Issue 3 Be the best you can be for your horse Jan 2014

Versatile
Horsemanship
Your
one stop
for the
latest
news
Versatile
Equines
Whats Pressure
and Release?
Kaimanawa
Story: Part 2
How To Be A
LEARNER
Lateral Flexion
Under Saddle
Homeopathy
and Horses
How to help
jigging horses
Contents
Editors Note
Perfecting Lateral Flexion
Lateral Flexion Riding
Experiences Shapes Us
Poem: A Real Dream
Clinician Prole: Ed Dabney
Kaimanawa Story: Part 2
Past VE pony: Queen
Book Review: Tao of Equus
Homeopathy and Horses
Pressure and Release
How to be a Learner
Can you let go?
Predator/Prey Theory
Jigging Horses
DVD set review: 7 Clinics
Listen to your Horse
Getting a Soft Feel
Horse Quotes
Issue 4 Preview
You will notice this issue contains a clinician prole. I hope to do this in every magazine, simply to
expose you to other people and their ideas. This month I have also written an article about listening to
your horse. I hope, no matter what level of experience you are, you can come away from reading this
with an increased awareness of what your horse may be telling you. A very controversial article on
The Soft Feel, is included too. I welcome criticism on this as there are so many different, but widely
accepted theories around this term. All I have done is attempt to share with you my current
understanding of this important facet of Horsemanship.
As you read through this magazine, you may think of certain people who the articles pertain to. I urge
you to share the article with them, this is often less intrusive for people than being told directly what
you think of them and their horsemanship.
I would like to thank Fawn, Amelia Kelly and Julie for their contributions and for expanding our
thoughts. I try to think about horses as holistically as possible, so it is nice to read of other
perspectives and ways of thinking.
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).o; /io/ , [ /,o wor. wo; o/ .o;/, | coac/o ,/i /i;,
| .coaro. o) oo| [or,or) /o wo wor. r.o).r ;/or.; /o ca).,
The highlight of December for me has been
playing with Jazzy with only a 22ft line around her
neck. She is so thankful that I have nally made
the realisation that this is what she needs!!
She is disengaging the hind quarters, leading by,
going sideways and backing up so much
smoother and with more condence like this.
Through allowing her the freedom of the rope
only, we have been able to progress with getting
her to canter on the circle. She is going well to the
left, but still cross-res on the right. As with all
things horse related, sometimes all they need is
time and understanding.
Thanks to all who have taken the time to read
Issue Three this month. Feel free to share
your ideas, feedback or potential stories you
would like to submit for the magazine!
Take care and keep working towards
being the best you can be for your
(i.r
horse.
1he concepL of feel ls noLhlng new Lo Lhose of us who
have been pursulng Lhe ArL of Porsemanshlp. lL ls a
pre-requlslLe, a goal, and a consLanLly growlng and
evolvlng Lhlng. lL ls boLh slmple and complex. 1anglble
and yeL lnLanglble. lL ls someLhlng LhaL we need every
ume we lnLeracL wlLh our horse and someLhlng we wlll
spend our enure llfe Lrylng Lo undersLand, develop and
hone.
Porses have lL lnsuncLually and humans are Lrylng
desperaLely Lo reconnecL wlLh lL. 1here's a naLuralness
Lo feel, lL requlres you Lo be ln Lhe momenL and use all
of your senses Lo read Lhe slLuauon. ?ou can'L be ln
your head, because feel doesn'L llve Lhere. 1here ls
noLhlng mechanlcal abouL lL. lL looks dlerenL from
one momenL Lo Lhe nexL, from one horse Lo Lhe nexL.
lL ls someLhlng you feel, whlch ls why lL ls called 'leel'.
Some people wlll never geL lL - some people are noL
lnLeresLed ln lL. Cnly Lhose who are wllllng Lo puL ego
aslde and look deep lnslde of Lhemselves have any
chance of ndlng lL. lor some, LhaL represenLs a
search LhaL Lhey are noL wllllng Lo embark on. lor
Classical Natural Vaquero
Fawn Anderson
Feel
oLhers, lL's slmply noL a prlorlLy LhaL Lhey are wllllng Lo
devoLe Lhe ume and energy lnLo pursulng. 8uL for
Lhose LhaL do, Lhe rewards lL reaps are greaL lndeed.

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l have Lhe mosL respecL for people who are aL Lhe Lop
of Lhelr dlsclpllne and yeL are noL afrald Lo look ouLslde
of Lhelr area of experuse for help when Lhey encounLer
a problem Lhey cannoL solve.
l don'L clalm Lo have near Lhe feel as people llke 8uck
8rannaman or 8ay PunL, buL l have far more Lhan
when l sLarLed ouL and sLrlve Lo develop more every
ume l lnLeracL wlLh a horse. 1hls serles ls meanL Lo
share some of Lhe concepLs LhaL have helped me Lo
overcome our lnnaLe lnsuncLs Lo be passlve or
domlnanL wlLh a horse, and share wlLh you some ways of Lhlnklng LhaL can help Lo gulde you and hopefully
make Lhe [ourney a llule easler.
l hope you en[oy Lhe serles and Lake ume Lo vlslL my Classlcal naLural vaquero lacebook page where Lhese
wlll all be reposLed, along wlLh oLher arucles.
naLurally,
lawn Anderson
'Feel' ~Part I: Mastering the Bubble The Walk Through (this is only a small section of the original text)
The Bubble analogy has been around for a while and is a way of helping people visualize and
become more aware of the horses personal space and where/when we start to affect our horse.
Martin Black refers to the bubble as a Flight Zone. If you are outside of the flight zone your
movement will not influence the horse or cow, but when you start to touch the edge you begin
to have an influence. The further into the flight zone you get, the stronger the influence you
have and the more strongly you can affect the animals speed or direction. Various things will
affect the size and shape of a horses bubble, including druthers (hed ruther be over there),
self-preservation instinct, and sensitivity.
A wild horse has the purest feel that there is. They are perfect in their naturalness, born
sensitized and full of feel. When a horse is domesticated, often this feel is slowly drained out of
them and the horse is dulled to the point where he learns that humans are completely oblivious
to their bubble and so they tune out, succumbing to the the rude pushing, pulling and daily
invasion of space that has become the routine. Some horses are able to endure this violation
better than others. The more sensitive and intelligent ones with higher spirits often have more
trouble. These are the ones that start lunging at people over the stall door , try to kick or bite
people as they are grooming and saddling them, and become hyper sensitive to being touched.
We could call it simple dominance, but I think it deserves a better explanation that that.
lollow Lhe llnk below
Lo vlew Lhls arucle on
feel ln lLs enureLy.
1hanks Lo lawn for
glvlng me permlsslon
Lo share her wonderful
wrlungs on someLhlng l
hope everyone readlng
Lhls magazlne ls almlng
Lo lmprove on!
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a r c h l v e 1 . c o m / ?
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Lateral Flexion
Perfecting
on the ground
Much of the information used in this article was
taken directly from these two You Tube clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufCDtyGo8Qc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiTFFei1tTo
In Issue 2 we looked at achieving Lateral Flexion on
the ground and as I mentioned in that issue, many of
the pictures were not a perfect representation of the
end product. There are many theories about Lateral
Flexion, but one I really like is Buck Brannamans. He
believes that there are three elements to Lateral
Flexion when standing still and going forwards or
backwards. After reading this article I encourage you
to revisit the Lateral Flexion examples in Issue Two
and see if you can pick out which elements of Lateral
Flexion are lacking.
Below is a transcript of sorts. It is made up of direct
quotes from all of the information I could nd, of Buck
Brannaman discussing his three elements of Lateral
Flexion:
"Imagine a pebble is tied on a string to your horses
forelock. If in correct Lateral Flexion, the string should
be laying exactly between both nostrils. The string
should be touching him all the way down his forehead
and when it comes off his nose, it ought not to have a
bend in it. The third element is that the poll should be
slightly higher than the wither, while the horse keeps
his weight even on all four feet. Bring your horses
head around to 90, do not go any further. All of this
ought not to weigh anything at all. When he turns his
head to the side the pebble should be hanging plumb
with the string. He should not come so far to the side
that his nose tips up and one ear is pointing at the
ground. When you bend the horses head around those
ears should be level, if they are not, it dumps weight
on the horses front leg. If the ears are level it means
the horse is not shifting itself out of balance. If the ears
are not level it means the string would not be laying
evenly between both nostrils. The horses ears not
being level can also occur if the person pulls the
horses head too far around".
So in summary these are the three things you
need to consider when asking for Lateral Flexion:
-Poll height
-Level of the ears
-Tip of the nose
Remember that this is what perfect Lateral
Flexion is to Buck, it is not something that all
people should go out and expect from their
horses from the outset. It is something to work
towards. You can certainly ask your horse to give
you all the elements, but it is unfair to criticise the
horse if he cannot do all three immediately.
Those with good feel will progress much quicker
and get this done in a short space of time. Those
not so adept at feeling of these things may take
longer. Take the time you need with your horses
to get it right, but always try to achieve the
elements of perfect exion.
For a young horse, encourage any one of the
three elements or any combination thereof.
Encourage balance and exion in your horse on
the ground before you ever start riding them.
Remember to always rate how it feels, your
horse may look like they have the elements, but
are they soft to your hand?
Key points to understand:
Lateral Flexion is the key to Vertical Flexion
Lateral Flexion is the key to a One-Rein Stop
Lateral Flexion is the key to Lateral Movement
Lateral Flexion has three key elements

