Hello friends,
Ross Jacobs, a talented horseman based out of Australia, is planning a United States trip next summer and I am hoping to have him out to my place in Three Forks, MT to give a 3 day horsemanship clinic. Ross has an extensive background and is a continuing student of Harry Whitney, and has a lot to offer us all. If you have not seen his website, please visit. Ross does a great job of writing articles, stories and an awesome blog, and you could read on his site for days without running out of new and useful information. www.goodhorsemanship.com.au.
That being said, I am putting feelers out with regard to interest in his clinic. I hope to host him in the summer (July, August or September), and will need 8-10 participants per day. Cost will go down for the participant the more enrollment we have.
I will be riding in this clinic and think this is a great opportunity for everyone. Please let me know if you are interested (or MIGHT be interested), and if you have a weekend to work around in that time period. I will be working around the Montana Harry Whitney clinic in August to make sure we can all attend both.
Thanks!
Alex
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Apologies from a neglectful Blogger!
Hi Everyone,
It’s been a long time since I’ve updated this blog, and I do apologize. I’ve had some not so subtle hints lately about posting more often. I will make a better effort this winter to post, and please feel free to email me with questions or topics you would like me to write about. To get us started, here’s an update about the last year, and the year to come!
It has been a busy and exciting warmer season, and I’m sad to see the above freezing weather fading away! I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of horses this year, of all breeds, ages, colors, shapes and sizes! Everything from Paso Finos to Quarter Horses, Foxtrotters to Arabians, Thoroughbreds to Tennessee Walking Horses, Paints, Mustangs, and Warmbloods! And…everything in between! It’s pretty special that Montanans are so varied in their taste in horses; I appreciate never knowing what’s going to step out of the horse trailer when a new horse shows up!
This year was full of new human faces as well, and I had a lot of fun holding clinics out of some new facilities. After a very successful three-day clinic in Ennis at the WC Stables & Arena this spring, I’ve been happy to go back to Ennis every few weeks to teach lessons. I’m so thankful for the support of Bill and Brenda Clark, the owners of the WC Stables, and hope to continue teaching out of their facility through the winter and into the New Year.
This winter I have plans to continue my own education, spending time learning from Harry Whitney, and incredible horseman and clinician. Next week I’m heading to Salome, Arizona with clients and horses and we are participating in a weeklong clinic with Harry. I’m thrilled to be riding a wonderful solid colored Paint horse named HZ, who I have had the privilege of riding all season and am completely enamored with. I will post photos and a recap when we return from our journey! Hopefully the weather will cooperate for our drive from Montana to Arizona, and back!
Then, I will be returning to Salome for the month of March to continue learning from Harry. It is a privilege to spend so much time at his ranch, and I am so looking forward to doing so. I hope to come back to Montana reinvigorated with many new ideas to share! If any of you have the chance to ride with Harry, or even just audit one of his clinics, please do. Horsemen of his caliber are hard to come by and he is a great teacher on top of it, so you really cannot go wrong.
Because of my travels I will not be accepting horses into training for the month of March. I will begin training again the first week of April, though I am fairly full for the month so if you are hoping to get your horse into training in April or May, please let me know as soon as possible. Unfortunately I can only take so many at a time, and try to cap my full time training horse numbers at 6 or 7 so that I have time to teach lessons each day and not feel rushed. You all know I like to talk!
Despite a tough horse economy this year I have been lucky to find success in finding good homes for the various horses I have had for sale. I’m thankful for that, because I absolutely hate selling horses, even for other people! I just worry too much about where they are going, who is going to ride and care for them, and what their lives are going to be like. But, this year I am happy to report that I felt really good about all of the sales I made, and those buyers who have stayed in touch have had nothing but happy, loving things to say about their new partners.
There is one horse that did not sell this year, and that is Easy, the Rocky Mountain Gaited Horse. He is one of the nicer horses I have had for sale in a long time, and I do hope he finds his forever home soon. He needs a somewhat experienced rider, but is not a “scary” horse, he just needs a bit more support to feel confident about life than a novice rider can provide. He gets a little jumpy without that support, but not in a bucking kind of way, just a bit of worry. Otherwise, he’s lovely, with a beautiful gait, charming personality and no real bad habits to speak of. There are photos of him on my Facebook page and I would appreciate it if everyone spread the word for this lovely horse.
Speaking of lovely horses, my little filly, Fia, who was born this April, is now approaching 7 months old! Time flies! She is just about as good as it gets, with an incredible personality, a lot like her wonderful mom, Cassie, my loyal lesson mare. I’m enjoying every second of Miss Fia’s growth, and am so hopeful for her future as my partner.
Again, please send thoughts, questions and ideas for blog posts and I’ll do my best to continue posting some winter reading material for cold days. As always, thank you all for your continued support as you allow me to do what I love to do every single day! I’m so lucky to have such wonderful people to work with, and to learn from horses for a living. I appreciate it every day, and look forward to 2012!
