" of you on the ground, the same behavior will continue in the saddle.
You'll need to be able to "break down" asking your horse to first look (literally) at different "things" without moving. This is asking for a mental commitment. He'll need to learn that ignoring or tuning you out when you're specific, doesn't work and that he must address you mentally. Then you'll need him to understand to "mimic" your energy so that as you increase or decrease your energy so should he. If he can first mentally address, and then physically "softly" move towards what you've presented, you're on the right track for creating a quality ride.
He'll need to understand to change his energy by either a physical aid (such as bumping the stirrup by his side) or a movement from you. Most people stand still or sit still in the saddle hoping the horse will figure out what speed they want. Instead, you must "take your horse for the ride" by offering what you want him to do. I tell people within each gait there should be ten different energy levels. This should first be established from you working your horse on the ground. If he's unclear with you on the ground, he will not just "figure it out" when you're in the saddle.
Too many people are unclear in what, where and how they communicate with their horse. They "challenge" the horse into guessing what they want; reprimanding the horse every time he can't figure it out. Or they present the same manner of communication repetitiously driving the horse bonkers until he accidentally figures out what the person is asking. The more the horse has to "guess" at what the person wants, the more they tune out the person's aids or communication.
The more specific YOU can mentally be in presenting literally one-step-at-a time scenarios, the more your horse can "get it right." The more he realizes he can be successful when addressing you, the more he'll want participate and offer you. One quality step will turn into three and then 10 and then eventually a whole circle and then the entire ride. But it takes clarity and awareness of riding every single step to "help" your horse find the right answer, rather than forcing him to guess. The more clear your communication is, the more your horse will respect your aids, the less effort it will take from you to get him to happily participate.
Good Luck,
Sam
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