Showing posts with label educating young horse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label educating young horse. Show all posts

Dear Sam: Horse Help *Preparing the Young Horse for Riding

Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach shares her perspective on what it takes to prepare the young horse for riding. She shares video footage of ground trying, straight tying, long lining, saddling, ponying from a horse and bicycle, dragging branches, lining up to mounting block, and a variety of other scenarios to help educate the horse, maintain his curiosity, and increasing his exposure.

Preparing the Young Horse for Riding- Building Life Skills by Alternative Horsemanship

In this video snippet Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach shares her perspective on colt starting. Her goal is to educate the young horse with skills that will better help him navigate the human world and all future things asked of him. It is not about rushing and task accomplishment, but rather mentally engaging a physically willing and reasonable horse.

Confessions of a Horse Trainer- Our own horses get the least of our attention…

About a month ago, before I left my summer facility in the northwestern US, I had my vet come out to do my horses' annual dentistry.  As we were looking at the previous year’s exam records, I noticed the date on my colt, “Pico”, said that he was born in 2004.  Wait a minute.  How was my “colt” seven years old???  That couldn’t be right.  But with a little further investigation, it turned out that it was. 

I think the old saying was, “The cobbler’s children had no shoes.”  Well the horse professional’s saying should be, “The trainer’s horses are the least trained!”  Now don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of trainers who have what I call “blue sky potential” horses that they put many hours into with hopes of selling or promoting, but in most barns or facilities, there always seem to be a few “project” horses that were usually acquired accidentally and somehow time had quickly passed leaving those equines pretty much as they were when they first arrived.
Now granted, in my own case, Pico finally had his “fair share” of attention this summer.  I had a working student whose personality seemed to mirror Pico’s and they just clicked.  It was great that the student had the opportunity to work with an “unfinished” horse.  Poor Pico on the other hand was a little shocked at being “harassed” more than once every few weeks; but as he started to believe that his new “partner in crime” was relentless and NOT going to leave him alone after five minutes Pico changed his tune and soon enough the two of them were sneaking off into the woods like a pair of youngsters whose imaginations were running wild (I think “cowboys and Indians” might have been their theme.)  I have a “loop” through the woods that usually takes riders about 15-20 minutes if they are really taking their time.  Pico and his new partner would slink off and disappear for 45 minutes- by the time they showed up, I didn’t even ask…
Now for a moment, bear with me as I go back to the beginning when I “accidentally” wound up with Pico at three months of age. He’d been orphaned at birth and a gal had rescued him from his “get rich quick with horses owner whose stallion had gotten out of pasture and visited all the mares who were now having babies that the owner can no longer afford”.  My vet had heard that I might, I said, might want a baby… So I showed up to meet the little red dun colt and of course, he came home with me.  Even then, as much as babies are cute, Pico was quite plain.  No real flash, no real movement, oh yeah, and that slightly clubbed foot.  But as with everything, once you take them in, they’re part of the “gang” and Pico quickly fit in with my motley crew of misfits. 
I think Pico was about nine months old when he made his first trip south to the warm winters of Arizona.  At that time I was on a “ horse collecting” streak, and that winter I picked up a 17.2H bay thoroughbred from New Mexico that had been saved from the slaughter truck.  It was so cold, icy, windy and frozen when I looked at the horse, we took him out of the stall, when I had him trot down the outdoor barn alley as chickens were flapping around and a tractor was zooming by.  I asked, “Does he load?” and that is how he made his way into my life- unexpected and unintentionally of course.
He was the third horse bought from a person with the same name, so I started naming these newbies after their previous owner’s last name, and this horse, Houston, fit perfect.  Now Houston had run and won over $70K at the track, and was somehow still sound and semi sane.  He was just one of those “good guy” horses, but he was also very inexperienced in “the real world.” 
From the moment I unloaded Houston, he and Pico fell in love.  Now you have to remember Pico was nine months and very small for his age, and here was this very large, lanky thoroughbred.  The two of them would pal around the pastures like they were soul mates.  Talk about the odd couple.  But the funniest part of it all was that Houston would follow Pico.  So here was this rambunctious little colt storming about the pasture, splashing through our flood irrigation and for every short sprint or gallop where Pico gave his all, Houston would effortlessly offer a slow,  long trot and easily keep up.  All day long, round and round they’d go, with breaks in between to mouth, chew, rear, and climb on each other…