--Alex
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Communication Issues--Follow Up
Here's the follow up email conversation to the last blog entry!
Hey, Alex!
It's Shelby again! I took your advice and I started from scratch. I also bought a book by Craig Cameron which also gave me some ideas. I also ordered a bosal hackamore since I found another problem with her. I don't know if it's a lot of horses or it's just her, but she always plays with the snaffle. She'll move it, try and bite it, grab it. It's like a toy to a child and it's like she doesn't understand why it's in her mouth. I do bending exercises where I'll pick up on the rein/lead line on one side of her and she instantly touches her nose to her belly. She responds to the halter fantastically but with the bit, it's like she absolutely doesn't understand. After a few seconds of pressure, she stops messing around, touches her belly, and goes back to playing.
She responds to a rope halter far better than a bridle. I also worked on leading her. When I start walking, she does. When I stop, she stops. However, she doesn't back very well when I back up. I have to face her and put pressure on the lead line for her to back up. And it's like she's stiff. So when I go for more than a few steps, she just totally stops and she'll put her head anywhere except for where it needs to be. I don't think I am doing anything wrong ( I could be ) because when she takes one step back, I instantly release pressure. Two steps, same thing. And I'll build on that but after awhile, she tosses her head, stamps her feet, rams her head on me. Is there such a thing as backing up too much?
I also rode her. Granted it was bareback with a halter, but I rode her. She was way more willing and soft and just great! We had the never-moving-problem completely disappear. I sat on her and rubbed and scratched her and wiggled. She didn't mind at all. Then I would squeeze with steady pressure until she took a small step and I released and I praised her. It was all downhill from there! After a couple minutes, I had her taking a walk! And she was so kind! I've never seen this side of her. She listened to my legs and my hands! Haha I don't know if it's bad that I accomplished this bareback with a halter, but couldn't this be considered as a start?
That was the good news, but there is bad. It's like she has off days. It was windy on Sunday and when I excitedly went out to go riding again, it was like someone stole my sweet, willing mare! Usually she comes when she sees me but this day was different. She started towards me and just stopped and waited. I got to her, I haltered her just fine. I did some bending and moving exercises and when I thought she was fine, I went to get on. Bad idea. She wouldn't have it. When I put my hands on her back, she moved away and bumped her butt up at me as if to say " I'm not doing anything today!". She did this several times varying from going to bite, bumping her butt at me, pushing me away with her head, facing me and stepping towards me.. I didn't know what was different! It might have been the weather but she just would have it. I ran my fingers down her spine to maybe see if her back hurt but she didn't display any discomfort. But when I leaned on her, put my arms on her back, she was instantly mad. Do you think it was just an off day for her?
Well, another looong email but I had to tell you. I was so stoked about riding. I'll be attending the clinic this weekend for sure! I think my cousin may come as well. Thank you so much, Alex!
Warm regards,
Shelby Zipperian :)Hi Shelby
This is GREAT! Often horses who are troubled and don't have clarity in their lives play with the bit. It may also be worth having her teeth checked by the vet if you haven't done that already..sometimes a tooth issue causes issues with a snaffle, as well. For green horses like Sage, I prefer working in a side pull bridle, rather than a hackamore, because a side pull applies pressure from either side, so it is more direct than a hackamore and more similar to a snaffle bit. This is the side pull I would recommend: http://www.rods.com/Flat-Leather-Nose-Sidepull,425.html?sc=WGB&utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Froogle11&ns_md=Feed&ns_sc=Froogle&ns_cn=Froogle11
You will find she responds to the side pull a lot like she does to the halter. Try your hackamore and a side pull, and make a decision for yourself. You can always sell one on craigslist! Though I think a gal can never have too much tack!
Your progress sounds great with the leading. With regard to the backing, I think you should try getting her to back by shaking the rope up and down, while holding it loose at the end of the lead. Get as big as you have to for her to take a step back, even if it means making some noise and stepping into her while shaking the rope (because I think she might be really dull and able to just ignore the rope alone) and then quit. If you want to back her from the base of the halter under her chin, start with a TINY amount of pressure and just wait. It might take 5 minutes but eventually she will just slightly rock back or drop her nose, and then you release. Keep doing this until she starts backing without feeling stiff. NEVER release while she feels still. Always wait for a physical and mental softness. She needs to THINK back. There is no such thing as backing up correctly too much. But if you are backing her incorrectly, and releasing when she is braced (stiff) , then even one time is too many.
Riding her bareback with a halter still counts, good job! You will find that as you fix one thing, other things seem to fix themselves, like the never moving problem. This is definitely a great start, keep at it! Take it slow and don't expect too much. Concentrate on getting her to turn and stop and back softly while you are riding her, applying the same cues and philosophy as you do when you are on the ground.
