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May 2006 |
Dear Friends: Spring has brought client horses out of the winter woodwork and everyone is busy getting back to horse work (or play!) in the beautiful weather. We have been extremely busy here at the Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center (VNHTC) helping folks to close up horse foundation training holes and the horses made safer for spring/summer riding. I can't emphasize enough, if horses have been laid off for winter, the importance of crucial ground work before riding again. Horses don't forget what they learned earlier, but they can get "rusty" and they need "oiling up" reminder training. Take the time to perform the right ground work, especially practice head yielding, disengaging hind quarters and one-rein stops on the ground until it is all automatic, before ever riding. Also, check all your tack to make sure it fits, as horses can sometimes come out of winter a "different size" and may need necessary tack adjustments. Our Equipedic Saddle Pads make saddles fit better and horses more comfortable. Our horses here at the VNHTC are enjoying the new spring grass in their Virginia heaven, living life naturally and freely in open spaces, within a herd, outside of riding/training time. It's a beautiful sight!
Spring 2006 at the Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center (Note Gabe posted as "sentry" while the other horses take a morning nap in the sunshine)
Trevor Scott Update Since I get a lot of emails asking how our son Trevor is doing in the army in Iraq right now, I just wanted to let everyone know he's doing fine and well in his ever so difficult job there. We thank everyone for the care packages that have been sent to him -- they mean more to our soldiers than you'll ever know! Trevor doesn't always have time to track down and personally thank each and every one of you, but please know he roundly thanks you (through us) in brief moments he's allowed access to email or in sporadic phone calls. And all packages are arriving safely there, be assured (it takes about 10 days for packages to arrive there in Iraq when mailed from the states and the army is very nicely efficient about getting them to their intended, not to worry). Trevor is very entrenched in daily warfare there, out on missions so much of the time as they battle insurgents or search out IED's ("improvised explosive devices") in Ramadi, Iraq, as well as training the Iraqi troops to eventually take over these jobs. But when they pop back into their barracks after missions, and he finds a package from supporters awaiting him (which he shares with his buds there always), they are in brief bliss as they enjoy a momentary "piece of home." And it makes them feel appreciated for the sometimes-thankless job they are doing over there. One of Trevor's latest emails to us shows what life is really like in the war trenches there in Iraq, and I wanted to share a little bit of it with you here because it's a real eye opener in many respects: Sorry it's been so long since I last wrote you guys. Our internet and phones have been down for a while (our phones are still down). Well, It's been getting hotter and hotter here. It's only April and it's already in the 90s! It's gonna suck when summer really hits. You guys need to keep your eyes peeled for the CBS news story about my platoon. There is a building down the street from the Combat Outpost which we call OP Hotel. It's a building that, I guess, used to be a hotel which we took over. We rotate different platoons through and it is manned 24 hours a day, 360 degrees. It's in a bad part of town [Ramadi, Iraq] so a lot of stuff happens there. Last time my platoon was there (just under 30 guys), a CBS reporter named Lara Logan came and stayed with us for a night. While she was there, in the middle of the night, the building got hit with an RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] and AK-47s. Let me tell you, if you are in a building that gets hit by an RPG, it is LOUD!!!!!! We opened up with all our machine guns on the west side of the building, and were shooting for a while. The whole time, Lara and her cameramen were crouched down in the corner of a room narrating what was going on. It was pretty funny cause amidst all the shooting, yelling, firing flares, running around getting more ammo to the positions, there was a moment of silence, and I heard a female voice with a British accent saying, "it's just after 3 a.m. and OP Hotel has been hit with an RPG. 3rd platoon is returning fire...." It was just not something we were used to hearing during a fire fight. Or at all in Iraq. In fact, she was the first western female we've seen...really since we left the states. Everybody kept talking about how good she smelled. I don't know how much of the footage will actually be used, so I may be in it or I may not. Jeff Reyes, remember him, I brought him to VA once, got interviewed by her. So just keep your eyes open for something about Ramadi on CBS. It may air soon, or maybe not for a month or so, and, like I said, I have no idea how much of it she'll actually use. I know one thing, they're gonna have to cut out a lot of the language used during a fire fight! We located online CBS correspondent Lara Logan's report on the attack Trevor describes above and you can read it here: CLICK HERE -- There's also a film clip of her report to the right on that page under "Iraqi Troop-Training in Ramadi." Believe it or not, as scary as such fire fights sound, this is just a "days work" for Trevor and his fellow soldiers in Iraq right now as they try to reduce the numbers of insurgents who are wreaking havoc in that country. Here's a news report that followed shortly after we received the above email from Trevor -- yet another insurgent battle Trevor's platoon (and now alongside the new Iraqi soldiers) was engaged in -- Trevor is in the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, referred to in this article: CLICK HERE After that news report, Trevor emailed us this about his experiences there (interesting to hear a soldier's point of view vs the press's on the same incidents): That article you forwarded me was my company. There are three platoons of about 30 guys in a company. I'm in third platoon. Lt. Blalock (the one mentioned in the article) is the platoon leader for second platoon. Keep your eyes peeled for more news coming up and forward them to me as you get them. We just launched a major offensive in a bad part of town. We secured a major intersection and locked down a very dangerous road. I actually just spent the last week sitting on the roof of a building overwatching that road. We got attacked pretty much every day, but the road is still secure. Iraqi Army troops can now drive down that road safely. It was an amazing site to see the first open-top canvas-sided truck drive down that road. Around here, we drive in 5-ton heavily up-armored humvees because the IED threat is so high, so it was a big deal. When we didn't leave after the first day, most of the civilians in the area packed up their belongings and left the neighborhood. They knew all hell was about to break loose. It's better that way, because they won't get caught in the cross-fire. They'll all come back when things calm down. Not much else is new, just working with the Iraqis more and more. I'm doing good. Keep sending me news articles as you get them. Please keep Trevor and our soldiers in your thoughts and prayers. If you would like to send Trevor and his comrades a care package, his address is still (written exactly as follows):
A list of requested/needed items by our soldiers over there that Trevor passed along to us (there are no stores for soldiers to purchase any of these in Iraq) - the following is in Trevor's words: toothpaste, deodorant/antiperspirant (Speed Stick 24 works pretty good, something that smells fresh, not too perfumy), baby wipes (we only get to take a shower about once a week, so wet wipes see us through), fruit cups (like peaches and stuff), beef jerky, tuna, tea (earl grey, different herbal teas, and iced tea mix), any magazines (Maxim, FHM, Stuff, Motor Trend, anything), DVDs (any good movie, everyone has watched everyone else's movies by now, we're always looking for something new to watch). Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support! We have more announcements...
