Ross' Soap Box

Australia Day came and went. I had intended to work yesterday, but the rain talked me into taking the public holiday.

A Little Vent

I have to vent a little. It’s about professionals who don’t listen. I hope I’m not one of them. A client had a saddler restuff her saddle and make a side pull for her. The saddler is an excellent craftsman and uses first class material, but doesn’t listen to the customer. The side pull was made wrong and against the wishes of the customer because the saddler thought he knew better. I have known the saddler for many years and it has always been the same. They have made a number of saddles for clients over the years and they always make unwanted changes to the customer’s description. For this reason we used a different saddler when we ordered Michele’s custom made buckaroo saddle. But again the saddler thought he knew better and put a seat in the saddle where the twist was far too wide for Michele to sit comfortably, despite our specific instructions to the contrary. The seat had to be redone from scratch and the saddler moaned about it the whole time.

It’s not just saddlers either. We have had the same experience with real estate agents, auto electricians, boot makers and car salesmen. I’m happy to take advice from people, but in the end it should always be the customer’s final decision. It’s not for anybody else to take it on himself or herself to change things against the customer’s wishes. If a person does not like that then don’t accept the job.

Ok. I feel better now. Vent over.

Seville Clinic

Des has booked us for a 1-day clinic in Seville, Victoria on March 5. See the Schedule page for contact details. Please contact Des Miller for details and bookings.

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I May Not Be Right, But I’m Certain

I had an e-mail a little while ago regarding a horse that refused to load onto a float. The owner was loading the horse when the ramp was wet. The horse slipped and fell. There was no harm done and the horse was okay. But when she tried to load the horse again, it refused. After a long time of trying the owner had to leave the horse where it was and drive home to come back another day. She asked I could go out and load the horse for her because it had to be moved. However, I was unable to find the time to help her before the horse needed to be moved. Instead I gave her some advice to think about. She tried what I suggested and was able to load the horse after a short time and get it home.

What I said to her was to be careful that she was not getting wrapped up in the notion that the horse had a fall, scared itself and she need to treat it like an injured bird. It is so easy for us to think the poor horse is now too worried to load after the fall and we need to not ask too much of it. But in most cases this is a dangerous trap.

If the horse’s first experiences of going into a float were to fall and have a fright, then you might be justified in taking your time and just asking for small changes. But the horse in question was an old time campaigner and had been floated a lot in its life with no problems. It was not scared of the float; it just didn’t want to go in. And who can blame it. Very few horses like being in them – even the self-loading horses. By getting sucked into the emotion of the situation the owner was in danger of creating a floating problem that never existed. My suggestion was to treat the situation just like it was a horse that refused to load because he was more interested in being with his friends and not because he was frightened or worried. When she did that, the problem was over.

I know of people who still find excuses that their horse is a bad to load into a float because it has a floating accident 3 years ago! Well, that was 3 years ago. Get over it and get your horse okay with the float. You do him no favour by allowing him to continue on in this manner. I question if it is the horse or the human who is not yet over the accident.

It is surprising how much of our own concerns are transmitted to the way we are around our horses. Our arena has a scary corner in it – most arenas do. The difference in the way horses handle the scary corner is interesting. The difference is black and white between when a rider is onboard who is preparing for the horse to spook and a rider who forgets the scary corner even exists.

It is part of offering a horse leadership that you convey a confidence and sureness in everything you present to your horse. It’s almost impossible for a horse believe in you and trust you if you are full of doubts and uncertainty. One thing I hear a lot from people about Michele and I is that there is a certainty in what we do. Anytime we ask a horse for something there is no doubt in our minds that something is going to change in the horse. Our certainty allows us to offer the horse a clear message and be consistent in our clarity. In turn this allows the horse to believe that when we speak it is important they listen and things are about change. Horses get a comfort from this. To a horse, it is important that the person directing the show knows what they are doing. They need to believe in it to feel safe. But there is a huge difference between offering leadership that a horse can trust in and being a dictator that doesn’t give two hoots about the feelings and needs of the horse. Be careful not to get the two confused.

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Trick Horse Video

Hey Ross,

I hope you are not so tired this week and looking forward to your move.  I have been looking at your video of the horse jumping into the back of the truck.  The thing that is most noticeable to me and you see this a lot with horses in the performance ring is  pissie ( if I can use that word) behaviour as he is being asked to perform.  As the guy in the video wants to touch him he is already pulling away and avoiding eye contact and a pat from this guy. He just want to get this over and done with, he looks like he has done this a lot as he is just auto piloting around the pen.  I am sure there is heaps more going on with this horse that I see but as usual people just see the trick and not the horse.

cheers
Kerryn

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A Voice From The Past

Hello Ross,
 
 You may remember me I won a competition HRCAV ran in their Chaff Chat several years ago. (3 sessions with yourself was the prize)
 
Anyway, several years on and a new horse later I have to admit I was very excited to stumble across your website and I will definately be keeping an eye on your up and coming clinics as I have a few glitches that I'm pretty sure my lovely mare Jazz is hoping someone can iron out for her.
 
In the mean time I would love to purchase a copy of your book and am hoping you can tell me how to go about that
 
 
Thank you
 
Belinda


I remember you very well and it is great to hear from you. Normally I have copies of my book available for sale, but I ran out a few weeks ago and I'm waiting for the publisher to send me a shipment. However, history has shown that it may be a long wait. You can purchase the book online from Amazon.com and their shipping is really quick. Plus with the high value of the Aussie dollar Amazon can sell and ship my book cheaper than I can sell one to you. There are other overseas sites that sell my book, like Eclectic Horseman, Borders, Target and Barnes and Noble, but I have not had any interest from Australian retailers (online or otherwise). I have touted my book to various booksellers in Australia, but nobody seems interested. I think the problem is the publisher - they are too difficult to deal with. If I ever write another book I think I will self publish on demand Sorry I am not able to supply you with a copy for awhile.

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Evaluating The Risk

Last entry I briefly talked about horses being worried by the way we present an idea to them. If we direct them to go through a puddle or around have more forward or whatever, it can bother even though these are things they might do on their won if we were not in the picture.

I think we all know that horses have a highly tuned sense of survival. Self-preservation is very close to the surface in a horse. You would never see a horse voluntarily jump from a plane with a parachute strapped to his back. It would take a lot of searching to find a horse that would even be remotely interested in going around a racing circuit at 300mph. Hell, there probably isn’t even a horse on the planet that would think it was fun to sit on the back of another horse and jump over fences. Insurance companies consider horse riding an extreme sport. No horse is going to knowingly have anything to do with something labelled “extreme!”

My point is that by the nature of the beast, horses are not risk takers. They have far too much sense to willingly do anything that they think my puts them in peril. Humans, on the other hand, are famous for stupid risk taking. We drive down the highway at ridiculously high speed in ridiculously close proximity to other idiots taking the same ridiculous risks and think nothing of it. A horse would never consider putting himself in that position.

But I think it this difference between human and horse that makes getting along together so troublesome. Our perception of acceptable and unacceptable risk is so different we sometimes fail to understand life from the horse’s point of view. We ride down the same rode we have ridden our horses down countless times without trouble. But today the horse sees that a wombat has been scratching at the side of the road and refuses to go forward. We see the half dug hole too, but know it is only something done by a wombat that is long gone. Stupid horse. The horse sees the incomplete wombat construction and realizes it is a trap set specifically to capture and torture horses and why doesn’t the stupid human see it? The horse wonders if the human doesn’t care if they all die or is he too stupid to know they might die. To the human, there is virtually no risk involved in riding past the spot where the wombat was digging. To the horse it is a ridiculously unacceptable risk.

Even the notion of giving to a rein aid to turn or stopping when asked can seem like a death wish from some horse’s perspective. Certainly with an unbroken horse, letting a human sit on your back can be monumentally risky. In fact, anything that is new to a horse can seem to have high risk. It takes time and training to overcome these feelings in a horse.

I think if we all understood these difference better, we would be more patient and understanding of the problems our horses face each time we handle them. We often intellectually appreciate that horses don’t do well with risk, but sometimes when our horse refuses to stand still while we mount we forget to see it from their perspective and we resort to the quick fix of having somebody hold them or hobbles or turning them to face a fence or bending their neck around to make walking away harder. We fail to see the problem as based in their worry about the risk of letting us on board and block the feet rather than block the worry.

