Myth Busting Horse Whispering...

Mythbusting the Horse Whisperer

IN THE COMPANY OF HORSES INC.·THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 201636 Reads

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

Fun and Games Workshop!

Fun and Games workshop! 

It was a fun time we were after and we found it! 

The goal was just to spend some time with our horses before the holidays and winter took over our attention! 

There were horses and people of all ages and skill level, just out to have a good time in a relaxed environment but with some focus. 

No saddles, no bridles, no shoes, no problem!

The first thing we did is just get in the space with our horses and meet and greet everyone and every thing! Here at ICOH (In the Company of Horses Inc.) we have peafowl, guinea fowl, a duck (Howard) cats and horses including a miniature pony,. 

Not to mention jumps, tires for going between or to stand on, a car wash blowing in the breeze bamboo poles for jousting and hula hoops hanging from the trees all to help our horses not worry about us or our stuff! 

In the afternoon everyone had the opportunity to play at liberty, either in the round pen or in the big field! That was fun!  Everyone was able to get connected by spacial awareness and by energy.  

On day two we rode.  After visiting about the day before we prepared our horses for riding by dragging things, cones, barrels, balls, poles and our bamboo, all to prepare for this days riding games which included "Moving Day" where everyone mounted up and hooked up something to a rope and began moving things from one place to another. This "purpose" game helped the people and the horses feel the need to cooperate and not to worry so much.  For the horses who were not ready to drag their own things, they followed other horses brave enough to move stuff.  Before lunch everyone was able to move everything together! This game prepared everyone, horses and humans mentally physically and emotionally for things that could show up on a trail or in a show arena.  The horses were all calmer, braver and more partnered by lunch time.  

After lunch we had a go at our own version of Doma Vaquera and precision with our long poles by skewering a brass ring!  There was a prize for the one who could be moving on their horse and skewer a small ring with their long bamboo pole and the youngest rider with the smallest horse took home the prize! 

The last game of our workshop was the double barrell pattern; set up like a barrel race only mirrored so your first turn is to the left on one pattern and then to the right on the next pattern in an effort to have our horses even and less one sided.

A great time was had by all! 

For more information about future dates for this workshop, check in on our website! 

www.inthecompanyofhorses.com

Fun and Games Horsemanship Workshops

 

Good Horsemanship is a series of good habits.

Good Horsemanship is a series of good habits.
Many old timers will tell you that you can assess a persons whole character by the way he catches and halters his horse. 

High on the list of what to do, is have your horse catch you!  Why?  Because if you cause your horse to want to catch you, you must be someone your horse wants to be with.  How? Bribery is a good start.  What if every time you went to visit your horse you did exactly what she wanted to do for the first 15 minutes?  Is it graze? Did you bring a gift?  Have you found a new itchy spot lately, before your horse showed it to you?

How about haltering your horse with her head below your belt.  What if your horse dipped his nose right into the halter for you.  This habit alone would cause partnership in a whole new way. 

Lets talk gate etiquette; If every time you and your horse passed through a gate, you asked your horse to go through, then turn, face the gate and wait for you to latch it, or maybe bring another horse or two along, no horses would be rushing the gate - ever.  This habit would cause your leadership to go way up. This habit, applied to riding or not will change your whole realtionship.
(photo) Ms. Patches working on her creek
crossing skills in her paddock paradise.  

When cleaning your horses hooves, can you suggest with 4oz of pressure or less that they pick up and hold their foot in the air for you?  This habit takes time, but if you are not getting any younger, you will love the results of taking the time to create this partnership, so will your hoof care professional. 

Saddling - Can you saddle your horse with no strings attached? Completely at liberty?  How about with your leadrope draped in the crook of your arm with lots of slack in it.  If you have been polite about cinching, and tightening the girth in slow incriments, moving your horse between each step, this habit will pay off in a big way.  You'll never know the problems you didn't get!  Unless of course you have a cinchy horse already. 

Here is a habit that will earn you points - rub your horse and be grateful for every go and every whoa.  When in doubt, rub! Put a smile on your face and in your heart and know your horse is your mirror. This habit will never fail you.

Definition;
Habit -  any regularly repeated behaviour that requires little or no thought and is learned rather than innate.