We all can learn from each other!
Horse Training Thought For the Month - Natural Horsemanship Tenet We don't need to use force or abuse in training our horses, when kind, clear guidance is the better way, speaking the natural language all horses are born understanding. I would like to take this opportunity to bring up the subject of the rampant use of whips in the "unenlightened" horse sectors that have not yet grasped what natural horsemanship is all about. People are sometimes surprised to learn that not only do I not use a whip to train horses, I've never even owned one! They are not only unnecessary, but they are potentially cruel if/when horses are struck with them. Horses are extremely sensitive creatures and we want to train them through understanding, never fear or abuse or via any violent means whatsoever. Use fear or abuse or inflicted violence as your approach to training horses and I can guarantee you that you'll create a fearful, less-than-willing horse every time; use love and understanding and the right kind of non-violent gentle guidance methods, fully understanding the dynamics of applied prey animal psychology, and I can guarantee you that you will create a willing, trusting, well-trained horse every time. Monty Roberts recently took a public stand on this issue of whips, and I wish to as well, running further with that torch he has lit. When the owner or trainer is properly educated on how to communicate non-violently with the horse, using natural horsemanship techniques, a whip is not only totally unnecessary, it is an abomination. I'd like to direct everyone to Monty's articles on this subject, including from some top experts in the field of horse racing in particular, to show you further why whips are never necessary, and in my perfect world, would some day be hopefully outlawed, and considered as no-longer-sanctioned horse abuse (you can also subscribe to Monty's newsletter at this link as well): CLICK HERE To learn how to train your horse yourself, step by step the Whispering 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! "Painting for a Purpose" - Traveling Art Gallery by Ron Hauser - I'd like to direct your attention to talented western/equine artist Ron Hauser. Ron has been championing a cause that is not only heartfelt by all of us when hearing about it, but is very dear to Ron's heart himself for deeply personal reasons as well. Here is in Ron's own words about his Painting for a Purpose Traveling Art Gallery mission: What is the purpose? To donate funds to NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) National headquarters, Denver, Colorado, also to other affiliates that participate individually. This will be done with % of my profits through the sale of my art work. What has inspired this project?
For the past 5 years I have been very fortunate, after being disabled, to get a second shot at life by becoming a successful Western Artist through some talent, much determination, and 40 plus years of marketing skills. However, most of all, through my faith I credit the Power above. This faith has also guided my family in dealing with our grandson, Christian, who was born 7 years ago with a very rare birth defect which has left him without the full use of his arms or legs. He also continues to be dependent upon a life support ventilator. My daughter, Julia, started Christian with therapeutic horseback riding about 8 months ago at Therapeutic Horsemanship in Wentzville, Missouri. Becoming involved with them as a volunteer and seeing the smile on Christian’s face, I painted a picture of him on his horse titled “Cowboy Up” which now hangs in their lobby. I began making donations from my sales and then made a full commitment that this would become my mission nationally by the creation of this Traveling Art Gallery. What is the Traveling Art Gallery? This is a custom-made 28ft X 8ft enclosed Cargo type bumper pull trailer that is to have an 8ft X8ft Studio Office area in the front. This will also be used as a semi-living quarters while traveling with the show. The 20ft X20 ft back area will be a full complete Art Gallery having my paintings displayed with lighting and design as you would expect in any land based art gallery. Carpeted gallery, storage benches for prints and supplies, being down the center if customers wish to sit and view paintings. Full color advertisement & graphics will be on all four sides. In the gallery area media display will also be available. Sale of Ad Logos to Key Sponsors is essential for my endeavor. Presently in contact with key prospective sponsors who will have a 24”X24” full color brand Logo on each side and a 12” X12” logo on front and in back on top quarter area of the unit. The sponsor’s ad logo will stay on this unit as long as is in operation. Note: sponsor logos may also appear on printed materials, such as flyers and announcement posters. Painting For a Purpose Calendar of events for the 2006 year June 1st departure on a western 13 state tour visiting several key Premier NARHA members, several large Ranch locations, large Western Art Galleries, Western Magazines such as American Cowboy and large retail operations along the way. Highway visibility will be high on the US Interstate route, which has been mapped out by AAA Travel. This first trip will be over a month in duration. Plans are to again be at Silver Dollar City, Branson, Mo. in Sept/Oct. In '05 my work was purchased for the opening of their new Western Shop and ”The Tribute to the American Western Cowboy.” Will be a visiting artist, demonstrating painting and visiting with fans of the west. Kansas City Royal Stock Show in Nov. 2006 The agenda is to be at Horse shows, Western Art exhibits and other related trade shows that might possibly be requested by sponsors. The highly visible logos sponsors on this unit, plus exposure from other promotional events that will be attended '06 and following years, will be a great value for their advertising dollars with “Painting for a Purpose” Media Coverage A 6 min DVD has been made and is being distributed along with this information to local television stations in St. Louis, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX News. Will also be sent to local news media at key cities along these 13 State Routes. Is being sent to Related Trade Magazines Media Web site http://www.colorimageart.com/ronh.htm to promote web exchange in trip information. Mock up of trailer picture is being sent with this kit to all above. For verification of my commitment one may contact NARHA in Denver, Co. or Therapeutic Horsemanship in Wentzville, Mo. American Cowboy Magazine: “The walls of Hauser’s studio are lined with harnesses, saddles, Texas longhorns, branding irons and old photographs of his family." St. Louis Post: “The western influence in his art was inspired by his early life in Oklahoma and living with an uncle who was sheriff in Ava, Mo.” Thank you in advance for your Sponsorship and assistance in making this Special program come together. Happy Trails, Please take the time to visit Ron Hauser's web site and become involved in his worthy mission on behalf of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association -- here is Ron's Web site: CLICK HERE
