Sorry everyone that I haven't blogged in forever, It's been a bumpy ride over the last couple months. After my last blog about being extra nice and taking your time with a loading issue I had planned on blogging about people who are too nice, but decided to allow a certain incident that happened to me sink in for a week. I like to make sure I don't blog out of frustration but really think about things before I write. But after that a whirl wind of a trip to Idaho, some sick kids, dealing with helping some friends, moving a large herd of alpacas, all those things took over and took me away from the computer.
I have a lot to catch up on in Horse training blogs, BUT I want to go back to the incident of Fairy Dust and Pixie tales... Because it is important for those who wish to understand my methods further to know there is a balance between being patient with a horse (as we did with the trailer loading previously mentioned) and allowing a horse to realize that if they act up or pretend they are looking at something scary, or simply being disobedient, or not respecting you as the alpha "horse".
The very same mare who I wrote about in the blog about getting into the trailer I had decided to ride after most of the farm was vacated. There was only one other person up and on the property. I asked her if she would stick around to watch and just hang out in the barn because I do not like to ride alone just in case I ever get injured (I want someone with a cell phone close by who will notice if I fall for safety).
This was not a person I was familiar with, just someone else that has business on the Estate I train at currently. That was a huge mistake, instead of waiting in the barn as I asked she followed me all the way to the round pen and before I was even in the round pen she was asking me what kind of bit I was using on the mare. To which I responded "it's just a plain thick smooth eggbutt snaffle. A 'baby' bit, I restart all my horses in training in a plain snaffle, nothing harsh" She asked why I didn't use a bit-less bridal.
I though "oh boy here we go." Instead of taking my time to explain that in my opinion all horses should be trained to properly carry a bit and also to submit to bit in a calm manner to prevent injury to any future rider who may end up riding or buying the horse (even horses people plan to keep forever, as you never know what the future holds. A forever owner might pass in a car crash tomorrow and the horse end up who knows where). Instead I simply responded "because you can not show a horse in a bit-less bridal" thinking it would end the argument. Instead it didn't. She insisted you CAN show in a bit-less bridal (obviously this woman has never shown in an ASB show in her life and telling me about the rules for his particular mare).
Already the purpose of me waiting for most of the clients and farm to be finished and for the farm to be quite so we can have a relaxed ride for our first ride was over... the mare picked up on the tension and started to push. so I calmly played with the bit from the ground (like driving only standing by her side) and asked he to halt, walk, halt, walk, halt and stand. Then brought up the mounting block. And the mare wanted to push forward. I did not pull on the mare at all, simple held the bit still and let the mare move from side to side until she understood that standing still between the bit was the most comfortable place to stand... as SHE decided she wished to push forward further and put her nose all the way around to her back...
At which this woman started shrieking "Your hurting her your hurting her". To which I said "of course I'm not" and she insisted "that is not a natural position!" …obviously this woman has never watched this mare scratch her back with her own teeth. she can actually reach her own spine just behind her withers, and does with her extra long freakishly agile neck.
This particular mare is a very sensitive mare, which is why I spent so long with her in the trailer, if I were ever to actually hurt her she would most likely climb a wall or flip over backwards. And I want her to use her brain and agree to do most of the common things any horse should be trained to, such as loading, picking up feet, being tied, getting bathed, standing for a vet etc. But she is green and when asking a green horse to find a comfortable position like introducing a new bit or a standing position or a new piece of equipment, they will move in all kinds of ways to play with the bit, or play with the position. They move, they wiggle, they figure out where the best spot is. Which is one of the many reasons I use a lot of cringle training and believe in teaching horses to drive on the ground before riding.
I never did ride that night. Too much tension around. I just worked on getting the mare to stand properly for mounting and standing next to the mounting block and left it at that.
I found out later that this particular woman does not do anything with her own horse other than feed it. No one has seen her ride it, all she does is pet it and keep it like a pet. She is the type that someone thinks if you are simple a horses best friend he will magically allow you to ride them or ask them to work. (hence why I named to blog fairy dust and pixie tales).
My point of sharing this particular blog is not to bash this woman and her want to own a horse as a pet, if that is what brings her joy then more power to her... BUT it is to say that not all moments of horse training are pretty or beautiful. They don't all look like the slow motion round pen scene from The Man from Snowy River. Horses can be like teenagers and throw temper tantrums, they can challenge the authority of the trainer and need to be reminded who is the "alpha horse" just as they do in their natural environments. And there are times where I am not so patient to tell a horses "okay if it literally takes us all day long to get you comfortable to walk into this trailer of your own accord and not forced" but instead I recognize a horse being disobedient or testing and push an issue of speed and precision. And to first and foremost RESPECT the handler. Which is the best way to prevent serious injury in the future.
I have always taught my students... there may come a day when you see me respond to what I call an "act of war"... do not be scared, I have not flipped my lid. Those acts of war are if a horse purposefully tries to bite, kick, or strike a human. Then I have exactly 5 seconds to make this horse believe he made the worst mistake of his life and is going to die. 5 Seconds, of running towards him, raising arms up over head like a bear, striking him with the end of the lead rope (NEVER in the head) but neck or body or whatever can be reached and screaming like a banshee (yes I can really scream like a banshee). Or whatever it takes to make this horse feel he should NEVER even try it ever again. My goal is all horses no matter what they are in training for should be child safe. 5 seconds, that's it, then it is over. Even if they did bite me and I'm angry. Never take your anger out on a horse. they need to get the point and then move on. If you still hold anger do something different.
You see, my methods are not all sunshine and roses and taking an entire day to load one horse. Mine are all worked in the round pen and learn to walk, trot, canter, and halt (without moving to the center) to move their shoulders away from me and towards me, then I do a lot of saddle work, and cringle, and ground driving, and THEN ride. So I do not "gyp" a horse by saddling him for only three days and then running them out and making them canter with a rider on the fourth day.
My methods are a lot slower and tailored to each horses individual personality (which is why I only take in a total of 7 at a time rather than 30). But each horse have been happy, healthy, don't have ringing swishy tails (unless they already came to me that way) and turn out SAFE. I do NOT buck a horse out, he must learn to carry a saddle, and ground drive, and if he is still bucky he will carry weight first, and learn to accept humans as alphas WITHOUT teaching him to buck.
Next blog I will talk about my trip to Idaho and the arrival of my new stallion. I'm so in love and can't wait to share my training experiences with him.
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