Posts Tagged ‘partnership’

It’s true what they say; it’s the little things. Your relationship with your horse is built upon the simple day-to-day activities you do together. How you and your horse interact while performing the mundane tasks of leading, grooming, mounting, etc. set the tone for the day. They build the foundation upon which you learn to rely on and respect each other.

You are always training your horse when you are interacting with her. As soon as you walk into her pasture or stall your horse is aware of your body language, voice, your energy, and mood. By making every experience a positive one for your horse, one that promotes relaxation and respect, the bond between you will grow stronger. By being aware of how your horse is responding to you and proactively helping her make constructive decisions, the two of you will reach a higher level of partnership.

Put your nose in the halter. We are often in a hurry and push on the halter onto our horse’s head without thinking. Our horse may pull away or elevate her head, a sign of anxiety or distrust that shouldn’t be ignored. Instead, put your right arm over the top of your horse’s neck and hold the open nosepiece of the halter a couple of inches below his nose and an inch or two toward you. Use the weight of your arm to encourage your horse to lower her head. Slight pressure from the halter strap that’s touching your horse’s neck will encourage her to bend her neck slightly toward you. Don’t “make” your horse respond. Wait for her figure out what to do on her own. That way you’re allowing her the time to make the decision to relax and place her nose into the halter on her own.

I lead, you follow. Your horse always leads a little bit ahead of you. She starts walking faster, and now you’re pulling back on the lead…against a 1,000 pound animal that knows she’s bigger than you. You lost her attention, and respect, the moment her shoulder passed yours. Never EVER let your horse lead you. That puts her in a dominant position, and when she’s thinks she’s in charge, anything goes. If your horse starts to get ahead of you, choke up on your lead. Put rearward pressure on the lead rope that’s angled toward the lowest part of the center of your horse’s chest. Keep the pressure steady, but don’t try to muscle your horse back. She needs to respond to light pressure, no more than a pound or two, and back off on her own. If she doesn’t swing the tail end of the leadrope (with your left hand) across her chest until she slows down and releases the pressure you’re applying with your leading hand. Your goal is not to cause your horse any discomfort at all, but to mimic the “back off” cue another dominant horse would give if your horse was caught taking the lead inappropriately.

Stand still for grooming and bathing. When your horse stands calmly and quietly, she feels confident in and comfortable with what’s happening. Certainly if you’re power spraying your horse with cold water on a chilly day, she won’t be very patient. Whatever you’re doing should be respectful to your horse as well. Teach your horse to stand still while holding the leadrope first. That way you can correct her safely without her feeling trapped or confused. Face your horse when you’re working around her. If she moves away, back her up a few steps to reinforce your authority. Then ask her to lower her head and relax with downward pressure on the leadrope. Then, bring her forward again (make sure you turn away to invite her to follow you and then face her again when you want her to stay put) and resume what you were doing. Be repetitive and calm.

Don’t move when I step in the saddle. It’s very disrespectful for your horse to walk off when you climb aboard. It can also be a sign of anxiety. Either way, it’s a problem that needs to be fixed. If she takes a step, when you put your foot in the stirrup, step down and back her up. Lower her head and bring her forward to try again. Repeat this until she’s standing solid. If you tend pull on your horse to get on, she’ll lose her balance and have to take a step. Use a mounting step or hone your mounting skills to make it easier for your horse to do her job right.

Every moment you spend with your horse is an opportunity to build a foundation of partnership. You and your horse are a team that will always work best when you’re working together.

Dale Rudin has 26 years horse experience as a trainer, instructor, and clinician. She has authored articles for Horse Illustrated, Young Rider, and other publications.

Information about her approach to training, products, and services can be found at http://www.dalerudin.com

Author: Dale Rudin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Programmable Multi-cooker

Yesterday we talked a little about the 6 Keys for a
Life Long Partnership with your horse, today I would
like to visit with you about the first key,
*Understanding.*

Have you ever wondered why your horse acts like he does
how he thinks and moves? If so, then you need to
understand the prey-predator relationship, but before
we start it’s important that you understand, if your
going to effectively communicate with horses you need
to *think like horses*. You need to look at and approach
everything from the *horse’s point of view*.

If you understand that horses are prey animals and that
*horses perceive people as predators* and realize that
each thinks differently, you can begin to understand how
your horse thinks, acts and moves, and why you react the
way you do. Understand, Both the horse and human are
simply considering all factors then adjusting to the
situation.