With regard to the bad day. Yes, you can expect off days from any horse. Just like you and me, they have bad days. The wind is a tough thing, and often horses are very unsettled in the wind. You don't yet have a completely sound relationship with her, so her fear of the wind overcomes her ability to pay attention to you. Eventually, if you continue on this path successfully, you will be her source of comfort and feeling good, so even in the worst of environmental situations she will look to you.
However, if she is acting "mad," and it seems directly related to you putting pressure on her back, it is definitely something to keep an eye on. Have you worked her again since then? If she starts showing these signs of not wanting you to put pressure on her back regularly, especially if it happens when there aren't other factor such as the wind. Then it might be an indicator of a physical issue and she is trying to tell you that she is in pain. But, I wouldn't assume this if it is an isolated incident in the wind.
Lastly, I'm not sure if I recommended any books to you before, but since you mention buying books, here are a couple I think you will enjoy. "A Horse's Thought" & "Between the Reins" by Tom Moates. Read them in that order. You can order them online at www.tommoates.com.
I'm looking forward to seeing you this weekend and am going to post this follow up email to the blog!
Thanks and good luck!
Alex
Hey, Alex!
It's Shelby again! I took your advice and I started from scratch. I also bought a book by Craig Cameron which also gave me some ideas. I also ordered a bosal hackamore since I found another problem with her. I don't know if it's a lot of horses or it's just her, but she always plays with the snaffle. She'll move it, try and bite it, grab it. It's like a toy to a child and it's like she doesn't understand why it's in her mouth. I do bending exercises where I'll pick up on the rein/lead line on one side of her and she instantly touches her nose to her belly. She responds to the halter fantastically but with the bit, it's like she absolutely doesn't understand. After a few seconds of pressure, she stops messing around, touches her belly, and goes back to playing.
She responds to a rope halter far better than a bridle. I also worked on leading her. When I start walking, she does. When I stop, she stops. However, she doesn't back very well when I back up. I have to face her and put pressure on the lead line for her to back up. And it's like she's stiff. So when I go for more than a few steps, she just totally stops and she'll put her head anywhere except for where it needs to be. I don't think I am doing anything wrong ( I could be ) because when she takes one step back, I instantly release pressure. Two steps, same thing. And I'll build on that but after awhile, she tosses her head, stamps her feet, rams her head on me. Is there such a thing as backing up too much?
I also rode her. Granted it was bareback with a halter, but I rode her. She was way more willing and soft and just great! We had the never-moving-problem completely disappear. I sat on her and rubbed and scratched her and wiggled. She didn't mind at all. Then I would squeeze with steady pressure until she took a small step and I released and I praised her. It was all downhill from there! After a couple minutes, I had her taking a walk! And she was so kind! I've never seen this side of her. She listened to my legs and my hands! Haha I don't know if it's bad that I accomplished this bareback with a halter, but couldn't this be considered as a start?
That was the good news, but there is bad. It's like she has off days. It was windy on Sunday and when I excitedly went out to go riding again, it was like someone stole my sweet, willing mare! Usually she comes when she sees me but this day was different. She started towards me and just stopped and waited. I got to her, I haltered her just fine. I did some bending and moving exercises and when I thought she was fine, I went to get on. Bad idea. She wouldn't have it. When I put my hands on her back, she moved away and bumped her butt up at me as if to say " I'm not doing anything today!". She did this several times varying from going to bite, bumping her butt at me, pushing me away with her head, facing me and stepping towards me.. I didn't know what was different! It might have been the weather but she just would have it. I ran my fingers down her spine to maybe see if her back hurt but she didn't display any discomfort. But when I leaned on her, put my arms on her back, she was instantly mad. Do you think it was just an off day for her?
Well, another looong email but I had to tell you. I was so stoked about riding. I'll be attending the clinic this weekend for sure! I think my cousin may come as well. Thank you so much, Alex!
Warm regards,
Shelby Zipperian :)Hi Shelby
This is GREAT! Often horses who are troubled and don't have clarity in their lives play with the bit. It may also be worth having her teeth checked by the vet if you haven't done that already..sometimes a tooth issue causes issues with a snaffle, as well. For green horses like Sage, I prefer working in a side pull bridle, rather than a hackamore, because a side pull applies pressure from either side, so it is more direct than a hackamore and more similar to a snaffle bit. This is the side pull I would recommend: http://www.rods.com/Flat-Leather-Nose-Sidepull,425.html?sc=WGB&utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Froogle11&ns_md=Feed&ns_sc=Froogle&ns_cn=Froogle11
You will find she responds to the side pull a lot like she does to the halter. Try your hackamore and a side pull, and make a decision for yourself. You can always sell one on craigslist! Though I think a gal can never have too much tack!