Newer Spreader - I just wanted to pass along a heads up to everyone about this great product: the Newer Spreader. It is a handy, portable, lightweight manure spreader for your horse farm that can be pulled with a small garden tractor, four wheeler, golf cart, etc. It's an easy-to-use alternative to those heavy, expensive barn implements you're used to seeing. AND it holds up to 8 cubic feet of material. It's ideal for the smaller horse farm. Here's more about it from the makers of Newer Spreader: Manure disposal has become one of the more difficult problems for small horse farms. There is always the question of where to put it. More often than not, it's put into piles for days, weeks and even longer. You can hire someone to haul it away, but that is expensive and not always reliable. You can spread it by hand, but that's a back breaking job. Invariably the pile just stays there creating odor and attracting flies, which are a nuisance and a health threat to your horses. Then you have the additional problem of fly control. It has been shown that flies will travel several hundred feet between your barn and the manure pile. The BEST remedy for all these problems is to disperse the manure immediately after stall cleaning and to do it in a way that does not attract flies. If the manure is broken up into small pieces and spread out on the pasture or lawn, it will decompose very quickly, especially on a hot, sunny day. Then it is no longer attractive to flies. Plus, you receive the added benefit of providing a fertilizer and soil conditioner for your pasture. "Old time" manure spreaders do not break up the manure adequately and with their many moving parts, they can require a great deal of maintenance. This is too time consuming and laborious for today's small farm owner. Newer Spreader® offers a solution to ALL of these problems, without creating new ones. The patented grinding drum crumbles the manure into small pieces and spreads it evenly over the ground as it is pulled with a small garden tractor, four wheeler or golf cart. The Newer Spreader® has few moving parts, and being made of aluminum, it has an extremely long life with virtually no maintenance. We bought a Newer Spreader and are using it here at the VNHTC and love it! It passes all our tests. Here's more about the Newer Spreader as well as ordering information: Visit the Newer Spreader web site here: CLICK HERE Horse Rescues/Rehab Centers - I'm a big supporter of equine rescues. 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! For a list of equine rescues in the Virginia region and rescues around the country/world: CLICK HERE Horse
Problem Questions From You & Question - Bucking horse problem: Hi
Sylvia, I live in Southwestern Ontario and have a 6-year-old
Paint QH. He was started western before I bought him and
then when I purchased him, he was started under English
saddle. I sent him for intensive training after he bucked
me off and I broke my pelvis and arm. He went on trails
rides, no spooks, stood for mounting, etc. I recently moved
out of the area to a western barn (no English in the area)
and had him trained for a month before the trainer moved.
He was standing very quietly for mounting, no bucking, etc.
Lately he has been throwing bucks when lunged, I am afraid
to get on him and no one else wants to ride him. However,
now he won't stand for mounting, keeps moving away and had
to be held in that position. What do you suggest? Once
horses buck, does it become ingrained? Thanks so much.
C.C.. - Ontario, Canada Sylvia's Answer: Hi C. Thanks for writing. Well...this is a tough one to assess from a distance, but since he's bucking even when longeing, there possibly could be back pain/saddle fit issues, which I go over in more detail here: And/or, he could have an eye-changing problem, which can sometimes be at the root of in saddle irrational behavior like you are seeing there -- I go over what eye-changing problems are all about and how you can fix them here: For mounting retraining, you can read this link here on my web site: Honestly, I wouldn't suggest mounting/riding this horse until you flush out all the foundation holes and plug them up safely on the ground first. And that's what the Gentle Solutions book I co-wrote is all about. For the next steps there, to fast track you there, you might think about getting my "Complete Package" because it contains all the tools and information you need for all the next steps to get all the ground foundation laid down more solidly/plugging up the holes to make a safer horse (and is what I'd do myself if I were called in to work with your horse) and the horse better going in saddle there, happily and compliantly. That package can be ordered here: CLICK HERE -- it contains 1) the Gentle Solutions book I co-wrote that teaches a step-by-step very user-friendly program you will plug your horse into all by yourself, as well as 2) the natural horsemanship halter with attached 12 foot lead rope and the 3) extendable/retractable training wand that you will tie plastic to for desensitizing (more about that in the book), both required for the program, and 4) the very handy training string which has a 101 uses (I keep one in my pocket at all times when training because it has so many handy multi-purpose training uses). And you'll be set to train/fix your horse the natural horsemanship way yourself, to close up those foundation holes you are seeing there. And as you get going in the program, if you ever have any questions as you go along, I'm only an email away for quick answers! It's that, or call in a natural horsemanship trainer to sort through this stuff you're seeing there, with you. I've got a new "Find a Natural Horsemanship Trainer" section up on my web site now and you might comb thru my Canada trainer page to see if you can find one near you: CLICK HERE Hope this helps and good luck to you there! Question - Trailering problem - horse is afraid to back out of trailer: Hi Sylvia. I trailer my neighbor's horses when our kids have Pony Club lessons together and was wondering if you could give me some ideas to help with their 22-year-old thoroughbred mare. She loads into the trailer fine, but is very fearful of backing out, it's like she panics. I think she must have been in a step-down trailer before, because she used to shake and back up very cautiously as if expecting to step off an edge, but then when she got one foot on the ground, she would fly out backwards. My 3-horse slant trailer has a ramp and I was hoping after a few times of trailering her, she would calm down and realize she wasn't going to fall off the edge, but she hasn't. She flings herself backwards, head thrown up, even worse if you try to slow her down. I'm afraid she's going to run over someone or hurt herself. We've tried getting her to back out slowly by offering her treats, but she's rather neurotic about the whole thing (just recently started eating in the trailer at all), not hurrying her, letting her back up at her own speed, trying to get her to turn around and walk out but she just seems to get in panic mode. I don't know what her trailering history is, my neighbor got her as a free horse abandoned at a stable but I hope there is some simple way to get her to calm down and back out of the trailer like a "normal" horse. Thanks, D.S. - Riverside, California Sylvia's Answer: Hi D. Thanks for writing. First, let me direct you to a trailer loading problem link I have on my web site, in case you haven't seen it already, to gain some tips there: For your problem there specifically, let me suggest a couple of things. First, teach her how to back up on cue, using the lead rope (preferably working her in a natural horsemanship halter with 12-foot lead) -- I teach how here, and you'll need this in the foundation first for what I'm going to show you next: And if I were to step in to work with this horse, I would indeed teach that back up cue (away from the trailer) in the very first lesson. Read that link carefully and work with her to learn that first. Is real important! It will give you soft control of all 4 feet for a start, and more (it translates outwards positively in multi directions) Next, once she knows that well