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March 2006 |
Dear Friends: We have been very busy this past month
pulling together the final details of our 2006
Virginia
Natural Horsemanship Training Center Clinic Schedule.
We've got some exciting clinics coming up, so sign up
early as rider/participant spots fill up early! Unlimited
spectators welcomed!
In addition to the upcoming clinics that I will be conducting here at the Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center (VNHTC), other nationally known natural horsemanship trainers/clinicians that will be appearing with me here include Clay Harper from Colorado, and Ed Dabney from Georgia. This is truly a unique opportunity for horse owners and riders of all disciplines to learn from some of the innovators in Natural Horsemanship training. One of our missions here at the VNHTC is to provide an opportunity for horse owners and riders to learn from as many of the great Natural Horsemanship trainers as possible. Throughout the extensive training resources provided on my web site, and in our series of clinics here at the VNHTC, our philosophy is always "We all can learn from each other” in this Natural Horsemanship field. We live and breathe by this philosophy every day. Aside from the primary clinicians we have lined up, a number of our clinics here will also feature added expert guests and speakers. Among the additional guests confirmed so far are:
VNHTC Presents…” 2006
Clinic Schedule Details
Horse owners/riders and spectators interested in attending these clinics will find full information and sign-up details on the VNHTC web site: CLICK HERE - Rider space is limited and fills up quickly… reserve your spot at the clinic of your choice today! About The Clinicians
Full information on each clinic and sign-up details are available on the VNHTC web site: CLICK HERE - Don’t miss-out on these great opportunities to learn from leading Natural Horsemanship clinicians!
Again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the immense support we feel from all of you and your support of Trevor one-to-one with emails to him and care packages. It matters greatly! He is not just our soldier, he is yours! Trevor emailed us some photos of him in Iraq and I wanted to pass along a couple below: 
We all can learn from each other!
Horse Training Thought For the Month - Natural Horsemanship Tenet The quicker you can reward the horse (with a release), the less intense a cue you’ll need from then on. All horses learn from the release of pressure what it is we want, not the pressure itself necessarily. So, learn to give quick, instant releases for correct answer responses on the horse's part. Let me explain using an analogy. Envision on a digital radio a volume control. When we communicate a request to our horses, always start low on the "volume" every single time and build up incrementally pressure-wise up that volume scale until you get the correct response. But quit asking, releasing instantly the pressure, when you get the response you wanted. Via that release, the horse learns he gave the right answer there. If you started low on the volume scale every single time, next time you ask, the horse will generally respond lower & lower on that volume scale. Until only the quietest-volume subtle ask pressure will give you the desired response. And that's how we create a quiet, cooperative horse using natural horsemanship! This concept should be used across the board in all our training of our horses. If you can grasp this, apply it every time, in all your lessons, you will have grasped what natural horsemanship is all about, every direction. And your horse will learn faster, more compliantly, and enjoy being your connected partner! To learn how to train your horse yourself, step by step the natural horsemanship way, think about getting the Gentle Solutions book I co-wrote, which you can read more about and order here: CLICK HERE Check These Out! Stacy Westfall Wins the 2006 Road to the Horse! The sell-out crowd erupted when they heard the results--Stacy Westfall is the 2006 winner of Road to the Horse, the colt-starting challenge held February 25-26, 2006 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Westfall was the first female competitor, challenging well-known cowboy clinicians Martin Black, Craig Cameron and Van Hargis. Westfall was excited and amazed at the announcement. She was happy with her three hours in the round pen and she was pleased with her judged ride. Still, she says she didn't know where she would place. Competitors worked with previously untouched horses--training them for three hours, then showing off their progress by riding through an obstacle course with logs to cross and poles to drag. "It was amazing," she says. "I couldn't see what everyone else was doing. I heard Martin Black had his horse crossing bridges and laying down. I didn't know what would happen. I was happy with my obstacle course. I wanted to do everything safely." To read more about the 2006 Road to the Horse challenge and Stacy Westfall's victory, visit the Road to the Horse web site here: Road to the Horse
The competition will air on RFD-TV during the first two weeks of March 2006 as a two-part series presented by the worldwide leaders in hoofcare; MUSTAD, St. Croix Forge, and Capewell Horsenails. For more details, CLICK HERE Horse Rescues/Rehab Centers - I'm a big supporter of equine rescues. Periodically I plan to briefly mention some here. Visit them, their web sites, get in touch with them, see what you can do to help. And if you are looking for a new horse, rescues are sometimes the best place to start your search. Adopting a horse and giving it a wonderful new home can be a positive life-altering experience. And volunteering time at a rescue can help you to learn more about horses -- horses are the best teachers there are! This month, I'd like to call attention to Prism Horses (PMU Foals) in Amber, Oklahoma. Visit their web site CLICK HERE For a list of other equine rescues around the country/world, CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE Horse
Problem Questions From You & Question - Horse too fearful to
halter: Dear Sylvia, Thank you so much! I have researched several “natural
horsemanship” websites for more information about the “join-up”
round pen process, and while most tell a LITTLE about the
process, none ever fully explained it. Most have a video/DVD
collection for you to buy at an exorbitant price to find
out more information. Then I found your site. You
go through the process carefully and you fully explain each
step in language that is easy to understand, not too technical.
