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August 2006 |
Dear Friends: We've had a very busy past month juggling clients, horses and working on our new training series videos 24/7. We're proud to announce the completion of our new Round Pen Leadership DVD -- more details on that are just below. People have been coming from all over to our Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center (VNHTC) to learn natural horsemanship and to check out our state-of-the art NH training facilities. We were delighted to host some folks from Hungary who are setting up an exciting natural horsemanship program for children in that country. It is our dream that we can have a hand in guiding many such natural horsemanship centers to spring up all over the world, bettering the world for horses and humans alike. It doesn't get any better than that! We have several clinics coming up this summer, so check them out below and sign up to attend, either as rider/participant or as auditor/spectator, and get your journey moving forward for creating your own cooperative horse! We have more announcements...
We all can learn from each other! Sylvia Scott
Horse Training Thought For the Month - Natural Horsemanship Tenet All horses learn from the release of pressure what it is you want, not the pressure itself, so, breaking things down into smaller increments, releasing for right answer baby steps for the horse to better understand the teacher when he is stuck, is our responsibility as teacher and leader of our horses! Just don't blame the horse when he doesn't understand. Posing the material in understandable form is the teacher's responsibility. Be an empathetic, understanding, patient teacher and your horse will gladly perform (and behave) for you. 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! "Hearts of Iron" New CD - World-renowed wild horse expert and talented country-western singer, Willis Lamm, along with a few other great talents, have announced the launch of their new CD, Hearts of Iron! Hearts of Iron tells stories of wild horses, cowboys, the old west, the "new" west and related subjects through original western music as well as cowboy poetry recited with musical accompaniment. This album includes some of the most popular original performances by Willis Lamm, Tawnie Lee and Larry McPherson, and also includes a special guest appearance by Lacy J. Dalton. Contributing to the poems and lyrics are internationally recognized cowboy poets Harold Roy Miller and Dave Rhodes. This is a special collection that anyone who loves the west and western things should enjoy.
In Willis Lamm's words about Hearts of Iron: Many of us have written songs about what we knew or believed in. Nevada is extremely rich in western history, folklore and interesting characters. So we had plenty of material to work with. Most of us are affiliated with various non profit groups that protect wild horses, historical preservation groups, performing arts groups, organizations that support the great outdoors, organizations that watch over veterans and families of military personnel sent overseas, and so forth. We wanted to share our experiences and ideas in an entertaining format that could also help raise funds for these organizations. Thus the project grew from a simple idea to record some songs so that they would be preserved to producing a professional quality CD that could be enjoyed by many and accomplish some good things. At public performances we experimented with cowboy poetry set to music. "Little Brown Horse" was well received so we decided to incorporate two poems in this project, "Little Brown Horse" and "We're the Riders." Larry McPherson's rich baritone voice was a natural for "We're the Riders" and we're pretty sure we'll be hearing more from Larry as the genre of cowboy poetry set to music gains in popularity. Tawnie Lee's songs are always popular and she can be heard on "Shoshone Winds," "Then, Again," and "Wild Horses." Lacy J. Dalton contributed a rendition of her beloved, "Run Mustang Run." Song Dog Records, where we recorded this project, is located right in the middle of wild horse country. Three wild horses were literally hanging out under the trees outside the studio when we recorded this album. This entire project has been a serendipidous experience and we hope you enjoy this album as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Willis Lamm shared with me a song he wrote and performed on the CD, called "Coming Home" that he has written and dedicated to our son Trevor Scott, who is serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq. In Willis' words about this song: Nearly all of us have friends and loved ones who are serving overseas in uniform or are families of military serving overseas. Coming Home is about the experience of the soldier who is finally getting back to his family and is dedicated to fine people like Randle Thomsen, Trevor Scott, and all the others who have put themselves in harm's way when their country called on them. I'd like to direct you to a link where you can sample-listen to the final rough mix of this wonderful, touching piece, sung by Willis Lamm -- Coming Home: http://www.kbrhorse.net/mediafiles/coming_home.mp3 This song and many more beautiful pieces fill the new Hearts of Iron CD. Check it out! To order first edition copies of Hearts of Iron, send $15.00 to: Kickin' Back Publishing The Hearts of Iron CD will be available wholesale to non profit groups, veterans groups and family assistance groups for fundraising. If local horse groups want ten or more CDs wholesale to sell for fundraising (most of the tracks are horse or cowboy related), they can also contact Sharon Lamm. For more detailed information: CLICK HERE "Interview with a Horse" - Someone sent me this wonderful link -- watch the short video -- about what the horse would like us to know -- beautiful message!: CLICK HERE