(see the article above)
Lateral Flexion:
"#$%& '($$)%
Buck Brannaman demonstrating correct
Lateral Flexion under saddle: The 3 Elements.
Can
you get
all 3 elements
of Lateral
Flexion?
How To:
It is easiest to teach your horse to laterally ex from the
ground rst, then progress to doing it in the saddle at a
stand still. It can be done in a halter or bridle.
You should always teach your horse to ex both ways,
however for the purpose of this article I am going to
explain how to ex your horses head to the right.
Step 1: Sit relaxed in the saddle, reins on the buckle
Step 2: Put your left hand on the centre of the reins
Step 3: Slide your right hand down the rein, about 2ft away from the bit/clip/face (this changes
depending on size of horse and the length of the persons arm). Basically slide your hand down to the
point, that when you will bring the rein back to your hip, you will be making contact with the horses face
Step 4: Close the ngers of your right hand on top of your rein
Step 5: Gently bring your right hand with the rein in, up towards your hip
Step 6: As soon as the horse tips its nose, pitch the reins away as a release to the horse
Step 5
Step 2
Step 6
Step 3
In the Step 2 photo,
Jewel has anticipated
what I was going to
ask by bringing her
head around already.
To get them really soft
and turning loose to you
and the rein, ex them
left and right repeatedly
in a smooth uid motion.
*+,- ./ %#-0&% -011%--:
If you are having trouble getting this done, some of these tips may help you....
-Sit relaxed in the saddle, if you are tense you may inadvertently be telling your horse not to stand still.
-Do not release the rein if the horse is not standing still, the release will tell the horse what the
desirable behaviour is, and in this case it is the exing of the head while stationary- so that is what you
need to reward. Just hang in there too, at times it can feel like they will never understand. Trust they will.
-Have your other hand on the middle of the reins, so you dont have the other rein too tight.
-Slide slowly, when you are sliding your hand down to take a hold of the rein, slide down slowly to give
the horse time to respond and this will also mean there is less of a chance they will brace against you.
-Release quickly, as soon as the horse gets it right, you need to tell them that by throwing the reins away
to them. When released the horse should feel only the pressure from the weight of the reins, no more!
-Do not move your hand, once you have slid your hand down, held the rein and brought it up to your
hip, you should not move your hand position until the horse has given laterally to you. If you change your
hand position on the rein when asking for them to ex you may lessen the tension you have on the rein,
feeling like a release to the horse, thus reinforcing the wrong behaviour.
-They may go in circles, be prepared for this. Many horses will be very stiff and unaware that they can
bend laterally with a rider aboard and stay still at the same time. Do no expect them to bend right around.
-Get it good on the ground, as with everything, if you are having trouble doing it on their backs go back
to doing it on the ground to help the horse receive a clearer message (see Issue Two for tips).
-Safety is #1, if you ask too hard or expect too much, horses can feel that they need to protect
themselves and may try to rear or throw themselves around to escape the pressure. In these situations
just simply let the rein go and ask them again, keep repeating until they understand and ex without fright.
-The 3 elements of Lateral Flexion, do not worry about honing the 3 elements of Lateral Flexion until
you can get them stopped and exing. Then after that you may just look for one of the elements, building
up to getting all 3.
Linda Parelli further discusses some things about Lateral
Flexion in this You Tube clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=NXBK55Q_KqM&list=PL6F237481FA199235
-Hand position, when you rst begin it is
much easier to teach your horse to laterally
ex by holding the rein to your hip, this is
because if they go to pull against you, you
can brace into your hip. When your horse
becomes procient however and you are
aiming for all 3 elements of Lateral Flexion,
this hand position will not be as necessary,
in fact it may hinder getting the 3 elements.
At this point/level of working you should be
experimenting with different, but similar,
hand and rein positions to get the best
response. The changes I generally make
are: not taking my hand around as far,
having the reins a bit looser and turning my
hand palm up, causing my ngers to be at
the bottom, in this position my hand is
parallel to the ground.
-The One-Rein Emergency Stop, Lateral
Flexion is essential to a good emergency
One-Rein Stop.
-Softness is key, you want this exing to
become more than just a turning of the
head. Work towards getting the 3 elements,
with softness.
First off I will state clearly: there is no end
to learning. I hope for the rest of my life I
will be saying, I still have so much to
learn. Each person and horse I work with
teaches me something new and no two
situations are ever the same.
I have worked with hundreds of different
horses to date and going back through the
ones I remember, I can clearly recall what I
learnt, or what I felt.
It all began at Lisas in 1999, she arrived in
my local rural area and brought with her 30
equines. They were a wide range of ages,
breeds, heights, colours and experience
levels. At the time I did not know the extent to
which I was blessed. By 2009 Lisa had near
on 80 horses, who I had the pleasure of
interacting with. They all taught me a lot!
An overview of some of the things I feel have
shaped me as a horsewoman are outlined:
*I have worked on 2 different stud farms
starting young horses, retraining old ones
and helping with breeding programmes.
*I have worked with wild horses, un-handled
horses and horses other people have really
'broken and deeply damaged, these ones
have taught me the most.
*With friends we took in 13 wild Kaimanawas
*I can still count them (approx 30), but I have
started many horses under saddle.
*I have to my advantage the fact I am a
school teacher and understand a bit about
how people learn and how best I can teach
them, this can apply back to horses too.
*Learning traditional/normal horsemanship
before knowing of more natural approaches.
*Watching and reading about Horsemanship!
More on VE
These are the things so far in my young life that I feel
have shaped my horsemanship. What are yours?
Experiences
Shape
Us All
By Cheryl Gray
When learning to ride at Lisas house I was taught in a pony club type way. Heels
down, hands down were the main concepts I had to master, while being told that
horses are not machines. Lisa had a lovely way with horses, more through her
own natural feel, than learning in horsemanship. I was lucky enough to learn out
on the farm and the trails, never conned to a at arena. The hills, creeks and
vast landscape made up my learning playground.
From Lisas ex-partner partner Bryan, I learnt for four years about horses from the
traditional perspective. I remember never being wrong, the horse was always
considered naughty and not once did we ever intentionally look after the horses
mental and emotional well-being. I saw some terrible things done to horses during
this time and am guilty of some terrible things myself. Some things other people
did never used to sit well with me, but I never fully knew why or knew of another
way of doing it.
I remember once watching Bryan break in a young horse, he had tied her up to
herself some how and he scared her until she peed. He told me at the time that
his father had told him that doing this was necessary, to break the spirit of the
difcult ones and show them who was boss. I remember at 13 years old,
screaming and crying for him to stop and that it was not right. Years later this
horse was still very damaged and even after Jordan helped her see the light and
work with humans, she had deep seated trust issues.
Bryan did instill in me however guts and determination. Not many horses back in
the day got the better of me and boy if they tried they had a ght on their hands. I
used to pride myself in being able to ride anything and sit the best bucks a horse
had to offer. I do not ght with horses these days or pride myself in such
egotistical feats, but that good ability to hang in there until you get a change with a
horse, has positively lingered with me long since.
Back in my more inexperienced young teenage days, I am embarrassed to admit
that at times I too was guilty of abusing horses. As soon as they did something
that I did not like I would punish them severely, by pulling hard on my reins,
getting off and kicking them and swearing profusely at them. I never considered
what I was doing that brought about these responses in the horses I rode. I
remember Des, a teenage Standardbred gelding, he taught me how to ride and
upon him I had my rst proper canter. I used to love going fast and I would gallop
him everywhere! Nearly every time I did this, he would eventually buck me off. I
got very good at this in the end and would land on my feet, reins in hand and boot
the crap out of him. Not once do I remember thinking, he is doing this because he
cannot run any more or he is sick of only running and being treated as a machine.
The reasons I share these experiences with you, are to cause you to think about
things on another level. I hope to encourage you to: a) change if necessary, b)
acknowledge your own past with horses or c) speak out at others whom are
unknowingly abusing their horses as I was.
I may not be perfect and nor are my horses, but I never blame the horse for my
mistakes. I no longer feel any anger or loss of control when with horses, no matter
how bad or naughty they may be perceived by other people. The way I feel about
horses now is with a sense of mutual respect. I would love for all people to feel
this way, because to be more emotionally and physically in control when with a
horse and take all the blame away from them, is the most empowering feeling. To
hold yourself in constant blame can be degrading for some, but to me it is the fuel
that keeps my horsemanship res burning, it is what makes me work towards
being the best I can be for my horse, every day!
It is time for a drastic change. No longer should horses be subjected to the cruel
and unjust punishment of their ignorant people. As soon as I was shown a
different way I was hooked and I am proud to say I am no where near close to that
person I was years ago. Where is the line between our goals and ambitions, and
our horses welfare.... ask yourself, are you being the best you can be for you own
horse/s? Are you helping others to do the same?
Eden. Desert Princess. Garden Of Eden. Pretty Pony.
Fatty-Boomba. Mummy.
Al l the time her nicknames/names change, but nothing in
her heart does.
Dreaming is not the sunset canters along the beach, it's
not the warm hugs from a loving pony or trotting through
the forests, this is real dreaming.
Dreaming is not swimming with friends and horses in the
river, it's not racing up sand dunes or fl ying over a jump
