pushiness
Filed in: training
Letters
I’ve had a stack of emails from people who attended the clinics in the US and England offering their thanks and telling me about their progress. I want to thank all those people for taking the time to write. I really appreciate that you have done that and feel very glad that I was able to offer you something to help you in your horsemanship. But I won’t post them on the blog because I am sure people already think I have an inflated ego. Nevertheless, I want to make sure that you know I really do appreciate that people bother to write let me know how they are going with their horses.
Personal Space
Hello,
Thank you for your quick answer! It is really nice of you to accept to give me some advices, I will for sure come with questions soon given that someone asked me to start two colts during this summer (hopefully I'll have some time in between exams).
On the four horses I am training now, there is at least three that never heard of the concept: "do not run on me, you are 10 times heavier than me". They are those big heavy horses and I think that the owners just had no clue that you could teach a horse not to be a danger to you... They seem to think that the arabian is scared of everything beacause it is an arabian, that the big mare is pushy because she is big and so on and so forth. I told them that their horses where like that because nobody taught them to be another way, they are just horses being horses and if ten times in a row they run on you and you leave, they learn that this is the way to make you leave them alone.
But I admit that I am sometimes wondering about this concept of personnal space that a lot of people are talking about. I always hear "the horse should know that it should not go into your personal space", some people are even quite agressive with horses that come too close to them (cf. Clinton Anderson). What I like to do is working on that with the horse in a round pen, just because I think it is easier for the horse to not run on you if he has another place to go. This is mainly what I use the round pen for, I put pressure on the horse when it is turning its back at me and not paying any attention to where I am. Most of the time, and specially now that it is really hot outside, I just make them walk or trot quietly and change direction as much as needed for the horse to notice me. When I see that its ear points at me, or that its head is lowering, or it is looking at me I stop and go back. But I tend to let the horse come closer than the textbook join up technique. I like taking some time to chase the flies that are bugging the horse and to scratch them before I am asking anything else from them. Generally I just want them to be able to back up, follow me and disengage their hindquarters when they are free. But what about this personnal space talk then? For me, working with horses that have this kind if bad habbits is a new thing. I am more used to the crazy, bucking, running everywhere, overexited and anxious kind of problem (for some reason most people that were coming to my coach with "problem horses" had this type of horse). I guess I am wondering how not to get too mad, but how to stay strict enough so those horses are not dangerous anymore. I mean, they have never been dangerous to me, none ever jumped on me... but the first time I went there one of the mares litterally ran over someone (no injuries but still...).
Thank you very much, I know it is probably going to be difficult to answer given that it is just a brief description and that the question is not really precise. I just wanted to hear your opinion on that "personnal space" question. I always thought that as long as the horse is able to move his hinquarters, back up, stop when I stop, it has enough awareness of my presence not to step on me but I am looking foreward to read what you think about that. I know there is not one way that works all the time and I wish I could adapt better depending on the type of horse. But that takes experience right, so hopefully I'll get there one day.
Alice (Switzerland)
PS: sorry, I couldn't stop writing...
I'm finally home and have a few moments to answer your question.
Basically a horse finds it most comfortable when they know what is expected of them. They need the security of understanding their role in any relationship whether with a human or a horse or a goat. Problems with personal space come from a horse not knowing what is expected. Horses need boundaries or rules that they understand and when those rules break down or are not consistent then trouble comes into the relationship. If you want a horse to understand where the boundaries are, you need to be very consistent while he is learning these boundaries. It has to be always the same until he understands. It doesn't matter if you set the boundary at 5m or 100cm, as long as your horse knows where the line is drawn.
But when you have a horse that is confused and learned to be pushy, I'd encourage you to keep him at a distance. If a horse doesn't know how to not push on you, don't let him be close enough that he could push on you. Make a rule in your mind that you won't let him come any closer than a safe distance (maybe 2 or 3m) and every time he crosses the line and comes closer than that act like a crazy woman and do jumping jacks or stomp your feet in a tantrum or something that would make your horse think you are too crazy to be safe to be close to. Let it be his decision not to come closer because life gets too uncomfortable when he gets too close. Being close to you sets off your crazy button and he doesn't want to do that. Later, when he is more polite and understands not to push on you, you can allow him to be as close as you like.
In the end it is up to you to establish the boundaries and make sure you horse knows them and can rely on them to be the same always.