Clinton Anderson, of Belle Center, Ohio, returns for his third Road to the Horse challenge—having won two titles in 2003 and 2005; Stacy Westfall, of Mt. Gilead, Ohio, returns to defend her 2006 Road to the Horse title; Chris Cox, of Mineral Wells, Texas, challenges both past champions in his first-ever appearance at the original, two-day colt starting challenge held March 3-4, 2007 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. 2007 marks the fourth annual production of Road to the Horse and the first Champion of Champions competition. Ride the Remuda Productions and owner/producer Tootie Bland present this unique event showcasing competitive horsemanship and focusing on education for all. Clinton, Westfall and Cox will tame three virtually untouched young American Quarter Horses in front of a 5,500 capacity Tennessee Miller Coliseum crowd. Each clinician will demonstrate his unique way of gentling a colt and preparing it to be ridden and negotiated through an obstacle course. Road to the Horse showcases the respected technique of gentling instead of breaking horses—the techniques commonly called “horse whispering.” Multiple Horse Tragedy in Texas - News Bulletin - Texas Horse Talk Magazine, Steven Long, Editor - Horses Likely Died as the Result of Fumigant - As many as 28 horses died as the result of an anomaly when a fumigant used to control insects and weevils contaminated feed used at a Brazos County stable. The horses, housed at the Carousel Acres Equine Center Stables died over two days, and most during the first 24 hours they were under treatment, according to Dean Richard Adams of the Texas A&M School of Veterinary medicine. Members of Adams team performed necropsies on three of the horses and found that they had died after ingesting aluminum phosphide, a compound that gave off phosphine gas causing the deaths. Adams told Texas Horse Talk Magazine that the popular Purina pellet product Strategy has been ruled out as the cause of death. Symptoms exhibited by the horses included tremors, sweating, stumbling, seizures, and ultimately collapse. “The gas is toxic to the central nervous system,” Adams said. “That is consistent with the symptoms.” Quickly during the necropsies the A&M doctors learned that “It was clear it was unlikely to be an infectious organism but instead an environmental toxin.” Phosphine gas was found in the stomachs of three of the horses. Three of the horses of the champion Texas Ladies Aside equestrian drill team were stricken. One died and the other two are undergoing treatment at the Texas A&M University Veterinary School. For an article on the cause of this terrible tragedy: CLICK HERE - Donations may be sent to the Carousel Acres Horse Memorial, 5200 Koppe Bridge Road, College Station, Texas 77845. Please consider sending your support to the Raphel family who own Carousel Acres Equine Center - email address: b.raphel@verizon.net and please keep them in your thoughts & prayers as they navigate this trying time. 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! This month, I'd like to call attention to Midwest Horse Welfare Foundation in Pittsville, Wisconsin. Visit their web site: CLICK HERE FOR WEB SITE and take the time to watch their wonderful video (requires "RealPlayer"): CLICK FOR VIDEO HERE (Then click on "Click to start RealPlayer and play your media") For a list of equine rescues in the Virginia region and rescues around the country/world: CLICK HERE Horse
Problem Questions From You & Question - Tripping
Horse: First of all, thank you for your wonderful newsletter. I receive it
regularly and love getting it. I have a training question
for you. My 4-year-old Saddlebred/Arab is doing fairly well
under saddle, but I have a few issues I’m concerned with. First
of all, since she was a youngster (I’ve raised her) once
in a while when she plays and frolics around, she trips
and a handful of times she’s actually fallen over. I wondered
then if it was going to be a problem or concern when I started
riding her. My goal is to use her for endurance riding eventually,
so
surefootedness is a must. I’ve started her myself and a
few times when at a trot or canter she’ll trip and twice
has come down to her knees. The other night when at a canter,
she
went all the way down, head first and landed on my right
leg. When she got up, she spun and kicked out and got my
left leg on the outside of my knee. Since my footing in
my arena is nice and soft, all that hurts is where she kicked
me. She is fine, no boo-boos anywhere on her, but I’m gimping
around. What do I do with helping her with this? I thought
of trying to find some PVC poles and working her from the
ground through that and hopefully helping to teach her to
pick up her feet if that is the problem. I’m perplexed.
The other issue, and this may be part of the previous issue,
is that she trots in whatever direction she wants, and is
a little harder to control direction on her at the trot
and canter. When you start a horse on these, do you do it
in a straight line or a circle? I think ground work, more
of it, is where I need to start. But would love to hear
your opinion. Thanks again, look forward to hearing back
from you.
