ith
By
Feeling it
Becoming it
Expressing it
You will experience it
And be it
And your horse will
Thank you for it
May we ride our horses with love
Helping Horse and Rider become One
To me it has always been my main focus that my horse is happy in the work that I ask of her. I see it as a gift that our horses allow us to bond and ride with them. I honour horses for this and because of this I have always been particularly interested in the horse's emotions. I studied my horse and other horse's emotions for many years and started to see what made horses happy; I started to see what my horse needed from me to be balanced emotionally. I realised if she wasn't balanced emotionally and mentally then this would imbalance her physically as she would tense up and fight me etc which I knew would then eventually lead to an imbalance spiritually. Once we loose the horse spiritually - we know those horses that have just switched off inside, become numb, like lights on but nobody home. Been an instructor I have seen so many horses like this and I can't help but feel for the horse and rider as I see how difficult their riding and training time together can be. It becomes a real unpleasant experience for both horse and rider, as I'm sure the rider feels like they are wasting their time. As we become aware of the importance to understanding our horse's emotions, we will start to consider these few factors into our daily routine with our horses:
Firstly what I see as I am coaching horse and rider to become one in harmony is that there isn't enough trust build between the horse and rider. It takes time for the horse to adjust to the rider's way. During this bonding time with your horse there needs to be lots of understanding and compassion from the rider. Try to give your horse empathy, try to see through your horses eyes. Respect your horse; show your horse how much you care how they feel and that you are going to listen to them and what they need from you as a rider and owner. Horses talk to us all the time through their body language and behaviour, try to take the time to observe and listen to what they are trying to tell you. Generally if we ride our horses correctly, they will try to do what we ask unless there is an ongoing behavioral problem that needs to be worked through. Still be gentle and kind with your aids. If your horse doesn't respond then be firmer but reward your horse straight away as you get your desired response. Spend time grooming your horse, talking to them and leading them around the grounds to pick on some grass. These are all important elements to building a strong relationship with your horse.
I can't stress enough how important it is to thank and encourage your horse during your riding and training time together. I would like to explain why: let's face it we all like to be thanked and appreciated for all our efforts. It not only makes us feel good, it lets us know we have done well and are on the right track. As an instructor and coach it is my job to let the rider know when their horse has done a good transition and they have achieved the desired result they are aiming for. It is then up to the rider to observe and pay attention to the feel of the correct transition and then reward the horse accordingly. This lets our horses know they have done well and they in turn will give more. Your horse will enjoy its time with you more and therefore be a happier horse. When you don't get the desired response try again until you do. Don't reward your horse until you do get the desired response. Don't be angry at your horse either, just stay quiet and prepare you horse with the correct aids and try again, you'll get there! You will need to preserver until your horse understands, be persistent and positive, kind and patient. Your horse is just learning through trial and error.
You can still have your horses respect as well as love them. Loving your horse is so important. When I see horses I teach that have not been loved, I see a sad and unhappy horse that has switched off and given up. When I see a horse that is loved and appreciated, correctly rewarding and disciplined with empathy and compassion I see a horse that is happy willing and enjoying its work. The horse is keen and waiting for the rider's next aids with interest and enthusiasm. When a horse is loved I see it relaxed and calm, its entire being is content and it shows a sense of feeling, safe and secure. There are horses that are in need of healing for what ever reason- love heals so this in turn makes a happy horse.
A word from our horses
I mainly just respond with what
you ask of me, until I eventually give up!
I'm very forgiving really I am but
there comes a point where I have to
protect myself if I'm frightened
and confused
Using groundwork to understand your horses's body behaviour.
If we want to find harmony with our horses then we are going to need to learn to understand our horse's body behaviour. Horses communicate to us via their body language and behaviour for us to pay attention to. There is a message in every single body behaviour they communicate to us. If we unintentionally ignore these messages from our horses we are not respecting them, I realised this many years ago with my horse. To help me find harmony with her I started to use ground work to understand her body language and behaviour that she was communicating to me. Ground work is a valuable tool we will need to use throughout the training of our horses. Ground work is so important for your horse to be introduced to the work you are wanting to teach and experience with them before riding them. It also helps build a strong relationship and bond between yourself and your horse. As a natural animal communicator from a very young age I was very interested in communicating with horses and I developed more of my skills by studying - attending clinic's, reading books, watching videos and DVD's also taking the time to observe horse's body language as I was interacting with them. After developing these skills more and more my horse and I grew together in a positive direction.
As you need to train your horse new movements whether it be a young horse or an older horse ground work will help you establish the basics and give your horse a chance to understand and grasp the work. It also helps your horse develop balance, increase physical suppleness, fitness and relaxation. It's also important to talk and communicate to your horse as you are doing groundwork and lunging. By training your horse on the ground you are going to be able to see everything. You are going to be able to correct your horse as you don't get the desired response. But remember all horses learn at different paces and you may need to be patient until your horse understands, watch their facial expressions and look into their eyes, by observing their body behaviour you will start to understand how they are coping and if they understand the work you are training them. You will start to see so many different emotions on your horses facial expressions and you will start to read them. Take the time to check you are asking correctly and if your not sure check with your instructor or an experienced horse person in this area.
If your horses are showing signs of behavioral problems this is where doing ground work with them is important. You need to go back to the basics with your horse and work through it with them. I find for me personally I can communicate and connect with these horses more if I am on the ground with them. I am able to communicate with them to help them through these problems and to build encouragement and confidence with them before trying to fix it as I am riding them. Sometimes horses have serious behavioral problems and can be dangerous and ground work is what is required if this is the case. There could be so many reasons why horses are displaying behavioral problems; from observing them from the ground hopefully you will start to see why they are not happy and start to help them through their difficulties.
It is my aim as an instructor that all horses are happy in the work that we ask of them and safety is my number one priority of horse and rider at all times, followed by discovering why horses are displaying such consistent behavioral problems.
Horses remember every interaction we have with them, so I try to make that a good experience for them and by been patience and compassionate with them, behavioral problems are possible to overcome. You will learn so much if you persevere, I did and I liked the challenge. My mare has taught me I needed to earn her respect before she would work with me. She had been let down in the past and I had to show her I was going to treat her with respect and that I loved her. We learn so much from these horses that are smart and aren't going to put up with any nonsense and why should they put up with it! They know the way they want to be treated and they will teach you as you begin to observe their body behaviour.
Sometimes I think it could be our approach towards the training of our horses when things go wrong with them. We are all learning through trial and error ourselves to become better riders and trainers and to understand our horses more. It all takes time and as we use groundwork it will help us to understand them. As we start to understand our horse's body language we will start to find harmony with them. I believe to gain their trust takes 2 things - Love & Patience. To offer our horse's unconditional love, compassion encouragement and understanding changes our whole riding and training experience. The horse changes from not willing to co-operate and starts to co-operate. To truly understand our horses and what works for them is to our betterment. Our horses are such emotional sensitive animals; it takes a real art to understand what they are trying to tell us at any given moment. We need to be in tune with them and understand them, if we are to become one with them in harmony. Let's face it they bring so much joy & love to our lives, why wouldn't we try anything to find the happiness & harmony between ourselves & our beloved horses.
Let's appreciate the gift that has been bestowed upon all of us equine enthusiasts - that is to build and share a beautiful relationship with these magnificent animals - Our horses - our best friends.
Helping Horse and Rider become One
My affirmation
I am always open to my
horse's messages on how
I can learn to
Understand her more
I am willing to grow
By
Kylie Maree Dearden
EA NCAS Coach
Dressage
This page last modified on Thursday, August 12, 2010