part two - Natural Equipment

Annie Finds a Friend (or two)
By Glenn Wilson © August 2008
Annie was a solo, depressed, sad, foundered and lovely pony. She had been alone for around five years.
She was chronically foundered and had been the victim of some ordinary farrier trimming and veterinary
advice. She couldn’t even run away from us! So, I got to work on her hooves and her human carer. Her
hooves improved a little but her demeanour didn’t. She had trouble moving and her body had abnormal
muscle development from standing in the typical founder stance. She was a mess but I knew all she needed
was horse company and some TLC. After three trims and a deterioration in her condition (not because of the
trim but because she was still unmotivated to move, which would generate some circulation in her hooves
and begin the healing), her carer and I negotiated her move to live with my herd.
Surprisingly she loaded in the float pretty easily. The unload in the
dark was even more surprising. She turned around and hobbled
down the tail gate and let out the first nicker I had ever heard her
make. She knew there were horses nearby and her life came up.
WoW!
But it gets better.
My mob came thundering over, which caused more excited reaction
from Annie. I led her into the adjoining paddock. There was sniffing
and squealing going on through the fence, big time, and a lot came
from her. She was scared and excited at the same time. Then she
found grass and the special ‘mix’ I serve up now and then. So eating
became a priority for her while the others buzzed around like kids
around a newcomer at a school.
Annie before herd living.
The following morning I brought my old calm horse into Annie’s paddock to look after
her. Very unexpectedly he proceeded to chase her around quite aggressively. “Uh
oh”, was my reaction. But little Annie lined up the double barrels and Ben, shocked
by this fire power, dodged and managed to keep a safe distance and remain
unscathed. “Well at least she’s moving” I thought. But it wasn’t working so I
swapped Ben for Dorrigo, the other calm gentleman. Same deal! Now these two old
Annie’s stump.
underdogs had someone else to pick on, and they did. Plan A. wasn’t quite working
out and I had to leave home and horses for a couple of days so on to plan B; which
was open the gates and let eight curious horses come in and say hello.
‘Pandemonium’ would be the best word to describe the next five minutes. However no horse died, no blood
was let and no hair was removed. It was a miracle really. Then the mob just took off. Into the next paddock
at full gallop, performing a lap or two and then off into the next paddock where they disappeared over the hill.
And bringing up the rear was poor little Annie, hobbling along as fast as she could (which wasn’t really very
fast at all), calling out “Wait for me”. And I left it to the Gods.
Three days later I returned, wondering if she was still alive. She was. She was scar free and surprisingly one
of the young horses, Murphy, had teamed up with her and was very caring and constantly giving her comfort.
Another big “WoW!” for me. She had also burst a big abscess in her right front hoof. Her hooves had woken
up, stirred up some infection and popped an abscess that wept for days. So it was off to the herbalist for
Snooze o’clock
some herbs to assist her body and mind to heal. She hated the first few mouthfuls mixed with apple juice but
now hardly gives any resistance. Murphy usually stands by giving support during these administrations. She
also ate a full steaming poo of Murphy’s right in front of me. I was so tempted to stop her but in the back of
my mind I felt she was doing it for a reason. A reason for her well-being.
After two weeks in company, she now trots. She has to, to keep up with eight healthy horses. Her lameness
has reduced but not gone. Her coat is fluffing up, she loves a massage, her ‘life’ is up and I can’t wait until her
carer sees her. And Murphy absolutely loves her. She is nearly ready for another trim on her hooves as well.
So far, so good. And the dentist has been
booked.
After three weeks Annie’s lameness has gone.
She still doesn’t move very well but she trots
along quite nicely. She’s had another trim on
her front hooves, which are now looking like
hooves instead of stumps. I give her the herb
mix without even a halter on. And all the horses
now accept her as part of the herd. Today she
let me kneel down with her while she was
snoozing and give her a gentle rub. At the five
week mark, the horse in Annie returned. She
moves like a horse. She seems to be much
more comfortable. She’s not 100% but I like
what I see.
Annie after 3 weeks with the herd.
Another really good thing to come of this is that her human carer has been made aware of horses’ needs.
And she may well tell others of Annie’s story, of how the vet said “Put her down” and the barehoof man said,
“Put her with other horses”. It is only early days and Annie has a fair amount of recovery to do from years of
solo living and lack of appropriate care, but if her progress to date is any indication, then we may just have a
happy, healthy pony to enjoy for many years to come. Her human carer wasn’t being cruel, she just didn’t
know. She does now.
Because the decision and action of separating a horse from a herd and sentencing it to solitary confinement
happens everywhere, and is commonplace, it is not recognised by many humans as a form of cruelty at all.