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Asking Why

Hi Ross

Maybe if your students aren't asking why it's because they already know! I bet if you ask them for an explanation when they don't ask you why something works, they'll start asking pretty soon.

One thing I've found with a few people I've learned with lately ( partly perhaps a result of having started to grasp the basics passably so I don't need to be constantly reminded of them ) is that rather than telling me what to do it becomes more like "what happens if you...?" As a student that's quite a useful question to asked because it forces me to decide for myself whether I feel a change and what works better.

I think that gets to the heart of things- in your discussion of why trainers generalise in ways that don't always help, you touch on the difficulty of treating horses as though there is a general case. It seems to me that the opportunity you have, when you are teaching someone with a horse directly is that you can help them to know what questions they need to be asking of themselves and their horse at that time, the feedback they need to be paying attention to. I think being encouraged to experiment like that has opened a few doors for me in learning over the last year or so and been particularly useful in terms of helping me get useful things done when I got back home.

Of course, you can take a human to lessons, but you can't make them think. 

-ben

Thanks for your thoughts on the subject.

I don't feel most students do know "why". I just feel they are either not trained to ask questions or don't know what questions to ask. But it is a serious issue when I'm trying to teach. I'm not so worried by clients I've had over a long time because they mostly are comfortable enough to ask questions and pick my brains. But new students seem to have a long history of never questioning what they are taught. I don't think this is healthy.

I like the idea of asking "what happens if you...?" I can see how that could help people start to think before they act. A lot of people are afraid to experiment in their training. They seem paralyzed by the fear that they might screw up. In some way I think trainers and instructors like me are to blame because people's fear of making a mistakes has them looking to us for guidance. But if we were not so easily accessible they would be forced to experiment and try new things on their own. It's a dilemma!

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Trick Horse Video

Hi Ross,

I just looked at the video of Justin Boots.  I had to watch twice as I really wanted to be able to see what bothered you about the horse.  Sometimes when you ask these questions about other clips I really struggle to see what you do – but I know how important it is to be able to see if the horse is okay or stressed etc.  I have a lot to learn in that regard.  I wanted to give this one a go.  The horse does everything he asks, but when he is walking behind the trainer or walking toward him, the horse does not seem to look at the trainer at all.  He is looking to the side and just appears to be going through the motions of the tricks, but not really being ‘with’ the trainer.  I’m sure this horse would like to be elsewhere and not with his trainer.  Am I on the right track??  I compare this to what I saw with Harry and a horse he worked with when I came to watch.  The horse was not listening at all to the owner, walking over the top of her, and looking everywhere but at her.  Within 5 minutes with Harry he was so connected to every step Harry took and looked relaxed about being with him – it was amazing to see. JB doesn’t look like this horse that was with Harry – he just looks like a submissive horse – but disconnected.
 
If this is way off track – don’t embarrass me by putting it on the web!!!!

Cheers
Michelle

Sorry Michelle, but your answer is going on the web site because it is an excellent answer. I agree 100%. There is no connection between the horse and the trainer - there is only the tricks. To me the lack of connection indicates a trouble in the horse. He does not feel okay about the work, but is trained enough to know that it is his lot in life. I am very glad you picked up on it too. It makes me feel that I am not as crazy as some other trainers think I am. At least now I know there are at least 2 of us that are crazy.


Hi Ross
I am wondering if you have had a million emails for people trying to work out what bothers you about the horse in your latest blog video "trick horse act"    ???

Just when I thought I was beggining to pick up on a horses ques a little better! - what bothers you? I m not sure... Kate.

For me, the problem with the horse in the video is that he never engages with the trainer. He does his tricks on cue, but it appears very robotic and slavish. The horse never looks at the trainer and except for performing the tricks, never acknowledges the trainer. It is like the trainer and the horse are in two separate rooms and the horse is reading on a card what he is suppose to do for his next trick.

Watch it again and see if you agree or not.


Thanks Ross,

I do agree, I guess I was trying to look more for some 'loud' signs that the horse is bothered.

The horses reaction to throw his head when the trainer when to pat him certainly showed perhaps he was not tuned in, almost unexpected pat and not comfortable with it at that moment.    ?  but I did not identify him being tuned out initially until you pointed it out.

 - So really he was that typical 'going through the motions' like the stages we get to a lot with our horses, where we think how well they are doing but they can do it without thinking much!

kate

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I’m sorry I have been so slack about keeping regular entries going. I’ve been very busy each day and at night my mind and body is too numb to spend sitting at the computer. Basically, I’ve been slack! I’ll try to do better and be a bit more regular.

Asking Questions

I’ve been doing lots of lessons – which has been great. I’ve been enjoying the lessons, as I wean away from the training of horses more and more. If I could change one thing about the lessons it is to get people to ask “why” more. I find too many folks are content to accept anything they are told and don’t probe and pick deeper into understanding the “why” behind the things I am teaching. I find they usually aren’t in the habit of asking “why” of any instructor. It would seem that the knowledge held by instructors is sacred and not to be shared with the common rabble of horse owners. There must be a magical aura surrounding instructors that signals to students “don’t ever ask, don’t ever question.”

I’d like to start a national “WHY” campaign that requires every piece of information shared by an instructor to be accompanied by an explanation of “why” and the student cannot use that information unless they have asked a minimum of one question relating to “why”.

It really is not good enough that students just accept my word or anybodies word for what they are taught. People need to inquire and keep asking questions until they get the answers they are looking for. But most people seem to want to know “how” to do something and “why” you might do it comes secondary – or not at all if the “how” worked. For all you students out there, it is no longer good enough. It’s your dollar, make your instructors earn it and get the answers you need.

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The Trouble An Idea Can Cause!

A few days ago I was riding a horse in the jump paddock. It was her first ride out of the round yard. The horse was a bit concerned about riding between the jumps, but did okay. The owner pointed out that normally the jumps would not have bothered her at all if she were grazing in the paddock.

It was a good observation and she was correct. The horse would not have worried about moving around the jumps if I had just unsaddled her and let her wander. So why was she worried about them when I was riding?

I think the answer really highlights the problem we all have in our relationship with our horses. I believe the worry the horse felt when I rode her around the jumps was not so much about the jumps, but about giving control of where we ride to me. If she were on her own and trotting between two jumps, it would be her idea. If she decided to go between the jumps or around them or avoid them all together, she would have the freedom to do those things. She would be in control of her actions. But when I was riding her, she lost some of that control because I had taught her to respond to MY reins and MY legs. She now had to go with MY idea and not so much HER idea.

On a horse that was much further along in their education, this may not be a problem. But for a horse that was just beginning to understand the concept of having somebody on their back and directing them, it can be quite daunting.

In young horses and horses that have had poor training, giving over control to a human is a very scary thing to do. Today I rode a 10-year-old pony that was quite worried when I asked him to turn. For that little fellow a human picking up the reins to ask for a turn meant trouble, it meant resistance and it meant run through the shoulder in the opposite direction. The worry did not stem from the ponies fear of turning, but from his fear of succumbing to the feel of the reins. He couldn’t let himself be directed by me. My job was not to make him feel good about turning, but to make him feel okay about me presenting him with an idea – like turning.

A common example of this seems to be some horses that don’t wont to go forward. A lot of horses get more and more stuck the harder you try to urge them forward. Sometimes, when they do eventually go forward they buck or pigroot and the moment you stop driving them forward they come to screeching halt. Often these horses can go forward with freedom when they are on their own and it is their idea. But when a rider asks them for forward they feel like they are swimming in tar. This is because of their worry of the pressure to be asked forward. The forward does not worry as much as the pressure the rider applies to get the forward.

I am sure you can think of examples with your own horses where you see the worry come out just because you asked for something and not because the thing you asked for is a worry to them.

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Using The Seat

Hi Ross

Yesterday I went with a friend to look at a lease horse with her because the  last time she rode she had a nasty fall she said if she was to nervous would I have a ride. When we got to the ladies property the horse was in paddock with ten other horses. I noticed her carrying a few carrots which doesn't surprise me as I tend to see a lot of people do that. The lady owned three horses, one which is retired, a mare that her husband rides and this horse that she would be leasing because she is pregnant and can not look after so many horses.

