Flexibility in Training Procedures - A Horse Named Mouse

 

I was called some weeks ago to have at a look at a little horse named Mouse who, according to the horse's owner, was quite a handful. The horse's owner was pretty saavy about horses in general and actually I was quite impressed at his horse knowledge. It seemed that he'd been doing many things right with his horse but he was still having difficulty with Mouse's attitude and rebelliousness. Mostly, while under saddle, Mouse would turn and spin and either head back to the corral or just dump the rider. When I arrived Mouse had dumped quite a few riders so the owner was concerned. 

We should realize right off the bat that horses are not horses are not horses. This is to say that although there are general truths regarding how we approach a horse in training horses have different personalities and different psychological orientations. Much of these different personalities and psychological orientations have to do with the horses experiences up until the time of training plus horses have varied breeding propensities and leanings. Keeping these things in mind our training methods and techniques must be modified to address personality and psychological differences; if we are going to be successful.

Often times it is not a simple task to understand how a horse has developed psychologically or, for that matter, to get a clear handle on the personality of the horse however, we do have a window into the horse's overall demeanor simply by observing the behavior. Actually, when we stand in front of a horse, one thing we do have going for us is that horses do not attempt to lie to us; they wear who they are pretty much on their shirt sleeve. It is the trainer's task to modify his/her training techniques to best fit the behavior the horse standing in front of him/her. If this is not done, and a trainer simply uses the same techniques on every horse, the process becomes dishonest and ends-up being unsuccessful.

Timing and feel are absolute necessities when training a horse. Good horse trainers are masters at timing and feel. Without these two elements the process is awkward and clumsy to say the least and the horse usually gets more confused as time goes on. I'm not really sure if these two elements can be learned; my feeling is that one either has them or one does not. Rather like the propensity to be athletic - some people are more inclined towards what it takes to be an athlete and some are not. I know that true horse training is like a dance. Each movement and gesture while around the horse is carefully expidited yet it comes from a place inside the trainer that simply knows the steps to the dance. And as the horse does one thing the masterful trainer intuitively adapts his steps in order to request certain behavior or movements from the horse. It all happens so quickly and so fluidly and as a result the horse steps forward into his trainng. Often times, while observing a master in training it appears quite uneventful, as though there is really almost nothing happening, and this is because of the soft and artful manner in which the trainer moves and dialogues with the horse. I refer to this being in the groove with the horse.

Often times horses are blamed for unsuccessful training outcomes. In my opinion, this lack of success stems from the trainer's inability or unwillingness to adjust his or her training methods to fit the personality and psychological orientation of the horse. This is to say that the trainer is simply not in the groove with the horse. It is not necessarily a simple task I have to say but it is the only honest way to proceed. And it is the only way to truly honor and respect the horse and his individuality.

Thanks for listening!

America's Wild Horses

SAVING AMERICA'S WILD HORSES

And the Lord God said to (IYOV) JOB: 

"Did you give the horse its strength?

Did you clothe his neck with a mane?

Did you make him able to leap like a locust?

His majestic snorting is frightening!

He paws fiercly rejoicing in his strength,

Then charges into battle;

Mocking at fear, afraid of nothing.

He does not shy away from the sword.

The quiver rattles against his side,

His gleaming spear and javelin.

Frenzied and eager, he devours the ground,

Scarcely believing the shofar has sounded.

At the sound of the shofar he whinnies;

As from afar he scents the battle,

He cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds."

IYOV (JOB) 39: 19-25

For years I have been following the plight of America's Wild Horses and for years this issue has brought unbearable pain to my heart. What has been happening and what continues to take place with the removal of America's Wild Horses from their habitat is tragic and heartbreaking to say the least. Viewing the video footage on-line of the brutal and inhumane treatment of these amazing family oriented creatures can only be considered a tremendous injustice.  

I have been writing letters, sending emails and telephoning the BLM, government officials and President Obama's office to plead with them to stop the Wild Horse Roundups but the travesty continues as I write this post. As a horse trainer and horse lover and as a decorated Vietnam Combat Veteran I do not appreciate being in this position of what seems to be utter helplessness. It seems that no matter how many voices in our country cry-out to stop the round-up and imprisionment of our Wild Horses our voices continue to fall on deaf ears. 

