The Importance of Backing (on the ground)

One of the first skills I learned when studying natural horsemanship was how to back up the horse-away from me on the ground.  When I need to correct a horse for rude or bad behavior I get him to back up.  To teach a horse to stand still at a mounting block, I get him to back up when or if, he moves away.  It will even work to teach a horse not to be mouthy with their tack on a fence.  (Tansey, watch out!)




From Clinton Anderson:


Backing up is very unnatural for a horse to do. Think about the number of times you’ve seen a horse backing up across the pasture. It’s rare, isn’t it? Other than taking a few steps backwards to warn the horses next to him to get out of his space, most horses don’t practice backing up on their own. They’re addicted to forward movement. That’s why teaching them to back up on the ground and under saddle is one of the best things you can do. Teaching a horse to back away from you on the ground reinforces to him that he needs to stay out of your personal hula hoop space and respect you. Backing from under saddle teaches the horse not to run through your hands and respect your cues while laying a foundation for more advanced maneuvers. To put it plain and simple, a good backup is the foundation for everything you do with your horse - stopping, collection and being able to rate the horse’s speed, to name just a few.







Loretta
 the natural horseman
 clear communication/visible results

Why we shouldn't let our horse nibble when on lead

VERY GOOD ADVICE

    "Do not let your horse

     eat while on the lead line."

  That's it.

  Why is it such a big deal?

  Believe it or not, it leads to dangers

  in the saddle for you.

  It begins back at the lead rope.

  If you let him eat when you have him on

  the lead rope, he'll want to eat...

  "Whenever he's with you!"

  So what?

  Well...if you're riding and he stops

  to grab a mouth full of grub, it's a pain in

  the butt.

  Worst of all, it's a major sign of disrespect.  Disrespect translates into,

  "I ain't gonna listen to you."

  And when your horse won't listen to

  you...especially when you need him most (like when

  he spooks and wants to take off like an out-of-control

  tornado)...you're in for a scary, dangerous ride.

  Why?

  Cuz he's gonna do what he's gonna do

  and what you say likely won't matter.

 

  It's not just the eating - it's the

  lack of respect in lots of things that

  gets you in trouble.

  So I ask you...do you still wanna let

  your horse eat while he's on your lead rope?

  Check out more of what Brad reveals - you'll

  be glad you did.  Go to:

  http://www.horsetrainingresources.com/dvds/meyers-little-things/

 

  Brad is one of our most-favored trainers

  for a very good reason.  You'll see why.

Those of you  who know me will know I recently dealt with this very issue with my Appy mare, Gemstone.  She was eating grass, pulling reins from my daughter's hands on route to a trail ride.  The next thing you know, when I told Lauren to kick her to get her to move forward, Gem reared.  VERY BAD.  But that's all that happened.  She was able to get away with it and became completely disrespectful.  So, no more nibbling Gemmy.  She's been fine ever since, just can't let her take EVEN ONE bite.

Loretta
 the natural horseman
 clear communication/visible results

I feel very strongly about this topic: Horses do understand our intentions even when we internalize them

Sculpting Our Energy Within-

What we Think, Say and Do Around Our Horses- By Lori Brown Smith

Over the years that I have been working with horses and learning from Carolyn, it seems that even the most complex things that we can do with our horses can be boiled down into a few simple things: focus, body language, energy level and the clarity of the communication between human and horse.

When I was a little girl, my mom used to go trail riding with a lady who always fretted about the ruts in the trail. I remember sitting in the barn listening to them talk about her Arabian gelding Fred: “Without fail, if there is a hole on the trail, Fred with fall in it!” For some reason, listening to this as a child really left a mark on my memory. What I could not get over was the idea that even if the hole or obstacle was not directly in Fred’s path, he would some how become very flustered and end up in the hole. At the time, I thought that Fred was perhaps magically drawn to the rut or ditch in the trail, and sometimes I would get to follow on my Shetland pony and I would get to see this phenomena happen right in front of me. My pony was never drawn to the ruts and ditches, but then again looking back- I never looked at the hole, I was focused on and looking at the trail that went around the hole. As the years went by, Fred never got hurt on the trail, or had trouble continuing on the trail once he was in the ditch, but he always seemed to take the road less traveled, that’s for sure.

