Alternative Horsemanship™ with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach shares horse training and horseback rider coaching, philosophies, and approaches she has developed over three decades. Offering horsemanship clinics worldwide, distance horse coaching instruction, equine consultations, equine re-education and rehabilitation, colt starting, and lessons. Follow her #alternativehorsemanship on all social media platforms.
Word of the Day: Avoidance
Avoidance- This is a horse who is mentality unavailable or "shut down." He will create methods to evade communication with his handler or rider usually because of defensiveness, a lack of clarity, pain, and distrust. Physically he may display behaviors such as tucking his chin towards his chest evade the bit, his focus is often not where he is at physically, if experiencing pain he may raise his head to avoid discomfort. In many cases, people use severe equipment to "make" the horse comply. Instead, they need to revisit the quality of communication and mental availability in the horse to recognize what triggers the horse to avoid scenarios.
Subject: A page from an 87 yr. Old horsewoman's handwritten Journal: I ride.
That seems like such a simple statement. However as many women who ride know it is really a complicated matter. It has to do with power and empowerment; being able to do things you might once have considered out of reach or ability. I have considered this as I shovel manure, fill water barrels in the cold rain, wait for the vet, farrier, hay delivery, change a tire on a horse trailer by the side of the freeway, or cool a gelding out before getting down to the business of drinking a cold drink after a long ride.
The time, the money, the effort it takes to ride calls for dedication. Atleast, I call it dedication. Both my ex-husbands call it 'a sickness'. It's a nice sickness I've had since I was a small girl, bouncing my plastic model horse and dreaming of the day I would ride a real horse. Most of the women I ride with understand that meaning of the sickness.' It's not a sport. It's not a hobby. It's what we do and-- in some ways-- who
we are as women and human beings.
I ride. I hook up my trailer and load my gelding. I haul to some nice trail head somewhere, unload, saddle up, whistle up my dog and I ride. I breathe in the air, watch the sunlight filter through the trees and savor the movement of my horse. My shoulders relax. A smile spreads across my weathered face. I pull my floppy hat down and let the real world fade into the tracks my horse leaves in the sand. Time slows. Flying insects buzz loudly, looking like fairies. My gelding flicks his ears and moves down the trail. I can smell his sweat and it is perfume to my senses. Time slows. The rhythm of his walk and the movement of the leaves become my focus. My saddle creaks and the leather rein in my hand softens with the warmth.
I consider the simple statement: I ride. I think of all I do because I ride. Climb rocky slopes, wade into a lily-pad lake, race a friend across the hayfield... all the while laughing and feeling my heart in my chest. Other days just the act of mounting and dismounting can be a real accomplishment. Still I ride, no matter how tired or how much my sitter bones or any of my other acquired horse-related injuries hurt. I ride. And I feel a lot better for doing so.
I think of the people, mostly women, that I've met. I consider how competent they all are. Not a weenie in the bunch. We haul 40 ft. rigs, we back 'em up into tight spaces without clipping a tree. We set up camp, tend the horses. We cook and keep our camp neat. We understand and love our companions, our horses. We respect each other and those we encounter on the trail. We know that if you are out there riding, you also shovel, fill, bathe, wait and doctor. Your hands are a little rough and you travel without makeup or hair gel. You do without to afford the 'sickness' and probably when you were a small girl, you bounced a little model horse while you dreamed of riding a real one.
"My treasures do not chink or glitter, they gleam in the sun and neigh in the night."
Horses don't have horse problems, they have people problems!
The time, the money, the effort it takes to ride calls for dedication. Atleast, I call it dedication. Both my ex-husbands call it 'a sickness'. It's a nice sickness I've had since I was a small girl, bouncing my plastic model horse and dreaming of the day I would ride a real horse. Most of the women I ride with understand that meaning of the sickness.' It's not a sport. It's not a hobby. It's what we do and-- in some ways-- who
we are as women and human beings.
I ride. I hook up my trailer and load my gelding. I haul to some nice trail head somewhere, unload, saddle up, whistle up my dog and I ride. I breathe in the air, watch the sunlight filter through the trees and savor the movement of my horse. My shoulders relax. A smile spreads across my weathered face. I pull my floppy hat down and let the real world fade into the tracks my horse leaves in the sand. Time slows. Flying insects buzz loudly, looking like fairies. My gelding flicks his ears and moves down the trail. I can smell his sweat and it is perfume to my senses. Time slows. The rhythm of his walk and the movement of the leaves become my focus. My saddle creaks and the leather rein in my hand softens with the warmth.
