Movie Horses

There have been a lot of great movie horses - both fictional and true - Black Beauty, Secretariat, Seabiscuit, War Horse etc.

However, it has been hard for animated horses to make the grade. The first that caught my attention was Maximus, the horse in the movie "Tangled." Maximus had a great horse personality and a half-way reasonable horse spirit.

Today Betty and I saw the new Pixar movie "Brave" and thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is interesting, moves well and has a lot of enjoyable characters.

What made it really interesting for me is Merida's horse, Angus. He is much more a real horse than Maximus. Maximus had a great personality, but he was more of a horse caricature. Maximus' horse spirit was captured, but in a funny way - not a real way.

The Pixar artists have finally come close to capturing the spirit of a real horse in Angus - including his joys and fears and how he reacts to both. Plus he's a big, beautiful Clydesdale.

If you want an enjoyable afternoon catch "Brave" but don't spend the extra money for 3D. The 2D is great in it's own right.

Posted with Blogsy

Persistence vs. Insistence

Betty and I worked with Morgunn and Sugar yesterday and today, Thursday. Because of the hot days, we're starting about 7:45 in the morning and working with them for about 45 minutes to an hour. Both Sugar and Morgunn had pretty good days - not perfect - but decent.

We're trying to apply some of the learning from both the clinic I attended and the principles in the books we have just read (and reviewed on this blog in the last week or so).

One key principle from the book is the idea of persistence versus insistence. In the past, we rode with the idea of insistence - insisting the horses do a certain thing based on the cues we were giving them. We didn't realize it, but we were trying to ride with control over our horses. We might have gotten some obedience from them, but not a trusting willingness to work with us.

Persistence is based on the concept of giving the right cues, the cues you want the horse to respond to, and letting him learn how to respond and believing that the horse will eventually figure it out. The concept is not one of control, but one of believing that the horse will learn how to respond to consistent and appropriate cues - and in giving him the freedom to experiment we will develop a willing partner rather than an obedient serf.

Insistence is short-term thinking and action - do it now - whereas persistence is long-term and requires much more patience on our part.

The book we read told how the author, at a clinic, watched Bill Dorrance work with a horse with trailer loading issues. Bill worked with the horse for several hours. During that time, the author said she saw four different times when she would have gotten the horse to step into the trailer, but Dorrance chose not to do that.

At the end of Bill's time working with the horse, he still had not stepped into the trailer. When Dorrance discussed his work with the clinic participants, he said there were several times when he could have gotten the horse to step into the trailer, but that was not his goal. He said his goal was to have the horse feel good about stepping into the trailer when he did.

He never insisted the horse get into the trailer which most people would have said was a good, but short-term, goal. Dorrance persisted with his goal and belief that the horse would eventually load into the trailer and, when he did, he would feel good about it. Definitely a longer-term goal - and one we would all like to achieve.

Achieving long-term goals with our horses require us to give up our short-term, insistent thinking for a longer-term persistence and a whole lot more patience.

Posted with Blogsy

Book Review - Of Life and Horses (2)

About a week ago I did a review of the first book that Ann Nyberg Bradley wrote called Of Life and Horses - The Nature of the Horse. Click here to see that review.

I recently finished the second book called of Life and Horses - Cooperation Through Communication. Whereas the first book focused on better understanding the basic nature of the horse, this book looks at how our understanding of that basic nature can influence how we communicate with the horse.

Again, there is way too much content to get into in just a blog post, so I'll share some nuggets as I did last time.

• From the introduction: Ultimately, the human/horse union is one in which our mind controls the horse's body. ... Some riders will attempt to physically control a horse's body, but he knows how to operate his body far better and more effectively than we do. So, in that sense, if we can convey the idea of what we want then we can let him do it. In that manner our aids can remain light, polite and tactful.
  
• From the chapter on the language of communication: When training a horse, there is a distinction between obedience and willing cooperation. It is possible to obtain obedience and/or submission through force, fear, pain, and/or intimidation, but willing cooperation can only be offered by the horse.
  
• From the chapter on underlying intention and expectations: The most important training tools we possess are our underlying intentions and expecations. They are projected through our body language and are how we communicate with the horse. ... It's important to be aware of the feel you present to a horse all the time, because the feel you present will dictate the response/s you receive.
  
• From the chapter on the flip side of the coin: The rider needs to feel what he wants the horse to do, even when the horse isn't doing it - and especially when the horse isn't doing it.
  
