Learn horse behavior and improve horsemanship skills. Alternative Horsemanship™ with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach developed her horse training philosophy over three decades. She coaches riders of all experience levels in clinics worldwide and offers distance horse coaching, instruction, and consults. Her horse video learning catalog has webinars, courses, classes and more. Subscribe on all social media platforms #alternativehorsemanship
TEC re-opened for 2012
I arrived safe and sound to the gorgeous northwest and have spent the week re-opening the Sandpoint, ID facility. Starting Monday May 21 I'll be starting lessons, training and more! Reminder there will only be one Full Immersion Camp this year held June 8-10. Please visit www.learnhorses.com for details!
Expanding your Experience- Breaking the boundaries of invisible barriers
As I’m winding down in my last week of teaching here in the
quickly warming Arizona desert and prepare for my trek to the north where
cooler temperatures and greener pastures await (think rain and wet), I have had
several conversations with students whose initial reaction to my leaving is a
state of semi panic. But as I try to
continually remind people my goal is to empower them with the awareness, ability
to assess and interpret their horse’s behavior, and then offer them tools to
effectively communicate with their horse in order to achieve the desired mental
and physical changes.
With the ending of each lesson we always review a few of the
key points we addressed in that session, so that the student is able to literally
think through and then communicate verbally what, why and how they did what
they did, so that when they are on their own, they are able to address
behaviors, issues, etc. without having to rely on me “watching” them.
Several new students this winter have started to really “take
the ball and roll with it.” What I mean
by this is that at the beginning of each lesson we discuss the rides that occurred
between lessons; as the students are able to vocalize observations (of themselves
and their horse), report on experimenting with various “tools” to achieve
desired results, and have a more “tuned-in” perspective in how they approach
working with their horses, their confidence increases tremendously, which of
course is a rewarding and encouraging feeling to both the rider and horse. This is the “path” that allows the rider to
not feel “needy” towards the riding instructor and still allows a forward
progression with a clear direction.
Most of all my clients find me through word of mouth
recommendation and over the last few days, without my initiating, several have
mentioned that what they are learning, how I approach teaching them, and the “issues”
I help them address, were not “at all” similar to what our mutual acquaintance
had mentioned in suggesting they work with me.
I find humor in this because it is completely true.
I believe the challenge in being a quality instructor is
assessing what either the human student or horse need me to address and we go
from there. Even if I have two students
with similar “problems”, I may have to approach teaching them in completely
different ways.
So when a current student is asked about how or what I teach,
their answer may be appropriate for them, but their friend might not have the
same experience with me. And yet, they
all can arrive at the same end goals.
The downside to this, is that I often find what I do to be very “clear
and simple”, and yet to even the most supportive students, when asked to “summarize”
riding with me, they can’t. For the
student’s self-growth, their horse’s contentment and their goal achievement, I
believe retaining flexibility in our “curriculum” helps both the rider and
horse maintain a positive mental and emotional experience in their journey. The downside is that this approach often can
be a bit difficult for them to summarize to someone who hasn’t experienced a “Sam
lesson.”
Business wise the “vagueness” of my services not being “easily
defined” often frustrates people when they attempt to “pinpoint” my style. But blending the boundaries of “what I offer”
allows no restrictions, no reservations and no judgments… I often find riders
don’t experiment enough with their horses because none of their riding peers
are “doing it.” From things as simple as
the “type of clothes” one wears (usually defining what discipline they ride) to
the type of horse ridden, to the equipment used. Take a ranch horse and jump that log? Take a Thoroughbred and herd cows? Take a Dressage mount and ride it in a
western saddle through an obstacle course?
Why not? Who created the “boundaries”
and why are people so concerned with what others think? (Obviously prioritizing the safety factor in
any scenario.)
So my point is wherever you are at in your riding situation
and experience, you just may not know what you’re missing out on by not keeping
an open mind. Not to sign up for a lesson ever week and have to be committed for
the rest of your riding days, but rather for some insights and new directions
for you to work on…
Sadly the thought of working with someone new, especially
when “nothing is wrong” can be scary as many horse folks have had a less than
positive experience with perhaps a new instructor or clinician. So before you commit to something “new” go
and audit a lesson to find out “what you’re getting” as far as the horse
professional’s teaching style, ability to communicate, etc. Notice if the instructor seems to have a
predetermined focus for the lesson or do they assess the student and horse’s
current “needs.” Look for communication
between instructor and student, often people teach, and theories can be clear
in their head, but that does not always mean the student on the receiving end
is as clear in what is being taught.
