Is Your Horse Coping With Your Training?

The way we train our horse has a massive influence in how successful that horse is going to be - not just in competition, but also in general riding, future life, and the bonding with its rider. To understand this, we must understand how the horse adapts to changes in its environment.

Adapting

Horse movement and behaviour is dynamic in essence. What we get one day will be different to the next. However we generally see the full scope of the horse’s tricks within the first 12 months. Each mood or behavioural trait we experience is an expression of the horse’s personality. Our goal is to channel the horse’s physical, mental and emotional energy positively toward progress.

This can be emotionally exhausting for the rider (and trainer). Eventually, though, the horse runs out of new tricks and we end up revisiting the same issues. Sometimes this makes it feel like we are going backwards but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. We have learnt how to resolve this issue before, so we can work through it again. Each time we work through a problem we get through it a little quicker and a little easier until all that is needed is just a finest of tuning.

Mentally

What we think our horse understands and what the horse actually understands is not always the same thing. In training, riding and teaching I use a training scale of exercises to ensure the horse understands each individual aid and then different combinations of the aids.

It’s akin introducing the alphabet to a child. They may pretend they understand it when it is first learnt but things get harder when you then have to put that alphabet into words and the words into sentences and the sentences into stories. Sometimes we have to go back and consolidate their understanding of the alphabet. 

The horse’s learning curve is very similar to a child’s. Initially when you introduce a new exercise or aid they are very keen to learn and they try hard. This, however, may only last 2 or 3 times practising the introduced exercise before they understand what is expected of them. We then enter the testing phase. The horse knows exactly what is expected of it and is now trying to figure out every way it can possible think of to not do as he or she is asked.

This is generally where most people come unstuck, once a horse knows how to get out of work it becomes a battle of the wills to get them to cooperate again.

And finally, Acceptance. Generally one the other side of a great huff or snort, the horse has accepted that it just has to do as it is asked and will start trying.

This is where we should stop and reward them for trying even if it’s not at the standard we had hoped. If we encourage a horse to always be trying it will be giving us 100% - if we push for more we start creating our own problems. 

Emotionally

A horse that is not in control of its emotions cannot control its behaviour. Showing a horse how to work through his or her own emotions is important for a controlled, focused and attentive horse. We need to teach the horse how to breathe...

Sound strange?

Horses are such intuitive and emotional animals. They feed off the energy around them, whether it be coming from their environment, other horses, their riders, trainers or carers. The energetic stability of those around them is what enables a horse to cope, trust and respect others.

Every horse I compete knows how to breathe with me. It is essentially the art of dancing. At the start of each test at our halt salute, I take a deep breath and my horse will take a deep breath so they can focus and give 100% without emotional tension. This also allows for maximum fluidity and suppleness throughout the test. 

Our riding must be designed in a way that is fluid and dynamic, just like the horses ability to adapt, for us to succeed. Mental, emotional and physical components all play a part (read about the physical adaptation here).

Identifying & Rectify the Emotional Stability of Your Horse

You need to breath… and so does your horse!

Holding your breath isn’t a cessation of breathing but a tension that comes about due to fear or stress that constricts the muscles around the rib cage, making breathing naturally and deeply difficult.

Noticing your horse is holding its breath is your first indication that it is not at ease with you and its environment. For this type of horse generally, if something changes in their environment, such as a loud noise, a tree branch falling, a bird fly into the air close by, it will likely switch them into flight mode.

The flight response or stress response is a complicated sequence of hormones that are triggered for self preservation from an environmental threat which, in the wild, would be a predator. Different areas of the brain work together to perceive the threat (amygdala) and to recognise and alert of potential threats from previous learnt experiences (hippocampus). Healthy development of certain parts of the brain (prefrontal cortex) help to quiet the part of the brain that is alerting the body of a potential threat.

Studies are coming to the forefront that show that chronic ongoing stress and fear at an early age affects the development of the prefrontal cortex that buffers the stress response and has long term repercussions of the architecture of the brain as an adult.