Anyways as time passed I dinked around with Pico, for fun.  For the most part I never really felt compelled to do much as Pico’s mental, physical and emotional maturity seemed to take the “slow route.”  So if I had a moment here or there we’d work ten or fifteen minutes…  The day I first got on him I hadn’t even meant to.  I had taught him to line up to the mounting block, as I do with all horses and was “desensitizing” him.  Leaning on him, banging on him, banging on the saddle, clunking the stirrups, fussing with different “stuff.”  He finally turned his head around to look at me, took this huge sigh, and I swear he said, “Just get on ALREADY.”  So I did.  Our first boring and slow ride (for those who have worked with me my GOAL for my students, the horses and myself when working with them is for the experience to be boring and uneventful) turned into another, and then another… and so on. 
He started to be the “go to” horse I rode for “fun” once in a while because it was easy.  He was light.  He was a quick learner.  Hey, he was actually fun.  BUT his attention span was about 20 minutes or less.  And honestly, in my life of training, teaching, office work, property maintenance, etc. that was all I needed for a fun ride. 
Now don’t get me wrong.  I knew he had some major “holes” in his education… But kind of like that diet we all talk about going on “someday,” I had the same perspective with addressing Pico’s missing links in his training.  Yeah the “horse trainer” has a horse scared of plastic bags.  (Pico’s enthusiasm and curiosity got the best of him as a two year old and he picked up a plastic grocery bag in his mouth.  He took it to share with the other horses in the pasture, from which they all fled.  He started freaking out because they kept running away from him.  Then he couldn’t figure out how to “let go” of the bag.)  Or the famous, “I clipped him a few years back, but now he won’t let me near him.”  Or things like the water hose.  WHAT???  Not my horse. 
I have clients who on a daily basis bring me horses with serious behavioral “issues” and I spend hours helping them get long term changes through revisiting the basics and using clear communication in order to build their horse’s confidence so that the horse learns how to be “reasonable” in how they address life’s scenarios.  Why didn’t one of my own horses have that same time put into him? 
I made that diet reference earlier.  How many of you have ever committed to going on a diet?  Okay, now how long did it take you to FIRST mentally convince yourself that a.) you need to go on a diet, and b.) that you actually will commit to one?  The same thought process went for my attitude with Pico.  That little voice in my head had a million reasons (all the explanations my clients get on a daily basis) about WHY it is so important to create the quality foundation, and that time was ticking… But somehow, it just kept ticking.
Eventually as I decreased the size of my herd and I could feel Pico at first staring at me longingly then after enough of my ignoring him, he started to act like the unaddressed teenager being dramatic in his small annoying behaviors.  (Example:  All the horses know how to “put themselves away” and he would insist on taking an extra lap, exploring, and then, sigh, eventually heading over to an empty stall for the night.)  Just little stuff.  But his attitude was clear.
So fast forward to this summer and the new student who “took on” Pico. I realized after the first month that the student had ridden my horse more than I had in all the time that I had owned him.  We’d do sessions together each day, and then they would head out on their own to do who knows what… But in that time, Pico’s brain, enthusiasm, and experience expanded.  He started greeting us at the pastures again; he started offering a “try” without being asked.  His mental endurance slowly started to increase from his “usual” 20 minutes… And yes these days, rubbing bags all over doesn't faze him...
Needless to say, I’d taught Pico to bow a few years back.  Again, for those who do or don’t know, I’m NOT into teaching “tricks” but rather my goal is that I can ask anything of my horse and he can offer a try.  In the case of bowing, it was asking a balance of mental relaxation and trust along with a physical yielding of his front end lowering it to the ground; to the rest of the world it looks like a bow.
Two days ago was the first time I “played” with Pico in probably two months… I hopped on and we had a great ride.  The next day I worked with him from the ground on suppling exercises (even though he is petite, he is the most stiff-as-a-board Quarter Horse I’ve ever encountered.)  At the end of our session I asked him to bow.  He did so easily even though we hadn’t done if for a good six months or so.  It was so easy in fact, that I then continued using a light “yielding to pressure” that he was familiar with, asking him to bow lower and lower until the moment I saw him switch his thought from bowing, to, saying “More?”  I released and asked him to stand and we dinked around for a minute scratching his “itchy” spots.  Then I asked for the bow again, and then a little more, a little more, and then he gently sighed, and laid himself down for me.  He lay flat out, with the side of his head on the ground, and as I rubbed and sat on him, he started nibbling grass as if that were the most natural thing to do while having been asked to unnaturally and unnecessarily lie down.  That is SO Pico.  After a few minutes I asked him to get up which he quietly did, and then looked at me, and like his partner in crime from the past summer, it was as if he asked, “What next boss?”  I turned him out to graze with an ear to ear smile on my face.
So the point of this blog, whether you have a “regular” job, family, life, or yes, even if you are a “horse trainer” – don’t feel bad if your training goals/accomplishment or “schedule” hasn’t gone “according to plan.”  You have time, your horse has time.  As long as in the meantime he gets to “act” like a horse living a balanced social life with room for natural movement, don’t beat yourself up for not accomplishing “what you thought you would have” by now.  Instead enjoy the time you do spend with your equine partner and appreciate what you have accomplished.  It will make each experience more positive for the both of you.
Have fun,
Sam