Many years later I still recall those moments on the trail and I continue to analyze what it is that I saw. After replaying the situation in my Waterhole Ritual enriched mind, I know what happened. The rider’s body language, intention and focus were all in the wrong place. Fred may have fallen into a hole once on accident, but it left such an impact on the rider, that she began to look for the holes thinking that he would automatically fall into them. Her focus was on the wrong thing. By looking at the hole in the trail, her body language signaled to him to move toward the ditch, and since her focus was on the ditch, that is most likely the mental picture that she had in her head as well. Her communications were clear to Fred- her energy and intention was to ride through the rut! After time passed, the two developed a pattern- all based on misplaced focus, body language and energy, creating the opposite communication than what was intended.

I wish now that I could go back in time – freeze the moment and alter her body language and focus just before she and Fred were upon the ditch. I would have changed her body language so that she was not looking at the hole, and position her so that her body was faced down the path around the hole. Even her eyes would be looking down the trail, or on the footing around the ditch, not the ditch itself. I would change her intention from trying to avoid the ditch, to walking down the trail without even thinking about the ditch. Her focus would be on what a beautiful trail she and Fred were on and what a great horse is was and how wonderful the ride was. Negative thoughts would not be allowed to come into her mind, and certainly none about holes or ruts.

When working with horses, we need to be clear about our thoughts and intentions, what our focus is on, and follow through with our body language. It took me many years of working with horses in high stress situations to truly understand the importance and safety that these things create and provide. Driving a carriage with a team of horses along with my parents in downtown Los Angeles with a newly married couple in the back of the carriage, I had to hold it together for my horses. The worst was when we had to be stopped somewhere for a long period of time, or even somewhere that was not so long but felt like an eternity such as having to wait at a red light. Yawning became my favorite tool. I would even stand with my weight on one foot to show our mares that I was so relaxed that I was going to fall asleep waiting at the intersection! The magical part of this is that it worked! Not only did they relax seeing me in such a state, but I began to relax even more because my body took on a relaxed posture.

Separating the Mind and Body
With practice, I learned how to take the dangers, distractions or nuisances of whatever situation we were in into consideration without them becoming my focus. I take a mental note of what is going on around me, but my thoughts, words, where I look, and my entire body is driven down the path of safety wherever I might be with my horse. This has served me well at home in the arena, on the trail, on busy city streets, mounted shooting, and down Colorado Boulevard in the Tournament of Roses Parade. There are still times when I have to work harder to achieve these goals than others, but it is about learning and refining and acknowledging that it is a journey.

I have found that when coming into a situation where there are possible hazards in your path, to acknowledge them or even worse- verbalize the hazard out loud to your horse is the worst thing that you can do. Not only will this break your concentration, but it will bring your focus to exactly what you are looking to avoid. Observing the situation is important- but our focus must remain on the path to safety.

The Power of Verbalization
Here is one of the ways that I have found that best cements my focus and body in the right direction- I say what I want to accomplish out loud. Not only does my horse get to hear it, but it gives me added clarity in my directions and where it is I want to go. When Companion Walking, this is a great way to focus on where you will be going. By saying what it is that I am doing out loud, I have also found that it helps me to picture in my mind what I would like to do and refines my directions and leadership.

As with any relationship (with people or horses) that is having difficulty, generally a lack or poor communication can be to blame. This is just one of the many pearls of wisdom that Carolyn has instilled in me over the years, because the same is true with our horses. If we are not clear, or give our horses poorly understood messages, then how can they have a good relationship with us, much less a performance?

Here are a few examples of verbalization that have come in helpful for me with my horses and our performance. When my horse is traveling too fast, it can be easy for me to speed up with him, but if I think to myself “Sack of potatoes” and say it to myself as well (well actually I kind of sing it to myself, when no one can hear, poor horse!  Truth be told, I believe this was something Carolyn told me to think of during a lesson :-) ) I begin to slow myself down, and as a result- so does my horse. When I picture myself riding as if I were a clumpy sack of russet potatoes, my mind is focused on slowing down, and my body follows by slowing down as well. This visualization works great because I don’t know of any sack of potatoes that has a fast pace or rhythm! Sure enough, my horse will slow down and become soft as well. When this happens, it certainly feels like magic to me.

