Colt Starting Crimes

I was asked to assess a neighbor’s 1 1/2yr colt. The horse hadn’t been handled much, and when he was, it was done with making the colt physically comply. Responding to pressure, spatial respect, human communication had not been part of the owner and horse’s interaction. My goal was to help the horse slow his brain down so that he could learn to focus on one thing (literally) at a time. To do this he needed to be willing to hear and address me. When I did something, it would need to mean something to him. Then by asking him to “search” for what I was asking- rather than micromanaging and directing his every movement. This encouraged him to try, participate, and gain confidence from trying. 

As the mentalities and priorities of fellow horse people have evolved, so has their verbiage from “breaking a horse” to “starting a horse.” The original “breaking” term was used to break the horse’s physical resistance and limit his ability to think. Depending on the confidence, fear, and history of the horse “breaking” could vary from tying a horse to a solid post in the middle of a round pen, blindfolding them, “sacking” them out, and then hopping on and hoping to survive their bucking spree until they finally gave up and tolerated being ridden. This could have happened a few or many times until someone finally had the nerve to ride the horse “out” (in the open) – all too often this is where usually running the horse until he was too exhausted to fight the rider would create the “broke” horse- remember that term “wet saddle blankets?” Over time it would take “less” drama and the horse would give up and tolerate being ridden… But there were always the “all of sudden moments” from when these sorts of horses pushed for years and carrying tons of emotional and mental stress, fear, and insecurity would “act out.” More dramatic versions of the breaking could include blindfolding the horse, “tripping” or “throwing” (literally) him down to the ground and tying up his legs while he was covered with tarps, blankets, and a saddle, tying up a leg to get the saddle on, and much much worse scenarios.

Nowadays the public has grown a conscience and “starting” horses has become popular. Though many people with good intentions end up causing damage due to their lack of education and understanding. You can’t open a horse magazine, newsletter, email, or attend an equine expo, etc. where you don’t hear “colt starting clinic,” “colt starting demonstration,” etc. I believe most mass commercialized horsemanship "programs" decrease the quality of information presented in an attempt to be easily accessible for the masses. Yet every human/horse combination is a unique pairing. One-size fits all training programs don't work.

All too often owners don’t realize the “damage” they have done until it’s too late and the horse is pretty confirmed that people are not a good thing… Then because the horse’s behavior has reached a point of dangerousness, they usually find someone like me- who is there to clean the slate and pick up the pieces.

I once watched a clinician “talk the talk” about calm, quiet, feel good, etc. and within 20 minutes he had taken a relative calm and confident filly and had her racing in circles around the round pen as he continuously created spatial pressure by casting his lariat at her; she was lathered, fearful, and panicked by the time he was done. 

As I looked around at the audience of about 1,000 people leaning forward in their seats watching, I could just imagine them going home and trying out the same tactics on their own unsuspecting horses. Here was a nationally recognized, “respected” horseman, of course you could mimic their behavior? Another time I watched a clinician work a colt to the point where the horse was so overwhelmed, that he actually physically quit, and laid down with the clinician on him. The clinician then proceeded to kick and yank on the horse until he got back up again, blaming the horse for his response. And no these aren’t just “a few” bad clinicians- they are the people most who use the terms “natural horsemanship” are turning to- how-to DVDs, earning thousands of dollars at clinics, selling “special” equipment, you name it, they are promoting it.

So the point of this post is to encourage you to trust your instinct. Too many times people can “smooth over” a colt starting session because the colt doesn't have the confidence to resist. A young horse may take and stuff his emotions about what he is being exposed to until one day “all of a sudden” (usually at age four) he purges all that has been contained. I’ve seen weekend colt starting where the riders are literally “stealing” a ride but don't realize it until they get home where they are alone, and get seriously hurt by their fearful horses. It’s such an unnecessary shame that these young horses have gone through these initial experiences as to what interacting with humans is going to be like.

A few thoughts:

If this horse is going to be your “long-term” partner what is the rush in how quickly he progresses? Many times a horse may physically look mature but is mentally and emotionally immature for a very long time. Put it into people's terms- how much would you ask of a small child to learn, participate, and perform? No different from your horse.

If you don’t understand what or how the gradual evolution of working with your horse from the ground to working him from the saddle- YOU need to take the time to educate YOU. If you are working with someone who cannot help you understand that crucial factor of how your groundwork prepares your horse for the ride, then you need to find another instructor. A trainer, clinician, or any other professional should be able to explain why they are presenting what they are and the short and long-term education. If the trainer’s interactions with the horse do not match their words- this is a red flag.

You are your horse’s voice. Speak up if you have a problem with how someone is treating your horse. At the end of the day it’ll only be you and he- everyone else goes home and doesn’t have to “deal” with any mess, stress, or fear they may have instilled in the horse. For your horse’s sake- why even go to those “bad” places- why not stop it early on?

The BIG question: Is your trainer right for you and your horse?

Having come from the “mainstream” riding world many years ago it is sometimes hard for me “keep it in perspective” of what the general public experiences in “regular lessons.” As an instructor, I feel it is my job to assess where the horse and person/rider are on this specific day, rather than assuming that we’ll “pick up” where we left off in the last session.

I’m always amazed as I hear stories of the equestrian services people pay for and are berated, disrespected, belittled, and badgered by the "professional." And yet, if the student doesn’t know otherwise, they keep going back.

I believe that my student must be offered my respect for showing up and trying to improve themselves. They must also have trust that what I’m offering them will help them on their journey and the clarity to understand how it affects their “growth” in improving their horsemanship.

Most horseback riding lesson scenarios in today’s society have a delay in the timing or lack of quality in communication between instructor and student. Becaus the horse requires ongoing support, to help students learn how to improve their support, they need to learn how to be present every step of the ride.