But it is. It is so cruel that the horse on which this sentence has been imposed lives a life of emotional, social
and spiritual deprivation. Quite often this manifests in mental and/or health problems leading to premature
death. These horses’ natural needs are far from being met. They live a life beset by fear, weighed down with
depression, plagued with anxiety and they are in desperate need of help.
Because the sight of a horse living by itself is so common (and accepted by many humans as normal) the
human/s responsible for the care of the horse, and the RSPCA, the veterinary world, and animal rights
groups, for some reason do not see or understand the suffering these horses are silently enduring. So they
do not take action to relieve this misery either and the status quo remains. This is very sad for horses, but
surprisingly, quite easy to fix.
Understanding that a horse is a herd animal is the first step. In my work of barehoof care for horses, I place
‘horse company’ as the most important factor in the soundness of horse’s hooves. Next on the list is terrain,
followed by diet and finally hoof trimming. ‘Horse company’ usually translates to a socialised, well adjusted
horse and just by being with other horses they are motivated to move around almost all day and night. If
these horses are given a large enough space in which to move and explore, they will move a lot. And
movement usually translates to a healthy, sound horse. They will play, they will squabble, they will tease and
they will generally be much happier than if they lived solo. If the large space these horses live in is interesting
and has logs, trees and branches on which to rub and scratch, all the better. If the surface is hard and rocky
then hoof trimming will naturally occur as they get around. And if there is a dam or watercourse, the herd will
have the opportunity to soak their hooves several times a day and also take a dip, splash or a full on wallow all year round!
A fit, moving and agile horse usually has fit and capable hooves. A socialised horse usually has a fit and
capable mind. These horses are usually placed in the ‘sound’ category. A better horse to have in your life,
I’d say.
To a horse, there is safety in numbers. If they don’t feel safe, they are not comfortable. If they are not
comfortable they won’t play or perhaps eat much either. And so the problems, mental and physical, escalate
for the horse. Alternatively, some solo horses are so bored they just eat. Then they get fat, get laminitic,
founder and then they are often locked up and starved. No movement and no food on an already seriously
sick and often depressed horse. Then the advice is “put it down”.
This is in stark contrast to life in the herd where I live.
They move around in a loose gaggle all day and night. Within the ‘loose group’ there are several
‘relationships’ whereby certain horses usually hang with certain other horses. And every now and then, some
of them change partners. But the group, even the outsiders, the new horses or the unsound ones, operate
and live as a herd.
They all eat together, they go to the beach together, they change paddocks together and they head off to the
water trough together. A really good demonstration of the strength of herd dynamics is at snooze o’clock. At
rest time, several of the horses lay down and zed off. But some always stay standing on guard, half dozing
with one eye open, so to speak; on the lookout for the lurking predator. And that’s usually me. These
sentries position themselves in a way that the whole surrounding area is covered well and truly by the
combined sets of eyes. Just keeping tabs on what’s going on in the paddock.
This is impossible with a horse who lives on his own. He’s always on guard. He can never really safely sleep
on the ground or even standing for that matter. Constant alert. Constant worry or constant “I just give up on
feeling safe”. It’s pretty sad for the horse really.
If you have one or two horses, or a herd, then adopt one of these sad solo horses. The difference between
three and four horses is not all that great. The difference between eight and nine is less. The rewards of
having a herd to care for are immense and far outweigh the costs.
For example, we can observe real live horse behaviour and learn from it. A live show is much better than any
DVD or book. We can establish and develop our ‘leadership’ skills within a herd and then use those skills in
our human herds. We can be entertained and enthralled by watching them gallop, dance, prance and play
when the mood takes them and we can be totally blown away when a number of them actually compete for
our attention. I mean, how good is it when one horse puts his ears back at another just to have your
undivided attention. Or we can ease our way into the resting herd, lay down with the foal and have him flop
his head in our lap and go fast asleep while Mum looks on with a caring eye. There is something quite
special and memorable having a nearly two hundred kilogram prey animal snoring in your lap.
It can be greatly satisfying to ‘match make’ solo horses too. The most common scenario is one person has a
solo horse that is fat, foundered, depressed or badly behaved. And another person has a horse that is no
longer needed, useful (subjective term) or loved, or it is fat, foundered, depressed or badly behaved. And
one person takes on the care of the other horse. Quite often the results are instant. It’s almost as if they say
“hey, another horse. Yippeeee!” “While I show you around my paddock, tell me about your life and we’ll see
if we can become mates”.
I would love it if everyone who understands that horses are herd animals and believes they should not live
solo lives starts spreading the word on just how important this is. We need to lobby vets, the RSPCA, pony
clubs, the media, government departments, animal rights groups and anyone else within earshot. We need
to change the way people think about horses. We need to become activists for the horse. We need to
ensure they all live in herds again. And we need to meet the horse’s needs. No ifs, no buts and no excuses!