Your progress sounds great with the leading. With regard to the backing, I think you should try getting her to back by shaking the rope up and down, while holding it loose at the end of the lead. Get as big as you have to for her to take a step back, even if it means making some noise and stepping into her while shaking the rope (because I think she might be really dull and able to just ignore the rope alone) and then quit. If you want to back her from the base of the halter under her chin, start with a TINY amount of pressure and just wait. It might take 5 minutes but eventually she will just slightly rock back or drop her nose, and then you release. Keep doing this until she starts backing without feeling stiff. NEVER release while she feels still. Always wait for a physical and mental softness. She needs to THINK back. There is no such thing as backing up correctly too much. But if you are backing her incorrectly, and releasing when she is braced (stiff) , then even one time is too many.
Riding her bareback with a halter still counts, good job! You will find that as you fix one thing, other things seem to fix themselves, like the never moving problem. This is definitely a great start, keep at it! Take it slow and don't expect too much. Concentrate on getting her to turn and stop and back softly while you are riding her, applying the same cues and philosophy as you do when you are on the ground.
With regard to the bad day. Yes, you can expect off days from any horse. Just like you and me, they have bad days. The wind is a tough thing, and often horses are very unsettled in the wind. You don't yet have a completely sound relationship with her, so her fear of the wind overcomes her ability to pay attention to you. Eventually, if you continue on this path successfully, you will be her source of comfort and feeling good, so even in the worst of environmental situations she will look to you.
However, if she is acting "mad," and it seems directly related to you putting pressure on her back, it is definitely something to keep an eye on. Have you worked her again since then? If she starts showing these signs of not wanting you to put pressure on her back regularly, especially if it happens when there aren't other factor such as the wind. Then it might be an indicator of a physical issue and she is trying to tell you that she is in pain. But, I wouldn't assume this if it is an isolated incident in the wind.
Lastly, I'm not sure if I recommended any books to you before, but since you mention buying books, here are a couple I think you will enjoy. "A Horse's Thought" & "Between the Reins" by Tom Moates. Read them in that order. You can order them online at www.tommoates.com.
I'm looking forward to seeing you this weekend and am going to post this follow up email to the blog!
Thanks and good luck!
Alex
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Communication Issues
Hi everyone! I recently received this email and thought it would make a great Q&A for the blog. Hope you enjoy it and feel free to ask follow up questions or provide other thoughts for Shelby! There's a lot to be said, and I only scratched the surface with this blog entry. Enjoy your horses!
Hello, Alex!
I am Shelby from Townsend. First off, I'm totally in love with you're grey mare, Justin's Pickles! Although I can't afford her, I've been eyeing her haha. Dreaming basically. Well, I have a question and personally, I need some advice. I've been looking around your site and I'm so impressed! Okay, anyway... I have this 5 year old mare. Some strange man gave her dam to us without knowing she was pregnant so we were surprised with a foal. I am only 18 so when I was 13, I started the foal myself. At first, I thought it was brilliant but now, I'm not so sure. I know nothing about my mare's breed, her dam or sire, nothing. She's very stocky but she doesn't have a lot of Quarter Horse features. Anyway, I have trained this mare from leading to the saddle but there's just a few problems. One, she is absolutely disrespectful because I never have been big enough to push HER around. Now that I'm old enough to get her attention, she still does not respect me. Two, she won't lunge and she becomes crabby when we try. Three, she will move her feet when I put the saddle on her but once I or anyone gets on, she won't budge. I have not tried spurs yet but I plan to. And last but certainly not least, she refuses the trailer.
I don't have enough money to get her fixed so I was wondering if you might have any advice for me. I'm sorry this was so long! But really, I want advice/tips from a professional trainer. Gosh, sorry again! I hope this wasn't too long or irritating. But thank you so much for your time (if you had enough time to read this ha..)!
- Shelby
Hi Shelby
Thanks for the email and the compliments! Glad you enjoyed the website.
Without seeing you and your mare together, I can’t give you exact answers, but I can certainly give you some ideas and hopefully get you started towards a better relationship with her.
It sounds as though there is a lack of clarity between you and your mare when it comes to what you are asking of her. I would offer you the idea that you don’t need to be “big enough to push her around,” but clear enough in what you are asking her to do that she wants to participate. In general, horses are very willing animals and when they display this sort of pushy, crabby behavior it is because they don’t understand what you are asking and are frustrated with the situation and lack of direction. This lack of clarity produces a lot of anxiety in a horse, and I think the behavior you are describing is an expression of this anxiety.
Imagine if you had a teacher, parent or friend that kept asking you to do something. When you tried to do it, they just asked louder and louder, using the same words but with a tone that told you that you were not doing it right. You kept trying, but they just seemed more annoyed at you, no matter how hard or what you tried. Then, suddenly, the stopped asking and walked away, with no clarification as to what they had wanted and if you had ever gotten it right. The next day, you run into this person again. The same thing happens. From then on, every time you interacted with this person, you had this same sort of experience. What do you think this would do to your mind, spirit and confidence?