If you understand that horses are Prey animals by nature,
are programmed to be cowards and are herd fear-flight
animals, in other words when they perceive danger they
run and continue running until they feel they have
escaped the danger, then you can begin to develop a
deeper apreciation of why your horse acts, thinks and
moves like he does.

To horses we *humans* look and smell like *predators*.
If your going to communicate with your horse in an
effective manner then it’s necessary to prove to your
horse that you are not a predator. You need to
understand what type of behavior you need to show if
you are to get a certain behavior from your horse.

Once the horse accepts that you are not as bad as you
seem and you are not a predator he becomes gentle, in
other words he no longer perceives you to be dangerous.

In a herd of horses there is always a pecking order
and once your horse decides that you are not a danger
to him he will put you in a pecking order to fit into
his world (remember all of this is about the horse his
world and perceptions not yours) you will be placed
higher or lower depending on respect and authority.

*Remember the horse is a prey animal and is supposed to
act the way he does.** It’s your task to help him act
less like a prey animal and more like a partner. To
accomplish this you need your horse to be sensitive or
aware of your cues and communication rather than danger.

You need to turn his flight from fear reaction into
forward motion or impulsion. You have to work at getting
him to want to be with you, to take the herd instinct
and turn it into bonding with you.

The concepts you and I have discussed today are much
easier said than done. Why, because horses and humans
think differently and this is often a source of
conflict.

Let’s wrap up what we have discussed today. You will
gain respect from our horse if you uphold your
responsibilities which are: Not act like a predator,
be where you need to be emotionally when communicating
with our horse, to think like a horse and not a human
and focus on where you are headed and what you want to
do, if you do your horse will sense this, respect you
and follow you as the leader.

This article is being brought to you by [http://www.perfect-horse-gifts.com]

If you like this article and would like to learn more
or would like to send it to a friend, please feel free
to do so. You can subscribe at the website above or at [http://www.perfect-horse-gifts.com/roundup.html]

In the next article we will discuss Mind Set; Your
Attitude= How you communicate. Being assertive
vs.aggressive and being evenhanded. Your mind-set
(attitude) affects the mind-set (attitude) of your
horse.

Copyright © Mike Gorzalka All Rights Reserved
Worldwide

*You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your web
site, free of charge, as long as the content of this
article is not changed in any way and the author
bylines are included.

If you choose to publish this article I would
appreciate a Quick e-mail letting me know where it will
be published: Mike@perfect-horse-gifts.com

*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in this article
is of my personal opinions and beliefs and should not be
taken as anything more.

About The Author:

Mike Gorzalka has spent the better part of his life around horses. His dad, Mike Sr., taught him the importance of understanding the horse and how to use a firm, but kinder and gentler approach to helping horses understand what it is we humans are trying to communicate.

Author: Mike Gorzalka
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cool mobile gadgets

When you get to own your very own horse and irrespective of his age, one of the first things you must do is to really get to know him. And to learn how to teach him to get to know you.

You must be aware of the fact that although horses are beautiful and sensitive creatures, they observe the herd system. Their instinct in their natural environment in the wild is for immediate action. They take this action as, for them, it can mean their actual survival. Given any sign of danger, they immediately take flight.

With this in mind it is important for you to learn how to effectively communicate with your horse. Know that horses actually have a language of their own and that, unfortunately, many owners are not as aware of this fact as they should be.

Your horse’s BODY LANGUAGE means something.

Be aware that every swivel of an ear, each hip movement, tail flick and facial expression means something. This is the language horses use to speak to other horses – and to us – so if we are to get to know our horse, we must listen.

Your horse will come to love you if, first and foremost, you treat him fairly, and secondly, if you teach yourself to develop a relationship with him in the same way you would a human partner. It’s unfortunate that there are too many owners who will look after their horse’s material needs but put nothing back into developing the partnership itself. Given the right treatment a horse born in captivity will identify with an alternative provider and companion, resulting in a healthy relationship from the beginning. Such a relationship with your horse requires, amongst other things, trust coupled with respect, fondness with compliance, and a desire to please.

YOUR body language is equally as important as your horse’s.

Before you can really understand your horse you need to know what your body language say to him. For example, flapping your arms while trying to fit his halter will cause concern. Running up to him in a paddock rather than walking up to him calmly can make him think – is this a predator chasing me?