When we got over to her horse he was automatically nudging her for her carrots and then once he had had some he then proceeded to nudge at me and my friend and then found that that was not working for him. While we walked over to the tack area the horse walked behind her then somehow walked over the top of me so I moved away as I did not want me feet trodden on again. After she had saddled him he received another treat of licorice and she got on him to ride him ten minutes down the rode to the pony club.

During the whole time of saddling the horse did not stop looking at us and nudging us for treats it was very intrusive and if had not been someone else's  horse I would definitely have done something to change that horses train of thought it was extremely annoying.

We drove to the pony club and got there before the horse and rider. I got out of the car and watched her trot him down the track and noticed that he couldn't keep a straight line if he tried. He zig zagged down the road like he was playing dot to dot.

When the owner got him in the arena it was the ugliest thing I have seen in a long time. She asked him out on a circle and then yelled out to me that as he warms up he really likes his lateral walk. I didn't want to say that he was actually dropping his shoulder to the outside of the arena because the horses in the other paddock were of interest to him. He kicked him on with her spurs and asked for a trot which was choppy and a canter which he would keep up for three strides with his head between his front legs trying to avoid the bit. The only time that he did do an nice trot she stayed really tight on the reins so there was no winning for this poor little guy.

The owner then came over and asked if we would like ago. My friend got on first and only road around for 5 min. I noticed the horse did not respond to anything she asked and just mindlessly went round and round. My friend then got off and I climbed on. Well this poor horse was worse than a trail horse. It only knew how to go round and round and round like a plank. Didn't know how to walk straight it thought it had to circle all the time. Was so hard on the reins I still have sore arms and shoulders. All this horse wanted to do was go out the gate. While I was riding him the owner kept yelling advice at me such as use your seat not the reins and it has puzzled me till this morning, infact it is truly bothering me. I believe I used my seat when I asked to go left and right then followed through with the reins. This horse did not respond to any rein at all nor the seat I felt but if I really sat into the saddle and turned my body to the left used no rein he would spin on his forehand. Each time I felt like I was going to topple over with him. I would then ask him to go straight and he would just go round and round and round. It was absolute madness. The only thing that made it ok is that he was not very forward so he did not feel like he was going to bolt. When I would ask him to stop and pick up the rein he did nothing and the owner kept yelling use your seat which again I thought I did but if I really sat into the saddle he would slowly consider stopping. When I asked for him to go back gently because he would push himself into the rail of the arena she would yell at me to ask with my legs not my reins.

I am very confused? Have I lost the plot or is it the owner.

I did tell me friend if she wanted a project horse and a lot of fees in having him re started go ahead with the free lease otherwise I think she would be made to take him.


It is interesting to me that the owner of the horse kept telling you to use more seat, yet she seemed fine that the horse didn't respond to the reins. There is nothing wrong with teaching a horse to work from a rider's seat - it is something that we should work towards as a horse develops softness. But that does not mean that in the process of listening to the rider's seat that a horse should lose the ability to listen to the reins. If anything the response to the reins should be even better because the reins are used to build correctness.

I can't say whether or not the trouble you had with the horse was because of the way you used your seat. Maybe the owner would have got a better result - although by the sounds of your description of her riding, I doubt it. But clearly the owner has done a poor job of training her horse if he is heavy on the reins, even if he does respond to the seat (which it sounds like he does not do well).

I had a recent experience where a lady was telling me how well her horse responded to voice commands. She showed me his backup when she spoke "back, back" and it was okay. When I asked her to use the reins, the horse threw his head up, gaped his mouth and almost had his belly touching the ground because his hindquarters were so locked up. My thought was what is the point of training a horse to voice command when they don't understand rein command? The training just becomes a series of tricks that has no relevance to actually riding with a connection between the rider and the horse.

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Random Questions

Hi Ross,

I think I’m doing ok with Indy, but there’s still a couple of questions I have (I’m sure there will be plenty more to come!!!)

1. When I turn and stand in front of Indy and get him to back up (I still am not quite sure how to get him straight), after I’ve done it a few times he begins to do it without me asking and I don’t want him to. I want him to do it when I ask him, what should I do if he does this????

2. Indy still doesn’t tend to focus on me properly. He’s like a two year old and is distracted by anything and everything. Any little noise will get him to not focus on me, and he’s never quite looking straight at me, he has his head off to the side, even if it’s just slight. I get his attention by saying something or jiggling the rope but he never seems to be completely focused on me, despite the hot filly photo that I taped to my t-shirt, hahaahahaha. 

3. This may seem like a bit of a silly question, and I’m not sure if it’s the most important question, but how do you know if your horse loves you? Sometimes I see people with their horses and it seems like there is a bond that cant be broken, and the horse will do anything for the owner. Sometimes when I go into the paddock and try to walk up and pat Indy he puts his ears really far back and tries to bite me. I’m not sure if it’s a major attitude problem or I might be doing something wrong without even realising it???

Looking forward to seeing you on Friday. :)

Thanks,

 Nat


I'll do my best to answer you.


1. If your horse is backing without being asked, first make sure you really aren't asking. Sometimes we give out signals that we don't even know we are presenting. Horses are very good at picking very tiny changes in our body. Second, if it is a matter that he is anticipating you then block him from backing up until you ask. He may feel he knows what you are about to ask and wants to respond before you apply the pressure. Just take the lead rope when he tries to shift his weight back and bring him forward. Block the backing. Ask him to stand quietly until you give your clear signal to back up.

2. Well if he is not looking at the hot filly photo on your t-shirt, he must be gay - try a photo of the black stallion and see if that gets his attention.

It's almost impossible to advise you on what to do without being there. I suspect it is a combination of his worry and your timing that he tries to avoid looking at you and gets distracted so easily. We may have to set that aside for when you next visit for a lesson because it is too hard to offer advice that will get you a result. So much feel goes into asking a horse to stay focused that words on a screen can not come close to convey to you how to go about it.

3. I have my doubts that horses can feel or offer love. But I believe they can find comfort in our presence - it's rare but it is possible, I think. Don't be too envious of people you feel have a bond with their horses because most times it is not real and more likely a trick the horse has inadvertently learned along the way. It is a problem that Indy gets pissy with you, but it's not one that you should try to address directly. Indy's attitude is the result of not feeling good about people and work. Don't worry about the ears or the biting, but worry about improving how he feels in the work. In time, as he feels better about working with you the attitude will change for the better. It may take weeks or months, but you can't force a horse to like you - you have to earn it. You are not alone with this problem. Very many people have the same problem and don't even know it. It's more common than you think.

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Trick Horse Act

This is a pretty good trick. But there is something about this horse that bothers me. What do you think it is and do you agree? Let me know.

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It’s been a very busy week. As well as the usual commitments to training horses, I’ve had an extra load of lessons – which is great. This week is promising to be just as busy.

Trainers Are Big Fat Liars

I’ve been trying to catch up on my reading lately. I’ve had my nose in books authored by other horse trainers. I have also been thinking about the stuff I discuss in my teaching, this web site and my book. And I have come to the conclusion that us trainers are just big fat liars and it is a wonder we aren’t all burnt to a crisp because our pants are on fire all the time.

What I’m trying to say is that we all talk in generalities about principles of training horses. But the generality probably only applies to 5% or less of horses and the other 95% only vaguely behave according to the rules we talk about in our books and dvds.

Let’s look at some examples. I often talk about the importance of directing a horse’s thought so that he can direct his feet. I describe how when a horse moves his feet ahead of his thought, there is some resistance or trouble inside that horse. I try to sell the idea that good training is about directing the horse’s mind and letting him take care of the feet. And in general I believe that to be true and an important principle. But there are some horses that I have found I cannot get through to their mind unless I move their feet first. Some horses put a wall up between you and them and I have found it requires moving them to open a crack in the wall. That doesn’t mean a better trainer could not get to their mind first, but I know that for some horses I have found it necessary to move them in order to tap into their thoughts. The first time a horse is saddled is one example that comes to mind. If a horse is worried about the saddle, I find it very hard to help them feel better without having them move. Moving seems to help them because I think it can allow them to express their worry through their bucking and running and it gets a change in the way they feel.