• From the chapter on punishment vs. reward: When people punish (correct) the wrong answer they think they are punishing the horse's behavior, but to the horse it is his try - his attempt - that is being punished. If his try is punished enough, he'll quit trying.
  
• From the chapter on first impulse: In our training, the first thing we need to focus on is the horse's first impulse. That is his very first reaction to what we do, the reaction that occurs in the first instant following a request.
  
• From the chapter on persistence vs. insistence: Insistence is our way of controlling a horse. Too often the feel of insistence from the human is met with opposition in the horse. Persistence has a different feel to it. Persistence is about waiting, accepting what is, making a request for a change, and then waiting for the change to happen. Ironically, we often have more influence over a horse when we give up our notion of controlling him.
  
• Again from the chapter on persistence vs. insistence: Insistence arises from a lack of inner composure, a lack of inner control, and a lack in the belief that we will be able to elicit a change. Persistence arises from an inner place of being okay with whatever is happening in the moment coupled with the knowledge that it can and will change.
  

As with the first book, there is so much more than these small nuggets suggest - feel, drive/draw, dominance and submission, point of view, power over fear, anxiety/tension and release, mind to feet connection, the rein aids, primary and secondary aids, balance vs. counter-balance, resistance and evasion, and more.

This book was as good if not better than the first and I highly recommend it to any person who wants to think deeper about their relationship with their horse.

Monday Video - Flehmen Response

Flehmen response may not be very familiar to non-horse people. It's when a horse curls up its upper lip which exposes that sensitive skin to smells. It's also fun to see.

Here's a video showing a good example of a Flehmen response.

Enjoy.

 

Sunday Reflection - Control

If you read this blog then you know that Betty and I have been working with the horses and with ourselves.

One of our learnings is our human desire to control. It is our nature to want to control our environment, our circumstances, our relationships, our horses - primarily to bring a sense of security. We feel safer if we believe we are in control.

That's why men love to keep the remote control - we feel empowered when we can change the channel and volume at will.

It scares us when we feel out of control of our world and those around us. When we lose a job or a relationship goes bad, it scares us and, in our fear, we often express that fear as anger. It's too bad they don't make a remote control for our world.

Notice that most, if not all, of the things/persons we want to control are exterior to us. The last thing we want to work on is interior control - i.e., self-control. I guess we think the world and people around us need controlling much more than we do.

The problem is the only thing/person we can really control is ourselves. We can try to exert control over our environment, the people in our lives, our horses, but this is deceptive. Control over our exterior world requires force which in reality is dominance.

When it comes to living things - people and animals/horses - dominance through force may bring compliance to our desires/needs, but they respond not out of relationship, but out of fear of the punishment of force.

Another way of saying the same thing is we cannot truly change anyone or anything but ourselves. We can force another person to act in a certain way, but we have not changed them. We have gotten compliance through force, but they have not changed. Yet, we can truly change ourselves if that is our desire.

As a Christian, I have chosen to give control over my life - exterior and interior - to the lordship of Christ. At first that seemed scary because I was so used to trying to control my life. Over time I have learned that this giving of control to Jesus brings a peace that goes far beyond any feeling or understanding. And he has done a far better job of controlling my life than I ever did. I have truly been changed.

Betty and I are learning that giving up our desire to control our horses can bring a peace to them. Christ became our source of peace and security when we fully gave ourselves to him. He never uses force or coercion to become Lord of our life. He gives us space - free will - to make our choice.

We're working on becoming the kind of people whom Sugar and Morgunn can see as their source of peace and security and who will fully and freely give themselves to us. It takes longer, but we need to give them the space to make their choices.

We can force them to behave in a certain way, but we don't have their minds and heart. Just as we have given our minds and hearts to Jesus, we hope to have Sugar and Morgunn freely give their hearts and minds to us some day.

God has been very patient with us and has let us, especially me, figure out what is true and best for us. We're learning to be very patient with our horses to let them figure out what is true and best for them.

 

We Keep On Learning

Yesterday, Friday, Betty and Morgunn had a good day while Sugar and I struggled, especially with her walking through my stop cues. Today, Sugar was a dream, stopping softly at every request while Betty and Morgunn struggled. It's a reminder that, as we've said before, horses have good and bad days just as we do.