that stands 1..3 meters tal l, it's al l happening because it's
successful possibilities. This is what I cal l real dreaming.
Real dreaming is everything possible, make it happen, life
is too short to dream. Dreaming of having my own pony
took too long, real dreaming took a year. I'm happy with
my life now because I found horses, they fil led the gap
I had in me. They swept me off my feet and took me on
a journey that wil l never end because real dreaming is
ful l of successful possibilities and that is why I have real
dreams.
By Amelia Henry
A Real
Dream
Ed Dabney is an internationally acclaimed clinician
whose blending of natural horsemanship and classical
equitation has made an indelible mark with students
all across the United States and Europe. He has
drawn the attention of serious riders searching for the
lightest touch and the deepest connection with their
horses, irrespective of breed or discipline.
Ed has worked with horses all his life, being involved
in diverse fields including the ranching, motion picture
and horse training industries. As a fifth generation
horseman, Ed gained rich understanding into the
horse's instincts and culture through his experiences
working with Mustangs and training horses
for large ranches.
Even though Ed is accomplished in ranch
roping and training horses for cattle
work on large Wyoming ranches, he has
also developed his knowledge of classical
16th and 17th century equitation. As an instructor of
classical riding, Ed academically relates to his
students the teachings of the French masters in the
patient, accurate and refined style of the classical
period. Ed Dabney has enjoyed a warm friendship
with classical Master Karl Mikolka, of the Spanish
Riding School of Vienna and Monsieur Philippe Karl of
the Cadre' Noir, French Riding School. He has
immersed himself in intensive formal training, on the
instructors' level, in classical riding at the National
School of Academic Equitation in Washington.
What struck me about this page is how in-depth it is. It is obvious Ed
has an expansive wealth of knowledge and I think it is awesome to
see his family (daughters) are fully involved. From the videos I have
seen of Ed, I appreciate his positive and clear manner with his
students and horses. I personally emailed Ed asking if I could include
things from his website in this article. I got a reply within a matter of
hours with a positive yes! ~Cheryl
Clinician Prole:
Ed Dabney
For more information I encourage you to visit:
http://www.eddabney.com/background.htm
http://www.eddabney.com/edfeature_p1.htm
There are links
provided below.
Check them out
to see if you too
can see the the
value of Eds
work!
Eds set of 4 DVDs
are denitely on my
wish list!!!
Six Keys to Harmony Vol. 1
Six Keys to Harmony Vol. 2
Finding Effective Solutions"
Foundation Training
Stress Free Trailer Loading
KAIMANAWAS
From The Muster
2008
PART 2: Weeks Following Muster
Moving from the yards to their new locations
1he horses had been ln Lhe yards for around Lwo weeks before we felL condenL LhaL Lhey could be safely moved
Lo Lhelr new locauon. Sadly durlng Lhelr ume ln Lhe yards Lhe sLress musL have been Loo much for one of Lhe
mares and she aborLed. 1he foal was so uny, sull encased ln lLs amnlouc sac. lL lay almosL as lf dlscarded, lLs
unknown moLher Loo dlsLraughL Lo allow herself Lo grleve. We are sull unsure who Lhe moLher was, lL was
denlLely noL Luna or ulva, for reasons LhaL wlll be explalned ln arL 3, comlng ouL ln lssue 4.
Shamrock, Diva and Angel in their new paddock
8y Lhls sLage we were well aware
LhaL Lhe Lhree older mares, ulva,
Shamrock and Angel, were far
Loo wlld Lo go Lo Llsa's house
farm for furLher handllng. So Lhe
declslon was made LhaL we
would Lurn Lhem ouL, wlLhouL
Lhelr foals (ScouL and Maglc
Man) ln a large paddock (approx
20 acres) aL a farm Llsa leased aL
Lhe ume- 8lverdale. 1here were
rlsks lnvolved wlLh dolng Lhls,
Lhey were on Lhe road slde, Lhe
paddocks had many Lomos and
Lhe only barrler beLween Lhem
and Lhe road, was an 8 wlre
fence, ln need of repalr. 1he
paddock was very remoLe and
backed onLo dense bush and
scrub, as well as large clls.
Much plannlng wenL lnLo how Lo geL Lhe kalmanawas Lo Lhelr new locauons. ln Lhe end we declded Lo load Lhem
onLo a sLock Lruck. WlLh Lhls declslon made we had Lo Lhen gure ouL how Lo geL Lhem o Lhe Lruck wlLhouL a
ramp! WlLh Lhe help of our wonderful local sLock Lruck guy, we goL all of Lhe horses dellvered safely. We managed
aL boLh locauons Lo back up lnLo Lhe gaLe ways, whlch were uphlll, and Lhe kalmanawas [usL [umped ouL!
1he nexL challenge was gemng all of Lhe 10 remalnlng kalmanawas up Llsa's hlll. ?ou need a 4x4 Lo geL up Llsa's
hlll and lL ls abouL 1km long. AlLhough boLh sldes were fenced, Lhere was sull Lhe chance Lhe horses may declde Lo
Lry and escape. 1hankfully we goL Lhem all up Lhe hlll and lnLo Lhelr new paddock wlLhouL any dramas. We had
prepared a Lemporary paddock for Lhem, wlLh all
sldes llned by docklng scrlm and sheeLs. 1hey
were all so pleased Lo see green grass, LhaL Lhey
dld noL so much as Lry Lo LesL Lhelr new
boundarles. lL was greaL Lo see Lhese younger
kal's seule down qulLe qulckly, wlLhouL Lhe
lnuence of Lhelr more wlld buddles.
lL dld noL Lake Lhe kalmanawas long Lo geL calm
ln Lhelr new paddock, so Lhey qulckly graduaLed
Lo an even blgger paddock, wlLh more grass!!!
We dld noL cover all of Lhe fences ln Lhls
paddock, buL we dld auach loLs of plasuc bags Lo
Lhe wlres on Lhe fence Lo creaLe a vlsual for
Lhem.
The Kaimanwas heading up Lisas hill
Being coaxed to the round pen with feed!
Into the round pen for lessons
Chilling out in their new paddock.
From left: Magic Man, De Ja Vue,
Victory, Queen, Badger, Maverick
Magic having a roll. Comet
and De Ja Vue sleeping.
Chilling out and enjoying their increased space. From left: Magic, Comet, Vue, Queen, Badger, Victory
In their new yards at Lisas place
We allowed Lhem Lo seule for a few
days, Lhen seL Lo work handllng Lhem
furLher. Cur days lnvolved runnlng
Lhem lnLo Lhe round pen and dralng
o Lhe horse we wlshed Lo work wlLh
lnLo Lhe smaller yard. Aer abouL a
week however, mosL were able Lo be
caughL ln Lhe round pen.
Pow Lhe speclc handllng of each
kalmanawa wenL ls very speclc Lo
Lhelr handler, buL l Lhoroughly en[oyed
worklng wlLh Luna and ComeL (see
lssue 4 for deLalls). 1hey were so lald-
back and Look Lo domesuc llfe qulLe
qulckly, Lhe use of hard feed also
helped Lhls along!
Cueen on Lhe oLher hand was a compleLely dlerenL sLory, lL ls falr Lo say l was
ouL-horsed, well so l LhoughL aL Lhe ume. ln hlndslghL, Lhere was never
anyLhlng 'wrong' wlLh Cueen, we [usL pushed her Loo early ouL of Lhe
wlld. 8y Lhe 4Lh day l was very scared of her, she could klck ouL as easlly
as she could sLrlke. She klcked Lhe bouom rall o Lhe yards and a suck
rlghL ouL of my hand. l persevered wlLh her for a blL more ume aer
Lhls, Lhen when l seemed Lo be maklng her worse, l called on a very
experlenced, older frlend named Shane. Pe ls very good wlLh
horses, he has a good blend of naLural and Lradluonal approaches.
Pe came up and roped Cueen's legs. When he rsL menuoned Lhls l
was very apprehenslve, havlng seen Lhls done very unsuccessfully
by oLhers ln Lhe pasL. As soon as Shane seL Lo work however l could
see LhaL whaL he was dolng was a blesslng for Cueen. Pe helped her
Lo see LhaL Lhere was noLhlng Lo fear and LhaL klcklng and sLrlklng was
Lhe wrong answer. WhaL lmpressed me mosL was how Shane was very
calm and meLhodlcal abouL Lhe whole Lhlng and Cueen very qulckly looked
Lo hlm for comforL and reassurance. ln Lhe space of half an hour Shane had
helped Cueen more Lhan l had ln weeks!
Jordan and Maverick, Kerry and Syndod and Chandra and Vue
Luna and I
Queen with
her front
leg roped
Lven Loday, Lhls experlence sLays wlLh me. l would noL heslLaLe Lo rope a
horses legs agaln lf l needed Lo, ln-facL lf l was handy enough wlLh ropes, l
would rope all of my horses legs- noL rlghL aL Lhe sLarL mlnd you, buL laLer
on ln Lhelr educauon as anoLher meLhod of helplng Lo Leach Lhem noL Lo
panlc and Leach Lhem how Lo respond approprlaLely Lo pressure.
As much as Lhls experlence LaughL Cueen how Lo co-exlsL posluvely wlLh
humans lL sull le her wlLh emouonal scars, whlch l spenL years undolng.
ln Lhls slLuauon however her llfe depended on lL. l had caused her Lo be so
dangerous and defenslve she could noL be LrusLed. 1he only oLher opuon
seemed Lo be Lo have her puL down.
Slnce Lhls experlence Cueen has only klcked ouL once and she has gone on
Lo be an amazlng equlne parLner for !essamy.
My Journey with Queen!
Cver Lhe course of a week Shane developed LrusL
and condence ln Cueen and he supporLed me ln
developlng Lhls wlLh her also. uurlng Lhls ume he
also sLarLed her under saddle, wlLh me as Lhe
asslsLanL. lL was an amazlng experlence sLarung a
horse ln Lhe way Shane does. Some of my
prevlous experlences had lnvolved mouLhlng
Lhem, saddllng Lhem and gemng on and hope for
Lhe besL! lL was here LhaL my passlon for a new
way of horsemanshlp was born, a way ln whlch
you work wlLh Lhe horse, noL agalnsL Lhem, wlLh
mlnlmlsed rlsk Loo!
Movement
to die for!
1he whole process was slow and calm. We worked aL
Lhe level Cueen could handle. noL once dld l feel unsafe.
l spenL aloL of ume [umplng up and down nexL Lo her,
laylng over her back and movlng her around wlLh me [usL
laylng on her back. When Lhe ume came Lo slL rlghL on, we dld so
repeaLedly. Shane does noL belleve ln pumng peoples llves aL rlsk
Lhrough hoplng for Lhe besL! l hopped on and o more umes Lhan l
could counL. 1hls all pald o Lhough as she never once bucked, froze
or Look o!
The way we started Queen
under saddle has long since
stuck with me. I do not start
horses in this exact way myself,
but many of the concepts I
learnt during this I use today.
Aer a few weeks of 'work' and slx
rldes under saddle Lhe declslon was
made Lo Lurn Cueen ouL. She was no
longer a danger Lo her self or oLhers.
She was able Lo be caughL ln Lhe
paddock, lead around and brushed
mosLly all over. She was sull Louchy
around Lhe back legs, buL dld noL
klck aL all.
Aer a few more monLhs, her and
many of Lhe oLher kalmanawas
[olned Lhe older mares aL 8lverdale.
1hey were allowed Lhe space,
freedom and ume Lo dlgesL Lhelr
many experlences ln capuvlLy.
AbouL a year laLer Lhe ume came Lo brlng
Cueen back Lo Llsa's Lo conunue her
educauon. 1he change ln her was
phenomenal.
She had had llmlLed handllng slnce belng
Lurned ouL, excepL for Lhe few umes l had
gone Lo vlslL her aL 8lverdale and glve her
a pour on drench eLc. She was sull very
wlld, buL noL ln Lhe way she had prevlously
been.
We ran her and many oLher horses back
up Lhe road, abouL 10 kms, Lo Llsa's place.
1hls was no small mlsslon, lL requlred cars
and rlders on horse back!
Shane revisiting lessons
Cnce aL Llsa's and seuled ln,
Shane came and reml nded
Cueen of her prevlous lessons.
Aer hls help l was yeL agaln able
Lo caLch her ln Lhe paddock. l
buddled her up wlLh my mares
Sprlng and Sundance, as well as
ComeL and Luna, and for Lhe rsL
ume, l Look Cueen home!!!
l have Lold Lhls Lale ln qulLe an un-emouve way, when ln acLual facL, lL was an emouonal roller coasLer! 1here
were so many Lhlngs LhaL l had Lo face wlLhln myself, l was only 20 aL Lhe ume and felL very lnadequaLe. All l
