Building A Relationship

by Steve Rother

It is early Saturday morning and you are on your way out to the barn to see your good friend "Brownie," who you have been waiting all week to ride. Today you are going to one of your favorite trail riding locations, but in the back of your mind you are a bit hesitant. You are just hoping and praying that Brownie has come to like the place as much as you do. On your last trip up that trail he wasn’t too excited. In fact, he wasn’t impressed at all and only wanted to be back home at the barn. As you look over into the paddock, you see your good friend come loping over to the gate to greet you. Wow, hopefully things are going to be off to a great start after all!

You go to get your halter and meet Brownie back at the gate. You slowly enter, put his halter on…and then it happens! You feel the joy of your 1,200 pound friend standing on your foot as he makes an attempt to squeak past you on the way to the gate. At first you are a bit shocked, then a bit threatened, and then finally you start to feel your confidence sliding. You say to yourself: “Maybe Brownie wasn’t so happy to see me? Or maybe he just forgot about me for a brief moment? Or perhaps he is just in a hurry to start his trail ride?” In any case, it feels as if you are losing control of the situation before it even begins.

At this point it is time to make some very important decisions about the relationship between you and your horse. There comes a time in every person’s life when they have to learn to draw an appropriate line between themselves and their horse(s). If this line is drawn carefully, it can set you up for success in the long run. However, if this line is poorly drawn, it can mean the difference between building a partner and losing a friend.

Taking it to the Extreme
When trying to develop a better partnership with your horse, I would like you to be aware of two extremes:

One extreme is the place where there is absolutely no wrong for your horse. Everything is roses, carrots, and belly rubs. If you ask your horse to do something, there is always some form of verbal or bribed coercion involved in the process. This place seems like a great one to be. How could any horse not love this one? I am sure that we would all like this place--at first… The other extreme is the place where everything is forced. Once again coercion steps into the picture, but this time it is in the form of big sticks, chains, and loud verbal tidbits of meaningful banter for your horse.
I want you to notice in these two examples that there is one word in common for both of them: coercion. You might ask: “how can this be?” One form seems so nice, while the other so harsh.

Many people may condone one of these behaviors around their horse, but never condone the other. However, since we are dealing with a horse--and not a human--we should look much closer at both.

The Problem with Coercion
Take two horses that are loaded into two separate trailers, one with a bucket of grain, and the other with several whips. Both horses may eventually load…but in the process of getting in, did they learn anything about the dark steel cage? Or were they distracted, one horse by grain and the other by whips? Both horses have an equal chance of panicking once the door is shut and the wheels are set in motion.

So, though one method may have seemed much kinder, the mental, emotional, and physical stability of the horse are still at risk due to the coercion factor.

Why is coercion such a negative thing in the long run? Typically, coercion lacks some very important pieces that are necessary to the development of a good relationship between you and your horse. Some of these are: leadership, education, and partnership.

I encourage you to find the middle ground between these two extremes. Find the place where you can be kind but not taken advantage of, firm but not feared, and fun but still taken seriously. For a lot of students in my clinics this means stepping it up a little, and for others, taking it back just a notch.

Looking for Leadership
The next time you are at the gate with your horse and there is a question mark in your mind as to where the day might be heading, step up to the plate and be the leader that your horse is looking for. Let him know that sneaking past you (to the gate or his buddies) is not the way to go. Get him to look to you for leadership and support, so that he wants the partnership that you have to offer.

The answers are, once again in the feet…move the feet! Forward, backward, left and right. The feet affect the mind. Go out there and get the job done. Start with the motions, and then make it solid. Find that partnership you have been looking for. Your horse will thank you.

Until next time…ride for fun!

Making a Change

by Steve Rother

In the last article, we were talking about how to fix a barn sour attitude in our horses. Long story short, I simply said to first work them more at the barn, then second, to rest them more away from the barn until they make the decision that being on the trail may be just as good as being in the barn, if not better. Since then, hopefully, you have had a chance to create a learning situation similar to the one I described last month.

New Problem
So here we are at the barn, showing our horse that we have learned something new, lap after lap, circle after circle. Now it is time to try to teach him a thing or two about not messing with our confidence level so that we can all have more fun.

But something unexpected happens. It seems like things are coming along pretty good, like your horse is moving through the exercises and giving it a go, but then it's like you hit a wall. Not just physically, but mentally. It isn't working! Our question is why?

Why it Didn't Work
There comes a point in time when we start to get pretty handy with a few exercises with our horse. Things start to come along pretty good. But then we are faced with a situation where our horse is distracted, and then the test is on. Do we have what it takes at that moment to get our horse to focus on the task at hand? Do we have what it takes to get the job done?