The challenge for us is to learn from every riding experience. What can we learn from today, good and not so good, that will help us become better riders? One thing I'm learning is how important it is to try and keep my emotional state on an even keel regardless of the kind of day Sugar has. It was easy for me to get frustrated yesterday and feel really good today. My goal is to feel the same way every day regardless of how she does. Not easy, but it's something for me to work toward as I want to be a source of stability for her.

The other thing I worked on today was my arms and shoulders. I'm pretty sure yesterday as I closed my hands on the reins for the stop cue I was bringing my elbows in which tightened my arms and shoulders and that can affect my whole body, especially my hips and legs. That stiffness on my part may have been the reason she walked through the stop yesterday.

Today, I concentrated on trying to keep my arms and shoulders loose and relaxed even as I closed my hands on the reins. I also worked on keeping my legs down and my hips open so my lower body would be relaxed and would move with her movement.

Sometimes horses can make us feel good and other times very frustrated. The truth is Sugar is not making me feel one way or the other. It's my choice how I feel and I need to stay aware of that for her sake and for mine.

Friday Funny - See, Your Mom Knows What She's Talking About

 

Things Are Better

This is a picture of the Bosque fire from last night just as we were going to bed.

This morning, the reports are that somewhere up to 200 acres had burned. The fire on the West side of the river, our side, is mostly contained. The fire on the East side is still a concern, but the fire spots are mostly small.

Fortunately, the wind didn't pick up last night as they were forecasted to do.

We contacted two of our friends yesterday who live close to the fire and have horses and told them they could bring them up to our lot if needed, but it wasn't necessary.

There is some smoke in the air this morning - you can taste and smell it more than you can see it. It makes the back of your throat dry and scratchy. We were going to work with the horses this morning, but we have decided not to because of the smoke. Neither they nor we need to exert ourselves in the heat with the smoky air.

No structures were burned and no injuries were reported so we were blessed. If the winds had been stronger and in a different direction it could have been a lot worse.

I bless those men and women who run towards the fire to protect others. They deserve a special place in heaven.

Fire in the Bosque (Updated)

At about 3:40 this afternoon Betty looked out our front windows and said, "Oh, my!" I turned and this is what we saw:

The fire started in the Corrales Bosque (Spanish for woods) and, according to the news channel, it has jumped the river and is burning on both sides of the Rio Grande. However, we just heard that the worse part of the fire is on the opposite side (East) of the river from us.

We went outside and took another picture.

I'll continue to take pictures and some video and update this post as the evening goes on. We aren't concerned about the fire affecting us personally, but we do have a friend whose house and horses are in that area.

(Update - 4:00 PM) Here's another photo taken several minutes later and a time-lapse video. As you watch the video, keep in mind that the time-lapse effect makes the smoke move quicker than it really does.

 

 

(Update - 5:55 PM) Here's a couple of more photos. The first is one of the helicopters dropping a bucket of water on the fire.

 

The worst part of the fire is now on the North end.

 

(Update - 9:00 PM) The fire is about 90% contained. We can see a glow from flames at the North end of the burn, but that's all. Let's pray nothing flares up during the night.

Book Review - Of Life and Horses

(The image is from Amazon.com so you can't click on it to 'Look Inside.')

When I was at the gaited horse clinic a few weeks ago with Larry Whitesell, one of the things I liked about him is he didn't sell anything. He and his partner Jennifer have several DVDs, but they never mentioned them or had them out for sale. Their focus was on us and our training and I greatly appreciated that.

One night at supper as we were talking he mentioned a woman they both knew and had high regard for, Ann Nyberg Bradley. They said that if we wanted to learn more about the nature of horses and how they think and feel we should consider getting her two books.

Ann has worked with and studied horses for over 50 years so her thoughts are based on real life experience.

I just finished her first book, "Of Life and Horses - The Nature of the Horse." It really made me re-think my understanding of horses and how I relate to them.

There is way too much content in the book for me to effectively cover in a blog post. However, in almost every chapter she highlighted one thought that was probably key for what she was sharing. I'll share several of those to give you a feel for her thinking and writing.

• From the chapter on the flight mode of horses: But since flight mode is the physical manifestation of the horse's mental and emotional state of being, the key to dealing with flight mode is to learn to take the horse out of a state of mental anxiety and emotional turmoil and into a state of mental calm and emotional tranquility.
  