knew abouL 'horse Lralnlng' had been blown ouL Lhe wlndow, my convenuonal meLhods l felL l had so much
success wlLh, were no longer valuable Lo me. l felL ashamed of whaL l had drlven Lhls sensluve wee mare Lo be.
1he emouonal baggage LhaL Cueen carrled wlLh her was my faulL, l was deLermlned Lo geL lL rlghL Lhls ume. Aer
her ume ouL, l LreaLed her llke a clean slaLe, whllsL sull appreclauve of her pasL ordeal.
l spenL a loL of ume [usL golng and slmng wlLh her ln Lhe paddock, Lo Lry and bulld her LrusL and allow her Lo Lruly
progress aL her own pace. 1hls was Lhe rsL ume l had Lruly commlued Lo lemng ume go and Lruly allowed her Lo
plck Lhe ume ln whlch she wanLed Lo be wlLh me. 1he rsL few umes l saL ln her paddock she regarded me warlly,
Lhen evenLually she bullL up Lhe courage Lo approach me. l remember Lhls day, l was a mlx of feellngs as she
came Lowards me! l Lrled Lo keep lL conLalned, fearful LhaL my exclLemenL and nerves may scare her away!
lrom Lhls day on Cueen and l wenL from sLrengLh Lo sLrengLh, wlLh her condence growlng every day. She wenL
from waLchlng me wlLh my oLher ponles from a dlsLance, Lo acLually Lrylng Lo chase Lhem away Lo geL some
auenuon of her own.
New
Beginnings
Queen at
home,
with her
new herd!
lrom Lhe day Cueen declded Lo 'be wlLh me', we
never looked back. l resLarLed her under saddle
wlLh much success. l LaughL her Lo condenLly
oaL load, carung her from one place Lo Lhe
nexL. My place, Lo Mum's place, Lo Llsa's place,
up Lo Lynley's place, Lhen nally Lo almersLon
norLh!!
WlLh Cueen l achleved more wlLh a horse Lhan l
ever had before. Per baslc ground work was
spoL on, l felL Lhe beglnnlng of soness llke l
never had before. l learned Lo LrusL and leL go
whlle rldlng, l dld much bareback and brldle-less
rldlng aL Lhe walk, LroL and canLer. WlLh Lhe
llghLesL alds l could geL her Lo sLop, Lurn, back up
and move her hlnd end. She would come Lo me
when called and was always so genLle and
respecuul.
l wenL Lhrough a perlod where l Look advanLage
of Cueen's good wlll, by expecung Loo much of
her and noL glvlng back enough. A very valuable
lesson! 1he nall ln Lhe comn was when l was
rldlng her bareback and brldle-less ln wlLh our
small herd. She had glven me some lovely
canLers, buL l asked for more. She was Loo
honesL Lo buck and bolL, lnsLead she chased
!ewel wlLh me aboard, who prompLly klcked ouL
and goL me ln Lhe knee!!!! 1oo much of a good
Lhlng really can be deLrlmenLal.
l wrlLe abouL Cueen Lhree years on wlLh a smlle
on my face and Lears of prlde ln my eyes. She
really ls a one ln a mllllon pony. When Lhe ume
came Lo sell her on, as was always Lhe plan Lo
pay o my sLudenL loan, l was very upseL. l have
sold a few horses ln my ume and aL Lhe ume she
was Lhe hardesL one l ever parLed wlLh.
8uL..... l am so pleased Lo say LhaL Cueen's new
owner !ess senL me phoLos and sLorles regularly
and a year laLer l saw Cueen agaln. 8y selllng her
Lo !ess, l developed a mosL Lreasured frlend. 1he
relauonshlp !ess has wlLh Cueen far exceeds
whaL l ever had wlLh her and Cueen has now
become my 8LS1 sale ever.
1hank you Cueen and !ess for lnsplrlng me every
ume l Lhlnk of you and see you LogeLher. l am
very blessed Lo have you boLh ln my llfe.
Cheryl xxx
Queen's Photo
Montage
Where are they now?
Queen
Jess bought Queen off me two years ago and I really wanted her to share her journey with Queen so far. So instead of
getting her to write a story, I interviewed her!!!
How did you discover Queen was for sale?
I was browsing on TradeMe and kept going back and looking at her, for like 6 months. My first thought was that I really
liked the sound of her, but knew I could not get another horse until my old girl had passed on. 6 months later she did
and Queens ad was still there. I felt really bad thinking about getting another horse so soon after my pony I had for 22
years had died. But I could not stop thinking about Queen on Trade Me, so 2 weeks later I decided I had to go and
look at her.
What did you think when you came to try her?
I wanted to look at Queen on my own without any one else's opinion, so I turned up and met Cheryl and Queen. I was
very taken with her as soon as I saw her. Then we went out for a ride down the farm and I was sold. I had never felt so
safe on a horse before. She was exactly what I wanted to help me gain some more confidence back riding, I knew I
had to have her!
What was the first thing you did with her when you
got her home?
I cannot remember exactly the first thing I did with
her but I clearly remember our first ride. I took her
out on the neighbours farm for a ride, all was going
well, feeling good and we started riding down a hill
when all of a sudden the ground was near and I had
to dive off her onto the hill side. She had decided
she would lie down on the side of the hill! I was a
little shocked, but got back on and rode home,
thankfully without any drama. I emailed Cheryl to
ask if Queen ever lies down while being ridden, of
course she said no, so then I knew Queen was just
trying me out.
What is your fondest memory of your time with
Queen so far?
We were playing at liberty with obstacles and she
was so good, because we had never played at
liberty with obstacles before. I then casually stood
up on a concrete retaining wall in the paddock and
she side passed towards me and wanted me to hop
on her back. So I did. We cruised around the
paddock and she was just eating grass. After a
while I jumped off. At this point I thought she would
run away, but instead she turned and faced me. She
walked across the paddock with me to where her
halter was so I could put it on and we could go for a
ride.
What is your least fondest memory?
Having trouble with her floating and having her come
out under the chain- SCARY!
What is the funniest thing Queen has ever done?
The kids have a monkey swing in the paddock and
not long after I got Queen I would see her watching
the kids playing on the swing. She watched them for
about a week then one day I caught her playing on it.
She played on it quite a lot, but if she saw you
watching her she would stop. So we had to watch
from the house most of the time! But she was so
funny. She started off by swinging it side to side with her neck,
she would get it swinging quite high, then turn her bum into it
to land the swing on her bum. Then she would go around in
circles with it on her bum, as she had seen the kids doing! At
the end she backed up to the swing and had it between her
back legs and looked like she was going to sit her bum on it.
Thank goodness she didn't go through with that as I am sure
the swing or tree branch may not have held her weight.
What is your favourite thing about Queen?
I love her for being such a fun and cheeky horse. She keeps
me thinking all the time of how to outsmart her.
What is your least favourite thing about Queen?
Her ability to outsmart me!
What are some of the things Queen has taught you?
I need to be a strong leader otherwise she starts pushing and
bossing me around. I have learnt more about floating horses
since I have had Queen. How to be more confident and juggle
up the routines so that our play does not become boring and
predictable. Try new things, be more playful. She has helped
me with honing my body language, so now I am using more of
a mental connection, not just physical.
What are your future goals for Queen?
My goals are to keep having fun and get better at what we are
doing, She is my forever horse and I would love for my kids to
be able to ride her when they are a bit older and know that
she is going to be good for them too!
Book Review:
The
Equus
Tao
of
In The Tao of Equus, author Linda Kohanov
intertwines the story of how she awakened to
the spi ri tual presence of horses wi th
compelling mythology, research, and personal
anecdotes. The result is an extraordinary story
of healing and communication that turns our
conventional understanding of these amazing
creatures upside down.
A horse trainer and equine-facilitated therapy
practitioner, Kohanov first began exploring the
horse human connection in the early 1990s. When
her black mare, Rasa, became lame, Kohanov
was plagued by a series of sinister dreams and
premonitions. Finally, prompted by her dreams,
she canceled a risky surgery to save Rasa's
potential career in competitive riding. To relate to
the injured horse outside conventional equestrian
pursuits, Kohanov immersed herself in the day-to-
day activities of the herd. In the process, she
discovered that horses are intensely emotional,
intuitive, intelligent beings. They are true
reflections of our deepest souls. Over time, she
discovered their extraordinary ability to awaken
intuition in humans, while mirroring the authentic
feelings people try to hide, makes these animals
powerful therapeutic teachers.
Amazon.com Review
The Tao of Equus, which literally translates as "the
way of the horse," explores the possibility that horses
are highly evolved, spiritual beings who offer humans
opportunities for healing and personal growth. Linda
Kohanov is the owner of Epona Equestrian Services,
an Arizona-based collective of trainers and
counselors that explore the therapeutic potential of
equestrian pursuits. Although she does discuss
horse training and horse behavior, Kohanov is most
interested in what horses can teach us. Moving
beyond the realm of horse whispering, Kohanov
studies how horses awaken intuition in humans while
also mirroring our unspoken feelings and fears. At its
core, this book reminds us to be mindful as we
approach the horse-human relationship. Like human-
to-human relationships, we have to do our own
personal and spiritual work before we can expect to
create a meaningful and cooperative interspecies
connection. Kohanov is a steadfast writer who isn't
shy about claiming a strong feminine approach,
showing how mythology and history are filled with
examples of powerful woman-horse connections.
She also has the courage to reveal her paranormal
experiences with these intensely emotional and
intuitive animals--stories that may sound familiar to
anyone who has ever loved and dreamed of horses.
View more at: http://eponaquest.com/
Homeopathy was developed by Samual
Hahnemann over 200 years ago. It has been an
integral part of the health system in the UK and
India and is used widely as a complementary
health treatment worldwide. It is a natural and
effective form of medicine that can be used safely
alongside any conventional treatments as it doesnt
interfere with the effectiveness of drugs, and has
no side effects. Homeopathy is fantastic for
humans and animals. The focus of the article is
homeopathy for horses.
Homeopathy can be used for acute conditions and
constitutional prescribing. A constitutional
homeopathic remedy is one that is matched to the
whole picture of the horse. So we look at
psychological and physical characteristics and the
symptoms presented by the issue being treated.
The horses life story is important and effects of life
events, i nheri ted trai ts, di et, l i festyl e and
environmental factors contribute to a homeopathic
prescription.
Homeopathy is similar to piecing together parts of a
jigsaw puzzle. The horse presents a range of
symptoms that create an overall picture to
prescribe on:

