Showing posts with label fixing horse behavior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fixing horse behavior. Show all posts

The Crazy Horse- Is it really the horse, or the human?


I see a lot of animals labeled the "crazy horse." Are there some horses that due to human mishandling have reached such an extreme place mentally and emotionally that they would be unsuitable for the average horse handling skills the general equine community has? Yes.

Building Trust in the Defensive Horse

A moment of trust... what the picture is really reflecting

Though the rain was pouring down yesterday, the day prior was gorgeous. In this part of the world where the weather can change every five minutes from hail to sunshine, you learn to take advantage of it!

Sally, one of the desert horses that arrived to spend the summer with me had never seen trees, grass, wildlife, etc. before arriving at the farm. Though she's been settling in, everything in her world has changed.

As I was in-between my endless mowing and weed eating and spring chores, I saw a very different Sally standing out in the field. The horses were out grazing in the infield, a place she'd initially go nowhere near as the movement in the branches of the nearby trees due to the wind and wildlife had kept her on-guard eve in her opportunity for letting down.

As I go through my "checklist" of questions to owners with horses that arrive for training, one of the important ones is in regard to the horse's sleep patterns. Noticing if/when/how long the person actually sees the horse sleep.

Since arriving I'd seen Sally sleep, but not in a deep state and for very short periods of time, and only in the night time pastures. But this past week there was a big shift in her mentally. Simple, subtle moments where she'd offered on her own to be much more thoughtful, less emotionally reactive, and able to try in a reasonable manner.

I have found that the quality of the Conversation with the human affects the horse when they are on their own. And then I saw her... I'd turned out horses, but had to gently "re-direct" them to another pasture while they were loose. Sally had made a wrong turn into one area, I called her by name off the grass, she quit eating, came over to me, checked-in, then I pointed and I directed her to the correct pasture. She calmly walked off and resumed grazing. A few other horses had moved off further away, but she didn't engage. Even her body looked softer and more relaxed as she grazed.

And then a short while later, I watched her gently lie down, comfortably viewing the world around her, then settling-in as she took a nap. I headed over to say hi when she'd perked up again. Though she loved scratches for all her itchy spots when standing, she always had a tightness to her body, muscles, and breathing. But as I walked up at this moment, calling out to not startle her, she acknowledged me softly. I watched her, for any concern at my presence. There was none. So I came over and scratched on her and then took a seat.

Was this about capturing a fun picture? Not at all. This was an awesome moment in time that reflected the shift in her perception of the new world around her and me. This was a huge moment, for her to be completely "exposed" laying in the middle of a field, with a human nearby, and not have any fear or containment. This trust is what the equine partnership is built upon.

But it doesn't come from being "nice" to the horse, nor being "hopeful" in the communication. I had to present, and ask Sally to address many of her fears, anticipation, reactivity, and defensiveness in recent sessions. I had to offer her a safe place to express and purge her concern without critiquing her for feeling that way. I couldn't force anything to "happen" but I could offer every interaction to be a quality Conversation.

Does her trusting me as she lies down mean she is "finished?" No. But it is one of the many contributors that will and does affect Sally's journey to her becoming a thoughtful, willing, and confident equine.

Reading Horse Behavior to decrease dangerous moments

I'm very excited about the seven-day upcoming online course "Reading the Horse" ( https://bit.ly/horsecourseonline ). One of the great opportunities for learning from these videos of seven different horses will offer people to learn to SEE and put value to all of the numerous and continuous ways they communicate. I know that may sound funny, but often the more time folks spend around the horse the more "routine" many of the interactions can become.


This builds unintentional mindlessness in the human and the horse or "autopilot" responses between the two. If this is the case, the human may miss when potential concerns begin to build in the animal until "all of a sudden..." he does something and it totally surprises the human.

In other cases, the person may see what the horse is physically doing, but not put value to the behavior or recognize the connection in what is currently happening to where it may lead in future actions of the horse.