Many students don’t realize the “process” it takes to create a working relationship with them. I never have a predetermined “we must accomplish this” agenda before we begin a session. Wherever the student is mentally and emotionally on that given day will influence how the lesson evolves.

My priority is to keep the human and horse safe, then to enjoy the experience. The more the student feels supported, the more they can learn. Too many times though even the word “lesson” has a negative association because of the one-way communication between instructor and horse. I can’t recall how many occasions I’ve sat on the fence watching lesson after lesson with the instructor literally repeating the same five sayings, (“head up, heals down, more, push him, good, etc.”) and always responding AFTER the student performed.

Another aspect I’m shocked at is how much the horse is IGNORED during the session. I know that sounds funny but when the instructor’s goals are predefined, "Everyone will work on x, y, and z today," there is a lack of consideration that their lesson agenda may not be appropriate for that horse at that moment in time.

I know there is pressure to accomplish a big feat each session. But what if the goal of the student was quality? Consider we spend a minimum of 12 years between elementary, middle, and high school on just the basics of human education. Why would we expect both us and our horses to “know it all” within a short 30, 60, or 90 day period? The famous “X” days of training, starting a horse, etc. always make me smile. The equine partnership journey is a continual, ongoing process and journey, not just the end result.

I truly believe more students would enjoy the “process” of educating themselves and their horses if they understand what, how, and why they were doing what they were doing. But too many times they have become “handicapped” for relying (literally) on the instructor for every part of the ride and have lost all ability to think their way through a ride.

So the next time you are about to take a lesson, audit a clinic, read an article in a magazine or watch a “quick fix” DVD on horse training, take a moment to really assess the quality of the information being provided. Is it clear? Is it appropriate for where you and your horse are at in your learning process? Did you both come away with a warm “fuzzy feeling” after the experience or was there a “blank” feeling of “never going to get it?”

Even if you don’t have years of experience with horses, trust your gut. Take care of you and your horse- he’s relying on you to make the best decisions for the BOTH of you! It’s okay to try different instructors, ideas, or philosophies to experiment with. Your top priority is to do what is best for you and your horse, even if it means stepping away from that “world-class trainer” or proven Olympian- trust me, I’ve been there, I’ve done it, and my horses are better for having had the ability to say “no.”

Horses that are difficult keepers

Some horses, especially the "hot breeds" (Thoroughbreds, Arabians, etc.) can be hard keepers- difficult to keep weight on them.  I find in most cases this is because they are extremely emotionally sensitive, the more worry, concern, or possibly even fear they carry, they less they are able to maintain an appropriate weight.
Other factors such as age, work schedule, etc. can also affect body weight.

If you find you have a horse like this, besides trying to address what is emotionally and mentally bothering your horse, you may also have to play with a combination of grass and alfalfa, or grass and weight gainers such as beet pulp, which will not make him seem so "high" due to his feed. Also depending on his lifestyle (pasture, with or without other horses, stall, etc.) make sure he not only has access to his feed without the fear of it being "stolen" from the neighbor, and all that he is current with his dental work so that he isn't in pain when he is eating. He also should be on a regular worming schedule.


Beet pulp, rice bran and corn oil are great ways to add weight without “heat” to the horse’s feed. I've had good results with Red Cell which is also an affordable alternative that has lots of nutrients to help maintain a hard keeper.

Here are a few signs that your horse may be suffering from dental issues:

• Abnormal bitting behavior

• Bad breath, halitosis

• Difficulty chewing (you’ll see large chunks of food fall out of his mouth as he tries to chew)

• Discharge from one nostril

• Headshaking

• Repeated bouts of colic

• Tenderness around the face

• Difficulty maintaining weight

Learning on your own- The Power of Video or Pictures

Well we are in the beginning stages of wrapping up another winter season here in AZ. The temperatures have skyrocketed into the high 80’s in the last few days and will keep rising until they hit anywhere from 115-120 degrees in July and August (no, that’s not a typo.)

The final schooling horse show of the season was a success in a lot of ways; many riders seemed to have started this season in a bit of “riding plateau” and by the end discovered a mental clarity within them and how they are working and interacting with their horse.

An interesting thought crossed my mind again as I was discussing/evaluating different performances of both my own students and those of other competitors. For many people in the United States who keep their horses on their own property, or live in remote locations, they do not have access to barns, get-togethers, clinics or regular lessons where they get to not only participate, but also WATCH other riders. For many people nowadays keeping a horse boarded at home is common and rewarding, usually allowing for much more time spent with their horse without having to “commute” to the barn. On the other hand this “seclusion” decreases the level of interaction the rider has with other horse people.

Take for instance a few of my jumping students. They are not aspiring to jump huge obstacles nor attend upper rated competitions, but they’d like to learn how to jump for the sake of variety and a new avenue to try with their horses. Yet, other than maybe “seeing it a few times” at some high end competition televised or in a magazine, they have no idea (visually) of “what it’s supposed to look like.” So many people nowadays rely on watching others to help them self learn.

In this particular case of teaching riders the physical position they need to be in with their upper body, seat, lower legs and hands on the approach to the face, while in the air, and then on the landing, the visual aid of being able to watch someone can help greatly. Keep in mind not all fellow riders may be setting an example, but even so, you can still learn what NOT to do too, by watching. I always encourage people to go and watch the warm-up arenas rather than the competition arena because many times you’ll see a lot more “real” riding rather than “pretty” riding due to a judge watching.

But, what if it’s not an option for you to watch other riders? Most people nowadays have a video camera or a digital camera. This is a great alternative to “barn life” and “regular” lessons. The awesome thing about digital is that it doesn’t cost anything to take tons of pictures. If you can rope a friend or family member into taking a few minutes to photograph or film you as you ride, you’ll then amazed at how much you’ll be able to “critique” yourself afterwards.