Look for the mental availability and physical participation of the
horse; as the lesson progresses does the horse seem “happier” or does it get
stressed the more “stuff” is being worked on?
Go “break the boundaries” and watch what wonders in can do
for your relationship with your horse!
Sam
Full Immersion Clinic June 8-10
Happy Spring Time to Everyone!
I have finally organized my calendar… I’ve received some emails regarding clinics, and this year I will only be offering ONE Full Immersion Clinic at TEC in Sandpoint, ID. Please visit the following link: http://www.learnhorses.com/Clinics/camp.htm for details, registration and more.
This really is a great opportunity for an evaluation, ideas and suggestions in addressing current “issues”, thoughts and theories to help you and your horse attain future goals and much more. I always have a varied group of participants; much of the feedback is the relief participants experience from being in a “supportive” setting with other equine enthusiasts who have left judgments and egos behind. Often past participants have mentioned that the experience shifted from their originally intended goal of “fixing” a current problem, to their realizations during the clinic, through a newfound awareness, of understanding "holes" in both themself and their horse in regards to things they never recognized or addressed that were affecting the quality of the relationship and performance in their horse.
Even if you cannot participate, feel free to pass this email
along to all of your horsey friends! As always auditors are welcomed and
encouraged.
Thanks!
Sam
What do you do?
Remembering why we ride...
Whether you are a backyard rider, competitive or somewhere
in between, I think sometimes as humans we tend to lose focus on our initial
reasons of riding and spending time with horses… Of course all of us have different
definitions of “fun,” I for instance found sheer joy in jumping out of a perfectly
good plane at 13,000 feet, someone else you probably couldn’t pay to do the
same thing! So too it goes with the
horse world. Some riders just want to
have a confident partnership with their horse, while other people spend hundreds
of hours fine tuning their skills in preparation for competition.
Wherever your enthusiasm falls on the scale, the truth is,
we ALL share the underlining factor that too many times horse professionals,
whether through lack of understanding, ability to communicate, or what I more
often think is the case in the USA, don’t really prioritize teaching their
students to address ALL aspects involved in riding. In my opinion this includes, horsemanship, physiology
of the horse, using anatomically effective aids, and encouraging an awareness
in the human, but also a respect for both their own and their horse’s mental
and emotional state.
Too many times, I think an instructor feels “pressured” to
get their student or the horse to accomplish or achieve a specific task by a
certain time; all too often the expectation and sole focus of accomplishing a
scenario winds up inadvertently creating a lot of “new” issues. So at what “cost” should it be that we can
achieve our goals with our horse? In my
mind, there should be no cost. There
should be no trauma, drama, anticipation or ongoing stress in either human or
horse.
As I’ve mentioned in other blogs, if you expect the “perfect”
ride every time you sit in the saddle, you are probably in the wrong sport… To
me the excitement in working with the horses is the journey of ongoing learning;
there never is an ending point, and I get motivated by the quest of continually
learning, thinking and expanding my knowledge, understanding and perception.
We are our own worst “enemies” in terms of the ability
humans have to play mental games, even if unwittingly doing so. The negative scenarios are almost always remembered
and “hung on to” far longer than the positive ones. What we can’t yet accomplish tends to be
focused on, rather than what we can currently achieve with our horse. We allow ourselves to be influenced by others
or psyche ourselves out with a long list of why, what and how we are going to
have a problem with our horse. If we
believe something is going to be an issue, it will become a self-fulfilling
prophecy , and of course it will become an issue.
And yet, with all the fear, anticipation and negative
feelings, we continue to ride. I won’t
even diverge into the professionals who use their authority to degrade their
students or their horses, but that too can open up a whole other can of worms.
For most people riding began as an emotional “outlet” –
whether they started as a child clinging bareback gleefully galloping through
the fields without a care in the world, or they became involved with horses
later in life after their children have left home, careers have been
established, and now have the time and money to fulfill a lifelong dream of
having a horse. Yet all too often
because of idealism and/or lack of experience, a novice horse person often
winds up in a scenario whether caused from being over faced with an inappropriate
horse they have acquired or from an inadequate information “source”, and fear
begins to slowly become an issue in their relationship with horses.