I especially like how you have so many pictures to demonstrate
your techniques, and you often show the techniques again
on your site with different horses having different
issues.
I’ve been using your techniques with lots of progress (and I’m finding that it’s beginning to feel like second nature), but I do have one question.....I volunteer for a rescue organization. One of the mares I’m working with was abused, and while she will let me get close to her.....rub her head and neck, as soon as she sees a halter or rope, she bolts. We can’t get her into the round pen to do some of the more intensive bonding. Any suggestions? D. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi D. Thanks for writing. I'm so glad my web site is helping you and the horses you work with. Yes, you can still help this horse without having to get her into the round pen at first. I've been called in to work with many horses just like that and however they are housed, be it a stall or paddock, you can alter the methods just using what you have there. The trick is to start in baby steps. Don't bring the halter/lead to her, start with a piece of twine. I'm going to direct you to a specific link on my web site where I go into more detail on how to work with a fearful (or even wilder) horse like this, starting with just using twine, and using advance/retreat, to start desensitizing her to ropes, but in baby steps. Twine (like bailing twine that hay is bound with) wadded up in your hand imperceptibly at first is an ideal first baby step for haltering lessons -- here's the link: Weanling/Colt/Filly Starting - What to do if they can't be caught/haltered or touched yet Try what you read there and you should get her past these issues pretty fast. Incidentally...that horse you see in my round penning tutorial was indeed a fresh off the range, very fearful of humans horse. No human could get near this horse easily and it was badly in need of a hoof trim, so they called me in to gentle her so the farrier could get in to work on her. As the farrier waited on the sidelines, what you see in my round penning session is exactly what occurred there, to get her to trust first, helping her to make those decisions herself, then past her fears. She too was afraid of ropes, halters, humans, everything because she was wild at first. So what you see there is exactly what happened in her first session. What you didn't see there afterwards in that round penning section is, after desensitizing her to the ropes, halters and then to having her legs touched, picked up, the farrier then came in to trim her feet for the first time, with no incident whatsoever. Here are pictures and more about that -- what occurred with that same horse right after her first round penning session (all the same day/same session): Wild Horses/Wild Mustangs - Do the same natural horsemanship methods work with them? Is not about me, is about the methods. Natural horsemanship works miracles to help horses to find their way back to the human, or for trusting the human often for their first time. Doesn't matter what the age of the horse is or the past abuse issues, it works! Here's another formerly fearful horse no one could get their hands on (a vet was actually convinced she would need dart sedating for vetting, but I told them to wait patiently and I would get her ready for all that). Here's her session (so you can see the variety of horses/issues it works with): CLICK HERE - there I just used a paddock that the horse happened to be in, to alter the round penning exercise, to teach her to choose to be with a human. Keep remembering, it's the RETREAT that is everything when desensitizing the horse to what they fear. It's during the retreat that they digest incremental successes. And there's a reason for that: all horses learn from the release of pressure what it is you want, not the pressure itself, so give quick releases for right answers incrementally. And the retreat is the ultimate release of pressure for fearful horses. There is no such thing as too many retreats in my training "book." Don't be goal focused with such horses, be retreat focused. Squelch the urge to keep going "for the goal" as they progress there, but at that precise juncture when it's suddenly working, retreat instantly. Pause. All pressure off the horse. No eye-to-eye contact, back or shoulder to the horse. Let the horse work the mouth and have a moment to think, to digest the success there. Then approach again. The long way is the short