J. S. - Nebraska Sylvia's Answer: Hi J. Thanks for writing. I think you're on the right track there; you've got good gut instincts! It's a very common foundation hole that young horses are "trippy" and that's because: they often really don't know where their feet are exactly. In other words: they don't well connect brain-to-feet just yet. And indeed, over pole work will help with that. I've got a link up on my site that should help you there in this regard: Goes without saying, it also might be wise to have your farrier check her feet to make sure they are trimmed properly and not too long (too long/improperly trimmed can cause too much tripping). But I have a feeling it's mostly about: she doesn't know where her feet are and the over pole work will help with that. The other foundation hole I can see from here that you are flushing out there (and, again, is so very common in green horses -- and even older horses who just haven't had this foundation hole plugged up properly yet before riding): your horse doesn't know how to ride straight. Let me direct you to a link on my web site that goes into more detail about that common foundation hole and how to plug it up more safely: Also...in that same directing-feet-in-general category, back up and work on this ground exercise; it should help: Driving Horse in Circle Around You on the Ground (Do that first without the poles, then along with the over-poles work later) Back up and work on the above and you should be able to get past this problem. Let me know how it goes! Question - Do gaited horses require harsher bits?: Hi. I presume you're not in business to give out random information like this...but I've been trying to track down someone with good common sense who can help me with my question: I've been riding Tennessee Walking Horses for pleasure for 16 years. I've always used a curb bit - 6" shank with an interchangeable copper snaffle bit and a curb chain. It's worked fine and I have a gentle hand...but I keep thinking the shanks are overkill for a horse that has a natural gait anyway. Can I ride in something as simple as an O-ring or D-ring snaffle? Should I still use a chain under the mouth? If these horses have such a wonderful, natural gait (barefooted even!) in the pasture, why do I have to use anything less than a D-ring to ride? This may or may not be your area of expertise. I'd appreciate it if you could steer me in the right direction. I never see Walking Horse people use anything other than a curb bit. I want to do what's best for the horses. Thanks so much! P. C. - Concord, Virginia Sylvia's Answer: You asked a very good question and your instincts are correct. There is a great misconception out there in the gaited horse world, a world where natural horsemanship is embraced slowly, but is indeed making headway. Bits don't control horses, good natural horsemanship foundation training does! The only bit I recommend, for gaited or non gaited horses is a full-cheek snaffle bit. D-Rings are fine, I just prefer the full cheek gentle snaffle so the bit never gets pulled through the mouth by accident. Good natural horsemanship foundation training is what controls a horse, not the bit, so...taught correctly from the foundation up, a horse should need no more than a gentle snaffle bit. Taught really well, even a bit at all may not be needed! I want to direct you to a really good video set, Gaited Horses Naturally, by David Lichman, probably the premier gaited horse expert in the natural horsemanship world today. It is awesome, I highly recommend it to you -- you'll learn a lot from it and it will reinforce your instincts that TW's do not need harsher bits if taught correctly, and you'll learn far more there training wise in general. Let me direct you to the link where you can get this video set: CLICK HERE And here is David Lichman's web site FYI: CLICK HERE I own over a hundred natural horsemanship videos myself, as a professional in this field. Therefore, I usually know what particular videos will help a particular owner at a given time -- that David Lichman set is going to help you, as a gaited horse owner, a lot with your specific questions there, and more, you'll see! My daughter owns an Icelandic horse (5 gaited) and I retrained him using first my natural horsemanship halter/12' lead, then moved on to full-cheek snaffle bit after he learned to yield softly, compliantly at all times. That's all you need if the foundation is put down (or rebuilt as the case may be) properly. I'm also just completing the training of a client's rocky mountain horse here (also gaited). He has learned the same way. Repeat: bits don't control horses; good natural horsemanship foundation training does! Hope this helps and good luck to you there! Question - More information about your EquiPedic Saddle Pad: I am interested in the endurance AP English EquiPedic pad 40"w x 24" that you offer for sale at your Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center. I am not sure if that is what I need. I have a 15.2 hand thoroughbred/Arabian. He is 5 yrs. old and has been in a pasture for 6 months , before I got him. I did not realize how important pads and saddle fit was until I met him and he definitely responds and reacts differently to all of the above. I believe after reading what I have from your website that pads and saddles are so much more about the horse and how he reacts than the rider. So any input would be appreciated. After reading the emails on your site with all the questions, and talking to several people, I think I need to start out with the right pad. H. J. - Internet Daryl Scott's (CEO of the VNHTC) Answer: Thanks for your inquiry about the EquiPedic pads. As you may know, we are primarily a training facility, and work with a variety of horses and their owners to address a variety of issues. Sometimes these are purely training issues (horse and/or owner), but sometimes the root of some problems are tack or equipment issues. As a result, we evolved to offering a limited number of selected training tools (custom designed halters, etc.) and due to the number of issues related to saddle/pad fit, we also researched a lot of alternatives to settle on what we feel is the best to offer as a solution to recommend for people where this seems to be an issue. We have tried many pads, and found that they either were not providing the fit and protection needed for the horse, or that they were not optimal for other reasons such as tendency to slip under saddle, etc. Once we discovered the EquiPedic pads, we knew that we had the winner. They are all that we use on our horses, and the only one that we recommend and actually offer for sale. The pad itself is made of a very sturdy material with a felt-type underside, and "no-slip" areas on the top to keep the saddle where you put it. The real secret, however, is