Friday 30 May 2014

A Simple Case of Mis-direction!

For many, steering our horses whilst we ride is so easy that we put little or no thought into it, but is this doing our horsemanship any good?

The most commonly taught method of steering horses that I have come across is with the reins attached to the bit. People tend to learn to put a feel on one rein more than the other and the horse should turn into the direction of the rein that has most feel. Unfortunately for horses they are so forgiving and adaptable that many people get away with riding like this for years.

This method of steering makes sense if we think of the horse as a machine, programmed to perform a specific command on a set signal. However, when we think of the horse as a living creature, capable of feeling pain and also of making it own decisions, we can begin to understand why this way of riding doesn't always work and certainly doesn't produce top level riders.

Good riders know the importance of using their seat and legs when steering. Having a little more weight in the seat bone in the direction you intend to go usually occurs naturally when you focus on where you are going. Your eyes look where you are thinking about, your head turns to follow and this causes your spine to twist putting weight on the "inside seat-bone" (base of the pelvis on the side you are looking to turn).

Problems come because many people are not looking where they are going. Their focus will move to what ever they are thinking about and without realising it their eyes are not leading their body and weight in the right direction. It is very common to see riders looking at their horses' ears or neck, especially if they are consciously trying to have their horse take a certain head set. People that worry about crashing into other horses in an arena will find themselves looking at the other horses and, surprise, surprise, their horse heads straight for the other horses and riders.

Steering is a beautiful combination of physics, focus and energy.

Horses are sensitive enough to feel a fly land on a whisker so they can definitely feel our muscles tense or relax and our weight shift, whether we mean for it to happen or not. Horses have to learn which signals to respond to and which ones to not worry about. Inevitably more inexperienced riders will have more unintentional movements which is why beginners are usually partnered with less responsive horses. These horses tend to have worked out that life is better if they ignore most of what the rider does and only respond to really obvious cues. The question comes when you aim for reaching levels of excellence in your riding - how do help your horse understand which cues they are meant to respond to?

We tend to think of steering horses like steering a bicycle, pulling the "handle" one way to turn the front and expecting the rest to follow. The problem is that we've all seen people turn a horse's head one way and it still runs in the other direction. A more effective way of looking at the horse would be to think of the horse as a boat. Anyone who sails knows that to turn a boat you must move the back end over in the direction opposite to the one you want the front to go in. Horses respond well to this concept too.

Many horses are taught only to respond to the leg by speeding up but teaching your horse  to understand moving different parts of himself over when he feels your leg in different positions will not only mean you can use the powerful hindquarters to push the horse into the direction you want to go but also improve lateral manoeuvres and overall flexibility in your horse.

Ultimately, in taking a little time to address how you steer your horse you will not only open doors to higher levels of riding but you will prove to your horse that you understand him, you know his power comes from his hindquarters, from engaging his mind and that you do not need to pull on his delicate mouth for rudimentary control.

And how do you know that you have mastered steering? When you no longer use your reins to steer! Now your hands, reins and bit become tools for higher level communication and not basic controls. You and your horse truly can become one with each other, a new being, like the mythical centaur moving as one in purest harmony.

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Tuesday 20 May 2014

A lesson in rapport

This week I have chosen to look at rapport. This has been a big deal for me recently as I returned from my three month Externship at the Parelli Natural Horsemanship campus in Colorado to find my horse had lost a lot of trust during my absence.

To put it in context Paris was the horse that got me into natural horsemanship. He was a skeptic when it came to all things human. You could do things with him but there was no joy in it for him and sometimes things were just plain dangerous. After following the Parelli program for three years we had reached the point where we were able to play at liberty and both have fun, I could ride my "runaway" ex-racehorse bare back and bridleless at a canter in open fields and, more impressively, we could stop! Whilst I was trying to qualify for the externship, Paris began to have issues with his hind legs and I wasn't sure I would be able to pass the necessary tests. Paris pulled out the stops and I got through but his legs got worse again and I gave him a long rest. I was not going to transport him all the way to America for three months and decided the time off would probably do him good. Three days before my flight Paris got injured in the field and had to go to the vets. The last time I saw him, before I flew away, he was stressed out and not eating at the vets.

My mum gave me regular updates and my partner would send me pictures and videos but I really missed my wonderful horse whilst I was away.

When I returned I half imagined our reunion would be like a cheesy film, all slow motion running to each other in meadows full of flowers. What I got was him standing their looking at me. I was sad to see his coat had dulled, he was underweight and rather foot sore. He would come to me if I MADE him but he no longer trotted to me, he would not play stick to me, he just seemed to tolerate me.

It was a hard blow and it got me thinking. The last thought he had of me for three months was that I left him in that strange stressful place. I had been a constant in his life for 5 years and then suddenly I was gone, just like every human had done before me. Sometimes it's difficult to know where putting yourself in your horse's shoes ends and anthropomorphism begins.

I decided that, as it was the end of summer, my goal for the winter would be to get him back to weight, sound and re-establish our relationship.

I did lots of confidence building exercises, hang out with him finding all his itchy spots, would catch him and take him with me to watch others play with their horses and then just let him go again. Quickly the shine was back in his coat, and also in his eye.

I realised that whilst I had been away the majority of human interactions he had was to either feed him or move him around. Paris needed some time with me just hanging out so he could feel safe and realise it was not all about take, take, take, but that I would also give.

Occasionally I would  play with Paris but I was finding him rather dull and unresponsive. Then one day I went out to play with him and I said "I want to get our play drive back". I took him into his field and I began to run. I didn't use my stick to get him to keep up with me I just ran and let the rope get taut if he did not keep up. He soon worked out that it was much more comfortable to run with me than have the rope pull on his halter. And suddenly my trot draw was back, we could do stick to me again, even at the canter. Paris came alive and I realised the biggest thing that had changed... me!

I had been so focused on how my horse felt about me that I completely overlooked how I felt when I was with my horse.

I must have projected anxious energy when I had first returned from my travels, nervous about how he would respond to me after the long break we'd had. When my anxiousness had caused him to be hesitant I allowed it to reinforce my negative ideas, "see! He is upset with you for leaving him!", and this sapped all the fun and life out of me when I was with him.

Spending time hanging out with Paris was definitely worth while, but I do think it was more for me than him. He does need me to give him scratches and to spend relaxing time together, not only get him when I want him to perform, but he also needs me to have a plan, to have a goal in my mind's eye and to believe that we can do it. As soon as I decided I was ready for us to have fun again my energy changed.

Horses are mirrors to our souls, they know when we are not at peace with ourselves. Next time you feel like your relationship with your horse has gone a bit south ask yourself "am I projecting my own emotions?"

I've got my relationship with Paris back where it was and in many ways it is better than ever and all it took was for me to adjust my attitude.

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