Flexibility with our horsemanship

Today Sarah and I had planned on taking Simba and Lily to school over jumps at Frying Pan.  We attempted to beat the storm.  Upon arrival the winds came in, a bit earlier than expected.  The ponies were a little unsure of all of the strange sounds inside of the indoor. At one point the bluestone warm up ring was blowing onto the metal side of the indoor-that was quite the sound!  Lily was only a tiny bit unsure with one or two baby sized shys. Simba was a little more concerned, however.  After walking them around  bit we did get on and allowed them plenty of time to walk and try to be calm.

During our warm up, Sarah and I agreed that although we had planned on doing a lot of jumping, we would canter, and maybe take a jump or two depending on how they did.

They were fantastic and we both ended up jumping several jumps.  However, we did not do what we expected to do.  We decided that it would be a better experience for the ponies if we had a few really nice jumps while they were calm, and end on a good note.

This is a perfect example of why we need to be flexible with the plans we make for ourselves and our horses.  Sure, we wanted to do more jumping-it's fun!  But with the weather conditions the way they were, it was NOT appropriate.  Plastic trash bags inside of cans were blowing, the doors were rattling, as were the gates. Stuff was hitting the side of the indoor.  Lily told me she thought there were white pony eating monsters trying to get in when she heard the big doors rattle.  That did, however, make Simba happy. :)



Loretta
 the natural horseman
 clear communication/visible results

Equestrian Science Principles

TRAINING PRINCIPLES from equestrian science

13-Jan-2013Effective riders follow principles based on learning theory when training horses.

The 8 training principles are now available in PDF that allows large format print for indoor or outdoor display. Click here

• Release the pressure immediately when the horse responds. 
  Soften the pressure of the signal (such as rein and leg pressures) the instant the horse responds appropriately.
• Use signals that the horse can differentiate. 
• Signals must be clearly distinguishable from each other (i.e., use one signal to go with faster steps and another signal to go longer in the stride)
• Train and initiate responses one at a time (shaping). 
• Train each response component of complex movements separately. 
• Separate opposing signals (such as the reins and the rider’s legs) by not using them at exactly the same moment.
• Train habitual responses using consistency and repetition. 
• The horse will automatically respond in the desired way if the behaviour is precisely targeted  (i.e., train all movements and transitions to occur with consistent characteristics, including timing and duration).
• Train only one response per signal. 
• Reinforce only one response for each separate signal, although signals for the same response can be associated with each other.
• Avoid fear during training. 
• During all horse/human interactions, make sure that characteristics of the environment, including the humans, do not become associated with fear in the horse.
• Train persistence of responses. 
• Reward the horse for maintaining a behaviour by NOT applying pressure until the next signal is given (at which point pressure is again applied).
• Check for relaxation. 
• Strive for relaxation when training each response and vary only for the relevant level of activity. Techniques and equipment must not be used to mask distress or undesirable behaviour.

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Loretta
 the natural horseman
clear communication/visible results

"How did you stay on??"

My 12 yr old student who had just ridden Stryker commented after he bucked.  "Miss Loretta how did you stay on while he did that?"   I told her that the method of riding I teach teaches a safe, secure, seat. By learning to keep your leg under you AT ALL TIMES many falls can be omitted. Not all, but many.  My upper body did go forward when he bucked. But my legs stayed under me. Had they swung back I would've been over his head or shoulder in a heartbeat.

The other thing is reaction time. As soon as I felt what was happening I pushed myself back upright so more weight could be in the seat.  It takes a lot of years to be able to do that, and unfortunately some falls along the way. Sometimes we learn the hard way, by our mistakes. I have been thrown off by a buck or two in my time. 

For the record, Stryker was not trying to ditch me. He was very happy to be cantering. Everyone was commenting on how happy and excited he looked before he bucked. I think he was thrilled to be doing something.  Since the herd changes at the barn, he's been living in the paddock with the ponies, not in the field.  So he does not have nearly as much space to roam in.








Loretta
 the natural horseman
 clear communication/visible results

Schooling ponies, well horses I guess

Interesting day here today. Started with schooling Blue after a student had a morning lesson on him. He was quite ready, I think he could've cantered forever.  Ended with me schooling Stryker after a student's lesson. This one was a bit more interesting. Trotted around great, still off left but I think that is a forever thing. Much like Playboy he picked up a canter as soon as I thought about asking (this psychic pony connection is coooool), we went around about once, to the right. Lauren was commenting on how good we looked, his tail was up, his head was tucked in, and then, blam. He bucked. Wow he has a pretty mean buck to him. I stayed on, it was uneventful. I corrected him and off we went again on the right lead, a do over if you will.  Then we went to the left. Lovely, slow, rolling canter. Was wonderful and felt great both directions. Guess he can stay another month....