Another example. When Pat Parelli teaches lunging to people he tells them that in order to get a horse to turn and come into you, that you must tilt your upper body towards the opposite direction they are travelling to get their hindquarters to yield away from you. But probably only 5% of horses will respond to this unless they have already been trained to that cue. So what do you do if your horse doesn’t respond? Parelli doesn’t tell you that in his book or dvd. He is a big fat liar for 95% of horses.

One more example. Alois Podhajsky wrote a classic training book for dressage called “The Complete Training of Horse and Rider.” In that book, he explains teaching a young horse to canter on the correct lead. He describes how the rider should use his legs, seat and reins in order to obtain the correct lead. But the vast majority of young horses won’t know anything about inside leg, outside leg etc. Podhajsky doesn’t say anything about what a trainer should do if the horse does not take the correct canter lead. He just writes that this is how it should be done, so that’s how it is done! If people try this on a young horse they will discover Podhajsky is a big fat liar when it comes to training many horses.

It is the nature of what we do that means we can only talk in generalizations. On several occasions I have coached on a person with a difficult horse situation, but discovered when I took the reins or the lead rope I did something very different to what I told them. I’ve seen Ray Hunt say one thing and then do something almost the opposite when he handled the horse.

Thinking about this makes me very despondent and wondering why the hell we even bother trying to teach horsemanship. It’s our inadequacy at teaching it that gets people into trouble when what we have taught doesn’t apply to their horse or their situation.

We are all just big fat liars!

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Stable Horse Again

Hi Ross
We have 10 horses on the farm.  Split up into groups of 2 in each pasture.  6 stay out almost 100% of the time but I have 4 that come in for various reasons.  The only reason the mare comes in is because her paddock buddy is an elderly horse that needs a lot more hay than she. It would be nice to leave her out and just bring in the old gelding.  That will be my goal in the future.

I guess I was thinking horses seek more comfort with a routine, but that was only causing more angst in this case.  I'll need to be creative at night too as she displays an unsettled behavior after putting her in her stall.    She is usually the 3rd or 4th horse to come in out of 4 horses.  She has a big stall with no neighbors.  Yet, she still makes a point to back up into the wall and kick.

I'll try taking her somewhere else, indoor arena or just stop in the barn aisle to give her a brushing before putting her away for the night.

Good ideas, Thanks.

I live about 2 hrs from Chicago!  How exciting!  I'll keep an eye out for your clinic or trip schedule.  Perhaps I can get a lesson in while you are in the Chicago area.  This mare is my project (bought her as a long yearling) and I have been following your style of horsemanship for her training.  Its been very successful compared to my old ways.  I am really enjoying this journey and the outcome has given me a lot more confidence in the methods, philosophy and myself as a horsewoman.

Thanks for putting it out on the web for the public to learn from.

Andrea


You are right that horses get comfort from knowing a routine, but in this case it is the knowledge of knowing what is about to happen that is causing her anxiety - it's the anticipation. It's like a dog at feeding time. They know the time and they know the routine that happens around feeding and they get very excited even before you present the food - well at least our dog does. It is the anticipation of what is about to happen that can lead to the behaviour. So if you change the routine it helps diminish the anticipation and the associated behaviour. But be aware that sometimes when you change a horse's routine, things initially get worse before they get better. But your eventual goal will be to have your mare feel okay with however you order your procedure.

I'm very glad you are getting some benefit from the web site. I hope you continue to enjoy your time with your horses and wish you lots of luck with your journey.

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From Canada

Hello Ross,
 
Thanks for the reply.  I wanted to take a trip up to Tamworth the last time I was in Auz but never got that far North.  I worked as an agricultural technologist for the provincial department of agriculture here in Alberta back in the 80's and early 90's and we had a beef cattle specialist from Tamworth do an exchange program with one of our specialists down at Lethbridge in Southern Alberta (we lived there for many years).  I had hoped to get up to visit the chap at Tamworth but just didn't get it into the schedule.  The guy was a horseman as well and had done some Jackaroo work up in Queensland in his younger days.  I always regret not making the trip to see him.
 
Yes, we complain about the winter but I can live with it much easier than rain and floods.  I sure hope things clear up there soon.
 
I enjoy the video clips you put on your site.  That one of the 200 + horses in Southern Alberta is out near Standoff and the Pegan Indian reserve West of Fort Macleod.  The natives have a huge tract of land that they run a lot of horses on.  It's estimated by some that the herd is well over a thousand.  They have a ton of horses that are 10-15 years old and never had a hand on them.  Horses are still looked upon as a sign of wealth just as they were back in the old days when a brave would trade "many ponies" for a bride (nothing has changed....men are still doing foolish things for women, ha ha!). 
 
This internet thing is great when it comes to learning and a whole world opens up on any subject a person wants to study.  One guy I really enjoy is Bent Branderup.  After watching so many clips on you tube I purchased his DVDs called "Riding Aids - Bent Branderup".  In my humble opinion he is a master and his horses are so fluid, smooth, soft and light with a calm relaxed attitude.  His dressage is such a sharp contrast to the sad state of affairs in competitive dressage that we see today.  As with everything touched by the hand of man, some things get screwed up and some get done very well.
 
All the best and I hope your move goes well.
 
Carman

I'm glad you enjoyed the clip of the horses in Alberta. I really liked it. I'm also glad you like Branderup. He is one dressage trainer I admire tremendously. I have never seen him first hand and after the disappointment of watching a Phillipe Karl clinic, I'm not sure I want to see Branderup - I fear I might feel very despondent afterwards. I'm sure he is a little peculiar but what a wonderful trainer.

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A Story About Supporting A Horse To Learn

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A Good Rider

I was telling somebody a few days ago that I find it impossible to make a horse feel okay about bad riding. I think to have a horse do well inspite of having a poor rider on board means a horse has to shut out the rider to some degree. I don’t believe a horse can have a strong mental connection to a bad rider and still feel okay inside. To me, many good kid’s ponies are an example of this. Most kids are not good riders and in my experience don’t become good riders until they reach around the age of puberty. For a pony to be really suitable for a kid, most of them tune out or shut down to a large extent. That’s why most kid’s ponies are not soft on the reins or responsive to the legs. Most of them have to be hauled to a stop and bludgeoned to go. Which makes them perfect for kids who don’t know what they are doing. But unfortunately, it means that the pony does his thing while being in a different to land to his half pint jockey. Other examples of this are horses from trail riding schools and schoolmasters used to teach people to ride.

But after my discussion on this topic, I started to think about what is a good or bad rider? What makes one rider better than another?

Clearly, it’s not just somebody who sits more correctly on a horse. There are lots of people who sit well on a horse and can still bother their horses. It’s not perfect balance or holding the reins correctly or not gripping with your legs or having the right amount of contact or no contact. There has to be more to it.

After some thought, I believe a good rider is one who is clear in his message to the horse’s brain. He does enough to plant a thought into the mind of the horse and the message is so clear and unconfused that the horse immediately understands his role. I think this is what makes a rider effective and horses prefer effective riders to correct riders.

My first mentor was a Dutch fellow who was nearly 2m tall and came from a showjumping family in Holland. He sat on a horse like a rag doll and sometimes his seat position was questionable. But he was one of the most effective riders I have ever seen. It didn’t matter if he pointed a horse at a jump or asked for a half pass, he caused horses minimum bother. He was a joy to watch. He knew how to ask a horse and then stay out of the horse’s way. But most riding instructors would be horrified by how he sat a horse.

I think we all cause our horses some degree of trouble in our riding. We just can’t be perfect all the time. We confuse them with mixed signals, like applying leg pressure while asking for a rein back. Or we interfere with what we are trying to have a horse do such as asking for a left turn while our upper body is twisted to the right. It gets in the way of what we asked for. So a horse has to decide whether to tune that out or express his anxiety or both. Almost always it will appear as some level of resistance such as crookedness or heaviness on the reins.

When I say to people that I don’t believe a horse can feel okay with bad riding, I think they interpret that to mean they need to study correct riding position. And I would never discourage that because I feel it is important that we all learn to sit well on a horse. But I guess if you really think about it, no riding is bad if it does not bother a horse that is paying attention. Any riding that the horse can feel comfortable about must be okay – even if it means the riding is facing backwards and sitting on the rump.

