Horses are a mystery; horse whispering, it’s magic; horses are sentient beings and should not be ridden! Or the other side, Horse whispering is hogwash, new age stuff for girls that will get you killed, horses are easy kick them to go, pull back to stop and show them who is the boss.
In all things there are extremes, you won’t be surprised to learn that the world of horses is no exception. There are those who believe horses are only for friendship, never to be told what to do, expected to do anything, certainly never ridden; and if riding is not off limits, it should be done only bareback and bridle-less and only if the horse want to. These are the people who are always feeding treats and don’t go anywhere with their horses because their horse doesn’t want to get into the trailer. These people know their horses need friends but only if it’s completely safe.
Then there are those who believe horses are dangerous must be ridden everyday from the time they turn 2, shown who is boss, riding without a bit and tie downs and saddle, helmet and vest is dangerous. You know, chain always over the nose, not trusting the horse to go or stop, cross ties in the isle way...
This is not a piece about judgement, just observation. Look around and you will see the strong stance people take to defend or spurn “The Past,” meaning however they learned as either being absolutely right or absolutely wrong.
WHAT IF THERE IS SOME TRUTH IN ALL THINGS?
What might be possible if we really observed instead of assigning meaning right away? That is what people who are labelled by others as horse whispers are so good at. They are people who have done enough emotional fitness work to be calm and present; allow and expect horses to partner up! I’m not talking about the one on the street corner claiming to be a horse whisper and nothing about them is quiet. I’m not saying they don’t have skill as horseman, that is just another
This photo is from a wikipedia page called Natural Horsemanship. These are wild horses being approached by a person employing these techniques
This is a photo from a wikipedia page called bits and this photo is demonstrating some of the effects of using these techniques.
These are both extreme opposite examples of 1.) completely relying on trust and 2.) completely relying on control. And if I could show you a progression of photos in this format, I would show you about 100 pictures of varying degrees of these extremes and somewhere in the middle the two would meet! Which just might be the place where the horse and the human can be safe and have fun together. What if we based our horsemanship on observation of our horses actions with us and others instead of what we believe or others tell us to believe?
Now, I know OBSERVATION is hard. Hard from our DNA level because our properly working brains are designed to solve problems and look for answers, they fill in for what is not there. Have you seen this video? https://youtu.be/UfA3ivLK_tE Go ahead and follow the link and watch it, it’s only about 1 minute long. This one expands on that short video https://youtu.be/IGQmdoK_ZfY.
I wrote a whole book about cultivating this level of sensitivity in our horsemanship called “UNRIDLED” The Heart and Practice of Graceful Horsemanship. There are practical exercises in the book to help you observe what is actually happening and thereby building your confidence in what you know so you don’t have to believe in all that stuff in the first paragraph! “Horses are a mystery; horse whispering, it’s magic; horses are sentient beings and should not be ridden! Or the other side, Horse whispering is hogwash, new age stuff for girls that will get you killed, horses are easy kick them to go, pull back to stop and show them who is the boss. “
Here is one exercise from the book:
* Grab a friend who has read this article
* Go out to a herd of horses free in a pasture, you can go inside with them or stay out, it does not matter.
* Share Clean Observations about the horses. At least 10 observations each.
An observation is what everyone can see with no interpretation.
*After each observation is shared, ask one another, “Observation or Interpretation?” If there is any hesitation or disagreement, likely it’s an interpretation. Here is an example of an observation versus interpretation “The horses are eating” vs. “The horses are hungry” Now they might be hungry or they might not (interpretation) but they are for sure eating (observation.)
Now this friend will be valuable when you want to say, send your horse forward on the longe and your horse goes backward. Have your friend share observations about you and your horse. Observations only, not possible solutions or interpretations, just observations.
This is horse whispering. Observe what is happening and stop doing the thing that is causing it. It ALL begins with clean observation. It’s not a mystery, it’s not spiritual, it’s not hogwash. It’s actual observation.
I think real horse whispering is just like the picture above. What information are the horses sharing about us in the pasture! :) Isn’t this suppose to be fun?
Mary Ann Brewer is the Author of “UNBRIDLED” The Heart and Practice of Graceful Horsemanship. Through her company “In the Company of Horses Inc” in NJ she studies horse behavior, teaches horsemanship workshops, helps people solve horse problems, consults with clients from all over the world and has co-facilitated more than 11,000 people in Equine assisted learning sessions for personal growth. www.inthecompanyofhorses.com
In our everyday life as in our horsemanship, it’s the way we support our intended outcome that either gets us what we want or gets us something else. Let us look at two different examples, an example from life, and an example from horsemanship:
It’s 10 year old Johnny’s responsibility to take out the trash every Friday. How his family or caregiver supports him in getting the trash out, in the teaching phase, will sway Johnny’s attitude; our relationship to Johnny and his responsibility around taking out the trash and potentially other responsibilities as well.
With our horses, how we support our requests will shape their attitude and our relationship to our horse and his ability and attitude around taking responsibilities. Let’s say it’s Dobbin’s responsibility of standing in the barn isle while we groom him.