Happy sound horses mean happy humans.
Secretary: 378 Omeo Highway Tallangatta VIC 3700 Phone: 0260 71 2855
Email: umha@dragnet.com.au
Fax: 0260 71 2207
UMHA horsEXPO
September 6th and 7th at the Tallangatta Showgrounds 9.30 start
Entry: $5 per person or $15 per family. Competitors FREE
Saturday night entertainment
Events or times may change without notice
Catering and bar on site
Professionals will be available throughout the weekend to answer any questions you may have
Demonstrations Include:
Stall Holders Include:
SATURDAY
10am
11am
11.30am
12pm
1pm
Billy Buck Country Outfitters
Glen Wilson Hoof Care
Horseland
Valley View Riding School
Arts and Craft Stalls
Yackandandah Saddlery and Horse Gear
Wayne Hinchcliffe Saddlery
Portable Fencing
(Sat only) Stallions and Sale Horses Available For
Viewing – some unsold horses may be onsite Sunday
Horse Gear – second hand and new
Tullimbar Log Cabins
Parkers Hay
Kelly’s Wodonga – Nutritional Experts on hand
Supreme Choice Horsewear
and more………………
Barefoot Trimming
Correct Saddle Fitting
Horse Shoeing
Equine Dental
Equine Touch
SUNDAY
10am
1045am
12pm
12.45pm
1pm
Barefoot Trimming
Equine Dental
Correct Saddle Fitting
Horse Shoeing
Equine Touch
Events:
Entertainment & Demonstrations:
SATURDAY
SATURDAY NIGHT –8pm
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT WITH DANNY PHEGAN
10am onward
2pm
3.00pm
3.30pm
Novelty Events Gymkhana
Stallion Parade
Novelty Competition Presentation
Horse Auction
SUNDAY
10am onward
10am
Team Yarding
UMHA Kids Obstacle Challenge
School with Barry Chambers
10am onward Novelty Event Practice
UMHA Flag Drill Practice
10am
10.30am
11am
12pm
12.30pm
1.30pm
Hinchcliffes Horse Handling Gear
Glen Gough – Conquering Floating
Barry Chambers Horsemanship Show
Glen Gough-Correct Flexion
UMHA Kids Show w’ W Hinchcliffe
Incorporating Flag Drill and Rope Ring
Rodeo Show
Glen Gough-Teaching the back up
SUNDAY
**MONDAY**
Glen Gough Horsemanship School
To book contact Alanna
0429 005 215
lanna-marie@hotmail.com
Proudly supporting:
SATURDAY
Proudly sponsored by:
Phone: 0260 271 757
10am
11pm
12pm
1pm
2pm
Glen Gough – Conquering Floating
Glen Gough – Teaching the back up
Glen Gough – Correct Flexion
Barry Chambers Horsemanship Show
Wayne Hinchcliffe – time permitting
Glen Gough
Horsemanship School
World, Australian & National Champion
EFA Level 1 and ASHS Level 1
Monday 8th September 9am til 5pm - $150
As part of the
UMHA HorsEXPO
Tallangatta Showgrounds
Pre paid nominations to Alanna Schmidt - or can be made on the weekend of EXPO
Cheque or money order preferred made out to Glen Gough and posted to:
PO Box 97 Howlong 2643
Enquiries: phone 0429 005 215 Email:lanna-marie@hotmail.com
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Name:…………………………………………….………………….Event: Glen Gough Horsemanship Clinic
Address………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………
Phone:…………………………………………………………..……Payment Method.…………………………
Email………………………………………………………………….Member
Proudly supporting:
Proudly sponsored by:
Phone: 0260 271 757
yes/no
New England Brumby
Sanctuary
Grand Opening
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Fleetwood Rd - off Old Armidale Rd 30 km NW of Armidale
Grand Opening
10 am to 3pm Sunday 26 October
Let the Heart and Spirit Run Free
Save the Brumbies Inc is proud to open its second Brumby
Sanctuary between Armidale and Guyra NSW.
Save the Brumbies was established following the October
2000 massacre of over 600 wild horses in the Guy Fawkes
River National Park.
We are committed to protecting Australia’s Wild Brumby
and ensuring humane management of wild horses in
National Parks.
11:00 Official Opening by
Andrew Stoner MP and Patron of Save the Brumbies
also…. Horse Handling Demonstrations
Property Tours
Information booths
Sausage sizzle and light refreshment
And of course….Brumby Viewing
Your support is vital to our
operation. A suggested
donation of $10 pp or $25
for families will help keep
our Brumbies fed and
healthy
Other visits by appointment, please. For more information
phone 02 6655 2224 or 02 6775 5232
Treats for horses – why use them?