Loretta
 the natural horseman
 clear communication/visible results

The Freedom of Liberty training

from Carolyn Resnick's blog:
www.carolynresnickblog.com

The Key to Training a Horse at Liberty:

The key to training a horse at Liberty, from my observations and experiences with wild horses, is that all horses are born with two instincts. One is a tendency to move away from things that approach them and the other is to follow things that are leaving them.  They do this without thinking and they keep this behavior throughout their lives, if we do not take it out of them from the training we do.  Many traditional training methods remove these responses.  Most people feel safer if they remove these responses because they feel a horse will shy on the trail or might be herd bound if they do not.

In removing these instincts a horse looses a sense of himself and it’s harder to train from being dummied down. What happens when these instincts are removed is that the gas pedal is also removed. I believe the most important thing you can have in a horse is a good gas pedal. This idea was shared with me from my mentors, about the importance of refining the gas pedal on a horse. If I had a good gas pedal, I discovered that not only would a horse go where I wanted him to go but a lot of benefits came along with it was well; the bond, connection, bravery, dependability, loyalty and trust. If approached in the right way I got the “ Full Monty” of what I was wanting to achieve, which was a horse that’s training came naturally and easily for him.

Honey has a gas pedal!

To get this gas pedal I am looking for, it is important that I develop the horse’s herding instincts and tendency to follow and leave to a dependable response. What I found is that because I am the one that developed his instincts to be consistent, the horse is over all more dependable and prefers my company over his horse friends.

This consistency helps you to dance with horses at Liberty in a new way. In a spontaneous interaction, you can then direct a horse easily. It is my wish that everyone could feel this connection. It would grow the empathy around the world. When I dance with a horse, the horse and I want to dance to the other ones wishes. It will open your eyes to the universal connection to all things. It is like a courtship from the way your body goes back or forth, left or right, and the way his body responds to you and how you choose to lead him.  You are just locked in together in a spiritual embrace from your dancing bond of friendship. You do not know what you are going to ask the horse to do until you see an opportunity to send him this way or that way. It is profoundly uplifting to experience this way of connection at Liberty. You and the horse are engaged in a creative expression.

You start out like a jazz band looking for your groove. Then you find it and it is magical, then the connection dances you.

It is so easy; all you need to do is get your horse moving on his own power and then shape where he goes. When you see he wanted to be shaped and he can go where you direct him next, direct him there. You then send and draw in a courtship manner.

I learned how to dance with horses because I loved how I could court a horse from the ground.  It came very natural to me and it will for you too.

When you are dancing with a horse, in those moments you can also train him at the same time. When I start a horse this way, most horses will fall into the game quickly and easily because it is his nature to connect and be directed from his herding instincts and his play drive.  Most all horses can be courted to dance with us.

END

I have begun this journey with Cookie.  Stay tuned for the first article describing her training.

I encourage all of my readers to follow Carolyn's teachings, watch her videos and read her book. If you are a student, or work with me in any way, this will help you immensely.

Loretta

the natural horseman

Treats or no treats

Training Tip of the Week: Treats should be a surprise for your horse

By Clinton Anderson18. December 2012 00:05

I often get asked if feeding treats will cause a horse to become pushy or to bite. The answer is it depends. Feeding your horse treats won’t teach him to be mouthy as long as you give him treats correctly. Never give your horse a treat if he’s looking for it. When I give my horses a treat, I want it to be a surprise. I don’t use treats to bribe the horse or win his affection. Treats are just a bonus for a job well-done. A treat should always be a surprise. If you constantly feed your horse treats, he’ll be looking for them, and that’s when he’ll start mouthing your shirt, pockets and hands. When you give your horse treats, feed him one at a time, and only give them when he’s not expecting it. If he is looking for a treat, he doesn’t get one

www.downunderhorsemanship.com

People ask me all the time why I don't give more treats. Clinton says it perfectly here. I want them to know that when they get a treat they did something really well.  Just like with a child.

Loretta

www.2020horsemanship.com

clear communication

visible results

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

The best day ever!

Today is the best day ever!  


1.  I rode Scottie    
2.  I rode Astro  
3.  My student rode Astro    
4.  Gem rolled while my student was on Astro, I went over to her and she allowed me to rub her while she was lying down and the best.....