Just over one hundred years ago two million wild horses graced our ranges in this country. Now, over forty-four thousand of our wild horses are in holding pens across this country and the present figures state that less than twenty-five thousand wild horses remain in the wild today; and those numbers are being constantly reduced at this time. 

I remember a film of a true story I viewed some hears ago titled "In Pursuit of Honor" starring Don Johnson. This film portrayed Calvary horses caught in the cross-hairs of a military that was suddenly going mechanized and the solution put forward was to simply exterminate the horses since they would no longer be needed or deemed necessary by our government. This is a tragic account of how incredibly insensitive the powers that be can be. This film brought tears to my eyes and outrage to my heart. I recommend this film to any horse lover desiring to witness a historically accurate account of gross governmental insensitivity and a total lack of respect for this dignified species.

Each day when I awaken to go out and take care of my own horses and to run my little ranch here in Central Oregon I desparately attempt to fight-off the invading thoughts of what is happening to our Wild Horses. If I manage to forget about the plight of my equine champions for even a moment there can be a little peace that temporarily rests upon my heart yet this peace never lasts very long. At such times I suddenly realize that I cannot forget what is taking place and when I do manage to find temporary peace in fleeting moments I am left feeling like I have deserted them and the tragedy of what is happening to them. And then suddenly when I find the issue invading, once again, the deepest areas of my heart I again experience deep physical pain that is almost unbearable. I live with this pain daily and am often times unable to sleep for nights on end.

During these painful times I pray to the Lord to give me the strength to act in whatever way necessary in order to aid America's Wild Horses. What is happening to our Wild Horses, even as I write here today, is not unacceptable and it is time for true Americans to act swiftly. Horses are sacred creatures as all of creations creatures are however, in some way that I cannot really put my finger on, our Wild Horses are not only the embodiment of honor and grace and dignity but let us not forget that they embody the Spirit of free people in America and everywhere. As we stand by and allow the round-up, abuse and imprisonment of these majestic creatures free people everywhere will lose a part of themselves that is never again to be regained.  

If there is no cause great enough to take a stand for living becomes a passionless, pointless and empty existence of self-indulgence and self-centerdness.

LET US DO THE RIGHT THING AND COME TO THE AID OF OUR WILD HORSES AND BURROS! THEY WAIT FOR US TO DO THE RIGHT THING. 

You can't bluff your horse so stop trying!



This story begins pretty much like most of my stories when I receive phone calls from horse owners. A woman called saying she had a three year old mare - a Shire/Thoroughbred Cross. She asked when I could come to her ranch to give her an evaluation and maybe some guidance about what could be going-on with her "pushy" mare. Unfortunately, it didn't sound at all unusual considering that people call me 90% of the time when there is trouble so we made an appointment for a few days down the road.

When I arrived to the ranch I was met by the woman's husband who began giving me the low-down on the situation. The horse, which they had purchased about six months prior, had never been ridden but had been saddled a few times; and not easily saddled by the way. But the wife had read some books and watched some videos and CD's and had been "training" and driving the horse using a surcingle and long-lines. But the serious problem arose when the wife attempted to mount the horse. Somehow the woman landed on the ground and the horse kicked her pretty good in the thigh leaving a huge bruise. I guess it was just luck that she didn't get hurt much more severely. At this point, and after various other issues with the horse, the husband and wife decided they needed some professional guidance. That's when they called me.

When I arrived the horse was in the field with three other horses and had her own ideas about being caught and haltered. It took quite a while before the owner could halter the horse and this was only accomplished by entering the pasture with a grain bucket. Normally I'd not go for that but before I could begin to change the scenario I figured getting her caught any way possible is sometimes the only way to begin.

In the round pen the mare totally ignored me; constantly looking outside the round pen with her nose in the air and turning her hindquarters towards me at every opportunity. It wasn't rocket science what she was saying loud and clear but then again she had no reason to respect me at this point in the game. But she sure was speaking volumes about what she needed as my training routine began to formulate inside my head. 