If it were me, I’d get angry, and maybe yell back. I know other people that would probably get really quiet and nervous and some that would even run the other way when they saw this person walking towards them. Some people would try for a while and eventually just quit trying and give up, and whenever they saw this person they would just sit there and stare at their feet until the person went away. I know other people that would just keep trying to get the answer right, no matter how frustrated, scared or upset they were…and then maybe one day years down the road have some sort of nervous breakdown or explosion.
We are all individuals, and all respond to confusion differently. The same goes for our horses. You have had this mare from birth, and while you have some good stuff going, for the most part this mare has never understood exactly what you were asking, from leading to lunging to saddling to riding. This lack of understanding is manifesting itself in many ways. Sometimes, she runs on top of you and “disrespects” you. I see this as her trying to control a situation she finds stressful by pushing on you. She doesn’t know where her boundaries are and this is unsettling. Other times, she does not go forward (like when you try to lunge her or ask her to move under saddle), because there is no clarity to your request to go forward, so she is crabby about it, or simply ignores you. To her, you are just bugging her, over and over, louder and louder, without meaning. You are not important. When you try to saddle her, she is probably nervous and her brain is elsewhere, so she moves her feet to try to get her feet where her brain is—which is anywhere but where you and that saddle are.
You mention trying spurs on her, and I don’t think that spurs are your magic cure. If your horse were unable to move, she wouldn’t dance around when being saddled. Horses are large animals, and if she is dull in responding to your leg, or any other aid when on the ground, she will easily dull out to a spur if used incorrectly. It might irritate her enough to move her forward for a while (a day, a month or a year), but eventually the old behavior will return and she will just stand there and ignore the spur like she does your leg now.
Instead, I would recommend establishing a better line of communication between you and your mare, so that she can go through life with a quieter mind and a clearer understanding of what you expect of her. My guess is your biggest issue is that you cannot direct where her mind is. Her mind is stuck on whatever she is thinking about at that moment, and she is unable to let go of that thought. It sounds like most of the time she has her mind working on blocking you out and dissociating from the situation, which is why she is so unresponsive. After years of unclear signals from you, now when you make a request, she just locks down further, rather than engaging with your request and trying to answer properly. She is the person that tries to get the right answer for a while and when she can’t please you she eventually just sits there and stares at her feet until the annoying person goes away. When she just stands there not wanting to move, she is just waiting for you to go away. It has worked in the past, probably better than anything else she has tried.
I would start with working on her leading. When you ask her to walk forward, is her response dull or lively? In other words, do you have to pull her forward, or does she respond merely to your body moving forward, and follow without taking the slack out of the rope? Where is she looking when you are walking forward—at you, behind her, over you, to the sides, or bouncing all over the place? When you stop, does she stop exactly as your feet stop, maintaining the same distance between you and her, or does she keep walking and end up on top of you or walking passed you? Ideally, there is no tension between the two of you when you lead her. Everything is soft, she is focused, and there is a consistent expectation of attention and distance between you two as you interact. She should understand this and feel good about this, as the boundaries should be very clear and horses appreciate knowing what is expect of them, just like you and me. To give her this clarity you need to be clear about your expectations. You need to know where her feet and her mind are at all times. If she doesn’t stop when you stop, you need to fix that, every time. Be picky without being critical. She doesn’t know what you want, so don’t get mad when she gets it wrong, but don’t accept a wrong answer, either. Help her get it right.
Also work on directing her thought. There are many ways to do this, but I will give you one idea and you can experiment from there. Standing in front of her, can you ask her to look one way or another? When I say “look,” I actually mean think. Your focus should be on where her attention is, and her eyes are a nice window into her brain. Horses are perfectly capable of bending their neck in either direction without ever thinking in that direction. While you are reading this, try to turn your head and neck in another direction but keep your eyes on the computer screen. You can do it, pretty easily I would imagine. So can she. Make sure that when you ask her to look one way, you wait with your request until she actually looks over there, not just until her neck goes in the direction you are suggesting. You can ask in many different ways, whether it is with the lead rope, the halter, or gentle putting pressure on her nose to tip her thought back and forth. It doesn’t really matter how you ask, as long as you do not release whatever pressure you are using to request the change in thought until you see her truly commit to thinking in the direction you have suggested. Once you get this, maybe ask her to take her feet in that direction for one step, then two, then three, then a whole circle. But the second her brain isn’t where you are directing her to be, you need to make a change.
Don’t worry about asking with more force if she doesn’t get it right away, just keep asking with the same amount of soft pressure until she finds the answer. She might try some wrong answers first, when blocking you out doesn’t work, but that’s no problem. Just keep asking what your asking until she finds the right answer, then stop and pet on her. She’s so used to blocking you out, it is going to take a while for her to realize that there is another way to interact with you, so be patient and committed, and don’t quit just because she doesn’t know what you mean. The second you release your request, you have taught her that that was the correct answer, so don’t release until you really want to say Good Job! At first, Good Job might come after just a small try on her part, but by next month you will have much higher expectations. Don’t expect perfection on the first try, but always have it in your mind what you are aiming for, and only reward steps in the right direction.