and can back up softly, easily, with the smallest rope jiggle and come forward softly & easily when slack is taken out of the rope...now...line up a bunch of poles on the ground, like in an arena. Using the rope jiggle cue (which you've now placed in her training foundation), ask her to back over those poles one at a time. Have her come forward, then back over the poles again. Many times. See...she probably doesn't know exactly where her feet are (very common in horses!). This backing over poles exercise will help her build confidence about where her feet are precisely and she'll learn she doesn't have to fear picking them up or navigating obstacles when going backwards. Then work on backing her up over other objects (get creative!). Have her back down hills, up hills, through gates, into a stall, etc. Use the rope jiggle cue only, not grabbing the rope by her chin & pushing her back! Keep a 12' lead rope distance between you as you teach her to back going this route. Once she's gained more confidence there, doesn't klonk the poles when going backwards anymore, now approach the trailer. Ask for only one foot in, then jiggle the rope and ask her to back that one foot out. Many, many times. Don't be goal focused (to get her in the trailer), but do the opposite: be retreat focused. After she's confident backing one foot out, now ask for two front feet into the trailer, but just as quickly jiggle the rope and back her out. Pause after every exit, and relax her when needed with some of the relaxing techniques (especially: head down, your finger in her mouth to get her working her mouth) that I show here: Once she's rational, calm, relaxed after many, many repetitions of backing her two front feet out, now ask for 3 feet (one back foot in), but exit her out with the rope jiggle immediately once she does it. Do this many times until she's calm about it. Now ask for 4 feet, but back her out immediately. Try to retreat her before she retreats herself, so it's always your idea, not hers. By now it should be easier because she's literally backed hundreds of times at your rope jiggle request. Follow this route to a tee here (not leaving anything out) and you should get her past this issue once and for all. Long way is the short way here! The time you take to back up and fix the root of this problem, building into her foundation what I've showed you above, the sooner she'll be past this problem for good! Hope this helps and let me know how it goes after you've tried all the above! Question - Aggressive disrespectful horse: Hi Sylvia. I want to ask your advice on what in the world I can do to stop my horse from biting. I am at my wits end. Every chance he gets, he takes a lunge at me. I have to watch him all the time. When I have some sort of lead or bridle, etc., on him, he behaves like a sweetie; but loose he is getting dangerous. I tried everything you suggested [on your web site problem links]; it worked at first for a little while, but now he watches to see if I am occupied elsewhere, then tries to bite. I live in Newfoundland, Canada, and our winters are too cold to leave horses out all winter, so that's why he is inside at night and out during the day. Until the weather warms up a little, it will probably be April 31 before he will be out for the summer. I tried rubbing his face, he promptly bit me. I tried to scratch his dock, he kicked at me. I tried to scratch his belly button, he again tried to kick my brains out. Working around his head is not advisable unless he is crosstied; picking hooves is out of the question. The one thing that puzzles me is I can stand there and hold his feed tub for him (He has a habit of upsetting it) and he is ok; bringing him hay, he is ok; watering him, is also ok. But other than that, I am constantly on guard around him; the funny part is he wasn't like this when I bought him. It just started a while ago. I am not feeding any treats or any hand-feeding or teasing him. I enlarged his stall so he wouldn't feel crowded; it is 12x12 with a window. I do not yell at him or hit him in any way, but it is getting to be an unpleasurable hobby. I found out from his previous owner he was 3 time Provincial Champion in Western pleasure. When she had him I am wondering if he feels I am going to make him do it again. She also said he didn't like competing or being lunged. She does a lot of that. Seems to me like he just wants to be left alone with no one bothering him. Just feed and leave him alone. I am 57 and have dealt with bad horses all my life. The bad ones were brought to me to straighten out and it worked using kindness and common sense; but his time I am stumped. I really like him, but I will not be buying another horse. At my age it is too much of a chance to take, risks which may result in bones not healing so fast as when I was younger Ha Ha. Any help will be greatly appreciated. And if round penning him is the only way to straighten him out, then I will have to construct one and give it a try. Wish you were closer! E. C. - Newfoundland, Canada Sylvia's Answer: Hi E. Believe it or not, your horse has trained you well there what you're "not allowed to do" with him. :-) Hear this kindly please, and only because I want to help you there: it's not the horse, it's you. That said, how is it you? Because you are allowing it. You need to be the "lead mare" of his herd and not allow this kind of behavior toward the "lead mare" any longer. Since you say he does this biting/aggressive-type behavior only when at liberty, that's because: he's being allowed and he's smart and has now figured out that he's being allowed this, and also is about you not knowing how to stop it. And you can stop it! Here's how: think about getting my extendable/retractable training wand, which comes with plastic tied on the end, and is exactly what I myself would use there probably if I were called in to work with your horse, to flush out the behavior openly, giving me the opportunity to correct it -- you can get the wand here -- it is an exceptionally handy tool for multi-purposes -- it serves as a safe extension of your arm and a directing tool and since it's retractable (telescopes) you can choose the size you need at a given time: CLICK HERE Bring the wand with you when you enter his "space" from now on when he's at liberty. If/when he tries to bite, kick, lunge at you there, quickly shake the wand at him, toward his face in the air (in the air toward one eye directs a horse to turn away), while you simultaneously give a very, very loud "SHHHHHH!!" sound assertively, and send him away from you. If that's in his large stall, you'll be sending him to the opposite side of the stall. Set him up to do this/flush it out openly, in a larger paddock if you have to, so you can reaffirm your leadership there. Horses follow a herd, prey animal pecking order instinct that goes like this: "he who moves the other's feet is higher up on the pecking order, and therefore: the leader." Your horse there has learned to take over the higher pecking order via his aggressive behavior, and moving your feet thru his actions. He's now technically the leader of your herd of two. Time to turn that around! Trust me, I could turn it around myself in just one session, but so can you! Stop tip-toeing around the problem, being "too nice" to the horse when he's not behaving. We don't reward bad behavior. We're only nice to the horse (rewarding) when they are behaving with our established rules of our "herd." Aberrant behavior gets disciplined, and the best discipline is a very assertive send-away; that's indeed exactly what a real lead mare in a herd would do herself. Get "big" with your body, your arms up and the wand with plastic waving (as a safe