Trail Ride Encounters- Thoughts from a recent ride

This past week we had several days that really made one question living 20 miles east of North America’s largest sand dunes… Somehow it never occurred to me that what creates the sand dunes will also affect the surrounding areas; i.e. WIND!  We had one day with 20mph consistent blowing and up to 45mph gusts.  Yeah, really. 

Most of us who have spent any time around the “old school” barns will tell you wind is NOT your horse’s friend.  Just think of all the opportunities for “stuff” to go wrong; out of control blowing plastic bags, tumbleweeds the size of a medium dog carelessly barreling towards you and your horse (no matter where you move, the tumbleweed is guaranteed to hound you,) the local wildlife “aflutter” only adding to your horse’s current state of near panic, the barn door “flapping” on its frame causing an echo like “demon” to antagonize your horse, and so on.  You get the idea. 

Needless to say, for those of us that have been in a situation where you had a job to do, you could not use weather as an excuse to delay.  So as a side note I’d like to mention a huge “bravo” to those horsemen who brave the winds, whether in sub-zero temperatures searching for new born calves on the Kansas snow covered prairies, to those in northern Colorado where wind can take 1,000lb hay bales and toss them like bowling balls.  And those here in the Arizona desert, although severe temperatures aren’t usually the issue, the “sandblasting effect” in trying to function can be beyond frustrating and its aftermath of finding sand in every conceivable (and sometimes not so conceivable) place is exhausting! 

Anyways, needless to say the wind settled down to a slight breeze and although we had a 20+ temperature drop in the last day, the spring warmth once again found its way to our desert.  So I grabbed Pico (who was not too impressed with being taken away from his grazing time) and a few dogs and headed out for the normal “loop” around the block. 

For those who don’t know, where I winter is the lettuce capital of the USA in the winter months.  Although have some of the most barren stretches of desert in Arizona with summer temperatures hitting 120 degrees on a “regular” basis in July and August, we DO have agriculture due to the implementation of flood irrigating crops with water provided by the Colorado River.  One never is quite prepared to see thousands of acres of green as they come across acres of lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, onions, hay, citrus and many other crops.  The shock is especially so when you remember that all of the growth occurs in the same desert that the military designates as their “final” training ground for officers about to be deployed to fight in our current war because of similarities in terrain, weather, etc.

It occurred to me that humans and horses have a habit of “getting comfortable” with their current surroundings.  I started noting the number of “obstacles” that appeared as we made our 1 ½ mile ride through the orange groves.  What seemed normal to us could have easily blown another horse’s mind.  Here is some of what we came across: discarded car and tractor tires (at five different places,) wood pallets stacked in random spots, four white tarps billowing in the breeze (used to help prevent leakage through the water gates when irrigating,) an array of trash and broken bottles, four foot wide circles of ashes and other left over burned debris from burn piles, piles of broken limbs the size of cars stacked to be burned in the future, a tractor dragging dead branches to a burn pile, another tractor with arms that swivel above it with sharp blades on the end used to “top” the citrus trees (think “Edward scissor hands” tractor,) the main irrigation canal (15 feet wide by 15 feet deep cemented canal, was only about half full today, but enough water to entice the dogs to endlessly jump in, splash around and then “pop” out – great desensitizing tool for young horses,) jackrabbits being chased out of the groves and inevitably aiming straight for your horse as they flee the dogs,  overgrown dead brush that has stickers so when you walk through it the stalks tend to “grab” your horse- usually the tail- and get drug along as you walk, our railroad tie bridge and chain-link gate we have to pass through to leave the property – it is over the small irrigation canal about four feet deep by five feet wide, etc. 

So you get the idea… up north encountering wild animals (deer, bear, moose, elk, coyotes, fowl, etc.,) water (creeks, rivers, bogs, mud,) woods (from new to old growth,) serious climbs in altitude, extreme footing from shale to dirt and extreme weather can also be the “norm” on a ride out.