the "foam insert" material (that actually provides the "padding"). The foam pad insert is removable, so that the remaining pad can be machine washed. It is made of the same type of "memory foam" that the TempurPedic beds you may have seen are made of. We actually bought one of these TempurPedic bed mattresses a few years ago, and that's how we discovered how great this stuff is! We always thought "...why doesn't someone make a saddle pad out of this?" -- and then discovered that someone had: EquiPedic! The interesting thing about this pad/foam insert combination is that it really settles-in to conform to the space between the saddle and the horse's back, compressing a certain amount to give a great fit, yet still retaining the padding quality to maximize the horse's comfort. The EquiPedic site has a lot of technical info on how all of this works if you'd like to read more (www.EquiPedic.com), but the important thing from our perspective is that it just plain seems to work better than any other pads that we've tried. If you should decide that you'd like to go ahead and special order one, you can simply go to our online ordering page (CLICK HERE) and fill in the information as if you were ordering the EquiPedic western pad that we regularly stock, THEN IN THE COMMENTS SECTION, just say that you are actually ordering the English pad of your choice (style/color as described on our site or on the EquiPedic site). We'll see the comment, and get the pad you select ordered and shipped to you as quickly as possible (takes about a week from date of order). Let me know if there are any other questions that I can answer for you, and thanks again for your interest! Question - Ring Sour Horse: Hi there. We recently bought a 5-year-old quarter horse mare for my 11 year-old-daughter. Other than some ear pinning and tail wringing, they had been doing great at barrels and team penning. THEN, the mare started reaching around to try and bite my daughter's foot, and kicking out sideways. I had a massage therapist out and let the mare have a week off. I then took her for a trail ride up the mountain (3 hours), with absolutely NO issues. I got back, went into the arena and within seconds the ear pinning and tail wringing started. In an arena, she walks out nice and relaxed, but the minute you ask for anything more then a walk, the ear pinning and tail wringing starts. Could this be signs of a ring sour horse? What can I do to fix it? (Her saddle fits great, and she is a totally different horse on the trail!). I would really appreciate any suggestions! Thanks. D. R. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi D. Thanks for writing. Well...it sounds like indeed you've got a ring sour horse case on your hands there. The fact that you've checked back pain with a professional, and you've checked the saddle fit well, plus the horse does fine on long trail rides and this is only showing up when you step into the arena, then it's pretty clear the horse is "shouting" as loud as she can that she's upset with something about the arena work she's been asked to do. And that is the definition of a ring sour horse. I'm going to throw some ideas out there for you to think about, to see what you can do to deal with this problem now:
Question - Stud colt who nips and tries to "mate" owner: Dear Sylvia, I have just bought a Friesian stallion - have had him 1 week. He's a rising 3 year old. He nips when we try and rub his face, etc. He also tries to sort of "mate" me and the dog if we walk in front of him. He puts us between his front legs and almost walks over us. He hurt the dog's paws. I feel this is dangerous. His previous owner thought this was funny and "playing." He is also ear shy. I believe he has been like that since a foal. He does not rear or kick. I bought him at a championship show. So I did not have much contact with him beforehand. He is very beautiful, but I feel the best is to geld him. I am busy letting him get to know me over the fence first. My longe ring will be ready in one week to begin teaching him to respect us. I do not believe in hitting him when he nips. His previous owner said he did not nip them. He is not vicious, but just naughty. Please help. Thanks! D. F. - South Africa Sylvia's Answer: Hi D. I agree with you, nipping and rude "mating" stances are very unacceptable behaviors that need to be nipped in the bud right away! But first I wanted to say: geld him as soon as possible, don't wait. The longer you wait, the more stallion-like behavior is going to get engrained in him and not be as easy to undo later. Let me direct you to a link on my site about "keeping stallions" and how much I do not recommend it if you are not a very experienced breeder and aren't an expert at stallion handling: For the biting problems, let me direct you to some links on my site about that/what you can be doing to fix that there now: Aggressive/Biting/Bratty Stud Colt - Yearling stud colt out of control biting/disrespectful and this one: To plant better, more respectful leading manners into this horse (which will also give you a "tool" for disciplining him for the rude mating stance and disregarding your "body space") read and then implement this exercise here: Work on that right away, immediately after haltering. Make sure you school him in a natural horsemanship halter/12 foot lead rope (preferably tied on, not clipped on) -- it is a very important communication tool when training the natural horsemanship way -- you can get one here on my web site: CLICK HERE For the ear shy issue, let me direct you to some links on my site that tells you how to fix that, too: Ear Handling Problems - Horses don't allow ears to be touched Bridle & Ear Shy Horse - And discussion of rampant use of nose chains Bridle & Ear Shy Horse #2 - More discussion about ear/bridle shyness As soon as your round pen is done, do the round penning exercise like I teach step by step here: And think about getting my new Round Pen Leadership video, because it shows visually how to round pen your horse properly, the natural horsemanship way. Round penning is a good place to start for the very bottom of building a horse's foundation the natural horsemanship way. That's where I start with most horses myself. It sets you up as leader of their "herd" and them finding comfort in being the follower, for a start (it also fixes hard to catch horses, etc.). For the next foundational steps after that, 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 and the horse well started in saddle, 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, as well as, 2) the natural horsemanship halter with attached 12 foot lead 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 your horse the natural horsemanship way! 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! Hope this helps and good luck to you there!