extension of your arm). Don't yell, but use the "Shhhhh" sound instead -- it's very, very effective in their brain to eventually mean "stop it," which they learn via the disciplining actions that now go along with that word. Get as assertive as you need to, to get him moving away quickly at those times, "sent" with firmness, you not moving your feet away from the horse (horses are extremely perceptive to feet); plant your feet and move him away instead (stay safe, of course! use common sense here). After he exits away, instantly release the pressure for "right answer there" and lower the wand, go quiet, pause, let him think a minute about what just happened. Via thinking, they learn. Then repeat. Approach him to see if he gets aggressive again, and be 100% consistent with your reaction to that from now on. This is not what I perceive from here a fearful horse, but an aggressive horse, hence the need to get more assertive there now. Believe me, he won't like it and will stop thinking that works any longer in "this herd" with you. Do it as many times as it takes. Consistency is everything with horses. When he's behaving there, no longer having biting thoughts, respectful, THEN come in and love all over him, reward the good behavior. Throw that switch automatically, and be very kind, loving. And follow up taking that wand with you from now on for a while if needed until this bratty behavior is gone for good. This will also teach you how to be more assertive, sending a horse with your firm intention very clear to the horse, until you don't need the wand anymore yourself. Yes, I would definitely recommend round penning this horse, the way I teach it on my web site here: That will serve to further reinforce that it is you in charge of his feet when he's with you, not the other way around. And it will instill deeper respect and positive progress all around, many directions. As for the foot handling problems there, after the aggression is fixed, then follow this link's instructions on how to fix that problem: I'm not talking about getting aggressive with your horse, but assertive. There's a difference! Show the horse the black & white zone clearly and consistently. White zone is when he's behaving and no negative pressure is put on him, and life is good there. If he crosses into the black zone (unacceptable behavior), pressure is instantly put on him to get him back into the white zone. Horses learn from the release of pressure what it is you want, not the pressure itself, so get your release timing very quick there for correct good behavior responses. Don't get your emotions in there, only your actions. Put him to work at those misbehavior times, or send him away, depending on the circumstances, when he steps over the line into the black zone. Make that zone crystal clear there by remaining 100% consistent in your "rules" at all times. Believe me, he's not particularly happy in this negative, aggressive spot, no horse is. Help him to find the getalong spot by reinforcing your rules and he'll settle down to a quieter, more cooperative, far happier horse all around who respects you and even likes you. Horses simply do not tend to like those they perceive as "below them" in pecking order, be it another horse or a human. So you need to gain the skills that show him fairly that you are the leader. Incidentally, I have recently added a new section to my web site, Find a Natural Horsemanship Trainer Near You -- the Canada NH trainers page is here: CLICK HERE -- Don't know if any of those NH trainers are close enough to you, but you might take a look. Or, think about taking a vacation down to Virginia, trailer your horse here, and I can help you one-on-one get him fixed there. Happy to help any way I can! Question - Using wand with plastic with aggressive horse behavior when feeding & whenever in pasture: Hi. I have just visited your web site that my brother had told me about. I do have a question pertaining to dealing with the horse with the aggressive behavior during feeding time and the use of the plastic bag with holes in it. My concern with the use of the plastic bag will then possibly make my horse skittish of plastic bags, noise whenever. For example this has been seen to happen to many horses at a horse show in the show ring. Garbage cans with plastic bags in them and the wind is blowing them to make the noise, the horses were sometimes spooking away from the plastic bags. So if a plastic bag is used for this training purpose to keep the horse out of harms way and to let them know that we are the head boss to them, it can also cause a problem to them when they do come into this type of situation. Where we despook our horse, desensitize them with blankets, plastic....and so on. So my question is: have you come across this or has this been a concern? Thank you again...and your website is really put together very nicely. Sincerely, D. R. - Cobleskill, New York Sylvia's Answer: Hi D. Thanks for writing and that's a very good question! Thanks for asking it! Yes you should use a wand with plastic if needed (as an extension of your arm) to keep an overly aggressive horse at bay, especially at feeding time if they are out of control there, to teach them how to come in more quietly and respectfully (and safer to the human). But that's only a beginning. A good training program also desensitizes a horse to plastic so that the horse does not fear that. I teach how to desensitize a horse to my training wand with plastic bag here: So, it can be used as a directing tool, but one should also work to make the horse unafraid of that tool and of plastic. Sounds in conflict? Not at all. Because a horse who is barging over humans needs further training period, and that's what my program is all about. Get horses respectful, yet also unafraid of ordinary items "out there," like plastic so that all are kept safer around them. Repeat: the training wand with plastic is simply a safe extension of your arm. It has to all go hand in hand as I see it. I desensitize horses to my training wand with plastic so they do not fear it, but I also use it to direct, and they separate out "intention" there. Those sections you read on my web site about dealing with overly aggressive horses could be taken out of context. Aggressive horses can be dangerous and need to be "sent" when they come into humans aggressively -- our arms aren't necessarily long enough to block and send them away--the wand with plastic is. In such cases the wand with plastic is simply a safe extension of your arm to wave the horse away. But it also goes without saying: they need far more training than that as a result and I always talk about that in those sections so that people know that it's not about fixing just this one problem (attacking/aggressive horse), learning to get the horse off of you. But then that needs to be followed up with the right training as well or they will probably always have a problem horse on their hands. And good natural horsemanship training indeed entails desensitizing horses to plastic, tarps, wands, umbrellas (you'd be surprised how many horses go ballistic when first exposed to an umbrella!), anything and everything they are afraid of, so that a quieter, more confident, trusting horse comes out the other side. And this is what I teach daily. No horse leaves my program afraid of plastic or tarps, etc. And they are all highly respectful and better bonded to the owner, and in a much, much happier life spot all around because no horse truly likes to be in the aggressive spot in life, as that's a very stressful way for them to be living. Hope this makes sense and that I've answered your question there. :-)