way. The time you take to give multiple retreats, the faster the process goes for permanent healing, in the end. Keep up the good work! I really applaud your heart for wanting to help this horse. Lucky horse to have you! :-) Question - Horse doesn't like brushing: Hi Sylvia. My four-and-a-half-year-old quarter horse gelding doesn't like being brushed. I have tried rough brushing, gentle brushing, just smoothing him with my hand. For the most part I will just not bother brushing him because it annoys him, but sometimes it just has to be done. He is one of these mud rollers, he actually self grooms his winter coat. He just keeps rolling until it is out. You might think I am just a bad groomer but my other gelding just loves when I groom him, he can't get enough. We had my other gelding away for a couple of weeks this summer, and my horse wanted attention and companionship so bad he actually stood and let me groom him. When I groom my horses just for the pleasure of it I don't tie them, I only groom them tied when I am going to saddle them for a ride. I think he is pretty sensitive because he really hates flies. Have any ideas because when he needs to be groomed I would like him to enjoy it? T. W. - Ontario, Canada Sylvia's Answer: Hi T. First, tie him when you groom him so he knows something is expected of him (to stand quietly). Next, give him his favorite supplement grain food (like Purina Equine Adult or Triple Crown Complete, etc.) while you are grooming. He only gets that when he's being groomed for a while. And usually just one scoop will be sufficient to get you through the entire grooming process. It's usually easier to get a horse to tolerate grooming if you do it while they are eating their favorite food (and even better if that's the only time they get that food, so it is mentally filed as something to look forward to). As you groom, figure out where he will accept the brushing (usually the shoulder area is a good place to start with a touchy horse; in others, it's the saddle area that is more acceptable), but experiment to see where there is one spot he tolerates more than others. And as you do this, note where the "threshold line" is that if you cross it, he gets irritated. Watch for his ears going back or flicking his tail to register that irritation before he reacts more overtly. Most horses will show those signs before acting out. Stick inside that threshold line, brushing gently in the acceptable area -- your "base" for a start. For a sensitive horse like this use a soft brush, and stroke gently. As he tolerates that "base," next, briefly dart over that threshold line very quickly, brushing one fast stroke outside that line, but just as quickly (before he even has a chance to register it overtly or react is ideal) return to "base," the safe place he allows, and continue brushing there. Few seconds later, dart over the line again, but return to "base" again fast. This is about "advance/retreat." Don't be forward-focused, but be retreat focused. This route, he'll slowly mentally redraw that threshold line as you advance/retreat there. Don't go too far too fast, read him well, returning to "base" before he moves/reacts. Retreat before he retreats and he'll get there faster until he tolerates brushing all over his body -- as you advance/retreat your way there slowly. Try all that and you should have better luck there.
Question - Horse gets stuck/won't go when ground leading: I just bought a 10-yr-old percheron mare. I really don't know a whole
lot about her. I don't think she's had a whole lot of training,
and if she has it was a long time ago. So, I just got her
this weekend and when we unloaded her and introduced her
to the new barn she did really well. She couldn't have cared
less that she was at a new place. Well, in the last few
days she has decided to start soleing up when I'm leading
her. Since she is so big, obviously I can't just make her
move. I have tried to bribe her with treats, grain, etc...doesn't
work. At first, getting beside her and twirling the lead
rope towards her got her to move, but now she's figured
that out and won't budge. I have had to resort to looping
the lead rope around one of her front legs, pulling it forward
and forcing her to take a step. This works, but she's not
"giving" to me...it's just my brute force. How
do I get her to respect my authority, even though she already
knows that I can't "make" her walk???? HELP!!!
She's such a great tempered horse, just stubborn, as drafts
are known to be.
B. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi B. Thanks for writing. This horse has not been properly taught to "yield to pressure." I have a link on my web site that I want to direct you to, to back up and fix this foundation hole now, and it's going to involve going the "belly rope" route, which will make holding back like that stop working for her (yet is perfectly humane) -- here's the link: Pull-Back - Horse pulls back/freaks out when tied (solution for all pull back problems) That route works every time for pull back horses or horses who are doing what your horse is doing there, not yielding to lead rope pressure consistently. But follow the details there to the letter to get effective results. Make sure up the road that you are using only a natural horsemanship halter with 12-foot lead tied on (not clipped on). That is a most crucial training tool overall. I won't work a horse without that. I have them here in my web site store if you don't have one: CLICK HERE I also wanted to suggest you do this exercise with your horse, to teach her to back up on cue as well: Leading Problems - Horse runs over human/How to teach horse back-up cue on ground Another tip (even with the belly rope, but also when leading with the NH halter/lead combo up the road, and the horse gets stuck there): keep tension in the lead with one hand as you ask for the come-forward, and with the other hand, start making karate-chop like maneuvers on the lead, but start small at first (low on the pressure volume to begin) with tiny chops, and build up to chopping the taut lead increasingly harder & harder as you go along there "up the volume scale." (Always start small with your pressure, and build up incrementally with no pause, no release, until you get what you want). This will start making the right thing easy (come forward) and the wrong thing hard (the horse staying stuck there), as it gets uncomfortable on the horse feeling those chops on the lead as it transfers up to the NH halter (that has strategic pressure point knots so the horse can more easily feel the pressure). The second the horse gives there, even a small lean-try forward, release the pressure instantly in the rope, giving slack, and halt the chopping. Pause and let the horse think for a moment, to digest the right answer there. Then ask for the come forward again. Do all the above, including the belly rope route, and you'll get your horse past this stuck spot for good.
Question - Horse insists on being in front when riding with others/takes over: Sylvia, You have probably addressed this problem already and if so, could you point me in the right direction? My 7-year-old 16.2 hands Irish bred horse is too strong for me when going cross-country. I know this horse very well as I bred and have done all his training myself. He has a very good opinion of himself but is also a generous horse and will usually give me a lovely gentle ride, but canter him in a field with other horses and he has to be in front; even on his own he starts pulling after a bit and I end up pulling back and although with a strong bit and a good pull I can get him back, all I am doing is teaching him to pull more. Any pointers much appreciated. P. B. - Ireland Sylvia's Answer: Hi P. Thanks for writing. This is a very common training foundation hole, but don't worry, you can plug it up yourself. Let me direct you to a link on my web site which will teach you step by step how to build the one-rein stop into your horse's foundation and this will keep him under control in all such situations in the future: One Rein Stop - How to do it and why it's important
Question - Horse plays in water trough: My barn manager informed me that my mare is playing in the water trough with her nose and head and causing a permanent mud bog in the pasture. It's about a 2 acre pasture and she has one other buddy with her. She does it in the winter and the summer. I ride her or at least groom her several times a week. How can I get her to stop playing in the water trough? H. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi H. Well...I'm on the horse's side there. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a horse playing in water/the trough there like she is, in my opinion. She's having fun and following very natural behavior. Many horses do that and be glad she's having fun. The problem isn't the horse, but the ground-around-the-trough management problem there. The barn manager needs to move the trough to higher ground if possible, and/or put gravel or shavings or similar foundation all around the trough so that it's not a mud problem there. I've found raising the trough up onto wooden pallets (carpet stores often give them away for free!) and covering the ground all around the trough with fine gravel or pine or cedar shavings keeps the trough ground more solid and not a mud bog. Pass that along to the barn manager, because no, there is no way to stop a horse from doing that because the last thing you want is a horse fearing water/the trough. It's better remedied by the human bending there and fixing the bog problem with better trough foundation management. Question - Horse afraid of deer: I have a horse who won't go into the shed to eat when there are deer in the fields around us...This lets the other horse eat her food after it has finished with his...How can I stop her from being so spooky when the deer are around??? Thanks L. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi L. Golly, there's no way I know of to proactively desensitize a horse to the presence of deer. We have deer all over my property here every day and my horses (and horses I have in for training) just learn to ignore them, because, as herd prey animals, they are no threat to horses whatsoever. You might think about, however, changing how you feed this horse so that other horses aren't eating her food! That much should be controllable on your part. I couldn't quite tell from your brief letter how your feeding set up is, but here at my place, hay (for winter; we have plenty of pasture grass spring-fall) is spread out in several locations in the pasture so that no one horse is dominated away from a single food source. Plus...when we supplement daily with pellet feed/supplements, we call them into our barn and stall them briefly for eating that (they've each learned which stall is theirs), keeping their stall doors closed until they are done eating their supplement so there is no pecking order issues over food. They are let back out immediately as soon as they finish eating their supplement. So...brainstorm how you can better set up your feed arrangements there so that this one horse isn't given the "short straw" there. Best I can suggest! P.S. Got a deer caught in my round pen here one day recently and it suddenly couldn't figure out how to get out! I thought fleetingly of going out there and trying to "round pen" the deer to see how he responded, because I have heard that deer respond just like horses do there and it would be an interesting experiment to get a deer to "join up." But alas, he leaped the 6' round pen fence before I could get in there, darn it! Guess you have to have something like a 12'+ round pen fence to attempt that! :-) Question - Horse gets aggressive when touched: I just finished reading your response to an individual who had a problem with an aggressive horse, predominantly, biting. I too have a similar problem and I'm at a loss trying to figure out how to fix it. First off, I have a 19-year-old gelding, which I've had for the past five years, who (I hope) was not "proud cut"; something I'll have checked via the blood test you recommended. Secondly, he seems to have a split personality: on the trail he's THE perfect horse who responds positively to everything, totally cooperative, and very willing when dealing with all cross country riding challenges (streams, rivers, trees, terrain, etc); however, at home in his paddock he assumes the Mr. Hyde personality and is inclined to be aggressive, putting his ears back and attempting to bite, when approached with a lead and halter, and touched anywhere on his body (short of his cheeks and chin). This only happens with personal encounters. There's NO aggressiveness when I walk the pastures with him following me (which he does out of heart by running up to me, tagging along like a curious puppy), feeding him (very positive like a puppy jumping up and down waiting for his meal to be served), cleaning his stall with him in it, dealing with farriers and vets, and arena exercises. I have tried the John Lyon's approach of laying my hands on him very gently and showing him unlimited kindness, with assertive correction when he becomes too bold or mean in spirit. I'm at a loss trying to determine why the bold character at home when simply touched and extremely cooperative on the trail. I'm also amazed at the different input from others I heard regarding his type of behavior from putting him on the ground beating him into submission to simply putting him down (neither of which are the answers in my book). I'm not green and have been dealing with horses for the past forty years, but this one I just can't get my hands around (no pun intended). Do you have any ides beyond the blood (testicle) analysis? Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. M. B. - Bahama, North Carolina Sylvia's Answer: Hi M. Glad you're ignoring that other more brutal/very unproductive advice (sheesh, huh!). With a horse like this, I would want to back up and work on desensitizing him more because that's going to go a long way multi directions. But first...as for the aggressive space invasion (we'll call it here), I would follow this route, similar to what I teach in this problem here: Horse Aggressive at Feeding time When he acts aggressive, he gets "sent." Exactly like a lead mare in a herd would do with him. If you haven't already, I would also highly advise round penning this guy the step by step way I teach here: Effective Round Penning Techniques That exercise will better establish you as the leader of his herd, and him as the "follower." He wouldn't DREAM of biting out at the "lead mare" of his herd when approached, he'd rather die first, so that round pen exercise, for a start, will set that hierarchy better in his mind. To understand a little more about natural horsemanship and how we use that to apply prey animal psychology to training horses the NH way, read this link on my site because it will help you to understand all the "why's" these methods work: What Is Natural Horsemanship? After you've done the round penning, halter him with a natural horsemanship halter with 12-foot lead (I sell them here: CLICK HERE - very, very crucial training tool I won't work without, it is that important for superior communication when training.) After haltering, work on using these bonding/relaxing techniques for a start if you can: Horse Whispering "Tricks of the Trade" - To relax horse, build trust & bond them to us After that, one of the first exercises I would want to work on with a horse like this is this one (because it will further reinforce that you are the leader in charge of his feet): Leading Problems - Horse runs over human/How to teach horse back-up cue on ground That particular exercise is going to go a long, long way physically & mentally with that horse, you'll see! Horses follow a prey/herd animal instinct that goes like this: he who moves the