Question - Mounting, Cinching & Biting Problems: Hi Sylvia. I have a gelding (no particular breed) who is in his mid to late teens who has a nasty habit of pawing with his left leg when I attempt to put my foot in the stirrup. If I persist on my attempt to mount, he will then start backing up aggressively. I have only had him for four weeks and he had been left unattended in a paddock for (I believe) quite some time. He was underweight, had a bladder infection and bad hooves. I have fixed bladder infection and hooves and he is fattening up nicely but this aggressive behaviour when mounting has me stumped. The thing is, when I do manage to get on (my husband has to hold on to his bridle while I mount) he is the perfect ride! He is responsive, soft mouth, understands leg commands, even engages a soft canter from a standing position. My three small children have ridden him with lead rein and I can put them on and off without him even twitching an ear. It is only when I or any other adult attempts to mount that he starts to aggressively paw the ground and back up. He will even paw the ground if I lift my leg up while standing a little away from him. Mind you, he looks confused as to why I'm standing there lifting my foot up and down but he still reacts as if I am close enough to mount him. He also bites when doing up his girth. He will turn his head and bite me but I have overcome this by loosely tying him on a short rein. However, what he then does is bite down on the rein as I tighten the girth. I had him checked by a vet a few days after purchasing him, but other than the bladder infection and feet issues, he said the horse checked out fine. The farrier has been out and trimmed his feet and said that apart from being a little sensitive his feet are fine. I don't notice any signs of pain when I am actually riding him. I have read up on your training techniques for pawing and backing up, but I'm hoping you can give me a 'pre cursor' tip to these, so that I can get close enough to mounting to put your techniques into place. M. Z. - Queensland, Australia Sylvia's Answer: Hi M. Thanks for writing. As for the mounting issue, It sounds to me, from here, like this is just a bad habit he developed before you got him. Let me direct you to a couple of specific links on my web site that I think will help you there. First....for proper mounting procedure, just to make sure you're doing it right/most safely, read this link: But also, I think, it's probably time to make the right thing easy, the wrong thing hard with your horse there, and for that, it means: disciplining him for this rude mounting-reaction behavior now -- for that, read this link: For the cinching problem, DO NOT tie him for cinching or you may accidentally create an even bigger cinching problem, or a dangerous explosion. Let me direct you to a specific link on my site for this problem: And this one, too: Since you are going to start cinching him while untied from now on, start disciplining him for trying to bite there (while also breaking the cinching process down into smaller baby steps like my above links describe). If he tries to bite there (because biting is never tolerated!), jerk the lead rope down repeatedly, walk into him, while making a loud "Shhhhh" sound, all at the same time, and he'll start checking that "biting thought" at the door from now on. Let me direct you to a link that goes more into disciplining for biting (and read the sublinks within this link): Hope this helps and good luck to you there! Question - Teaching a horse to ground tie: You have a wonderful website. I love your gentle common (horse) sense techniques. I own a 4-year-old donkey who pulls a wagon. I have tried various methods of teaching him to ground tie. Things I have tried is to reward him if his feet are together to burying a stake so he would think I just dropped the rope. Nothing works. His problem isn't that he wanders off, the problem is that he follows me. I use him nearly every day to pick up the mail and to check the fencing, gates and critters on my 11 acre farm. When I see a problem, I need him to stay put while correct the problem. I would really like to hear how you would go about teaching ground tying. N. T. - Swanton, Maryland Sylvia's Answer: Hi. There's more than one way to teach ground tying. I want to direct you to a couple of articles you can read on the subject and pick which route works best for you: http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/groundtie.shtml Another way is to use a solid log on the ground, like in the middle of your arena or round pen/working area, tying the horse to that so that he learns when the rope is dangling down, he is to stay in place (preferably a log big enough that he can't drag it around or panic if it did move). That's the route that cowboys out west go sometimes in teaching ground tying. But read the above links to get ideas as well. I would also suggest working on teaching him this back-up lesson first, so that he knows a back up cue and is yielding well to pressure on the rope: Leading Problems - Horse runs over human/How to teach horse back-up cue on ground This way, once you've got that well planted in his foundation, if he does suddenly try to follow you when you've dropped the rope (after teaching him that the dropped rope means he is to stay in place), then you can remind him (so he gets off of "follow you" mode) by "jiggling" your hand as if you were holding the lead rope, and have already taught him (via link above), and he will back up into place again. I also decided to run this question by my good friend, natural horsemanship trainer/clinician, Ed Dabney (who will be doing a clinic together with me here in September -- more about that