It was obvious that she had never been taught to lead properly nor did she understand the concept of coming off of pressure. Imagine thinking to ride such a horse? She was always fussing around and jumping ahead of me, bumping into me and then not wanting to move her feet at all. I had a good feeling that all this bad behavior was just about to change. By the way, it's not the horses fault if the horse owner allows the horse to be in charge. And it's not the horses fault if that horse decides to act stupid or silly or even dangerous. It's our job as horse owners to know how to remedy such behavior. A horses behavior is simply a direct result of the training they've had or have not had. Just like in the wild, horses are always attempting to climb the ladder in the herd towards dominance and leadership. If we as horse owners allow them to dominate us then, by nature, they will take over. Not to understand this basic aspect of horsemanship is to start-off on the wrong foot with a horse.   

Sometimes a trainer has to come on a little stronger with such pushy and dominant horses. And by coming on strong I simply mean that it is important to establish alfa-ship right off the bat. My job as trainer and the job of horse owners in general is to take over the herd of two and to allow the horse to take second position - but to establish this relationship in such a way that the horses dignity is left intact; that's the real art. After all, if this herd of two is to work harmoniously with dignity and honor in tact leadership is simply established and then we all move forward. So please understand that I don't mean come on strong in a macho and exploitive manner. There has to be rewards and there has to be positive recognition of the horses attempts to take steps in the right direction. Otherwise the leadership is flawed and the horse will pick-up on it. This horse only needed to relinquish her erratic behavior that was getting nobody anywhere and this would happen all by itself when she recognized that an alfa horse was now present. And it should be mentioned here that horses are generally looking for an alfa horse to arrive on the scene. The alfa horse treats them the way they want and actually need to be treated so there is more to training a horse than just getting them to do things - it's knowing how to build and generate a relationship based on honor, dignity and respect. Who in the heck wouldn't want that guy to arrive on the scene :)  

So, it should be clear that horses know immediately when the boss shows up. And they know precisely if one doesn't show-up by the way. In the presence of a leader the rest of the herd just steps into place and if the trainer knows his salt it happens right in front of his eyes in minutes if not sooner. When this mare stood with all four feet locked when I attempted to lead her I knew she understood what I was asking but she was just being defiant - after all - she always got her way so why should things change now? With the lead rope held loose in my right hand I took the long tail-end of the rope in my left hand and behind my back I gave her a commanding crack on her hind quarters. I wasn't mad at her I just wanted to be very articulate in telling her that things are now going to change - the first step of establishing alfa-ship.  She immediately jumped forward and looked at me out of the corner of her eye as though to say "Hey, this isn't how we do things around here". It took only two more stout cracks on the hind quarters for her to step in line. In only a matter of minutes she was leading properly, backing up on command and relinquishing her attitude. And it was clear that she was even happy to relinquish leadership to someone deserving. From that moment forward she took her proper place in our herd of two and now, and only now, could her training begin. 

The moral of this story is simple. Before you decide to train your own horse know that unless you have knowledge, technique, feel and timing you just might be training your horse to do all the wrong things. And it's not the horses fault. You must exude and embody leadership or the horse will become defiant. Horses are absolutely smart in this regard. You can't fake being a leader to a horse. They have you figured-out as soon as they lay eyes on you and especially when you enter their presence with a bunch of gear. Before anything else, know what it is that you are attempting to accomplish. With young and/or totally green horses you must know where to begin the training and how and when to proceed forward. The best place to start with such horses is at the very, very beginning. Saddling and riding your horse should only come after a lot of ground work and relationship building.  Primarily, the horse must continue to see you as leadership quality through all the various aspects of the training time you spend together. If this is done properly the horse will be more than happy to let you lead because you have continually proven yourself worthy. But don't fool yourself by thinking that you can wing-it and maybe fool your horse. That doesn't fly as I said before. 

   If you're going to learn anything from this little story I'd like you to clearly understand that the horse knows if you're bluffing. And if you're bluffing your bluff won't last and you'll get yourself into a wreck sooner or later and most of the time it's sooner. Wrecks, much of the time, happen sooner as opposed to later because horses have tremendous difficulty putting up with people that don't know what they're doing around them. On the other hand if you know what you're doing you'll gain your horses respect and things will build from there but while training a horse one can never stop being the leader. There is no time when you are with your horse when you stop being that leader. Do you think that alfa mares in the wild take days off and get sloppy? Not a chance. 