Often folks are also hopeful. People will "wait" until the horse is committed to an unwanted response and then attempt to intervene at his peak concern. What the human may not have realized is that their initial pause or delay in communication with the horse has taught him that he is "on his own" in a stressful situation. The problem is this consistently, (often unintentional) unsupportive response from the person, teaches the horse that when concerning moments arise, he needs to fend for himself. As he does so, it can create an overwhelming feeling in the handler or rider.

So remember even the seemingly most "mundane" interactions are teaching and conversation opportunities between humans and horses. If folks prioritized quality interaction with their horse during these times, they would be diffusing and diminishing potentially dramatic and dangerous ones in the future, without even realizing it.

Keep in mind horses do not one day randomly become "trained" or reasonable. Even with a horse that has had years of training, someone can "undo" the training depending on how they interact.

Every moment the horse spends time with a human is a continuous learning opportunity. The person can teach the horse either desired or undesirable responses depending on their approach.

What has the quality of your conversations with the horse been lately?

Exploring the use of a round pen- an alternative perspective

A FB friend posted an article on anti round pen usage... Here was my in depth perspective/answer:

I find 95% of folks misuse a round pen, whether under the guise of "exercising" or teaching conditioned responses, such as the lesser of two evils is to turn, face the human and be caught; which is a bullying tactic. The problem with teaching conditioned responses and patterns is the day you change the routine, you get a fire breathing dragon instead of your docile horse. 

So what happened? Most horses learn the pattern in order to get the human to leave them alone. There's not a lot of thought or clarity, it is just a form of "escaping" the pressure created by the human. The human in turn incorrectly assumes that because the horse is being so "helpful" by automatically doing something they might ask of their horse, that the horse is okay. More times than not, he is not.

For me the round pen allows an opportunity in a safe place where the horse and I can have open two way communication. It is an opportunity to assess if the horse is mentally available to physically participate with me. If any sort of fast movement or continuous movement occurs, there's typically a brainless-ness and flee to it.

Most horses that arrive with "behavioral issues" (which is often a symptom, not the issue) is a direct result of constant mental and emotional stress. The horse is rarely considered when the human has an agenda. So often the horses are bullied into doing things that really bother them and "all of a sudden" they act dramatic, resistant and dangerous. No, it wasn't all of a sudden. Most folks do not notice, put value to or address if their horse is asking for help, until the person can no longer ignore the escalating dramatic behavior displayed by the horse.

So as I start a colt, re-educate an older horse or fine tune a finished one, the round pen can be a tool. Could the same conversation happen while in the pasture, being led or tacked? Yes. It is not about location, shape of fence or teaching a patternized response. It is about a quality conversation that sets you and your horse up to be successful. But folks are looking for patterns and conditioned, brainless responses. 

If the horse is physically and mentally bothered, fearful, insecure or shut down, why wouldn't I want to address that and help him sort out his concerns BEFORE I get on? There's no need to "wait and see," what the ride will be like; if I see he's bothered now, it'll only get worse in the saddle. 

Imagine if all these amazing athletic creatures were supported to compete without being in the the continual state of stress and duress, then what might their movement look like?

By not offering a horse TIME to sort through his emotions, rather just attempting to physically exhaust him, but never address what he's bothered about, is setting up the horse to be defensive.... 

As with everything, something that can be a safe, confidence building and supportive tool based in how it is presented by one person can also be a horrific experience for the horse if someone with ego, time limitations, and ulterior motives uses it...

