Horse Training Thought For the Month - Natural Horsemanship Tenet

The horse is the best teacher there is. Listen to your horse, learn the prey animal language he speaks rather than expecting him to learn the predator language you speak. I often teach in clinics: imagine you just set foot in a foreign country where you don't speak the language nor know the native customs. Imagine how confused and frightened you might be as you try to acclimate yourself and find your way around, have your basic needs fulfilled in that alien land, and feel safe in the process. That is your horse when he doesn't understand what you want or are asking of him. Now imagine that someone suddenly appears who speaks your language and offers caring guidance, and how grateful and relieved you would be! Love is the universal thread that runs through all cultures, all creatures. Use love to listen to your horse and learn the language of natural horsemanship which "speaks" to the horse in language he is born already understanding naturally. To learn more about Natural Horsemanship, and how we apply prey animal psychology to communicate effectively to our horses, visit my "What is Natural Horsemanship" link here: http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/WhatIsNH.html

Check These Out!

John Lyons Perfect Horse - John Lyons' monthly Magazine, Perfect Horse, is by far the best natural horsemanship magazine on the market today in my opinion. My husband and I read every issue cover to cover and it has helped us tremendously with horse training and horse farm management endeavors, or even with information on latest helpful equine products. The magazine has a way of universally making everyone feel like John is peeking in our barn windows and seeing exactly what helpful information we need at a given time. If you are new to horses or horse ownership, or a long timer, this publication is a must in every equine home. You'll thank me later for subscribing to it! To check it out and subscribe, visit http://www.johnlyons.com/perfect_horse.php

Wonderfully Inspiring Message - What we can learn from the geese - Check this out, it's one of my favorite messages that was sent to me in email recently and is a philosophy we all can use with one another in our life endeavors and our horse pursuits we share -- every day the animals teach us something valuable: http://www.cedardalechurch.ca/geese.html

In the Words of Ronnie Willis, Master Horseman - a Memorial Tribute - Read three things to remember when building a relationship... with a horse or with anyone: http://www.brucelogan.us/contributor_sibits.htm

High Speed Internet for Rurals - No longer do those of us in the U.S. who own horse farms in the more rural regions have to put up with slow phone modem speeds as our only option to gaining access to the internet. Here at our Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center we have the latest state-of-the-art high speed satellite internet access that is now available for more rural folks, and it is nearly as fast as high speed cable internet! Check out the company, WildBlue Communications, who provide the installation and service (fairly inexpensively too!) for this all around the country, and join the fast internet speed lane!:  http://www.wildblue.com/

Horse Problem Questions From You &
Their Solutions From Sylvia Scott

Answer: Hi K. Thanks for writing. Your horse is not being stubborn, she is scared of this particular object. I couldn't quite tell from your description there what that cement object is -- a drain or sewer cover perhaps? If so, perhaps she hears noises underneath it and doesn't feel it's safe to walk on. Perhaps she smells or hears an animal (like a snake!) near or under it that you aren't aware of. If it is safe to walk on, there are some ground work exercises you can do away from it that will help to build her confidence up and listen to your leadership. First, from the ground, teach her to be driven from the rear following my tutorial here:
http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/TrainingTips39.html
 
Also, teach her this back up game/cue so that she's real responsive on the lead rope, every direction: http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/TrainingTips31.html
 
After you have accomplished the above, next, do some tarp therapy like I teach here:
http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/TrainingTips84.html
 
Accomplishing all of the above will raise her fear bar and make her more confident overall, as well as teach you how to direct her well from the ground, and over scary objects. Once you've got the above down well, return to the cement block area that she's scared of and do your ground driving exercises near it, but not too near at first. Have her circle you, change directions, come forward, back up, all on the 12' lead line (ideally working in a natural horsemanship halter with 12' lead tied on, the best communication tool you can own -- you can order one off of my web site). As she pays attention to you there and does these exercises, work your way closer & closer to the cement block. Use advance/retreat. Have her come close, then retreat her. Do NOT force her there as that will only escalate her fears. But as you get her focused on the ground exercises, she'll forget about the cement block more and more, especially if you retreat her often there. The retreat from a fearful object is everything in desensitizing a horse to something they fear. During the retreat they "let down" and they realize: they surivived intact each close encounter. If she gets scared during any of this exercise near the block, and completely loses it, just stop what you are doing and use these bonding/relaxing techniques with her to "bring her back down": http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/TrainingTips58.html
 
Be patient! Such fears are irrational (she's not doing this to bug you) and it takes patience and compassion to help a horse -- or anyone -- through an irrational fear. Maybe you can relate by thinking back to when you were younger and afraid of something that others were not. Draw upon that for empathy purposes. For example, I recall as a child, when growing up in Florida living by water, that I had an irrational fear of walking on docks, when I was very small. My eyes would see the water below, between the cracks of the dock (that everyone else seemed able to block out, but not I!), and I was convinced I could fall between the cracks and into the ocean. Irrational, yes, but a very real fear in me then when I was little, because my mind only focused on what I perceived scary below the dock: dark, deep waters. Probably what your horse is fearing right now as well. Force or impatient means will not get such a fear surmounted. Patience and empathy will, building confidence step by step in the fearful one. I remember how I got past that fear: my dad would pick me up, hold me in his arms tightly and carry me himself to the end of the dock. Now, I knew that surely my daddy was too big to fall between the dock cracks and I trusted him enough to know he wouldn't drop me either and I felt safe. And I knew if I got scared and asked him to exit the dock, he would. Several dozen times of him carrying me through my fear like that, then weaning me to his holding my hand while I made tentative steps onto the dock beside him, and I eventually got past that fear. Silly fear? Sure! But it didn't seem so silly at the time!
 