As a side note, John Wayne is one of my favorite people to try to imitate when I am around my horses. His relaxed swagger, and the way he appears to be connected to the ground wherever he is has really helped me to push my body language to a new level and ground myself in a similar way. It might be someone different for you, but I find this to be a fun exercise to try.

Another example that perhaps has been witnessed in public if you have seen me at a mounted shooting event is when I talk myself through the entire course. When I do this, I generally turn in a better time, and my path on the course is very precise, and it is fun to do- at least for me, because I narrate through the entire thing! For example when I would talk to my horse Ben it might sound something like this- “O.K Ben! Here comes the right barrel! Let’s set ourselves up- right leg- outside leg- let’s go boy! Come on Ben, Go Ben! Go!”

It might sound a little corny- but it was always fun, my horse had the benefit of additional clarity, and it usually gave everyone around me a good laugh! However, the point was not to entertain, it was to maintain and increase my focus, communication, direction and purpose of my performance and connection with my horse on the mounted shooting course. I cannot remember a time when I talked my way through my performance that my horse and I did not have a wonderful performance. Not only did it many times improve our time and performance on the course, but it made me more relaxed. If I am in situations where I can’t be as verbal with my horse, I whisper or strongly say the words to myself in my head, which also works.

Using our body language and the power of our minds in a purposeful way is exciting to me because of the amazing results that it offers. When we are able to clear the clutter from our minds and be clear about what we want, I find that the path becomes clear as well. When our intentions are clear, and we place no limitations on what we can and cannot do, we can become sculptors of the energy within us and our horses to create a magical dance wherever we might be together.

Let the Dance Begin!

Lori Brown Smith

In Conclusion

Well, I hope you all enjoyed Lori’s article, I know I sure did!

Soon the Insider Circle and Extended Circle classes will be upon us- the count down is on! Although the Insider Circle is now full, the Extended Circle is available and offers an excellent learning experience as well. If  you have not signed up, you can go to the upper right hand side of the blog and find where to sign up. If you have any additional questions, please email us atoffice@carolynresnick.com  and put “Extended Circle Question” as the subject line. Looking forward to working with all of you soon!

Please report any new horse and human sightings!

Have a great weekend!

Carolyn

Loretta the natural horseman clear communication/visible results

Related articles

• Boundaries with Carolyn Resnick (thenaturalhorseman.blogspot.com)

Special Needs Equines

Image via Wikipedia

Hmmmm, sounds like someone I know. Also sounds like some hyper sensitive people. Interesting. It is common to hear talk of people like this. Sometimes they have ADD/ADHD or are Autistic. So why is it that people tend to lump horses into one big category and expect them all to behave the same? (i.e. properly).

Amplify’d from www.performanceequineusa.com

What we have learned from working with owners with challenging horses is that some horses, no matter how good the training, breeding, care and equipment, just cannot handle much pressure. These horses are typically extremely gifted and talented athletes but anxiety and excitability get in the way of a winning performance. They are over-sensitive to their surroundings, your show nerves,  your tension, weather, other horses....you name it, they see it, feel it, hear it, have to look at it and worry about it!   These horses require finesse on the riders part and a great deal of patience and stamina. These horses often require an absurd amount of warm up time and can be very complex to show. They run on adrenaline most of the time and fatiguing them is our only option at a show. Read more at www.performanceequineusa.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/br48i

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• Why is Equine Massage Therapy Important? (brighthub.com)

Lessons on Love from a Draft horse

Alright, this is a little off topic, but it's been bugging me, so I need to talk about it.

I've been considering my relationship with my horses, and trying to figure out what is ahead for all of us. Scottie's been a bit heavy on the forehand lately, and just plain strong at the canter.(remember that rope halter we ride in?) I really don't want to put his bridle back on him, but I'm not sure we can do much else other than trail ride without one.