I consider the simple statement: I ride. I think of all I do because I ride. Climb rocky slopes, wade into a lily-pad lake, race a friend across the hayfield... all the while laughing and feeling my heart in my chest. Other days just the act of mounting and dismounting can be a real accomplishment. Still I ride, no matter how tired or how much my sitter bones or any of my other acquired horse-related injuries hurt. I ride. And I feel a lot better for doing so.
I think of the people, mostly women, that I've met. I consider how competent they all are. Not a weenie in the bunch. We haul 40 ft. rigs, we back 'em up into tight spaces without clipping a tree. We set up camp, tend the horses. We cook and keep our camp neat. We understand and love our companions, our horses. We respect each other and those we encounter on the trail. We know that if you are out there riding, you also shovel, fill, bathe, wait and doctor. Your hands are a little rough and you travel without makeup or hair gel. You do without to afford the 'sickness' and probably when you were a small girl, you bounced a little model horse while you dreamed of riding a real one.
"My treasures do not chink or glitter, they gleam in the sun and neigh in the night."
Horses don't have horse problems, they have people problems!
One Day Horse Trials, CA - The play by play
Whew I’ve finally had a few minutes to sit down and jot down some notes from the weekend… Below is a quick timeline and great example of “expect the unexpected…
Enjoy!
• 9 am We complete the final packing- loading horses @ farm in AZ
• 3pm arrive (yes, that is an HOUR of windy, twisty, road not fun with the horse trailer) we enter thru the wrong gate- and wind up driving thru the cross country course. There’s no one around except the “honey do” husband finishing last minute chores…
• 4pm We find our wet stalls- the water is literally running off of the hill through the temporary stalls. (Student’s horses are designated in separate stalls even though we’d requested them next to each other,) unload horses while dodging ever increasing streams. We unload the horse trailer and convert it into our “sleeping quarters” and set up the enclosed trailer as our temporary “spill over space”
• 4:30 Three students and I head out to walk the cross country course twice in rain soaking wet, and the wet footing is a bit concerning…
• 5:30 Just as we arrive back at the trailers we are informed that the competition has been cancelled! BUT, if it dries up the next day we can school the cross country if weather permits. While we were walking the course some of the families that traveled with us started a fire at our trailers, got dinner started (hot dogs boiling on the reliable Coleman camping stove…) We realized we had no cell phone service to warn the other people coming out to watch my students that the competition had been cancelled. We were told there was a land line but when we tried to use it, the water had damaged the lines and we could not get a dial tone…
Trying to sort our gear.
Enjoy!
• 9 am We complete the final packing- loading horses @ farm in AZ
• 10am The horses, students and stuff loaded and we’re on our way (heading into a very brooding storm!)
• 12pm We hit rain showers in the southern CA mountains
• 2 pm exit Temecula parkway
• 3pm arrive (yes, that is an HOUR of windy, twisty, road not fun with the horse trailer) we enter thru the wrong gate- and wind up driving thru the cross country course. There’s no one around except the “honey do” husband finishing last minute chores…
• 4pm We find our wet stalls- the water is literally running off of the hill through the temporary stalls. (Student’s horses are designated in separate stalls even though we’d requested them next to each other,) unload horses while dodging ever increasing streams. We unload the horse trailer and convert it into our “sleeping quarters” and set up the enclosed trailer as our temporary “spill over space”
• 4:30 Three students and I head out to walk the cross country course twice in rain soaking wet, and the wet footing is a bit concerning…
• 5:30 Just as we arrive back at the trailers we are informed that the competition has been cancelled! BUT, if it dries up the next day we can school the cross country if weather permits. While we were walking the course some of the families that traveled with us started a fire at our trailers, got dinner started (hot dogs boiling on the reliable Coleman camping stove…) We realized we had no cell phone service to warn the other people coming out to watch my students that the competition had been cancelled. We were told there was a land line but when we tried to use it, the water had damaged the lines and we could not get a dial tone…
Trying to sort our gear.
The dog "Ace" had other ideas about the sleeping arrangments.
• The NEXT day as I start to write this blog my computer COMPLETELY crashes and I spend the next two days swiping the hard drive and restoring all the old files… NOT fun…
I hope you enjoyed the “journey”! Sam
• After checking on and feeding horses, we all changed out of our soaking wet clothes- despite our layers of rain gear. First we set up our folding chairs inside the enclosed trailer and ate by flashlight… With the help of hot chocolate we slowly began to thaw and we were able to move our portable fire close to the side door of trailer… From the one vendor that had arrived early we were able to borrow an extension cord for my plug in heater, but after rigging 5, yes FIVE cords together it left little power received at trailer so the heater only worked at ¼ of its original strength. The horses were unimpressed with the leaky stalls wrecking their dinner but ate and drank.