other's feet is higher on the pecking order and therefore worthy of being leader. He's learned to move others' feet on the ground, hence perceives himself "herd leader" there. Time to take back that leadership via moving his feet when he acts up like that. That on-line backing/come forward exercise implants in his brain deeper that you are the leader in charge of moving his feet and he'll relax and let go of thinking he needs to do anything about that. And, in the process, he'll learn that the follower spot is actually a far more relaxed and rewarding place to be. After that, I would suggest diving in and working on desensitizing him to some things, because once these are accomplished, he's going to let go of those "touching issues" completely. Do this one first: Wand-Training Fear - Horse fears training wand with plastic/How to desensitize And another link along the same lines there: Spooky Horse - Horse spooks at things in saddle - how to desensitize spooky horse Believe it or not, the root of your horse's aggressiveness is: fear, I think. "Don't touch me, I'm afraid of that!" is his stance and he plays out the warning aggressively, rather than via flight. Do that desensitizing with plastic in your hand like I show there, then plastic on the end of the wand, in that order, if you can, but get creative there, listening to what works best with that particular horse; and it's going to get him past touching issues because you'll be raising his fear bar there. Horses that are aggressive like that are simply "fight, not flight" horses, but the root cause is the same for a horse who spooks away at the same things/issues usually. After all that, I'd raise his bar even higher by doing this tarp desensitizing: Tarp Desensitizing - Horse is afraid of plastic tarps Trust me, all the above routes will go a long, long way for you there! The long way is the short way here; the time you take to back up and do all the above, will transform your horse there and have him more compliant on the ground and respecting you (and others) better from then on. And he'll lose his aggression. I had a 20-something year old horse exactly like that which I was called in to fix a couple of years ago, reminds me of yours there, so...know: a horse is never too old to learn/change! That horse got fixed going the exact route I'm showing you there. Incidentally, biting is not tolerated. Follow the Lyons 3 second rule and act fast when/if he attempts to bite, but have it involve moving his feet, preferably backwards. And use a loud "shhhh" sound when sending him back (jerking the lead rope down repeatedly if he's on line when he tries to bite and walking into him, which will send him skedaddling backwards). The shhhh sound is very effective in their brains to mean "stop it!" Try all of the above and let me know how it goes. Keep the faith. You're on the right track stopping and asking for some directions. This is the kind of horse I love getting in demo clinics, because they sometimes make the most dramatic change with these methods, attesting to the power of the natural horsemanship approach! Question - Uncoordinated Horse: Hi Sylvia. I just bought a horse. He is around 12, he is gentle and fairly willing but VERY uncoordinated. He sometimes does not know what to do with his feet; they almost get tangled up when doing forehand turns or haunch turns. When we trot, we speed up and slow down, and he has smoothed out a lot as far as trotting goes. Feels like sometimes his hindquarters slip out from under him. I have only had him a couple of weeks. He is 15.1 hh about 1000 pounds, so he is a nice size. But I feel like I am riding an unbalanced colt. What riding exercises would you do to help develop some coordination? He came from a home of not very experienced riders, he is gentle, stands nicely for mounting, which I am very glad of, does stop really well, backs ok but needs to start to give while backing. I understand backing is always a good exercise, for many reasons. I like this horse and wanted to do some fun training things, like spins and rollbacks and develop a good neck rein, mostly western pleasure stuff. I realize that is way down the road, but I first need to get his coordination under control. Should I work on getting smooth gaits and nice transitions and wait on haunch turns and stuff like that? Thanks so much! C. H. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi C. Thanks for writing. Know what I'd do there? I'd back up and do some over-poles work with this guy for a start. A horse not really knowing exactly where his feet are (feet connected to brain) is a really common foundation hole I see a lot. And I find if you take a bunch of poles (anything can work for this...fence post poles or jump poles laid on the ground, anything that requires a step up/over, even telephone poles eventually) and line them up a few feet apart, a whole bunch of them if you can and then from the ground, you leading, lead him over the poles to begin with. He's going to klonk quite a few with his feet at first, but keep repeating that until he starts to learn there where his feet are, how to pick them up better, and where to place them precisely. Then...I would back him up over those poles. Here's an exercise to plant a back-up cue into his foundation -- you'll need this for the pole exercises, and it's good to have in their foundation anyhow: Leading Problems - Horse runs over human/How to teach horse back-up cue on ground Back up and teach him that first so that from then on just a tiny jiggle of the lead rope has him backing up softly, compliantly. Then lead him over the poles until he stops klonking them, then back him over the poles via the rope jiggle. Next, ground drive him