We’ve all heard about ‘bombproof horses’. Sorry to say, this is just fiction! Something, some time, WILL spook your horse… any horse. So keep your body language quiet, slow, easy and calm. If you are calm, this will also help to keep your horse calm.

Horses speak to us with all body parts and that includes both their front and back ends. So beware, both ends can cause us untold bodily harm if we don’t pay attention to what our horse is saying to us. For instance, most of us know that when a horse has both ears pinned back flat something is really wrong. Chances are that your horse is either frightened or angry. You’ll find that in most cases it is anger. So watch your horse’s front and rear very carefully. Caution is best even if you think your horse may be listening to something behind him or that he’s just bored. Once you really get to know your horse well, you will know what his ears are saying.

If your horse has his ears perked up and forward this means that he’s focusing his attention on something and is either up to some mischief or he’s on high alert about something he is seeing, hearing or smelling. So remind your horse that you need his attention, especially if you are out riding and his ears suddenly whip forward.

You communicate with your horse when you brush and groom him.

Brushing and caring for your horse is a major bonding experience between humans and horses. Don’t ever under-estimate how powerfully you’re communicating with your horse when you brush and groom him.

It’s vitally important that you keep your horse clean at all times. Be sure his entire coat is free from dirt, mud, sand and sweat. If you have the time, brush your horse every day. Pick out his feet before and after every outing. Wash out any sweat residue from the saddle pad and girth after each work-out or ride. Apart from communication, a clean horse and tack is a major step towards keeping a healthy horse. And it won’t do your pride in your horse any harm, either!

Finally, don’t overlook the value of verbal communication. Talking to your horse in a quiet, calm fashion is a major step in having him get to know you and to respect and respond to your instructions.

I hope that these suggestions will assist you in communicating with the horse that you’ve truly come to love. If you want to learn more about horse language and how to communicate with your horse you are invited to go to http://www.easyhorsecare.com

Author: J Russell Hart
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate

Horses don’t lie. A horse is not going to put his ears forward and pretend he is happy if he is not. If those ears are plastered flat back, and his tail is wringing a vicious circle, you can be certain he is not happy. What you see is what you get.

Training and attitude are two different things. Training teaches the horse to react to cues; attitude is how the horse responds. A negative horse resents and resists. He may go through all the motions, but his performance will be tense and sullen.

The apathetic horse drags himself around dull and oblivious, saying, “I’m bored; I’m brain dead; I don’t care.” But a horse with a positive attitude shows powerful, focused action.

The Beginning

Let’s look at where attitude starts. First of all, if we were to place the horse on a Freudian couch, we would find that he likes to be comfortable. A comfortable horse is content. He is confident in his rider and in his role in the partnership. At the core of this relationship is trust.

Trust is an expectation. When the horse trusts you, he has learned from consistency what will happen if. In other words, if he refuses to stop, he will feel the pressure until he does. If he refuses to turn, he will feel the pressure until he does. If he responds correctly, he will be rewarded.

When the horse knows where he stands, his actions develop power because his confidence increases. If you can plug into the horse’s confidence, you can channel that energy into a powerful performance. He becomes a horse who knows his business.

Trust is understood through communication. Communication is a system that sends and receives messages. In order for this system to work, it must be a language that can be exchanged between the two communicating. It means we must do more than tell the horse what to do; we must also listen. Refinement in horsemanship is in direct proportion to the ability to read and react appropriately to what the horse is saying.

Lack of communication is a frustrating thing. If the horse cannot make sense of what you are saying he will be confused, and in reaction to this confusion, he will either tune you out or get hostile. This attitude will manifest itself in apathetic or negative action.

Through communication and attention to his reactions, we teach the horse to accept his role in the partnership, even when he’d rather be out under a shade tree with the breeze blowing his mane.

The Key Element

In order to work, all language must adhere to consistency. Imagine what would happen if you said “Pass the salt,” when you really meant, “Where is the milk?” Salt is salt; milk is milk; and whoa is whoa.

Based on your consistency the horse learns the language. He learns to trust his actions. This gives him the courage to be bold and to show his athletic power. To clarify, trust is an expectation, and consistency is how those expectations are established.

Horsemanship’s language is called the aids. It is a body language that uses a consistent pressure and release from pressure to express what is being said. If you do not understand the aids, the horse will not be capable of trusting you.

The horse may not want to do what you ask, but his attitude will improve as he learns to expect follow-through from you. Follow-through is a pattern of cue and enforcement that teaches the horse to expect your pressure and release from pressure when he responds to your cues.