Astro is the perfect little pony. I was thinking to maybe learn how to do cross country with him. But then I feel guilty for not doing it with Scottie. So I was considering the inner lessons Scottie has taught me through the years. And then I had this seemingly crazy thought. What if Scottie's true purpose is to teach me. These types of things, not about riding. And going right along with the crazy theme, I had a flash to my husband.

Lessons on love from my horse? Am I crazy?

I have to give a little background here. My husband is wonderful, charming and very affectionate. Always telling me how beautiful I am and how much he loves me. I, on the other hand, am not very affectionate. So he ends up feeling like he has to ask for love and it makes him very sad. Getting back to the horses which is why you are probably here....I have noticed that Scottie doesn't really like, or want, a lot of physical affection. Astro will let you rub and scratch on him all day. But Scottie will turn his head, then walk away. And it makes me feel a bit sad. Do you see where I'm going with this? Could my draft horse actually be teaching me a lesson on love? So maybe, just maybe, as I become more aware, I will understand in a deeper way how my husband needs more affection and how it makes him feel unloved when he has to ask for it.

Today, out of the blue I walked up to my husband and gave him a little kiss. Honestly, I couldn't remember the last time I just walked up to him and kissed him like that. Thanks Scottieman, you did it again. Who would've thought I could add a lesson on love to all that horse has taught me??!!



Loretta

clear communication/visible results

Training Tip - E Energy

When it comes to horses, the word energy has several meanings. At first glance it might seem that energy is simply something your horse has (a lot of!), or doesn't have. What I am going to talk about here is the field of energy surrounding the horse, and us for that matter.
You know how some people, and horses are just always 'on'? And sometimes when you are around someone you leave feeling drained for no apparent reason? This is the kind of invisible energy I am talking about.

The picture here is Astro, my 4 yr old paint pony. Astro has terrific energy surrounding him. He is easy going, always happy and willing to please. Nothing seems to phase him at all. Scottie, my draft, also has great energy, but it is different. His energy is more nervous, he spends more time on alert, being the important herd leader and prey animal that he is.

Why even talk about this? Because when working with any horse, being able to tune into their energy will enable you to connect to them faster. Use your intuition and sense what the horse's energy is directing to you. My intuition has increased tremendously since I began my training business. I literally get feelings, or thoughts of knowing something without knowing how I know it. (whew-got that??)

When doing ground training with any horse or pony, part of the process of interacting with the animal is a direct connection of energy. The horse feels your energy. When you shake the rope and ask him to take steps backward, you are creating energy through the lead rope to the halter.

You've probably heard it said not to work with your horse if you are upset with him, or in a bad mood. It is the same principle going on in this case. The horse will feel that pent up emotion, and respond to it. There is no question he will feel your negative energy. Just come back tomorrow when you are in a better frame of mind.

Interestingly, these concepts can also be applied to the children in our life, or any relationship for that matter. I remember when my daughter was a baby. I was stressed out a lot, it had been 12 years since I had a baby. When I got stressed, she wouldn't nurse, and did a lot of fussing.

I'd go so far as to say most all of what we do with our horses can be applied to the people in our lives. There are several top notch natural horsemanship trainers who now make a living by conducting seminars for corporations!

Sorry for getting a bit off topic here! Energy is a passionate subject for me. Being a reiki master I am very aware of my energy and the energy of those around me. I will say that my horses have some of the best energy around! If you'd like more information about reiki, please visit:
Moon Dance Reiki or http://reiki.org
Hoping the snow melts soon,

Loretta
clear communication
visible results

Training Tip D-Desensitize

When my former horse trainer began speaking to me about desensitizing my horse, I'll admit I was a bit leary. I was not familiar with the process and it sounded a bit odd. Why would we want to desensitize a horse? Isn't it good for a horse to be sensitive?

Horses can keep their sensitivity and be desensitized to things around them at the same time. I'll paint a little picture of what I did with Scottie.