above), because Ed is a longtime horseman from Wyoming (now transplanted to Georgia), and excellent NH trainer, plus Ed’s vast experience with horses includes work earlier in his career in horseback action roles in a long list of Hollywood movie and television credits, and I'm sure he has had a lot of "in the field" experience out west with ground tying. Here's what Ed had to say on the subject of ground tying: Ground tying is not a big item with me. I've never seen a horse that was completely dependable at ground tying. If they are spooked or distracted or just want to wander, they will and I don't want them wandering or deciding to lay down and roll with my saddle on. I think it is a good idea to always be in control of the horse by either holding the lead rope, tying them up or hobbling. In Wyoming we did a lot of hobbling because out on the plains there is not always a handy tree to tie to. This is humane and with proper training preparation horses really don't mind being hobbled especially in a place where they can graze and mosey around a little. They learn how to move around even with hobbles but at least they can't out run you. My horse, Sunny, is pretty good about ground tying but I still wouldn't completely trust her if I get more than 50 yards away. I have taught ground tying by first having the horse really good at backing on the lead rope. I'll progressively use a longer and longer rope backing them out and leaving them to stand. If they take one step I'll back them up to the original spot. I'll walk up, rub them, then back away, feeding the rope out on the ground and leave them to stand in the spot where I rubbed them. If at any moment while I am backing away or after I have backed to the end of the rope they take a step, I immediately toss a wiggle down the rope to put them right back in that spot. Then I'll test it by staying at the end of the long rope and walking a circle around them. They can rotate to face me, but cannot step forward off their assigned spot or else I'll toss a wiggle down the rope at them. Try the above and you should be able to teach him to be ground tied. Takes time sometimes, so be patient there! And heed Ed's warning that ground tying isn't always that reliable, so use common sense there. Question - Rolling while tied or when on lead rope: Sylvia, Your web site has been very helpful and I have learned much from reading your advice. Thank you for all of your hard work. I have done some research and have not come across an answer for this particular issue. Here is my problem: I have a young horse who has been doing very well with all of his ground training so far. Recently, with the hot weather, he has been trying to roll while he is tied up for grooming. I know this is a bad habit and want to make sure we are handling this correctly. Yesterday in the 15 minutes he was tied for grooming he tried to roll three times. Each time I put pressure on the side of the body he was leaning toward until he just gave up and stood still. Is this the correct approach to take, or is there something different that should be done? Also, is it appropriate to let a horse roll when they are on a lead? If not, how can it be discouraged? I know he cannot be allowed to roll when he is saddled, but how can that be prevented? He gets a good brushing every day and likes to roll as soon as we are finished. That doesn't bother me at all, as a matter of fact I've come to expect it. I just don't want him rolling when it comes time he has someone up in the saddle. Thank you for your help! D. P. - Mechanicsville, Virginia Sylvia's Answer: Hi D. Good question and is indeed not one I've addressed on my web site yet. Yes, what you're doing there so far will help, but I would suggest this, so you can get him "checking the rolling thought at the door" and not following through with rolling while tied. Tie a plastic bag to the end of a training wand or dressage whip (whip part cut off) -- or get one of my handy, multi-purpose extendable-retractable training wands (CLICK HERE) which has plastic tied to the end, and set him up to do the rolling-while-tied-behavior. The SECOND you see him start the act, shake the wand with plastic (a bit away from him for a start, use common sense here!) and make a loud "Shhhhhhh" sound at the same time (shhhh means "stop it," so it's planting a cue sound to mean stop it, any direction, for the future). The horse will immediately stop the "going down" and will stand correctly at your sudden reaction, and this is when you release the pressure, drop the wand, go up and reward, stroke, "good boy!" And repeat. Until he finds the thought alone of rolling gets this pressure put on him, and becomes not a good idea inside of him. Soon you won't need the wand with plastic shaking there, but will only use the "Shhhh" sound when needed, and he'll stop the going-down act in its tracks. And no....never let a horse roll while on the lead rope!! That's a very bad, and rude, habit you never want to get started. They are never allowed to roll when they are working with us on lead, when tied, or in saddle; they are only allowed to roll when at liberty (like: I allow a horse to roll when they first get into the round pen, when at liberty only, and only in the beginning. Once we start the round penning exercise, the horse is not allowed to roll, his only job is to: pay attention to the leader). If the horse tries to roll when you're leading him on line with the lead rope, immediately check that thought at the door with a loud "shhhh" sound (again, that sound has a generic meaning that means: "stop it!") and jerk the lead rope downward, as you walk into him, which sends him backing up. Horses don't like to back up, that's harder work. Get as