Well...it's the same with horses. Tune in deeply with your heart to feel what the fear issue is, then figure out the smallest component baby step you can break such a fear down into and work upward from there, but using advance/retreat and you will surmount the horse's fear. If you're frustrated, walk away, you are not being a help to your horse. This isn't about you, it's about the horse's deep down fear.
 
Now...when she does show fear of that spot when riding and balks suddenly, do not stroke or praise her at that point (your idea of comforting her), that's a mistake. Because that means you are rewarding the fearful reaction. Do the opposite: ignore the fear, advance and retreat to the spot, but the above ground work I'm showing you should help a lot before you do return to that spot. I would get off the horse if she's afraid of that cement block and work with her from there on the ground to surmount the fear first. Do reward her when she sticks with you there or makes forward progression. Reward each baby step try. Always reward the tries. But also perceive when she needs help to "come back down" from her own irrational response, using those relaxing techniques I directed you to above. This is not about rewarding bad behavior, but this is about "feel" and knowing the difference, when the horse genuinely needs emotional help. Screech everything else to a halt at such times and get in to nurture the horse back to feeling supported.
 
Also...when you do plan to ride over the cement block, do NOT look down at it, but pick a focal point far ahead past it and don't waver that focus. Horses can pick up our eye focus tremendously well, and if you are staring down at an object, they know it and then they over focus on it as well and figure it must be something to be afraid of if you keep staring at it! Keep your eyes ahead at all times, focused on where you want to go. In other words, don't focus on what you fear the horse will do, but only focus on what you want the horse to do, and reward the tries.
 
You might think about getting my book I co-wrote, because we teach in that book a program you can plug your horse into yourself to create a more confident horse who listens to your leadership happily and compliantly and gets past all her fears. You can find/order that book here: http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/GentleSolutions.html
I think this book will help you a lot in your overall training program with your horse. And we mail them anywhere in the world, so this should help you get on a good path there, even all by yourself.
 
Hope this helps and good luck to you there!
 
-Sylvia

Question - PMU mare with total fear of saddle: Dear Sylvia, I know that you probably get too many letters to answer. However, on the hope that I might find some insights I am trying all avenues. I recently adopted a 5-6 year old Premarin mare. This is not a foal, but a mare that was pregnant a few times, until the market collapsed on Premarin. She is probably half Belgian and half quarter horse.
 
When she was first obtained, she was completely afraid of humans. Through patience and variations of both your techniques and Monty Roberts, I have her easily haltering and even allowing me to touch most of her. Her feet remain a problem, with a couple of weeks spent getting to the point where I can stroke her feet, but definitely not lifting them yet.
 
Additionally, I have been trying to get her used to a saddle. I had her to the point where I could take the saddle on and off (uncinched) so that she did not panic with the weight, nor the sight/sound.  This too took some time. 
 
Unfortunately, I did not read her well enough and I finally attempted to cinch the saddle. She exploded. This was in a nice sized round pen (65 feet approximately), open bars.  Six feet tall. She attempted to jump/climb. She bucked. Eventually, of course, the saddle came around her belly and panicked her more. Finally, she bucked the saddle off, with some scratches to herself and a newfound fear of saddles (on her, she is not afraid of them on the ground). After my heart resumed beating, I inspected her, walked her (she let me walk up to her and easily do this, but was obviously freaked out), and finally put her into the pasture with her companion. She took about an hour before she would eat again (a sure sign that she is freaked out as she is a big eater).
 
She remains willing and joins up to me for haltering, grooming, etc. Naturally, I have not tried the saddle again yet and am looking for advice:
 
1) Should I work on getting a saddle on her again, or focus on just a cinch/surcingle/similar "band"?
 
2) Once a horse has become traumatized by something like this, does the traditional putting pressure and release work in getting her to accept the saddle?
 
3) I have been working with her completely unrestrained, so she knows she can run. If I get to the point of putting a saddle on her again, should I do so with her unrestrained? Or, should I tie her/put her in a confined area? I don't want to injure her and she seems to have no regard for safety when panicked (i.e. her trying to jump the round pen and getting a leg through the bars -- fortunately not hurting herself (although the bars suffered).
 
Any thoughts would be useful. I am in Washington State and most of the "trainers" around here are rather "old school." Also, given how much better I did with the halter and with the feet than the woman who worked with her before (midway between old school and natural) I feel that I have the better patience level and care for the horse. Sincerely, S.F.

Answer: Hi S. Whew, you've got a big job there, and a whole lot going wrong in your approach there (which I'm sure you realize by now) but the bottom line is you're jumping "A to N" there trying to get a saddle on her just yet, when there are soooo many "letter steps" in between that you need to be addressing, focusing on instead to help her out and past all her fears. There are many, many holes in her foundation that need to be addressed/plugged up first before you attempt anything regarding the saddle yet. In other words, she needs training. But step by progressive step training. I can't explain in email every single thing you need to do with her there to bring her along in her training, but I do want to say, lose the thoughts of saddling her just yet for now. She is so not ready for that. She's an untrained green horse and probably been mistreated in the past (many PMU mares are) and you need to start at the basic beginning with her just like one would with a green unstarted horse. Don't be riding focused in your mind. Be focused on completing all her ground work training and the rest will be easier.

(Passed along to me in email)