I have found over the years the “flat lander” horses are shocked by the mountains, just as much the mountain bred horses are fearful of seeing for vast distances.

Years ago I spent a lot of time traveling to “non-Westernized” locations around the planet.  When you travel in those sorts of locations, you learn to expect the unexpected, and your “standard” of what you would consider normal becomes relatively less defined the further away from modernized culture you travel.  With that in mind take a moment to think about what things your horse considers as “normal” and perhaps certain circumstances that might cause a bit of concern for him.  Too many times we learn how to operate within the “safe” boundaries of our horse’s comfort zone, and then unexpectedly the day comes where we “change it up” and our “fun horse” “suddenly” becomes a fire breathing dragon.

I was recently watching old clips from the Extreme Cowboy competition and had also read an article on exposing a young horse to many situations to help him gain confidence from quality experiences.  I think now a days people have become more open minded to having a bit more versatility in their horse, rather than focusing on just “one” discipline.  Mentally, physically and emotionally I think this does wonders for our horses, but it is also great for us riders to “mix it up” a bit too!

Happy Trails,

Sam & Pico

Raising the Bar and Becoming the Leader our Horse Needs and Wants

Focusing on the human aspect of what we expect and hold as our own standard directly affects the quality of what we offer our horses.

This week of lessons taught seemed to maintain a theme with me encouraging students to “raise the bar” in all aspects that they interacted with their horse.  I understand that our horsemanship is an ongoing experience, but even if someone is a “student” themselves, they still must be a leader to their horse.  I find that the pendulum seems to swing to extremes from over-confident and undereducated horse people, to those who are learning and realize in the process how much they were unaware of “before” their real learning began, and have therefor become hypersensitive or over analytical in regards to all aspects of their horsemanship. 

In my own teachings I have found some of the top reasons for a delay or lack of clarity in human communication offered to the horse seem to include (but are not limited to)

a.) Hopefulness- where the person makes a compromise within themselves physically in order to “fix” what their horse is NOT doing.

b.)Distraction by the “end” goal rather than the current event.

c.) The person is unclear within themselves of what exactly they want from their horse and yet have already presented a scenario to the horse.

d.) The person is self-absorbed into OVER thinking a situation and “missing” the moment(s) when their horse has attempted to communicate with them asking for direction, help, etc.

e.)When dealing with either a hypersensitive or “mentally shut down” horse and not wanting things to “get ugly, big or dramatic”, etc.

We humans tend to want to continually measure “how much progress” we have made with our horses.  The standard for which you hold yourself and your horse to should not be compared with what your “friend and their horse” can do, nor what you saw someone on a training DVD do, nor with what you used to be able to do with a different horse you used to own.  Instead you need to evaluate where you and your horse are “at” on the particular day of the current session.  The past is the past and the future is unknown.  This allows you the opportunity and “freedom” for forward progression.

“How can I help my horse?”  The most valuable thing you can do is to become a clear LEADER.  Remember horses are herd animals, when you and your horse are together, you create a herd.  There is only ONE leader in a herd.  If you do not make the decisions, your horse will.  Being a leader does not mean you have to be aggressive, micro-managing, an egomaniac or “driving” your horse every step of the ride.  Being the leader also means that you cannot be “hopeful” that your horse will “figure out what you want.”  Being the leader does not mean expecting the “correct response” to something you haven’t presented clearly, or riding in an “after the fact” manner- i.e. not communicating clearly and then correcting the horse after he didn’t do what you wanted, rather than presenting what you wanted fairly in the first place.

Being the leader means that you make clear decisions in what and how you want to do something with your horse, and then you use clear communication whether it is physically or spatially to convey what you would like to your horse do.  It also means that you follow through as your horse is trying; if he doesn’t initially offer or understand what you would like, you are not there to just tell him “NO”, but rather to find a way to help and support him in order  to “get it right.” 

As a leader it is your responsibility to SUPPORT your horse whether he is insecure, worried, unclear, stressed or experiencing any other emotional stress.  It is your job to make the decision in how to take an overwhelming scenario and perhaps present it to your horse in “pieces” or baby steps, so that the end goal becomes realistically attainable rather than overwhelming.  