Local symptoms refer to a particular area of

the body eg hoof abscess, skin rash,
mastitis

General sympt oms i ncl ude appet i t e,

physical appearance, thirst, effects of
temperature etc

Mental symptoms show the emotional or

behavioural symptoms. Eg anxiety,
restlessness, lethargy, fear, aggression

Factors that make the symptoms worse or

better eg, exercise, warmth, time of day

Observation of the patient is very

important. Eg how they interact with other
animals, interaction with the owner/
guardian, physical appearance (fat/lean)

Trigger factors eg loss of paddock mate,

change of diet, injury, pregnancy

Health and general history

Prescription of the correct remedy can help
the vital force of the horse rebalance and
speed up the healing process- whether it be
chronic or acute. Owners and vets alike often
remark on how quickly injuries can heal with the
help of homeopathy. Chronic issues are more
deep-seated and tend to improve over a longer
period of time. eg the horse that gets very
excitable at a show copes much better,
separation anxiety lessens, sensitivity to new
places reduces etc.
Homeopathy for
Horses
Safe, Natural and Effective
Homeopathy is also very effective for horse owners
too. In my experience, horses often evoke
emotions in us and we are left wondering where did
that come from!. Constitutional remedies for
people can be really helpful for issues such as
anxiety before shows, fear, un-confidence, feelings
of anger, issues with dominance etc. Horses are
often a mirror for us, and can reflect our areas of
vulnerability.
Homeopathy is also fantastic for acute complaints
such as lacerations, over-exertion, muscle and
tendon strains, teeth extraction and abscesses.
Homeopathic first aid remedies will be discussed in
my next article.
Please note that all constitutional prescribing should only be done by a qualified Homeopath.
Information in this article does not substitute professional veterinary care. Where the need arises, a
qualified vet should be consulted to establish an accurate diagnosis and to ensure suffering is being
avoided.
A bit about Kelly
I am a qualified Homeopath, having graduated from the Wellington College of Homeopathy about 10
years ago. I am currently adding another arrow to my quiver by studying Animal Homeopathy. I have
also completed a first year vet nursing course with Otago Polytechnic. We live on a lifestyle block just
north of Otaki with 4 horses, chickens, a dog and two cats. My passion is horses. I rode as a teenager
and rediscovered horses again about 4 years ago. My goal is to help make a better life for horses and
their humans using Homeopathy as a complementary medicine. I am also passionate about continuing
my learning of Natural Horsemanship to understand the psychology of the horse and how I can play a
part in enhancing the
horse-human bond. I feel
v e r y g r a t e f u l a n d
honoured to be able to be
i nvol ved wi t h t hese
wonderful animals and
the amazing people who
care for them.
Kelly Henry
DipHom
Cert in Animal Care
BCA
Contact details:
equinox@farmside.co.nz
mobile 027 6353537
Wow, writing this article has opened many doors of
thinking for me. I originally intended to just explain
what pressure and release was. However, in doing
so, I needed to do a bit of background research,
which blew this original idea out of the water!
To say we as horse trainers use pressure and
release is actually very narrow minded. I thought that
this was all I used until I delved deeper. I have since
learnt more about Classical Conditioning and
Operant Conditioning. I have revisited the work of
Pavlov and his dogs and taken a trip down memory
lane about what I learnt in High School! It is also a
reminder for me that things are not always as they
seem, nor are they always forever. I now know that
most often I use negative reinforcement (pressure/
rel ease) and reward often through posi ti ve
reinforcement.
So far this I am quite sure of: Pressure and Release
can be physical, mental and emotional. It is only one
way of training an animal. It is a widely used and
accepted form of training. I feel the term is thrown
around lightly, but is a more complex idea than the
name suggests.
In light of my discoveries I will leave you to form
your own denition of what pressure and release
is.
In my eyes, in its most simplest form it is simply
the act of applying pressure (in the form of a
thought, stimuli or movement) until the horse
gives the desired response, at which point the
human releases.
Some interesting concepts you need to consider
are:
-Negative/Positive Reinforcement
-Punishment
-Conditioning
-Active and passive body language
Before I sign off however I would like to direct you
towards some links (on the next page), so you too
can explore these concepts. These links describe
the concepts better than I can right now, as well
as give specic examples relating to horses. One
day I will feel like I have the experience to explain
this concept!
The
idea of
Pressure
and Release
Useful links to deepen your understanding:
http://www.parelli.com/pressure-motivates-release-teaches.html
http://goodhorsemanship.ca/portfolio/107/
http://juliegoodnight.com/questionsNew.php?id=163
http://www.training-horses-naturally.com/operant-conditioning.html
http://www.equinoxhorse.net/operantconditioning.html
Some pictures and excerpts that you may nd
informative.
What do
you think?
!"# %"&## '(&&)#&* %+
,#(&-)-.
By Julie Smart
How To Be A Learner
hoLos by kaL Creagor
As an adulL sLudenL, l have auended many cllnlcs. 1hey have all
dellvered Lhe goods ln Lerms of lmprovlng my horsemanshlp,
one way or anoLher Lhere ls always someLhlng Lo learn.
Powever, l have also seen sLudenLs walk away from Lhe same
cllnlcs feellng dlsappolnLed, lnadequaLe or frusLraLed. l have
heard sLudenLs say LhaL Lhe lnsLrucLor was rubblsh, LhaL Lhey
have felL le ouL, plcked on, humlllaLed, overlooked and/or ouL
of Lhelr depLh. l have heard people say Lhey learned noLhlng
because Lhey had done all LhaL before, whllsL sLandlng alongslde
sLudenLs who may be more advanced Lhan Lhey, who are saylng
Lhey found Lhe same cllnlc a valuable experlence.
Lveryone Lurns up aL a cllnlc osLenslbly wanung Lo learn (why
book and pay oLherwlse?). !"# %&'( )* '+(,'--. /")0/ "0 &1213
Learnlng can be uncomforLable. arL of belng a good sLudenL ls becomlng comforLable wlLh belng uncomforLable.
We all have dlerenL learnlng sLyles. umng Lhe acLual horsemanshlp Lo Lhe slde for a momenL, conslder Lhls:
whaL sorL of person do you become when you are learnlng? Pow do you raLe your 'SLudenLshlp'?

1he process of learnlng ls as much an arL form as horsemanshlp lLself. Some people are naLurally LalenLed aL lL,
and some have Lo work aL lL harder and apply consclous sLraLegles Lo Lhelr learnlng. Aer a loL of observauon of
sLudenL behavlour (lncludlng my own), l belleve Lhere are Lhree barrlers LhaL sLop us from belng greaL sLudenLs.

1- Fear
1hls ls Lhe blggesL barrler, and on a cerLaln level, Lhe only one- Lhe oLher Lwo are really [usL varlauons. ln Lhls
conLexL however, l refer Lo Lhe acLual fear a person has of Lhe horse. lL may be LhaL you can rlde aL a walk, buL are
scared Lo LroL, or love rldlng, buL geL scared when Lhe horse plays up for whaLever reason.
A fearful sLudenL may Lhlnk Lhlngs llke: l can'L do Lhls! l mlghL geL hurL!"
She mlghL be honesL and say so, or she mlghL suppress lL for fear of belng seen as weak.
She mlghL also be ln denlal. unacknowledged fear hldes ln Lhe basemenL of her psyche, sendlng up confuslng
ares of alarm LhaL frlghLen her far more Lhan Lhe slLuauon merlLs, because she does noL undersLand lL ls lurklng
Lhere. 1hen along comes Lhe horse, a glanL blofeedback organlsm, ampllfylng and reecung all of her fears for Lhe
world Lo see. lf ln denlal, Lhe easlesL Lhlng Lo do ls Lo blame your horse. 'l had beuer qulL now, lluy ls scared.'
?es, lluy ls scared, because lluy has no cholce! When her leader ls scared, she wlll be Loo. lL ls a survlval
mechanlsm LhaL funcuons aL Lhe lnsuncuve level and has kepL horses allve for cenLurles.
!"#$#%& (%#) *"# *$+*" %&
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A sLudy was publlshed ln Lhe
' W e s L e r n P o r s e m a n '
magazlne a whlle ago on
hearL raLes. 1he horses and
people were monlLored ln
dlerenL slLuauons wlLh Lhe
horse elLher onllne, or wlLh a
r l der on boar d. Cne
experlmenL lnvolved Lhe
humans Laklng Lhe horse
down an alleyway, Lhey were Lold Lo be prepared
because halfway down someone was golng Lo [ump ouL
and spook Lhe horse. AcLually, Lhey were lylng... no-one
[umped ouL aL Lhem aL all. Powever ln every slngle case,
as Lhe human approached Lhe 'spooky spoL', Lhelr hearL
raLe wenL up ln anuclpauon of Lhe scare Lo come... and
Lhe horse's hearL raLe also lncreased! 1hls happened
regardless of wheLher Lhe horse was belng rldden C8 [usL
belng led. 1hlnk abouL lL. Porses sense Lhlngs aL a far
more subLle level Lhan humans.
When fear ls suppressed, lL oen masquerades as oLher
emouons such as anger, frusLrauon, and even sadness.
All Lhls [usL feels llke unbalanced energy Lo LhaL horse.
?ou should learn Lo recognlse fear ln all of lLs forms.
Worry, anxleLy, confuslon, panlc, and Lerror are all
reecuons of lncreaslng fear, so geL ln Lhe hablL of
quesuonlng yourself, especlally lf your horse ls showlng
any of Lhose sympLoms. A feellng of unexplalned
confuslon, oen felL as a braln freeze, ls parucularly hard
Lo deal wlLh because when you are confused you can'L
Lhlnk sLralghL by denluon. lL helps Lo ask yourself, 'whaL
am l feellng rlghL now?' lf you cannoL answer, Lhen you
may be emouonally confused and you should be very
careful. Look around for Lhe source of confuslon, because
lL could well be ln Lhe seed of fear. 1hls sLraLegy has
acLually saved me ln oLher llfe slLuauons Loo- remember
fear ls acLually your frlend- lL ls Lrylng Lo keep you allve
and you need Lo acknowledge lL before you can deal wlLh
lL approprlaLely.
Cnce Lhe fear ls ldenued, a good sLraLegy ls Lo menLally
backLrack Lo where you nouced Lhe fear rsL surfaced
and LreaL lL llke you would a scared horse. use approach
and reLreaL. lf fear arlses aL Lhe LhoughL of rldlng, when
exacLly does lL arlse? Can you approach Lhe horse? Can
you saddle hlm wlLhouL fear? ls lL all okay unul you go
and puL your fooL ln Lhe surrup? vlsuallse LhaL rsL sLep
unul you can lmaglne lL wlLhouL fear, before Laklng Lhls
pracuce Lo Lhe horse. uo noL Lry and push Lhrough lL,
your horse ls noL fooled, Lhey, as well as you wlll know
you are noL belng auLhenuc. Approach Lhe fear
Lhreshold, hang ouL for a blL, and reLreaL. Allow
condence Lo grow, be honesL, Lell yourself, your
lnsLrucLor, and your horse LhaL you feel scared rlghL now,
and glve yourself permlsslon Lo back o. 'leel Lhe fear
and do lL anyway' does noL work wlLh horses because
Lhey need a fearless leader. 1hey wlll elLher become
Lerrled Lhemselves or Lake charge, because someone
needs Lo, rlghL?
1here ls no shame ln fear. Conde ln your lnsLrucLor. A
good lnsLrucLor wlll have ways of provldlng a safe
envlronmenL for you Lo learn ln. lL would be a shame Lo
never llve your dream wlLh horses because of fear. 1he
key Lo success ls Lo admlL lL, own lL, use approach and
reLreaL, and geL supporL.