As you evaluate yourself don’t have “pretty” as the focus, rather effective. If you see in a photo or video that your horse isn’t performing as desired- start by looking at you in the picture. What are you doing? What else could you be doing? What did you think you were doing and is that what it looks like when you actually have a visual of yourself? Most performances in horse are a reflection of the partnership between horse and rider. Instead of focusing on what you could “change” about your horse- address yourself first. If you’re sitting crooked in the saddle, how can your horse move straight? If your hands are “dumped” down low, how you can use independent and effective aids to communicate to different parts of your horse if our body is moving as one? How can you ask your horse to perform, if you aren’t?

All too often, even with instruction, a rider will think that they are riding in a certain manner or using a specific aid. In their mind they feel like they are riding as they should, but when they actually see themselves with a form of physical evidence, the realization then sinks in as to how they are “really” riding.

I’m always amazed at how quickly people can adapt or change their riding “habits” once they have a clear visual on what they think are doing versus what they are really doing.

Give it a try- your horse will thank you for it! Sam

Word of the Day: Confident Horses

Confident Horse- Building a horse's willingness to try in unfamiliar scenarios without fear or defensiveness. Each interaction with the human should build his mental availability to address and search for what the person is asking of the horse. The more curious the horse is about what the human is presenting, the increase in his physical softness and reasonableness.

Arizona Ranch Remuda- Review by Sam

I just returned from a scenic five hour drive north of where I spend my winters to attend the 12th Annual Invitation Arizona Ranch Remuda Sale held just north of historic Prescott, AZ. Horses consigned were brought in from throughout AZ, CO, and NM. Beautiful weather helped set a fun mood for a crowd of at least 100 spectators.

If you’ve never been to a Remuda sale it’s a completely different experience from a “regular” auction. Even though the horses are being “judged” it retains a very relaxed feel. And I believe the “judging” doesn’t truly affect the potential buyers. Most buyers are ranchers and cowboys who know what their looking for in a proven horse or a young prospect and are not influenced much by the judging. Riders wear whatever attire they feel comfortable in horses- most look like they are about to head out for a day’s work on the ranch. Horses come in as if they’ve just been working on the ranch- there’s no worry about cleaning, primping or prepping like you find at many sales. The rider’s ages varied from eight (yes, eight) years old to late 60s, and horses ranged from coming three year olds to just ender 10 plus a few two year olds shown in hand.

I’ll give you a description of the day’s events and then I’ll break it down into an assessment of what I was looking for, seeing and came away with!


At 11:30 in the morning the horses were presented in hand and “inspected” by several veterinarians for soundness and overall health.

 

Then they are saddled and are individually showing their flatwork which included loping a figure 8- with either a flying or simple lead change. The horse and rider then demonstrated several “stops” from a high rate of speed, perhaps a few rollbacks, and then a few steps to show the beginning of a “spin” or the actual completion of a full spin. Then a calf is let out of a mechanical shoot and the rider demonstrates the horse’s ability to “drive the cow” along an imaginary “wall” of riders attempting to keep the calf separated from his buddies.

After a few times of (ideally) gently turning the calf back, the rider then drives the calf down the fence line in an attempt to show the horse working at speed to gain on the calf, get ahead of it, and then turn it back down the fence line. This may be done a few times; it’s up to the rider. They then build a loop in their rope and rope the calf, trying to show the horse’s ability to haze the calf, his comfort with being tied off to the calf, and then his ability to “drag” the calf- all things that would be asked of the horse in a “working” lifestyle. This individual demonstration would range anywhere from five to 10 minutes.

I tend to get frustrated watching many “mainstream” competitions whether it be English or Western disciplines due to the lack in quality of the horsemanship and the “holes” in the partnership between horse and rider. People in competition seem to get so focused on winning- with too many times the rider pushing the horse “at all costs” for a performance the horse may not be prepared for. As I tell my students, the show is not the place for TRAINING your horse and introducing new things unless you are using it as a schooling experience. The show arena should be a place that the rider and horse can confidently demonstrate their abilities. The show is also NOT the place to “try something for the first time.” I tell students they should be riding at a more difficult level comfortably at home, than the level they are planning to compete at.

So in the case of watching the ranch horses perform I was looking to see how these real life work horses “performed” in an arena scenario. Here are a few of the factors I was watching:

• Rider’s skills (finesse, softness of aids, “quiet” hands/seat/legs, etc.)

• Clarity of Communication between rider and horse- Was the rider just “suddenly” demanding things of the horse? Did the horse “know” the plan ahead of time because his rider prepared him for what was going to be asked of him?

• Horse’s maturity- Many of these horse were young and I find for a lot of horses it takes a while for their mental and emotional maturity to catch up with their physical maturity

• Horse’s work ethic- Where was the horse’s brain? Did he WANT to participate or was he tolerating what was asked of him?

• Equipment- What was used on the horse, was it effective?

So now I’ll break down each part of the rider and horse’s performance using examples of riders who in my book would have scored ranging from a nine or 10 and at the bottom end of the scale, a two or three.


One of the best horse and rider combination of the day was the first rider out. The problem with this is that they set an initial “standard” – which I think many of the spectators didn’t appreciate until they saw some of the other horse’s performances and realized just how quality the first pair was. I like to tell students the more quality your ride, the more boring it should look.


What I mean by this is usually the “dramatic” ride is not a quality one. This first pair did exactly that. The rider came out with a big soft curve in the reins between his hands and his horse’s mouth. His lope circles displayed the horse’s soft body with him looking attentively around his circle, creating a light and balanced gait. His flying lead changes- which most riders incorrectly think “rushing” or gaining speed before asking their horse will help- looked almost slow motion and with just a slight skip in his step he’d easily switch from one lead to the other. You could see the rider tell the horse to prepare for the new direction, and not until that horse was committed to the new direction, did the rider ask for the lead change.


The quick stops were not “jammed” down the horse’s face with dramatic rein communication, instead you could see the rider again “tell the horse ahead of time” the stop was coming. This allowed his horse to prepare and softly stop with the majority of his weight correctly on his hindquarters and his top line relaxed.