5.  Gem allowed me to sit on her while she was lying down!  I have ALWAYS wanted to do that!  Thank you Gemstone for making a dream come true today!




Loretta
 the natural horseman
 clear communication/visible results

The Big Three

Posted by Rick Gore
Category: General

Wow, talk about big topics.  I call this "The Big Three”.  These are sometime mystical terms that are used often and most people never really understand them, never know their importance or never experience them.  These things come from "Time".  Time handling horses, time working horses, time riding horses, time watching horses, time making mistakes, time seeing others do it right, time seeing others do it wrong, time listening to the horse and time reflecting on all of this. "If you take the time it takes - it takes less time.

A lot of my videos on Youtube explain this in more detail: www.youtube.com/user/horseawareness:

Sounds like double talk.  Sounds like old horse whisperer stuff.  Are these things really real or is it something that old timer’s just talk about to intrigue others.  Let’s talk about each one of these since I think they are all connected and all affect each other.  So I will try and discuss them individually.

-- Release: Anyone can pull or yank a horse, but it takes someone who understands how to release, and how to release with timing and feel to really get results.  Release is that exact moment where learning takes place in the horse.  The second a horse gets release, he connects that release to the right answer.  So if a horse is pressured by a person and it rears and as soon as it rears, it scares the person putting on the pressure, so the person backs away in fear of their safety, the horse sees this as release.  So the person gives release, but with bad timing.  The horse does not know this, it only knows, it got release when it reared, so rearing gets him release, therefore, rearing must be the right answer.  This is an example of bad release but since release teaches, the horse always sees release as good. 

Good release teaches the right thing.  So if a person tries to get a horse to back up and puts pressure to back up and as soon as the horse takes one step back, the person releases, and then the horse learns that backing up is the right answer.  If the person stops pressure when the horse turns away, rears, or tries to bite them, then the horse thinks and learns that is the right answer.  So knowing release only works if the person knows how and when to release pressure.  Almost everything a horse learns is by pressure and release. An example of a horse learning something without pressure and release is more "classical conditioning".  You break a carrot in half, the horse hears this, knows what this is and comes over to get the carrot and you give the carrot to the horse.  However, this could be seen by the horse as pressure and release if you are not careful.  If done wrong, the horse can see him coming over to you as putting pressure on you and then you giving the carrot is release from his pressure on you.  Everything with a horse is how they see it.  This is a Key Point....  it does not matter what you intended to do, what you do or what you think you did, it only matters how the horse sees it.  Too often I see people teaching things they do not know they are teaching and then wonder why the horse does it. I have a couple of videos that explain Classical condioning on youtube: www.youtube.com/watch

So understanding release is very important so you can know what you are teaching, when you are teaching it and when you did it wrong.  And remember, once you understand release, if you do it with bad feel and timing, it means nothing and you will be teaching something you did not intend to teach.  Confused yet?  We are just getting started.

-- Timing: Sounds like a clock thing; if you can tell time you can have timing?  If you can hit a baseball, drive a car or play any sport you should have some sort of timing.  So having timing with a horse should not be that difficult.  Well, timing could be a horse book in itself.  Timing comes from doing wrong, experience (good and bad) and many other lessons from many horses.  Pull on a horse at the wrong time and you get a fight, pull too early and you create the horse to pull, pull too late and you get behind the leverage point and you get dragged or get the rope pulled out of your hands.  Of course pulling requires release, so if you time it right and don't release right, you blow it. 

On the other hand if you have timing, you can get a horse to do things twice as fast, twice as easy and twice as good.  Wow, this sounds pretty important, why are so many people so confused about it?  It takes time and practice to learn it, develop it, perfect it and refine it.  Every horse requires it to be done differently, maybe just a little but each one responds to timing with different feel.  So having good timing with bad feel does not work, having good timing with bad release, does not work.  All three are required, all three have to be constantly adjusted and all three need to be refined depending on what the horse does and how the horse responds.