Many people and horses get hurt every year and it's often because the person is trying to bluff, manhandle or exploit the horse. Our horses behavior tells us what kind of horseman we are. Period. This is why I no longer take horses into training unless I train the horse at the owners place and with the owner present. I do this mainly because most of the time the owners are really the ones that need to learn how to be around their horses. So, if you're having difficulties with your horse find a good trainer and learn the basics from him/her. Learn to duplicate the trainer; it could save you from a whole lot of difficulty and possible injury not to mention that this is the only way you are honoring your horse - with proper handling and training. Our horses will make us better horsemen if we only learn how to listen to them and how to understand what they are saying, and many times screaming, to us.  

Thanks for listening and Happy Trails!

Horse Training: A tip on riding young horses and colts

This will be a short little story and may include a tip to be remembered when riding colts; two and three year-old horses just being put under saddle.

Young horses that have just been put under saddle usually can have difficulty resigning themselves to the idea and reality that there is someone on their backs. I've experienced it a lot when starting Mustangs in particular and I've always been looking for ways to remind the colt that all is well. It's interesting how colts can all of a sudden forget that there's someone up there in the saddle. Then all of a sudden they remember and at that instant the horse can become frightened and resort to flight or other types of behavior based on fear.

With older horses that have had lots of miles under saddle one can pretty much just ride without being too much concerned because they know the deal but with colts it's different. It kind of goes without saying that colts are more easily startled during the initial stages of being under saddle so this little tip has helped me a lot and I've witnessed it being very helpful in building confidence with these young horses.

I should say here that I start colts in a very soft manner. I allow the colt to dictate how much he is ready and willing to accept at any given time. Trainers who use exploitative techniques hardly take this into consideration, it's my way or the highway kind of attitude, and in my opinion that's a perfect recipe for disaster. If the colt is having a problem then my job and my goal is to help him and to honor his honesty and this means adjusting my approach. I'm constantly communicating with my colts in order to establish a very clear dialogue between us so that there is very little possibility of getting our signals crossed. With an absence of clear communication the trainer is setting himself up for a bad day not only for the himself but for the horse and for the future of that particular horse under saddle; for the rest of his life. Therefore, I will consciously step-up the clarity of my dialogue just so the horse must do the same in order that his attitude about what's going on is absolutely clear clear to me.

So my little tip is that once the horse is under saddle and especially for the first ten or even twenty rides or more I don't let even five seconds go by without rubbing on the horses neck or his mane just to remind him that I'm up there plus I'm constantly talking to him. As I mentioned before one would think that he couldn't forget that there's this big lump on his back but we have to remember that the colts mind is to a great extent preoccupied with lots of things and if he forgets you're up there and - bang - he suddenly remembers; well, it just might be too late at that point and the entire training process is compromised and injured not to mention some terrible things that can happen.

Constantly talk to your colts under saddle. Constantly rub on them to offer self-confidence and re-assurance. As time goes by and miles begin to accumulate then this procedure can be lessened if one chooses but on those first rides help your horse by not abandoning him and just expecting him to be o.k. with what's going on. Putting Mustangs under saddle taught me this lesson the hard way because when they forget you're there even for a second and then suddenly remember they can be merciless in the way they choose to remind us that we've allowed a disconnect to take place. 

Our relationship with our horses and our time in the saddle will be greatly enhanced if we stop trying to muscle our horses and think of them as partners instead. If we, for whatever reason, can't or don't drop the muscle act we will never truly experience what it is to be one with our horses and as far as I'm concerned, if that's the case, then you're only riding half a horse if that. 
Happy trails!!

Horse Training: Bullet - a courageous and willing young horse

Often I get called to work with difficult horses; horses that have been damaged by horse-owners who, possibly  unintentionally, confuse and frustrate their equine companions. It is not difficult to spot such a horse. The horse lives in a very quiet and honest world and therefore holds nothing back when expressing his state of mind at any given moment in time. I'm happy to say that this was not the case with Bullet, the 14h1 twenty-eight month old Palomino gelding that belongs to Ted and Darcy Creason of Central Oregon.

As a self-employed horse trainer now living in Central Oregon I often hand-out my business card to anyone with cowboy boots, a pick-up truck, a cowboy hat or just about anyone looking like they have to do with horses. One day about a month ago I gave a business card to a young lady named Charlie, Ted and Darcy's grand daughter) and shortly thereafter I received a call from Ted asking if I could put their gelding, Bullet under saddle.