By Cynthia Cooper
I see giving a horse a treat just as that – you’re thanking them for giving their time up to join
them in your games or job that needs doing.
To horses, a treat is not a bribe unless you use it as such, rather it is a reward, or payment for a
job well done. It offers incentive for the horse to earn more and they look forward to their work
when payment is forthcoming.
How many times would we turn up for work if we didn’t get paid?
Some of us do voluntary work and enjoy praise and recognition as a reward – something
common to predators such as ourselves and our dogs.
Horse however, are prey animals and for them reward is release of pressure or being left alone
altogether, along with being able to eat. When a horse satisfies its basic requirements of safety,
comfort and play then it wants to eat, so rewarding a horse with food shows us the horse is
relaxed and comfortable about what we’ve been asking. A tense uptight horse will refuse to eat,
even special treats, when its mind is focusing on survival.
Giving your horse a treat for a job well done, is a bit like taking your friend out for lunch
because you just love their company or when you want to thank them for something.
We don’t see someone paying for our lunch as a bribe, unless there’s something seriously wrong
with the relationship.
Likewise, we couldn’t expect our friend to keep turning up to help dig postholes, chop wood or
cart hay if we didn’t give them some sort of treat in return.
Sure, we’d thank them the first time, but unless we gave them a treat (beers, money, help in
return) would they keep coming back for more hard work?
That’s what we’re asking of our horses when we train or ride them, time after time.
Giving your horse a treat is a bit like inviting your friend to lunch, or to stay for a beer and BBQ,
or offering your help in return for theirs. And so it should be with our horses if we want a fair
and equitable relationship.
When horses are fed treats as a reward, even randomly, they will line up to see who gets to play
with their ‘leader’ today. They will offer behaviours they’ve learned to see if that will earn them
some pay, and are keen to learn new ones to get more pay.
Some people see giving a horse treats as dangerous and inviting pushy behaviour.
Of course it will result in that if you haven’t set boundaries and if your timing is off when giving
the treat.
Clicker trainers are the ones to learn from here – they know how to stop horses mugging them by
waiting for the appropriate behaviour before the food is given.
That behaviour could be backing or turning their head away, or just staying out of your personal
space before the treat is delivered.
Learning how to deliver the treat (and when to wait), is as important as recognising the
behaviour you want to reward. That’s why clicker people use an audible ‘click’ signal to mark
the behaviour – “it says yes that’s what I want” – and then delivering the small food reward such
as few grains of oats or sunflower seeds or pellets, or tiny cubes of carrot or apple.
The behaviour the horse does when it receives the reward is as important as the one it got the
click for. If you allow the horse to thrust its nose into your space and demand the treat, it will
very soon realise this gets it the treat quicker.
That’s when mugging starts.
All you have to do is wait until the horse turns its head away, backs up a bit, or lowers it’s head
(whatever behaviour you deem as safe) before giving the treat. Your horse will then remain
respectful of your space and not demand the treat.
In the beginning, especially if you’re correcting already learned mugging behaviour, its best to
position yourself on the other side of the fence or stall door so you can move out of reach if the
horse persists with mugging. Then just wait – most likely the horse will quit trying and move
away to do something else or get distracted and look elsewhere, and this is when you can safely
deliver the treat.
They very quickly link their behaviour with food deliverance and will then offer that readily, to
get he treat quicker after you have signalled a ‘yes’.
All my horses have had some basic ‘clicker training’ to help with their respect around food and
treats.
As they receive these randomly, but reasonably often, they remain keen and interested in coming
when called, being haltered or going to do something.
They are happy to be rewarded for hoof trimming at liberty, going on the horse float or at the end
of a ride.
I believe it’s important to ask “What’s in it for them” – and to enhance the release of pressure
with a reward (food or itching them) so your relationship is one of love and fun for both of you.
The photo on the left shows a bad time to give the
treat (mugging), while the photo below shows a good
time to deliver the treat – when the horses is leaving
your pockets alone!
For more interesting articles on horse care and horsemanship go to
www.naturalhorseworld.com/articles.htm where you will find over 100 to read.
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Bridles go to www.naturalhorseworld.com/bitlessbridles.htm .
Putting a Bridle on…
By Lynn Henry
Author of the Think Like A Pony Series.
When you put the bridle does your pony puts his head up, down or
throws it around. He not being naughty, he is trying to tell you
something.
Is he:
• Afraid?
• Unsure?
• In Pain? Confused?
Think like a pony. Try to understand why he is behaving the way he
is.
Pain
Some ponies may have a headache caused by teeth being too sharp
or overgrown. If your teeth were uncomfortable, you would feel tense and tight in your jaw and around your
head. Your pony must see a registered equine dentist at least once a year.
Unsure
Most ponies that have problems with their bridle are not confident around their poll and ears. The best way
to gain his confidence is through simple massage.