Riding Out- Make it Matter

The idea for this blog came about as we FINALLY had a break in our depressing rainy weather that has covered the Pacific Northwest for the past many months. I took out a young horse of mine along with another horse and of course four dogs in tow for a ride up in the mountains. As I rode along asking my horse to address the puddles, mud, bridges, water, etc. I thought about how many people could have ridden the same trail and had a really different outcome with their horse.

It was a nice break for me to get on one of my horses that was beyond the “starting” stage and I could enjoy the ride, but this did not mean that I was brainlessly sitting on him like a sack of potatoes. Somehow the words “trail ride” over the years have been interpreted as a “relaxing” form of riding for those people who are not looking to “train” their horse. The irony is that over the years some of the worst incidents and situations that I’ve witnessed or had to help “pick up the pieces afterwards” have occurred on these “relaxing” trail rides.

Many people whether they are competitive or not have finally after years of persuasion have come to realize that their horse needs more than just repetitive arena work. So mentally this can be great for variation for both horse and rider. The potential problem is if there is not intention and clarity from the rider towards the horse, it really doesn’t matter where you ride.

One of the fundamental “pieces of the puzzle” of riding that seems to be missing is the notion that just because you have bought or acquired your horse does not mean that he is currently in a place mentally, emotionally or physically that is appropriate for what you would like to do with him.

There seems to be three main categories of horse owners- and yes there are always exceptions, but generally as a professional, this is what I’ve encountered in the industry: those who are uneducated and are new owners- usually learning the hard way about the realities vs. the romanticized vision of being with the horses, the semi experienced horse owner who has enough experience to “know” better but is still hopeful that “it” (those small seemingly insignificant issues that manifest into dangerous and unwanted behavior over the long term) will all somehow work out with their horse, and then there are those people who are so focused on the final goal that their perspective and views of how their horse is behaving is limited due to their commitment that “at all costs” they are GOING to get the desired performance out of their horse.

I try to encourage people to use common sense when working with their horse- treat your horse as you would a child. You don’t just hope that a young child will figure things out in life; usually they require a lot of attention, effort and patience on your behalf in order to “educate” them with the tools to achieve independent success and confidence in life. The same goes for horses.

This brings up the second big issue. At one point in history we relied on horses as our mode of transportation, as our work animals to plow the fields to help us survive, and whatever other needs we might have living in rural America. These horses had thousands of hours of education and effort offered to them because people HAD to- as they relied on them for every aspect of life.

Today most riders in the United States are what I’d call pleasure riders, even if they compete at low levels. For the most part people do not have the time, energy or money to invest in their horses to create the “ideal” horse for their needs. So until the horse starts to become difficult or display dangerous behavior that the person realizes they need to enlist the help of a professional, (which usually becomes a long term situation because those “little issues” were let go for so long and the horse is now confirmed in how and what he thinks of people,) owners don’t seek help in advance. The irony is if the owner had initially put the time and effort into offering their horse a proper education from the start, they would have saved a lot of money and stress for both them and their horse in the long run.

