Posts Tagged ‘pecking order’

If you watch a herd of horses turned out you will notice that there are pretty set behavioral patterns. Everyone knows his or her place in the pecking order. There are usually no big surprises for anybody involved. This is how horses live.

Now we enter the picture – and that is where things can get complicated. The horse pretty much expects that our behavior is as consistent as the behavior of the herd members. And this is not always the case – and can potentially confuse the horse.

They say, if you have a dog long enough, you look like your dog and your dog looks like you. I hope this is true – my dogs are pretty good looking.

The morale behind that applies to horses, too. I have seen many times that the behavior of the horse and the owner are very similar. The easy going relaxed guy has a easy going relaxed horse. And the hyped up flaky guy has a hyped up flaky horse.

There is a very important point to this. If our behavior is not consistent we can have a very negative impact on the behavior of our horse.

You go out there one nice day pretty relaxed, call your horse and halter it, walk to the hitch rail and saddle the horse. If your horse does something not quite right, you quietly but firmly correct it – and things are just fine. You will have a nice ride.

Another day you are stressed out – but the horse has not been ridden for a while, so you got to do it. It will not work! Your horse will feel your tension – but does not know the reason. This will now make your horse nervous – and it usually ends up in some kind of a mess.

This is many times more important when you are training a horse. If you are very patient on time and very pushy the next time, your training will not progress very well. Actually it would probably work better, if you are pushy all the time – the horse will adjust to that.

I have found that people that are very balanced in their own behavior very often have the best results in training horses. There are no surprises for the horse and the horse will concentrate on the training itself. Wild swings in our behavior will confuse the horse. The horse will pay more attention to our behavior than the actual training.

There is no easy solution to this problem. As far as training goes – if you cannot be consistent in your behavior you will have problems.

My advice for trained horses always is: If you are stressed out for some reason, and think you “have to ride” the horse – don’t do it. Just spend some time with the horse, give it some brushing or scratching – and that is it. You will not confuse your horse with inconsistent behavior – and it might just get you settled down. Horses are pretty good at that!

After about 30 years as a professional trainer and consultant I have decided to make this know how available for horse training. I am committed to the fine art of riding. For more thoughts about horse training please go to my website http://realhorsetraining.wordpress.com/ Thank you for your time.

Author: Wolfgang Maass
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If we put a miniature in with our full size horses what can we expect? Do the full size horses treat in like another horse and it falls into the pecking order? Or is it more like having a goat or dog around them? Will the full size pick on or be mean to the miniature?

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.

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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
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Not many people think of working with horses as a way to help yourself; but in fact that is exactly what can happen. When you work to train a horse, you are working with the mind, and once you have the mind, the rest of the body follows. As you teach the horse about Man’s World (as you know it), you use your own natural mental skills. In turn, the horse will in turn put you back in touch with nature, while allowing you to find balance within yourself and be the best that you can be. The better you are, the better the horse will be.

It’s all about changing your mindset. Your job is to help your horse learn about “Man’s World.” In order to do that, you first need to understand how to go into his world. One successful way is to change the attitude of “Do what I tell you to do” into “How can I help you?” When people learn to become the alpha in a herd of two (the herd being made up of the horse and the person) this “How can I help you?” mindset is at work. The lifestyle of a horse is different in his natural setting as opposed to the environment we bring him into. For example, in the herd, there is a certain pecking order where he has a number of teachers. When we bring him into our world, we need to teach him about the world he is coming into, and become “the alpha” of the herd of two.

In the round pen you simulate life. In order to establish yourself as the “alpha”, the initial work is based on four tasks: movement, direction, rhythm and track. In working with a horse, you use your body to apply pressure, the same way that you use your legs and reins when you ride. In the round pen, your body represents your reins and the pressure you put on represents your legs. In other words, pressure means something, but the horse tells you how much pressure to apply. In this situation, you practice giving up control, thereby being in control and setting the example for the horse. This is a way you can practice your riding, as well as your timing, your feel, and many other things, all without actually riding the horse. It can be the beginning of a step by step process of gaining his trust so that you can build a solid foundation. After the initial work, a systematic approach is used to test the body, first along one side, front to back, then moving to the other side, because for every horse, there are two horses, the left and the right. “We do this to test the body in order to find if we get a negative response or one of the three “F’s” (freeze, flee or fight) due to a lack of understanding. Depending on the reaction from the horse, we can tell if there are issues in that part of the body, mentally transforming “mistakes” or negatives into positives because we know which areas need work. Finally, after the ground work, when you add the saddle, bridle and rider, you have a harmonious relationship and a partner who is ready to work with you. If the initial experience is positive, a solid foundation is laid and a remarkable partnership will develop. During this process a two-fold thing is happening. You think you’re there to teach horses, but in the end, they’re teaching you about yourself.

