Posts Tagged ‘Relationship’

Catching a horse can be trouble. If a horse doesn’t want to be caught, his ability to escape and evade that’s a built-in part of being a prey animal can make things really hard on us. All too often, people try to deal with this problem by doing everything wrong. What people don’t realize is that the interaction you have with your horse when catching builds a foundation upon which everything else in your relationship with the horse is built. Get it wrong and you’re going to have trouble in everything else you do.

Here are some mistakes people make when catching a horse, and how to avoid them.

1. Trying to bribe the horse

You’ve probably found that cutting corners isn’t the best way to get ahead in life and with horses that principle holds true as ever. The way to cut corners when trying to catch a horse is by offering him a carrot to convince him to let you put the halter on. How many times have you seen someone out in the pasture trying to bribe the horse with a bucket of grain?

Yeah it’ll work but with a price. The cost for bribing your horse to do things is lost respect. If you give your horse a treat in an effort to get him to do something, he will not respect you as much as he would otherwise. Food does not motivate horses the way that it would a predator animal like a dog.

To avoid this mistake, you need to approach the situation the way the dominant horse in the herd would. Alpha horses make the other horses move around! Control the feet, control the horse. We apply this when catching a horse by pushing a horse that doesn’t want to be caught. That seems counter-productive-you’re sending a horse away that you want to come to you! But this produces solid, long-lasting results-when you push the horse he gains respect for you-the first step necessary to have a true partnership with him.

2. Failing to read horse body language

The second mistake people make is failing to recognize signs the horse is giving you that she wants to have a conversation. Horses give subtle body language cues that we sometimes miss, and these cues can indicate respect, trust, and acceptance. Some signs to look for are ear on you, licking of the lips, and dropping the head. When you see these signs, take the pressure off. Stop pushing the horse, don’t walk up to the horse, and avoid eye contact with the horse at that point.

3. Walking right up to the horse

OK what are you gonna do if you want to put the halter on your horse? Many folks do what comes naturally to humans, they walk straight toward the horse to put the halter on. What else would you do?

Problem is, that’s how a predator would approach a horse. This is recognized on an instinctive level- and if a horse is not comfortable being caught, what’s going to happen if you approach like a predator? You’re going to trigger his instinct to flee.

Avoid this mistake when catching a horse by approaching lateraly, without making eye contact with the horse. If she shows signs of acceptance like looking directly at you, you can stop (don’t approach closer just yet), smile, and praise the horse verbally.

4. Failing to push again

OK so lets suppose you’ve been catching a horse and she’s given you the signs of acceptance, and she’s just standing there watching you. You approach to within 10 feet, and then suddenly she takes off again. Don’t make the mistake of failing to push again. At this point you need to push the horse around to get more respect. We’re giving her the chance to flee if she chooses to do so, but make her work if she makes that choice.

5. Getting too greedy

People get anxious with horses all the time. The first time you’re next to the horse, you might want to hurry up, put the halter on and be done with it so the real work can start. What you’re missing, however, is that when catching a horse the real work began the second you entered the pasture. Failing to continue building a solid foundation from the start will lead to problems down the road. It might require a little more effort up front, but if you’re not anxious and instead use a patient approach, you’ll do better with your horse long term.

David McMahon is a freelance author who owns three horses. He invites you to visit http://www.horse-training-tips.com where you can learn more about catching a horse.

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rates

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
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