• 7:30pm The rain finally stops! We move out all the chairs and hang wet clothes around fire to dry, we realize we have no batteries for the air pump for our air mattresses, but manage to jury rig a different air pump and are able to inflate the mattresses without them getting wet.
• 9pm the rain has started lightly so we head to bed. In our attempts to go to sleep, we realize the plastic bags that had carried the shavings we taped up in the opening of the trailer is now flapping with the suction of the wind forcing it in and out of the trailer, one air mattress has a leak, three leaks inside of the trailer causing rain water to drip on the two people sleeping below, and the rain continues throughout the night.
• 6am We are tired but awake, I jump start the day with cowboy coffee, and NO it’s not raining!!! With the horses fed, we clean up all of the “show stuff” we’d brought and just keep out the gear needed to school cross country. A hearty breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs, muffins and cowboy coffee gets us going.
• 7:30am Riders head out for a hack down the road to let the horses stretch after being cramped up in the small stalls and the long trailer ride. There horses are a bit stressed with the wet, wind and being at new place.
• 8:30 All three riders and I head down to the warm up in still soaking wet jumping arena, as we’re on our way, other competitors pull up and ask us where to park. We realize they have not been informed of the show’s cancellation…hmmmm
We had to wipe off the mud from the bottom of the rider's boots because their feet kept slipping in the stirrups!
My sleeve was the only "rag" we had.
• Cross country schooling for the next three hours- a great experience for all three riders and horses. After a quick pack we are on the road by 1:05pm
• “Alternative” directions given for the return trip home wind up detouring us NW by a 1:30 hr driving time…. After trusting the GPS (when it finally got service once we were out of the mountains) we find ourselves wandering through neighborhoods, stop signs and huge drainage ditches- not ideal for hauling horses or trailers of any sort.
• 2:30 We are relieved as we pull onto I 10 and have an uneventful journey with us arriving home in AZ at 6pm- all the while keeping in touch by phone to hear the “play by play” of the super bowl score was (I didn’t even have a clue it was that weekend)
• 6:15 As I transfer my gear into the truck I left at the barn I find it has a dead battery…
• The NEXT day as I start to write this blog my computer COMPLETELY crashes and I spend the next two days swiping the hard drive and restoring all the old files… NOT fun…
I hope you enjoyed the “journey”! Sam
Follow Us! One day horse trials in CA! 3 Competitors
I’m writing this update right before I head over to the barn for the final review of packing, loading horses and students and then hitting the road. If technology decides to cooperate I will be able to upload a cross country and stadium course walk that I will do with students, (pictures and lecture included,) and a play be play of "You're first horse trials!" This will include Dressage, Stadium and Cross Country all ridden in the same day as this is a schooling show. Stay tuned... The weather forecast is rain all day today (five hour drive) and then just before my three riders start the competition tomorrow the rain is supposed to die down.
These three riders have NEVER been to a competition like this before and are proving to be good sports... Here’s a little on their background.
Combo #1 has an advanced rider but the horse has a history of being "manhandled" when he feels any level of stress. He then mentally checks out. He’s a gorgeous thoroughbred that has already competed in these sorts of events, but never feeling good about it. He also has a racing past, which he resorts to when his brain gets fried. So the goal for him is to participate in the event and to stay mentally available. His rider's goal is to feel like she is "taking the horse" for the rider, rather than hoping to survive it.
Combo #2 has a SUPER laid back ranch horse that will try and address whatever you put in front of him, even though he's not the most athletic of horses. As long as his rider stays focused and rides accurate, they'll be able to "take on" anything presented to them.
Combo #3 has come a LONG ways. This was an abused ranch horse (with stifle and tendon injuries) that a novice rider took on after she inherited him and quietly persisted with. We were saying the other day if anyone had ever told her three years ago she'd be jumping (he's super tight and catty) what she is today and having her horse respond and try the way he does now, she'd have never believed it. During times of stress will still cause his brain to check out, but as long as she is persistent and doesn't accept the "minimum" he tends to be able to let his concerns go and refocus on the job at hand.
Stay tuned!
These three riders have NEVER been to a competition like this before and are proving to be good sports... Here’s a little on their background.