-- Feel:  This is putting timing and release together with constant adjustments.  So, lets look at this like kissing a girl (girls apply this to guys), a kiss is a kiss right?  Kiss your wife good morning is different than kissing her goodbye.  Kissing her after not seeing her for a month is different than kissing her after a hard day of work.  Kissing her after giving birth to your child is different than kissing her for getting you socks for your birthday.  Kissing her after she is in a car wreck is different than kissing her after you broke her favorite silly glass thingy collection special piece.  Kissing her after you say "I do" is different than after she says "No you can't".  And lastly kissing her after or during that special private time is also very different.  So if someone said how many ways can you kiss, your first response may be a kiss is a kiss, but if you think about it and break it down, very little changes in timing and situation changes the feel and way you kiss.  And of course, I kiss my horse differently than I kiss my girl.  :)

So just applying feel to a kiss you can see it has many variables.  Now lets apply feel to how you handle a rope, how you put on a head stall, how you catch a horse, how you saddle a  horse, how you pick a horse's feet, how you handle a horse in general, how you ride a horse, how you handle the reins, how you move towards a horse (pressure), how you move away from a horse (release), how you look at a horse, how your body is used to influence a horse and understanding a horse can feel and shake a fly off his hip.  If you are thinking how can anyone know all this, welcome to the world of horsemanship.  No matter how long you do it, you are always learning from each and every horse.  You never know it all and the journey is never-ending.

Then how can anyone claim to teach this?  I have not seen too many that try and teach feel.  Tough subject and not easy to learn.  This would explain why so many people have so called "problem horses".  You may hear things like, soft hands make soft horses.  You can't pull a horse to softness, but if you don't know timing and release, feel will not matter.

I mentioned handling the reins earlier. Feel is so important here.  Too rough, too loud, too soft, too easy or too inconsistent will all result in confusion to the horse.  When a horse is confused for too long it will stop trying to learn and stop searching for the right answer.  Then they look at other cues as picking or harassment and then they can become upset or they feel (different kind of feel) that there is no right answer and they can't find release so they go into fight mode if they cannot flee.  So feel on the reins can very helpful or can teach bad lessons.  Being soft at the right time, firm at the right time and consistent will teach a horse how to be soft.  But all this needs to be with timing and release.
Let’s see if I can tie these together now.  A good example of using all three of these would be catching a horse.  How many times do I hear the same old story, "my horse won't let me catch him", "my horse is hard to catch", "my horse just runs away when I try and catch him", and my first answer to this is "STOP trying to catch him". 

In order to catch a horse you need release, timing and feel.  You need to know how to release pressure when the horse looks at you or faces you.  You need to release this pressure with timing so the horse connects the release with the looking or facing you.  You need feel to read the horse on how to put just enough pressure to create movement and just enough release to draw or stop movement.  So when catching a hard to catch horse, a person with understanding of release, timing and feel can catch most any horse.  And since a very common complaint is how do I catch my horse, this tells me that most do not have a clue about the big three.  Can I teach you this?  Can anyone teach you this?  My answer is the best teacher of the big three is the Horse.  Listen, watch, and learn from the horse and stop trying to teach, train and improve the horse.  Always remembering, "The best teacher of the horse - is the horse."

You can read more about this on my web site:  www.thinklikeahorse.org/

Happy Trails,

Rick

Loretta the natural horseman clear communication/visible results

Think like a horse

Posted by Rick Gore
Category: Western

I recently undated my website with lots of new information: www.thinklikeahorse.org/

The following information is a model about the four stages of learning and how it relates to horses:

1- Unconscious Incompetence (I don't know what I don't know)
2- Conscious Incompetence (I know that I don't know)
3- Conscious Competence (I know what I know, when I think about it)
4- Unconscious Competence (I know without thinking, instinctive)

I have attached a link to another site for this at the bottom of this page, but I have adapted this model to the horse world.

A lot of horse owners think they are in stage 3/Conscious Competence.  They get there by the fact that they have bought a horse, read a book, rode a few times, attended a clinic or have owned horses their entire life.  They have the attitude that they have been there, done that, and know all there is to know about horses.  This prevents further learning, since they are unwilling to admit their lack of knowledge or the importance of this unknown knowledge.  They are really in stage 1/Unconscious Incompetence, but until they admit this, they cannot move to stage 2/Conscious Incompetence.  When people operate in stage one, horses and people get hurt and horses are blamed for the person’s unconscious contributions to any accident or injury.

You must be able to admit that you don’t know it all, in order to begin to learn something new.  If you continue to blame the horse for your mistakes, then you will never move up to “Unconscious Competence” level.  The following explains all four stages with examples of horse situations at the end:

Stage 1 - Unconscious Incompetence
--  You are not aware of the existence or relevance of understanding the horse, how it thinks and how it reacts, and you do not care, since you have not seen a horse get killed or a person get seriously injured, or since you have been lucky and not hurt yourself.
--  You are not aware that you have a particular deficiency in understanding horses and may believe you are at the “conscious competence” level.
--  You might deny the relevance or usefulness in understanding horses since you think you already know how to “show the horse who is boss” or control the horse with a chain or big painful bit.
--  You must become conscious of your incompetence before learning can begin, until then, this is where people say “ I have owned horses all my life”, therefore I know it all or enough and there is not need to learn more.
--  A trainer or horseman must try and move you into the “conscious incompetence” stage, by demonstrating the skill and getting you to recognize that you are the problem and not the horse, they must get you to admit your incompetence so you can move to sage 2/Conscious Incompetence, where you open your mind and learning can begin.