assertive as needed there backing him up (as many steps as needed) so you "make the right thing easy, the wrong thing hard." He tries to roll when on line, he gets pressure put on him negatively to back up and up and up (as needed). When he's not trying to roll, no pressure is put on him when leading, he just follows quietly. I would also advise planting this exercise into his foundation so that you'll have the "backing tool" well in place for this lesson, and for implanting good ground following manners period: Leading Problems - Horse runs over human/How to teach horse back-up cue on ground Don't make the mistake of treating this lying down/rolling behavior on line as cute or funny. It's quite potentially dangerous. Especially if/when he does that when tied, too. He could get seriously injured there, as well as people getting injured, so you want to nip this behavior in the bud immediately. He's doing this because....he's been allowed to do it. And you're right, if you don't fix that firmly now...you will up the road potentially have a horse who drops and rolls with a rider on his back!! Or drops and rolls at liberty with a saddle on (when in the round pen at liberty), something else that is not allowed because it can damage your saddle, potentially breaking the tree. So be the "lead mare" there and set the boundaries clearly, get as firm as needed to stop this dangerous (and disrespectful) behavior, using pressure/release and via making the right thing easy, the wrong thing hard there. Tip: Incidentally...when you are riding a horse who has the potential to roll, watch for the sign (their thought!) beforehand: most horses, before dropping and rolling (especially with a rider on their back) will paw the ground first. If you see such pawing behavior when riding, check that thought at the door instantly! Use the "Shhhh" sound (to mean "stop it!") and then cue the horse to walk on/move on, bend the head, disengage the hind quarters (by bumping the inside hind quarters over with your inside leg) whatever it takes to show the horse he is not even allowed to think about rolling, much less act upon that thought! Good question, by the way! And thanks for asking it! I'm sure it's a common problem with some people out there and they need to know this is very, very unacceptable horse behavior. But that's how you fix it. The only time the horse should be allowed to roll is: at liberty, during "recess," never during work time. Work time is any time we have them on lead, or are working them in the round pen at liberty, with or without tack. Set those boundaries firmly and 100% consistently and he'll stop rolling when he's not allowed to. Question - Horse turns rear end toward human: Hi again Sylvia! How are you? I know you're busy and probably in full swing now, if I'm keeping up with your e-mail well enough! I have another horse question that I didn't see on your site. My horse walks up to me, and then turns away with his rear end towards me. He is gentle, easy to ride, and easy to get along with otherwise, he loves to be with people; he would rather be with people, it seems, than with other horses. How do I get him to stop this? I know you're busy, if you can answer at your convenience, I'd appreciate it! Thanks again. V. W. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi V. Take the end of your lead rope (or any heavy rope) and twirl it (overhand) toward his butt when he does that, focusing your brain energy on that one hip spot, while making a kissing sound -- pressure). Do not release that pressure, but increase as needed until (again, if needed) to tapping the end of the spinning (overhand) lead on his hind quarter until he pivots to face you. Then release the pressure instantly. Turning a rear end to you is, in horse language, disrespect usually. It's saying they don't respect you as leader. I don't allow that with horses I'm training and they learn never to do that or pressure will be put on them instantly to pivot and face me. Now...that said...my own horse Gabe, who is VERY well trained by me....and I trust completely (and vice versa) loves his butt scratched by me, right above his tail--one of his favorite spots, and sometimes when I'm loving on him, he'll turn his butt slowly to me, trying to position my fingers to the spot on his butt that he can't reach himself, but loves to have scratched. To me, with my own horse, it is different...he's simply directing a scratching spot gently and I comply. But that's because I read Gabe well 100% completely, we have a very deep partnership and I know what he's asking for there. If he did get pushy there (I'm not a tree! so pushing/leaning on me, etc. is not allowed!), I would redirect him to face me, but he's not pushy, he's just saying, "scratch my butt please." And I do! Would I allow any other horse to do that? Probably not. You're in kicking range there if/when they do that, and...it's rude. But Gabe's not a kicker, has never kicked me, but the opposite: he protects me. So...just telling you that because it's about "reading" a horse, but in general, don't let horses put their butts to you rudely/ignoringly. Add rope & kissing pressure to get them to pivot to face you, the lead mare, politely, not allowed to put their rear toward us scornfully. FYI...my new round penning video, Round Pen Leadership, shows in detail how to teach a horse to pivot & face you at all times. Question - Am I too old to learn natural horsemanship training?: Hi Sylvia. I know you are extremely busy and I hate to take up your time, but I really want an honest opinion from a woman whom I have the greatest respect for. I am a 53-year-old woman who has had a love of horses all my life and finally realized my dream of being caregiver to