As a leader your brain must be participative 110% of the time; life, job, family and other personal stress, distractions or issues must be “left at home.”  If you show up at the barn only partially mentally and emotionally committed your horse will sense it in less than ten seconds.  He will also get defensive if you pressure him to offer 100% when you are not completely “present” during the session.

We’ve all heard the saying, “You are your own worst enemy.”  This definitely holds true in the sense of how we can “sucker” our brains into overthinking, and then psyching ourselves out.  I had comments this week from students ranging from national level competitors to “back yard riders” who all realized they have at times psyched themselves out of things that had never bothered them before. 

We’ve also heard the cliché, “Knowledge is power,” but I find many times with students that they can get in “trouble” trying to process too much knowledge in theory, without putting in enough “time in the saddle” to improve their eye, timing, clarity, etc.  So sometimes as much as people can be enthusiastic students and what to “sponge up” all the information they can, it can become too much and then can actually handicap a person from “experimenting” with their horse to find out what works and what does not for their particular abilities and partnership.

I’ll be honest, for those of you who have ever attempted to “take on” reading my website there is a LOT of information to process.  Over the years I have specifically used the site the “sift” through potential students who just wanted a “quick fix” for them and their horse versus those that understood their journey with their horse was going to be an ongoing process.  On the other hand, if people have enjoyed the site, many have said, “Wow, I never knew how much I didn’t know.”  But sometimes this sudden new knowledge can allow a person to “corner” themselves into thinking that they now have nothing to offer their horse because of their realization that their current knowledge is limited.  If you carry feelings of insecurity inside of you, there is no way you will BE a leader to your horse.

Remember, if you’ve made it this far you have SOMETHING to offer your horse.  Perhaps advanced movements or scenarios are not appropriate for your current abilities, but there are always things you can do with your horse both from the ground and while riding that can be rewarding and confidence building scenarios for both of you.

Years ago an amazing horseman was helping me with a difficult horse, for most people the horse would have been considered a serious candidate for euthinization because of his extreme athletic and dangerous outbursts that followed his mental stress…  I had definitely made progress with him over the years, but had not realized that he gently trained ME to learn how to work around his “light switch” personality by being very “quiet” in order to avoid any level of confrontation.  The horseman was watching a scenario where this was occurring and he said, “Embrace the tantrum.”  It was such a bold statement that it took several days for my brain to process what exactly was meant by those words.  I finally realized, if I was going to always “tiptoe” around my sensitive horse, my tentativeness was actually adding to my horse’s stress, fear, and anxiety of the unknown.  But if instead, I directly addressed and HELPED my horse “face his fears,” although he may have a bit of a mental and physical melt down, if I was able to follow through in my support, I’d actually help my horse get to feeling better about life after we got through the tantrum.  So I will add to the initial statement, “Embrace the tantrum, but don’t leave your horse in it.”  This statement also does not mean to “challenge” your horse until he “blows a fuse,” which sadly is a very common scenario in things such as trailer loading, crossing water, etc.

So perhaps in time away from your horse you can begin to think back on past sessions and look for possible “holes” in your own behavior that are creating a lack of believable leadership towards your horse which in turn may have caused unwanted results.  Try and learn from the moments when you were/are clear and how fast your horse responds with an, “Aha” moment of recognition that he can offer you what you want, or when the scenario feels more like the “blind leading the blind,” and you and your horse saying, “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” to one another.

Most people can be the leader their horse needs if they start with believing in themselves.  This in turn will allow you to be the quality leader your horse needs, and you’ll be able to raise the bar and reap the rewarding results of your equine partnership.