2- Ego
1hls ls a really hard one Lo own up Lo! We all have lL
because we need lL Lo llve. Lgo ls noL a dlrLy word, lL ls
abouL self proLecuon, agency and auLonomy and ls very
closely relaLed Lo fear as well.
8 <%. 1<)*,=(# *1 (#,$&%&. %) #?@$#))#4 <-
*"$## A&- 21$4)B 05 :&12 *",*67
'knowlng' and 'Applylng' are Lwo very dlerenL
Lhlngs. 1here was one cllnlc wlLh a very good naLural
horseman, where a dlsenchanLed fellow sLudenL sald Lo
me (as she was leavlng aL lunchume of Lhe rsL day).
'WhaL have you acLually learned LhaL ls new?' She was
angry because she had spenL good money and felL lL
was a wasLe. 1he answer was LhaL l had learned
noLhlng 'new' as we were worklng on slmple ylelds, buL
l dld learn how Lo do lL beuer, and soer, and llghLer.
lL was Lhe dlerence beLween haullng my horse's head
around and dlgglng my heel ln Lo geL a dlsengagemenL,
Lo [usL ulung my wrlsL and havlng Lhe horse ow
around me. 1o lmprove, you need a Leacher Lo help
perfecL your ablllues. CeL your good beuer, and your
beuer, besL!
AnoLher form of ego can be seen when you go Lo cllnlcs
aL a lower level Lhan your currenL ablllLy, because lL ls
graufylng Lo be Lhe sLar sLudenL. now Lhls ls noL a bad
Lhlng Lo do per se, as relLerauon ls a huge parL of
learnlng and oen Lhe parL LhaL ls mosL overlooked.
?our horse needs Lo do someLhlng 4-7 umes for lL Lo
become parL of hls reperLolre, buL we humans
(especlally adulLs) are far slower learners and need Lo
repeaL an exerclse aL leasL Lhree umes as much as a
horse does Lo own lL...LhaL could be 21 umes! Many
good lessons are wasLed because we dld noL go and
pracuce lL correcLly aerwards. 8uL lf you nd yourself
hablLually golng Lo beglnner courses, Lhen ask yourself:
am l relLeraung whaL l know for self lmprovemenL? Cr
am l here for a genulne learnlng experlence? (maybe
wlLh a dlerenL horse for example). Cr do l [usL wanL Lo
look good? 8e honesL. Showlng o ls fun for a whlle,
and can even be helpful Lo oLhers lf you are preuy good
and can lnsplre people, buL lL does noL help ?Cu grow
or learn. !"# )0.* A3#B#$ '"&0C *)4 0##18 /, 3#B#$ '"&0
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A Lhlrd form of Lgo ls far sneakler. 1hls ls Lhe sorL LhaL
hldes behlnd a veneer of sllence...lL preLends Lo be
shyness, or self depreclauon, buL ls acLually all abouL
noL belng able Lo look foollsh or make mlsLakes ln fronL
of anyone. Many people geL frozen by Lhls, Loo
paralyzed Lo acL. 1hls ls a nasLy one because lf pushed,
Lhe ego mlghL lash ouL and blame Lhe lnsLrucLor for 'noL
undersLandlng' or 'pushlng Loo hard'. Cen Lhe LhoughL
process wlll be along Lhe llnes of, 'LhaL looks llke a good
sLraLegy...buL l am noL golng Lo Lry here. l wlll walL unul
l am alone wlLh my horse and l wlll Lry Lhen'. Meanwhlle
Lhe learnlng opporLunlLy passes you by. ?ou mlss Lhe
opporLunlLy Lo learn ln a place LhaL you can safely Lry,
rlsk falllng, and be correcLed so LhaL you can learn and
perfecL Lhe lesson. ?ou wlll mlss Lhls opporLunlLy why?
8ecause you are scared Lo look bad.
uon'L be! MlsLakes are awesome- LhaL ls how we learn.

4" 0"( %'*(1 (&'( /"-510 "66"2(,0)(.7
usually whaL happens ln Lhls case ls LhaL Lhe lesson ls
never revlslLed when you are alone wlLh your horse,
because lL was a busy, exhausung day, you dld noL geL
Lo wrlLe lL down aL Lhe ume, or by Lhe ume you have
Lhe prlvacy you have forgouen how Lo apply lL
correcLly anyway.
8emember, every ume you are wlLh your horse, you
are Leachlng hlm someLhlng. 8lghL or wrong, he ls a
super learner and ls always learnlng. WlLh your horse
always swlLched on as a learner, Lhe ume Lo acL ls
nCW. lf you do noL, you are up for a ghL laLer when
you Lry (unsupporLed by an lnsLrucLor), because every
ume you leL Lhe momenL go you are preuy much
promlslng your horse LhaL whaL he ls glvlng you ls good
enough, even lf lL ls Lerrlble. lmaglne how confused he
wlll be when you suddenly sLarL Lo demand a dlerenL
response. Pe wlll feel you have broken a conLracL and
Lherefore may argue, reslsL, and worse, lose LrusL ln
you.
uo noL leL your ego, wheLher lL be a bolshle know lL all
one or a shrlnklng vloleL, geL ln Lhe way of your
learnlng. ueclde Lo hang lL aL Lhe gaLe before you even
go Lo your horse and you wlll boLh have a far beuer
learnlng experlence.

3- Beliefs
lf you have a dogmauc bellef LhaL lnLerferes wlLh you
belng able Lo be auLhenuc wlLh your horse, Lhen you
have a cholce Lo make. 1o leL go, or noL?
lL ls noL easy...a guard dogma paLrolllng your lnner
corrldors can be preuy vlclous!
8ellefs are a baslc parL of how we dene ourselves, and
can be Lhe rooL of much ado! A psychologlsL frlend of
an lnsLrucLor l know Lold hlm an lnLeresung facL. When
you challenge a persons' core bellefs, you are probably
golng Lo be okay up Lo abouL a 3 change. Aer LhaL,
Lhe person ls ln severe danger of menLal shuLdown.
!usL a 20 challenge Lo a cherlshed bellef sysLem can
be enough ln some cases Lo cause a psychouc break.

lf a person ls 'successful' wlLh horses, such as ln Lhe
compeuuon eld, and geLs rlbbons vla uslng Lradluonal
meLhods, Lhey are belng valldaLed by a huge Lradluonal
pool of oplnlon every ume Lhey geL LhaL rlbbon. 1hey
do noL wanL Lo be Lold LhaL Lhere ls a beuer way.
lf you nd yourself ln a bellef Lrap, Lry Lhe old ur hll
approach and ask yourself how ls lL worklng ouL for
you? lf you are wlnnlng rlbbons, buL cannoL caLch, brldle,
or mounL your horse wlLhouL problems, or you cannoL
rlde hlm ouLslde an arena because he wlll bolL, or he
cannoL Lraller load, or you are havlng any oLher
problems, Lhen maybe lL ls ume Lo see lf lL ls a dogmauc
bellef sysLem LhaL ls sLopplng you connecung wlLh your
horse, ln a way LhaL lnsplres LrusL and Lry ln hlm.

l very recenLly meL an older couple- pasL reuremenL age-
who had been wlLh horses all Lhelr llves, and Lhe
husband had even made a llvlng worklng wlLh horses. lL
was Lhelr very rsL naLural Porsemanshlp cllnlc. 8oLh of
Lhem were ln Lears, Lhe man as well, aL varlous umes
over Lhe weekend. 1hey had hlL LhaL huge bellef wall, a
whole llfeume of belng cerLaln way, and had Lhelr eyes
opened Lo an unavoldable LruLh. 1hey looked llke war
vlcums, uuerly shell shocked. WhaL had happened was
LhaL for Lhe rsL ume Lhey reallsed LhaL Lhelr horses were
noL Lhelr parLners, buL lnsLead, Lhey were Lhelr
prlsoners. 1hey could rlde ouL and had en[oyed mlles of
Lrall rldlng, buL Lhelr horses were skepucal of Lhem, dld
noL wanL Lo be wlLh Lhem, and had a myrlad of problems
LhaL Lhey now reallsed were Lhelr own faulL. 1hey could
no longer blame Lhe horses for bad behavlour.
WhaL was very obvlous was LhaL Lhey boLh loved Lhelr
horses. 1hey descrlbed feellng lnadequaLe, slck aL Lhelr
own lnnaLe hablLs, unable Lo progress. 1hey were brave
and honesL and lncredlbly vulnerable. l really admlred
Lhem and was ln awe of how wllllng Lhey were Lo Lry and
change. 1helr worldvlew had llLerally been smashed lnLo
smlLhereens. 1hey were overwhelmed and really had Lo
Lake baby sLeps, Lhey probably reLalned very llule ln
Lerms of deLall. 8uL Lhey dld noL glve up, Lhey le Lhe
arena when lL goL Loo much, buL kepL comlng back. 1he
lnsLrucLor was empaLheuc and undersLood compleLely
havlng gone Lhrough hls own 'dark nlghL of Lhe soul' ln
Lhe search of good horsemanshlp. lL was uplllng Lo
wlLness a llfe changlng evenL unfold for Lhose Lwo lovely
people and Lhelr beloved horses, especlally aL an
advanced age, as bellefs Lend Lo geL sLronger and
sLronger as we age.
So be genLle wlLh yourself lf you fall ln Lhls caLegory.
Challenge your bellefs, and know Lhey are nC1 ?Cu,
Lhey are behavlours only, and Lhey can be changed. 1ake
llule sLeps, do noL beaL yourself up and know LhaL Lhe
horse ls wlLh you.