The cue always remains the same. The enforcement gets increasingly stronger until the demanded response is given. It looks like this:

cue > enforcement > wrong action

cue > ENforcement > wrong action

cue > ENFORCEMENT > correct action > reward (release from pressure)

The cue doesn’t change. It remains consistent and present with every escalation of enforcement. Eventually the horse will respond to the first cue because he seeks the release from pressure. In other words, his obedience and confidence will increase as his expectations are reinforced.

His nature can make him happy in a world of obedience as long as you are fair and he knows what the rules are.

Inconsistencies are mental surprises that make the horse uncomfortable and destroys his ability to trust you. He does not want to be shocked, nor is he delighted by surprises. Shocks and surprises will damage his attitude, especially in the area of communication.

Another element of trust is respect. A respectful horse will pay attention. I’m not talking about a horse walking on eggshells, afraid of every move you make, but the respectful horse who is just aware of you and what you are doing. This a a calm and comfortable kind of respect based on the equine custom of pecking order.

The Natural Order

The horse is a herd animal and pecking order is a natural part of his life. He knows it. He understands it. He is comfortable with it. The horse may occasionally challenge his position, and some horses are spoiled and rebellious because they have been allowed to maintain a superior attitude. But if it is made clear, through consistent use of the aids, that you are his leader, he will accept it as normal and be happy about it.

Respect has a natural awareness for space. Both animals and humans have what is called “their space,” and as the dominant steps into the space of the submissive, the submissive moves out of the way.

If the horse moves into your space he is challenging you. When I’m talking about space, I’m talking about that area where we protect ourselves, that place when we feel pressured to move. The horse’s attitude toward you will improve when he is not allowed to enter your space and push you around.

This respect for space will carry over from the ground into the saddle as the horse learns to stop challenging your authority. He can enjoy your affection or you may push him around; if the pecking order is intact, it will be comfortable for both of you.

Healthy respect also tunes up the horse’s level of responsiveness because the horse’s natural desire is to keep track of what is happening up the pecking order. He will be paying attention to you.

Attitude is absolute. It is there in one form or another, and as we teach the horse to trust us we encourage his positive side.

It is your responsibility to establish communication on the horse’s level and to understand his needs. You must be fair in your expectations and encourage him toward his potential at a reasonable pace and also take into account that his personality, level of training, and physical condition should match the work he asked to do.

With trust, his performance will gain power from the confidence he has. Good attitude shows. It gives the horse that sparkle that takes him over the line from average to exceptional.

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Author: Kathy Bennett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: How Electric Pressure Cookers Work

In horse training or natural horsemanship, Approach is
nothing more than a technique or method used in helping your
horse to understand what it is you want him to do.

I feel it’s important to point out at this time that one of
the major reasons people fail to achieve excellence with
their horse is that they are not mentally, emotionally and
physically fit. The way to achieve this is by being
persistent and consistent in learning and practicing your
horse training / natural horsemanship skills. Remember,
It’s not your horses fault, it’s your responsibility to be
fit if you’re to achieve success and excellence with your
horse.

In talking about Approach or techniques, we’ll use some
examples to point out some approaches people take in
working with their horses, which are very different from
natural horsemanship.

Let’s talk a little about longeing… Most people longe
their horses to exercise them, but let’s look at what
happens when you do this. Your horse is going in
mindless circles usually circling to the left and will
certainly get stronger physically, but unfortunately, he
will also get mentally weaker because you are only
exercising his body and not his mind. It’s important
to exercise both his body and mind.

Now let’s look at lateral longeing. This is where we are
going to exercise both your horse’s body and mind. First,
what are the differences between longeing and lateral
longeing?

In normal longeing, the person is only exercising the horse
to take off the edge so the horse will be easier to ride.
I think it’s important to note that if your longeing your
horse 15 minutes to take off the edge eventually you will be
exercising him 30 minutes to take off the edge and as you
continue this regime he will become stronger and stronger
until you can no longer handle him.

In lateral longeing, you’re looking to develop a
communication system with your horse along with exercising
his body and mind, which will cause your hose to be
emotionally collected. This communication system is built
around 6 yields… Your horse going forward, backward,
left, right, up or down. These 6 yields work into a series
of maneuvers, which will exercise your horses mind and body.
By being persistent and using the 6 yields you will help
your horse to be mentally collected and instead of
increasing the time it takes to get your horse under control
you will decrease the time each day. By using lateral
longeing you can help your horse to become mentally
collected in a shorter period of time.