The answer is simple, but it requires a degree of feel and focus that may not be easy for some people at first. So what is this “feel and focus” thing? Have you ever pushed a ball or a shopping cart and had it roll straight and true for quite a distance? Then have you ever pushed a ball or shopping cart and had it spin, twist, drag, and crash into the wall? There is a difference in feel.

The hard part is gaining back this sense of feel. The size and motion of the horse can be very distracting, and therefore it can be hard to “feel” what they do.

Example
Have you ever ridden a horse through a gate, heading toward home? Remember how straight and true the horse felt as it passed through the gate. Then remember when you turned around and rode the horse back through the gate, heading away from home? Did you notice a change in the way he felt, maybe slower, stickier, leaning to one side? This is the missing ingredient that you may be looking for if you are unable to get your horse to feel good about leaving the barn.

Reassess your situation if you are having difficulties with your horse. You may just not be circling long enough or working steady enough until the feel in the horse changes. Or the horse might be trying and you might not be letting up long enough to give them a clue about what you are looking for. You are giving him a random release, and he has gone on to resisting harder because you missed his earlier try. You are rewarding the wrong thing, which the horse now thinks is the right thing. You and your horse are huffing and puffing, flustered at one another, going through the motions but not getting the job done.

The Solution
So what do you do? Back up and teach yourself and your horse some feel. Take your horse into an enclosed arena or round pen and set your reins down on your horse’s neck with one hand still on them. On this very loose rein, allow your horse to wander around the pen. Whenever the horse is on the wrong end of the arena (near the gate), urge him to go faster by squeezing or tapping your legs. When the horse goes to the right side of the arena (away from the gate), pet him and let him rest. The key to this exercise is to not pick up on the reins (unless you have to, then put them back down as soon as you can).

Continue this exercise until you can feel your horse go to the right side of the arena on a loose rein, straight and true.

Doing this exercise on a loose rein assures that you are actually getting to the horse’s feet, not just going through the motions. The only way for the horse to get to the right side of the arena is for him to make the decision - for himself. Continue this exercise until you can get to at least four different spots in the arena consistently on a loose rein. You can then take this feel back outside and give my barn sour exercise another go.

Important Keys:
Go until you feel your horse change (this may take a little longer than you think) Always notice when your horse tries Continue to ask your horse to try harder Have fun and stay focused
As with most things with your horse, the foundation is the key. I cannot stress enough the importance of having a good foundation on your horse in order to more easily tackle these problems.

It’s About The Feet

by Steve Rother

It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The soft rays of the sun are drifting through the trees as you ride up on top of the last hill toward home...and then, all of a sudden, for "no reason at all," your trusty mount "Brownie" is out of control. One sight of the barn and he is off at a fast trot, then a lope, pulling through your hands and the pressure of the bridle. He has one thing on his mind, and it is not you. It’s the barn.

So what do we do now? What kind of situation have we gotten ourselves into, and how do we keep it from happening again? The answers are simple, but they do take some time. However, not near as much time as one would think.

This is just one scenario that you might find yourself in with your horse. But there are many others, which may be closely related, that just happen to show up in other places. For instance, a horse that doesn’t want to load into a trailer, one that wants to unload way too quickly, a horse that does not want to cross water, a horse that drops his shoulder toward the gate...the list goes on.

The Situation
The horse’s mind is not thinking the same thoughts as yours, and he is not taking his feet where you want them to go. There is a reason why the horse made a decision that was different from the plan that you had. There is something that is pulling on your horse so hard that it has affected his judgment and his feet. It as if there is a magnet or some sort of gravity pulling at your horse’s mind and body. So let’s find the reason and fix it!

Identify the Problem
The problem in the case above is that "Brownie" wants to be back at the barn and is unwilling to listen to any of your cues.

Identify the Options to Fix the Problem
Option 1: Try to slow the horse down until you get back to the barn, pull off his tack as soon as you get there so he can cool off, brush him down, pat him on the neck, and put him away – with his feed bin full of course. Then you can thank him for not injuring you physically that day, but just giving you a small blow to your confidence level.

Option 2: Hurry the horse up and get back to the barn at a manageable speed, but when you get there, keep him moving. Move his feet, move his feet, and move his feet more. Have him trot around the barn, sidepass around the barn, lope around the barn, trot around the barn, etc…then lead him to a hitching rail (strategically placed away from the barn) where you can tie him with his saddle still on to rest.