Stroke your pony rhythmically over his withers. If his field mate were to groom him, it would feel firm, so
watch his body language and make sure you give him a feel he enjoys.
Keep one hand on his withers and approach up his neck. Feel if his
muscles are tight or sore. Massage him watching his body language to
see if he is in pain or uncomfortable.
Keep one hand on his neck and approach his head. Make sure your
touch is confident and reassuring. If he appears tense or frightened
retreat a little to a place he feels enjoys you massaging. When he
confident, you can approach his head again.
Make sure that you keep contact with him at all times and watch his
body language. It does not matter if you have to keep your hands still,
reassure him, he can trust you.
When you can confidently stroke around his poll, retreat back to his
neck or withers.
Eventually you will be able to massage his ears.
When your pony lowers his head and neck chemicals from his brain are
released, which helps him to relax. As he enjoys your touch he will be
happier to lower his head.
Put your arm over his neck and with a gentle pressure encourage him to
lower his head. When he does, stop asking.
Don’t push or ask too quickly. Give him time to think and respond.
If your pony does not respond, then every time you ask him to put his
halter or headcollar on, use it to ask him to lower his head and neck.
Then put it on his nose.
Rub or massage around his nose and mouth to build up his confidence in this area.
This is polite and is preparing him to put on his bridle.
While you are teaching your pony to put his bridle on, you can put it over his
headcollar or halter.
When you put on his bridle, use the reins to ask him to lower his head.
Keep your arm over his neck to ask him to keep his head
and neck low so he relaxes. He will eventually relax
enough to ‘yawn’ about the whole experience.
Whenever you are with your pony you are having a
conversation with him. You want him to see you as a
good leader that he can trust.
The child’s name is Alice. She is 11 years old. Her pony is called Mickey and he is rising 5. He objects to
having the bridle put on because he is unconfident and does not trust Alice. Working through the exercise, he
now confidently and willingly puts on his bridle and keeps his head and neck down.
A bit about Lynn Henry...
I was a biology teacher for ten years, but gave up this
career to bring up my young children. Now living on a
small holding it seemed natural to buy a pony and ride.
Just one small problem, I knew nothing about ponies or
riding. As a child I had never ridden.
This was a huge learning experience for me – looking at
ponies through my children’s eyes, sharing their
expectations, dreams and fears. I wanted what they
wanted, to be safe and learn as much as possible about
these little equines. This is where my journey began
fifteen years ago.
I have studied and trained with some of the leading
figures in horsemanship and have extended my
knowledge to include a holistic approach to horses.
I am a horse and human healer, I have qualified as a
horse Iridology practitioner after studying with Helen
Collinson. I am also a qualified Shiatsu for horses
practitioner with the Scottish school of Horse Shiatsu.
I am passionate about horses and helping people to
develop a relationship with them, built on respect and
understanding. By taking this communication and
understanding into riding, people can learn to develop
harmony in the saddle.
To find out more…
www.naturalequipment.com.au has available the Think Like A Pony on the Ground Workbooks.
They are well illustrated and are not just good for children, they are fantastic for adults as well.
To read more about Lynn Henry please visit her websitehttp://www.lynnhenry.co.uk/
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Dressage, Naturally
with Karen Rohlf
Creating healthy biomechanics and stronger partnerships through combining natural horsemanship principles with the art of dressage...
leading to Results in Harmony!
photo: fotosiwek.com
never underestimate the potential for harmony & lightness to improve in ways you cannot yet imagine
Welcome back to the Temenos...
Temenos is an ancient Greek word. It refers to a
sacred space that has no limits, where special
rules apply and extra-ordinary events are free to
occur.
My upcoming clinics are:
Aug. 13-17 Avenches, Switzerland.
Contact: Carmen Zulauf
This month...
Aug 23-25 Wiltshire, UK. Contact Lyla
Cansfield
NEW COVER FOR BOOK!
The Book/DVD is in it’s second printing, now
with a hard cover (still spiral bound)!
RESULTS IN HARMONY VIDEO SERIES
We are happy to announce a new instructional
DVD... The first in a series. Read more about
it in this newsletter.
INTERVIEW BY RICK LAMB
Karen was interviewed by Rick Lamb of The
Horse Show. You can go to
www.thehorseshow.com to listen.
WEB SHOP SALE for my newsletter recipients! (through Sept 15, 2008)
Enter Discount Code: DNSS43 to get 10% off
everything on Dressage, Naturally web shop!
If
New DVD!
QUESTION FROM NATURAL DRESSAGE
FORUM
Karen answers another excellent question
about how to interpret expression, such as earpinning
ANCORA IMPARO
Karen asks... David Lichman answers!
you would like to submit a story or a
question please email it to:
karenrohlf@earthlink.net to submit it.