Stage 2 - Conscious Incompetence
-- You become aware of the existence and importance of understanding the horse, it’s prey instincts and how it lives with pressure.
-- You become aware of your deficiency in the knowledge about the horse and know you can get hurt if you don’t develop the skills to safely handle a horse.
-- You realize that by improving your knowledge of the horse, your ability to safely control the horse and your effectiveness with horses will improve.
--  You have a measure of the extent of your deficiency in understanding horses, and a measure of what level of skill is required for your own competence.
--  You make a commitment to learn and practice understanding and thinking like a horse and to move to the “Conscious Competence” stage.

Stage 3 - Conscious Competence
--  You achieve “conscious competence” in handling, controlling and riding horses and can perform it reliably at will.
--  You will still need to concentrate and think in order to perform the skill and it has not yet become second nature.
--  You can handle most any horse without assistance
--  You should be able to demonstrate horse handling to other, but are unlikely to be able to teach it.
--  You need to continue to practice handling horses and commit to becoming “unconsciously competent” with horses.
--  You need to practice since it is the single most effective way to move from stage 3 to 4.

Stage 4 - Unconscious Competence
-- Handling and dealing with horses becomes so practiced that it enters the unconscious parts of the brain and it becomes “second nature”.  (Common examples are driving, sports and typing)
-- You can handle multiple horses or horse situations at the same time, like holding a horse and giving directions to someone riding or lounging or while you are riding.
--  You may now be able to teach others how to effectively handle and train horses, after time of being “unconsciously competent” you might actually have difficulty explaining how you do it, since the skill has become largely instinctual. (Reactionary or without thinking)
--  This arguably states the need for long-standing unconscious competence to be checked and periodically tested against new standards and new methods.

So let's talk about some examples:

1) I have owned horses my entire life, so when I lead three horses and drop the lead rope, the horse steps on it and rears and I get hurt from a horse head to the face, I blame the horse for pulling the rope out of my hands and for not knowing how to lead.  (Unconscious Incompetence)

2) I get on a new horse that I know little about and it gets scared and runs, I can't stop it and it runs into a fence and gets hurt.  I blame the horse for not listening to me when I told it to stop.  (Unconscious Incompetence)

3) I am picking my horse's feet, I am talking to friends and not paying attention, another horse walks by and since I was not paying attention or did not know or see the signs, my horse kicks at the other horse and kicks me in the leg.  I blame the horse for not respecting me or for kicking or being stupid or scared.  (Unconscious Incompetence)

4) I put up hotwire and don't teach my horse what it is or how to move from it and the horse gets shocked and runs through it, tears it down and tears up the fence.  I blame the horse for being stupid and not knowing how to avoid the hotwire. My attitude is the horse will learn when he gets shocked.  If he gets hurt, it is his fault for being stupid. (Unconscious Incompetence)

5) I go to get my horse out of pasture and when I open the gate, I let another horse run out or over me.  I blame the horses for not respecting me or being mean and I blame the owner for not teaching their horse not to run over me.  (Unconscious Incompetence)

6) My horse spooks at a scary plastic bag.  So I am going to show my horse that I am boss and he can't be scared so I put 50 plastic bags in his stall and on his walls.  I'll show him for being scared and being a horse, this will teach him a lesson and he learn not to spook at plastic bags. (Unconscious Incompetence)

For each of the previous situations, I will explain the difference in response for the different levels so maybe it will be clearer as to where you are and where you want to be and where others are:

Situation 1:  Horse steps on lead rope, rears and hits me:

Conscious Incompetence:  I know that accidents happen with multiple horses, I know I get uneasy with multiple horses, so I only lead one horse and if I lead two and something happens, I know it is my fault and not the horse's.  I try and do better next time and learn from it. I may ask other experienced horse people to help me.

