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BLAME

Whose fault is it?

In a nutshell... Yours!

What is so ding-dang hard about taking the blame for something that didn't go as you wanted with your horse? I really have a hard time understanding people's resistance to this.

1) It didn't go as you wanted. So, you either had too high expectations for the level of training that EITHER you or your horse have. That's your fault for expecting more than you're capable of delivering.

2)Your level of skill isn't good enough. Again your deal. It doesn't mean you're a bad person. It just means that your level of skill isn't good enough to accomplish that in that moment. Or... ever if you don't learn from it. So what? And So What?

3)Your horse's skill level or training wasn't sufficient to accomplish it. Again, yours. Does the horse need to perform the skills YOU want for his horsenal needs? No. If his skill level isn't up to the task, you haven't gotten him there in whatever means you had available.

Try this for a while. It will become easier the more you practice (just like anything). When something isn't going as planned, start your sentence in one of these ways: I should have... or, I shouldn't have... Just give it a shot. Get your ego out of your own way.

Training Youngsters

Many people think it's important to let a horse be for the first 2-4 years. While that's great if they're in the wild or out in a pasture with the herd, make no mistake. If you're taking that horse from the stable/stall/pen to the turn out and back, or grooming him, washing, trimming hooves... you're training him. Probably not the things you want to train him for, but training him none the less.

Choose wisely. You don't have to be riding or have him be of ridable age to train him. If you lead him even once, you either do it how you'd like it or how he'd like it.

FUSCILING

My word. Yes, I love to invent words. Fusciling (verb)- some combination of raising the movement, energy, expectation, signal and agitation in order to allow the horse to find his way to calmness.

Many people inherently and because they're taught it constantly, behave in a calm and quiet manner with horses. All well and good you may say. However, two things happen. 1) The horse learns that people SHOULD behave calmly and quietly and then when they don't, all hell breaks loose. 2) Horses learn to train their people that if they don't behave quietly, horse will throw a fit and then insist that person attempt to calm them with cooing noises, petting and treats. This in turn teaches a horse that he is rewarded on several levels when he behaves badly. This doesn't mean that the horse wants to lose his mind just for a carrot, but they learn that flying off the handle isn't uncomfortable for them.

So, what would cause a horse to choose good behavior when they get rewarded for less than desirable behavior?

Nothing!

If you don't deliberately put your horse in a position to learn not to react inappropriately, he will get more and more reactive. Not less. People who have been trained by their horse not to agitate him will still have an agitated horse. "Easy boy" doesn't stop him unless he decides to stop.

So, fuscil your horse. Make up ways of tipping the apple cart. Add hurry up, no that way, yes it's a tarp, I changed my mind I mean backward all in the same minute. This will take a bit of practice on your part and creativity. But the dividends it pays are HUGE!

Can you/do you stand, with your feet sort of in front of your horse's front feet, with your arm resting casually on his neck, rub his neck, between his ears, ruffle his forelock, etc. WHILE HE'S EATING?

People usually throw the feed in the bucket or stall and walk away. Is your horse comfortable with you doing everything while he comfortably munches? Does he stop eating, raise his head, get white around his eye, move away, wait/hope for you to go away?

You may think you can. You may think this isn't important or a big deal. Just check it out and see.

Sorry I've lapsed in writing.

Horses learn immediately from their mothers.

Within an hour, they're frequently able to stay with their mother and run with the herd. This is important of course, because they don't want to get eaten. They learn immediately from the other herd members how to behave around each horse differently. If they don't, they'll be missing some hide in the shape of a hoof or teeth.

People…yoikes. After eighteen years we're just getting out on our own. Even then, we hardly know which end is up and rarely handle dealing with others well on a consistent basis. After 40 or 50 years, we may, if we're paying attention be able to deal with a 6 month old colt who is way smarter than most of the people in it's life.

So, when you want your horse to do something and you think he's not paying attention or not doing it… you're probably right! Because he's probably already learned that he doesn't need to. Also, if you're learning some skill and you think your horse should 'get it'. Ponder how many times your riding instructor/trainer has told you something (like sit down in the saddle) over the years. How many times??? And still you are up? Still?