This to me highlights the responsibility we need to show for the safe and calm learning environment when breaking a horse for their long term mental stability and ability to calmly process stimuli safely. The use of fear based, bullying tactics should be left behind as we continue to develop our horse training skills.

So what has been determined to help process stimuli calmly and safely?

Social support and breathing.

 One study was done on children where a stressful stimuli was put in front of them in the form of angry faces. (From previous studies we know that horses can interpret mood and emotion from our body language and facial expression). When the mother was present there was less activation of the part of the brain that perceived the threat and more activation of the area of the brain which controls our emotional responses to stress (prefrontal cortex) so we don’t get too stressed out. This is called social buffering.

This relationship between the two areas of the brain doesn’t become well established until maturity and adulthood. This has the potential to affect the horses emotional and mental stability when weaned too young and can train in a pathway of reaction to stimuli before we even look at introducing training.

This also highlights the importance of showing up in our horses life especially if they are younger (and when I’m saying younger I mean under 10) as consistent support that they trust because we are offering that “social buffering” for them. Taking away the intensity of the threat so that they can process their environment more calmly.

This social buffering also occurs in relationships with our partners and what could also be called a “bond”.  If we are or our horse is in a group we/they know and a familiar environment, we/they cope with stress much better than if they experienced the same stress alone. This is crucial to note when we are in the “getting to know you” phase of a new horse, settling them in to their new environment and routine and getting to know their new paddock mates. Its generally not until a couple of months later that the true personality of the horse starts to come out and they start testing boundaries as they get comfortable with you and their new environment.

This social buffering I notice time and again with my students that have taken time to spend with their horses. One of our first recommendations when getting a new horse is to spend time just handling and being around them without trying to ride them. The affect this has on their level of alertness and tension is huge!

It doesn’t happen overnight. Think of any relationship you’ve ever had - it takes years to forge. Ideally we are trying to avoid tripping up that cascade of hormones and neural pathways into a flight state by making our horses feel safe because they are with us. Then when they let go of their stress and tension they can breathe deeply again and we know they feel safe and confident in us and their environment.

When I was competing I would train my horses to breath with me. I would sit and take deep breaths until they took a deep breath and then I would pat them to reinforce the behaviour. I would get it so that we could enter the arena and halt salute and while I was at the halt I would take a deep breath and so would my horse. We could then slow our respiratory rate and heart rate and focus our heightened energy and nerves into our performance together making for a smoother test with less errors and better flow.

I also use this with horses I don’t know, often getting it on the ground first and when I’m backing horses. Helping and showing a horse how to process their emotions, their frustration, anxiety and tension is about 70% of getting horses to work with us in partnership.

Social Buffering

Some exercise to improve your bond and create social buffering

• Our walk, halt, back up exercises.

• Sitting in the paddock with them while they graze.

• Guiding them confidently through situations that make them nervous.

• Spending time grooming them.

• Feeding them.

• Patting them.

• Using encouraging and positive tones, body language and facial expressions.

Becoming aware of when they hold their breath and develop tension is key. So spending time just watching them and noticing how they look when they are relaxed and how they hold themselves during a perceived threat. Where this gets tricky is when they’ve learnt to shut down. (Read about what a horse that is shut down is like here).

Breathing exercises to practice around your horse.

• Breathe in and as you breathe out force the air slowly between your teeth, this engages your diaphragm and encourages you to breath deeply.

• Breathe in for 7, hold for 5 and out for 5. This is also a good exercise if you’re nervous as it resets your respiratory rate.

• Breathe in for 10 and out for 10

When you are doing these exercises ask them to stand beside you and not eat. When they take a deep breath give them a pat and let them eat. If you’ve been doing it for a while and they haven’t taken a deep breath take them for a walk and try again.

We can rarely begin to comprehend and understand what our horses have experienced in their life. Often by the time I see them they are damaged and broken by their experiences with people.