over the poles. Make sure you have his ground-driving down well (driving from the rear). This link shows how to teach that: Driving Horse in Circle Around You on the Ground - 4 problems, same solution Do this first at the walk until he can be driven over the poles without klonking them with his feet. Slowly he'll start registering better how to connect his brain to his feet to become more agile there, using them more smoothly. After the walk, ground drive him into the trot over them. All of this is going to, for the first time, teach him where his feet really are, which believe it or not, half the horses out there don't know sometimes, at first. You fix all that on the ground and it improves everything in saddle. Once he's accomplished all that on the ground, now tack him up and ride him at the walk over the poles. Back him up over the poles. Trot him over the poles, then eventually, canter him over the poles (spread them farther apart for the canter). Back up and work on all that and it should help. I also wanted to direct you to some other obstacle type things you can set up to work even further on this, and here I want to direct you to a great confidence course that my good friend, natural horsemanship trainer, Ed Dabney has set up at his training facility (we are in the process of building a similar confidence course at my new training center here in Virginia as well): Ed Dabney Confidence Course - much of what you see there in those pictures will greatly improve your horse's agility, multi-directions, and it also makes lessons fun, both for you and the horse! Horses love jobs to do in the name of training. John Lyons teaches another great exercise there to get better, more refined rein (and feet positioning) responses from your horse. Picture that you and your horse are standing on a large clock; the horse’s head is facing 12 o’clock and his rear is at 6 o’clock. Ride a straight line forward (straight forward is 12 o’clock), pick up the right rein, ask for the horse to turn to 1 o’clock, releasing (slack in) the rein the second the horse complies by turning to precisely 1 o'clock, and continue walking forward (12 o’clock again). All horses learn from the release of pressure what it is you want, not the pressure itself, so get your release timing split-second instant the second you get what you want there. Then walk forward (12 o’clock again). Once the horse masters turning to 1 o’clock smoothly, consistently, several repetitions, now pick up the left rein and ask for a turn to 11 o’clock, releasing the instant you get that and then walk forward (12 o’clock). Do multiple repetitions of that. Next, practice vacillating between your turns to 1 o’clock, walk forward, then turn the other direction to 11 o’clock, and then walk forward. When the horse gets that down smoothly, now ask for the turn to the right to 2 o’clock, walk forward, multiple repetitions; next ask for 10 o’clock to the left, then walk forward, multiple repetitions of that. When you reach asking to the right for 3 o’clock and to the left for 9 o’clock, you will be stopping the horse’s forward motion more overtly in order to make that pivot to 3 & 9 o’clock and the horse will be rocking back onto his hind quarters (so, shift your own weight back at that turning point) in order to position his front feet properly for that turn. Increasingly, you will be connecting the horse’s brain to his feet and your reins to his feet. Continue with this game until you have mastered turning to all numbers on that clock and have full control of the horse’s four feet. This is a great exercise to break down controlling your horse’s feet more precisely before expecting to add in a more sophisticated maneuver like lead changes, etc. This will also teach your horse (and you the rider) to shift his (and your!) weight appropriately back when making a turn or directional change. Once the horse can master this exercise at a walk, do the same exercise at a trot, then a lope. Do this exercise after all the pole work and he'll get it down better. Try putting some of that to work for you and your horse there and you'll see great improvement, I'm sure. Good luck to you there and thanks again for writing! Question - A big thank you and a question about your products: Hi Sylvia. Thank you, thank you, thank you for explaining natural horse training methods in your question and answer section of your website. I have tried to comprehend the method, but it was not clear until I found your website. I previously had tried the [another leading natural horsemanship trainer program], and went to one of their clinics, got their book, a video, saw him perform at my state fair a few times, saw him on a horse network training program. It was like going to a stage performance. You got to see the end result but not how to get there. Natural horse training remained a mystery. But then I found your website, and you explained things from a-z, how horses think, the herd mentality, how to correctly train them through natural horse training methods, the pressure and release, etc. I can't tell you how much you have helped me and our horses. My horse of 23 years recently passed away, a beautiful gentle soul and now I find myself with a four-year-old mustang who is afraid of people and an obnoxious coming two-year-old colt who you can't get away from you. So I am taking in every word that you write; you have made it so easy to understand. Thank you for sharing your horse wisdom. You will help a lot of horses and their people. I have been passing along your website to horse people that I know. I would attend one of your classes if they were in my part of the country. I wondered if your book is written similarly to your website