The post you've been waiting for! The continuation of my conventional past and the valuable lesson I learned...
In 2004, I witnessed the most beautiful equestrian event of life; Freestyle Dressage. Anky Van Grunsven won gold during the Olympics in Athens aboard her warmblood, Salinero. I was instantly hooked. Before I graduated from high school I started taking Dressage lessons from a local trainer and I had dreams of becoming an Olympic champion like Anky.
I continued taking Dressage lessons through college and felt excited about the future. I was still riding difficult horses and continuing to fight for the confidence I saw in riders better then me. Five years after seeing Anky and Salinero perform, I bought my first horse.
My idea was to re-train him, show him, and possibly sell him a year or two later. What could be a better way to improve my riding abilities?
Rocky came with his name and I kept it. The first day I had him I groomed his coat until it shined and fed him carrots all while imagining his gleaming coat trotting down center line. For the next several months I taught him how to trot Caveletti, pick up his correct leads, and improve his topline. Progress was slow and I began doubting whether or not this horse was ever going to compete. Rocky would freak out about the littlest things and his idea of a trail ride was me holding on for dear life while he shied and spooked at every little rock that moved (of course the rocks would never move, but he sure thought they did). I would tell myself that he was going to be a show horse not a trail horse and him spooking and shying outside of the arena meant nothing.
A year after I bought him I felt comfortable enough to enter a local competition with some friends of mine. The day was not fun and by the end of it my pride was hurt and I couldn't believe Rocky had embarrassed me in front of everyone I knew. I needed to find a better horse and Rocky needed to be sold. While I was trying to piece together my broken pride I noticed a woman with two young Mustang geldings. They were perfect gentlemen! I asked her how long she had been working with them and it turned out to be the same amount of time I had been working with Rocky. Wow! Two wild horses tamed and being ridden (in a competition) in a year? I asked her what her secret was and she said one word, "Parelli". Parelli? A million responses were going through my head and none of them were positive. In my mind, Parelli was for middle-aged people who had never ridden before. I was a seasoned rider and did not need Parelli to show me how to ride.
More months passed and I was still trying to sell Rocky. After many failed attempts to find him a new owner I threw up my hands and said, "Screw it! I have nothing to lose!". I got in touch with the woman from the competition and asked to borrow her Level One kit. Muttering to myself that Anky didn't get to the Olympics using Parelli I put in the first DVD and sat down with my arms folded. Little did I know, my world was about to be turned upside down...
Stay tuned for Part III!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
How to Scare a Horse
I am sure everyone was expecting part II of Conventional Gone Natural, but after reading the following article: Science takes on the man who listens to horses. I felt clarification was needed for those pursuing natural horsemanship. Both the scientist and the reporter forgot to mention a few key facts about horse behavior.
Equine scientist Cath Henshall hypothesized that a remote controlled car could simulate the role of a human performing the Join-Up technique (developed by Monty Roberts) and the outcome with a horse would be the same.
To start, here are the key facts about horse behavior that were not mentioned in the article or the video.
1. Horses are prey animals who rely on a Fight or Flight instinct to get out of "scary" situations
2. If an untrained/young horse becomes scared and is given the choice to run away or stay and fight, he will usually run away. (I am speaking mainly of mares and geldings who have not become aggressive due to human handling.)
3. Horses will not fight unless there is no other way out. I am sure you have seen a horse explode because they were scared and could not get away from what was scaring them. "Fighting" could be what the scientist was referring to when she said, "more people are killed by horses than any other animal in Australia." I am sure most of the deaths were accidents due to exploding horses.
4. Unconfident horses look for safety (i.e. running away from what is frightening them until they don't feel the pressure)
5. Confident horses look for leadership (i.e. are you dominant enough to apply enough pressure to chase me away?)
6. Pressure can be physical or mental. Some horses only need a "look" while other horses need a physical touch. The same goes for running away or staying and fighting. Some horses run away from a plastic bag other horses need a bear to chase them away.
That said, the Join-Up technique encourages "flight" in a horse so "fight" is never an option a horse has to consider. A horse is brought into a round-pen and allowed to move as he pleases. A human is in the center reading the horse's behavior and deciding whether to "chase" as a dominant horse in a herd would do or "release all pressure" and allow the horse to come in and Join-up (i.e. become the human's partner).
I encourage you to watch this video of horses being dominant with each other:
Equine scientist Cath Henshall hypothesized that a remote controlled car could simulate the role of a human performing the Join-Up technique (developed by Monty Roberts) and the outcome with a horse would be the same.
To start, here are the key facts about horse behavior that were not mentioned in the article or the video.
1. Horses are prey animals who rely on a Fight or Flight instinct to get out of "scary" situations
2. If an untrained/young horse becomes scared and is given the choice to run away or stay and fight, he will usually run away. (I am speaking mainly of mares and geldings who have not become aggressive due to human handling.)
3. Horses will not fight unless there is no other way out. I am sure you have seen a horse explode because they were scared and could not get away from what was scaring them. "Fighting" could be what the scientist was referring to when she said, "more people are killed by horses than any other animal in Australia." I am sure most of the deaths were accidents due to exploding horses.
4. Unconfident horses look for safety (i.e. running away from what is frightening them until they don't feel the pressure)
5. Confident horses look for leadership (i.e. are you dominant enough to apply enough pressure to chase me away?)
6. Pressure can be physical or mental. Some horses only need a "look" while other horses need a physical touch. The same goes for running away or staying and fighting. Some horses run away from a plastic bag other horses need a bear to chase them away.