?ou are responslble for your own learnlng, no-one
else. ?Cu. 8rlng yourself Lo Lhe learnlng arena, make
frlends wlLh your fears, leL your bellefs go and hang
your ego on Lhe gaLe. now you are ready Lo learn!
The things I have let
go of to do what I do
with horses
1hanks for readlng would love some reader
responses Lo Lhls for lssue 4! C- D"#$-( E$,-
Horsemanship is a system of values which I live by
So much of whaL !ulle wroLe abouL ln her arucle above
resonaLed wlLh me and has caused me Lo wanL Lo express
some of my LhoughLs. As a Leacher, boLh of horses and
chlldren ln my lnLermedlaLe School classroom, l am
consLanLly exposed Lo people who have walls up abouL Lhelr
learnlng. 1he greaL Lhlng abouL my day [ob ls LhaL lL ls easler
Lo help chlldrens' walls come down and Lhey are ln Lhe
same, conslsLenL envlronmenL ve days per week.
CuLllned below ls a pauern LhaL has emerged from my
Leachlng of horse people so far aL my cllnlcs, Lhey can be
broadly placed lnLo Lhree caLegorles:
1- 1hose who are genulnely passlonaLe abouL learnlng and
belng Lhe besL Lhey can be for Lhelr horses. 1hese are Lhe
people LhaL come back Lo my cllnlcs ume and ume agaln.
2- 1hose who are genulnely passlonaLe abouL learnlng and
belng Lhelr besL, buL cannoL aord Lo auend my cllnlcs, or
do noL have Lhe ume. 1hese people sLay ln regular conLacL
and express Lhelr deslre Lo come, even Lhough Lhey cannoL.
3- 1hose who come Lo my cllnlcs and reallse LhaL Lhlnklng
abouL Lhelr horses ln a new way ls a llfe [ourney and one ln
whlch Lhey do noL feel Lhey can embark on aL LhaL ume. lL
does noL mean Lhey never wlll, buL Lhey are currenLly noL ln
a posluon Lo Lake Lhe sLeps.
1here could also be a fourLh
caLegory, Lhls sLaLemenL l am
abouL Lo make ls purely an
educaLed assumpuon. 1hls fourLh
caLegory would be lled wlLh
Lhose who do noL llke or dlsagree
wlLh my phllosophy. Cenerally
Lhese people fall lnLo Lhe Lhlrd
caLegory, buL wlll deny lL greaLly,
holdlng fasL Lo Lhelr sLralghL-llne
bellefs abouL horses and Lhey
oen do noL belleve ln Lhe
'horsemanshlp approach'. l have
never been Lold upfronL by Lhese
people, buL gosslp Lravels :)
l have heard people Lell me LhaL lL ls ok Lo brlbe Lhelr
horses, LhaL lL ls never ok Lo hlL Lhem Lo proLecL
yourself and LhaL lf Lhey are belng pushed around by
Lhelr horses, lL ls because Lhelr horses love Lhem. ln
Lhese Lhree examples Lhese people clearly show me
LhaL Lhey do noL undersLand whaL horsemanshlp ls
and whaL a healLhy relauonshlp beLween horse and
human looks llke. Cenerally Lhese are Lhe people l
prefer noL Lo come back Lo my cllnlcs, as Lhey refuse
Lo conslder Lhlngs ln a dlerenL way and are closed o
Lo learnlng and change. l am wllllng Lo glve my ume
and energy Lo Lhose who are ready for whaL l have Lo
oer.
lL blows me away when l see people puL Lhelr llves ln
uAnCL8 purely because Lhey do noL belleve ln
'cerLaln Lhlngs' or Lhey Lhlnk lL ls 'mean' Lo geL
asseruve wlLh Lhelr horses. 8uL Lhls ls anoLher sLory ln
lLself- gemng asseruve wlLhouL gemng angry, and
Lhere ls a dlerence. 8elng asseruve wlLhouL anger ls
someLhlng many people cannoL face, because Lhey
have noL yeL masLered LhaL area of emouonal conLrol
ln Lhelr horsemanshlp. 8ack Lo Lhe concepL of mean,
yes gemng asseruve ls mean lf you do wlLh wlLh
mallce, fear and anger, buL lf you geL asseruve for Lhe
greaLer good of Lhe horse, wlLh no unLoward feellngs,
lL ls acLually a blesslng Lo Lhe horse.
Commlmng Lo Lhe Porsemanshlp hllosophy Lruly ls a [ourney. Llke Lhe word phllosophy suggesLs lL ls noL
someLhlng LhaL can be caLegorlsed, leveled or plcked up and puL down llke a book. 1o furLher emphaslse Lhls polnL
l have lnserLed a screen shoL of Lhe acLual onllne denluon of 'phllosophy'.
ln llghL of my rambllngs Lhere are many
Lhlngs l have leL go of, Lo be Lhe besL l can
be for my horse. Some of Lhem are:
compeuuons, canLerlng on Lhe rlghL leg
from Lhe sLarL, rldlng ln a brldle and
achlevlng narrow mlnded goals. ln saylng
Lhls however, Lhey are noL Lhlngs l have
glven up on, raLher Lhlngs whlch l now
reallse l have Lo approach dlerenLly Lo be
ln harmony wlLh my horse. l wanL Lo
achleve Lhese Lhlngs wlLh my horses
wlLhouL [eopardlslng our relauonshlp and
Lhelr physlcal, emouonal and menLal
healLh. l no longer place rlgld ume
resLralnLs on myself when l am wlLh
horses and l can see amazemenL ln Lhlngs
l would never have deemed be amazlng
prlor Lo Lhlnklng as l do now.
The horse in these photos was in my eyes
dangerous. It had learnt to brace its neck,
run into pressure and push people out of the
way. It did not respect my space at all and
whenever I asked it to respond it would bull
doze me!
I spent time with this horse being assertive
and it involved whacking it on the neck.
Unfortunately I had to get to this point with it
to get it to respond. It had spent 16 years
controlling humans, so only knew how to
evade pressure and protect itself. By the end
of the session the horse was responding
appropriately to pressure and watching out
for my space.
Predator / Prey
theory
There are many things that we need to
understand when working with horses, the
Predator/Prey Theory is just one of them.
Basically you need to understand that we as
humans are predators, as are big cats and
dogs for example and horses are prey
animals, as are antelope, deer and zebras.
What needs particular note here is that in the
wild predatory animals and prey animals are
not designed to live in perfect harmony with
each other and yet when we are with our
horses we desire perfect harmony......
So how can you dull down the survival
instincts of a prey animal, to work towards
achieving this harmony....? Simple, stop
being a predator and displaying predatory
behaviour. There are many behaviours which
humans exhibit that are predatory and many
humans are not even aware they express
them. For example, when you go to catch
your horse how do you do it? Do you walk
straight to them, looking them in the eye
without hesitation? Do you have them
come to you? Do you walk in a zig zag
type pattern, never staring intently at the
horse? Do you walk in segments, stopping
every so often? Right here in this rst
interaction you have with your horse for
the day, you are setting up the tone and
your horse is considering the level of your
predatory behaviour. Horses are great in
that every day is like a clean slate, horses
do not come to a decision and hold it
forever, they are adaptable to each
situation. If they perceive you currently as
a predator and have done so for the last 5
years, then you go out tomorrow less
predatory, they will notice this. They do
not hold grudges.
Back to how you approach your horse
when you go to catch them....to fully
understand the way in which to catch your
horse, you rst need to understand how
they would interact with other predators in
the wild and also the typical behaviours of
other predators. Picture
this, there is a herd of
horses and a pack of lions
in the same area, they both
use the same watering hole
for hydration during the hot
summer mont hs. The
horses know that when
they head to the watering
hole, there is a chance of a
lion being present, they
also know that over a long
distance they can outrun a
lion. A lion knows that the
horses will get thirsty and
need t o come t o t he
watering hole for a drink.
Interesting to consider that
when the lion approaches
the watering hole, he does
so i n a st r ai ght - l i ne
f a s h i o n , h e w a l k s
condently right towards it,
with very little hesitation.
He will pause occasionally
scanning for his next meal.
When a horse is walking to
the watering hole, it does
so very tentatively, not
wal ki ng st rai ght t here,
rather walking in a zig-zag
type fashion. It stops often,
highly alert to changes and
danger. If the horse feels the
slightest fear, it turns and runs off,
ignorant to its thirst, yearning only
for safety and avoiding potential
predators that may be lurking.
Imagine the horse did not perceive
danger, they and their herd may
continue to the watering hole. Just at
the point they begin to drink a lion
leaps from the bushes, being ight
animals the horses are able to get
into an immediate gallop. They race
through the trees, eyes wide with
fear, trying desperately to get to the
front or middle of the herd, as they know that in
that position they are less likely to get eaten. The
chase continues, with the horses slowly putting
space between themselves and the lion. As the
gap widens the lion gives up the chase, at which
point the horses turn around to see if the danger
has gone, but ready to take off again if not.
Now put yourself back in the catching situation.
Your horse has seen you coming, they are reading
your every move and considering your intention
towards them. You proceed to walk directly to
them. To compensate for the limitations of their eye
sight, they raise their head higher to increase their
ability to study you more clearly from afar. You
continue to walk in a straight line looking at them,
without hesitation. They take off to escape the
predatory behaviour you exhibit, then when they
feel they are a safe distance away from you, they
turn and face you to reassess the situation. Right
here in this example, which is very common, is the
Predator/Prey Theory in action. You being the lion
and the horse being the horse. In order to help
your horse build trust in you, you need to ensure
you try not to display behaviour that is perceived
as predatory by your horse.
Catching Take 2. You go out with the intention of
catching your horse, you get to the gate and your
horse notices you are there, so you pause for a
moment and give them a smile, softening your
Predatory
animals and
prey animals
are not
designed to live
in perfect
harmony with
each other and
yet when we
are with our
horses we
desire perfect
harmony......
body language and relaxing your muscles. You are
thinking welcoming thoughts, inviting your horse to come
towards you. When entering the paddock you move
uidly, not ever staring directly at the horse and when
you do glance their way, you do so with a soft
expression. You walk in an arc, intending to arrive on the
left or right hand side of the horse, never straight on.
When your horse offers to come towards you, you stop
and maybe back up a few steps, you then may softly
zig-zag in the opposite direction. By this stage your
horse may be more relaxed and you can start to
advance closer in a zig-zag type fashion, hesitating or
slightly pausing often, so your horse has enough time to
read your intentions. Also something else to think about
are horses scared of predators, or are the scared of
predatory behaviour?
This explanation of catching is just one example of the
Predator/Prey Theory in action. What other things can
you think of that humans do, which may reinforce to our
horses that humans and horses cannot work in
harmony?
If nothing else I hope that this article has given you more
insight into horse psychology and has caused you to
consider your own nature. Do you cause your horse to
feel defensive because of our predatory actions?
Before I try to 'fix' the horse, I fix myself, I make sure
I am relaxed and that my reins are not so tight that
they are causing my horse to feel coiled up. I try to
make sure my gear fits my horse well and that there
is no pain any where. I then consider the intensity of
the reasons why the horse jigs. I always work on the
problem in an area where the horse feels safest-
e.g. NOT out on a trek with many other horses!
One thing I might try is:
Step 1: Make sure the horse stands still while being
mounted (see previous issue for tips on this)
Step 2: Walk the horse off on a loose rein
Step 3: As soon as the horse starts to jig turn it in
small circles until it comes to a stop (or One-Rein Stop)
Step 4: As soon as the horse stops let the reins
back out to a loose rein and see if they will stay
stood for a few seconds
Step 5: If the horse did not stand still and walked off
without being asked, repeat Steps 3 and 4
Step 6: Continue the steps repeatedly every time
the horse jigs or walks off without being asked
Step 7: End the session as soon as the horse
makes a change and does not jig off, this will
reinforce to them that they got the right answer
Success Tips
-Make sure you can flex the horses head left and
right (see articles on Lateral Flexion)
-Do not pull hard and fast when taking them in
circle or doing a one-rein stop (this will scare the horse)