Conscious Competence:  I know the capabilities of each horse, I am aware of my lead ropes and keep them out of the way of the horse.  I am consciously looking for things that may spook the horse and cause an incident.  I am thinking ahead and being aware of all lead ropes, all horses behavior and know to stop and re-evaluate the situation if it looks like a wreck is about to happen.  As soon as I see a possible problem, I take steps to give direction and avoid the wreck and help the horse stay calm.
 
Unconscious Competence:  I lead three horses knowing that if I drop a rope the horse will react, how he will probably react, I stay of the way and am ready to move, I keep rope and horses controlled and are ready for unplanned events.  I do this without looking like I am thinking about it and it is almost second nature, so when something might happen I react faster, without thinking and prevent it from escalating and getting worse. Since I am so confident the horses feel safer and see me as a strong leader, so they are less likely to react and get into trouble.

 Situation 2:  New scared horse won't stop and runs into fence:

Conscious Incompetence:  I know the horse is new and make sure he stops in the arena and around barn.  I know my riding is not that good to stop a runaway horse, so I don't take horse anywhere that is not comfortable for me or him until I can read and control the horse better.  I realize that my horse or I can get hurt if I go too fast or push too hard. So I go slow and set my horse and myself up for success.

Conscious Competence:  I know new horses can get nervous and scared and I am aware of his behavior and I pay close attention to him so I can read him before he bolts and redirect his nervousness before the horse reacts.  I am constantly looking and reading my horse for "tells" about what he is seeing and thinking.  I am actively aware of my surroundings and my horse's demeanor.  I pay close attention to his ears, tail swishing, speed, how high his head is and other things he does before he runs off, since I have worked on this and know it is a area we are still learning and dealing with.  I know if I put the horse in a situation and he runs off, it is my fault for not seeing it or preventing it and it is never the horse's fault.

I have lots of videos on youtube that explain this:   www.youtube.com/user/horseawareness

Unconscious Competence:  I am always expecting the unexpected with new horses or any horse in a new place.  I look for and unconsciously feel when my horse is about to react and I redirect him to a place of comfort and safety, so he will not react. I do this without thinking about it since I have done it a 1000 times before, I have trained my body and eyes to read horses without thinking about it, it is second nature and I know horses are always communicating and telling me what is going on around them, so even if I am talking to someone else, I feel my horse is excited, nervous, anxious or not comfortable.  I can sense this without trying or thinking about it, since it is second nature, then I do little things, that most people would not even notice, to bring the horse mentally back to me.

Situation 3:  Picking a horse's feet and he kicks at another horse and hits me by mistake:

Conscious Incompetence:  I am aware that my horse does not like other horses or that he may kick if provoked, I am on guard and make sure I am aware of other horses that may be approaching.  I don't get into conversations since I have seen my horse kick and know that all horses will kick, so I am actively thinking and aware so I can move out of the way or try and be ready to react and warn others. I realize I don't have control over this so I just try and avoid it.

Conscious Competence:  I know my horse or any horse may kick and I look for signs that he is not paying attention to me, I keep his attention on me, I give him direction when I see him paying attention to other horses, I secure his foot and prevent a kick if he starts to kick. I may warn the other approaching horse or owner to prevent this.  I know if my horse kicks, I know I can get out of the way or prevent it.  I make sure I am in a position to stop it or correct it and give my horse direction so the kick does not happen or it is stopped before a second or multiple kicks happen.

Unconscious Competence:  I move around the horse with confidence, the horse sees me as his leader and knows to pay attention to me, the horse will not kick since I have made my position known and that I am higher in the herd and my horse will not kick when I am holding his leg.  I am reading my horse without thinking about it, I can sense what he is thinking and what is about to do before he does it.  At the first sign of trouble, I am confidently moving to a position of advantage where I can prevent it, stop it or correct it.  My body position becomes more dominant and my horse sees this and pays attention to me and not the other horse.  My horse and I are constantly talking and communicating with our bodies, so others may not see or know what is happening, but my horse knows.  All of this happens without much thought and almost instinctive and it all appears normal and most people (even people who have owned horses their entire life) will never know it is happening.

Situation 4:  I put up hotwire and the horse runs through it:

Conscious Incompetence:  I know that horses are reactionary creatures that flee from pain.  I ask advice of others, I do research about the pros and cons of hotwires, I may try other things to stop the behavior so not to get into trouble or get my horse into trouble.  I know if my horse gets hurt and scared he will react and I may not know how to handle it so I try and go slow and prepare as best I can.