When we don’t know the history of our horses

My students ask me why does my horse ...? And mostly I can’t say exactly why, I can’t read their mind and see what they’ve experienced that has shaped their coping mechanism that way.

The best I can say is that there is hope; we can recondition their responses to stimuli. But it does take time and patience and as always prevention is better than cure. This is the main reason I prefer to take the time with horses to training their trainability, to help them cope with their big emotions and to create a positive and encouraging learning environment with clear, will established boundaries.

Has Your Horse Shut Down?

What is a horse that has shut down?

A horse that has shut down has developed this behaviour as a coping mechanism for stress.

When a shut down horse explodes it can be seriously unexpected and dangerous.

In stubborn horses it can be seen as stubbornness but it also shows up in the more flighty horses where their brain disconnects from their body and is shut off to their experience. This kind of horse copes, copes, copes and then explodes and the rider is left asking where the heck did that come from?

A horse that has shut down emotionally is the end result of desensitisation gone wrong. They have been taught to react to nothing, rather than feeling, because feeling would include fear and anxiety and they are not allowed to react. Instead, they have just shut off emotionally.

While desensitising is important for our horses, relationship built on trust has more of an impact than any amount of desensitisation. If my horse is unsure of something I want it to be curious and investigate it, not just shut off to it. Being shut off to it is “safer” than the mad, hairy bolt away from it but eventually something will trigger your horse to react and it will be years of pent up anxiety behind it – and probably a thousand times more dangerous.

Some of these horses may also be shut down due to pain. If a horse is sore and made to work no matter what, the best way to go on for some of them is to just shut down. (Click here to read about the sacroiliac pain the quiet lameness)

Again we eventually get to the point where the pain is too much to bare and then they react (these horses are the most often to be called dangerous and unrideable because the novice rider, trainer or instructor didn’t see it coming and labels the horse as “unpredictable”).

We don’t want our horses internalising their pain or their emotions and just cope with being ridden. Firstly because that’s not a partnership and secondly they can only internalise so long before it all blows up in our face.

Our best chance for getting a good working relationship with our horse is to open up a two way conversation where our horse can tell us if its uncomfortable or unhappy (in ways other than bucking, rearing, bolting, biting, kicking) and with being there for them when they do feel stress and pressure. (Read here for getting our horses to relax and breath with us).

4 Causes of the “Girthy” Horse – and How to Rectify Them

Have you ever seen a girthy horse?

The one that seems to dislike the saddle the minute you place it on, ears back, non-friendly nose nudges or even nips as you do up the girth? Or perhaps the horse that tosses his head and thrashes around, rearing or even falling?

It’s not fun.

As an owner of one of those horses, we want to make them as comfortable as possible, but we still want to ride them – so how can we overcome the issues?

Your horse could be telling you he is uncomfortable, he is in pain, or it could be behavioural.

The way to overcome a girthy horse is to first know the root cause of the problem.

Here are 4 common reasons horses become girthy, and what you can do.

Poor tack fit

If the saddle or saddle pad are not fitted correctly, the tree of the saddle is twisted, or the girth is regularly pinching the skin, this could result in the unwanted girthy behaviour.

The Fix: ensure all tack is properly fitted. Do some research or even get a professional to reevaluate. You may have to invest in new or additional pads or specialised equipment, such as shoulder relief girths.

Abdominal Pain

Some horses may be living with chronic abdominal pain, such as that caused by ulcers, and the simple action of tacking up can create more discomfort.

The Fix: Identify if there are any other signs of abdominal discomfort, such as loose stools, dry stools, fussy eating, difficulty maintaining weight, or poorly digestion (evidence of grain in the manure). If there is, consult with your veterinarian about appropriate treatment, which can include further investigation, dietary changes or supplements.

Chiropractic Issues

If you horse has poor alignment across the back, shoulders, ribs or pelvis, you may get some negative reactions when tacking up. This could be a combination of currently pain or remembered pain.