• From the chapter on the primitive vs. thinking brain of a horse: We humans often think when we physically punish (we call it correction) a horse that we are punishing the behavior he's exhibiting, but in his mind we are punishing the emotion that is fueling the behavior.
  
• From the chapter on defensiveness: A mistake (by the horse) is a try that came up with the wrong answer.
  
• From the chapter on control vs. influence: At those times when we feel things are out of control, it is really our emotions that are out of control.
  
• From the chapter on the philosophy of round pen training: The concept of presenting the horse with the opportunity to figure things out for himself as well as trying to set up situations that encourage his success, is fundamental to the theory behind round pen training.
  
• From the chapter on attention: Good riding is 90% non-interference and 10% influence. Yet many riders try to influence by 90% and end up interfering with the horse's ability to perform.
  
• Also from the chapter on attention: Horses respond best when people approach them with a calm, quiet demeanor, although calm and quiet does not mean without direction and intent.
  
• From the chapter on trust and fear: We can cause a horse to ignore his own fear, but that doesn't increase his trust in us.
  
• From the chapter on curiousity: Fear resides in the horse's primitive brain, but curiousity is the bridge to his thinking brain.
  

These are just tastes of the book. There is so much more - restraint, release of tension, dominance/alpha/leadership, eyesight, etc.

You may not agree with everything she says, but she will give you some meaty ideas to think about - at least she did for me. If this is a topic that interests you, I highly recommend reading this first book.

I'm about to start her second book, "Of Life and Horses - Cooperation Through Communication." I'll do a review on it as well when I'm finished.

Attitude

Betty and I have been working with the horses over the past couple of weeks using what I learned at the clinic I went to. As mentioned in an earlier post, we've had good days and bad days.

Today, Monday, was interesting. Betty struggled with Morgunn in the beginning, but by the time we quit the two of them were working well together. Conversely, Sugar and I started out great, but toward the end she was walking through my stop cues which she rarely does.

So, we were both a little frustrated - Betty at the beginning and me at the end.

It got me to thinking about what attitude we should have when we work with the horses - and in life in general.

We believe in thinking positively, but what does that really mean? Does it mean going out to work with the horses thinking, "Today's going to be a great day, everything is going to go well?" The problem with that is when things don't go well and we're not having a great day, where do we go with our thinking, with our attitude? It's easy to get disappointed in the horse, in ourselves, or both and that's not helpful.

I think a better attitude is "No matter what happens today, I can handle it and work through it." That's still positive and perhaps more realistic. If we have a great day, then that's icing on the cake. If we don't have that great a day, then our thinking is in a better place to deal with it.

No matter what happens today, I can handle it and work through it.

Sunday Reflection - When God Smiles

A short reflection today. In Genesis, it says several times that God's creation is good. Well, I believe there are some of his creations where he smiles when he looks at his work.

I think all horses are beautiful, but there are a few who are magnificent and take my breath away.

The Friesian horses are one of God's creations that, to me, are just magnificent. Well done, God.

 

PS: Happy Fathers Day to all you Dads out there.

Coyote Snacks

It's that time of the year all of our coyotes look forward to - quail hatchlings.

We always have a bunch of hatchlings each year - 8 to 15 hatchlings to each quail pair. To our coyotes these little guys are just snacks and the number slowly goes down to where sometimes we'll see a quail pair with only one or two hatchlings following them around.

Yet, enough survive each year because we still have a lot of quail in our area.

It's hard to catch these little guys on film as they move around so fast and never stay in one place very long. So, I set up my tripod and camera and caught a few short clips over a period of days.

Enjoy.

 

 

Friday Fun - Fun Memories

When I was a kid in the late 40's, early 50's, everyone on our block had a Radio Flyer red wagon.

Check out how this retired couple brought back their memories of their Radio Flyer wagon in a fun and unique way.

 

 

Good Days, Bad Days

As the old song goes, "Mama says there'll be days like this..."

Yesterday, Wednesday, Morgunn had a really good day. He was listening to Betty and the two of them were flowing through the exercises as one unit.

Sugar, however, seemed to have forgotten all she had learned, seemed stiff legged and wouldn't respond well to almost all of my cues.

Today, it was Sugar and I who were flowing well together while Betty and Morgunn were more disjointed.

Learnings? Most of the problems are in us, our minds and our bodies. However, it's a good reminder that, like us, horses have good days and bad days. They and we are not motorcycles where you can turn the on switch and expect the exact same performance each time. They and we are living beings with feelings, emotions, aches and pains.