Question - Round penning question & what other ground work should be done: Dear Sylvia, just a quick question regarding your latch-on round penning exercise: does this particular exercise have to be performed each time I lunge my horse, or does the latch-on process only need to be done once? Also, could you give me some suggestions on how to make lungeing a little more fun? What I mean is, what other ground work things can I do in the arena apart from circling, turning, backing up, hind leg turns, and small jumps, because that's all I can think of to do. Just want to praise you, yet again, on your Natural Horsemanship halter and lead I bought from you; it is absolutely brilliant! I use it all the time in the arena. Thanks for any help and of course your time B. L. - Staffordshire, England Sylvia's Answer: Hi B. Re your round pen question...I like to start off most lessons with that round pen at liberty exercise just to warm them up, but it's honestly not one you have to keep doing necessarily once the horse can make outside turns and inside turns at your direction, can be brought in with a kiss cue, sent back out again, brought in again, repeatedly. It becomes a "dance" really, an at liberty dance that connects the two of you as dance partners. But if a horse is an old been there done that horse who gets bored at the exercise after a while, I discontinue it and move on to something new to keep them mentally stimulated. Some additional ideas for what you can be doing there...I'm a big proponent of desensitizing. Challenge the horse with desensitizing exercises to raise his fear bar and out the other side comes a quieter, more confident horse. (The opposite of fear is: confidence!) If you haven't already, do some plastic desensitizing which I show how here: Do some tarp desensitizing which I go over here: Make sure the horse can handle ropes around the legs, rubbed up and down with them and can pick up the feet easily with rope pressure -- I show how here: Do spray bottle desensitizing: Teach the horse to be driven from the rear: Do trailer loading lessons (on days you have no intention of going anywhere, have plenty of time to devote to it) so it's just a "part of life," teaching the horse to be driven from the rear into the trailer: And very importantly, work on the one-rein stop on the ground and head yielding:
Get busy with the above and you'll be simultaneously filling in foundation holes, creating a quieter, more cooperative and very willing horse!
Question - Non-stalled cribbing horse: Hi Sylvia. I don't know if you remember me asking for some help with my aggressive yearling months ago, but I just wanted to update you on him along with asking a few questions again. I tried all of your tips that you gave me and they did help, but I just didn't know enough about training to get them to work well. We ended up sending him to a professional trainer a month after I talked to you; this trainer uses a mixture of every type of training. We decided that it would just be best for my horse to have professional training before he got even more dangerous (he had already kicked my Dad in the chest, trampled me and bit my brother). Anyways, my horse did way better than I thought he would. It turned out that all of our problems were due to us not knowing enough and the horse not knowing enough either. I was really happy to find out that he was a very gentle, sweet horse and an extremely fast learner (this didn't help when it came to how he acted before!). When he came back home, he was a different horse. He now is very respectful and also knows how to do anything that a horse his age should know. He will be heading back to the trainer late fall or sometime next spring (depending on when he matures) to be started in saddle. I wanted to thank you for the help you gave me because it did work, and I am glad that you suggested to find a trainer in my area. I have a new problem now though that I was wondering if you could help. This horse cribs. I guess he has been doing this since he was a few months old, but I didn't know what it was. He never has been stalled in his life except for a month at the trainer's. He has a fair amount of space in his pasture (about 3 acres) and two other horses he lives with. He also has a lot of horse toys to keep him busy. But he still cribs, especially after he is done with his grain, he will crib on his bucket. Any ideas on what to do? I have found a few cribbing collars but I don't know if any work. I am leaning towards the miracle collar because the others look painful to the horse. Thanks again for the help in the past, S. - Grand Rapids, Michigan Sylvia's Answer: Hi S. All great news re getting trainer help there and all the improvements. So glad to hear that! Re the cribbing... first, I would recommend having a thorough equine dental checkup, because sometimes...the teeth aren't coming in right, the gums are sore, and this triggers a horse to chew on stuff (especially if they haven't been stalled this might be the case there). Rule that out first before assuming it's a behavioral problem. My paint, Doc (now 6), who was never stalled either went thru a phase like that when he was younger and it baffled me. I then had a vet dental check up when the mouthiness became very prominent suddenly -- he literally couldn't keep his mouth off of anything, any object. Low and behold, upon deeper examination, the vet spotted a permanent tooth was coming in behind a baby tooth, in the front of Doc's mouth, and I'd totally missed that. It made his mouth sore so he chewed on everything. It was much like a human baby teething (horses do teeth from the discomfort by the way, young ones, when permanent teeth are coming in, some more than others). The vet pulled the stubborn baby tooth on the spot and the problem ended. Doc is still a somewhat mouthy horse (picks up and plays with everything with his mouth like his mouth is a hand, so you can't leave just anything lying around here!), but he's not chewing on stuff obsessively like he used to at that time. Some tips: do keep a lot of toys out there, maybe switching them off so he doesn't get bored with them (highway cones make some of the best horsey chew toys, by the way). So do horse balls. Most importantly, keep hay out there 24/7 to chew on if you don't have him on grass. Horses don't do well being fed at structured feeding times only, because nature designed them, as prey, herd animals, to graze pretty much around the clock. Keeping access to hay or good grass at all times should keep his mouth more acceptably busy, the way nature intended. If he doesn't have that hay/grass access right now 24/7, then this very well may be contributing to him chewing on stuff he's not supposed to and that's easy to fix, keeping that out there. As for biting his supplement feed bucket, make a loud "shhhh" sound and jerk the lead rope down a couple of times to move his feet back quickly when you catch him doing that, and remove the bucket as soon as he's done eating. If you've tried all of the above, and he's doing a lot of damage out there, you might very well need to go to the miracle cribbing collar (I agree, it's the most humane probably). I'm also finding that horses are getting weaned far too early "out there" (too early being 4-5 months old, when nature actually designed them to nurse much, much longer than that) and that early weaning practice is contributing to overly mouthy horses out there, because, when weaned too early, they didn't get their oral/sucking needs satiated enough. So..they are driven to put their mouths on everything. It's like...if you yank a small kitten away from a mother cat, force weaning it before the kitten weans naturally, gradually, on the proper timetable, that kitten/later cat will