There are good reasons why we have established rules about what is and is not correct about riding positions. We look at a rider and notice if he leans forward or backwards; or if his hands are too low or too high; or if he grips with his calves or not. We judge these things based on our understanding of the rules of a good riding position. I am not criticising these rules because I understand that they were established to benefit the horse. However, our judgement is meaningless in the face of the horse’s view. If a rider fulfils all the requirements of sitting correctly on a horse, yet the horse is still bothered, then they are not a good rider in my opinion. A person who does not tick any of the boxes that make up a correct riding position, but who can effectively help their horse feel okay inside, is a better rider than one that doesn’t.

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Stabled Horse

Hi Ross,

I've been a fan of yours for a couple years now, reading your book, blog and articles on your site.  If you ever come to the states, midwest area, I hope I get the opportunity to meet you and Michele.  I'm also trying to talk a nearby equestrian facility into hosting Harry Whitney.  Not sure if they contacted him or not yet, but I do hope they try.

Anyway, I would appreciate your insight on how to help a horse become "ok" being in a stall.  I don't mean always kept in one, but every night, the horses come inside and are turned back out in the morning.  I know this mare would have a fit being left outside by herself too so she must come in with everyone else.  They all peacefully eat, but she snatches at her food and occasionally kicks the wall.  I'm assuming she does rest at night eventually.

In the morning while turning horses out, well you can guess what kind of commotion is going on in her stall.  Its like flipping a switch when the halter is put on and she is asked to stand quietly.  I do believe she is "ok" once she is with me.  Is she just trying to get my attention?  Or does it really have to do with confinement and she knows when I come, she is getting set free? I almost think it has to do with being with me, because she acts very impatient while taking horses into the barn at night, but again, once I halter her I can make her wait till the cows come home and she stands quiet with a soft expression.  She has always tried to monopolize my time if I'm just hanging out with the herd, chasing other horses away from me and I do discourage that behavior by moving her away from me so I can be with another horse.

Otherwise, all day in the pasture, she does act as any other horse would. When I come out to get her to work with her, she is very eager to come be with me.  She is doing really well in regards to her training, I think.
Have you ever seen this before?  Its frustrating to figure out for me because this behavior is during her free time.  Not while I'm handling her.

How can I help her?
Thanks for your input.
Andrea Wisconsin, USA


Michele and I hope to get to the US later this year and do a few clinics as well as visit friends and Michele's folks (she's from Chicago), so there maybe an opportunity to meet and talk horses. In the meantime, I hope you are able to talk the facility near you to arrange a clinic with Harry - they won't be disappointed.

In regards to your horse problem, I think you are asking how you can get your mare to settle down while you turn the other horses out of the stalls? Is that right? If that is what you are asking, then the first thing that comes to mind is to break your routine. Your mare knows what is coming and anticipates the morning ritual. She is anxious to have her turn to go to the paddock with her friends. The stable door is in the way of her idea of being with her friends in the field. The door of the stable causes her anxiety because it is between her and what she needs to get done.

You don't say how many horses you have stabled at night, but lets say you have 5 horses. If you let them out 1 horse at a time, vary the order you catch and release the horses almost randomly. It won't be random because you will try to make the order different each day, but you get my meaning. I would take out horse D first, then C then horse A then horse E and finally horse B. The following day would be a different order. The time between taking each horse out of the stable should be varied too. If you wait for 10 mins between the first and second horse, then maybe 2 mins between the second and third horse, then 20 mins between the third and fourth, then 5 mins between the fourth and fifth horse.

For the first week there may be quite an eruption in the barn in the mornings. But with persistence the horses will learn to stay quiet and wait for their turn. If your troubled mare is not settled by the time you get to her turn, choose another horse. I would wait and wait until she at least settled some before turning her out.

I have seen this work with horses at feeding time and I have also used it myself with horses that were locked up for feeding and anticipated their release once the feeding was over. It takes a little effort on your part, but it can be really effective in helping a horse change their feelings.

An alternative approach to consider is that rather than turn your mare out to the paddock with her friends in the morning, you might take her to the arena or trail and ride or give her some form of work. Take her thoughts off the paddock and the horses and fill them with more important thoughts. Again, the principle is to break the cycle of anticipation of being free to run with her buddies. The work is not meant as a punishment, but as source of alternative thoughts and different ways to respond to seeing you in the morning. She doesn't need to act like Chicken Little. She needs a reason not to get so emotionally wrapped up in the idea of being letting out of the stable in the morning.

There are other approaches you could take, but the principle is still the same of helping her not be so emotionally dependent on being let out of her stable by giving her other ideas to occupy her thoughts.

I hope that helps give you some ideas to experiment with and find ways of helping your mare.

Good luck.

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From Alberta

Hi Ross,
 
I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your web site and the tons of good info you share with the world.  It has to take a lot of dedication to do all your training (horses and people) and keep up with everything that you have going on your site.
 
I'm a guy from Alberta Canada who rides and trains just for the pure pleasure of being around horses.  I realized after reading your articles and blog that I am very closely aligned with you on my thoughts about horses.  The big one you mention is focusing on what the horse is thinking.  Many, many years ago I went to the first Ray Hunt clinic in Southern Alberta and most of us there didn't really have a clue what Ray was trying to share with us.  He did things with horses that we'd never seen and had no clue of how he got the response he did.  He gave most of the credit to Tom Dorrance and years later when reading Tom's book and Ray's I saw how the pieces kind of fit together.  
 
I like to study, and It has taken a lot of years for me to figure out how to get the horse "with me". I'm still learning.  I've had the good fortune in the past few years of helping a few people get along pretty good with their horses and it's great how working with others seems to help when you go to handling your own horses.  I've been telling people about your site because I think what you have to share is very insightful and real.  For me it's very enriching and I hope you keep this up for a long time.
 
I've been to Auz twice a few years back and spent some time around Melbourne and Geelong and also up around Sydney.  You have a lot of good horses down under and I got a chance to do a little riding in the bush up North West of Sydney.  Met some nice people.  I'm curious about your move to NSW.  I hope you're not moving into "flood country".  Good luck!
 
May the horse be with you.
 
P.S. I wish we had your weather.  We're getting record snow falls and bitter cold (-30°C tonight).  It's fun feeding horses out doors!
 
Cheers,
Carman Conrad
Edmonton, AB


Thanks you for your kind words and support. I have been to Edmonton several times and really liked it - even in winter. I used to be a medical researcher and lived in Ontario for a few years. Edmonton had (and I'm sure still does have) an excellent fetal research unit which was my excuse to travel to the north. But I sympathize with the difficulty of working with horses in your winter.

We will be moving to the New England Tablelands, just west of Inverell - north of Tamworth and south of the Queensland border. The area is not prone to flooding. It is a terrible time for those poor folks in the flood regions. This time last year the biggest problem was a devastating drought and not a devastating flood.

If you ever get back to Australia, I hope you visit and we can spend some time around the horses.

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Does anyone else feel they a peddling flat out, but the tide keeps pushing you backwards? I feel like that lately. I don’t seem to have the time to get nearly as much done, as I need. I’m not able to keep up with much these days.

We had a great day on Saturday at Lower Plenty Pony Club. Thanks to Kate Manikas for inviting us and doing all the hard working of organizing the day. Thanks too to Kate's mum for the fantastic bbq lunch. Even though it was a hot and windy day, the hours seem to fly by. There were some lovely people and very nice horses.

I have decided to cancel the lesson weekends in the coming months. I will continue to give lessons for those who want them, but I can’t commit to setting aside a whole weekend to just lessons. So there will not more lesson weekends, but folks can contact me about arranging lessons if they wish.

I picked up our new horse trailer today. It’s a Titan stock trailer and was imported from Kansas, USA. We are very happy with it. The quality if first class and it has all the features we wanted. I prefer a good stock trailer to most horse floats because it has the best ventilation and can be used for other purposes than just moving horses. It is going to be very handy when we move house.

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Having A Job Versus Competing

I was discussing happy horses with a client last week. I mentioned that some of the most contented horses I have seen are ones that feel they have a job and some of the least happy horses are often ones in competition. The client asked whether or not competing can be giving a horse a job. It’s an excellent question.

I can see how a horse that likes to work cows could also learn to like jumping. When I thought about it some more I started to see that if done well there is no difference between giving a horse a job that he might feel okay about and competing. Why couldn’t a competition be another job that a horse could get into? And why don’t I see many happy horses in competition?

I think the answer is two fold.