Hoofprints & Happenings Newsletter Winter 2011/12

Enjoy our latest newsletter... http://www.learnhorses.com/newsletter/Feb%2012%20H%20&%20H.pdf

Ask the Trainer: Horse backing while attempting to mount

Hi, I just bought another quarter horse. When I went to check her out 2 different people a man and a lady got on her to ride she did back up a step are so. So when I got her home I tried to mount her and she just keep backing up. I tried for about an hour to go get on her and she keep backing up. I tried to do this in my field. She let me put the saddle on her easy and the bridle.m I tried this 2 different days. I don't have a round pen, should I try do it in the stall next just to get on and off of her a few times? Thanks for your help I might have to get rid of her.
 
Thanks Paul

Dear Paul,

I'm sorry to hear of the problem you are experiencing with your new horse.  Because I cannot be there to watch what is happening with her, I cannot offer a step by step "how to" answer.  So instead I'm going to present a few major concepts in how you mentally and physically approach and interact with your horse.

There could be many issues going on with your new horse. My first guess is that the backing up is not the issue, but rather a a symptom and defense mechanism to prevent you from riding.  A horse may not want to be ridden due to physical pain from an injury, ill fitting tack, and most commonly fear and insecurity regarding being ridden.  

In your case, since the horse is new to you and you are unfamiliar with her history, it may take a little more investigative effort, time and energy to discover the real issue causing her backing.  If all that you do is attempt to "fix" the unwanted backing without understanding what is causing it, the horse will just find another way to try and prevent you from riding.

Many times when a horse tries to tell us humans that he is having a problem, we tend to ignore them because their behavior isn't dangerous enough for us to respect or address them.  People will say, "oh he just does that." But many small unwanted responses offered by the horse are usually their way of telling the human they are having a problem; if ignored by the human, the small acting out evolves into increasingly more dangerous behavior.  This is when you hear someone say, "all of a sudden he did _________________," but in reality the warning signs started perhaps six months, six weeks or six days before the actual unwanted act.

People tend to forget that horses don't randomly do anything, so if your horse is doing something, there is a reason, even if you are still unclear on why or what the real underlying issue is.

Remember that horses operate on "fear based survival" as they are the prey animal.  So every time they feel fearful or worried, and their pleas for help are ignored by a human, they are reconfirmed that the person is not there to "help" the horse through his issue.  After his pleas for help are either ignored or misinterpreted by the human, the horse will resort to "taking over" in the decision making process when his stress level gets high enough.  The time to build trust and respect with your horse is not at the pinnacle moment he is having an emotional, mental and physical melt down.

The most common problem I find between humans and horse is the lack of clear communication.  The person sees the horse's slow or resistant behavior and may misinterpret it as his being  "bad" rather than recognizing it as a sign that the horse is worried or concerned.  The horse sees the human's delayed, slow or unclear response as a lack of leadership and therefor lacks trust or respect towards the human.  So when the stress level of a situation gets high enough for the horse, the horse "takes over" in how he handles the situation, rather than allowing the human to make the decisions.  This is usually when accidents happen.

So before you reach these extremes you'll need to establish clear, quality communication with your horse.  One of the first concepts to clarify is that most people get distracted by and tend to focus on the unwanted physical movement of the horse, rather than addressing their horse's brain which will in turn affect the physical actions the horse makes.

Put this concept into people terms for a moment. If you were scared of diving, and I tried to push you off the diving board, you would probably lean pretty heavy against my physical pressure against you. The harder I pushed you, the more resistant and stressed you would become.  But if instead I tried to talk to you about your fear and what was causing, we might be able to decrease your level of fear to get you to point where you could willingly dive off of the board with me just asking you to, as oppose to physically forcing you to do so.  The same approach should be applied in how we intersect with our horses.  

Another concept to think about once your horse is mentally participative is his physical "yielding to pressure." Whether you are using the lead rope, rein, or stirrup, etc. your horse should be able to offer a stress free response to what you are asking.  First the human must have a clear intention in their mind as to what exactly it is that they would like from their horse and how they will communicate that.  By being clear ahead of time in what you want and you are asking your horse, it will help you begin to assess your ability to effectively communicate with your horse and notice if there are any "holes".  People are always surprised at how many "broke" horses have major misunderstanding and and blank spots in their education and experience, therefor creating  trust issues towards people, even after perhaps being ridden "successfully" for years.