suck on things (like your shirt when you are holding them/petting them) for the rest of their lives! I'm seeing the same thing with horses where breeders are trying to rush the weaning process (usually so they can re-breed the mother early to get another foal faster, which is all about money), and the too-early weaned foal grows up too mouthy, obsessed with putting things in their mouths, and it goes on for years! His sucking/oral needs were not satiated so the oral fixated need remains. That may very well be what you're dealing with there. But some of the above should help, I hope! Make sure you teach him while he's young that he is never to put his mouth on you (don't hand feed this type of horse), so you don't have nipping problems later. Often that type of horse isn't necessarily trying to bite you aggressively as much as he's just so orally fixated, it's hard for him to keep his mouth off of everything, including you. But discipline him by "Shhhh" sound and sending his feet backwards if he tries to put his mouth on you at any time. You (or any other humans) are off limits for his mouth! Use the cribbing collar as an absolute last resort after trying all the above first. None of them are perfectly humane if you ask me, but I understand the need for them in some serious cases! Here's another link on my site that deals with a similar issue, so it might give you more ideas: Hope some of this helps and good luck to you there! Question - Horse Attacks Dog: Dear Sylvia Scott, Do you have any idea why a horse would attack a dog? Our horse did this and we were wondering why because our dog didn't charge him or even go near him and for some reason he acted very violent toward our dog. He kept trying to step on her and kick her and he almost kicked one of us. We believe if our dog didn't roll over onto her stomach just at that moment that she would have been stepped on for sure. Do you have any ideas why the horse might have done this? N. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Horses sometimes can be unpredictable around dogs. Perhaps in this horse's past he was chased by dogs, bitten by a dog, who knows? But in others it's a dominance thing. Remember, horses follow a pecking order instinct that says "he who moves the other's feet is higher up on the pecking order," and it's instinct for them to test those pecking order waters with any new animal; perhaps your horse felt he needed to show "herd dominance" over this dog in that manner. Regardless of the reason, I find it's a good idea to teach our dogs to steer clear of our horses for their own protection. I've taught my own golden retriever, Callie, that she is not allowed to get too near our horses and this means at our horse farm/training center, there are certain areas Callie is simply not allowed. She's not allowed in the round pen; she's not allowed in our big riding arena when horses are present. She's also not allowed in the barn or paddocks or pastures where horses are. It's actually pretty easy to teach your dog (if you've already taught them the command for "sit" and "stay" or "go," etc., which all dogs should be taught) not to enter a horse area and command the dog to stay outside the fencelines where horses are. My dog knows these rules well and when I enter a paddock, or open the gate to enter the barn area, or a pasture to fetch a horse out, or the round pen to work with a horse, Callie automatically sits or lays down outside the gate/fence and waits for me patiently. I would advise teaching your dog these "barn rules" as well. Having dogs around horses just isn't always safe and it's just a good idea to make those rules, taking the time to teach your dog the rules if the dog is running free, and everyone stays safer all around. I do clinics and private lessons all the time and allow my dog in the area unleashed (at my own training center), because she's well behaved, well trained by me, and she knows it's okay for her to visit with people (politely) but it's not okay for her to visit with horses or go into any of the banned-to-her areas. Be consistent in your expectations and dogs learn this quickly. So...the horse is not the problem there. The horse is just being a horse. The dog is the problem there and should be taught to stay away from the horses. Question - Horse freaking out in saddle: Hello again! We asked the question regarding the hackamore versus snaffle bit, thanks for your response! It did settle the debate! However, I don't want to bother you again but we came to a crossroads with one of the horses we have been working with the last few months and really need another natural horseman perspective. A little background: A registered Arabian/Quarter Horse was brought to us because the new owners wanted her "broken." I have to say we really HATE that word. But that is what they wanted. Which we always translate into meaning they want to be able to ride her ASAP. She is around 6. Now, apparently this horse used to be used for show and was ridden often. However, for some reason she got passed around a whole lot and ended up being used for breeding to a pure Arabian stallion - strictly for profit - and was then turned out to pasture with very little human contact for the next year and a half. When she was brought to us she was, for lack of a better word: wild. You could not go near her; if she saw a lead rope or halter in your hand, she would bolt. When she arrived at our home she was brought with her colt where later we weaned him and then separated the two. The owners basically wanted us to clean her up and have her ready in a month and a half - (ready to ride of course :-) ) She was skin and bones and I know mares lose weight when they drop a foal but not that much weight. So it started to become apparent to us that this horse has been abused in a variety of ways, unfortunately we were left to guess what ways those were. My wife said forget it to their month and a half time line and we stated that we didn't do that kind of training here, if they didn't like it they would have to go somewhere else. We firmly adhere to the "long way is the short way" also!' My wife has spent the last 4 months completely starting this horse over, regardless of what they told us she has done. She moved incredibly slow, going the horse's pace. She spent the first month alone just bonding and doing various simple exercises and the more comfortable she felt the better she did. We moved on to round penning, lots and lots of ground work and desensitizing exercises. There are garbage bags, plastic bags, balloons, streamers, etc., tied everywhere as well as loud radio music, chainsaw, lawnmower, truck engine, etc going regularly. And she took all of it in stride. The transformation has been amazing! No one recognizes her; she has gone from being very wild to a big dog that follows my wife around the yard and runs up to the truck as soon as she sees you pull up. Her weight is excellent and coat is once again beautiful from regular grooming. We put her back in the round pen to work on learning verbal commands to prepare for saddle training in the arena (that's what they wanted to use her for) - like walk, trot, canter - and she picked it up quickly; however, when we put her in the arena, she tenses up and she has been in there a lot with no problem. She seems to feel the need to bolt. We don't even use a lunge whip. just a handy stick we twirl very mildly to get her to change direction, but when she sees us twirl she picks up speed and breaks into a take off run. We get her under control and then she switches. But when you try to block that forward movement with the handy stick, she rears up and goes immediately tense. We have done the same exercises outside