Conscious Competence:  I know horse's don't react to pain well and have learned that horses stop learning with pain.  I may try other methods, that don't involve pain, to stop the unwanted behavior.  If I decide to use hotwire, I will introduce it slowly and help my horse understand, I will put it up and teach my horse to move back from it when it gets shocked.  I may try and set it low so the horse can learn at a low shock and then turn it up as the horse learns.  I won't allow the horse to be set up for failure and allow him to run through it and learn a bad behavior.

Unconscious Competence:  I have seen too many horses get hurt due to hot wire, they get trapped, they stuck, they panic, it normally creates more problems than it fixes, half the time it does not work or breaks or grounds, so I know horses learn to test it, horses get bored and will try and go around it and get caught and react to the shock and it will cause more problems than it will fix, so only use it as a very last resort and in an open area where if it causes a reaction, there is less chance a horse will jump, roll, fall or get trapped (like in a small stall).  I know hotwire is cheat that is easier for me and rougher on the horse, so as a horseman, I don't use cheats to set my horse up, I take the time it takes to fix the problem in other ways.  I know how a horse thinks, I know if I was a horse how I would want to be treated, so I try and do what I would want done to me.

Situation 5:  I let a horse run over me while getting my horse out:

Conscious Incompetence:  I know that I am not that good at backing up horses.  I know that some horses intimidate me and that I lack the confidence to control multiple horses at a gate at feeding time.  I approach the situation with the knowledge that this can go bad, that horses are going to try to get out and I have to be ready to stop, to close the gate or to try and get aggressive and back the horses away from me. I may take someone with me it looks too bad or wait until I have help. I know if I get over my head that I can't blame the horse since I caused it.

Conscious Competence:  I know horses will be horses, I expect horses to try and test me at the gate.  I am confident that I can back a horse away so I approach the situation with an expectation that this will happen and I have a plan that will work and has worked in the past.  I am thinking of different things that can happen and which horses will be more aggressive and which ones to do I need to concentrate on.  I enter the gate and pasture with authority and confidence and I know most horses wont' test me, but I am ready with my plan for the one that does. And when a horse tries, I know it is not personal he only being a horse and I have to be smarter and not blame the dumber animal.

Unconscious Competence:  I am fully aware that all horses like to come in to eat, I expect it, I understand it and I would do it if I was a horse and knew I had fresh hay and grain waiting for me.  So enjoy watching the horses be horses.  I approach the gate sending clear body language that I am the herd leader and I have a mission.  I enter the gate confidently constantly sending non-verbal (body language) that I am the herd leader, give me space, don't approach me, I am giving stern looks to horses that are overly excited and wanting to approach me, I am ready and may move aggressively or swing a rope to make a point, I will not focus on any horse that is being respectful and not pushing or trying to approach me.  I do all this without thinking about it, it is almost natural and second nature.  People watching will not see it or know I am doing it, but will make comments that "horses like me".  If a horse gets out, I take full responsibility for not preparing or being aware enough and for letting it happen and never blame the horse.

 
Situation 6:  I put 50 plastic bags in my horse's stall since he spooked:

Conscious Incompetence:  I may think this is teaching the horse a lesson.  I may take it personally that the horse had the audacity to spook at plastic bag with me.  I know that I know understand why the horse did it and think that if I put plastic bags in his stall it will show him not to be afraid of them.  If I see the horse is nervous and can't relax, I will take them down and realize I am making my horse more fearful and this is not working and I may need to ask someone for help with this problem.

Conscious Competence:  I know that horses spook at things.  I know that if my horse is confident in me, his spooks will be less and less and I have the ability to control him when he spooks.  I will use proper sack out techniques to build the confidence in the horse and remove fear.  I know that I can't get my horse to stop spooking at everything, so I just work on how I deal with it.  I practice my calmness and keeping and having a good seat when I ride.  I work on sacking out routinely.  I don't take shortcuts and easy way out.  It takes more time to work on sacking out than it does to just throw 50 bags in my horse's stall.  So I work on myself and how to deal with my horse's natural fear instinct so we grow together.

Unconscious Competence:  I see plastic bags before my horse does since I am always looking for possible dangers, just like my horse.  I think like a horse, so if I see something that appears odd, I know my horse may think that way.  I have worked on my horse and know that no matter how he reacts to scary things, I know I can control him, I can stop him, I can keep my seat and deal with it.  I try and show him that things are not going to hurt him, but I know he is reacting to real fear and I understand this and work with him, together, to get over or to get better.  I know I feed my horse hay and he loves alfalfa and is not scared of alfalfa and I never sack him out on alfalfa, but I know that if a flake of alfalfa falls out of a tree while I am riding, it will scare me and my horse.  I know we will get through it together and I can't make my horse "bombproof".  I can prepare for unexpected things and deal with it fast and instinctively without much lag time for thought since I have done it 1000 times before and it is done without much thought and becomes instinct.