I am always amazed how many people continue to be involved
with horses after serious fear based accidents or issues with their horse. More often than not, the person’s insatiable desired
emotional fulfillment associated with achieving an accomplishment or task with
their horse tends to often override the “common sense factor.” This tends to create dangerous behaviors and can
be a recipe for long term fear issues.
I believe your horse is usually a pretty honest reflection
of your emotional and mental state; most people don’t always like what they see
in the “mirror” their horse presents. The
ability to have a mental clarity in order to offer positive, effective and
confidence building leadership starts with you.
So whether you are a complete novice or an experienced
horseperson with years in the saddle, take a moment to assess the CURRENT “fulfillment”
factor in your horse experience. If you
find that there is a lot of “gray” areas, take the time and effort to figure
out how to eliminate those, whether it be finding new or different instruction,
ideas, theories, etc. There is nothing
wrong in saying, “I’m not sure what to do.”
I tell people when they ride with me, the longer you operate in the gray
areas, the less confidence you give your horse, the more your riding will
evolve into “survival mode” rather than pleasure mode. So if you’re at a plateau, or have clear “issues”
with your horse- do SOMETHING about it.
For your horse’s sake, for your own physical safety and for
your future emotional satisfaction to put the fun back into riding. Doing nothing, accomplishes nothing. The more you take a proactive approach in all
aspects of working with your horse, the more empowered you will feel, the more
your horse will enjoy being with you, the more your emotions will be satisfied
and you will start to find that “fun” factor again.
Western society presents all too often that things should be
“quick and easy.” If that is your
approach to horses, you’re probably in the wrong sport. It is going to take effort, energy, research,
open mindedness and time for you to become educated, understand and learn. BUT by doing so, you’ll be achieving far more
in your ongoing journey rather than resorting to the latest “quick fix” gadget
or trick.
One of the most rewarding experiences I can have as an
instructor is at the start of a lesson when discussing with a student what they
worked on in their rides between our sessions, and listening to a student as they
relay having had experienced a “light bulb moment.” Usually the sudden clarity occurs at a time
when they are nowhere near their horse.
A person will be sitting in traffic, doing chores, etc. and they will be
reviewing in their mind an idea, concept or theory when there is suddenly the
connection made between the idea and the actuality of a physical aid which in
turn affects the horse’s brain and then physical accomplishment of a task presented. The student’s newfound clarity evolves into
being a viable tool they can use in “real” time, thus improving not only their
overall communication with their horse, but building a trusting partnership
because the rider has become believable, clear with an aid, and honest in what
they are asking of their horse.
These scenarios excite me because when a rider can start committing
to raising their awareness towards the horse at times other than when they are sitting
in the saddle, the “doors” in the person’s mind open allowing and ease and fun
feeling as they make progression towards their goals. Suddenly
there is a flurry of positive energy the rider feels once they BELIEVE that
THEY CAN influence and achieve a change in their horse! The ability for a rider to realize they can make
a change within themselves in order to influence a change in their horse is
what brings the “fun” back to riding.
So whether nothing “bad” has ever happened with your horse
or not, whether the ride is always sort of “okay,” or whether you’re just not
sure “what to do next,” perhaps the best thing you can do is devote some time,
effort and energy into varying your current exposure and ideas; not so much to “fix”
what you currently believe is a “problem,” but perhaps for a different
perspective on things that you may not realize might contributing to
undermining the fun in your riding.
As I remind my riders constantly, keep SMILING- inside and
out!
Sam
Finding the “child within” when we work with our horse!
Spring is in the air, most riding enthusiasts are getting
giddy with thoughts of relaxed (and warm) days spent with their equine
partner. Many riders who are “gung ho”
to learn and improve their education, understanding and abilities can
unknowingly have an “intense” energy as they are focusing with their horse. And although we want to be mentally
participative riders, we need to remind ourselves that the underlining issue
should be that we are riding to have FUN.