two wonderful horses. These horses were neglected and I've made it my mission to give them all the love and care they deserve. They are now doing quite well and my vet says that "they didn't have to die to go to heaven." We don't have fancy facilities but they do get all the love and attention they deserve. One is a quarter/Morgan mare approximately 23/24 years old and the other we took in last August was a 6-month-filly at that time. She is a curly American Fox Trotter. On Christmas my husband sent to your website for your rope halter/lead rope/training book as it was on my wish list. Unfortunately, I have had two surgeries and am still being treated for low back/sciatica problems and haven't been able to start working with the yearling. I am very limited in the amount of ground work I can do with the horses at this point. I have been off work (I worked with children with behavioral problems) for a year now but my dream is to learn to train horses when my back problem is straightened out or at least made more tolerable for doing ground work. Do you think it's possible at my age to begin a career with horses? I read as much as I can and certainly have their best interests at heart, but I have no formal training either in riding or training. Is it unfair to the yearling to have an owner that can only give love and attention at this point? She is an extremely friendly and willing girl and seems to learn quickly. I also eagerly await your newsletters -- you pass along so much good information!!!!!!! And reading between the lines, I know that you are someone who truly cares and has the best interest of horses and their caregivers at heart. Too often trainers are only interested in the money that can be gained by sharing their information. God bless you for caring enough to freely share your expertise and experiences. I also love to hear about your son Trevor and our boys in Iraq. We must never forget their sacrifice and pray for their safety each day. God Bless You! T. M. - Pennsylvania Sylvia's Answer: Hi T. Thanks for writing and for your kind words. My answer to you is: listen to and follow your heart! Your heart knows what gives you your greatest joys in life and I think you should listen to that, follow that inner desire. Age shouldn't mean anything. Heck, I'm 52 and not all my body parts work like they used to when I was younger, but I thoroughly enjoy this journey on whatever level my body can still handle it at whatever age I am. There are ways around "not being as young as we used to be" when training horses. I don't take chances. Ever. So my program unfolded into quite a great safety program along the way. And...the truth is (and this is fact): around 80% of horse owners in America are middle-aged women/our age; either 1) middle-aged women getting back to horses after a long delay (of career or raising a family), or 2) middle-aged women getting to their long-time passion, but for the first time. True! You might be surprised to hear that, but those are the accurate statistics in this country as it pertains to horse ownership. You are not the minority; you are the majority. You are devouring natural horsemanship information as fast and as hungrily as you can digest it. Listen to that. It tells you something. I remember that spot well. And I think life is short enough, in the end, that we really need to spend our remaining years following our greatest passions to the best of our physical and mental abilities. It makes life rather worthwhile. I also want to add: I think middle-aged people like us often make far better trainers than those that are really young. Natural horsemanship takes deeper wisdom to grasp, to apply correctly, as well as lots of patience, and that wisdom and patience is what comes naturally with age. Go for it! But remember: Be as patient with yourself in the journey as we are with the horse. Don't be too goal-focused, just be progression focused. And keep remembering: the journey IS the reward. By the way, up the road soon we will be launching here at the Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center a trainer certification program that will break things down into easily digestible form, for people to come here to learn the skills for training the natural horsemanship way. What people choose to do with that learning accomplishment is totally up to them individually. We will announce that program once we have completed putting it all together. Listen to your heart. Follow your heart. And pursue this on whatever level your body is comfortable doing and you'll have a blast at it, I'm sure. You've got two horses there to practice your growing skills on, and once your body is healed and ready, you can get busy working with them in that regard. Take your watch off. Time has no significance in these types of endeavors. What's most important: you're having fun learning, growing, and eventually probably teaching others what you have learned, up the road. And you never stop learning this stuff. I never stop learning natural horsemanship, no one in this field "knows it all." The journey of learning itself is the fun part, I think! I get excited each new trick-of-the-trade that I learn, then stuff into my "tool bag" of skills. I even learn cool stuff from my clients! I remain a sponge for learning and that's how you get good at it all. You are never too old, in my opinion, for natural horsemanship endeavors. I even once taught an 80-something year old man (who hadn't been around horses in over 50 years) these skills! And he's doing great! Do what you love in life and the rest all unfolds naturally! 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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Proper round penning is 