I hope that answers your question.
I’ve had a stack of emails from people who attended the clinics in the US and England offering their thanks and telling me about their progress. I want to thank all those people for taking the time to write. I really appreciate that you have done that and feel very glad that I was able to offer you something to help you in your horsemanship. But I won’t post them on the blog because I am sure people already think I have an inflated ego. Nevertheless, I want to make sure that you know I really do appreciate that people bother to write let me know how they are going with their horses.
Personal Space
Hello,
Thank you for your quick answer! It is really nice of you to accept to give me some advices, I will for sure come with questions soon given that someone asked me to start two colts during this summer (hopefully I'll have some time in between exams).
On the four horses I am training now, there is at least three that never heard of the concept: "do not run on me, you are 10 times heavier than me". They are those big heavy horses and I think that the owners just had no clue that you could teach a horse not to be a danger to you... They seem to think that the arabian is scared of everything beacause it is an arabian, that the big mare is pushy because she is big and so on and so forth. I told them that their horses where like that because nobody taught them to be another way, they are just horses being horses and if ten times in a row they run on you and you leave, they learn that this is the way to make you leave them alone.
But I admit that I am sometimes wondering about this concept of personnal space that a lot of people are talking about. I always hear "the horse should know that it should not go into your personal space", some people are even quite agressive with horses that come too close to them (cf. Clinton Anderson). What I like to do is working on that with the horse in a round pen, just because I think it is easier for the horse to not run on you if he has another place to go. This is mainly what I use the round pen for, I put pressure on the horse when it is turning its back at me and not paying any attention to where I am. Most of the time, and specially now that it is really hot outside, I just make them walk or trot quietly and change direction as much as needed for the horse to notice me. When I see that its ear points at me, or that its head is lowering, or it is looking at me I stop and go back. But I tend to let the horse come closer than the textbook join up technique. I like taking some time to chase the flies that are bugging the horse and to scratch them before I am asking anything else from them. Generally I just want them to be able to back up, follow me and disengage their hindquarters when they are free. But what about this personnal space talk then? For me, working with horses that have this kind if bad habbits is a new thing. I am more used to the crazy, bucking, running everywhere, overexited and anxious kind of problem (for some reason most people that were coming to my coach with "problem horses" had this type of horse). I guess I am wondering how not to get too mad, but how to stay strict enough so those horses are not dangerous anymore. I mean, they have never been dangerous to me, none ever jumped on me... but the first time I went there one of the mares litterally ran over someone (no injuries but still...).
Thank you very much, I know it is probably going to be difficult to answer given that it is just a brief description and that the question is not really precise. I just wanted to hear your opinion on that "personnal space" question. I always thought that as long as the horse is able to move his hinquarters, back up, stop when I stop, it has enough awareness of my presence not to step on me but I am looking foreward to read what you think about that. I know there is not one way that works all the time and I wish I could adapt better depending on the type of horse. But that takes experience right, so hopefully I'll get there one day.
Alice (Switzerland)
PS: sorry, I couldn't stop writing...
I'm finally home and have a few moments to answer your question.
Basically a horse finds it most comfortable when they know what is expected of them. They need the security of understanding their role in any relationship whether with a human or a horse or a goat. Problems with personal space come from a horse not knowing what is expected. Horses need boundaries or rules that they understand and when those rules break down or are not consistent then trouble comes into the relationship. If you want a horse to understand where the boundaries are, you need to be very consistent while he is learning these boundaries. It has to be always the same until he understands. It doesn't matter if you set the boundary at 5m or 100cm, as long as your horse knows where the line is drawn.
But when you have a horse that is confused and learned to be pushy, I'd encourage you to keep him at a distance. If a horse doesn't know how to not push on you, don't let him be close enough that he could push on you. Make a rule in your mind that you won't let him come any closer than a safe distance (maybe 2 or 3m) and every time he crosses the line and comes closer than that act like a crazy woman and do jumping jacks or stomp your feet in a tantrum or something that would make your horse think you are too crazy to be safe to be close to. Let it be his decision not to come closer because life gets too uncomfortable when he gets too close. Being close to you sets off your crazy button and he doesn't want to do that. Later, when he is more polite and understands not to push on you, you can allow him to be as close as you like.
In the end it is up to you to establish the boundaries and make sure you horse knows them and can rely on them to be the same always.
I hope that answers your question.