Option 3: Work the horse at the barn for at least 20 minutes a day on a regular basis before you go on your trail ride, moving his feet forward, backward, left, and right. Next, ride out away from the barn about 100 yards, and then turn around and come back to…move the feet, move the feet, move the feet. Forward, backward, left and right, for at least 10 minutes. Then go back out to the 100 yard mark and rest for as long as he will stand. When he chooses to move back to the barn, head on back…and proceed with move the feet, move the feet, move the feet. Continue this until the horse decides it is better to be away from the barn.

Are you starting to see where things might have gone astray in the first place? The horse is a creature of comfort and play. Your horse has really come to like the barn. That's where the food, the shelter, and his buddies are. So the answer is simple. You have to make the barn a little less inviting at times in order to make the scary trail seem better. You have to be able to build your horse’s confidence. The trick is doing it in a manner that makes him think he is doing it to himself. The temporary answer would be Option 2; the fix-it answer would be Option 3.

So let’s turn this into another scenario to picture this a little better. Little Tommy is sitting in a classroom on a nice sunny day and he would really like to go outside. He is getting so anxious that he can barely sit still. The teacher decides to let him outside, but she has a plan. She decides that Tommy is free to go outside whenever he wants to, but he has to run 10 laps around the track every time he does. So Little Tommy is faced with a decision…to stay or not to stay, to work in the classroom, or to work even harder outside, but the choice is his.

In the end, the equation is very easy. If your horse is not willing to listen to you where you are, go to a place that he would rather be and work him there; forward, backward, left, and right, until he makes the decision to listen. After this, teaching your horses and enjoying your time with them will be easy because they will want to be there as well. After all...their feet took you there!


Steve’s dynamic instruction style sets him apart from many clinicians. Blending education with entertainment, he breaks down concepts for all to understand. Riders of many disciplines can be found learning together at his clinics. Whether they attend to overcome fear or gain more control, participants leave each clinic empowered and more excited about horse ownership. For more information visit Steve online at www.horseteacher.com for the 2008 schedule, educational products, online newsletter, and much more. For more keys to success, see Steve's Groundwork and Horsemanship Series DVD sets. Coming soon…Ultimate Water Crossing DVD Series.

Ask the Expert: Steve Rother

Steve Rother is no longer available for questions, but you can read his previous answers below.

Question:

Hi Steve,I have a 14 year old mare that is ridden with a mechanical hackamore. Currently she is in a dry corral and fed hay. Our pasture was just planted and is too tender for horses just yet. When we are riding her and she sees grass she heads straight for it and starts eating. It takes terrific strength to pull up her head and get her going again even though her buddy is far ahead of her.Any suggestions on how to train her out of this bad habit will be greatly appreciated. Thank you! -Carlene

Answer:
Horse Eats Grass On The Trail...
Thank you for the question regarding your horse. This is a very common issue that many people have, as our horses love to eat. I have ridden some in the type of terrain that you are talking about. This is a tough situation, as the vegetation is right at nose height most of the time. This can be very tempting, even for a seasoned veteran. All things considered, this isn’t that big of an issue, especially in this terrain. There are a few things that you could try though.
One: Lead the ride with your horse, every time that he chooses to eat trot him forward as you don’t have a space to do much else with him. You may have to do this several times over and over to remind him.

Two: Test this out on the ground before your ride. Are you able to lead him down the trail a ways and have him not eat the grass? If he does this while you are leading him. Give him a flick of the lead rope with a waving motion and discourage him to have his head down. Time it so that it contacts him right as he touches the grass, so that he thinks that the grass is doing this. Caution, don’t try to pull his head up once he begins to eat, he will just try to pull harder against you. Using the waving motion of the lead instead.

Three: Try the same thing from the saddle, use your rein to bump him as he touches the grass. Again don’t pull on him, bump him as his lips touch the grass. If he persists in trying, bump him gradually harder and harder until he decides that it is not worth his time. Hang in there, as hunger, and taste buds can cause a horse to try very hard to get away with things.
Four: Let your horse eat the grass for about five minutes. Let him fill some of his appetite. Then ride on. Maybe in another 30 minutes let him eat some more. Turn eating grass into a cue that works for the both of you.

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Question:

Hi Steve,My family and I are going to be attending a horse camp in June. One of the requirements of the camp is to only use a snaffle bit. I use a snaffle bit on our colt, however, my daughter uses a Billy Allen Mylar bit, with great success, on her 16 year old QH. We have both found this to work so much better than a snaffle on this particular horse. If I had my druthers, I'd love to be able to ride bridle less, but don't think I am experienced enough to handle that. Can you please explain the philosophy of only using a snaffle? I'm sure there is a good reason and that it is an involved subject.