-Be patient- this can take ages to fix
-Have the horse keep his head flexed around once
you have stopped him, before you give the reins
back to him. This way you are checking he has
committed to stopping.
-Ensure your seat is relaxed
This is one idea, it will not work for all horses, but it
is one place to start
One of the most frustrating
things for riders can be a
horse that jigs!
For most horses jigging is easily
fixed, for others though it can take
quite a lot of consistent, patient
training.
The first thing I do is ask myself,
"why is the horse jigging?"
Reasons could be:
-Nervous in new situations
-Rider has the reins too tight
-Horse is in pain
-Rider has a tense seat
-Other horses are emotional
-The horse feels rushed
Jigging Horses
A brief overview of a potentially
very complex problem
Buck Brannamans
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UCK. Therefore, you have movie lhealer
quaIily and an abundance of greal maleriaI!
AIso, because lhese vere hImed in lhe Iasl
fev years, il shovs vhal uck is doing in
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geuing lo go lo severaI of uck's cIinics
and valch vhal he currenlIy leaches. We
undersland lhal uck's cIinics are nov
reguIarIy soId oul, even for audilors/
seclalors, so lhis vouId be a erfecl
vay lo gel lo "go lo severaI cIinics,"
and gel a fronl rov seal. Of course,
il is highIy recommend going lo see
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This is probably the best single investment in horsemanship I
have ever made. Every time I watch one of the sessions I pick up
a new view of an idea or nuance I didnt think of before. To say
there is a wealth of knowledge in each of the sessions is a gross
understatement! 7 CLINICS will keep me busy with my horses
from this point forward. It has also increased my passion for
helping people and my faith in horses. My horses benet more
from this $150 DVD set than they do my $60,000 trailer and
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There is no cov vork incIuded as
lhese DVDs are aimed al a broad
horsemanshi audience (bolh IngIish
and Weslern). Hovever, uck does
laIk aboul hov lhese Iessons aIy lo
cauIe vork. As uck says, good riding
is good riding, no mauer vhal
disciIine you are in!
When I see horses ears pinned, tails wringing,
face tight, lips taut, and eyes staring, to me it
spells an unhappy or worried horse. This causes
me to wonder how many other people are
in the same situation I was, of not knowing what
to do, what to feel or what to see? I see a lot of
the above behaviours in other peoples horses
and I think to myself, what is the person doing to
help the horse be happier, or do they not even
notice they are not happy? If they have noticed,
I wonder if they care? Perhaps they have
noticed and they do not know what to do, like I
didnt in my past?
Listen To
Your Horse
What are your horses telling you?
I remember the days when I never used to listen to my horses. It was not that I did
not want to, the thought just never occurred to me. Then the day it did, I did not
know how!
My horses at times can
definitely still show these
negative behaviours and I
am forever trying to figure
out why. What ever t he
reason is, I try not to let
these sorts of little things go
unnoticed. Be it the horses
fault, the riders fault or none
of the above, I believe that
we should all take the time to
take note and listen to what
our horses are trying to say.
As an example I will share
an event I recorded a year
ago....
I go out to catch Jewel, she is in a large 4 acre
paddock and as soon as she sees me coming she
turns to walk away. Instead of thinking, "ohhh, you
little rat bag and MAKING her be caught", I stop
and ask myself why this may have occurred. In
walking away Jewel is trying to tell me something.
It is my job to acknowledge what Jewel has done
and in this case Jewel is exhibiting unusual
behaviour, as normally she comes to me, if not on
her own, then definitely when I suggest it.
In the above example Jewel could be telling me
any number of the following things:
1. "Buzz off! You mean
nothing to me today".
2. "I am sore, so I am
protecting myself".
3. "Walk with me to the end
of the paddock and give me
a new break of grass".
4. "Last time you worked
with me you rushed me and
made me feel wrong".
In going through this thought
process, you may do nothing
more than think to yourself,
how fascinating and proceed
as normal. But, I swear that
the horses can feel this
acknowledgement and they
appreciate it. If you did decide to take your thinking
processes further, this is how you may proceed.
-If they showed example #1 I would be convincing
them that coming to me really is a more appealing
option. I may do this by putting more pressure on
them when they walk away, then releasing pressure
when they slow down, or look like turning toward
me, or actually turn around and come!
-If they showed #2 I would quietly take my time to
get to them, then check them out for pain. If
necessary I would enlist the help of a more
experienced professional.
-If they showed #3 I would try to catch up with them,
then ask them to connect, before haltering.
-If they showed #4 I would slow down and take my
time with them that day to rebuild trust. At the same
time I would be replaying the last few sessions I had
with them to see if I could find a trigger. In finding
this trigger, I could ensure that I was more aware
next time to prevent her losing trust again.
In following through with these sorts of thinking
patterns, you will begin to get a pretty good feel for
the reasons why and be better able respond
appropriately. Give it a go, I am sure that your
horses will thank you for taking the time to listen.
Noticing these subtle signs that your horse is giving
you could also be the difference between a safe or
unsafe experience with your horse. Too often I hear
people telling me of negative things that have
happened between themselves and their horses,
that could have potentially been avoided. Most often
their sentences begin with "all of a sudden out of no
where!..", and then end with, they bit me, kicked
me, bucked me off, struck out at me. I can almost
guarantee that if people started to notice these little
signs the horse gives them, and responded in the
right way, they would be saying this less often!
Yes indeed at times things really do come out of the
blue, who could have picked that a plastic bag would
fly out at the exact second a truck whizzed by and
that the horse would spook. But if your horse has
been getting tighter and tighter eventually they will
blow, if their tail is repeatedly swishing watch out
because a buck could be on the way, or maybe the
saddle is causing major damage and pain.
I in no way have perfect horses who are happy all
the time, but I am working on this every time I am
with them. For me it trumps all other things in my
training programme.
A deeper and more spiritual look into body language and horses: Carolyn Resnick Blog: body-language-body-talk
I feel there has to be a line where the person needs to step up and
think I NEED TO TAKE NOTICE, NOW!
Getting A
not a soft look
To me there is a difference between a
Soft Feel and Collection. See my
version of these two terms below:
Soft Feel:
Basically when the horse gives softly to
your hands immediately, no matter your
rein length or hand position. This is not
collection. It is important to note that a
soft feel is just that ... a soft feel. The
horses head is not necessarily exactly on
the vertical, but it is heading that way.
Collection:
When a horse has the ability to soften
and flex "longitudinally" from head to
tail, at all gaits. This does come from a
soft feel and a changing of your seat and
hand positions. The degree to which a
horse can collect indicates the level of
power and engagement of a horse.
For a horse to truly give you collection
and softness, it means they will bend,
flex or break over between the 1st and
2nd vertebrae, right behind his ears.
Soft Feel
It should be a soft feel,
If you cannot get your horse to give you a soft feel at
the stand still (like in the photo), then do not expect
them to hold a soft feel at the walk and trot etc.
I believe, and there are many philosophies, this is just my
one, that a horse needs to understand the cue for 'a soft
feel' at the stand still, before it can be expected at a moving
gait.
The most common way I see people trying to achieve this
head carriage is by holding the reins tight and clenching
with their legs. In this situation most often the horse is
hard in the riders hands (often seen by the bulging arm
muscles of the rider and gaping mouth of the horse). In
this situation also, the rider normally has to have a lot of
leg on and grip tightly with their thighs. None of this
situation is ever very pleasant for the horse.
The horse world is a minefield of
opinions, facts and interpretations. All I
can do is offer my opinion of what I
believe a soft feel is, and how I have
interpreted it from my own learnings and
experiences.
To achieve a Soft Feel I normally go through the following steps:
Step 1: Hold the reins at the buckle (centre), up in the air with your left hand, then slide your right hand
equally down both reins until it is resting on the horses neck. Make sure your seat is relaxed.
Step 2: Put one hand on each rein at this point and take them out no wider as your hips (make sure they
are equal). If you can put a California Roll in them, do that. The ideal placement of your hands is close
enough to the horses face, that when you take your hands out wide, it will make contact, but not so tight
that you are tipped forward.
Step 3: Take up a steady pressure on the reins- this is NOT pulling, at the same time sit slightly taller.
**If the horse was to dip his nose at this point I would completely release the reins, or drop the
California Roll.
Step 4: If the horse has still not given to the pressure I would take my hands out wider, which would put
more pressure on the horses face.
**If the horse gives to the pressure, let the reins go completely loose to show him he did the right thing.
Step 5: If the horse is still leaning into the pressure I would put a jiggle in my fingers to encourage him
to dip his nose. The jiggle is kind of like an alternating gentle squeeze of each finger, not the whole hand.
Step 6: If he does not respond to step 5 just WAIT, stay doing what you are doing and eventually he will
want the jiggling to quit and he will drop/tip his nose.
Success tips:
-To start with when you are teaching, the horse may
only nod his head, this is not soft feel but it is a
start. Once your horse understands the concept of
giving to the reins, you can ask him to hold a soft
feel for longer periods of time
-A jiggle is not a saw, it is one finger on each rein
moving no more than 2cm to cause the rein to move
a little bit
-Release the rein right out quickly, as soon as the
horse does it correctly. The quicker you release, the
quicker he will learn and the softer he will become
-Try to ensure that the horse understands you want
him to stand still and just move his head, do this by
not releasing the pressure until he remains still and
gives to the reins. There is no rule against putting a
little bit of leg on to discourage backwards
movement, but only do so if you can guarantee you
are not asking with reins that are too hard, forcing
him backwards.
-The reason for the Step 1 method for gathering
your reins, is so that your reins are 1: even and 2:
that they are the right length. Doing it in this way
also means you will not be snatching at the reins to
make them shorter, thus putting an inadvertent
energy on the horses face.
Check out these two informative and detailed
clips of Buck Brannaman discussing Soft Feel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVOAX5Kz2Cs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUaBgdyyOqE
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4
*How do a One-Rein Stop
*How to pick up the hooves
*Active/Passive Body Language
*Personal Story: Foundered Feet
*What are your horse expectations?
*Keys to getting softness
*Clinician proles
*Developing curiosity
*Give the horse a purpose
*What is the Flight and Fight response
*Equipment- what gear is right for you?
*What is train and trek?
*Book Review and GIVEAWAY
*Must have Horsemanship DVD set
Some things you can hopefully expect to read about:
Out
March
2014