I jokingly tell adult students to take the time to “act like a kid again”
once in a while when they ride. I am referring to the sometimes overly analytical,
overly sensitive, overly intensive behavior many of us take on as adults when
we focus. This behavior tends to lack a positive
and supportive leadership energy that conveys to our horse that we are really
having “fun” even if we are “working”.
So the more tight and tense we get as we attempt to focus, the more the
horse starts to wonder why and starts to associate a “stress” every time we put
him to “work.”
On that note, perhaps the next time you’re sitting in
traffic or have some time on your hands, you can assign you and your horse some
games or tasks for your next ride that might be similar to what a child might
suggest to do for “fun.” Take Pico and me
for example. The other day I had
intention to ride out into the orange groves, but of course “life happened” and
by the time I got to him, I had very little time, it was already close to 90
degrees out and I couldn’t leave the property, sooo…
As I looked around the riding area, I glanced at the plywood
bridge we’d built; it occurred to me that although I could ask Pico to step
with one, two, three or all four feet on the bridge, pause him stepping up,
standing on or stepping down off of it, I’d never asked him to step up onto an
object as he was BACKING. (I gather most
sensible adults wouldn’t either, but can imagine a few kids sitting around
saying to one another, “I wonder if we just tried to see if I could get my
horse to do ___________________ .” And
then proceeded, unhindered by all the unknown and what-ifs , so that in the end
they were actually able to accomplish ______________ with their horse.
From a “mature” perspective, why on earth would I ask my
horse to step up onto something while backing? How about if there was an emergency
situation (out on the trail, etc.), or helping desensitize him to movement
behind his vision and to being physically “touched” in his personal space, using
it as an opportunity to continue to build trust, it also creates a “task” to accomplish
while I refine my use of clear communication, etc.
As a side note, although I want to be “carefree” in offering
this new task, I did not want to present the scenario as a challenge to Pico to
“see” if he could get “it” right. So
before presenting a task such as stepping up backwards, I needed to have
pre-established tools and clear communicative that I could effectively use as
aids to tell Pico exactly what I wanted, even if we had never done the task
before.
So I started from standing on the ground with Pico in a
halter and using a lead rope to create first boundaries of where I wanted him
to stand. Then I asked him to be able to
lightly shift his weight backwards, and of course that is when he felt the
bridge against his rear legs. I had to
allow him to use braille like behavior with his hind legs to get used to edge
and height of the bridge.
Pico wanted to explore his options- swinging out sideways,
pushing into my personal space rather than hovering near the bridge, etc. Most horses will try everything EXCEPT what
you’d like them to do. As mentioned in
other blogs, the game of “hot and cold” was presented. Each time he got “closer, softer or lighter
in his response to my aid, I let him stand and rest for a moment so mentally he
could start to associate where I wanted him.
After he kept finding the ideal spot I want him in, then he started
picking a rear foot up in the air. This
was an awesome effort on his part, even if he wasn’t standing on the bridge yet. He would lift a rear leg, gently draw it
forward, backwards, out to the side, but couldn’t fathom actually “reaching”
backwards with it. Finally I was able to
shift his weight while his hind foot was in the air, and then as I relaxed the
pressure of my hand on the lead rope, he relaxed his foot and placed it gently
down on the bridge. Breathe, sigh, lick,
chew. Blew his nose. Blew again.
Dropped his head down towards the ground and took another big breath.
Quietly, we walked away from the bridge and I spent a few
minutes picking weeds (literally) so that he had some time to sort out what had
just happened. The second time I lined
him up and after just a few tries of other options, offered his hind foot
slowly to step up. Again, we went and
picked weeds. He continued to blow his
nose.
Even though in all his searching he never once “blew up”,
got aggressive, or acted stressed, but it was a LOT to ask his brain and
emotions to address. REMEMBER to give
your horse an acknowledgement and or break when they get “it” right.
Then I hopped on him bareback, in the halter, lined him up,
and asked him to step backwards and up.
Light, soft, smooth. Awesome.
The one thing I will mention when playing games with your
horse is not to do so in a manner that will create anticipation in him, causing
him to “go through the motions” rather than really addressing what you are
offering. Otherwise, you’ll think that
your horse is being “good”, and your horse is really just trying to “hurry up
and get it done.” Too many trick horses
can do “all the tricks”, but if you change up the order or try and interfere,
they horse can’t handle the change in routine. When I teach a horse to stand on something,
bow, lie down, line up to an object, pick me up off the fence, back into
pressure, none of it should seem like a “trained” response.