The Fix: Chiro review is in order regularly for any horse, but applying training scale correctly can reduce the likelihood of misalignment occurring. Register here to find out  more about our course Foundations of Equine Development Green to Self Carriage.

Behaviour

Horses are often a lot smarter than most people give them credit for. They have a strong memory, so painful or scary moments, such as improperly introducing them to the saddle when they were being broken in, could create lingering issues.

Also, horses have an incredible ability to learn behaviours that give them the release they seek. In the case of a horse that may be girthy, it may have started out as an attempt to get out of work, and once that worked, they repeat.

The Fix: Behaviour issues can be difficult and lengthy to fix, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. And when you understand the basis underlying the correct behaviour training for horses, it becomes a simpler process (although it may not take any less time, it just depends on the issue). A horse that is fearful will often stop breathing (read about these horses here), and you will need to help them overcome that. If you have a horse that has learnt these behaviours because of positive stimulus, training on pressure/release is ideally suited (read more here).

Girthy horses can be annoying, and sometimes dangerous, but we shouldn’t give up.

What if your horse doesn't want you to ride?

Have you ever wondered what your horse is trying to tell you when they are:

• Bucking

• Rearing

• Bolting

• Flinching

• Tail swishing

• Stomping

• Ears pinned

• Swinging their heads at you as the girth gets done up

• Kicking their belly

• Running away when you try to catch them

Are they sore? Do their teeth need doing? Is their tack ill fitting?

All of these questions are very valid and must be ruled out but I’m about to give you the one answer you don’t want to hear.

You’re horse doesn’t want you to ride it.

Oh no!! Shock, horror!! How dare I say that!?! Surely every horse should be filled with gratitude and happiness at the very idea of you riding it!?! No they do not.

 Need support getting started on helping your horse love riding again? Click here for the free mini-training!

Your horse wants 3 things from you:

1.     Stop jabbing it in the belly with your legs and pulling it in the mouth with your hands.

2.     Stop making it work

3.     Get off, feed it, scratch its butt, give it some treats.

This is a very hard realisation to come to as a horse rider because it now puts our beautiful companion - the one that makes our heart sing to be on its back, galloping off into the sunset with the wind blowing in our hair - at the level of slave. They have to do this because we say so.

And this brings up some strong feelings of guilt and shame that our pleasure is at the expense of another animal (well, hopefully that comes up for you). This came up for me when I figured this one out for myself.

After ruling out all the issues my horse possibly could have it came down to the last variable, ME. And it floored me. As a professional instructor and trainer, how could I possibly continue working in this industry with the idea that I was creating slaves for our happiness? This was a tough one, and for a while the main thing that kept me going was that just because I quit wouldn’t mean that industry abuse would stop or that people would stop riding. It would just mean that I had given up doing what I love.

To get the right answer you have to ask the right question.

So the question changed.

If I were to not quit but instead continue riding and advocating riding as a sport and hobby, how could I do this in a way that would get the horse to want to be ridden?

Which left me with 3 principles that has founded the rest of my training.

1.     Create a relationship with your horse SO THAT it enjoys your company

2.     Make the education process and learning fun and engaging SO THAT the horse wants to learn

3.     Make movement feel good SO THAT they want to move and train.

 This is not something magical that happens over night. It means consistently showing up for your horse every day, advocating for the life it deserves, being aware of its wants and needs are and only putting just enough pressure on them that they can grow and flourish.

In the short term this takes time and patience. But its well worth it for the gifts our horses give us.

This is our horses gift to us:

• Don’t worry about the time it will pass anyway (and what better way to spend it than with our horses)

•  Don’t become emotionally engaged in the results, instead use the results to learn from the experience

• Have trust and faith in the process that you and your horse are exactly where you need to be in this moment, and you don’t always get what you want but you do always get what you need.

• Just breath.