THERE YOU HAVE IT!  If you read all of this you should have a better understanding of the horse and maybe will strive to move the conscious competence level and over time will be naturally move to the "Unconscious Competence" level.  You may be at the Unconscious Competence level now in some areas, like putting your horse in a stall, taking it out to pasture, feeding your horse, picking his feet or saddling your horse.  Since you do these almost daily they may be second nature and you may not think about them much.  Getting to this level in reading your horse and communicating/talking with horse is where you will see your horsemanship grow and advance.  But it won't happen if you think you already there (Unconscious Incompetence) or if you don't actively work and practice doing it.  Spending time and watching horses is an investment.  Study them, read about them, watch them, watch others handle them, handle different horses, ride different horse, ride and work with problem horses (people problem horses), watch others take lesson, the more time you are with horses the more you will learn from them.  Hope this helps improve your relationship with your horse and your knowledge about the horse.


Link to the four stage learning model:  www.thinklikeahorse.org/


Rick Gore

Loretta
 the natural horseman
clear communication/visible results

Trail Training

When you’re out on the trail, don’t just put your horse on auto-pilot and gab away with friends; use the opportunity to train him. Practice softening and suppling his five body parts by bending him around bushes, practicing serpentines in and out of trees, etc. The more you make the horse move his feet forwards, backwards, left and right, the more he’ll concentrate on you instead of finding something to spook at on the trail.

Loretta
 the natural horseman

 clear communication/visible results

Feeling it BEFORE it happens

Read Your Horse's Mind

Story by Tracy Gantz

Josh Lyons shows you the way to correct a horse's thought before he takes a wrong step

Josh explains the thought vs. action principle at a recent clinic - read the horse's body language from the saddle to improve his action.

Why can the best competitors get their horses in and out of the show ring without a single mistake while our horses cut the corners when we ride in the arena or won't stand still when we mount them?

The flip answer is that the show horse costs much more money than our trail companion, but that's not really the reason. The most expensive, well-trained horse can make a mistake if the rider corrects the horse's action instead of the horse's thought. Those performance riders who learn to correct the horse's thought before the thought becomes a mistake are the ones who win, and you can use that principle in every facet of your own riding.

Josh Lyons says that learning to correct your horse's thought instead of his action-actually reading his mind-will improve anybody's riding, no matter their level.

It's like learning to drive a car. When you first get behind the wheel, you're concentrating on all the things you have to do, from how to steer to where the gas and brake pedals are and when to use the turn signals. Later you move from just trying to get the car to do what you want to anticipating traffic. You see that another driver isn't looking at you, and so you brake for him even before he darts out in front of you.

You probably already do this with your horse to some extent, especially on the ground. If you go in to feed your horse and he pins his ears, you know that he's starting to get aggressive. You'll take steps to correct the aggression before it becomes a bite
or a kick.

"We know how to read body language when we're on the ground," Josh said. "But what we don't do is read it when we're in the saddle. In the saddle, all we ever care about is the action. We really should be focusing on the horse's thoughts because the better we understand his thinking, the better the action becomes."

When a performance rider corrects a horse's thought, you don't see an incorrect action.

"You might see someone working down the rail and see them correct the horse," Josh said. "But you really don't know why they corrected him because the horse looked like he was performing fine. What they corrected was the thought. They didn't have to correct the action because they had already corrected the thought, and the action is a direct reflection of that thought. The action can only be as good as the thought behind it."

Josh compares it to asking a person to stand. If you simply ask him to stand up, he'll do it in a completely different way than if you told him you'll give him $10 to stand up.

"Both times I got him to stand up, but the second time I took into account his thinking process and that's what made the action better," Josh explained. "It wasn't that I said, 'Stand up faster.' I said, 'Be excited to stand up.' I concentrated on his thought, and the thought is what directly affected the action."

To correct your horse's thought, you need to change the way you think. Instead of reacting to your horse's action, you should consider why he's doing it.

"Instead of just focusing on a right turn, for example, think about how the horse is doing the right turn," Josh said. "What's he thinking about while doing that right turn? Is he thinking about trying to go back to the barn? Is he thinking about getting to his buddy horse? Does he want to get back to the gate? If he's not making that turn for the reason you want him to, then you have to make your reason more important to him."

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Loretta
 the natural horseman


 clear communication/visible results