Combo #1 has an advanced rider but the horse has a history of being "manhandled" when he feels any level of stress. He then mentally checks out. He’s a gorgeous thoroughbred that has already competed in these sorts of events, but never feeling good about it. He also has a racing past, which he resorts to when his brain gets fried. So the goal for him is to participate in the event and to stay mentally available. His rider's goal is to feel like she is "taking the horse" for the rider, rather than hoping to survive it.
Combo #2 has a SUPER laid back ranch horse that will try and address whatever you put in front of him, even though he's not the most athletic of horses. As long as his rider stays focused and rides accurate, they'll be able to "take on" anything presented to them.
Combo #3 has come a LONG ways. This was an abused ranch horse (with stifle and tendon injuries) that a novice rider took on after she inherited him and quietly persisted with. We were saying the other day if anyone had ever told her three years ago she'd be jumping (he's super tight and catty) what she is today and having her horse respond and try the way he does now, she'd have never believed it. During times of stress will still cause his brain to check out, but as long as she is persistent and doesn't accept the "minimum" he tends to be able to let his concerns go and refocus on the job at hand.
Stay tuned!
Word of the Day: Bombproof Horse
Bomb Proof- more currently known as a "husband proof" horse. This is frequently the inaccurate description of a horse known for its seemingly calm, quiet, unflappable manner that makes people feel secure in permitting inexperienced riders to mount up; typically these horses are very confident in controlling familiar situations but can become extremely hard to manage in new and unfamiliar situations rather than being available to receive help and support from the rider. These horses are the ultimate example of a Patternized animal.
Honesty & Horses- A Few Thoughts While Flying Back from WY
As I was driving the four hours from my remote WY hideout to the Salt Lake City Airport I began composing this blog in my mind. Then as I boarded the plane for the first leg of my trip home I encountered a young family with two small children with their father relying completely on his Seeing Eye companion. As his trusted pal guided him carefully and calmly down the narrow plane aisle I felt a slight lump in my throat and started to think back to all the times that I'd felt that same feeling from horses that I had been working with.
My personality is very much "Need to see it/experience it in order to believe it." As I interact with society I am constantly stressed by the general "chaos" people accept as their lifestyle and their feelings towards this "living in the gray" to think that this level of stress is normal to have in their lives.
In my opinion many people are drawn to horses because there is a calm that the horse can offer us. The person may not realize what exactly it is that the horse is offering, but I find there is an honesty in our horses that is rare to find within people. The horses treat us with an honesty that the rest of society does not. In doing so, they wind up building a relationship with us, and because of the "safety" and "honesty" they offer us, they end up being a person's emotional outlet.
After settling in on the plane I opened the in-flight magazine and was struck by the irony with the first article I read, which was written by the Harvard Business Review and was titled "The Long Term Effects of Short-Term Emotions."
I will include the first paragraph:
"The heat of the moment is a powerful, dangerous thing. We all know this. If we're happy, we may be overly generous. If we're irritated, we may snap. But the regret- and consequences of that decision- may last years, a whole career or a lifetime. At least the regret will serve us well, right? Lesson learned- maybe."
Here people were thinking that operating in the "chaos" was the norm and that good things would result of it. For years I'd been working with people trying to clear the "gray" areas out of their relationship with their horse, and now a BUSINESS magazine was trying to do the same thing to get people to make clear black and white business decisions. Wow.
Horses tend to strive at operating within the "black and white" area and that is what allows them to survive and gain confidence in life, leading them to clarity and a calm mentally, emotionally and physically. It is unnatural for people to demand that of one another, but with horses, it's mandatory for clear communication and trust building. There is something about surrounding oneself with animals that demand honesty from us at all times that is emotionally relieving for us. I can't recall the number of times a client and their horse has struggled and persevered to reach that euphoric high from finding a clarity with their horse. Their tears tend to come flooding out soon after!
Working with the horses is rewarding to me because no matter what has happened in life their honesty never waivers. They aren't moved nor do they care about however "good or bad" our day was. They don't care if we woke up in a good or bad mood. What they do care about is the honesty that affects the quality of our communication and OUR mental availability towards them. If WE are not 100%, how can we ask our horses to be? I joke in some of my clinics about "leaving reality at the door" when a person heads out for a ride.