If we start reminding Johnny to take out the trash on Thursday morning, then again on Thursday night and come Friday morning, we are waiting to see if Johnny doesn’t take out the trash, what attitude from Johnny, do you think that will elicit. Back to Dobbin in the barn isle, if we start out by putting him on cross ties so he is not able to look around, move or share opinions or ideas about things, we will elicit a certain attitude from Dobbin.
If we put him in the barn isle and drop his lead rope on the floor in front of him and tell him exactly what we want, then allow him to take his responsibility, we may elicit a very different attitude from Dobbin. If we wait until Friday night or Saturday morning to see if the trash is out, and then support Johnny’s actions, either with praise or consequences, that could elicit other attitudes from Johnny.
Gratitude and Consequences.
So what are the possible ways we could supportJohnny and Dobbin in taking their responsibilities and being happy about it? Gratitude, natural consequences and positive reinforcement is one way to be while we support and distrust and punishment or negative reinforcement is certainly another way. Laying out natural expectations and natural consequences in advance is honest and forthright. Laying these things out ahead of time creates good will and clarity about what is to come. If we are to trust that they will respond to gratitude and good will, we need to let them make the mistake before we correct them. Come Saturday morning, if the trash is not out, then it is time for the natural consequences; If Dobbin wanders into the tack room, the natural consequence is to put him back in the barn isle.
Consider this:
in a time where we do not need horses and they do not have actual responsibilities, like, carrying the families livelihood to and from the market or pulling the logs from the mountaintop to the homestead sight or to carry our warriors into battle, these animals who have been domesticated and employed into the service of human kind for centuries will make up stuff to do! Truly, a job or responsibility like stay where I put you or maintain gait or maintain direction or stand still while I get on is very little to ask of horses who are partly responsible for the advancement of human society as we know it!
Consider this story of Taylor Wilson, a 9 year old boy who was able to achieve nuclear fusion. There are less than 40 people in the entire world who have achieved this complicated reaction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylo... and you can read a piece of how his parents fostered his unique behavior http://tomclynes.com/the-boy-who-pl....
Even the most talented race horse, an elite member of his kind can manage multiple responsibilities like stand still when I ask and go fast when I ask. Self discipline is an important skill for all and the way a horse’s or human’s community supports them in being responsible shapes the behavior and attitude of the one being supported!
The things that are important to you are the things that will be important to your horse and the humans around you! Moreover, those little things are the things that make life with those around us happy and easy and create value for those in the future of our horses.
Look around to see where you are taking away opportunities for your horse to be responsible. How about self loading in the horse trailer? What about maintaining the walk on the lunge without constant encouragement? How about follow the rail or follow the trail without stopping to eat? The thing is, you want to be clear about what the desired behaviors are, then look for positive ways to reinforce them. Attitude and Time are great tools for teaching!
To move in grace and harmony with your horse, so you can move with others takes filling up all of your senses with movement.
We had our "Moving in Harmony" Workshop this weekend. In these workshops I look for ways to illustrate concepts so the participants can locate a similar situation in their lives and apply it here.
Our eyes are one of our primary senses that we (as humans) tend to use the most, so to add to the sense of seeing, we add touch, both, in movement. Remember the goal is to get into harmony with our horses, like a dance within a couple, and then add purpose.
In this photo this couple has mirrored "hind" legs, the goal, even including, weight shifts, the human hand on the right hind quarter of the horse to feel what happens to the hip when the legs move; and finally the eyes watching. Let us not overlook the senses of energy and emotion which create the safety and comfort of both the horse and human who only met a few hours earlier. moving with a slowly grazing horse makes it all much easier than a quickly walking horse, so don't worry about the grazing!
To really move in harmony with our horses, it is the hind legs that should be carrying us. The hind legs are where we need to begin. So far every student I have taught who has taken riding lessons, learns rhythm at the rising trot and that happens by looking down at the front legs, which is an ok place to begin, if the human progresses to feeling, however, so many are forever looking and not able to feel. Resulting in, getting more connected with the front legs only and riding from front to back instead of getting connected with the engine behind.
FILL UP YOUR SENSES!
Riding, while relying only on looking perpetuates unbalanced horses who are already heavy in front, either on the mouth or the front legs, which is why so many riding horses have physical as well as emotional issues in front. It is time well spent to connect with our horse's hind legs through feel, using all of our senses.
Begin on the ground and then take it to the top. Have a helper on the ground who can help you 'call cadence.' The helper will begin by saying 'now' when your horse's identified hind leg is un-weighted and leaving the ground. The valuable place to identify is before the leg gets to the top of the rotation. This is when the leg is gracefully influenced, if you are too late or too early, you can easily unbalance your horse and create a disconnect. Some horses are very forgiving about this lack of harmony. When you begin to call the cadence correctly, close your eyes and fill your other senses with this rhythm.
When you are connected to your horses hind legs through feel, you will always be able to place the hind leg where you want it for optimal movement, like, working cows in a group. The cows in the center of the remuda ( in this case, moving fence made by horses) needed to be trained. This is a peaceful moment in this workshop! There were many times when a good, connected 'couple' had to dart off to 'catch' an escaped cow! Being able to have a ready horse who is relaxed because she is balanced creates confidence in horse and rider.
Take the time it takes because it works if you work it and harmony with your horse is worth it!