Bullet is an exceptionally kind and mellow young horse and I liked him the moment I set eyes on him. I could tell immediately that he'd been well taken care of and although the Creasons are not professional horse people, it was clear that they have a more than normal amount of heart and horse saavy. Heart is a major component in working with horses; otherwise the process simply as an exercise in exploitation. .

  When I first put Bullet into the round-pen he was a bit confused; nobody had ever asked very much of him; and he was therefore quite naturally a bit spoiled like a child who just doesn't want to go to school at first. Once Bullet figured-out that we were going to have fun boy he took to it like a duck to water. Plus, he's just that kind of curious, let's git'er done kind of horse. By the way, it is my opinion that it is the trainer's job to find a way to keep the horse's interest during training and to keep him curious about the learning process. Bored horses simply lose respect for the trainer and don't see any reason to be interested in this dull, lifeless and often egotistical person with which he is faced. 

Bullet took the saddle without even a wink and never bucked once when asked to walk, trot and canter with the saddle on his back. If a horse trainer understands the importance of working with discipline and with techniques that build confidence and self-esteem in the horse it is not often that the horse will feel exploited.  One of my intuitive training rules is that I never let even a moment go by when I'm starting colts without praising and building the horses self esteem. Someone asked me once to explain my philosophy of starting colts and all I could say was that I simply continually praise and talk to the horse while artistically and subtly slipping in a question here and there so that the question is asked in such a soft and non-invasive manner that the horse answers the question almost without even noticing. It is kind of like an acupuncturist I went to years agowhile living in Germany. He would take your mind off those needles in such an artful and genuinely kind way that the needles would be inserted without one even knowing. 

Normally I start colts in either a hackamore or in what's called a dually halter which was designed by Monty Roberts. With Bullet I began with the dually halter and after a few weeks progressed to the hackamore. Once a horse learns to respect and give to the light pressure on his face then just about any headstall will do the job if, that is, he's not bothered by it.  I never force equipment on a horse that he is obviously having difficulty with. 

As stated above at first Bullet didn't understand that he simply had to resign himself to his new task. When asked to move-off to the right by a slight direct reign and a little off-side leg he became cranky like a young child when asked to do his homework or make his bed. It is, by the way, a natural and necessary part of the learning process for both student and teacher. Both horse and trainer must learn to respect each other during the learning procedure. Without force or aggression we learn how to ask in a way that has dignity and honor while the horse learns to comply. If we keep this in mind and don't try to force things the horse will always , in a short time, do what is asked of him; patience in the process being a virtue for sure.

With some horses that have been taught to rebel against owners who have forced them to comply there is often a fight mostly because the horse just isn't happy with the attempt to force issues. The whole process of going under saddle, under these circumstances, can be quite difficult to say the least but with Bullet, who had developed a respect and a genuine affection for his owners and for people in general, he only wanted to please every step of the way.

A horse trainer worth his salt does not simply get the horse to do what he wants but rather, through studying the horse, getting inside the horse's head and understanding the language of Equus a good trainer creates a partnership with the horse so that the horse wants to give him what he wants. There is a huge difference in not only the process but most certainly in the end result. With one you get an unhappy horse performing against his will because his will was never taken into consideration in the first place but with the trainer who enters into a partnership with the horse you get a fully spirited, willing and even enthusiastic companion. It is heartbreakingly unfortunate that many horsemen have never experienced the wonder and the joy of the latter.  It is something to behold indeed and the horse thus trained is a totally different animal when compared to a horse put under saddle using old fashioned aggressive training methods.

And so it is that although Bullet needs miles under saddle to make him a truly disciplined, predictable and solid mount, for a young colt of only twenty-eight months he is exceptional for sure. Of all the horses I have worked with Bullet has a very special place in my heart because of his courage and his willingness to trust and to trot joyfully into the unknown. Good job Bullet and thank you Ted and Darcy and Charlie. It has been and continues to be a real pleasure for me. God I love my job.

And I whispered to the horse; 

"trust no man in whose eye you do not see yourself reflected as an equal".

Don Vincenzo Giobbe circa 1700