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you can check a box that says ‘sign up
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1
You asked for it!
I am so happy to announce the
availability of a new instructional
DVD. This is the first in the Results in Harmony Video Series.
The subject of this series came directly from you, my students.
Whenever I begin a clinic I ask
students what they are having the
most trouble with or need more
information about. This DVD
covers the most frequently requested subject: Riding in Connection with the Reins.
In this 30 minute DVD I explain
my basic theory that makes the
transition from your natural
foundation to a connection that
you will want for dressage. Then
you can watch as I put it into practice as I play with my young horse,
Ovation. At the time of the filming, Ovation is at a stage that is
similar to what I see with many of
my students’ horses, and he has a
big potential to have a bracey,
heavy connection if I am not careful with how I play with him. You
will be able to see and hear us
move through the process... definitely not looking perfect every
step of the way, ;-) but finishing
with a connection we can move
forward with in a positive way.
CLICK HERE to order yours today.
Web store SALE!
To Celebrate the release of this DVD I am offering a 10% off sale on
everything on my web store until September 15! As readers of this
newsletter can enter the Discount Code: DNSS43 when you check
out and 10% will be taken off your subtotal before shipping!
The Instructional Book/DVD is in its
second printing. Now with a hard
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2
copyright 2008 Temenos Fields, Inc August
Q
&
A
'body language' do you look for to
make your decision?
Thank you much!
-The Members of the Natural Dressage Forum
www.naturaldressage.2freedom.com
and not taking into account particular
situation and the influence we are having on the situation. Sometimes (believe it or not) we are the cause of the
disturbance, and it is not just the
horse ‘having an attitude’!
Here are some questions I ask myself
when I come across the ear-pinning:
• What does all the evidence tell me?
Real ear pinning (not just ears back)
Thanks for your question.
is definitely telling you something...
This for sure can be a tricky subject,
the horse is putting out some inbut just the fact that you are thinking
tense energy. I will see horses do
and asking this question means you
this when they want to drive anare half way to solving it. And of
other horse away, or in an intense
course, we can thank Linda Parelli for
activity, such as cutting (which
all her investigation of the individual
really is driving a cow away, so it is
‘horsenalities’ which gives great
the same) or racing each other. But
strategies for figuring these things
in these moments the horse isn’t
out. Given that you likely have the
thinking it is mad or unhappy, it is
information from Parelli, I will just
just using his energy and body lanexpand with some more ideas.
guage as a very effective tool! Depending on the personality of the
horse it seems like it would make
sense for him to do this activity
Hi K1,
with the ears pinned. My horse
Atomic is VERY dominant and I
This month our question concerns the
can’t imagine him coming up to the
horse's expression, specifically his
molasses water with his ears up
ears (since that seems the most obvisaying: “Excuse me nice Mr. Ovaous).
tion, please, if its ok, and you don’t
mind could I kinda squeeze in
If you are playing with a horse online,
at liberty or even while riding, and he
here?”
pins his ears what do you do dependWhat we need to assess is whether
ing on how you read the horse? If he
this horse is pinning his ears because
seems dominant, do you stop him in
he is really ‘going for it’ in an intense
his tracks (because he is being domiactivity that we asked for: “Look out
nant and you want to interrupt the beworld, my human and I are coming
Some considerations of your queshavior) and "wipe the look off his
through” or is he using his effective
tion:
face" (by somehow disciplining zone
tool to try to drive you away? Atomic
1).
• What does ear-pinning mean?
loves to put his feet in feet tubs and to
• What is the cause of the earchase a ball (have you seen him on
Under what circumstance would you
pinning?
youtube?) and if I send him to a feed
simply keep your picture and continue • What to do about it?
tub he sometimes runs over, ears
on, trusting your picture will eventually
pinned and really shows that tub
become his picture or something
In observing horses we can use catecompletely different?!
who’s boss! That’s just fine in my
gories to group the different types in,
book! But if he tries to drive me away
and this helps get a general view and
Whether you read his behavior as
simply to see if he can... That is not
clue as to approach, but the danger is
dominant, unconfident or simply one
OK and I will assert my leadership in
in seeing the horse only as that type
of deep concentration, what other
A:
“What is that face
you are making?”
Q:
copyright 2008 Temenos Fields, Inc August
3
Q
that moment to drive him away, the
same as any horse would do to maintain the top position.
• How was it related to our interaction? Now, another layer to the issue is to ask yourself: ‘Am I causing
this?’ Besides just dominance
games, horses will pin their ears for
a couple main reasons:
U
E
S
T
I
O
N
ing along doing something that I
asked and his ears are pinned, but if I
stop, they go forward, then I have to
ask myself if I am causing it. Why
does he feel like he needs to defend
himself?