writings? I also wondered if your lead and halter are both made of cotton? Thanks, M. K. - Idaho Sylvia's Answer: Hi M. Thanks for writing. I'm so happy my web site is helping you there. I know what you mean, about many NH programs out there being so confusing sometimes. As I was coming up in this NH world, it used to frustrate me immensely when trainers/clinicians didn't explain stuff well enough for every-day-people comprehension to show how it all works clearly. I vowed way back then, that "some day" when I "got there" I would simplify it all, in as best laymen's terms as possible, for even beginners to get started off on the right track in natural horsemanship so there would be less stumbling along the way. Now I devote my life and career to just that. I always follow the philosophy of: if a horse doesn't understand something, then: it's the teacher's/trainer's fault, not the horse's fault. And I feel the same way about being a trainer/clinician. If a human doesn't understand something I'm trying to teach, then it is not their fault, it is my fault/the teacher's fault. If you had a classroom of students, say in high school, and suddenly all the students in the class flunked a big test, whose fault is that? It is the teacher's fault, I feel, for not teaching the subject clearly enough. Never the students' fault. It is never the human student's fault for not understanding some portion of natural horsemanship, I always feel. It just wasn't presented to them in a comprehensible-enough manner. So I work long and hard to make all this stuff understandable. On my web site. In daily lessons. In clinics I do. I never want someone's learning curve to take as long as mine did (most of us in this field!). There's no need for that. When in truth, it is actually all very, very simple, in the end, IF broken down into smaller digestible parts and taught in clear, concise language and with great patience on the teacher's part. There's a saying in natural horsemanship that goes like this: "How can something so very simple be so very difficult at first?" And I tackle answering that question here in my Q&A section on my web site: CLICK HERE I train the people side no different from how I train horses -- gently, patiently, clearly, nurturingly. Natural horsemanship, to me, is not only about the horse, but about how we treat all life around us, including other humans. It's all the same to me. And should be for all natural horsemanship clinicians out there, but sadly is not always the case, though so many are indeed great teachers. Re the Gentle Solutions book I co-wrote -- yes, it is written very clearly, concisely, down to earth, TO take the mystery out of natural horsemanship further. I worked over a year on that book and it's helping a great number of people out there now. Re our Whispering Way halter/lead combo -- We worked long and hard to come up with what we felt were the best materials to create the most comfortable NH halter/lead on the market today and we have them custom made to our specifications by a very experienced rope outfit. It is made of a very soft polyester type yacht rope material that is as soft (if not more) as cotton (all cotton can fall apart easily/lack durability) -- even feels just like cotton but is far more durable. So our halter/lead is extremely soft (on the horse's face as well as the lead in our hands--can't get rope burned easily) and you can machine wash it many, many times and have it come out of the washing machine looking like new every time. I take my NH training equipment very seriously and anything we sell has to pass all my tests, every direction, before I stand behind it. I've used many, many other NH halter/leads over the years and never quite found what I liked. I feel we've accomplished that now, producing probably one of the best on the market. I think you would be pleased with it. I don't have any clinic plans for your area this year, but we are just announcing our 2006 Clinic schedule here at my Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center and it's up on my web site now here: CLICK HERE Maybe think about taking a vacation here to learn more this year. Virginia is a beautiful place to visit! And each clinic detail page on my web site lists not only nearby lodging, but also lots of other things to do in the area when visiting. Maybe something to think about up the road... Thanks again for writing and for sharing. :-) Horse Problems Solutions in General - If you haven't discovered already on my web site, check out my Q&A/Horse Problems/Training Tips section for solutions to common horse issues. The problems are listed in alphabetical order by problem, and I add to the list regularly. You can check them out here: Horse Training Tips and Solving Common Horse Problems - Q&A - If you have a horse problem that you do not see listed up there, feel free to email me and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Training Success Letters of the Month - Read latest success stories with our Natural Horsemanship Training Program - Click here: Letters of the Month Past Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center Newsletters Are Archived Here: News & Press
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Visit with Sylvia Scott and the Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center at Equine Event East, Chantilly, Virginia, Fri. March 17 - Sun. March 19
Check Out These Other Natural Horsemanship Web Sites Since I firmly believe we all can learn from each other, I will periodically direct folks to the web sites of other fine NH trainer colleagues of mine, where more can be learned. Check out these when you get a chance:
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