Many times we teach horses to be dependent on us by telling them where to go and what to do; we always have something attached, whether it is a halter and lead line or bridle and reins. We take away these artificial attachments, and by using pressure, one of his natural forms of communication, ask for what you would like, allowing the horse to make choices for himself and learn about consequences if he makes the wrong choices. This allows you the opportunity to simulate life in our world and let him know what can happen to him in when he makes that mental choice. Having no attachments can be an advantage that can help you to strengthen your “mind power.” While you are increasing your mental skills, you are building confidence in your horse and at the same time building your own self-empowerment. This also allows the horse to rely on his natural instincts and gives you the opportunity to practice life skills such as listening, timing, feel, patience, and many more. While in the round pen, one of the tools is a 35′ lariat, which can be used as an extension of your arm. This makes it possible to “reach out and touch the horse” without making it necessary to act as a predator, while also preserving your safety. Using the rope also teaches you to “give up control;” in other words, you must “listen” to the rope in order to roll it up. This parallels listening to the horse; after all, the horse teaches us to teach him. Using the rope allows you to practice this mindset. The first step is to change your way of thinking. If your attitude truly is “How can I help you?” your focus will be on “listening” to what the horse is telling you to do to accomplish your picture. This takes the pressure off of you and allows you to be “in the zone.” You have a picture and the horse tells you what to do to create the picture. The more you improve the horse’s knowledge, the easier your task will be. This type of work can help a trainer who is already working with a rider to improve in a particular discipline. can benefit horses and riders in all disciplines.

While doing this work, there are five rules. Rule #1: There are no rules. Rule #2: Your safety. Rule #3: The safety of the horse. Rule #4: Conservation. Rule #5: See rule #1. While following these rules, participants often see that the situations that occur in the round pen often parallel or “mirror” situations that occur in their lives. In working to help the horse, you can also work on changing negative habits that you have acquired and work toward self-improvement. In fact, although this work is used for horse owners and trainers, it can be used to improve relationship skills for couples or families. For example, in working with the horse, children can learn parenting skills by setting boundaries for their horse. For a career professional, as you learn to be committed to helping the horse stay on track in the round pen, you can envision the parallels to being committed to staying on track in your career. Round pen work can even be used in addition to traditional therapy methods. A local therapist has seen positive results with her clients. “(This work) brought each individual’s patterns and feelings to the surface as they attempted to have the horse complete the task they were given or the task they gave themselves. In each instance, the horse became the mirror for where they were, where they were stuck, or what they were feeling. As a therapist, it is important to me that the client discovers his or her own “monsters.” The issues became glaringly apparent to the client who is working with the horse in the round pen and, in this case, to the family members observing the process.” The work can also benefit business/corporate and school groups with the emphasis on self esteem and teambuilding. Urica Pope, Program Coordinator for the Creative Services Department of South Carolina ETV, worked in 2004 with Anderson and groups of young girls participating in a gender equity program. “There is a valuable lesson to be learned from it,” said Pope. “We chose this program because it deals with leadership. We want the girls to work together and with the horse as a team-building program.” For Bobbi Kennedy, vice president for continuing education at S.C. ETV, the goal is teaching young girls that they can “take on a complex topic and master it.” Kennedy said that the girls don’t just learn for themselves but learn how to work as a team, a concept that is a constant theme in the program. In workshops with Anderson using two horses, the girls also covered topics such as anger management, self confidence and how to say “no.”

The nice thing about this work is that it allows you to be the best that you can be. If you come to the round pen and do something that you are afraid to do, and do it well, you will build your self esteem. With horses as a representative of nature, in working with them, people are getting back in touch with the environment through the horse, thereby finding balance in both worlds, “Man’s World” and “Nature’s World.” Give a man a fish, feed him for the day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime: but you’ve got to let him get to the pond. If we stay on the path that we’re on, there quite possibly may be no fish left in the pond. Horses are helping humans find balance in their lives, thereby showing that once again, as they did in the past, horses can play a vital role in our society.

Copyright (c) Nature’s View, Inc. 2009 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Julianne Neal is an author and educator. She and Bruce Anderson conduct clinics, workshops and training sessions throughout the US. For more information on Nature’s View, visit their websites at http://equusencounter.com and http://naturesview1.org

Author: Julianne Neal
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Whether through anything that you do by a horse, when you begin lunging, start slow, soft and fluent.  Think young horse, short attention span, still developing knees and short sessions. (5 to 7 minutes).  This is not to say an older horse would not advantage from lunging, but generally speaking you are beginning this through a younger equine.
1st and foremost, the horse should know what’s being asked of them and ultimately, both of you want to be on the equal page while “communicating” with every other.  Thus, we begin through lunging to open the lines of communication, and produce accurate movement with your horse.  While it may sound bizarre to say working your horse in a circle actually teaches them something besides the actuality that they can run in circles – this really does work.  Why?  Because of it sets up the pecking order between handler and horse with controlling the horse’s space.  It also acts to condition your horse no matter what their age.
Pecking order communication starts through your horse reading your body language & vice versa.  Over occasion, and with lots of tolerance, the horse learns to wait for your signals rather than run love a basket case around in fixed little circles.  When commands are learned on the ground, it makes them easier for the horse to know when you’re mounted.
.& why the circle?  Why not a square or several other pattern, like a figure eight?  The circle usually encourages your horse to purpose his legs correctly, pick up his feet & place them properly.  And, once you find to the stage where you bit your horse, it teaches them to offer to the bit.  Of course you will have already done your prior ground-work with the horse, to educate them to offer in the poll and drop their head to pressure. You would have schooled them offer to the bit sideways (to the left and correct) and down, through the least amount of pressure.  Again with horses, the least amount of pressure to find a answer is the best (and this unquestionably depends on the horse) and in small learning increments. Read more other useful articles about dog car seat, miniature dogs and dog pounds