On the other end of the scale, more horses than not, would look like they had the “emergency brake” pulled as they were literally slammed in the face for a “quick” halt. To me, that’s scary. The horses would stop so hard and so unbalanced, that they would “pop” forward a few steps to try and regain their balance from the abruptness of their “surprise” halts. The horse’s mouths would be bared open and gaping, trying to avoid the severity in which the bit was being used.


Because the first rider could ask the horse to shift his weight onto his hindquarters, the horse’s forehand was “light.” This allows the horse to easily move his front end around his hind- such steps are used in spins, quick and balanced turns such as what one would use in a rollback.


In other horses you could see where left and right (literally) still weren’t clear to the horse. There was no association with a certain aid from the rider having a clear meaning to the horse. This caused many horses to “push through” their turns for several reasons.


First, the horse never even looked to where he was about to step. Next, because he wasn’t looking, his weight wasn’t distributed in a way that the shoulder closest to the direction he would be asked to turn could step. So because he was unbalanced, he’d have to make the first step with the opposite shoulder- causing him to “walk out of” his turn. It would take two steps forward to achieve one lateral step. The “drag” that appeared in the horse’s response was due to lack of clarity. A lot of the young horses looked like they didn’t have a clue.

This is where there is a fork in the road in some philosophies in training. For me personally, no matter the discipline, I want my horse to be clear on left, right, forward, stop, back, moving portions his body independently, and having a sliding scale of the energy he moves with. This became very important to me after years of surviving riding “slightly out of control.” I was jumping horses over pick up trucks without having steering or brakes!


Today, whether I’m educating a green horse or re-education a more experienced one, I always start with the basics. To me, without the foundation of clear communication and the basics- it just typically becomes a fight between the horse and rider as the difficulty in performance is increased. If I don’t have these established “tools” to use when working with my horse, I don’t feel I am “armed” with enough options to help my horse, especially when he gets into an uncomfortable spot.

A lot more common theory on educating a horse is “wet saddle blankets.” This means that miles and miles of riding and surviving real life will give the young horse enough exposure that eventually he’ll “know his job.” I have a hard time with this theory because I find that there are very few talented riders who can still balance this theory with “helping” the horse as he learns.

More often than not, it winds up with the rider “pushing” the horse mentally and emotionally, until he physically wears out and “gives up” by not showing any physical resistance even if he is mentally stressed. To create this feeling in a young horse in my opinion can leave for a lot of years left of riding a horse that will absolutely do his job, but is mentally shut down towards the rider.


So it all boils down to what is the rider’s goal and his ability to balance that goal with his horse’s mental, emotional and physical well being throughout his education. In the case of this show, you could clearly see the horse whose attempts were “good enough” and those where the rider had prioritized clear basics.


So with the first horse you could see he had been taught to look (literally) to where he was going- again another way the rider can “tell the horse” ahead of time what the plan was. So between shifting the horse’s weight to his hind end, asking him to look, and then being able to move the horse’s body independently (hindquarters separate from the ribcage separate from the shoulders,) the rider could ask the horse to step his front end around his hind, demonstrate a quality spin.

You may be wondering why a horse needs to be able to spin if he’s working on a ranch. Well for the next part of competition, the horse had to be able to show his ability to turn back and sort a calf. If your horse isn’t watching the calf, he isn’t prepared for a quick turn that may be demanded of him in order to “cut” the calf’s movement. Take this a step farther would be when the horse is hazing the calf down the fence line, there has to be a balance in the level of energy and where that energy is directed towards that calf. The horse needs to be able to adjust his speed, movement and spatial pressure, which will affect the speed, movement and direction of the calf. This way the rider and horse can “influence” what the calf is about to do, rather than react to what the calf presents. Here of course you can imagine timing and finesse separates the mediocre from the quality horse and riders.

This ability then prepares the horse to be able to “softly” follow a calf at speed that is not being “driven” down a fence line, but rather is in the “open” and the rider has to rope it. Soft and balanced turns and lead changes are crucial to help set the rider up in the ideal position to rope the calf.

Once that calf is roped, the horse must be balanced to “sit” or sink his weight onto his haunches to bear against the weight of the struggling calf. The horse also needs to be able to quickly relax mentally and emotionally after the high speed “chase” as soon as that calf is roped. In real life the horse may need to stand on his own keep the rope tight against the calf, while his rider doctors, brands or cuts the calf.

Too many times we’ve all seen or experienced that horse that “once you get him going, you can’t get him relaxed again.” In a real life working scenario there isn’t room for that- the rider on the ground has to have full faith in their horse as their partner and “tool” to help bet the job done with as little stress to the cattle as possible.

The less educated or clear horses “sloughed” their way through their turns and spins, which was magnified when “real life” with the calf was happening. The calf would stop and turn back, and there’d be a delay in the horse being able to find his balance to turn back and move with the calf. That delay would allow the calf to get “ahead” of the horse, so then the horse would have to race at a faster speed to catch up. But because the horse was moving so unbalanced, the faster he went forward, the more dramatic his stops, the less balanced his turns. As you can imagine, it can quickly evolve into a chaotic and stressful situation.

This is the point when the rider’s emotions tend to interfere, and feeling the “pressure” of not moving the calf as desired, the rider winds up over riding his horse, causing more stress which never helps a horse’s confidence and certainly not his performance.


The other thing that was interesting was to watch how many horses only wanted to lope on one lead on their figure 8. But when they were hazing a calf or attempting to set up their rider to rope it, when the horse’s brain and attention was on that calf, the horse “all of a sudden” had no problem changing leads as necessary to follow the calf. That is such a great example of why I’m constantly asking riders to focus on getting their horse mental availability. If your horse isn’t thinking his way through the ride, everything presented appears to be a “surprise.”