I believe if we treated our horses as if our life depended on it, just as the man with the seeing eye dog on the plane did, the honesty and clarity of our interaction and how we communicate with our horses would allow us to build a trusting partnership in our horses from the start…
To honesty- Sam
My personality is very much "Need to see it/experience it in order to believe it." As I interact with society I am constantly stressed by the general "chaos" people accept as their lifestyle and their feelings towards this "living in the gray" to think that this level of stress is normal to have in their lives.
In my opinion many people are drawn to horses because there is a calm that the horse can offer us. The person may not realize what exactly it is that the horse is offering, but I find there is an honesty in our horses that is rare to find within people. The horses treat us with an honesty that the rest of society does not. In doing so, they wind up building a relationship with us, and because of the "safety" and "honesty" they offer us, they end up being a person's emotional outlet.
After settling in on the plane I opened the in-flight magazine and was struck by the irony with the first article I read, which was written by the Harvard Business Review and was titled "The Long Term Effects of Short-Term Emotions."
I will include the first paragraph:
"The heat of the moment is a powerful, dangerous thing. We all know this. If we're happy, we may be overly generous. If we're irritated, we may snap. But the regret- and consequences of that decision- may last years, a whole career or a lifetime. At least the regret will serve us well, right? Lesson learned- maybe."
Here people were thinking that operating in the "chaos" was the norm and that good things would result of it. For years I'd been working with people trying to clear the "gray" areas out of their relationship with their horse, and now a BUSINESS magazine was trying to do the same thing to get people to make clear black and white business decisions. Wow.
Horses tend to strive at operating within the "black and white" area and that is what allows them to survive and gain confidence in life, leading them to clarity and a calm mentally, emotionally and physically. It is unnatural for people to demand that of one another, but with horses, it's mandatory for clear communication and trust building. There is something about surrounding oneself with animals that demand honesty from us at all times that is emotionally relieving for us. I can't recall the number of times a client and their horse has struggled and persevered to reach that euphoric high from finding a clarity with their horse. Their tears tend to come flooding out soon after!
Working with the horses is rewarding to me because no matter what has happened in life their honesty never waivers. They aren't moved nor do they care about however "good or bad" our day was. They don't care if we woke up in a good or bad mood. What they do care about is the honesty that affects the quality of our communication and OUR mental availability towards them. If WE are not 100%, how can we ask our horses to be? I joke in some of my clinics about "leaving reality at the door" when a person heads out for a ride.
I believe if we treated our horses as if our life depended on it, just as the man with the seeing eye dog on the plane did, the honesty and clarity of our interaction and how we communicate with our horses would allow us to build a trusting partnership in our horses from the start…
To honesty- Sam
Word of the Day- Assessment
Assess(ment)- Of the horse
To evaluate the mental availability, emotional state, and physical softness of the horse. This is a foundational key to build a partnership with your horse. By recognizing the horse's starting point, can help a person understand how to proceed in the session to address, support, and guide the horse to let go of fear, tension, or defensiveness.
To evaluate the mental availability, emotional state, and physical softness of the horse. This is a foundational key to build a partnership with your horse. By recognizing the horse's starting point, can help a person understand how to proceed in the session to address, support, and guide the horse to let go of fear, tension, or defensiveness.
Bits- NOT the quick fix... A few thoughts..
This was a recent question from a new client... all too often people seem to look for a "mechanical" band for an issue rather than address the issue in itself...
Question:
My 15 year old QH has a hard mouth. I currently ride him with a full cheek snaffle twist and with a standing martingale. But sometimes he outs his head down and tries to yank me down. I don't know what to do. Many people have suggested a harsher bit or spurs but I really don't know. What should I do? I need more control.
Answer:
Thank you for writing, hopefully I can offer some alternative ideas and suggestions from what you might be thinking. Too many times our horses tolerate what we ask of them, but as we increase the intensity or performance levels, they start to show signs of stress, worry, insecurity, fear or "acting out" in dangerous or unwanted behavior. Most of their behaviors are seen as "suddenly" appearing, which is wrong. Many times horses attempt to communicate in many shapes, ways and forms when they are having a problem. Too many times people ignore their horse's pleas for help and guidance, forcing the horse to comply physically while he is mentally and emotionally stressed out.
Imagine if you were being taught something new by someone. If you had some concern or worry about, and they just kept telling you "it'll be fine" and you went along trusting them. Then what if "it" didn't turn out to be fine and you reached of point of being completely worried for your safety. What would you do to get them to believe you could no longer "tolerate" what they'd been telling you? You would do whatever it took to get them to believe you were REALLY having a problem. It is no different with our horses.