Firstly, I think for a horse to feel okay he has to understand what is his job. He needs to know why he is being directed in the way the rider is doing that. For example, working a cow can make sense to a horse if done correctly. A horse can learn what is expected of him because he learns about tracking a cow or directing a cow. Pickup horses at a rodeo can be the same. They learn their job and if the training has been good, he can get it done with minimum upset to their feelings. There are plenty of jobs that a horse can learn to feel okay about.

Furthermore, when you have a job like being a pickup rider if your horse is not okay with it he will let you down sometimes. A nervy or scared horse will not get close enough to a bucking horse for the rider to pick up the bronc rider. So he had better get that horse feeling okay.

Often competition doesn’t make sense to a horse. A horse might learn to do canter lead changes every stride, but he doesn’t understand why. There is nothing for him to feel there is a purpose to what he does in the arena. A jumping horse can at least see a jump and learn he is expected to get to the other side. That can have meaning. A barrel racer can make sense of the need to run barrels. A polo horse may even understand about chasing a ball.

But the problem with competition is that all too often the rider gets wound up in the success of competing. The winning takes over the job. People jump horses in competition that are scared of jumping because they still give clear rounds and win ribbons. But if you had a cow horse that behaves like some of the show jumpers, your horse would run right past or over the top of the cows and it would be a big mess – the horse would be useless for the job. But that horse is still okay to jump because it still jumps clear and fast.

So I think that a horse feeling he has a job and there is a purpose to what we ask of them is a wonderful thing and goes a long way to helping a horse feel okay inside. I also think that competing can be just as effective a job as anything else. But I think competition brings out the secret agenda of winning in people and this gets in the way of doing what we can to help our horses feel better. We tend to dismiss the way they feel unless it gets in the way of winning.

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Clear And Consistent

Hi Ross

I just watched the clip you posted on your blog with the agility dog. That is fantastic and it is so true. No matter what the animal, we don't take the time to be clear and consistent with our training. The most important lesson I got from Michele and you was when I was coming with Nicky to the monthly lesson and it seemed that we were in the same place all the time when you both said to me if I didn't take the time to work with her I would be  doing the same thing till Christmas. It was then that I decided that once a week got me nowhere and I had to start putting in more.


I found the more time i spent with Nicky the clearer the language between us became and the more change and try I saw in her. Everything that dog says rings a bell even down to sticking to one training method and not screwing with their heads. What a giggle that clip was but so very true too.

Irena


I think the dog clip is very apropos to the relationship many of us have with our horses. I really like it when the owner tells the dog she is going to buy a new and start all over again and the dogs answers "good luck with that." It mirrors what I have said many times to people who come to us who are having problems with their horses. I have often said, "you can either decide to sell the horse because you don't want to deal with the problems. Then buy a new horse that you hope will do everything you want - until it stops doing everything you want. OR you can see working with your horse and the problems as an opportunity to learn to become a better horse person." People make their choices.

I once had a client who sent me a horse for a couple of days assessment. It had a relatively minor issue (I can't remember what) that I told her would take about 3-4 weeks of work to resolve. But she decided she didn't have the time to visit regularly to work with me and learn how not to let the same issues develop again later. She told me she thought she had better put the horse down. I told her that it was unnecessary and that I would find a good home for the horse. But she said she couldn't bare the thought of the horse going to another home and refused to allow me to find somebody who would take the gelding. She arranged the guy from the abattoir to come and shoot the horse the next day. The worse part was that she arrived a couple of hours before the fellow and gave the horse some carrots and cried while cuddly the horse. I was so made I couldn't even speak to her and drove off to the local shop because I suddenly remembered I needed to buy some milk or shoe polish or something just to get away from there. When I got home she was gone and I was left to deal with the killing of the horse. She couldn't even take responsibility for her decision.

I know that story is a little off track, but when I saw the dog agility clip I thought of that horse and owner immediately. I still makes me angry.

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Marlis Amato

Hi Ross,

Your book arrived from Amazon u.s., and I’m really enjoying it.  I love what you say about being responsible for, but not “owning,” our horses. I love your whole respectful approach -- in the book and on your website. AND I’m happy to learn of your publisher. What an amazing list of titles! Ah! so many books, so little time. But there’s definitely a bunch I want to delve into.

I finally got a copy of Marlis Amato's  book in the mail to you yesterday, so I hope it will arrive soon.  You surprised and delighted me by printing my entire e-mail on your blog. I especially appreciated your including Marlis’ website. I feel so lucky to have met her soon after I got back into horses a few years ago. Her “MEA way” has made every day with my horses a pleasure (even the difficult days). Along with the work we do with my horses (and I'm one of those returning-in-middle-age horse enthusiasts, a near beginner), I sometimes ride with her and observe and/or videotape her sessions with other horses. It is amazing to see her work with horses and owners at every level. One dressage client has begun calling her his “secret weapon.”

I continue to absorb your good horse sense almost daily. Thank you for all your good writing on so many different topics.

Looking forward to reading more and meeting you and Michelle one of these days.
Happy New Year!
Kate


Thank you Kate. I'm glad you are enjoying the Walt and Amos stories and I hope there is something in them to help you with your horse. It's very kind of you to send me a copy of Marlis' book and I look forward to reading it. I'm way behind on my reading with Tom Moates' latest book still only about half finished. But I enjoy learning about other peoples ideas regarding horses and training. I'm always looking for the next cathartic moment in my understanding.

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Herding Horses

This is the coolest clip of 3 cowboys herding 200 horses along the highway in southern Alberta, Canada. There is a part 1 & 2.

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My Failures

I was talking today to a client about a horse that I saw recently. I made the point that the horse was such an emotional wreck and likely to be that way for the rest of it’s like that I felt very sad for the horse. I feel it will spend its life being passed from person to person in an attempt to train it and in the process have some really horrible experiences at the hands of people determined to make it a riding horse.

I have seen a few horses like this in my life. Horses that I believe were never born to be riding horses. There was a time when I would break in (or attempt to) horses like this because that’s what I was paid to do. But these days I am far more likely to tell owners to either forget about breaking in the horse or if they insist on making it into a riding horse to send it to another trainer who will bronc ride it into submission and hope for the best. I feel that there are some horses where it would be kinder to euthanize them than to try to turn them into our dream horse. There are worse things that can happen to horses like this than a humane death.

I use to think all horses could turn out okay if handled correctly. But I’m not so sure anymore. For me there is a difference between making a horse rideable and teaching a horse to be rideable. I think some trainers are very good at making horses submissive and to tolerate their life under saddle. But I am no longer interested in starting horses that have to be drilled into submission. If I can’t get through to a horse to help them feel okay about their riding experience, I no longer want to start them. I do see it as my failure. There is no question that if a horse does not leave here feeling better about working with people than it did before it arrived, I have failed. It doesn’t matter if the owner thinks the horse is going great. If the horse is not better inside, I feel horrible.

I remember one horse in particular that caused me to feel this way about starting horses. He was by a sire that I knew well and had always found his offspring difficult. This horse would freak out at everything. If a mosquito farted in New Guinea he would jump! He was a big project, but eventually he was going okay – but not great. He was just unpredictable and lacked a sense of self-preservation. If he got scared he was just as likely to run into a wall or jump in front of a truck. He certainly was not fun to ride. I made sure the owner had enough rides at my place to be totally aware of what she was taking home before he left. Over the next few years I saw this horses from time to time either because he was brought to a clinic or I was asked to give a lesson. In 5 years he had changed hands 4 times and every time I saw him he was sadder and sadder. His body was marked with not just injuries, but battle scars from the abuse inflicted on him by owners and other trainers to make him the horse he was bought to be. Part of his problem was that he was well-bred, good looking and super athletic, so people were reluctant to give up on him. If he had looked like a milk wagon horse, he probably would have been left to retire in a paddock for the rest of his days.

That horse helped me decide that if I felt I could not help a horse feel better about work, I would not go on with the training. I can’t stop owners from taking their horse to other trainers and trying again, but at least I don’t have to be part of the problem. I’ve had this experience a few times and sometimes it has caused a bit of anger on the part of owners. But I’m okay with that because I’ve seen what has happened to about half of those horses, months and years later. I have not yet seen one horse that I felt I made a wrong call about. Other times, owners have taken on board my thoughts and agreed to let their horses retire as companion horses. Most people are not surprised because they have already seen examples the inner turmoil in their horses long before they send them to us.