There was an extreme case of that with one of the coming three year olds performance. As one rancher watching said, “that horse doesn’t even know there’s a calf in that arena.” And he was right- the horse was literally looking out over the arena at EVERYTHING except what he was supposed to be focused on.

The quality horses and riders always easily stand out, no matter the discipline. At this point I will mention that the first rider happened to be 12 years old. Yes, that’s right. I jokingly tell my adult students that if they rode with the intention and commitment that teenagers tend to ride with, so many of their horses would be clear on “the plan.”

On a funny note the calves won the “high jump” award of the day. As I mentioned there was a mechanical shoot that would let each calf out. I also mentioned part of working the calf was to show sensitivity to the “pressure” created by horse and rider. Well a few of those calves got real smart, real fast. They began to realize what the “routine” would be and by the time the rider would get to the roping portion, if the calf felt too much pressure, he aimed straight for the 4 ½ ft tall solid wall of the arena and would jump it- and clear it- to get back to his herd. There were only about six calves that were rotated through and about four of them had figured out an “alternative” to being roped.


I’ve always told my jumping students that cow could jump a fence three foot fence from a soft trot and that the horse did not NEED a lot of speed to clear an obstacle, it was all about balance of his movement when the jump was presented. The calves that proved my point!

So the return trip I played tourist in Prescott, which is home to the “world’s oldest rodeo”- although that statement has been contested several times. This was again another fun and educational road trip. Do you have a fun or unique horse event in your area? Let me know!Sam

Maintaining Perspective

Horses can carry mentally and emotionally turmoil because of their ability to tolerate a situation or people imposed “pressure.” All too often these horses are taken advantage of for their seeming willingness to “stuff their emotions.” But at what point does a horse owner’s thinking transition from “this is my goal…” to “this is an appropriate goal for my horse and I…” – if it ever does? In my experience is seems to take a traumatic situation for the owner to realize they’ve pushed their horse “too far.”
I find myself responding cautiously when I have an overly enthusiastic student that “can’t wait to show me” something that they’ve been working on with their horse. It seems all too often that the “end goal” or “result” has become the sole focus point for the person, causing them to overlook the deterioration of the quality in their horse’s performance.
The problem with “over focusing” is that the person stops offering their horse an open line of two way communication. The less clear the communication, the less attentive the person is to “zoom out” and be able to assess the ENTIRE scenario, rather than just a specific movement or action of the horse. With the “intensity” factor at hand, the person becomes increasingly demanding that their horse perform a specific task, and the more the horse doesn’t “get it right” the more unclear pressure is applied by the person.
Usually as the pressure is increased the quality of the communication between person and horse starts to deteriorate. As the horse starts asking for help, he winds up being ignored by the person and so he has to resort to “helping himself” which usually causes undesired results by the person.
So where is the “line” or balance to where the person can feel “forward” progress in working with their horse, and yet can do so without blowing their horse’s minds? The concept for this blog came to me over the past week as I watched a multitude of horses all in different places in their training, development and maturity. And yet I found myself basically “teaching” the same lesson. I don’t feel there is a “right” or “wrong” way to do things. But I do believe in prioritizing communication with a horse in a way that the individual horse needs rather than trying to get the horse to follow a set “program.”
The opposite extreme from the “intense person” are those people that have become overly sensitive, usually owners of “reactive” horses, this causing them to never want to “push” the boundaries of quality with their horse for fear of a “blow up.” Well there is a fine line. But keep in mind the horse is never going to wake up one day and say “Gee, this is what I need to focus on today…”
I think the problem stems from people many times viewing the actual accomplishment of an act or task as a relief. Instead I prefer to look at the interaction and communication that helped get the horse to achieve the task at hand as the accomplishment because those are the same tools the person will use with their horse to take things step further.
Somehow it seems to be human nature to work one “one thing or another” but not to maintain a perspective that everything we ask of our horses is connected. It may not look the same, but really it’s all about both our and our horse’s mental availability. Our intention whether we’re working on something “old” or “new” should be no different. I can’t recall how many times I’ve heard people say, “Oh we worked on that a long time ago, but now when I ask my horse to do the same task he acts as if we’ve never done it before.” For these people, their horse is trying to TELL them that obviously “way back” he wasn’t clear on what they working on, and today, he STILL isn’t clear.
So the scale seems to be extreme with people and horses- it’s “all or nothing” when it comes to lacking sensitivity or being overly sensitive. It’s our responsibility to find that “middle” ground. Don’t be “afraid” to experiment with your horse. So many people say “well the trainer finally got him to this point and I don’t want to ride him because I might ruin what the trainer did.” If the trainer was clear in how and what they presented to the horse, and the horse really understood, then the owner isn’t going to “wreck” the horse.
Horses have an amazing way to decipher and adapt from one rider to the next. Have you ever had that “crazy” or “high strung” horse and then put a small child or disabled person near that same horse? So many times that horse will completely adapt their behavior and energy to who is around them.
So the next time you head out to work with your horse experiment and assess where your energy, mind and focus is- then see how it is affecting your horse. Try and make some changes within yourself, and you’ll be amazed how fast your horse will change too!
Keeping it in perspective- Sam

Clarity of Trust- Outside of Horses- Great Video

Please take a minute and click the following link Trust it will help you appreciate the communication and trust that goes into a relationship beyond people and horses!

Games Day- Another Success

With threatening HAIL and emergency weather broadcasts- (the weather gods must have it out for me this year)- we still had a great group of riders show up for our Games Day. Most people think the "games" are for kids to just play on horseback. For me, I try to come up with games, that present questions that require clear communication between horse and rider, promote "thinking" partners and perhaps expose a few "gaps" by presenting scenarios where the horse and rider MUST get the job done NOW.
Light morning clouds coveted the sky but we all vowed to ignore them and continue on. I was proud of the group that participated- in their ability to "help" their horses through different tasks and their "open mindedness" for trying a few new games.