Too many times people are satisfied with "good enough" or "close enough" because they get so focused on the end goal, instead of the quality of the ride that will allow them to achieve the end goal. If the ride quality at ALL times is good, then the end performance will be the ideal without having unnecessary stress for either the rider or horse.
Most "run away" horses or horses that do not stop when we would like them to, do so because something is scaring them or making them emotionally uncomfortable and therefore they respond by physically trying to get "away." The only natural defense a horse has to protect themself is to run. The tack and equipment you use are only addressing the symptom (the not stopping) not the issue (your horse being mentally available to listen to your aids from the saddle.) The stronger and more severe equipment you put on your horse will only create more stress and worry in him. It may temporarily appear to be an easy and quick fix that will force him to contain his frustrated or worried feelings until the day he finally is pushed to his limit and he explodes. By only addressing the equipment used and it's effectiveness will only delay your lack of controllability in your horse for a short period (like putting a band-aid on a wound that requires stitches.) I would say you need to go back and assess the clarity of your aids and the mental and emotional availability of your horse in order to create clear two way communication.
Break his "running away" down into steps. You might ask yourself these questions: When does he start to get strong when you ride? What kind of bit and other equipment do you currently use on him and why? Does it fit him correctly and is it effective? How soft and responsive is he towards your aids during your sessions when not running barrels? How effective are your aids? Does he respond worried if he is distracted, leaving his barn mates, riding in a group, etc.?
My guess is that he probably shows you signs of panic before he actually takes off. If you try to address this while it's happening, you are merely responding to his panicked reaction. You need to be able to recognize and RESPECT his behavior before or even when he STARTS to get panicked and be able to intercept his thoughts of running by offering him a better alternative. Keep in mind he will not listen to your aids unless they are both clear and effective.
Number one: The bit stops your horse. It does not ever stop your horse. His mental availability and respect of your aids is what allows him to physical stop.
Number two: Would you get into a car if you knew the steering or brakes only sometimes worked? If you wouldn't do that, then WHY would you not make it a number one priority to address steering and brakes when riding a thousand pound animal that has his own ideas and emotions about life?
Number three: Most horses have what I call a teenager attitude towards people. When someone offers the horse something most horses respond with a "Why should I?" attitude. Instead, our goal is create a mental availability in our horses in order to have them offer "What can I do to make this work?"
Number four: Most people are reactive riders. They wait and see being "hopeful" about how their horse might respond. Then they decide if they like or dislike what their horse is offering. Instead you must TAKE YOUR HORSE FOR THE RIDE rather than going along for the ride. You need to tell your horse AHEAD of time what you are going to ask of him instead of hoping he'll figure it out.
Number five: Horses and people are "patternized" beings. They get very comfortable with what they know and as soon as something different is presented they fall apart. How often do you change your routine of when you catch horse, where you groom and tack him up, when you ride him, what you ask of him throughout a ride, etc. Your horse should be available to try and do whatever you make ask of him at any time, anywhere.
So even though your horse has been ridden for years you may have to go back to some of the basics and re-evaluate you and your horse. In your case I would gather that there is general lack of clear communication between you and your horse. There are many ways to break down his lack of willingness to lope at various speeds. Because he is currently confident that when asked to lope it must be at a full out speed, that is all he thinks he needs to offer you. You are going to have to be able to influence his brain with alternative ideas, clarify how and what aids you use, and help him start to gain confidence when he mentally addresses you so that he can then offer alternative physical responses, rather than the current conditioned brainless responses.
First look at yourself, you will need to evaluate how you are using what aids, when, why and with how much pressure and then break down exactly when your horse mentally "tunes you out." Remember that a horse can feel a fly land on his skin, if you are creating a lot of "activity" with your aids and not getting a response, your horse is tuning you out.
Many horses are what I call "shut down" (mentally unavailable) due to boredom and routine rides. It will take a lot of creativity to create interest in your horse so that he will begin to enjoy participating in the ride rather than tolerating the ride. You will also have to establish black and white lines that clarify which of his reactions to your aids and what behaviors will be acceptable and those that are not. The faster you can catch an unwanted response, the faster he can "let it go" and try another response.
The faster you acknowledge that he achieved your "ideal" response, (giving him a break, move on to something else, etc.,) the more confidence he will have to increase his level of mental availability and physical performance. As you increase your own awareness and thought process you will begin to be able to pin point where and when you need to do something different in order to get an alternative response from your horse.