While I have given you some vague exercises to work on, really what I would like to make clear is that this is more about communicating clearly and with consistency than it is about getting her to do something. Be clear with yourself about what you want, and then be clear with her. Once you can direct her thought around, many of the other issues will disappear, as really what you need to be concerned about with your horse is where her mind is and what she is thinking about, not what her feet and body are saying. The mind is what directs the body, and if her brain is elsewhere, it doesn’t matter how well you ask, she will not be able to comply because she will not be present enough to respond willingly.
If her mind is not quiet and soft, you will forever have a stuck, pushy, disrespectful horse. There simply is no other way to be in the world if you are constantly confused, worried and frustrated!
I hope this gives you some ideas about what might be going wrong between you and your mare. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
Alex
Hello, Alex!
I am Shelby from Townsend. First off, I'm totally in love with you're grey mare, Justin's Pickles! Although I can't afford her, I've been eyeing her haha. Dreaming basically. Well, I have a question and personally, I need some advice. I've been looking around your site and I'm so impressed! Okay, anyway... I have this 5 year old mare. Some strange man gave her dam to us without knowing she was pregnant so we were surprised with a foal. I am only 18 so when I was 13, I started the foal myself. At first, I thought it was brilliant but now, I'm not so sure. I know nothing about my mare's breed, her dam or sire, nothing. She's very stocky but she doesn't have a lot of Quarter Horse features. Anyway, I have trained this mare from leading to the saddle but there's just a few problems. One, she is absolutely disrespectful because I never have been big enough to push HER around. Now that I'm old enough to get her attention, she still does not respect me. Two, she won't lunge and she becomes crabby when we try. Three, she will move her feet when I put the saddle on her but once I or anyone gets on, she won't budge. I have not tried spurs yet but I plan to. And last but certainly not least, she refuses the trailer.
I don't have enough money to get her fixed so I was wondering if you might have any advice for me. I'm sorry this was so long! But really, I want advice/tips from a professional trainer. Gosh, sorry again! I hope this wasn't too long or irritating. But thank you so much for your time (if you had enough time to read this ha..)!
- Shelby
Hi Shelby
Thanks for the email and the compliments! Glad you enjoyed the website.
Without seeing you and your mare together, I can’t give you exact answers, but I can certainly give you some ideas and hopefully get you started towards a better relationship with her.
It sounds as though there is a lack of clarity between you and your mare when it comes to what you are asking of her. I would offer you the idea that you don’t need to be “big enough to push her around,” but clear enough in what you are asking her to do that she wants to participate. In general, horses are very willing animals and when they display this sort of pushy, crabby behavior it is because they don’t understand what you are asking and are frustrated with the situation and lack of direction. This lack of clarity produces a lot of anxiety in a horse, and I think the behavior you are describing is an expression of this anxiety.
Imagine if you had a teacher, parent or friend that kept asking you to do something. When you tried to do it, they just asked louder and louder, using the same words but with a tone that told you that you were not doing it right. You kept trying, but they just seemed more annoyed at you, no matter how hard or what you tried. Then, suddenly, the stopped asking and walked away, with no clarification as to what they had wanted and if you had ever gotten it right. The next day, you run into this person again. The same thing happens. From then on, every time you interacted with this person, you had this same sort of experience. What do you think this would do to your mind, spirit and confidence?
If it were me, I’d get angry, and maybe yell back. I know other people that would probably get really quiet and nervous and some that would even run the other way when they saw this person walking towards them. Some people would try for a while and eventually just quit trying and give up, and whenever they saw this person they would just sit there and stare at their feet until the person went away. I know other people that would just keep trying to get the answer right, no matter how frustrated, scared or upset they were…and then maybe one day years down the road have some sort of nervous breakdown or explosion.
We are all individuals, and all respond to confusion differently. The same goes for our horses. You have had this mare from birth, and while you have some good stuff going, for the most part this mare has never understood exactly what you were asking, from leading to lunging to saddling to riding. This lack of understanding is manifesting itself in many ways. Sometimes, she runs on top of you and “disrespects” you. I see this as her trying to control a situation she finds stressful by pushing on you. She doesn’t know where her boundaries are and this is unsettling. Other times, she does not go forward (like when you try to lunge her or ask her to move under saddle), because there is no clarity to your request to go forward, so she is crabby about it, or simply ignores you. To her, you are just bugging her, over and over, louder and louder, without meaning. You are not important. When you try to saddle her, she is probably nervous and her brain is elsewhere, so she moves her feet to try to get her feet where her brain is—which is anywhere but where you and that saddle are.