While I hate disappointing clients and squashing their high hopes for their horses, I think I have saved a few owners and horses from serious injury. But of course, not all owners listen or want to hear what I have to say. Sometimes, these horses have been sent to 2 or 3 other trainers before the owner has given up. Other times another trainer has finished the horse, but it usually doesn’t work out that the owner can then get along with the horse at home and the horse is being sold within a year.

I don’t want you to think we fail every second horse sent to us. I should say that a rough estimate of the numbers of horses I think we have not broken in successfully is approximately less than 1%. This is not too bad when you considered a better known trainer whose business is much bigger than ours claimed a few years ago that about 10% of horses could not be helped. One has to wonder what is going on if you can’t help 1 in 10 horses? He must be getting the most difficult horses in the country!

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Breed Bigotry

I often get asked about what breed of horses I like or dislike. I was discussing this recently with somebody when they asked my view on breeds that I like.

I have worked with a pretty large variety of breeds over the years, but not all of them have I handled in sufficient numbers to have formed an opinion.

I should say from the start that I try not to form an opinion of a horse based on its breed. There is as big a difference within a breed as there is between breeds of horses. You can get spooky Arabs and quiet Arabs or dull Fjords and super sensitive Fjords. Each horse should be judged by what it is and not opinion you have already formed of it’s breeding.

But there are some general trends.

I really like the more sensitive type of horse, so I tend to enjoy Thoroughbreds and Arabs. I also like very smart ponies. One of the nicest horses I have seen in awhile is a Connemarra. I find Friesians tend to be difficult to work with. But I know 2 Friesians that I would enjoy owning. The best horse I have ever owned was pure Percheron and the best showjumper I have ever trained was an Arab/Percheron. I’ve seen lots of Morgans that I liked and have rarely seen a Foxtrotter that wasn’t nice. The Warmbloods run about 50/50 from very nice to “why did you pay for this?” I can’t ever recall a crossbred with American Saddlebred in it that was not difficult. I’ve seen some really nice Saddlebreds, but for some reason they don’t seem to crossbreed well. On the other hand, Selle Francais make better crossbreds than pure breds. In regard to Iberian horses I prefer Lusitanos to Andulasians, but both breeds can produce wonderful horses and I think are better left as pure lines. Bashkir Curly horses are smart, but very stoic. And Paso Finos are really fun, but can have a hair-trigger.

These are just my personal tastes and based on my experiences, but don’t relate in any way to any particular horse – purely generalizations.

But in my conversation with the person I was discussing this topic with, she commented that many people consider TB and Arab horses as hot. I said that I think is not true. There is a difference between a hot horse and a sensitive horse. I believe TB and Arab horses are generally sensitive and sensitive horses can be made hot by insensitive training.

Many TB horses are ex-racehorses and as such have had some pretty rough training that has taught them to quickly turn on their adrenaline. Adrenaline is easy to turn on rapidly, but really hard to turn off and so many hot TB horses are victims of bad training.

Likewise, Arabs are smart and sensitive. Unclear signals and inexact handling easily confuse them. Most Arabs think faster than most humans are aware. So when they try an option it happens so fast that people struggle to see it and often release for the wrong thing. In addition, Arabs find it hard to shut out bad training. They almost take every signal from the trainer literally. So Arabs generally require a person to be really on the ball. If you can’t do that it confuses them and causes enough stress for most people to consider them “hot”.

What I like about many TB and Arab horses is that their sensitivity and intelligence make sit easier to keep their focus and to train them to be the softest horses you will ever ride. They can potentially almost work off a rider’s thought and be lots of fun.

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Here is a clip that I think is very pertinent to horses and horse people.

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Harry New Year to Everyone

With the start of a new year I have added December Soap Box to the archives and put Chapter 6 of the Satts’ stories on the Story page. In addition, I included my dialog on design features to look for when buying a horse float onto the Horse Talk page.

We have been asked to teach at a 3 day clinic in South Australia in mid March. It will probably be held in Echunga on March 12-14. For anyone who may be interested in attending please go to the Schedule page for contact details of the sponsors. We have not done a clinic in S.A. before, but I know there are several readers of this web site from S.A. and I hope you will all be able to attend whether to ride or to watch.

We Are Moving!

Some of you probably already know that Michele and I are in the process of purchasing a property in Northern NSW – between Inverell and Warialda. The move probably won’t happen for a few months yet because of commitments we have in Victoria. However, as a result of our relocating I am not accepting any more horses for training. I need to finish the training commitments I already have and don’t feel I can accept any further work.

However, I am happy to do more teaching in the coming months and I am available for instruction outside our normal lesson weekends.

Furthermore, Michele and I have made the commitment to several people that we will visit Victoria a couple of times a year to hold a series of clinics if the demand is there.

Since establishing myself in Victoria 20 years ago, the business has grown and grown and I feel very grateful to the clients and supporters for their patronage. We have made some wonderful friends through the work and feel very fortunate for the life it has given us. I’ll be happy if life in NSW is as good to us as it has been in Victoria these past two decades.

But as I say we are not moving for sometime and life here will go on as usual. If folks are interested in having lessons, you know how to contact me.

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The Bolt

About a month ago I was riding a young Quarter Horse for a client. The horse was broken in by the owner and was very green with only a handful of rides. He was a little reluctant about going out the property gate, but with some patient urging he managed to steer out to the road.

This particular week was hard rubbish week. It’s when the council comes around and picks up the trash that would not normally go into your daily trash. People load the kerbside with paint cans, mattresses, chairs, televisions, bikes, hot water heaters etc. Hard rubbish collection comes around twice a year here and people put their junk out for several days until the council collects it.

As I rode the gelding out to turn right down the gravel road everything was fine. I picked up the right rein and he flowed softly to the right heading away from home. But by the third stride I was caught in a tornado. The horse spun to the left and took off so fast there was a vacuum in our wake. He spun and bolted with such force I was surprised I was still in the saddle. I reached for the left rein to turn him and felt a terrible hardness. The horse was ridged and his mind was gone.

Many people would continue to pull one rein in an attempt to get the horse turned and back under control. But I relaxed the rein and went with the horse as best I could. Once I felt the severity of the brace to the left rein I knew nobody was home and the horse was not going to even register that I had touched the rein. This horse was in a true bolt. It wasn’t just a shy followed by some running. He was mentally gone and in panic mode.

My best bet was not to try to turn him, but to go with him and try my best that he didn’t run into a tree. But with every panic there comes a moment in any bolt when the panic subsides and turns into a flee. It’s when the horse gets enough distance between him and the scary object that his brain engages again and he is aware of what he is doing. At that moment it’s possible to use one rein to turn a horse and disengage his hindquarters in order to regain control. To try to bend a horse with one rein before that moment runs the risk of him hitting a tree or flipping over because there is not enough awareness of his actions that would stop him from hurting himself and the rider along with him.

When a horse becomes truly panicked, the fear in him rises very quickly and sharply. During this phase of his panic there is very little that a horse takes in except to get as far away from that spot as possible in the shortest time. This panic phase may last several seconds. If you try to intervene and prevent the flight response during this phase you can make matters much worse. Stopping a horse from fleeing that believes he has to run to save his life can cause a major catastrophe and serious injury. You are basically telling the horse that you don’t care if he is going to die. It would be like me trying to hold you still while somebody is about to shoot you dead. So you are best to stay out of his way and go with him or bale out if you think the situation is too dangerous.

However, once the initial panic phase has begun to subside, it is possible to direct the horse and gain back control of the situation. This is what happened with the QH. I allowed him to bolt down the road for about 6 strides when I felt a change in his level of fear. I then used the left rein and had him turned by the 10th stride with no risk of him falling or running into anything because his brain was back in the present. I allowed him to settle and went on with our ride.

Lots of people are taught the 1-rein stop and practice all the time. It does have its place in some situations. If a horse is in sub-panic awareness, a 1-rein stop can help a rider regain control of a situation. But to hear some trainers and clinicians talk they would have you believe it saves lives. It doesn’t. It can sometimes get you hurt if a horse is in a true panic. In fact, in some situations a where a horse is in sub panic mode, using a 1-rein stop will cause a full-blown panic by trying to shut a horse down that feels it must move. So be very careful how you use a 1-rein stop.