the arena and it wasn't AS BAD but still similar. The only reason we are concerned is that after this kept happening we thought, OK we missed something, let's go back. Maybe it's the stick, but she is fine with it when not lunging. Or maybe it's being in the arena, but she's fine with that too when you are just in there with her. When she started to do better we decided to slowly move onto the saddle since she was doing excellent. And we were getting a lot of outside pressure to hurry up with it. So we did a week of just putting the saddle on - leading her with it - taking it off - getting up - getting down - before we actually lead her with someone on her. And she was sacked out to the saddle along with every other noisy item we could find long before we did this. So she did great with the saddle on, walking with it on, etc. And getting off and on was OK too. So we finally got on the saddle and lead the other around. So my wife got on and we didn't get 100 ft before she went crazy and bolted. She took off as fast as she could. My wife just slipped off, there was no point in staying on. She just kept running and running like she was trying to get the saddle off and even defecated while running. The faster she went, the more she scared herself. And there was absolutely no reason we could find as to what could have spooked her - none! She finally stopped, heaving and sweating, and then my wife calmly took everything off and she was fine and was following her around like normal. Again, we went back and thought we missed something. Now here's where the abused issue comes in, that we think may be the problem. We know they used to whip her into the trailer; she wouldn't go near a trailer when she saw it, so we got her over that and now she loads fine - it took awhile though. However, we are still left with this other problem. We have not tried the saddle again because we aren't quite sure what the problem is and to approach it safely without making her feel like we are pushing her. And we are getting outside pressure to hurry up. We have actually been laughed at by some of our "fellow" trainers down here - the big western rodeo, reining stars who naturally started their own equestrian centers, saying we spend too much time on ground work and that you can really over ground work train a horse, we should just put a saddle on and let it work itself out. And in some situations I would agree but not when there is a case of abuse. We really want to give this horse our all because everyone has given up on her and you can see it in her eyes. She is amazing - she tries so hard! And I don't want to lose all our progress because of impatience and ignorance! I know ground work training can be tedious, but she has become a great horse because of it and could have been very dangerous without it. I feel maybe we have been focusing so hard for so long we may have lost our perspective on the obvious. We follow all your techniques in your Gentle Solutions book and they've worked wonders with her, but maybe you can see something we don't. I'm really sorry for the incredibly long e-mail, just wanted to paint a clear picture. Any insight you could give would be great! Thanks so much for all that you do! T. R. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi T. Thanks for writing and for the clear overview there. First, I wanted to applaud you guys for the wonderful, patient, compassionate work you've done so far with this mare, putting her needs first over unenlightened outside pressure! Good job! By the way...whenever someone uses the term "breaking a horse" to me or asks me about that, I correct them with the words "starting a horse," or "starting a horse in saddle," or simply "training a horse." Words are important, I feel, because words tend to reflect to humans their perspective and how they approach a horse. Who wants a broken horse? I want a horse to get fixed and in a better spot. I'll fix a horse, but I won't "break" them. ;-) Just showing you what words you can play around with using when dealing with the unenlightened so they can get educated along the way as well. Your mare there. Know what I think is going on there? I think you've flushed out an eye-changing problem that's still left unfixed (fixed on the ground first). That's how an unfixed eye-changing problem can manifest up in saddle often. Here's more about eye-changing problems, how they play out, and how you can fix that: I would also work a great deal on teaching the horse the one-rein stop (which starts on the ground, but fix the eye changing problem first, in that order) -- I have more about the one-rein stop here: See...if you don't completely fix an eye-changing problem on the ground first, then work on that in the saddle (at a standstill first), then how can the horse keep you in the "preferred eye" she thinks she has to keep you in? She can't. Hence: explosion, brain overload. I find so many horses with eye changing problems (majority at first?) and if left unfixed completely, it leads to bucking, rearing, runaway horses because the horse panics about that. Fix it well on the ground first until she can keep you as comfortably in her off eye, functioning equally well there, before going back to the saddle work. Then reinforce that up there in saddle, first at a standstill, performing the one-rein stop (both sides) while disengaging the hindquarters. Not until she can do that at a standstill do you then try it at a walk, and so on. A safe way to practice that is with the two people approach, which I teach here: If you ride a horse that has even a little bit of eye-changing problem still, the results are exaggerated (magnified!) in saddle. So take the time to fix that well on the ground. It's the root cause of so many horse problems, and my guess, is the root of what you're dealing with there. But you must fix that going the route I show in that link there before working on the one-rein stop, because you have to lay down the foundation first before you can build upon that for the horse to connect the dots rationally for the one-rein stop. I did a horse prepurchase training evaluation exam recently for a client. As always, I started with the basics in ground work to flush out any hidden problems she might have before ever thinking of riding (I do this with every horse before I ride, bar none). Quickly the horse showed me she had an eye-changing problem. Didn't want me in her right eye. So...I spent about 15-20 minutes working with her just on that to help her get past that. She got past it about 90%, so I proceeded forward. She passed all my other ground tests and I saddled her. Got on. But the first thing I did before riding her was: ask for her head to both sides, separately one-by-one. Sure enough, the remaining 10% eye-changing problem had her less willing to give her head to the right as easily as she did to the left. So...right there we worked on just that, nothing else. After she did that okay, I walked her two steps and then asked for the one-rein stop. Both sides. Since horses "compartmentalize learn" just because she knows how to give her head easily to the side for the one-rein stop now at a standstill, it doesn't mean her brain can quickly translate that same action to the walk, so she struggled for a second and then got it. Three steps in a walk, then one-rein stop, both sides. And so on. Then one step into the trot and a one-rein stop. Same thing happened, a little struggle at first for her, but since I was baby-stepping her, she started to get it more quickly. Faster gait, same thing. See...in order to teach a horse to go...first you must teach them the brakes and head yielding/one-rein stops. Rationally. Not just for your safety sake |
