Horse Skills: Goal Fixation vs Clear Communication

One of the most overlooked aspects of why people and horses are having issues is because of the lack of human clarity.

Imbalanced Human Movement- Raising Awareness to Improve Horse Skills

The next time you head out to drive your car, sit at the dining table or at a desk in the office, stand in the elevator or move in general, I want you to check in with your physical movement and posture.

If you turn left while driving the car, do you find yourself rocking in your seat and leaning towards the left as you turn?

Horse Problems- "What should I focus on next with my horse?"

I frequently hear this question or am asked by students or other equine enthusiasts struggling with having a goal, direction, or unsure of what to focus on during their horse time... the answer is always the same, "Refinement." Irrelevant of if you ride for pleasure or are competitive (or if you only work with your horse from the ground,) every interaction is Opportunity for improving your and the horse's skills.

Horse behavior- Recognizing the Freeze Response

 

Can you recognize the Horse's Freeze response?
Check out the Remote Horse Coach video catalog to learn more about equine behavior.

Horse Skills- Common Missing Tool

 

"Following a Feel"

Those words had no value to me in my initial years of riding (groundwork was nonexistent.) I interacted with the horse offering unintentional, continuous tension- on the lead rope, on the rein, in my leg, etc. There was never a pause, time for mental processing, recognizing separating directing the thought from movement, adaptability in my aids or any conscious release of pressure towards the horse (other than during a jump.)

PC Jen Landis

Has the Human become Desensitized to the Horse?

In this horse skills video in the Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series, Alternative Horsemanship™ the Remote Horse Coach discusses raising human awareness and availability towards horse communication and behavior to diminish unwanted equine behavior. Bonus video clip of Horse Behavior Assessment Opportunity. #alternativehorsemanship #horsebehavior #dearsamhorsehelp #horse

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Developing a Quality Relationship with the Horse

Every week I receive 20-30 "Ask the Trainer requests"... From unwanted trail behavior/lack of manners to groundwork issues to equipment suggestions to feeding options, etc. from around the world. People often expect a "step by step" or "cut and dry" answer. Their focus is on the unwanted physical action without considering the horse's mental or emotional status.

Improving Horse Skills & Refining Communication

 

Why are you doing "that"?...

Catching the horse that way...

Grooming the horse in that place...

Mounting on that side...

Leading on that side...

Starting the ride in that direction...

Working on that specific movement... 

 

Pressure & Horses: Human Interpretation

 

I’ve never had an “English” language conversation with a horse, but over the years I feel that I’ve found some degree of a “common language” with which I use to communicate with them. I explain to students there is no “one” way to do things, and I always tell people “take what you like, leave what you don’t” from any learning situation. I finished reading a horse blog the other day and realized that in this day and age I don’t think you can participate in any aspect of the horse world without hearing the word “pressure” in reference to communicating with the horse.

Improving Horse Skills- the Check-In

I often encounter people who are surprised or overwhelmed by their horse's responses. There tends to be a major gap in the human's perception of when/what/how things have occurred rather than an understanding of all the ongoing, continuous equine communication that was ignored, overlooked, or criticized and how the animal's feedback would "tell" the person what behaviors were coming next.

In trying to help people become more aware and considerate of what the horse was experiencing during human interactions, I came up with the idea of the "check-in."

Learning Horse Skills

Horse Skills: Refining your Feel to improve your Communication

A major challenge for many horse enthusiasts is that there is SO much to learn in terms of understanding horse behavior and communication, never mind refining self-awareness, and then combining that with trying to learn how to offer a "common language" to communicate with the animal.
Of the many horse-related skills to learn, the concept of "following a feel" can be incredibly challenging. In many interactions, people focus on how a horse is moving, without acknowledging that "how" the human is asking will influence the outcome.

Refining Ground Work with the Horse

 

Whenever I show up to work with a horse I go through a mental checklist assessing things such as:

Where is the horse’s mind today?

How is the horse looking/feeling in his postures, breathing, and movement?

What was the feeling or energy he offered when greeting me in his pasture or stall?

Does he seem mentally available as I ask to halter, lead, and stop at the gate?

If I ask for him to change his focus, "let go" of a mental distraction, decrease/increase his energy, step on/at a specific spot, or pause while I "fix" something else, is he getting defensive for my opinions or his he willing to try?

Empathy + Horses 🚫= Weakness

 

There is a constant human imposition upon each other and horses... 

 

Unrealistic ego-based demands without having accountability as to how a person's clarity of thoughts and intention, quality of communication, adaptability in energy, accuracy of timing, and everyday mindless interactions, are constantly "teaching" horses unwanted responses that people then criticize and chastise the equine for.

Horse Considerations... Task Fixation Haltering

 

We've talked about how the "ride" begins when you think about going for the ride, and learning to "leave" reality of daily stresses and demands behind as you show up to be with your horse.

I've mentioned the Conversation starts with how your horse approaches you to be caught, whether in a stall or pasture, which is a great time to assess his mental focus and "tells" you what you might need to address before you even catch him.

Horse Learning

 "People can only meet you at the depths in which they meet themselves," The Art of Noticing

I find this amplified in observing those on "the horse journey." The availability of a person curious and committed to learning, searching, trying, and experimenting to improve their horse skills is relative to their current mental and emotional state.

Same with their choice to neutrally acknowledge and believe the horse's feedback reflecting holes in his education or triggers in what he experiences during human interactions. Seeing it as insight of where or what to address to help the horse through defensiveness or fear... or the more common approach of quashing and critiquing his communication, because of how it makes the person feel.

The Search - Engaging the Horse's Mind to create willing Behavior

 In Conversations with the horse we are asking them to mentally "search" for what is being presented, and then to physically act upon those thoughts.

 

It could be a variety of scenarios, such as for them to find a specific location to stand in while they are loose in the pasture/stall/round pen, it could be for them to stand in their "box," (what I define as the imaginary, spatially respectful distance near us,) as we ask them to wait. It could be maintaining a soft feeling on the rein as we ride, it could be the horse tracking straight on an imaginary "line" we visualize. 

Horse Skills- The Check-In by Alternative Horsemanship™

Improving Horse Skills - The Check-In

I often encounter people who are surprised or overwhelmed by their horse's responses. There tends to be a major gap in the human's perception of when/what/how things have occurred rather than an understanding of all the ongoing, continuous equine communication that was ignored, overlooked, or criticized and how the animal's feedback would "tell" the person what behaviors were coming next.

In trying to help people become more aware and considerate of what the horse was experiencing during human interactions, I came up with the idea of the "check-in."

In human terms, think if you were walking and someone familiar tapped you on the shoulder from behind. Your focus would be drawn to them, you might slow or pause your behavior, and you would probably engage in conversation to hear what they wanted. But if it was someone you were unfamiliar with or distrustful of, you would respond very differently. The latter responses are how I see many horses act toward people.

 

The Check-In is a "tool" for both the human and horse to develop that offers a consideration, and acknowledgment of one another.

Initially, it may be done at the halt, but later it will occur as movement continues whether the horse is being ridden or worked with from the ground.

Tips for Improving Horse Skills & Refining Aids

I teach three stages of communication with the horse to help equine enthusiasts learn how to slow down, be mentally present, refine the quality of their skills, improve their timing, and create interaction that has value to the horse. To do this, I break down the communication offered to the equine into beginning, middle, and end stages.

Horse Skills Tips - Misconceptions of a Circle

One of the most misused "techniques" I have found is how people present asking the horse to move around a circle.

Horse Behavior- After the session assessment

How often does your focus "leave" as you are nearing the end of a session with the horse? Mentally moving on to something else?