Parelli Professional Bernie Zambail
was visiting me once and he watched
me play with Atomic at liberty. He is
such a spirited horse, but is kind of
1. Because I asked for something and
like a chihuahua.... can be aggressive,
they didn’t totally do it, so some of
but there is fear behind it. Atomic
the energy went into just holding
and I play with high intensity and I
tension. The ‘Left Brain Introverts’
am really wanting to preserve as
(to use Parelli terms), get stuck in this.
much spirit as possible, but without
am in neutral’ but these sensitive
You ask, they do 40% of what you ask
feeding into the aggression or reachorses are still feeling pressure... your
and the other 60% goes into locking
tion. Bernie really helped me to see
arm is still clenching the stick, you are
down or feeling put out about it. Of
that I was putting pressure on him
staring at them, still moving in the
course sometimes humans create LB
even when i didn’t know it. Because I
saddle, etc. I see this a lot in mares,
Introverts by being unclear and condidn’t really trust him, I kept my eye
and the sensitive, fearful types.
fusing, so they are not really sure
on him (so I didn’t get bit!), but this
Mares are different than geldings.
what to do, and because they are nice
posture of defensiveness from me was
You won’t really see mares out messhorses, instead of exploding, they just
feeding into the general vibe of: ’there
ing and playing with each other...
err on the side of doing less. For these
are things not to be trusted here’
that’s for those silly bachelor geldcases you need to follow through and
which just made him more defensive
ings. Dominant mares are used to
increase your horse’s motivation
(and offensive!).
giving the directions, and if they
and/or understanding.
aren’t a lead mare, they pretty much
For sure we established some clear
just want the list of rules and then be
boundaries, and this is what made
left alone... and they really can put in
my next statement possible and safe:
huge efforts, but they don’t like to be
I had to trust him before he became
fiddled with and are very sensitive to
trustworthy. I had to soften myself
pressure remaining on, even when we
and become less aggressive myself for
think it is off.
him to be able to do it ‘happily’. So if
he is doing something I am asking
River really taught me this. We
would be playing, either on the
ground or riding and she would
sometimes get her ears really back,
and I found that if I just touched her
while she was going (like a rub), the
ears would go forward again... as if
she just needed to hear from me that
she was doing great, I didn’t need any
more from her. My neutral hadn’t
2.
been neutral enough for her.
Because they have done what you
asked but they are still perceiving
But Atomic needs this too. He is a
pressure on them. You are thinking:
very dominant horse, but also very
‘yay, I got what I asked for so now I
sensitive and fearful. We can be go4
copyright 2008 temenos fields, inc August
Q
&
A
him to do, and while he is doing it he
is thinking :’boy there is a lot of pressure in the air” and if I bop him in the
nose... it just confirms to him that
things are not so pleasant and feeding
into perpetuating the situation.
Now that was a bit scary to do, to
turn my back on him when he was
sticking to me with ears pinned and
gesturing aggressively at me... and
what helped me was to know that my
leadership in general was high with
him, so if I needed to get him to
move, I knew I could. Don’t misinterpret this. There are for sure times
when a horse is pushing on you just
to see if he can and you need to be
quick and clear with your assertiveness of who gets to move who’s feet.
Just make sure once you are safe, that
you look at the whole situation and
take responsibility for your part in
creating it. And always check your
friendly game to make sure the mere
presence of your tools isn’t causing it.
Ears are such and obvious sign, but
we must take every thing into account. ears pricked forward is not
always a great thing, either. With
some horses I am on alert when their
ears are pricked forward when I ride
them, because their attention is way
off in the distance and not on me.
Ears softly back can be a wonderful
position when you are looking for
your horse to really be focused on
your body. If you are working on
point to point and destination type
games, with an aloof or unmotivated
horse, then you want to look for moments when he pricks his ears and
gets literally looking forward to
something!
I am sad to say that I have a video of
a horse being ridden who’s ears are
copyright 2008 Temenos Fields, Inc August
pricked forward the entire time...
even when this rider repeatedly
punches him in the head. This is ears
pricked forward in desperation looking for a way out.
I sure hope this helps... I love that you
are thinking about this. If we keep
our intention that we want our horses
to end up feeling good about what we
do with them, then one must look at
this topic. The answer is in the observation. What is happening now, and
what happened right before? When
does it change? What role did you
play?
~Karen
5
Ancora Imparo...
David Lichman answers a question
from Karen
5* Parelli Professional David Lichman was my
very first teacher in Parelli. Obviously he and
his teaching made a big impression on me,
and still today, he is a source of great information. He is a unique blend of knowledge, skill
and art. He is also a connector of people.