What we're also learning is when our horse is having a bad day, it's a good opportunity for us to work on how we're thinking - stay calm and don't get frustrated - to work on giving consistent cues and don't worry how the horse is or is not responding, and to focus on how we're sitting in the saddle, how we're using our hands, how we're breathing (or not), etc.

So, when "there are days like this" it's still a good opportunity to learn and grow. Thank you, Mama for your wisdom.

Still Working

Betty and I continue to work with Sugar and Morgunn. We couldn't work with them on Monday because of our commitment to Galloping Grace Youth Ranch.

On Tuesday, we were a little tight on time, so we just did our flexing ground work and a little side-rein lungeing.

Today, after the basic ground work, we saddled up and worked on several different exercises - go, stop, back up. We also are working on turns on the forehand and turns on the haunches.

We both noticed both horses seemed a little rusty since we haven't ridden them since last Friday, but they both came around pretty quickly. Betty made some good progress with Morgunn on his stop and back up.

We're working real hard on keeping our hands soft and not pulling on their mouths. The principle we're trying to follow is give the cue(s) as correctly as possible and don't worry about the horse's response. He/she will have to find the correct response over time. We're trying not to force the moves, but let the horse respond to the cue(s). If we get even a small try, we'll celebrate that.

This approach we're using requires a lot of repetition and patience, but we're seeing progress with both horses - and with ourselves.

Monday Video - Triathalon Juggler

The next time you think something's hard, just watch this video. Joe Salter competed in a triathalon competition where he swam, biked and ran - juggling all the time. He's the first person to ever do this and he finished 147 out of 246 people.

Enjoy.

 

Sunday Reflection - Self-Control

Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I like fruit - strawberries, blueberries, grapes - you name it, I like it. So, whenever I read the Galatians scripture above, it always appeals to me... until that last fruit - self-control.

All the other fruits of the Spirit sound great and real gifts from the Holy Spirit. I can use all the love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness that I can get. But, self-control never sounds that sweet to me - sounds more like hard work.

I have been reading a good book called "Of Life and Horses - The Nature of the Horse" by Ann Nyberg Bradley. There is a chapter called 'Control vs. Influence.' She makes several statements which made me stop and think...

• The only true control we can experience in life is self-control.
  
• Control is an issue of self.
  
• Many people try to control their lives from the outside in, but instead they need to establish a sense of self-control and allow their influence to emanate from the inside out.
  
• True inner tranquility doesn't come from the outside; it comes from the inside through the mastery of our own self-control.
  

I'm learning a lot about self-control as I work with Sugar. Horses are God's mirror - they reflect our emotions, the psychic state we're in at any given moment. If I'm upset or angry, I can see those emotions being reflected by Sugar. If I'm calm and in control of my self, I can see her reflect that calmness back to me.

So, are the fruits of the Spirit gifts? Or are they the results of our partnership with the Spirit as we work on ourselves? Right now, I think the latter. Self-control is not so much work as it is focus. I need to be constantly mindful of my emotional state and keep it in the perspective of God's love for me.

I know that I will not improve my riding posture if I don't focus on it during my every day life. The same is true for my inner self. If I want to have a calm, positive influence on Sugar, I need to focus on it during my every day life as well.

Some fruits just require more tender, daily care than others, I guess.

 

Tradition!

In the movie/play "Fiddler on the Roof" the lead character, Tevye, is concerned about his culture and family's traditions. He sings a great song, 'Tradition' about how important tradition is to him and his understanding of his world.

Every family probably develops its own traditions that have meaning to the family members. We did when our kids were small. However, even though our boys have been gone for years and have their own families, Betty and I have developed our own traditions.

One, silly though it may seem is our Saturday morning breakfast. Making breakfast is my job and my gift to my wonderful wife who is not a morning person. Years ago, when Betty was recuperating from her horse riding accident, I started fixing cinnamon toast using English muffins.

Over the years that has gravitated to being our Saturday morning breakfast (Tradition!). It's a simple process - English muffins with butter, sugar and cinnamon cooked in our toaster oven. How can you not like butter, sugar and cinnamon?

For us it's a treat.

 

Another Day in the Saddle, Another Lesson Learned

Betty and I worked again with Sugar and Morgunn this morning. Besides doing the flexing ground work, we also continued our work on the go, stop and back up cues.