First, complete some ground work, making sure to end on a good note. My mission was to desensitize him to the lead rope, which he thought was a huge threat at the time. I would stand by his shoulder, and bunch the rope up in my hand. I recommend using at least a 12-14 ft rope for this. I would rub him all over with the bunched up rope. Then I would do the same on the other side. After that, I would lightly toss the last few feet of rope up onto his back. If he spooked, or moved, I would continue this light flinging motion until he stopped his feet. Then I would stop immediately, timing is important here, and looking down, I would rub his nose.

This would progress very quickly and within a few days he would no longer be afraid of that end of flinging rope. Time to move to the next part.

• Stand in front of the horse, in a relaxed manner. Cock your own leg, keep your gaze down. Holding the end of the lead rope swing it back and forth gently, in a jump rope-like manner. When he gets used to this, progress so the rope is swinging up as high as it will go. Next, actually toss it over his head. Get a good fling, and back over again. At any time during this, if he moves away, simply follow him as best you can while continuing the motions. You stop when he stops. Keep in mind it is ok to make mistakes. If you get caught up in the rope or don't know when to start again, just start over.

This was hard for Scottie as he is ear shy. Every time that rope would go up and over it would touch an ear. When your horse stands there with his head low looking very bored, you know you can move on.

• Similar to what you did before, you will fling the entire rope up and over his back. Stand off to the side of the horse, and like a cowboy just throw that rope! Pull it back to your hand, and throw it again. You can toss the rope up there in a light enough manner so he should not be thinking you are hitting him with it. When he is comfortable here, proceed to throwing it around his back end. Again, make sure you do this from both sides of the horse. Please remember to give him lots of praise and rubs on the nose when he does the right thing.
  

• Once you have achieved all of the above, try standing to the side of the horse, and smack the ground to the side of you in a circular motion. A benefit of a longer rope on this exercise is that you can move away from the horse's body as much as you need to depending on his comfort zone. The rope will make a pretty loud crack, and the circle is large, so he may be startled by this. Again, make sure to do this on both sides of him. You may have noticed by now that he reacts differently on one side. Most horses are accustomed to being worked on one side (left) more than the other. Another thing to remember is that they are viewing you and that rope from a different eye when you change sides. Things may look totally different to him.

• The next thing to do is to take the lead rope and fling the last few feet of it around his feet. Start by his shoulder and fling that rope around his left front leg and hoof. When you become handy with that rope you can actually get it to wrap around. This is a good exercise because it will help the horse to learn to stand still if he gets caught up in something. Remember to move on to the next leg when there is no reaction from the last one. Of course you will do this exercise on both sides of him too.

• Once you and your horse are familiar with these, you can go through a series of them to keep it fresh in his mind. It is also fun to get creative. Try having the rope flip to his belly, or around his hind end. A huge benefit of all of this is that if something touches him quickly he most likely will not have a huge reaction to it. Or say you are out trail riding and you have to walk through brush. He'll know what it feels like to have things around his legs. By then he'll know he does not have to fear for his life just because something is wrapped around his foot.

• Now you can get really creative! You can take this exercise and do it with just about anything in place of the lead rope. Try a plastic bag. You can tie the bag to the end of a crop. Or, one of your kids toys. How about paper? Or a jacket? Remember to take it slowly. Sense how much your horse can take in one day. And give lots of praise when he does the right thing.
  

One more often overlooked benefit of this is that it is time well spent with your horse, not riding time. Often we get caught up in our busy lives, where it is already hard to fit in horse time. So we catch him, and ride. Don't get me wrong, riding is great and I love it! But in my opinion, it is good for both of you to do something else together. It will strengthen your relationship, it keeps him fresh and interested in you, and he'll know you enjoy being with him, simply to be with him.


Loretta
20/20 Horsemanship

Training tip-C Continued

C Continued

Consistency

I will never forget the day that my trainer told me I needed to be consistent with my draft's training. Things weren't going that well and I was not thrilled with him to say the least. My efforts to reinforce what my trainer taught him were almost non existent.