I will run through the list of classes to give you an idea of the point of a Games Day. As I told all of the riders, the point of that day was not for "training" but rather to allow an assessment of their own partnership with their horse and the level of communication with horses and people.

Game 1- Musical Stalls- same as musical chairs but with poles on the ground to make the "stalls"- one less stall than the number of riders. Each round the music stops, the rider who has not found a stall is eliminated.
Object: We hold this class at a walk- it's amazing to see the most "sluggish" horses suddenly wake up when their rider has intention about "getting the job done" and finding a stall. If more people worked on their own energy levels in the saddle to range from 1-10 our horses would be more responsive.

Game 2- Water Cup Handoff Relay- Team of three riders who must move at the same pace (walk heading out and trot and the return trip) and must handoff a cup of water to their team mate. Whoever has the fastest time AND the most water wins.
Object: Intention when riding, finesse when one hand is off of the rein, communication to their team mate when passing off the rider, and relaxation while carrying the cup of water so as not to spill it.

Game 3- Carrot on a stick Team Race- Rider has no reins and is being "led" by the person on foot that is holding the carrot- except they have to navigate obstacles while doing so. Then team switches for return trip home. Whichever team has the most carrot remaining and the fastest time wins.
Object: Although I don't personally choose to feed my horses treats because I don't want my horse to be with me for the sake of "food motivation," many horses at some point in their life have been "bribed" with treats. Ideally, if you are playing at liberty your horse should follow you because he wants to be with you. In this case we happen to have MANY food motivated horses and one Percheron thundered her way around the "course" to win the class.

Game 4- Follow the Leader- Most trail classes have the person riding the course, so this time I set up obstacles that included: Walking on tarp, walking on empty plastic bottles, dragging a 8' tree branch (still with the leaves on it,) backing the horse through an L, carrying a heavy duty black garbage back (had to let the air get inside so that it was inflated while being carried,) and dragging a sled across the finish line.
Object: Many people handle their horse on the ground by "working around the horse" instead of having their horse "work around them." The point of this game was to show when you had to accomplish a specific task, using only physical communication through the reins or lead rope, could the person effectively direct their horse's brain, head, shoulders, ribcage, hindquarters, and could they increase and decrease their horse's energy all with the distraction of "stuff" happening (bags, branches, tarp, etc.) close by.

Game 5- Sit A Buck- Bareback class where the rider places a dollar bill under the inside of their thigh. Announcer asks riders to demonstrate tasks, slowly increasing the difficulty until all riders are eliminated except one. This particular class increased to where riders were jumping fences and doing flying lead changes.

Object: Too many people are "reliant" on equipment to keep them on their horse. Pulling off your saddle is a great way to assess just how balanced you are.

Game 6- Banana Race- This was a literal race where riders could go as fast as they wanted- while carrying a peeled banana that had been dipped in water. Whoever finished with the fastest time and most banana won. There were three obstacles in the arena that the riders had to go around- the original winner did not pay attention and go around all three.
Object: Moving one's horse out at speed, feeling balanced riding with one rein, maintaining clear communication with your own horse while having the distraction of passing other horses at high speed and still having to ride accurately.

Game 7- Horseless Race (Partners)- This is one of my favorite events, and I actually do this as an exercise in some of my clinics. One person who will be "the horse" is blindfolded. The second person is the "rider." The rider only has "reins" (in this case a piece of baling twine that is held by the horse) to communicate. The rider must then steer the horse over a jump, weave cones, back through poles, etc.
Object: This is a great way to find out if you are a "heavy" or unclear rider. It forces the "rider" to have to assess how to communicate with their "horse" in a way that the "horse" can differentiate between slow, fast, turn, etc. It's great for the "horse" to feel what it's like to be "lost" due to unclear communication from their rider.

Game 8- Pairs Class- Two riders holding one piece of baling twine must move in sync to announcer's instructions. Class starts off at slower gaits and then increase in tasks until all teams except one are eliminated. Difficulty in this class increased to include jumping fences and weaving cones.
Object: Riders have to communicate with one another and their horse. They have to "plan" when they are going to ask what of their horse. They also must be clear to ride accurate so they don't accidentally "bump" their partner. Their timing must be accurate in order to work together.

The wind started to pick up by the end and we did get weather in the afternoon. It was another great experience that riders and horses both seemed to come away the better for!
See you next time
Sam

Word of the Day: Directing a Horse's Thought

Directing a horse's thought- communicating a person's intention to the horse's mind. The person's ability to have the horse literally look towards the planned direction of movement or focus.  This also leads to re-direct ability, or getting the horse to "let go" of his thought, and re-focus on where or what the human is asking. This influences the quality of the physical movement that follows. 

Travels in Denver- Off Topic

Okay, I couldn’t help it. I HAD to write this blog. I know it’s off topic- perhaps I can make a few equine related comparisons for you. But this one is about people. People traveling. More specifically, people traveling through the Denver International Airport. It’d been years since I passed through that airport. I’ve decided to go along with the “Mile High City” nickname they should call the airport “The Mile LONG concourses.”



The reason I know this is because both times that I arrived, it was at a gate in the single digits and, of course, my outgoing flight was at the gate somewhere in the high 80s. Even after walking a good 400 yards down narrow and long corridors (no I’m not exaggerating) from the plane to the airport building itself, I then took FOUR moving sidewalks and STILL had to walk to more to reach my next departure gate. At least I didn’t have to worry about not getting my daily work out, usually this is accomplished from the farm chores, but hey, I guess an airport will do.



Keep in mind I tend to look for “good deals” in buying tickets, but certainly when it comes to these outrageous times of charge, charge, charge it’s the small things that add up! So I carry on my bags to save money and work on my upper body strength. My “usual” is one duffle bag, and although deceivingly “small” compared to some of the so called “carry on” armored tanks people call luggage these days, my bag is usually around 35 lbs plus.