We both learned a lesson this morning. We each wanted our horses to go forward, but our cues weren't correct and they both backed up. So we stopped and gave them a lot of praise for backing up so nicely. Even though that's not what we wanted, it's what they thought we asked for. If we had corrected them or gotten frustrated that would have effectively been punishment for them doing what they thought was correct.

We corrected our body positions, gave clearer cues and got the nice back ups we wanted. Lesson learned - always praise the horse for a good try even if it's not what we want. We gave the wrong cues.

The new exercise we added was the in-saddle flexing exercise I learned at the clinic. It's basically the same thing we are doing on the ground, but now in the saddle. Both are meant to be warm up exercises to help the horse get focused on our cues, to flex at the poll and to bend in their ribs. If done correctly this will help the horse to relax all the vertebra in his spine.

The cues as you are going forward are to put the reins into the outside hand and hold contact with the outside supporting rein. Slide your inside hand down the rein to ask for a slight inside bend at the atlas joint. Put pressure through the inside leg to the rib cage. Put the outside leg slightly back to block the hips from swinging out, but don't put any pressure with it. Since the outside shoulder and hips are blocked and an inside bend asked for as you're going forward, the release will be in the ribs to give a whole body bend.

Here's a short video from my training clinic in Tennessee where I'm practicing this exercise. I'm certainly not perfect, but it gives you the idea.

 

Working with the Horses

(Warning: Long post)

Betty and I worked again with Sugar and Morgunn this morning. Our goal, now that we have a training plan in mind, is to work with the horses four days a week at a minimum.

We decided not to do any side-rein lungeing and spend more time working on the basics in the saddle - posture, go/stop/back up cues - after doing the ground warm up exercises. We're concentrating on how we're sitting in the saddle and working on relaxing all of our body parts. I have a tendency to tighten/close my shoulders which affects my hands, how open my hips are and how my legs hang. I'm a work in progress, but I'm determined to keep working on it.

We're trying to keep our cues consistent and letting Sugar and Morgunn find their frame, balance and movement in response to our cues. Last week Larry and Jennifer kept reminding us to 'reward the response to our cues and not wait to reward the movement.'

Our human nature is such that we want to control our environment and for horse folks that extends to controlling our horse's movements. We're trying to learn how to control ourselves (which is all we can realistically control) and to give Sugar and Morgunn the freedom to find the frame/movement that's most comfortable for them in response to our cues. If they give us the wrong frame/movement, we're ignoring it and asking again with the correct cues. What we're learning is that if we try to force/muscle the movement, that's actually punishing them for the wrong frame/movement - i.e., we have been punishing them for trying. We want to learn to ignore their mistakes and just continue to focus on what we want and reward them when they give us the slightest try in the right direction - reward the response and not the movement.

The go cue is to hold contact with the reins so we can communicate with their mouths, roll the hips/seat forward and up in our energy, give a slight pressure with our lower legs (not heels) and give a vocal cue (kiss or cluck). The goal is to get the horses to start their forward movement with energy from their rear/haunches so their impulsion is from the rear, not from the forehand (their front legs). Both horses are starting to respond better to these cues.

The stop cue is to hold contact with the reins and close the hands, roll the hips/seat forward and stop riding with our bodies. We want to ride the horses into the stop so they don't fall on the forehand (their front legs). We want them to learn to ride into the stop with their energy coming from their rear. We're not concerned with how long it takes for them to stop (i.e., how many steps they take). We don't pull with our hands, just keep our hands closed tight on the reins. We're looking for a soft stop with impulsion from the rear.

For the back up cue we hold contact with closed hands on the rein (don't pull back), shift our weight in our pelvis backward, move our legs/heels slightly back, look up and think back. At first Morgunn and Sugar would move forward. When they did, we just ignored it, closed our hands tighter - didn't pull back - and refocused on giving the correct cue. Then when we got a shift of their weight back we rewarded that. Then we got one step back and we rewarded that. Then two steps. The goal is to get backward movement with their weight shifted back onto their haunches with the shift of our weight back in our seat. Betty made some great headway with Morgunn on the back up cue this morning.

All movement cues are given in our minds before we give them in our bodies.

We have a long way to go, but we believe we have a good training program to help us improve as riders which will allow our horses to improve.

