Here, in the picture to the left, Belle has just been brought into the roundpen and I'm gently driving her from the rear to keep her moving. It's not about running her hard, nor ever over-exerting her; it's about slowly showing her that I'm the "lead mare" there, and can and will direct her with confidence, but gently. You earn trust with horses by being a leader, but a trusting, kind leader. To move the horse in this manner, you throw the rope towards the horse's back feet to get the movement you want (the pressure) and you stop throwing (release the pressure) when you get the movement or gait you want. All of Natural Horsemanship (NH) is about pressure and release (of that pressure). Also, keeping facing the horse, my shoulders squared at all times upon her, is a pressure on the horse in itself. Most of what NH is all about is: body language. And a horse fully understands that when you are facing them, staring directly at them, shoulders squared, this is indeed a pressure for them to respond to. In this case, in this picture, the pressure is to keep moving.

 

 Here you can see I'm tossing the rope calmly towards Belle's back feet to get her moving if/when she stops.  Since Belle is a very sensitive horse and had trust issues to begin with, I make sure my body language stays extra soft, while still facing her at all times, hence representing myself to her as, "yes, I'm a lead-mare type, but also a kind, gentle one whom you can trust."  Your own body language is just about everything in NH.

 

To turn the horse, to get her moving in the opposite direction is important, because it reinforces that you are the leader, the one doing the "driving" in this sudden, small "herd of two." In this particular picture, I'm preparing to turn Belle. To turn the horse, get in front of them and block the head (the eyes) with the hand closest to their head (in this case, my left hand will be the one that turns her head). Usually simply raising that hand up as you block the horse's forward movement automatically turns them and gets them going in the opposite direction. Turns are important.  It shows them you are the leader, both directions.

 Here, early on, Belle's head is turned facing the outside of the roundpen. Her ears are also pointing to the outside. This is horse body language early on in this exercise for "looking for a way out," any way out of this pressure, other than joining up with me. But what my body language and actions translate to her are: I will make what she wants to do more difficult (continued movement/activity on her part as she continues to want another way out), and I will make what I want her to do: easier (remove the pressure), no other exit route encouraged, except joining with me willingly. Horses are energy conservers; they naturally choose the easiest route. Things are going to get easier for Belle here when she shows me any signs of wanting to join up with me to begin work on her problems. It's a dance. Signs I will be looking for to reward Belle here sequentially are:  her inside ear turning in and remaining on me only, permanently, not turning it to the outside of the roundpen; Belle starting to make smaller circles around me, not staying so close to the fence (an early sign of her seriously considering joining with me in her mind); working her mouth (a sign of understanding); and a lowered head (a sign of willing submission). Sometimes you can get them all pretty fast, even nearly at the same time. But I reward the try, any try, as we go along, by taking the pressure off (using my body language) if she gives me any of those signs.

Earlier Belle had begun keeping both her inside ears on me (both directions) at all times and here in this picture, Belle has started to show her second sign of thinking about joining up with me, by making smaller circles around me suddenly. When she does this, I reward the try by slowing down my own movements, almost like I'm moving in slow motion, while still facing her; horses pick up even that subtle a cue that they are on the right thinking track to remove pressure off of them.

  When I slow down my body movements above, Belle picks up on it instantly, and stops, then turns her head to regard me. That is when I instantly turn my body to the side (timing is everything!), my shoulder to her, my head down, make no more eye contact, releasing the pressure off of her. She works her mouth, relaxes more and I give her a moment to think about it all, while never making eye contact. Direct eye-to-eye contact is a pressure to a horse. And all horses learn what it is you want from the RELEASE of the pressure, not from the pressure itself.

Belle only has to think for a few seconds there before she realizes that the easiest, less pressure spot to be in, is to turn and come towards me, because she knows (has learned) that leaving me will only get her "sent" around again for another lap. If a horse exits you in this lesson step, quickly toss a rope at the hind feet and "send" them anyhow even as they are leaving.  Doesn't matter that they'd decided to leave first, send them regardless. They connect that up to: you're still the driver/leader there, no matter what, and they respect that. But here, to the left, Belle realizes the best (least pressure) place to be is closer to me, because THAT (she's learned) is when all the pressure is removed from her. Note my body language here. My shoulder is turned to her, I'm not facing her, and I'm not looking at her directly. You can also encourage the horse here by (while still keeping your shoulder to her, eyes averted) walking parallel to her, towards her hind end. She will invariably turn to remain facing you, and usually this stimulates them to step even closer to you in follower, "join up" mode (thank you Monty Roberts & John Lyons).

 The closer Belle gets to me, the more I will turn my back to her, and release all pressure. It's important to have extra-soft body, soft eyes at all times during this part of the exercise so that you appear approachable and safe to the horse, and ESPECIALLY the trust-issues horse. Here Belle is deciding it's much better to be with me than away from me. And you can see from her body language here that she is already getting to a "softer" spot mentally and physically.

More Training Belle Photos