Here’s travel hint #1 of the day- If you’re technologically advanced enough to check in for your flight via the Internet, click on the option to “change your seat”- this will show you how full your plane is in advance. If it looks like it’s going to be a full flight, make sure you DO NOT pay the fee to check your bags. This is another peeve of mine- higher plane ticket prices AND we have to pay for FOOD and LUGGAGE????



I remember the days when passengers received free overnight toiletry bags, playing cards, snacks and more! Every seat there was a pillow, a blanket and headphones. Now a days it’s usually $20-30 PER BAG- plus if your bag is “overweight” (old days used to be 75lbs) now it’s usually 40lbs, you pay an extra fee. If you have golf clubs, skis and other odd shaped luggage you get yet another fee.



So back to checking out how full your flight is. Be a cheapskate if it looks full, pack in a bag that is semi passable as a “carry on” and then when your gate opens ask how full the flight is, or the desk agent may mention it’s a “full flight” and then you can either check your bag at the gate or at the front of the plane. And NOT just for that flight, you can actually check it all the way through to your final destination. And guess why you would go through this trouble? Because then you get to check your bag for FREE. Yes, free. Case and point I just stood next to a family of three who spent $180 EACH WAY because they checked their bags, instead of waiting to bring them to the door of the plane like I did. Hmmm.



Ok, so back to Denver. Here are a few things I noticed along the way:

A couple walking two Chihuahuas on leashes get stopped as they are about to board because they don’t have “proper stowage containers” for the dogs to be brought on (they each had one of those over sized “shoulder bags” for each dog. The funny part was these were tea cup dogs- that means that each weighed less than three pounds- and their owners looked as if they were related to a few sumo wrestlers.



Next I noticed that it took two people just get the crowd to line up. First there was a gate person checking tickets and then there was also one making the boarding announcements. These days instead of boarding the plane by seat numbers, most airlines use a group number, which is ALWAYS printed in bold black ink on a person’s boarding pass. Can you guess how many passengers get in line even though their boarding section hasn’t been called yet????



And yet somehow counting sections from one through four became highly confusing. Also getting in line seemed to be difficult for a lot of folks out there. Inevitably, the line that the ground crew would close (designated with that portable stretchy material that can make portable “aisles”) but people would still line up in them. It became a bit of a comedy act to see how many times the gate agent would have to open and close the temporary gates because people had got in the wrong lane.



Then there was the commotion with the standby passengers. If you haven’t experienced this, a standby passenger is trying to get a different flight than what they were originally ticketed for (same destination but earlier time) or the flight was oversold and they did not check in early enough to guarantee themselves a seat. Yeah how about that one for customer service? You buy a ticket, but if you don’t check in according to the current “rules” of the FAA your seat may be given away even if you show up.



So anyhow, I saw on the screen above the ticket counter there were 14 folks on standby. Once all passengers with assigned seats check in, the ticket agent will then begin to assign the “extra” seats to the standby passengers by printing them a boarding pass. This all happened “business as usual” until two agents realized their computers weren’t talking to one another and neither could tell what seat had already been assigned, therefore causing double assignment of one seat…. So those poor standby passengers that had their hopes high once they had their new ticket in their hand, quickly deflated as they were called out of the boarding line and back to the ticket counter.


Next there was the issue of those passengers who had ignored the “please check your large carry on bags” announcement and instead had insisted that their luggage would fit on the plane. This sort of traveler is very persistent. As I watched them attempt to function I usually get an overwhelming feeling to put them in a round pen and flag them as I would a horse telling them “That’s not going to work, try something else.” But back in reality they just keep trying the same thing and surprisingly, it doesn’t work each time they do the same thing over and over. (This seems to be the case with a lot horse owners and how they interact with their horses.)


Before this happens though, there is a process. The person is sure they are going to make their suitcase fit. Even after numerous attempts with the oversized contraption falling out of the undersized overhead compartments people will keep heaving, pushing, sweating try all angles of shoving to get that darn luggage stowed. But I will give this personality type credit, they don’t give up- no matter what, or at least not until some poor flight attendant has to pry their fingers off of their luggage and send it to the front of the plane for checking.

As all of this was happening, I unwillingly was affected by the above sort of person. I personally experienced the “case of the poor vertically challenged flight attendant.” I’m allowed to call him that because I too happen to be of the shorter height (a whopping 5’2”) and can empathize with what it takes to stretch your frame to reach the six foot high overhead compartments. Except this time the compartment the flight attendant was attempting to reach for was above my head- and my aisle seat. And the more he “heaved” to try and get the compartment door shut, the more he leaned into me. Now if you imagine sitting in a seat and having someone stretch out their body as “tall” as they can- especially if the are male, you’ll come to see that clear visual image of this particular flight attendant’s package a mere two inches away from my face. No matter how far away from him I leaned to be polite, he leaned harder into me. Hmmm.

Or let’s talk about the other outbound flight experience I had in Denver. After gallivanting a mile down the concourse I finally reach my gate and realized it was a “mini” gate because I was heading out to such a remote location that not many people wanted or needed to fly there. There also happened to be three other mini gates alongside mine. They used four of those “portable” lanes (the ones I’d mentioned earlier) that outlined where to line up when it came time to board the plane. Each “lane” was marked with a sign, except instead of being in numerical order according to the gates numbers, they were marked like this: “Gate 67-69, Gate 68, Gate 68-69, and Gate 72.” Hmmmm. I wonder who came up with that numbering system.


It was then that I looked up at the board behind the ticket counter and saw that there were four flights departing out of these four gates within two minutes of each other… Two leaving at the same time…. Okay- I’d love to hear the air traffic control tower when those planes were about to take off… Then an announcement comes on to start having people line up for their flight. Except even though there are four gate agents, only one of whom appears to have gone through this procedure before. So they decide to be fair, they are all going to take turns practicing speaking on the PA system- one for each upcoming flight. Except in all of their excitement, they forgot that there’s only ONE machine that can read the passenger’s ticket barcode as they board. This means three flights have now lined up prematurely. There’s nothing worse than people and waiting- especially when it comes to getting on the plane, to getting off the plane, or waiting for their luggage, etc.