Many of the people you have enjoyed meeting
through Parelli (Sasha the former circus performer who flies through the air as his horse is
at liberty, JoAnna Mendl Shaw and her dancers, Walter Zettl, Honza....and more) came via
David’s open spirit. Please visit his website
and especially check out his ‘Center for Excellence’. He is always learning and sharing and
this is just one of the many reasons I enjoy
staying connected with him. So when I recently felt a need for a little boost of creativity,
I asked him this question:
Q (Karen):
Hi David, I am always
looking for new inspiration of how to balance precision and play. I often find myself dancing between the kind of leadership where my horse knows a behavior
where, for example, I point to a barrel and
he knows to run around it and come
back... with the kind of leadership that I
need for dressage where it is more like
we are dancing together every step.
So I
Do you have any insights about how I can was wondering if you had any thoughts
balance these two kinds of interactions?
on this in general. Do you have thoughts on how they can
connect in a way that makes sense to a
horse?
(David)
My first thought is to do the
A
For example, I play with my horses at
liberty or riding freestyle in ways where I
focus on: go jump the jump, go put your
foot in the bucket, follow the ball.... etc
and they feel so free and playful...even a
little wild and exuberant and I see them
thinking and making choices and I like
this.....
Then I do dressagey things or have a different focus where the intention is: be
with me 100% like a dancer. They can get
really let loose and open and free and it
feels so yummy, but in a different way. I
like both of these modes, but they are
definitely different. I am looking for more
conscious thoughts about my strategies
of how to mix the two!
6
:
same play exercise, but mounted... and
make the motivation high on your list. WHY is
he doing this for me? Not just because I lead
and he follows, why this thing this time. Each
thing needs to be rewarding to him. So if it's
rest, dismount, cookie, massage, dismount,
bridge (if you've trained it... soothing words if
you have not) or any combo of the above make sure you get'r done before you move on.
So then I'd make a game of it. Build some
dressage patterns backwards. These are
called chain behaviors. They might be used to
train a complex series of events for a show...
you are going to use them as temporary one
time chains.
The chain will vary on the level of stuff the
horse knows. This isn't for teaching, it's for
connecting and motivating the stuff he already
knows. So that he learns to get motivated to
respond to longer and longer chains of "dance
steps" - until he starts to realize that even
though they vary - there's always a big payoff.
So for a simple example. 1) Trot A - C
2) RL Canter C - M - R
3) Half pass R - V
4) FLC V
5) Left Lead Canter V - K - D? (down center
line)
6) Transition Trot X
7) Small Circle L around Barrel @ I (twice)
8) LL Canter Barrel - C - H - S
9) Half Pass S - P
10) Halt at P
[Note: The letters David is using are
the letters around a dressage
arena...]
copyright 2008 temenos fields, inc august
Depending on the horse, could be shorter or
longer, more unusual elements added (jump,
sideways over log, squeeze etc.) David (Left) and me with two of the Dancing with
Horses dancers, Gina and Blake
I would guess if it takes more than 3 days to
accomplish - it's too long or too difficult... but
there's not really a guideline.
So to begin start at the end - 9) Half Pass S - P
10) Halt at P reward repeat until it's easy. If necessary practice
each piece individually before combining. Assuming this is already done go backwards to
8.
8) LL Canter Barrel - C - H - S
9) Half Pass S - P
10) Halt at P reward then add in 7.
7) Small Circle L around Barrel @ I (twice)
8) LL Canter Barrel - C - H - S
9) Half Pass S - P
10) Halt at P
maybe as the chain gets longer the reward
gets a bonus with increasing frequency
then add in 6.
6) Transition Trot X
7) Small Circle L around Barrel @ I (twice)
8) LL Canter Barrel - C - H - S
9) Half Pass S - P
10) Halt at P
at any point you could build sub chains. so for
example instead of 6 - 10. do 5 -7. then 3 -7. then chain the two sub-chains
3 - 7 and 7 - 10 so you have total 3 - 10
Probably enough for one or two days here
already.
Just remember to start at the end for any
chain, and build it backwards, the longer the
chain, the better chance the reward will include a bonus. Teach a chain.. if it's too long,
shorten it and end the deal.
Teach it.. then throw it away. You want the
horse to be interested in learning new chains,
not any one particular chain. All the while you
are building a positive "what's next? - Can we
do more???" excitement in your horse. Building the responsiveness to the dance - through
dancing.
Hope this helps!
~d
copyright 2008 Temenos Fields, Inc august
Thanks, David... this should give me (and my readers!) lots to
think about and play with! I can imagine how this can help the
horse find the mini-destinations in the middle of the flow of dressage type gymnastics. It is always a challenge to develop the
body in a way that the horse has an open mind, but doesn’t go
brain-dead... and can stay playful without tuning out the rider...
Thanks again for another insightful, educated answer for me!
~K1