She looked at me and said, "Loretta, you need to be consistent with him. This is a horse that will always need this type of work, it's just who he is. He needs to know what to expect from you, where you are in his herd. And he needs consistency in your training. Start at the same easy place for him each time. Always end on a good note. If he learns something new really quickly, just end there sometimes. He needs you to approach him the same way, feed him the same way." You get the picture.

I freaked out. Why you ask? That's not such a big deal you say. Well, to me, it was. I was not being consistent with much of anything in my life, never mind my horse. About two weeks later the same trainer says to me, "Loretta, how do you disciplin your kids?" I was confused. How could that have anything to do with my horse???? She asked again. I replied with a rather meek, "Well, I usually send them to the stairs or to their room if they've done something bad." Ok, I'm thinking. Where is she going with this? I was astonished when she replied, "I'm going to guess that you are not very consistent with their disciplin(when needed)." If I was confused before, this put me over the top! It was true. I am a wimpy mom. I am the fun one, the one that teaches them to smell the manure-ah-roses, the one that laughs with them when an adult should not be laughing. But discipline, NOT my strong point AT ALL-ever.

So it hit me. I had heard of people with horses that had life lessons to teach them. Some even say that the horse you need comes into your life for that very reason. I never really thought it could happen. There I was, face to face with my huge draft horse, and I'm thinking, is this for real? You are trying to teach me stuff that doesn't just apply to you-to us?

More on this later......

Loretta
20/20 Horsemanship

A-Z Training Tips C=Communicate

Today's tip: Communicate


We are constantly communicating with our horse. We catch him, groom him, tack him up and go riding. When is the communicating going on? The ENTIRE time. And guess what? When you aren't preparing for a ride you are still communicating with the horse.

You go out to feed, to clean stalls, etc....Every time you come into contact with him, you are communicating with him. Try to take the time and notice what you are saying. This includes verbally, with your thoughts and intentions and physically. Horses are sensitive, they can feel your thoughts and emotions. They stay alive by reading body language, so really pay attention to how you use your body. When you are cleaning the barn and your horse is in the way, do you automatically walk around him? The one who directs the horses feet and gets them moving is the leader.So, if you are moving around him, then in his mind, he out ranks you in his herd.
You DO NOT want that!

It is very important that you are able to have your horse move front,back,left and right without moving your feet. The more this is practiced, the more respect he will have for you. Do you ever watch horses together in a field? The leader of my herd of 3 will often move the others for what seems like no apparent reason. So, sometimes I will go out and move him, just because I can. This really keeps him sharp, and in check. You might be saying to yourself, "But my horse does not seem disrespectful." That may be. Some horses are conditioned in a way that these things do not SEEM to affect their behavior. Usually, over time, something will come up, and the issue can be traced back to lack of respect due to improper body language. For more on body language, see my post for tip B.

If you are located in Northern VA, I am conducting a demonstration using some of these techniques. Visit http://www.meetup.com/trailriders/

Healing Shine-a MUST read

Whether you are a horse person, or not, Healing Shine, written by Michael Johnson is a must for your collection. A rodeo cowboy in Oklahoma, Michael purchased Shine on a whim. Says he can sense his greatness. He was advised NOT to buy the gelding for various reasons, and did anyway. He goes on to write about Shine's training, and this is very important according to Shine - his own training. Against his traditional cowboy thinking relatives advice, Michael continues to try and understand Shine in a very unique and somewhat foreign way. His story will make you laugh and cry. Oh, did I mention it is true?

Check out my website for a neat little story about this wonderful author.....
2020Horsemanship

A-Z Training Tips A= Appreciate

When we teach our horses anything new, we owe it to him to take a moment and appreciate where he is NOW. Mentally, and in his current level of training and ability.

For example, my draft had an issue with always being on high alert, and his head was always up in the moon. At the same time he was head and ear shy. I really needed to teach him about head lowering! Appreciating and realizing where he currently stood with that, I first taught him to move front,back,left and right, without me moving my feet. Now that I had control of his feet, and he knew I was the herd leader because I moved his feet, he was in a much better frame of mind to start head lowering. Please note: This did not happen in one sessions! This took place over several months. Taking time and going slow will be topics of future tips. Until then, happy trails!