Another issue is the current breeding trends (that in my opinion are reinforced by trainers, veterinarians and show judges,) we have basically taken the “horse out of the horse.” How many breedings does it take to produce that “one” ideal horse? And what happens to all of the remaining horses produced that are not up to that level of performance? Look at physical pictures of horse from 10, 20 and 40 years ago compared to those of the same breeds today and there is nothing similar within the breeds other than them having four legs, a head and tail! Never mind the physical, we never seem to realize what undesired traits mentally wise that we’ve passed on until we have a handful of horses all “suffering” from the same unwanted behavior.

As a result of our lack of standards towards looking at the entire picture of what we breed, rather than just the physical outward appearance or performance, we now have generations upon generations of horses that are mentally, emotionally and physically what I call “nut jobs.” As I tell people over and over, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. But somehow as a society, most people have lost any level of accountability for their actions and the sad part is it winds up being the horses and their offspring that pay the long term price for people’s “instant gratification” desires. The perfect example of that is the all too often backyard breeding scenario where one person has a stud and their neighbor has a mare and so they breed “to see what happens.”

If every person who owned a horse made the initial mental, physical and financial commitment to their horse with a “long term” outlook, I truly believe the horse industry would be a different place.

So what does any of the above have to do with heading out for a trail ride? Well stop for a moment and consider how many stories you might have told or heard about of that “eventful” ride. When people ask how a ride went, my goal is to be able to reply that it was “boring.” People laugh at this comment, but I say it with all seriousness.

Today it seems to be the rides that aren’t “boring” are the ones where both horse and rider are attempting to “survive the ride.” In most of these cases the foundation of clear communication, trust and respect, and educating the horse in baby steps has not been introduced. Therefore, as something unexpected (in this part of the country that could be anything from a range of encountering wild animals, to crossing rivers, bridges, severe ascending/descending of mountains, encountering off-road vehicles, traveling on very narrow trails, stepping over natural fallen obstacles, etc.)

I cannot imagine riding out without an array of established “tools” to help my horse throughout the ride for whatever may present itself along the way. But somehow many people and horses have survived many rides without clear communication and so they continue doing so. The problem is not “if,” but rather “when” something will arise that they will not be able to safely “survive” with their horse. These sort of events tend to trigger a lot of other concerns or issues that the horse has “emotionally stuffed” over a period of time, and then it all seems to “suddenly” all come out to the shock of the horse owner.

In what I do for a living I’ll admit I usually see the worst case scenarios and the “aftermath” caused by them. Which is why I’m so adamant that it is completely unnecessary to “wait and see” with horses. It’s not to scare riders into worrying about everything that could go wrong; rather it is to educate people that it is so unnecessary to “go” to those bad and scary places with a horse. Why not help you and your horse out from the start to help avoid all of the eventful riding “stories?”

By laying the proper foundation ahead of time, when things arise on the ride, which they always will, you’ll be able to expand your horse’s experience, increase his confidence and encourage his curiosity by presenting obstacles in a “fun” and quality manner with clear communication that will allow him to be able to mentally address, physically try, and emotionally relax as he encounters the “unknown.”

“Owning” a horse should not been seen as a “servant” type relationship. It requires a lot from both rider and horse. So take a moment and evaluate honestly you and your horse- you level of clear two-way communication, your levels of trust and respect, and your own efforts to help your horse through scenarios rather than challenging him to be successful. Your actions can make or break that ideal relationship with your horse!

To taking responsibility- and then the reins!
Sam

The Learning Curve: Horses & Owners

Many people in the United States have adopted and accepted that when starting a young horse there is a magic “30 day” training period needed to get the horse in “safe” rideable condition. I on the other hand offer all training by the week, with the first week a horse is with me known as the “assessment week.” Time (the hour lesson, the month training period,) is a man “made” thing- not a horse thing. Horses don’t work by the “clock.”

"Star" a 3-year-old TWH on her first ride in the mountains.
I find more often than not, many “trainers” who specialize in working with the horse, but not the owner. I won’t accept a horse into training without being able to work with the owner and their horse together. But for most, there is lack of communication between trainer and owner becomes so incredibly important. Too many trainers tend to “assume” the owner will have an understanding of what is happening, not realizing how lost the owner is. The more lost the owner is, the less they can “be there” to help their horse which leads to a lack of clear communication and respect from the horse towards the owner.