Have fun,
Sam
Tune Up Day 5: Enjoy the Ride
I know in many of my past blogs, current teachings and futuristic “advice” I often talk about goals and having “intention” when we work with our horses… As with everything there is a time and place for that sort of focus, but there is also a time, and I’m sure you’ve experienced the feeling, where you “just want to go for an enjoyable ride.” Today was that sort of day with O.
I didn’t wake up this morning and say, “O will be good today, therefor I can just enjoy the ride.” No, rather, as with every horse in every session, I took her at “face value” and assessed mentally and emotionally how she was feeling as I caught her (again she greeted me, this time leaving her buddy and grazing in the pasture to come say “hi,” and to be caught), groomed and tacked her up. Happy, quiet, calm.
I worked her once again on the long lead and within a few circles O had taken the initiative to NOT instinctually flee, but rather to literally look at something that bothered her and then to relax. So I called her in and we moved on.
Some of these “feelings” I get when working with a horse comes from spending hours upon endless hours being around them. I always joke with clients that if they spent as much time with their horse as they paid me to spend with their horse, then they too would have an entirely different relationship with the animal.
The weather was perfect, the horse was happy, so why not enjoy the ride? There are some days, where it is okay to enjoy “where you are at,” rather than having to introduce something new every time you work with your horse. This was one of those days. The horses are completely honest as to their assessment towards a human’s energy, stress and emotions. So when it feels like a “great day,” let your brain and body enjoy, because your horse will sense that positive energy from you and will mimic it.
That was the case for how O was moving, trying and mentally participating like a pro. Someone was stringing white tape to rebuild an electric fence, and the old ball (think size of an exercise ball) of wire was sitting in the field like a lurking predator and the newly strung tape was gently flapping in the wind. O initially tried the “quietly sneaking past the scary spot” tactic. I offered instead that she stop and physically look at it in order to mentally address the concerning object, which after she did so briefly was immediately able “let it go” and refocus on what we were doing. And that is exactly the point of maintaining specific intention and clear communication in our past rides.
You can never expect to have a “bomb proof” horse, (trust me they don’t exist, EVERY horse on the planet has “something” than can send them emotionally into a meltdown moment,) but you can teach and expose your horse to various scenarios in order to build their confidence. Will you ever be able to expose them to “everything?” No. So instead of trying to overly desensitize a horse, why not teach them how to “handle” a natural response (such as fleeing, defensiveness, etc.) in a more reasonable manner so that when (and it will) something unexpected arises, you have pre-defined tools and options to help your horse through the scenario so that neither of you wind up feeling like you’re just trying to “survive” the ride.
When I first met O there wasn’t a moment in her day when she could be “okay” about life, so to reach a day like today is incredibly rewarding… (A few days after our last ride, O continued to try and greet me every time I was near her, as if to say, “What’s next?”)
If you had been sitting on the sidelines watching the ride, hopefully you would have been totally unimpressed and almost on the verge of “bored.” I say that because really, most of our rides should be “boring” and uneventful. If every time we return home after a ride and have a “story” to tell, there is probably something missing in our communication and relationship with our horse. I tell my competitive students, “If I saw you in a warm up arena with 40 other horses, I wouldn’t want to notice you.” Because think about, most of the rides you remember experiencing or witnessing typically are a lot more “exciting” than most people would like to have with their horse. The truly quality rides are the ones that look quiet, fluid and almost like horse and rider are one being in their movement.
I hope these past five Tune Up blogs have added some new perspectives, thoughts and ideas for when you head out to your horse. As always, it is a bit difficult to write to “everyone” because each person and horse is at a different “spot” in their learning. I’d love to hear any feedback in either an email or comment!
Thanks,
Sam
Tune Up Day 4: Experiencing the maturity of horse
Today O left breakfast and came over with her head over the gate to be haltered. There was a confident calm to her so I saddled her and then found an extra-long rope and worked here out in the open field in certain areas where she had previously had some concern as to the pile of logs, the rabbits randomly jumping out, the birds fighting in the citrus trees, etc. Even though she showed some concern, by allowing her to stop, look, think and then feel okay about the situation, by about the second complete circle she was moving in a relaxed, focused manner. I asked for a few transitions and then changed direction. She appeared happy and seemed to be asking, “What’s next?” So I mounted her and off we went.