A simple way to begin assessing your horse's respect towards you is the act of using physical pressure and asking for a specific response, (such as drawing your horse forward with the lead rope.)  This will give you the opportunity to assess your horse's mental and physical response towards the physical pressure you've created with the rope.  If there is a "heaviness" or lethargic response, if he is slow or disrespectful towards the simple act of leading him, his resistance towards you will only magnify the more you ask of him.

Another concept to think about is that anything you would ask for from your horse while you are sitting in the saddle, you would first want to ask for when you are standing on the ground.  Remember, your horse feels a fly land on him, he definitely feels you; it is a matter of if you are effective in how you communicate with your horse.  

Basic tools you should be able to ask of your horse is things such as his ability to look left or right in response to a light energy you use with either the lead rope or rein without having to move the rest of his body.  He'll need to be able to be lightly "drawn" forward, slowed, stopped or asked to shift his weight backwards without "leaning" on your hand.  I always tell people to use a sliding scale from one to ten to assess to the "lightness" of your horse when you ask something of him. If he offers an "eight" pressure in resistance as you ask him to back from the ground, imagine how much heavier he will be when you put a bit in his mouth and are sitting in the saddle asking the same thing.

Why does it matter if your horse can lightly look, slow his energy or address you? I like to use the analogy of driving a car.  How comfortable would you be to drive your car without a steering wheel? Or one that was "loose" causing you to have to constantly over correct the vehicle? And yet that is how many people ride, with hardly any steering and way too much gas.

When this happens the easy and quick "fix" is to turn to severe equipment that will give the rider the illusion that he now has more physical control of his horse. This is a incorrect thought.  The bit does not stop the horse, his brain does. So if you do not address why or what his brain initially is resisting, such as the direction and pressure of your hand on the lead rope asking him to yield, you will be confirming that he can also ignore your reins, seat and energy when you ride.

Timing is another factor.  When you ask your horse to do something, if he does not give you the desired response, you'll have to address him immediately. If you don't, then you'll be reinforcing the idea that your horse can do what he wants.  On the other hand if you ask something of your horse and he responds correctly, leave him alone for a moment, to process that he responded correctly.

I hope these ideas can perhaps open your mind to a slightly larger perspective on things that may be occurring between you and your new horse.  Even though your priority is to "get on and go for a ride" your horse may need you to step back and review some of her basic understanding in order to create a trusting relationship.  When I start colts I teach them how to line up to the mounting block.  By the time I get on them for the first time, they will be tacked up but loose in the round pen, and I will climb up on the mounting block.  I'll ask them to come over and line the self up without me touching them.  When they are ready for you to get on, they'll present themselves at the block and stand quietly.  Those that are not ready will fuss and move and swing their body around.  This tells me I need to perhaps further prepare them for their first ride, since both the horse and I will be participating in it, rather than having my horse tolerate me getting on him.

Good luck,

Samantha Harvey 
www.learnhorses.com
866-904-0111

ATTN: So California Horse Lovers!!! Sam's Scheduled Meet & Greet

Whew- the New Year is upon us!  To kick things off Ranchos Dos Palmas will be hosting a Meet and Greet with Samantha Harvey and her Alternative Horsemanship on Saturday January 21 & 22 in Vista, CA.  There will Lectures, Demos, Q&A, riding lessons and more with FREE auditing for all events!  Please see the attached flyer for the schedule of events, ranch location, Sam’s background and more!

If you have any questions, would like to set up using your horse as a “demo” or participating in either a riding or ground work session, feel free to email or call me.  I look forward to seeing you there!  Please visit the attached link for schedule, lesson/participant sign up, fees and more! http://www.learnhorses.com/Dos%20Palmas%20DemoLectureClinic.pdf

Even if you cannot attend, please feel free to pass on the link to the event to your horsey friends!