That said, the Join-Up technique encourages "flight" in a horse so "fight" is never an option a horse has to consider. A horse is brought into a round-pen and allowed to move as he pleases. A human is in the center reading the horse's behavior and deciding whether to "chase" as a dominant horse in a herd would do or "release all pressure" and allow the horse to come in and Join-up (i.e. become the human's partner).
I encourage you to watch this video of horses being dominant with each other:
Now, all the Join-Up technique asks is that you "chase" your horse until they accept your leadership. You don't have to buck and rear like the horses above, but the more extreme (i.e. unconfident or confident) the more you will have to work (i.e. "chase") for a horse to follow you as their leader. When done CORRECTLY the Join-Up technique is great to use when becoming a partner with your horse.
Here is a great video of the Join-Up technique being CORRECTLY done:
I am sad that Monty Roberts was targeted for this "scientific experiment". I am looking forward to Cath's publication so I can better understand her conclusion. If she is concerned about the humane treatment of horses why didn't she do a study on jineteada gaucha?
For more information on Natural Horsemanship or Monty Roberts please visit:
NaturalHorseRider.com
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Conventional Gone Natural: Part I
I started riding at a very young age. I enjoyed getting on a horse and making a horse do what I wanted. Nothing seemed wrong with this and I was encouraged by my trainers to do so. Never did any of my trainers want me to treat my horse like a partner. The horse was there to do what I wanted and did not have feelings. If a horse was acting up all the more reason to lunge the horse and make him tired. If the horse was slow I was told to use a whip and spurs to speed him up.
For over a decade I watched riders older and better than me ride with complete confidence. They could get their horse to do anything they wanted and if the horse put up a fight he was either forced to submit or sold. Submission came in the form of harsh bits, tie-downs, draw reins, long lunging sessions, and other devices/training methods developed to make a horse succumb to humans. I was envious of this confidence and wanted to be just like them. I would watch them and try to figure out what made them a better rider. My competitiveness fueled my desire to be the best and I didn't care how many horses I had to force into submission. I was going to be like the riders I envied. To put myself on the map and become a better rider I started riding every difficult or young horse I could find. If a trainer was having problems with a horse I would ask them if I could try riding him. In my mind I believed I would turn heads if the horses I rode were at one point "difficult". I am lucky nothing catastrophic happened to me because my courage was definitely arrogance driven. I had to get to the top of the riders who were better then me and boldness seemed to be the fastest way there.
For all of the natural horsemanship people reading this blog I am sure you are shaking your heads. Yes, I had no idea what I was doing and all I wanted to do was feed my ever-growing ego.
For the conventional horse training people reading this blog I am sure you are shaking your heads as well, but not for the same reason. Most of you think your methods aren't that severe. They might not be. I was a product of aggressive and disdainful training methods. I am not proud of what I did, but I have learned a valuable lesson that leads me to ask you...
Are you ready for Part II?
For over a decade I watched riders older and better than me ride with complete confidence. They could get their horse to do anything they wanted and if the horse put up a fight he was either forced to submit or sold. Submission came in the form of harsh bits, tie-downs, draw reins, long lunging sessions, and other devices/training methods developed to make a horse succumb to humans. I was envious of this confidence and wanted to be just like them. I would watch them and try to figure out what made them a better rider. My competitiveness fueled my desire to be the best and I didn't care how many horses I had to force into submission. I was going to be like the riders I envied. To put myself on the map and become a better rider I started riding every difficult or young horse I could find. If a trainer was having problems with a horse I would ask them if I could try riding him. In my mind I believed I would turn heads if the horses I rode were at one point "difficult". I am lucky nothing catastrophic happened to me because my courage was definitely arrogance driven. I had to get to the top of the riders who were better then me and boldness seemed to be the fastest way there.
For all of the natural horsemanship people reading this blog I am sure you are shaking your heads. Yes, I had no idea what I was doing and all I wanted to do was feed my ever-growing ego.
For the conventional horse training people reading this blog I am sure you are shaking your heads as well, but not for the same reason. Most of you think your methods aren't that severe. They might not be. I was a product of aggressive and disdainful training methods. I am not proud of what I did, but I have learned a valuable lesson that leads me to ask you...
Are you ready for Part II?
Friday, March 9, 2012
The Importance of Water
Water is an amazing gift to your horse. Offering clean water to your horse can improve your relationship ten-fold and lead to a happier and healthier horse. Equines drink 10-15 gallons daily; more if the weather is hot or humid and after exercise. Therefore, bringing your horse a 5-gallon bucket two to three times a day will guarantee proper hydration and a better partnership with you.
Most horses will refuse to drink if their water is too cold or if algae is growing in their trough. In worse case scenarios dehydration can cause death from colic, a common symptom of dehydration. Without water there is little lubrication to help pass feces through the intestines. To decrease your horse’s chance of colic switch from troughs to buckets, or change your trough water daily.
Winter is the best time to offer buckets of water. Horses like drinking water at 70°F and warm water can be brought two to three times daily to decrease the chances of ice formation. No longer will you have to worry about your trough heater shocking your horse causing him/her to become fearful of drinking. Your horse will think he/she is spoiled with every warm bucket of water you bring out to them.
Many horses have fear issues, or prefer to stand on the other side of their paddock when you are around. Water can turn the greatest of skeptics into appreciative equids. Most horses take water for granted when it is always available, but to have your equine experience brief thirst before you quench it will instantly increase rapport. Not to mention how delicious that first mouthful of water tastes when it is fresh and clean.
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