Remember that horses can do only 6 things, but they can do
them in combination… Move forward, backward, left, right,
up and down. Your goal should be to get your horse to go
forward, backward and sideways whenever you ask him. If you
can do this, you will become the Alpha horse in his
society.

When you teach your horse to go backwards you are also
teaching him to stop. The better he backs up the better he
stops. When you teach him to go sideways, you are also
teaching him to steer left or right. When moving right or
left you are simply moving his hindquarters or front
quarters or moving them both at the same time to move
sideways. Most horsemen will tell you that the better a
horse backs up and goes sideways the better he will do
everything else.

Lateral longeing is different from normal longeing in that
you are exercising your horses mind with his body following
naturally causing your horse to yield to you mentally.

Let’ take a quick look at Riding. What do most people do
after saddling and getting on their horse? They kick him to
go, rein him across the neck to turn and pull on him to
stop. Instead, why not get him mentally and emotionally
ready before we go riding? Why not put your horse through
the 6 yields? Yes, I know that takes some time, but is it worth it to you and your horse to be emotionally and mentally fit before you go riding?

After putting you horse through the 6 yields you’re now
ready to mount. After you’re mounted, it’s time to ask your
horse to move forward. Instead of kicking him to go why not
ask him to move by giving him a cue?

For example, if you want to move your horse forward, put 2
or 3 cues together, put them in order and be consistent with
them and your horse will eventually respond to the cues.
An example of this would be to 1. Squeeze both cheeks of
your buttocks tightly. If that won’t cause him to move
forward then progress to cue number 2. Genteelly squeeze
with your legs clear to your ankles and use a verbal cue
such as a cluck, kiss or smooch. If this still won’t get
him moving forward then progress to cue number 3. Give your
horse a spank, preferably closer to the center of the tail
head. This will start your horse to move straight. If you
spank right or left of center, you will cause your horse to
move off to the left or right.

When using cues remember to start the cue with light
pressure and increasing the pressure, (the pressure should
only be for a few seconds before moving on to the next cue)
and if there is no response move on to the next cue until
you get the desired response. With practice and
consistency, your hose will learn to move off the pressure
(cue) at the slightest squeeze of your buttocks or legs,
whichever you decided to use as your cue.

This article is getting long so I will briefly touch on
stopping your horse. There are two ways to stop your horse,
pulling back on the reins which most people use (the horse
can get wise, tuck his chin and keep running) or you can
bend your horses neck around with one rein and cause him to
stop. If you can bend his neck to the right and stop his
right side then his left side is probably not going to run
off and vise versa.

I do not recommend letting or allowing your horse to stop on
his own; if you allow this behavior, you will eventually
have problems with keeping your horse moving. You only want
your horse to stop after preparing him with a cue to stop
and then giving him the cue to stop. A cue might be, you
bringing down your energy by putting both hands on your
thighs, completely relax and look down at your tummy, to sum
it up, quit riding. Eventually your horse figures out that
you have stopped riding and he will stop. Remember, you
have to be consistent and persistent, it is not going to
happen over night, but eventually your horse will figure out
the cues and you will get the desired response. One other
thing, make sure you keep your horse straight. This will
cause him to stop. Don’t worry about him not stopping as
quickly as you like as long as he comes to a stop. As I
said before it takes time to get the desired response.

Good Luck and have fun with your horse!

This article is brought to you by Perfect Horse Gifts [http://www.perfect-horse-gifts.com]

If you like this article and would like to learn more
or would like to send it to a friend, please feel free
to do so. You can subscribe at: Perfect Horse Gifts [http://www.perfect-horse-gifts.com] or The Roundup [http://www.perfect-horse-gifts.com/roundup.html]

In the next article, we will discuss Patients… Be
patient/tolerant, take the time do it right and you
won’t have to go back and do it again and again.
Helping your horse to understand what it is you want
him to do.

Copyright © Mike Gorzalka All Rights Reserved Worldwide

*You have permission to publish this article*

electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your web
site, free of charge, as long as the content of this
article is not changed in any way and the author
bylines are included.

If you choose to publish this article, I would
appreciate a Quick e-mail letting me know where it
will Be published.
Mike@perfect-horse-gifts.com

*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in this article
is of my personal opinions and beliefs and should not
be taken as anything more.

Author: Mike Gorzalka
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Electric Pressure Cooker