Also you need to become aware if your horse only has a hard time slowing at the lope, or perhaps you may not have noticed, but I would guess, that asking him to perform various energy levels within the walk, jog/trot, he probably also has a difficult time doing- this only becomes worse the faster he moves, which is why at a lope he feels slightly out of control.
Many times when working on a repeated exercise, horses try to please us by trying to do what is "right" ahead of when we have asked them. In reining your horse probably has been conditioned to perform the pattern, rather than waiting for specific cues or direction from you. You need to have his mind available at all times to consider what you are asking, even if in the middle of a pattern. If you can influence his mind, then you can change his outward actions. The more he realizes you are helping him throughout the ride, rather than fighting to control his speed, the more sensitive he will be to listening to your aids.
Last but not least. Keep in mind that race horses run their fastest when they are straight... Mentally many horses are way ahead of where there are physically moving, so if your horse is moving too fast, offer him a circle, turn or specific task that will act as something to get his brain to slow down, and tune back in to where he currently is at. You can slowly make the task more specific, until he offers to slow down... then continue on with your ride as if nothing interrupted you... Soon it'll only take one rein about to offer him a circle, turn, etc. and he'll slow down... Again, check your body language... If your weight is forward, similar to that of a jockey, you are offering your horse to run faster... If you weight is back in the saddle you are offering him to slow down...
With patience and clarity you will start in small steps (literally) to begin creating the opportunity for a two way conversation. This will allow both you and your horse to gain confidence in the other which will then lead to a trusting and fulfilling partnership that will allow you to both enjoy a quality ride. Remember, when your horse shows signs of rushing, nervousness, concern, worry or stress he is not trying to act naughty, rather he is asking for your help.
Sam
Question:
My 15 year old QH has a hard mouth. I currently ride him with a full cheek snaffle twist and with a standing martingale. But sometimes he outs his head down and tries to yank me down. I don't know what to do. Many people have suggested a harsher bit or spurs but I really don't know. What should I do? I need more control.
Answer:
Thank you for writing, hopefully I can offer some alternative ideas and suggestions from what you might be thinking. Too many times our horses tolerate what we ask of them, but as we increase the intensity or performance levels, they start to show signs of stress, worry, insecurity, fear or "acting out" in dangerous or unwanted behavior. Most of their behaviors are seen as "suddenly" appearing, which is wrong. Many times horses attempt to communicate in many shapes, ways and forms when they are having a problem. Too many times people ignore their horse's pleas for help and guidance, forcing the horse to comply physically while he is mentally and emotionally stressed out.
Imagine if you were being taught something new by someone. If you had some concern or worry about, and they just kept telling you "it'll be fine" and you went along trusting them. Then what if "it" didn't turn out to be fine and you reached of point of being completely worried for your safety. What would you do to get them to believe you could no longer "tolerate" what they'd been telling you? You would do whatever it took to get them to believe you were REALLY having a problem. It is no different with our horses.
Too many times people are satisfied with "good enough" or "close enough" because they get so focused on the end goal, instead of the quality of the ride that will allow them to achieve the end goal. If the ride quality at ALL times is good, then the end performance will be the ideal without having unnecessary stress for either the rider or horse.
Most "run away" horses or horses that do not stop when we would like them to, do so because something is scaring them or making them emotionally uncomfortable and therefore they respond by physically trying to get "away." The only natural defense a horse has to protect themself is to run. The tack and equipment you use are only addressing the symptom (the not stopping) not the issue (your horse being mentally available to listen to your aids from the saddle.) The stronger and more severe equipment you put on your horse will only create more stress and worry in him. It may temporarily appear to be an easy and quick fix that will force him to contain his frustrated or worried feelings until the day he finally is pushed to his limit and he explodes. By only addressing the equipment used and it's effectiveness will only delay your lack of controllability in your horse for a short period (like putting a band-aid on a wound that requires stitches.) I would say you need to go back and assess the clarity of your aids and the mental and emotional availability of your horse in order to create clear two way communication.
Break his "running away" down into steps. You might ask yourself these questions: When does he start to get strong when you ride? What kind of bit and other equipment do you currently use on him and why? Does it fit him correctly and is it effective? How soft and responsive is he towards your aids during your sessions when not running barrels? How effective are your aids? Does he respond worried if he is distracted, leaving his barn mates, riding in a group, etc.?
My guess is that he probably shows you signs of panic before he actually takes off. If you try to address this while it's happening, you are merely responding to his panicked reaction. You need to be able to recognize and RESPECT his behavior before or even when he STARTS to get panicked and be able to intercept his thoughts of running by offering him a better alternative. Keep in mind he will not listen to your aids unless they are both clear and effective.