You mention trying spurs on her, and I don’t think that spurs are your magic cure. If your horse were unable to move, she wouldn’t dance around when being saddled. Horses are large animals, and if she is dull in responding to your leg, or any other aid when on the ground, she will easily dull out to a spur if used incorrectly. It might irritate her enough to move her forward for a while (a day, a month or a year), but eventually the old behavior will return and she will just stand there and ignore the spur like she does your leg now.
Instead, I would recommend establishing a better line of communication between you and your mare, so that she can go through life with a quieter mind and a clearer understanding of what you expect of her. My guess is your biggest issue is that you cannot direct where her mind is. Her mind is stuck on whatever she is thinking about at that moment, and she is unable to let go of that thought. It sounds like most of the time she has her mind working on blocking you out and dissociating from the situation, which is why she is so unresponsive. After years of unclear signals from you, now when you make a request, she just locks down further, rather than engaging with your request and trying to answer properly. She is the person that tries to get the right answer for a while and when she can’t please you she eventually just sits there and stares at her feet until the annoying person goes away. When she just stands there not wanting to move, she is just waiting for you to go away. It has worked in the past, probably better than anything else she has tried.
I would start with working on her leading. When you ask her to walk forward, is her response dull or lively? In other words, do you have to pull her forward, or does she respond merely to your body moving forward, and follow without taking the slack out of the rope? Where is she looking when you are walking forward—at you, behind her, over you, to the sides, or bouncing all over the place? When you stop, does she stop exactly as your feet stop, maintaining the same distance between you and her, or does she keep walking and end up on top of you or walking passed you? Ideally, there is no tension between the two of you when you lead her. Everything is soft, she is focused, and there is a consistent expectation of attention and distance between you two as you interact. She should understand this and feel good about this, as the boundaries should be very clear and horses appreciate knowing what is expect of them, just like you and me. To give her this clarity you need to be clear about your expectations. You need to know where her feet and her mind are at all times. If she doesn’t stop when you stop, you need to fix that, every time. Be picky without being critical. She doesn’t know what you want, so don’t get mad when she gets it wrong, but don’t accept a wrong answer, either. Help her get it right.
Also work on directing her thought. There are many ways to do this, but I will give you one idea and you can experiment from there. Standing in front of her, can you ask her to look one way or another? When I say “look,” I actually mean think. Your focus should be on where her attention is, and her eyes are a nice window into her brain. Horses are perfectly capable of bending their neck in either direction without ever thinking in that direction. While you are reading this, try to turn your head and neck in another direction but keep your eyes on the computer screen. You can do it, pretty easily I would imagine. So can she. Make sure that when you ask her to look one way, you wait with your request until she actually looks over there, not just until her neck goes in the direction you are suggesting. You can ask in many different ways, whether it is with the lead rope, the halter, or gentle putting pressure on her nose to tip her thought back and forth. It doesn’t really matter how you ask, as long as you do not release whatever pressure you are using to request the change in thought until you see her truly commit to thinking in the direction you have suggested. Once you get this, maybe ask her to take her feet in that direction for one step, then two, then three, then a whole circle. But the second her brain isn’t where you are directing her to be, you need to make a change.
Don’t worry about asking with more force if she doesn’t get it right away, just keep asking with the same amount of soft pressure until she finds the answer. She might try some wrong answers first, when blocking you out doesn’t work, but that’s no problem. Just keep asking what your asking until she finds the right answer, then stop and pet on her. She’s so used to blocking you out, it is going to take a while for her to realize that there is another way to interact with you, so be patient and committed, and don’t quit just because she doesn’t know what you mean. The second you release your request, you have taught her that that was the correct answer, so don’t release until you really want to say Good Job! At first, Good Job might come after just a small try on her part, but by next month you will have much higher expectations. Don’t expect perfection on the first try, but always have it in your mind what you are aiming for, and only reward steps in the right direction.
While I have given you some vague exercises to work on, really what I would like to make clear is that this is more about communicating clearly and with consistency than it is about getting her to do something. Be clear with yourself about what you want, and then be clear with her. Once you can direct her thought around, many of the other issues will disappear, as really what you need to be concerned about with your horse is where her mind is and what she is thinking about, not what her feet and body are saying. The mind is what directs the body, and if her brain is elsewhere, it doesn’t matter how well you ask, she will not be able to comply because she will not be present enough to respond willingly.
If her mind is not quiet and soft, you will forever have a stuck, pushy, disrespectful horse. There simply is no other way to be in the world if you are constantly confused, worried and frustrated!
I hope this gives you some ideas about what might be going wrong between you and your mare. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
Alex
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Ask the Trainer
Hi Everyone!
In an effort to keep this blog a bit more current (I admit, I update the Three Rivers Horse Training facebook page more than this blog...), I am opening it up as an "Ask the Trainer" forum. I've been inspired by some awesome email conversations I've had with riders lately, and can't wait to hear from more of you.