From the very first step in the saddle, there was a maturity and confidence in her movement that she initially offered without me having to “support her” to achieve it. We quickly reviewed transitions, accuracy of specific directions, riding imaginary shapes, and doing specific “tasks.” It kind of felt like everything I asked of her she quickly said, “Check, check, check…” So on to the next “stage” of learning.
People often ask “How long do should I focus on a task such as ____________,” and I try to explain that the horse will clearly tell you when they “got it” and when they don’t. Some of you may have experienced those moments where you feel like you just have to “think” something and your horse immediately does what you thought. Those are good examples of “aha” moments where your horse is telling you they are ready to move on in their learning.
More often than not it is human nature to want to achieve “more stuff” and therefor in adherently accept less quality from their horse because they are so focused on achieving the “end goal” that they wind up rushing the horse through the motions rather than seeking quality within each movement.
On the other hand, sometimes people can get overly analytical and can accidently dwell on a task or exercise to the point of driving their horse nuts. If you ask lightly, your horse responds confidently, immediately and quietly, it is a sign that you should move on.
I try to remind people rarely do we get 100% accuracy, so yes, there needs to be some flexibility in what we accept. I usually assess the level of mental try the horse has offered. For me, if the horse has offered mental try between 95-100%, I’m happy. BUT, that amount of effort from two different horses may look like VERY different in the physical outcome or performance. It may seem with a confident horse that we have achieved a lot of “movement,” whereas with a lesser confident horse we may have only achieved one specific task. I don’t care either way; my only goal is that the time a horse spends with me has a positive, supportive and respectful feel to it. Without that, there is no way the horse is going to want to offer participating in our next session together.
So back to O. Now that she clearly understood tracking straight, backwards, left and right, I then presented the concept of the ability to move one part of her body independently of another. When I first work with a horse many times it will feel like the horse moves a bit like a 2x4 board, meaning if you push one end of the board one way, the opposite end immediately follows. But for teaching a horse quality engagement of its hindquarters (yes, this is where we start to use those “big words,”) I have to be able to “break” the horse’s body into five independent sections: the head, the neck, the shoulder, the ribcage and the hindquarter. My goal is that I can direct and influence each of those regions in a horse. Correct self-carriage, lateral movements, roll backs, flying changes, shortening and lengthening of the stride, lateral movement, etc. all comes from being able to help the horse learn how to correctly engage and use his hindquarters. BUT horses due to various and multiple factors such as conformation tend to be heavy on the forehand, or drag their front end.
Many people who focus on “pretty riding” (i.e. things such as the horse’s headset) rather than the correct and accurate usage of its body, never learn how to ask their horse to correctly use his body, which may not be an issue until the “tasks” start requiring more accuracy within the horse.
Take for example the flying lead change, if you cannot have a quality and balanced canter or lope, shorten and lengthen the stride while maintaining a light and balanced horse and cannot counter canter (canter on the lead opposite from the direction you are riding,) the quality of your lead change will decrease. Can you still physically get horse to do the lead change? Yes. Will it improve with brainless repetition of an exercise? No. The lack of initial quality and balanced movement is why you see horses that “always” only change in the front end and then take a few strides to change behind, or they “race” through the change, or they lose all forward implusion through the change, or their body gets physically stiff and tight through the change, etc.
So especially with a “gumby doll” horse like O, whose body naturally can go in five different directions at once, I need her to learn to understand how to a.) Yield to the pressure of my leg, and b.) Learn that she can move one region of her body at a time. As I teach new more technical movements to a horse, I allow them to physically slow down which allows them to mentally “be present.” If you put it into people terms, and were “rushed” into learning, how clear would you be in your complete understanding of a new subject? The same goes for the horses. Plus, by literally slowing down to initial teach the horse something, I have more “time” to address each of her incorrect efforts, so that she can narrow down her options to reach the conclusion of what I want.