With these gifts the horse has given us we get to meet the person inside of us that is happy, at peace and ease with themselves and their lives who knows what it feels like for their heart to sing with glee. You know this person, you’ve met them before, it’s why you are a horse rider, it’s because you know that’s where you can find this person inside you. This person is the best version of yourself and when they come out in the saddle your horses heart also sings and you can make beautiful music together that is a pleasure to watch. Anything else is a bonus.

If you want this experience PLUS the acknowledgement of your peers and judges that you are a good rider we can get you that too. After all the training scale that dressage is based on IS the exercises that your horse needs for moving to feel good.

Need help getting your horse to love riding again? Check out this free mini training, available now!

The secrets behind your dressage scores

Have you ever thought about what the judges are actually marking you on in your Prelim test?

When you are in prelim, the foundation skills needed for prelim are rhythm and tempo, making your horse work in front of you leg, and keeping them into contact.

The judges are looking for the application of the training scale – how well you implementing the training scale at home for your horses’ physical, mental and behavioural development. They want to see that the test flows: one movement should flow easily into the next without resistance, which shows good behavioural training and exposure.

They are also looking for accuracy in the test – the diameters of you movements, the correct shape on the course.

If you can ride an accurate test without any behavioural issues you should get at least 50-60% in your scoring. This shows you have put enough training in at home to be able to navigate the movement in the arena without your horse being silly.

Obviously, this can depend on your horse’s previous exposure and at what level you are competing at – for example, if you are riding at an official day they would expect a higher standard than at an associate day.

The next thing your judges are looking for is your rhythm and tempo. This should be consistent and fluid throughout the test- it shouldn’t be hurried but it should be active.

The next is connection and working frame, particularly the consistency of the frame throughout the test, and that you can ride your horse with bend. When we achieve this, we should be starting to see our marks getting up to 60-65%. It shows that we are implementing our training scale well, that our horse is understands how to work with self carriage, connection, and knows how to carry that through transitions and onto the movements.

We can start pushing those marks up when our horse starts working with thoroughness and swing, and that they are not working on the forehand but they are pulling through the shoulder.

Lastly is impulsion. Once we start working with impulsion, we can see our marks pushing the 70%, or maybe even the 80%, depending on the quality of the horse and the level of competition that you are at.

Keep in mind, your scores can also be influenced by the first horse that competes (as he sets the bar for the rest of the day), and what level you are competing in.

So when you complete your test, receive your results and are seeing comments give us insight into what areas we should be working with.

More forward – know more about how to keep you horse in front of your leg without rush; how to create more forwardness in your rhythm and tempo.

More bend – we need to learn how to ride our horse more around our leg.

More frame – your horses’ development in being able to work with rounded connection and into your hands, having the sensitivity to the bit and the suppleness through the back to be able to maintain the connection.

When you achieve these ‘mores’, you would be at the next level of competition – and once you get there, there will be more ‘more’ to achieve!

And that is why dressage is an ever improving sport.

17 Easy Exercises to Develop a Bond With Your Horse

Establishing a bond with your horse is a lengthy and complex process. Here are some exercises and activities that can help you do just that.

Exercises to establish respect and discipline

1.     When you walk they walk. When you stop they stop.

2.     Backing up

3.     Inviting them in and sending them away

4.     Moving away from pressure – forward, sideways, backwards

5.     Giving to pressure - flexing

6.     Sending them away from their food when you feed them

These exercises (except the feeding) are the first things I will do with an unknown horse and commonly called groundwork. Before I hop on a horse I want to know how the horse reacts to pressure, how far the horse can be pushed before he/she reacts, how the horse reacts, how the horse shows his/her discomfort before he/she has a hissy fit and how to settle him/her from there. I want to see how he/she moves, if there is any stiffness, irregularity or strain in the movement and if me sitting on them is going to antagonise this. I want to know how well he/she takes to being bossed around and what he/she will do when they are. This can generally give me a fairly good idea of their personality within the first half hour of working with them. It also gives me a good idea of where to start with the exercises.