This is a long post, but for those who are interested I want to share some more thoughts about lungeing with side reins. Our blogging friend, Lytha, who lives in Germany asked some good questions in her comments to yesterday's post. I added a comment to give some explanation, but it was kind of short so I wanted to add a little more perspective.

Lungeing with side reins is not for a young horse who's being started, or for an older horse who needs to be completely retrained because of a poor training foundation. Basic, natural horsemanship methods, including lungeing and round pen work, are needed to provide the foundation that all horses need.

Once that solid foundation is laid and refinement becomes the goal, then I believe lungeing with side reins is a viable tool. However, as with any training technique/tool, it is just one small component of a complete training philosophy/program.

As mentioned above, we believe horses should be allowed to find their own frame/movement in response to our cues. Horses want to feel secure and comfortable. Bill Dorrance called it 'feel' - we want to feel our horses, but we also need to give them the freedom to feel us in their response.

Lungeing in side reins is one tool in our program to give Sugar and Morgunn the freedom to find their response to our cues. Lungeing in side reins is not a tool to exercise the horse or to establish communication with us. That should already be accomplished in the basic foundational work and we have done that over the years with Sugar and Morgunn. However, we're ready to refine our riding skills and, hopefully, refine their responses to our refined skills.

When we lunge our horses with side reins, we're working solely on establishing a feel through the lunge line so the horses can find a proper, comfortable feel to the length of the line which translates into them finding a comfortable feel to the reins. We are also working on giving them the freedom to find the most comfortable, secure and balanced frame as they move forward into the bridle without us giving incorrect signals through the reins.

We don't lunge for a long time - probably only a minute or so on each side. We don't ask for high speeds. We work on smooth transitions from a walk, to a faster walk, to a trot and back down. When we ask for a faster gait it's only for a few strides and then we bring them back down to a slower gait. When we get a good response we reward that. If they respond incorrectly as they seek a better frame we just ignore it. We never want to inadvertently punish them for trying.

We don't expect results immediately. Our training program is based on consistent work over whatever time is needed. If that's days, great. If it's weeks or months, that's also great. We're looking for a soft, relaxed balanced response - not movement. The correct movement will come out of their response to our correct, consistent cues. We believe consistent, small pieces of work in side reins, along with all the other exercises, we're working towards, will help Morgunn and Sugar develop the softness and balance that will translate into the movements we all want - but in a way that helps them feel secure and comfortable.

Like any tool, side reins can be used incorrectly or for the wrong purposes. The measure for any tool is the results you get from your horse. We're looking for our horses to become more secure in riding to the bridle, to become softer, more balanced and more relaxed.

We're making mistakes and so are they, but we're trying to learn to ignore all mistakes - ours and theirs - and keeping our focus on what we want in ourselves and in them. We're seeing small signs that we and they are on the right track.

If you made it all the way to the bottom of this post you get a gold star!

 

Ground Work Day 2

Betty and I did our second day of ground work with Morgunn and Sugar using the training principles I learned recently working with Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer, gaited horse trainers. Even though they focus on gaited horses, their principles work with any horse.

Their philosophy is to approach the horse in a way that he understands and, hopefully, brings him a sense of security. They believe in what most people call natural horsemanship, but only as a foundation for a young horse or one being rehabilitated. After that, they move into exercises that bring balance and relaxation to the horse.

The basic ground work exercises they teach are: (1) flex the horse at the axis, (2) lunge the horse in side reins, (3) do shoulder in's with the horse and (4) ride flex exercises in the saddle by doing shoulder outs. Yesterday and today, Betty and I worked on the first three.

The axis is the spinal joint where the spine joins the skull, what we cause the poll. Larry and Jennifer don't believe in doing flexes of the whole neck in that it breaks the connection between the rider's hands and the horse's front feet. Several other trainers believe in this same philosophy: Chris Cox, John Lyons, Mark Rashid, Craig Cameron are examples. We flex the axis by putting one hand at the axis joint/poll and the other on the horse's nose and ask him to bring just head just slightly towards you, only about an inch or two. The ears should remain level, i.e., the horse shouldn't twist his head as he moves it. This relaxes the horse at the axis joint and helps create relaxation in the rest of the spine. After a time or two, most horses will lower their head and relax as you do this.

Lungeing the horse in side reins is a way to help the horse relax and move into the bit (snaffle) and help create bend. The side reins connect to the rings of the snaffle bit and back to the latigo just above where it connects to the cinch. The side reins act as a rider's hands without all the mistakes we make as riders. They create a steady contact for the horse. The flat, cotton lunge line goes through the inside snaffle bit ring and connects to the inside D-ring on the cinch.