Email me thoughts, questions or even youtube videos you would like me to comment on. alex@threerivershorsetraining.com
Please note, if you send me specific training questions I will do my best to address them from a variety of directions, but I can't provide specific answers that I know will do the trick without working with both horse and human. I'll provide information, thoughts, concepts, possible exercises and all that comes to mind hearing your question, and get you started!
I'm looking forward to hearing about your horses!
Alex
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Long Winter!
Hello friends!
I hope you are all doing well and staying warm through this very cold and now windy winter! It always seems like winter is never going to end, and I am looking forward to being able to ride every day without frozen feet and ten layers on, but I know summer will be here before I know it!
I am beginning to book training spots for this spring. April through July tend to be my busiest months in preparation for summer riding, so please consider booking now to ensure your horse is ready by summer! I will continue to offer training packages by the week, rather than by the month, in order to best tailor the training process for individual horses and owners. Please contact me for rates and details.
I am in the process of putting together my 2011 spring and summer schedule and have a few noteworthy dates to mention.
Saturday, April 16 10am-5pm
Open House & Lesson Day
Three Forks, MT (Three Rivers Horse Training facility)
$35 for individual one hour lessons.
Auditors FREE
Please bring a sack lunch, a chair and lots of questions!
Pre-registration for lesson spots required.
May 20-22 8am-6pm
Horsemanship Clinic
Ennis, MT (WC Arena & Stables)
$50 per day per rider: Pre-registration required
Auditors $10 per day: Pre-registration preferred
Lunch included for those who pre-registered.
**Please note, as of now the website has this event listed as a Saturday/Sunday event, but due to demand we have added Friday. There are still a couple spots left for Friday, but please book soon as they are filling up quickly. Saturday and Sunday are completely filled but we are keeping a waiting list in the event of cancellations.***
Contact Kelly at 406.682.3059 or kellyrobinson7@gmail.com to book your spot!
July 30-31
I will be judging the Missoula 4-H Horse Show. I will be available for lessons in the Missoula area (or along I-90 between Three Forks and Missoula) on Friday, July 29 and Monday, August 1. I may also be available for evening lessons and consultations that Saturday and Sunday.
As always, you can check out my website (www.threerivershorsetraining.com) for upcoming events, and follow me on Facebook by searching "Three Rivers Horse Training." I often announce new events and adjusted dates on Facebook before they are posted to my website. I have a few other clinics in the works that I am not ready to announce yet, so please stay tuned!
If you would like to host a clinic in your area, please contact me for details. I am available for two to five day clinics, and will offer one day clinics within 60 miles of Three Forks.
Stay warm and I can't wait to see you all this spring!
Alex
I hope you are all doing well and staying warm through this very cold and now windy winter! It always seems like winter is never going to end, and I am looking forward to being able to ride every day without frozen feet and ten layers on, but I know summer will be here before I know it!
I am beginning to book training spots for this spring. April through July tend to be my busiest months in preparation for summer riding, so please consider booking now to ensure your horse is ready by summer! I will continue to offer training packages by the week, rather than by the month, in order to best tailor the training process for individual horses and owners. Please contact me for rates and details.
I am in the process of putting together my 2011 spring and summer schedule and have a few noteworthy dates to mention.
Saturday, April 16 10am-5pm
Open House & Lesson Day
Three Forks, MT (Three Rivers Horse Training facility)
$35 for individual one hour lessons.
Auditors FREE
Please bring a sack lunch, a chair and lots of questions!
Pre-registration for lesson spots required.
May 20-22 8am-6pm
Horsemanship Clinic
Ennis, MT (WC Arena & Stables)
$50 per day per rider: Pre-registration required
Auditors $10 per day: Pre-registration preferred
Lunch included for those who pre-registered.
**Please note, as of now the website has this event listed as a Saturday/Sunday event, but due to demand we have added Friday. There are still a couple spots left for Friday, but please book soon as they are filling up quickly. Saturday and Sunday are completely filled but we are keeping a waiting list in the event of cancellations.***
Contact Kelly at 406.682.3059 or kellyrobinson7@gmail.com to book your spot!
July 30-31
I will be judging the Missoula 4-H Horse Show. I will be available for lessons in the Missoula area (or along I-90 between Three Forks and Missoula) on Friday, July 29 and Monday, August 1. I may also be available for evening lessons and consultations that Saturday and Sunday.
As always, you can check out my website (www.threerivershorsetraining.com) for upcoming events, and follow me on Facebook by searching "Three Rivers Horse Training." I often announce new events and adjusted dates on Facebook before they are posted to my website. I have a few other clinics in the works that I am not ready to announce yet, so please stay tuned!
If you would like to host a clinic in your area, please contact me for details. I am available for two to five day clinics, and will offer one day clinics within 60 miles of Three Forks.
Stay warm and I can't wait to see you all this spring!
Alex
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