Ask the Expert: Alice Trindle

Alice was born on a ranch in eastern Oregon, the only daughter in a family of five brothers. She learned to ride behind the back of the saddle holding on to her brother's belt loops. In the past 15 years Alice has studied with horsemen such as Tom Dorrance, Ray Hun, Dennis Reis, and Bettina Drummon. She conducts clinics in OR, WA, CA, and ID, and offer multi-day horsemanship retreats at her ranch in eastern OR.

http://www.tnthorsemanship.com/ Read Alice's past NWHS articles

Ask Alice a question now!

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Question:

Hi,

I'm writing a Western story and need some simple info.

Does a horse like, and/or will it eat, a banana if offered, as one would offer an apple?

Thanks,

--Steve

Answer:

Yes, most horses will happily eat a banana. Best of luck with your story!

~The NWHS Staff

Question:
I am the owner of a small palomino stud.He stands 14.2 hands high.My wife and i noticed one morning that he had gotten out of the pasture.The only gait leading to the dry lot and pasture was chained shut.However the bottom wire of the fencing is about 2 feet from the ground.Is it possible he crawled under?

Answer:
Alice is on the road doing clinics right now, so the Northwest Horse Source staff got together to answer your question:

It is entirely possible that your stud crawled under the fence. Most horses of his height can also jump over a 6' fence if they're really motivated. If you are determined to keep him a stud rather than gelding him, he is going to do his best to get out. Whatever type of fencing you use, make sure it is horse-safe. Many types of wire can be dangerous, especially if the horse gets a hoof caught in any kind of mesh. Best of luck,The NWHS Staff

Question:

I have a 12 year old QH gelding that is very aggressive, he likes to lunge out and bite other horses around him for no reason. I have tried many different things to stop this behavior but nothing works. How can I stop this nasty behavior?
Chrissy

Answer:

Dear Chrissy,
Thanks for your question regarding the aggressive 12 yr. old gelding. It is frustrating and intimidating to try and ride in a group when your horse has a sour attitude and acts out like a very crabby teenage boy! Sounds like you have tried a number of options, but so far you are not reaching this wayward child. Here are some things I would think about, and then try to search for solutions:

First, just like with the teenage boy, I would start by trying to understand "why" he is lashing out. Is he intimidated in a group, feeling claustrophobic and confined? Where is he in his herd pecking order or previous herd situations? If he has always been at the bottom of the pack, he may simply be saying, "Not any more...if I act like a bully they will leave me alone!" Check out the physical pain possibilities too. I know that when my back hurts, or my underwear creeps up, I am not very pleasant to be around!

After analyzing some of the possible causes, overlaid with the symptoms or how he reacts to them, then look a good solutions. If you decide that he is intimidated in the herd and needing to act like a bully to survive (in his mind), then the answer is finding ways where he can gain self-confidence and stay safe in the herd. Here is where your leadership and creativity come into clear focus. See if you can find a few friends to ride with you, and arm them with some horse treats in their pockets. Make sure that they are aware of their role in helping your horse to become more brave, and for him to begin to trust your leadership skills to keep him safe, even in the herd situation. They must be able to keep their horses with them too - between the legs and reins, and in control. Begin by riding some single column maneuvers (see my articles on Group Riding: tnthorsemanship.com/articles). When you stop, have one of your buddies ride up and give your gelding a little treat, pet him, and tell him he is a good boy. Next, try some of the group riding patterns riding in a column of two. Again, try to be there just before he goes to lunge or kick - keeping him well in check between your legs and the reins. Stop and have your riding partners give your gelding a treat. Finally, try some riding patterns in a column of three, with your fella in the middle. Guess what...when you stop, reward him with a treat from each of your riding partners, and lots of praise.

Chrissy, this is just one idea to help set it up so that your gelding begins to think that being in the herd, under your guidance, is a pretty good place to be! He gets treats and finds comfort when he is playing well with others.

Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes. We sure hope to see you in one of clinics this year. We do lots of group riding in almost every clinic, so it might just be a great opportunity to work a little more on developing a herd savvy, and herd safe horse.

Happy Trails,Alice Trindle

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Question:
Hi Alice,I have enjoyed your answers to questions, so here is my question for you. I have always been amazed at western pleasure horse shows on how slow their lopes or canters are. I have asked many trainers and people how to slow down my horse because he is like a "Mach-chicken". At times the fence post are a blur and I need a face shield to keep the bugs out of my teeth. I don't need the lope so slow he looks wounded but anything is better than bouncing off the walls.

Answer:
Dear Mary,Thanks for your readership of the articles in Northwest Horse Source Magazine and for your recent question.