Number one: The bit stops your horse. It does not ever stop your horse. His mental availability and respect of your aids is what allows him to physical stop.
Number two: Would you get into a car if you knew the steering or brakes only sometimes worked? If you wouldn't do that, then WHY would you not make it a number one priority to address steering and brakes when riding a thousand pound animal that has his own ideas and emotions about life?
Number three: Most horses have what I call a teenager attitude towards people. When someone offers the horse something most horses respond with a "Why should I?" attitude. Instead, our goal is create a mental availability in our horses in order to have them offer "What can I do to make this work?"
Number four: Most people are reactive riders. They wait and see being "hopeful" about how their horse might respond. Then they decide if they like or dislike what their horse is offering. Instead you must TAKE YOUR HORSE FOR THE RIDE rather than going along for the ride. You need to tell your horse AHEAD of time what you are going to ask of him instead of hoping he'll figure it out.
Number five: Horses and people are "patternized" beings. They get very comfortable with what they know and as soon as something different is presented they fall apart. How often do you change your routine of when you catch horse, where you groom and tack him up, when you ride him, what you ask of him throughout a ride, etc. Your horse should be available to try and do whatever you make ask of him at any time, anywhere.
So even though your horse has been ridden for years you may have to go back to some of the basics and re-evaluate you and your horse. In your case I would gather that there is general lack of clear communication between you and your horse. There are many ways to break down his lack of willingness to lope at various speeds. Because he is currently confident that when asked to lope it must be at a full out speed, that is all he thinks he needs to offer you. You are going to have to be able to influence his brain with alternative ideas, clarify how and what aids you use, and help him start to gain confidence when he mentally addresses you so that he can then offer alternative physical responses, rather than the current conditioned brainless responses.
First look at yourself, you will need to evaluate how you are using what aids, when, why and with how much pressure and then break down exactly when your horse mentally "tunes you out." Remember that a horse can feel a fly land on his skin, if you are creating a lot of "activity" with your aids and not getting a response, your horse is tuning you out.
Many horses are what I call "shut down" (mentally unavailable) due to boredom and routine rides. It will take a lot of creativity to create interest in your horse so that he will begin to enjoy participating in the ride rather than tolerating the ride. You will also have to establish black and white lines that clarify which of his reactions to your aids and what behaviors will be acceptable and those that are not. The faster you can catch an unwanted response, the faster he can "let it go" and try another response.
The faster you acknowledge that he achieved your "ideal" response, (giving him a break, move on to something else, etc.,) the more confidence he will have to increase his level of mental availability and physical performance. As you increase your own awareness and thought process you will begin to be able to pin point where and when you need to do something different in order to get an alternative response from your horse.
Also you need to become aware if your horse only has a hard time slowing at the lope, or perhaps you may not have noticed, but I would guess, that asking him to perform various energy levels within the walk, jog/trot, he probably also has a difficult time doing- this only becomes worse the faster he moves, which is why at a lope he feels slightly out of control.
Many times when working on a repeated exercise, horses try to please us by trying to do what is "right" ahead of when we have asked them. In reining your horse probably has been conditioned to perform the pattern, rather than waiting for specific cues or direction from you. You need to have his mind available at all times to consider what you are asking, even if in the middle of a pattern. If you can influence his mind, then you can change his outward actions. The more he realizes you are helping him throughout the ride, rather than fighting to control his speed, the more sensitive he will be to listening to your aids.
Last but not least. Keep in mind that race horses run their fastest when they are straight... Mentally many horses are way ahead of where there are physically moving, so if your horse is moving too fast, offer him a circle, turn or specific task that will act as something to get his brain to slow down, and tune back in to where he currently is at. You can slowly make the task more specific, until he offers to slow down... then continue on with your ride as if nothing interrupted you... Soon it'll only take one rein about to offer him a circle, turn, etc. and he'll slow down... Again, check your body language... If your weight is forward, similar to that of a jockey, you are offering your horse to run faster... If you weight is back in the saddle you are offering him to slow down...
With patience and clarity you will start in small steps (literally) to begin creating the opportunity for a two way conversation. This will allow both you and your horse to gain confidence in the other which will then lead to a trusting and fulfilling partnership that will allow you to both enjoy a quality ride. Remember, when your horse shows signs of rushing, nervousness, concern, worry or stress he is not trying to act naughty, rather he is asking for your help.
Sam
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