Horses are easy. People…

The ONE answer

This is the City Slickers deal with Curly. Remember how he would hold up his index finger? And Billy Crystal was so frustrated because he wanted to know what the ONE answer WAS!!!!Dangit!!!?
The one answer is... IT DEPENDS!

I can do something to fix an issue with a horse and tell the person what I'm doing and why. Then, they are in what they perceive to be the same circumstance and think they're doing what I did and it doesn't work. WHY? Because it really isn't the same. While the issue may be the same, the manner in which it is handled isn't due to differences in the horse's _____ fill in the blank. His head may be a bit higher and indicate a need for another approach. His body may be in a different position or a fence, rope, person is in a different place. Horse's eye may be indicating a change in thought or an ear twitched or the neck or ribs are braced. Add about a million or more other possibilities and what you are seeing if probably not what I would see if I was there and doing it.
Not only that, but, if you always do the same thing when an issue pops up, then the right answer isn't the right answer any more. You must do something different!

Frequently when I'm talking to a potential client and they're telling me about their issues with horse, what they think they're telling me isn't what I know is probably happening according to horse. So, I ask some questions to ascertain what is probably so and the person frequently says, "No, you don't understand." I'm laughing as I write this, because actually I understand perfectly well. It's that the person doesn't understand the situation they're really in. This is due to missed cues, being unaware of the horse's intelligence, moods, indicators, etc. And, also due to not having the knowledge or skills to remedy the issue if they do indeed recognize it.

Experience is the answer. But, it helps if you can have an interpreter like me there because trial and error can take 20 years off your life. If you don't know what you're looking for, you'll have a harder, longer time of it.
Also, looking for the experience is part of the answer. Don't just cobble along not paying attention to what your horse is doing or showing.
When I see something developing with a horse, I'll ask the owner, "What just happened there?" Most of the time they look at me with a blank face and say, "What, where, what do you mean?"
I would not have asked the question if nothing was happening. But, I don't just want them to have the answer. I want them to look for the question and find the answer.
There's always more...

SPOOKING Again! And this won't be the last time!
Oddly enough, many (yes many, many) people don't know their horse is spooky.
How can this be so? you may ask. And I sincerely hope you ask.

Really look at your horse under different circumstances. Is his head down? Does he have a soft, quiet eye? Are his muscles relaxed? Is he standing quietly? Is he moving (very important) with these same qualities?
Or... is his hair standing on end, with white showing and every muscle tense with his head up even though he's standing, for the most part, still? If your rope moves, does he jump? Even a little?
Many horses have been trained by various methods to stand still while they're spooking. While many people appreciate this, the horse is still spooky and as soon as horse moves, they frequently blow up. Also, you aren't always going to be standing still when something spooks your horse, so... instead of causing your horse to think he's going to be in trouble if he moves, how about causing him to think he's okay calm?

If you find that horse exhibits even a tick of the above, take some time to challenge your horse and yourself to see just how spooky he is. Move some things, ask for something, some movement and be very observant and aware of how he responds. If he moves fast, but confidently because you asked for a fast movement, that's one thing. If he moves fast because he was anxious, scared or used to jumping, that's a whole other thing. Can he move one hoof? When you flick a rope his way, does he check with you to see if you want him to move over or if you're just practicing your moves? Or does he land in the neighbors garden?

People ride their horses for years and never know or acknowledge that horse is ready to come out of his skin. Then, a wreck happens, because it was just a matter of time anyway, and the person doesn't understand that this was inevitable due to all the signs they were consistently missing because they thought that's just how horses are.
If your horse spooks because the ranch dog trots by, you're in trouble! If your horse spooks when you drop your rope, you're in trouble!

How about this one. If your horse spooks when you want to take your jacket off? This is such a common problem. And oh so dangerous. Yet, many people don't take the effort to realize that it's not the jacket. It's the spooking horse. If you think your horse will spook or even not be comfortable with you removing an article of clothing, you are asking for a lot of trouble down the road whether you're taking off your jacket or not.

If you haven't noticed how spooky horse is and he has a few years on him, it may take you some time to get him to trust you and relax. But, you're going to be doing things with him anyway and wouldn't it be better for the two of you to not be scared?