The reason the QH panicked was because as we rode down the road there was a bedroom dressing table with a mirror stand among the hard rubbish. The horse caught a glimpse of his reflection moving in the mirror and got the fright of his life.

I can tell you lots of stories of riders trying to stop bolting horses and having them run into trees, through fences, into a crowd of people and even one that went head first into the side of a horse float. Don’t ever believe any person who tells you that controlling a horse’s fear of imminent death is a training issue.

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Rocky Mountain Horses

Hi Ross,

I was talking to a Californian woman now living in New Zealand and she mentioned your name and knew you had spent some time with Harry Whitney. She thought that having spent some time in the US you may have had some experience with gaited horses. I imported a number of Rocky Mountain horses into Australia several years ago.

I was wondering if you knew of any one in NSW that may be able to train gaited horses. My time situation and physical capabilities have altered a little since I started to import and breed these horses and now really need someone to either train them or be able to teach someone local to train them.  At the moment I'm trying to organise someone from the US that breeds these horses to come over later this year

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Regards
Daryl


I have had some experience of gaited horses, but not extensive. I think I've only ridden one or two Rocky Mountain horses as most of the gaited horses I have dealt with have been Foxtrotters, Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso and Tennessee Walkers.

Be a little carefully of being determined to use a gaited trainer for starting your horses. In my experience, most gaited trainers are fixated on establishing a "gait" in a horse and miss so much of the basics of training a horse to be a riding horse first. As you know the gait comes pretty naturally to most of these horses, so establishing a good gait can be done after they are going well under saddle. But many gaited trainers put fear in a horse to produce the gait. This does not make for a good riding horse.

It is my belief that every horse should be able to offer a pure walk, pure trot and a pure canter - even gaited horses. It's just that gaited horses have an extra gear that's available when asked for. Yet so many gaited horses can't 2 beat trot or 3 beat canter, due to poor training that concentrates predominantly on producing a gait. So I think you should be looking for the best horse trainer you can find who can start your horses as riding horses, then work about perfecting their gait. Unfortunately, I don't know many trainers to recommend in NSW.

Good luck.

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Owner/Breaker


Hello Ross and Michele

I thought I would give you both an update on my Prince expedition.

Have been exposing him to as many things as possible, newest item is a tarp and rubber tyres. He walks over and backs up over the tarp. He also stands on it and likes to rustle it abit. The first time he dragged his feet over it he jumped like a cat but now he seems like he likes the rustle, he doesn't paw he just shimmies on it it's quite funny. The tyres have been interesting as I lie them down on the ground and ask him to walk through them, he's so trusting that he just follows me through them.

I have also being working with him with the saddle. I can lie over him on the left and right side and ask him to walk on. He has been quite good except for today where he was abit rushy. When I lie over him I tap him on the opposite side so that he can get used things moving on both sides at once. I have also been rubbing around his hinds so that I don't spook him with my leg if I were to get on. No definitely not there yet.

I assume this will be when he is totally calm while I lie over him going left, right, back and yielding. If this is all ok and I mean really ok is it possible that getting on may still cause him grief due to the difference in feel and my height.

I had two ladies watching me today and one said " oh he looks so calm you should throw your leg over", I said yeh would love to be at that stage but at the moment they may witness a great rodeo.

Anyway having a great time with him, hope you both get some rest.

Irena


It sounds like you are doing great in helping Prince turn his worries into okay-ness. You are working at minimizing the risk that when you do ride he will have a melt down. But there is no guarantee that first time or two will end happily. You just have determine in your judgment if the risk is acceptable. The better he feels the more ready he will be and the less risk is involved. But that is not to say that things happen that you can't control; like the neighbour slashing his paddock or rabbit scurrying out from a bush right in front of your horse.

I think it has been more than 15 years since I got on a horse for the first time and had to ride a storm - it helps being a big chicken! But there does come a time when you need to throw a leg over the saddle because any further ground work is not going to make a difference. Ground work is only to help get a horse ready to ride, but it is not a substitute for riding. Once he is ready you had better do something with it and ride, otherwise you are drilling him for no purpose.

If you need help, you know where to find us.

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Progress Reports

Hi Ross,

All the best for a great new year to you and Michele. 

I have to share with you my last week of riding Toby – because it is thanks to you and Michele that I have done this.

Gretel and I decided to go for a ride the other day – I had been doing short rides up and down the road and had got as far as Gretel’s driveway (50 metres from mine) and back riding Toby on my own.  I had also done a bit longer ride with Vaughan walking the dog so that I had someone there should I fall off and be on my own – never has Toby indicated that this would be the case but it made me feel better.

Anyway, when Gretel turned up, I said that I wanted to do the loop that I used to do with her on other horses.  It is about 5km’s – through bush and on dirt road.  We had a great ride.  Since then we have been on other longer rides and different ones in the bush and Toby has been fantastic.  Of course there are moments, but nothing at all scary like the first ride I had on him.  I even asked for a canter the other day as he was trotting so nicely – really relaxed and he transitioned so smoothly into the canter.  Gretel nearly fell off her own horse in shock that I asked for the canter and allowed it to keep going – I should mention that I had one hand on the saddle (for balance!!!) and one on the reins – but I had no pressure on his mouth and he was fabulous, and he pulled up back to trot and walk with minimal effort.

I am finally doing what it is I wanted to be doing with Toby and I want to thank you and Michele so very much for all the help you have given both me and Toby.  I know we still have a long way to go, but it is so much better – I have had the best Christmas/New Year present in being able to ride in the bush and enjoy it.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!!
Cheers
Michelle

It's good to hear of your success and the thrill it gives you. I'm very happy for the breakthrough you have achieved with Toby and you should feel very proud. Michele and I both appreciate your thanks and for giving us the credit, but in reality we did very little - it was you that has made the difference in the work you have done at home. I know that you know there are still some bumpy times ahead, but with your determination and a little direction from us I know you'll go from strength to strength. Well done.

We hope to see you in the New Year and expect to be wowed by how well you and Toby are working together.


Hi Ross,
 
Just thought I'd let you know that I put Nicky on the float today and took him for a drive around the block. Once we were back at home I unloaded him and cleaned out the float, then put him back in and shut the breaching gate. He did pretty well - vast improvement on what's been happening! Lots of practice still required to get it really good though. :-)
 
I tried to make sure he stayed with me and was leading well, and did the same under saddle, as I think sometimes he disappears into la la land under saddle as well - he went super today! Even got some nice soft shoulder-in - he can be such a delight when he's really listening!
 
I think I needed that kick up the butt - and what you said about me feeling shitty about things at work not making sense, and how that was how I was making Nicky feel really resonated! Big reality check - I really need to do him the favour of being pickier, and therefore more clear.
 
Was great to see you!
 
Aimee

That's brilliant, Aimee. I know you know that the trouble is not over yet, but I also know 100% that you have it in you to make Nicky feel a whole lot better and put more effort into trying - you just have to apply yourself. Be more picky in everything you do with him.


Hi Ross and Michele,
 
I hope that you both had a wonderful Christmas.
 
I just wanted to write a short email to thank you both so much for all your help at the clinic.  I was busy moving house just before Christmas and we’ve had some trouble with internet connection, so I haven’t been able to send emails until the last few days.
 
Things have been great at home with Sahra.  As you know we both made such a massive change at the clinic, and that has continued at home.  There was no way I was going backwards!  The relationship that we have is so different, and I think we are BOTH much happier.  Unfortunately Sahra got a hoof abscess a week ago, which has put a bit of a halt to the training while she gets better – but the way in which I deal with Sahra on a daily basis continues, and is becoming more second nature. 
 
I honestly cannot thank you both enough.  You are both amazing and have helped me more than you can know.
 
Have a great new year!
 
Cheers,
Em
 
PS – Ross, when you were talking to me at the clinic about “nagging” Sahra, I kept thinking about a “Family Guy” clip I’d seen, and I managed to find it to show you.  I hope I wasn’t nagging Sahra quite this much?

I'm so glad you got so much out of the clinic. It was a treat to have you and Sahra there and see the improvement. She is a terrific horse and you are lucky to have each other.

Thanks for the video clip. I've never watched Family Guy, but I think a lot of our horses would empathize with the mother in the clip.

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