Doing shoulder in's on the ground involve holding the inside rein with your forward hand and holding the outside, supporting rein with your other hand close to where your leg would contact the horse's side. This hand also holds a dressage whip that you can use to tap the horse's hip to encourage forward movement. As the horse goes forward we allow him to move forward into the bit - we don't lead with our hand. By putting contact on the outside supporting rein we can ask the horse to shoulder in a step or two. This encourages the horse to step under his center line with his inside rear foot. This helps create impulsion and rounding of the back leading to collection.

Here's a short video of us doing the shoulder in's and the lungeing from today. I'll talk more about the flex exercises from the saddle when we start doing them.

 

Time to Apply What I Learned

Today was our opportunity to apply some of what I learned at the gaited horse clinic I attended last week. We were at Galloping Grace Youth Ranch yesterday.

I also wanted to share my learnings with Betty, but in a gentle way. Husbands and wives don't make the best teachers for each other and I'm well aware of that. My goal is to share what I've learned and let Betty work with it as best she can. When we go back to Tennessee for our private lessons Betty will get the great instruction from Jennifer Bauer who is a much better instructor for Betty than I can ever be.

The ultimate goal of all the training I experienced and what we're trying to give to our horses is to develop a soft, light horse, responsive to our aids, who looks to us for his/her security.

We wanted to work on just two things this morning. First, we worked on ground movement that helps the horse find a comfortable frame as we ask him to go forward. This involves moving into an inside bend and learning to go forward into the bridle.

Second, we worked with Sugar and Morgunn lungeing them with side reins on. The goal is the same - to help them find a comfortable frame with an inside bend and going forward into the bridle. The advantage of lungeing with side reins is they put a constant contact on the bit without the mistakes we make with our hands and bodies.

Sugar did well with the lungeing in the side reins. Morgunn was less sure about the experience and Betty did great with him. She eventually took him into the round pen to do this lungeing because that's where he has been lunged before. This helped him a lot and Betty will continue to work him in there for awhile, but the long term goal is to be able to lunge him outside the round pen.

All in all, our morning went very well. Betty and I are learning how to use our bodies and Morgunn and Sugar are learning how to move forward in a better, more relaxed frame. A good start.

Tomorrow we repeat the process with a little more pressure from the side reins. Hopefully, I can get some pictures and/or video to better illustrate what we're doing and why.

 

Sunday Reflections - What I Learn From Horses

Since I have been immersed in horse for the past week, I have been thinking about what I have learned from horses.

That's Sand, the Rocky Mountain Horse I rode the last few days at the clinic.

There's a lot I have learned, but here are just a few thoughts.

Horses live in the now. If I'm not careful, I can live in the past, fretting over all the things I have done wrong, the mistakes I have made, the opportunities I missed. Or, I can live in the future usually worrying about something that may or may not happen. In either case, I need to remind myself to,live in the now for that's the only place I can experience God.

Horses are willing to change. That's what I have been doing all week - learning how to train horses in a way that helps them to change in a way that gives them a more secure, safe life. God's been trying to change me all my life - maybe if I was smart as a horse I would learn what's good for me.

Horses are curious, but in a cautious way. It's easier for me as I get older to lose some of my curiosity about life, become kind of set in my ways with what's comfortable. That's one reason I love working with horses becausethere's so much still to learn - probably far more than I can learn in one lifetime.

Horses are forgiving. I can make all kinds of mistake with my horse, Sugar, and she still accepts me. It's a good reminder that God is like that with me and he wants me to be that way with the people in my life.

Horses have even more to teach me. I think that's one way God likes to talk to me.

It's Over

 

My clinic with Larry Whitesell in Baxter, Tennessee is over. I'm back with Betty's stepmother in Franklin, Tennessee and I fly home tomorrow, Sunday. I'll be glad to be back with Betty - I missed her.

The picture to the left is the sunrise on Thursday morning.

On our last day, we worked on lateral work with the horses - side pass, etc. With all the foundational work from earlier in the week, it was easy.

In the afternoon, we did some ground work using a lunge line and side reins to help the horses relax and help them learn to ride into the bridle.

All in all, it was a great learning experience. It was so good, I have scheduled Betty and I to go back in July for a week so she can have a similar learning experience.