These exercises are also the basis of a good horse that shows discipline and manners, similar to a child saying please and thank. A mindful horse should follow when you walk, not walk over the top of you when you stop, back away from you and out of your space when asked and step into your space when invited. They should give to pressure and react to a cue when asked. If these qualities are established on the ground it is a lot easier to create them under saddle.

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Exercises to establish a rapport

7.      Take them for lead line walks.

8.      Grooming

9.      Appreciate your horses individuality and its little behavioural quirks it uses to communicate.

10.   Wander around the paddock with them while they are grazing. Leave little treats around the paddock for them to find. Take a book and a chair out and sit with them while they graze.

11.   Show affection toward your horse and feel affection toward your horse. This may sound strange but our horses work best if we are present with them. If we are thinking about other things going on outside that environment or at home or other aspects of our life we lose that connection with our horse. Stay present with them, breath them in, feel them and let your heart expand.

12.   Be grateful for each and every moment you have with your horse.

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Exercises to calm and relax

13. Breathing. Breath in for 7 hold for 7 out for 5. Reset your heart rate and breathing rate.

Take responsibility for your energetic state. It can be helpful to do some meditation tutorials. Your energy feeds your horses energy. If your energy raises out of fear or excitement your horses will as well. Horses work in a herd mentality ready to run at a moments notice. As soon as they feel the horses around them become more alert and less relaxed they will be ready to run. This is what they feel from you when you are tense and alert. They don’t realise its their behavior making you nervous, they are ready for the predator to jump out of the bushes and eat them. If you want your horse to be relaxed, you need to channel your inner grazing horse. A horse with its head down eating is a relaxed horse, it is not threatened and feels safe.

14. Give your horse a massage with a tennis ball. Horses love a good massage and using a tennis ball is the easiest way for anyone who has no particular training in massage. It can loosen and soften the tension out of their body and help them feel calm and relaxed and enjoy your company.

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Some final notes

15. Work together through the learning phase:

• learning

• trying everything other than what you want

• acceptance

16. Communication is a 2 way street

If you want your horse to be kind and appreciative, you need to be kind and appreciative. When your horse reaches out to you appreciate and reciprocate. Touching their nose to you, physical contact, other ways your horse tries to connect with you. Show that you are aware, or they will stop.

17. But above all be fair, be firm and be consistent.

Developing a Bond with your Horse

Are you trying to improve your relationship with your horse but don’t know where to start?

A bond with a horse is as intricate and fickle as a relationship with any other person in your life. There are many aspects to take into consideration. You need to take responsibility for your role in the relationship and not allow your emotions and hang ups to dictate your behaviour.

A certain amount of education is required to be able to read the horses’ body language and communicate effectively with yours. As a beginner around horses you are in grade 1, learning the alphabet and how to construct a sentence so the horse understands what you are saying. As you develop your skills you start to read what the horse means when it stomps its feet, swishes its tail, tosses its head and flickers its ears. This is how horses communicate. They use their body language similar to sign language because they cannot verbalise their thoughts.

It is our job to interpret what these signs mean and give the appropriate responses. The horse will watch us and how we respond to their behaviour. They are much better at picking up these signals than we can ever hope to be. The clever ones will even test our consistency in our own behaviour.

“Ginger is a 16 month old filly I recently introduced myself to. She had just started testing her boundaries and establishing her independence. When people approached her she would snake her head and swing her hindquarters to you. Not knowing this was inappropriate behaviour, the owners hadn’t picked up on in it and weren’t correcting it. These were the first 2 things I wanted to address. I wanted to be able to invite her in to me but also send her away if need be and create some space between us. When I approached her, or even if she approached me out of curiosity she’d snake her head at me. During our first lesson together we were just getting to know each other and test boundaries. I wanted to see how deeply this behaviour was established and she wanted me to leave her alone so she could go back to the other horses. Once she established that I wanted her to come in to me, she started testing the cue that I was giving her to ask her in. She would deliberately turn her head away from me and run around me acting out and then turn in to me, testing how I responded to each thing she did. I had to be careful to read her body and position myself safely around her, make sure the timing and the application of my cues were perfect but more importantly there was the release of pressure and positive reinforcement at the appropriate times. She walked out of this lesson quietly, confidently and calmly at my side. She had worked me through my paces and was happy for me to take the lead.”