So let's talk about a slow canter...Perhaps the answer to your question about how to develop a slower canter or 3-beat gait in your horse is to set it up so he has a desire to slow down. In other words, ask yourself how you could set it up so that the idea to slow down in the canter was the horse's idea - not developed out of force, but out of desire! This sounds easy, but coming up with creative ways, that keep you and the horse safe in the process, can be difficult. Here are some ideas that have worked for me: Uphill and Team Work

My favorite method of working on canter, where the energy comes from a thrust in the hind quarters, is utilizing a nice long uphill incline. If your horse is just wanting to run up the hill, find a friend with a slower horse, put them in front, and then keep your horse behind him. Make sure both you and your friend are aware that the horse in front may tell the 'speeder' to "slow down" with body language such as ears back, tail swishing, and even a little kick up.Liberty Work and Liberty Work in the Herd.

I don't want to kill the enthusiasm your horse has for "GO"! This is a good thing. I hate to see some of those western pleasure horses that have no joy. Often times, allowing my horses to get out and romp a bit in some liberty work, particularly in a herd, helps free up their mind, and ultimately prepare them to follow my leadership.Transitions, Transitions, Transitions.

Seems that we can easily put off asking our horse to canter, when every time we do they take off like a jack rabbit! The answer is to NOT put off the canter work, but do many, many transitions before you ask. Walk-trot, Trot-walk; Fast-trot, Slow-trot; Fast-walk, Medium-trot; Ride these on a circle, on straight lines, on diagonals in leg-yield and half-pass postures; Ride them on a clover-leaf pattern.

Finally, ask for the canter, picturing it in your mind as a slow, waltz, 3-beat. BREATHE!! If the horse rushes into the canter, bring him back to the trot, and do more transitions. When he takes a nice slow jump into the slow canter...QUIT!! Praise him, pet him, maybe even give him a little treat, and put him away! Next time, start the whole routine over, but ask for the canter earlier and earlier in the routine. You will also bring to ask him to maintain the slow canter a little longer. Soon, you can add canter transitions to the routine. ( i.e. Trot-canter; Canter-halt-Canter; and rating of the speed within the canter - fast, slow, medium.)Mary, I hope this gives you some ideas on how to make your idea of a slow canter, be your horse's idea too! Hope to see you in one of our clinics on the road, or at a retreat here at the ranch. Let me know how things turn out.

Respectfully,Alice Trindle

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Question:
Dear Alice, i just got a new barrel horse who is very flinchy and doesn't seem to trust me much. I've had him for about a month and have been grooming and riding him every other day. Could you give me some tips or an exercise for me to build his trust in me?
~Maddy

Answer:
Dear Maddy,

Thanks for your question regarding your new barrel racing horse, seeking some ways to help him trust you. That seems like a small question, but it really is a BIG one, and the foundation of what we are all trying to achieve with our horse/human relationships. Horses have taught me that trust is something that you earn, which takes time, patience, consistency, clarity, and a huge amount of respect. Unfortunately trust is also easily lost, often just by our very human mistakes, and it can take a long time to recover. All that being said, I think the basis of building a trusting relationship is by starting with mutual respect.Not knowing the back ground of your horse I might assume that since he has been asked to race barrels, with a very quick expenditure of speed, over a short period of time, that he might have a hard time knowing when he needed to be "hyped-up" and ready to go, and when he could just relax. Your job is to be very clear with your intentions, both in the saddle and on the ground, with what you are asking of him. Start by reviewing your "Horseman's Protocol" (i.e Become present and BREATH; Think and focus - which prepares your body language and sets it up for the horse; Then, allow the horse to find the right answer; Finally REWARD the slightest try). Going through this series of steps, on what ever maneuver you may be asking of the horse, will build on your leadership skills and develop mutual respect. Soon, with practice and consistency, you won't have to be mechanical about accomplishing this protocol and it will come naturally to you. By that time, the horse will be relying on your good judgement and recognize that if he follows your clear intentions and suggestions, then life is easier. He will begin to TRUST your leadership.

I love riding a horse that I can go from "0" to "50" in a 5 seconds, then come back to a halt and stand there talking to my human friends about the weather! Developing trust is about getting the horse to want to be WITH you, and that starts by developing mutual respect.

There are number of good articles I have written with Northwest Horse Source Magazine that give you some very specific ground school and riding exercises to help develop your leadership qualities. You can find those on my web site: www.tnthorsemanship.com/articles Of course, we'd love to see you in one of our clinics or at a retreat here at the ranch. The new 2007 schedule will be on the web site soon.

Thanks for writing with your question. Happy Trails!

Alice Trindle