Just my thoughts.
Sam

Humans, Horses and Pressure


Horses, Humans and Pressure
When we work with a horse we primarily use two forms of pressure to communicate, physical pressure (the lead rope attached to the halter, the rein, the leg, the seat, etc.) or spatial pressure (not touching the horse but able to influence his brain and movement.) Vocal commands are the third, less common form of pressure.
A horse’s natural response to pressure is to flee from it, become defensive towards it, or to physically “challenge” it, which causes him to be unable to “hear” the person.  The horse needs to learn that pressure offered by a person can be a positive way to communicate.
It should be thought of as a tool that affects the clarity of communication between a person and their horse.  It can be used to teach the horse to be respectful towards personal space, defining literal and imaginary boundaries.  Whether from the ground or in the saddle, teaching the horse to follow, soften and yield to the pressure of a lead rope, rein, leg or your seat are quality and necessary aids.  It should and can be used to teach the horse to become mentally available before offering physical movement.
The term “pressure” often has a negative association due to the misuse of it through a person’s attempts of controlling and micromanaging the horse.  Pressure forcing a horse into submission whether through physical dominance, using gadgets and devices or physically wearing down the horse tends to evolve into a battle of the wills.  Pressure by forcing something upon the horse until he has to choose between the “lessors of two evils” has no quality outcome. Physically aggressive pressure or “driving” the horse as a tactic basically scares a horse into doing something (crossing water, trailer loading, passing the scary spot on the trail) and contributes to distrust between horse and person.
Due to a misunderstanding, inattentiveness, distraction, and lack of awareness, many people unintentionally communicate a constant barrage of chaos through both spatial and physical pressure.  A “busy-ness” from a person in their activity with the lead rope/rein/leg dulls the horse and teaches the horse to ignore the person and become defensive towards pressure.  Having slow, after-the-fact critical responses towards their horse, inconsistently allowing behaviors, and not establishing clear boundaries are common contributors leading to a horse’s resistance towards any form of pressure. 
People tend to hurry in life and often the same applies to their horsemanship.  Accomplishing the “task” often becomes the focal point, rather than addressing the quality of communication they have with their horse. As long as the horse mostly “goes along” with what is asked, people tend to accept the horse’s behavior.  But without effective “tools” (I don’t mean gadgets, rather how a person uses pressure to communicate) they often wind up at the “mercy” of the horse or “surviving” the ride.  This then creates a cycle of worry, fear and insecurity in both human and horse.
Take a few minutes to evaluate your relationship with your horse, considering the following questions:
If you walk into the pasture/stall does your horse automatically move away from you (fleeing from your spatial pressure)?  Does he approach nicely but “hover” in your personal space (delegating the pecking order of where you’re at in his herd)?  If you raise your hands to halter him does he move his head up, away, or “dive” into the halter (defensive, anticipative, disrespectful)?  When leading him is he lethargic and slow in response, does he try to “hide” behind you as you walk, does it feel like he is “leading” you and rushing, or does he constantly walk with his head cranked over his shoulder with his body bumping into you? 
If you walk past grass or a buddy horse does he try to drag you over to where he wants to go?  If you ask him to stop moving using the lead rope lightly does he respond slowly, is over-reactive, or completely ignores you?  If you walk faster or slower does he mimic your energy with his, or does he only offer one speed irrelevant of what you’re asking? 
If he is tied does he paw, wiggle, chew on the lead rope, pull back against the rope, or move away from you as you groom/tack him?  When you mount, does he stand still, walk off before you’re ready, or fidget if asked him to stand longer than he wanted?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above questions, there probably needs to be a re-defining (even in “accomplished” or “broke” horses) as to their interpretation of pressure and the quality of your communication.  A person can be actively supportive of the horse through the use of respectful pressure.  But if the horse feels defensive towards pressure, you are limiting your tools and options when communicating, helping and supporting your horse.
The mental availability and physical behavior your horse offers while working with him from the ground typically decreases in quality when you ride.  If you dislike what your horse is offering now, don’t wait until later to address it.  The horse feels a fly land on him, he can feel you.  If he disregards you when you ask something minor, what will happen when you ask more of him?  Any initial display of resistance will only increase as you put him in situations that are stressful or not his idea.
Taking the time to refine the quality of the basic use of pressure while on the ground will set the standard for the upcoming ride.  Remember, the conversation starts with your horse the moment you halter him and does not end until you turn him loose again.  At times it may feel like you are going “slow” but in the long run you will accomplish more with a quality physical outcome and at the same time achieve a rewarding partnership between you and your horse.
Sam