A bond is dynamic, and continues to evolve over a lifetime

 If we don’t acknowledge these signals the horse starts to feel confused, frustrated and misunderstood. The horses’ signals get louder, as if shouting, and can escalate to inappropriate behaviour such as biting or kicking.

There are many reasons why a relationship can turn sour.

• There’s no connection between you and the horse

• The horse feels misunderstand or unappreciated

• The horse doesn’t enjoy the time it spends with you

• The horse has no respect for you

• The horse lacks education.

Educated horses are a catch 22. Green horses still exhibit more horsey behaviour because they haven’t had the years of handling to understand what is expected of them. They only know how to behave like a horse, however they can be more interested learning process. An educated horse that has decided it is smarter and more cunning than its owner can be more dangerous than a green broken horse. It knows the tricks of the trade, understands how to bluff its way out of work and can manipulate the rider’s behaviour to get what it wants, which in most cases is to finish riding and get turned out and fed.

As with any relationship there’s a fine line between establishing clear boundaries and behavioural expectations and being able to relax and be yourself around them:

• You need to listen to their communication and make them feel like you are trying to understand.

• You need to prove yourself as a good leader if you want them to take direction from you.

• You need to spend time with them where there is no expectations and enjoy each others presence.

• You need to share yourself with your horse, let it feel you as you feel it, be happy in its presence and in the moment, feel love, gratitude and appreciation for them and allow them to show it in return.

A bond isn’t something that’s developed in a day, a week, a month or even a year. It is dynamic and continues to evolve over a lifetime. Each experience, each training session, each feed, each groom, each show, each trail, each moment of utter defeat and every epiphany shapes and develops the bond between you and your horse. What you have today won’t be the same in a month, in a year, in 3 years. You need to experience the depths of your existence and who you are as a person with your horse as your guide if you are truly looking for a meaningful bond.  

PS Stay tuned for our upcoming blog: Developing a Bond with Your Horse - 17 Easy Daily Exercises

Some notes about horsemanship...

Some notes about how a relationship is strengthened and how a horse learns:

·       Always work from your heart

·        If you want to be part of their herd, they need to be part of your family

·       A relationship is defined by its hard times. How you guide your horse through difficult times will shape its behavior in difficult situations.

·       Don’t become emotionally engaged in an argument. Work through the frustration and find a resolution, instead of fighting.

·        Take the lead

·        Be consistent with establishing manners

·        Follow through

·        Develop your skills well enough that you trust in yourself around the horse.

·        The horse learns from the release of pressure, not the application.

·        Use your voice and use the same words and pitch for the same things. Horses can pick up on words the same way as dogs can.

·        Use positive reinforcement

·        Don’t be afraid to discipline your horse if it intentionally hurts you. Knowing how you will discipline is important and also what works for your horse. Finding the level of pressure best suited to your horse is key. You want to find the point just past ignorance, but before reactivity where I call responsivity. This sweet spot is different for every horse and rider combination.

·        Listen to how they respond to cues. Do they understand what you are expecting of them?

Attention + focus = connection

Connection is key. Not only do we need to learn how to keep our horses relaxed attention and focus on us but so do we have to keep our relaxed focus and attention on them. How many times have you gone down to the yard with the to do list, the shopping list, the conversation with your boss, the argument you had with a friend all jumbling around in your head only to come away feeling worse because you’ve had the worst training session?

If you join our free facebook group we have a free training in there on exactly what to do to start building a connection with your horse today!! What a great way to spend the holidays!