Nothing I offer the horse is random, and hopefully you can think back the past few days’ journal entries and how the training theories and focus help gently “build” a platform and foundation for introducing today’s new concept. This allows the physical aids I use to communicate with O to be my “tools,” rather than something else to “confuse” her with. Too many times people can get annoyed when thinking about “having to do” the basics with their horse, but without them, you have nothing. AND if someone feels like they “keep” having to review the basics, then something is not clear in the communication with their horse, because once the basics are clearly defined they should help your riding, not hinder it.
I typically ask a horse to move its shoulders first as this is the “easiest” body part to move. With O, she figured out what I wanted within a few tries. If you are presenting something and it feels like you constantly have to “re-introduce” a concept, something isn’t clear in your communication and you need to slow down and assess what specific aids you are using, how and when you ask your horse to do the task. YOU also need to assess your horse’s response to each of your aids. By doing both of these assessments, you’ll mostly likely be able to figure out where the “real” problem is, which if you address, then you’ll most likely be able to achieve the initial goal.
As with most people, horses too tend to be typically “more coordinated” on one side than the other. I’d say 50% of a horse’s crookedness is due to the horse and the other 50% is due to the rider. People are naturally crooked, discombobulated, slow to respond, unaware, etc. and yet when we sit on a horse we somehow think that all crookedness comes from the horse. WRONG. How can we take a crooked person, a crooked horse, put them together and expect them to move out “straight?”
As an exercise for yourself, take one day and assess your own body when not riding. As you make a turn while driving do you “lean into” the turn? Do you know what, where and how to sit equally on your seat bones? As you stand do you stand squarely on both feet, shift your weight, or “cock a foot”? When you lay down do you always sleep on your side? You get the idea. If the only time you think about your body is when you’re sitting in the saddle, then that is not enough time to become aware of what you are doing, unless you’re spending ten hours a day riding out.
It is not fair to ask your horse to track “straight” if you are offering a crooked feel from the start. If in general you are sitting crooked, your body will have to “compensate” in order to remain feeling balanced, causing an inaccurate usage of aids. So you may be able to “sneak by” in the basics if you’re crooked, but once you start asking for things like lateral movements in your horse, you might “suddenly” feel huge gaping holes in your communication/understanding with your horse.
Most frustration between horse and rider generally arise from a lack of awareness and clarity. Mentally, it takes a LOT to participate EVERY step of every ride for both the horse and rider. Previous posts such as “Raising the Bar,” Clear Communication, etc. all address these concepts.
So back to O, she quietly yielded her shoulders away from the aids on my right side. But when I applied my left leg, to ask her to yield to her right, I could feel her “bulge” and physically push against my leg by locking up her shoulder in resistance towards the pressure my leg was creating. This is where yesterday’s game of “hot and cold” comes becomes a tool, as O was pretty sure she couldn’t “relax” or soften into my aid, but instead that she had to push through it.
During our “trial and error” of my supporting her while she searched for the right “answer,” neither she nor I got defensive, emotional or flustered. I cannot emphasize the above statement enough. KEEP YOUR EMOTIONS OUT OF YOUR RIDING. It is the best gift you can offer your horse. 1.) Human emotions can change like a light switch, 2.) Our emotions can be distracting from offering clear quality, 3.) HUMANS lie, even if we don’t intentionally “mean to.” I’m not saying don’t have fun with your horse, but the less “gray” and emotional, and the more “black and white” and clear you can be towards your horse, the faster they can understand what you want. Even when happy with a result, I joke and tell students don’t celebrate the achievement until the end of the task at hand. Too many times people will literally quit a movement or task in the middle of it because they felt a good change in their horse, and although the human is happy, the horse is left “hanging in the middle” not fully understanding what it was there were supposed to do.
So O quickly realized she COULD yield her shoulder towards her right away from my left leg. So I then asked for a little more forward (this is where your sliding scale of energy within a gait applies) and to keep a rhythm while she yielded. Immediately she offered a soft response on both sides, and that was my cue to call it a day. I’d like to mention I don’t EVER work a horse by the clock. One day a ride may be 15 minutes and the next just over an hour. My assessment of the horse’s mental and emotional state will tell me “how much” the horse can handle. Again, people being greedy by nature sometimes can “blow” a great session by asking for the famous, “Just one more time,” scenario. Many accidents seem to happen in those scenarios too. So go with your gut instinct, if your horse feels good, and you feel good, call it a day!
Sam
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