It is just as important, if not more so, to get the owner on the “same page” as their horse that is in training. Here are a few common statements I try to share with owners:

• Just because I can get something done with your horse doesn’t mean that you will be able to.
• If you spent as much time with your horse as you pay me to spend with him, you’d have a lot better understanding of who he is and how best to work with him.
• Based on your (the owner) experience, you may be “stuck” on futuristic goals or dreams for your horse, rather than riding or working with your horse to help him in the “here and now.” If the here and now isn’t addressed, you and your horse will never get to the “future” with any quality or confidence.
• Treat your horse as you would a young child. Your job is to be here to help him through a scenario, rather than challenge him through one.
• Horses, people, and common sense don’t always go hand in hand.
• Too many riders are “reactive” towards their horses. This means, they wait and see if their horse can “survive” a scenario, rather than helping him in steps (literally) in order to come out the other side feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically relaxed and confident.
• Too many owners interrupt an unwanted behavior, rather than helping the horse get to the ideal “answer” or result.
• Slow and “boring” is the ideal ride you are going for with your horse. Think back to all of the “stories” and adventures of past equine experiences and it usually involves highly stressed riders and horses.


So back to starting and educating the young horse. We don’t send our kids to school for a short period of time expecting them to have learned all that they will need to know to be successful in life. Why do we expect that this human number of 30 days is enough for a horse to teach him everything he needs to know? The education of a horse (and rider) should be an ongoing process. To many people, they find this thought depressing. In a society that can’t wait to reward you with “instant gratification” results- riding is the WRONG sport for that mentality. It will only lead to frustration with both horse and rider.
 
I personally keep owners (as many horses as sent in from far away distances) informed throughout the training process via email or phone. This way I can slowly add new thoughts and ideas to the owner’s mentality as the horse’s training progresses so that by the time the owner comes out to work with his horse his mind is already a bit more “open” because of the background info leading up to this point.

The other point I’d like to stress is that I think it’s the professional’s responsibility to be as straight forward with the owner as possible in order to alleviate any expectations or preconceived notions from the owner BEFORE they might arise. The first thing I tell all owners is that I treat every horse as an individual and will work with him accordingly. This means the horse’s training will progress at whatever “speed” he shows as appropriate.

I do NOT guarantee (which is a word that shouldn’t ever be used with horses) that a horse will be at a certain “place” in his training by a certain point in time. This way, I haven’t promised owners an expectation that I may not be able to fulfill with their horse if their horse isn’t mentally, emotionally, or physically ready. Again, my priority in working with the horse for his long term well being. I feel it is my responsibility to educate the horse as best as I can, helping him learn how to trust, respect, and try so that in his future whoever may present whatever scenario, he can “deal” with it in an ideal and REASONABLE manner.
The other factor to consider is the length of a horse’s initial education is that the trainer ought to assess the ability and experience of the owner or person who will be riding the horse. Some people have years of experience but haven’t started colts but are “natural” riders who might feel comfortable on a less experienced horse, than perhaps a less experienced person who really needs their horse not just “started” but also “finished”- with the training offering the horse a lot more experience, exposure and confidence.

So the final part of the “colt starting” is the owner’s training. Helping them mentally get on the same page as their horse. Teaching them some of what I consider as the fundamental basics of THINKING when they are working with their horse. It’s my job to help take away the “mystery” of what the horse is about to do by pointing all the ways the horse is communicating with us trying to tell, ask or clarify what we are doing with them. It’s like presenting the owner with the entire alphabet so that they can spell so that they can read, rather than if they are missing letters and expecting them to be successful at reading.

It’s my responsibility to establish a clear understanding with the owner that his horse’s education is an ongoing and lifetime process. Every opportunity they work with their horse is another chance to expand their horse’s confidence.

I truly believed if more professionals and trainers put the responsibility of the ongoing education of the horse on his owner, not encouraging them to treat their horse’s like an inanimate object that they expect to just “be ready” because they are, horses and their owners would be a lot happier in the long run.

Embrace the learning curve- don’t let it scare you!

Sam