Thanks, Pat

Answer:
Hello Pat,
Thank you for your email. If I could only take one bit out of my tack room in a fire, it would be a snaffle bit. The snaffle bit allows for the most communication options with a horse compared to most other bits. In addition it is a one to one pressure ratio, so it is the most comfortable on a horse, if used properly. The idea is that we want to use pressure without pain. That is what most Myler bits are based on.

The problem is that it does take time to teach a horse to ride properly in a snaffle bit. It takes the use of good hands, and many exercises to gain the proper communication level and softness from the bit. A concept that I teach is that the key to vertical flexion, is lateral flexion. A snaffle bit allows for good lateral flexion, where many shanked bits don’t. There are mainly only good for the vertical flexion part.

In the end, I encourage people to ride in whatever they are most comfortable with. But I let them know that unless they can get there horse riding well in a snaffle bit that they may be just covering up some issues that might come back to bite them in the end. Do take time to make this transition, you might start out in a round pen with a snaffle for a while, rather than out on the trail. Just in case the horse is basing his respect level on the bit, rather than the rider.
Best of luck…remember the most important thing is to be safe, and have FUN!

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Question:

I have a problem I was hoping you may help me with. I just started working with a 2 yr old gelding that is fairly green. He is saddle broke but has nil for ground manners. He is not mine but his owner is...not experienced enough to deal with a baby. My problem is of course his ground manners. Now I have worked with many before and haven’t had too many problems with respect and space. Unfortunately this new barn has no round pen or even a small sized paddock to work in, so it makes things harder.

But now to my real problem: This horse's name is Mischief. He has NO respect for space whatsoever. Now usually I can fix this but he is different from the rest. Not only does he walk over you whenever he feels, but if you push on him while walking, swing a rope, tap him with anything to get him to move over, he CHARGES through you. Most, I find, move away from the poke of a lunge whip or stick. But even show him that and he charges.

On my first day with him he charged the lunge whip and snapped it clean in half on his way to flattening me. He obviously has a dislike for anything...sticklike. I asked his owner if he had been abused with anything at all and she said no. He hasn’t any bad responses like head shyness, nervousness or sucking in his gut when I pet him. He does not do this in a mean way...no ears pinned teeth bared...he’s just determined. I have made slight progress with leading, he now stops whenI stop, not 10 feet after. But I can’t for the life of me figure out a way to lunge him without him charging in. Nothing keeps him out there. He leads alright now but even if I am on a long lead rope and let it unfurl as I walk slowly distancing myself, as soon as he figures there’s a circle involved, nutso horse. So I am stumped, I will continue to work on the ground with leading, backing etc, but without somewhere to really turn him loose and work with him I am afraid I wont be able to help him....ah! so please if you have a moment any tips would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you bunches, Meredith

Answer:

It sounds like you are in a bit of a tough spot with your horse. There is a phrase that I live by a lot of the time… "Cause the wrong thing to be difficult, allow the right thing to be easy." Every horse is different. What is difficult to some is still easy for others. You have to adjust to fit each situation, and each horse.

Another statement I will give you that might help… "Sometimes you have to do some things that you have never done, to get the things that that you have never had."

Step one: Make a plan before you get to your horse. Your current plan is not working…so make a new one. Maybe you could carry a tarp or a big exercise ball, something that he might not want to run through - something that he is not familiar with. You should have been able to just use your stick, but it looks like you purchased the wrong kind if it simply broke in two. So get some decent equipment, the safety of you and your horse depend on it.

Step two: Get to his feet sooner. You are letting him get way to close before you make the correction. Ask for him to respect you in his stall before you halter him, then in the barn alley, then at the gate, then 10 ft into the arena, etc… Be more on top of things before they get bad. Respect comes from moving his feet forwards, backwards, left, and right. So practice these directions often.

Step three: Stay on course and follow through. He needs to yield no matter what. Don’t just stop after he stops coming at you. He needs to yield backwards and sideways for quite a distance before you let your pressure up. His release needs to come when he is going away, not coming towards you.

Step four: Come to a clinic. We get horses like this all the time. It would be much easier to just show you and get your horse started on a few of these things. He may already see you as a person that he can disrespect when he wants to. I can help you to become a better leader under these circumstances. This appears to be a very unsafe situation. The safety of you and your horse is always the first priority.

Best of Luck!
Steve Rother