Then because two of the newbie gate agents are so nervous, they rush through their announcements without enunciating. This caused much confusion when passengers start to realize there is a flight to “Rock Springs” and there is also one to “Palm Springs.” Two very dramatically different destinations that can sound identical when mumbled over a PA system filled with static.

So basically, numerous people lined up in the wrong line for many reasons. One reason was the lack of clarity in the announcement. The second was due to the unclear signs on the lane numbers because you had two options according to how the lanes were marked…. And this brings me to the third reason for confusion.


Once a passenger managed to actually get past the gate check in process, they then had to walk another ½ mile to the actual plane. Now remember these were not very popular destinations so we were all flying on puddle jumpers, or a plane that only has about 12 rows. These planes you board by walking outside onto the tarmac of the airport and climbing stairs to board. Except they are so small that if you carry anything larger than a laptap, it won’t fit in the overhead compartment. So there is a “baggage check” where you can drop off your bags before you board the plane.

Now this all sounds fine and dandy, except there wasn’t just one plane parked outside, there were four. None of which were marked. None of which the ground crew seemed to have a clue as to where they were going. On my plane alone we had three people board the wrong plane. Luckily they were “ejected” from the plane before they’d settled down, but the bad news was they’d had their bags checked with the ground crew. So the ground crew then had to dig through the luggage and find these people’s bags. The other bad news was our crew had no idea where to direct them to find the correct plane. I happened to be sitting in a window seat and watched as one poor woman tried three planes before she found the right one.


And they wonder why passengers are so angry these days?

Sam

Assessment of Cross Country Day

I rushed back to the desert for a few days of catching up, dealing with a crashed computer and then repacked and was on the road again. I find the airport a perfect place to watch human behavior- which of course gives me a MILLION ideas on different blogs that would be funny to write. But, before I hope up on the pulpit, I want to first finish my assessment of the cross country school from the cancelled show. If you missed that blog you can find it here: http://learnhorses.blogspot.com/2010/02/one-day-horse-trials-ca-play-by-play.html  . Flying gave me time to review my teaching and preparation for my students and how our Show turn Schooling cross country experience.
First I’d like to just state that I was impressed with all three of them. When I thought about what I had actually “taught” while at the course, it was more of the specifics in technique, what each fence was asking of them, the pros and cons to different approaches to the same jump, along with a few other factors that could affect the quality of their ride such as weather, footing, where to “make up time” with a gallop, possible distractions, etc.
As we started out in the warm up that morning another trainer with several of her riders showed up to school. Keep in mind two out of the three students I’d brought had never even SEEN a course, never mind had watched a rider “on course.” As they overheard the “instruction” from the other trainer their jaws seemed to drop. In one sense I guess they are lucky for having been a bit “secluded” from the “real world training mentality.” The other trainer was a great example of the norm. Comments such as “Kick more, go harder, drive him…” And then we watched with our hearts in our mouth as the poor horses stumbled, scraped, crawled, chipped on, jumped long and struggled in numerous other ways over decent size SOLID jumps. It definitely seemed to be a 50/50 chance of the rider AND horse making it over – together- AND- in one piece.
I told my students to “not look” and we continued on. What impressed me most is because I didn’t have my PA system to help “instruct them” from afar- here were “real life” opportunities for them to use all of their acquired “tools in communication” with their horse. To watch the riders not get overly focused on the jump, but rather continue to ride with a priority to attain QUALITY flatwork BEFORE they presented a jump- even if it meant taking a few moment to help their horse if he was struggling- to witness the literally INSTANT change in the horse’s willingness to try and to participate was amazing.
In one sense I wished my riders “knew” more about the all too common “quick fix” ways of working with horses in order to appreciate their own level of clarity in being able to assess their horse and themself. Once that was accomplished, they would continue on with the task at hand, using numerous ways of communicating with their horse to find that ideal clarity for an ideal and rewarding ride.
Remember that two of the horses had never even SEEN a cross country jump. They completely relied on communicating with their rider to attain a positive experience through quiet, balanced jumping that allowed the spectators to breathe easily as they watched. Banks, ditches, drops, water obstacles, leaving the “group of horses” and then coming back towards them, cold/windy weather, slippery footing throughout, motorcycles, trucks, dogs & kids on bicycles were a few of what they encountered on the course that day.
Another great, but totally different experience was also the third combination of horse and rider. The rider had never ridden a course but had watched a few competitions. Her horse had cross country experience, but he was basically “manhandled” when ridden. He thought to jump a course that he had to be running at full speed, on the forehand and for the most part was jumping out of fear. It was so awesome to watch his rider work through “trial and error” using tools we’d created as a foundation in building their partnership and clear communication. She was able to take a horse that at the beginning of the ride was on the verge of a total mental melt down and physical explosion, to reach a mental calm and availability in order to try approaching the task of cross country with a completely different emotional and mental perspective and physical relaxation.
I don’t think the riders were really aware of how much they had helped their horses nor how different that day’s events could have turned out had they not maintained their focus and clarity throughout their rides. It was moments like that from the teaching perspective that “makes it all worth it.” To know that the students maintained independence and to think without having “had their hand held” (as is the case with so many “students” these days) was a great success.
Hats off to the brave (and crazy as some may think) newly discovered cross country fans who left that day grinning ear to ear….

Sam

Word of the Day: Communication with the Horse

Communication- the sending and receiving of thoughts between the horse and person; each needs to safely express themself. Each needs to be mentally available to believe what is being conveyed. There needs to be adaptability in the energy and intention in both the human and horse.

Hoofprints & Happenings Spring 2010

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