Drums keep pounding rhythm to the brain…….La Dee Da De Dee….La Dee Da De Da or something like that.  You know the old song from Sonny and Cher.  Oops, I’m dating myself.

In Breathless Aaaaah I spoke about the beat.  Let’s look at that more closely.

Horses gates have different beats.  Walk is a four beat, trot two beat, canter three beat, and gallop four beat.  Listen as your horse walks on concrete or a hard road.  You can now hear each individual foot fall.  That’s why I say pick a song with the beat of the gait you are doing, and maintain that beat.

Music can make us move or relax depending on the song we pick.  Think about the songs that you just can’t stay still with.  Now think of the songs that make you take a deep breath and relax.  The ones that call to mind pleasant memories.  Now I’m not saying that a few fast songs can’t remind you of great times too, I’m only saying think about the different way each one makes you feel.

My girlfriend called me one day saying that her daughter was having trouble with her Dressage Tests at the shows, could I help?  I am not a “Dressage” Instructor, but all basic riding, in one form or another, is dressage.  I told her to bring her over and let me look where the problem might be.  I knew the horse and I knew her daughter.  She was an excellent rider and the horse would do anything she asked.  So where could the problem be coming from?

I watched them warm up – no problem there.  So I asked for a copy of the test she was going to be riding at the show the next day, and there was the problem.

!!!!!”TEST”!!!!!!  There was no problem with the riding, it was the simple four letter word, “Test!”  She was doing the exact same movements when warming up, but go and do the test, and she tightened up.

It’s amazing how certain words can change everything.  To some people the words dentist, marriage, tax audit, shark, test, and tornado trigger certain responses in our bodies.

So back to how I redirected her thought process.  Music.  A simple CD player.  I asked her to ride the movements to different songs, not necessarily in the sequence of the test.  Notice I used the word movements, not test.  She did fabulous, smiling, singing, having a great time with her horse.  They were confident, free-flowing, dancing together as one.  I simple told her never to think of it as a test, think of it as a choreographed dance number that the two of them were performing together.  She should sing her way through the next days class, just like today, and that I would be there.

So I guess you want to know what happened?

Of course nothing ever goes smooth at the barn the morning you’re looking to get out of there early.  So we got there just as she was about to enter the ring.  The color was drained out of her face, she had a death grip on the reins, and a blank stare in her eyes.  There wasn’t any time to try to reason with her, so I did what any other instructor would do.  I told her that the judge was sitting there totally naked and how can you take anyone who is naked seriously – just sing.  She started laughing so hard I figured she’d be excused.  She laughed and smiled through the whole test and when she was done, had come up with the best score she had even received.

So just have fun with your horse.  Instead of doing the same old thing you do everyday, jazz it up and add music.  It will give you a whole new feeling for what you are doing, and your horse will love it too.  Mainly because you are having such a good time, you will be relaxed.

And the beat goes on.

It’s amazing how so many songs come up, in my warped little mind, when I’m thinking of things I want to write about.  Commercials also.  After all that’s what marketing directors strive for isn’t it?

My new posts are usually a continuation of a previous post.  Although I don’t post them in the order I write them.

Breathing is something we do without thinking about it, but on the other side of that coin, holding our breath is something we don’t think about either, and it really can have an effect on your riding.

Hold your breath.  Feel all your muscles tense up?  Bet your horse does.  I bet he’s thinking, she’s tense and afraid, what does she know that I don’t?  Guess I should start worrying about what’s going to eat us now.   Jig jig jig, I’m worried, yup, I’m worried.  Now exhale, feel all the tension leave your body and muscles?  Horse thinks ‘Okay, life is good.’  When we relax, our horse will also relax.

The explanation I use with my students when they are learning how to sit a trot is:  Your body is like a child’s rubber ball, when the ball is tight and holds the air in it bounces.  Now puncture the ball and when you go to bounce it, the air comes out and it won’t bounce.  Now your body is like that ball.  Hold your breath and you’ll bounce, breath normal, letting the air go in and out, muscles relaxed, and you will sit and move with your horse instead of against him.  It’s just that simple.  If you and your horse are both relaxed, just slow him down, breath, relax more and move with your partner, just like you’re dancing.  Trust me, the horse doesn’t want you bouncing on his back either.  This breathing/relaxing works at any gate to get your horse to relax and trust you.

Of course there are horses that are harder to sit to than others.  They have a lot of push to their trot.. but if you totally relax it will work.  Some times it’s just easier on the horse and you to post.

If you do find yourself holding your breath you need to find out what is causing your anxiety.  Go back and work on that and then try to relax and breath.  A good way to learn how to breath while you are riding is to sing.  You can’t hold your breath and sing at the same time.  Pick a fun song with the beat of the speed you are going.  The beat will also set the pace for the horse and help him maintain that pace.  If you are walking, get a nice, calm, slow song.  Trotting, get one with a bouncy beat.  Cantering, get one with a flowing beat.  That’s how we used to get our horses to maintain their speed in a Hunter Class.

It really doesn’t matter if you have a voice that would land you a spot on “American Idol”, your horse knows what you sound like and loves you anyway.  They love to hear you speak, it reassures them, and as a bonus, it keeps you breathing.

Let it be a breath of fresh air for you and your horse.

Okay, that commercial really got annoying after a while, but how many of us use that saying, over, and over again.

Perhaps, if you listen closely, you may hear your horse saying that to you.

Your horse is always saying something to you through his/her body language, eyes, ears, aggression, foot stomping, voice, or kindness.  Some days they are suggesting and some days they are screaming it in their heads.  When the smoke and fire starts coming out of their eyes, ears, and noses, we do catch on.

Let’s look at some of these:

• Body language – a. Tense – I’m scared (this thing is going to eat or hurt me), b.  Angry usually goes along with scared (think about when you’re angry, it’s usually a follow-up caused by hurt or being scared) or c. Relaxed – I’m happy about what we are doing.  There is nothing that is going to hurt me.
• Eyes – a. Soft eyes equal secure and relaxed (Life is good).  b. Chicken eyes (also known as deer caught in the head lights), in which you see the whites around the color, (except in the case of Appaloosas who have the sclera) usually indicates panic.
• Ears – a. Relaxed and floppy equal totally content, not a care in the world.  b. Pricked forward, interested in what going on ahead.  Alert and attentive.  c. Really intensely forward, oh my gosh, it’s the boogeyman. d. Casually back, listening for things behind or a word from the rider.  e.  Flat back pressed against the neck.  Attack mode, man the torpedoes, bombs away!
• Aggression – I’ve had it, I’m done, get out of my way.
• Foot stomping.  I haven’t seen it in many horses.  Usually they are just stomping to get a fly off, but Bob’s Clydesdale mare, Maggie, used to do it when she was angry, (and so do some children).  When Dawn was a baby and did something that Maggie didn’t like she would stomp her foot (when a Clyde stomps their foot it shows on the Richter Scale) and Dawn would stop what she was doing and spring to attention.  I started doing it when I was training Dawn and at first she acknowledged it, then she realized I didn’t have the same impact as mom, and just ignored my stomping.  Now that she’s all grown up I see her do it to other horses, and they pay attention.
• Voice – There are different calls for different occasions.  a, You’ve all heard them call when it’s dinner time and you’re late.  b. The nicker of welcome to a friend or a mare to its foal.  c. Screaming out of fear of being left and vulnerable.
• Kindness –  a. A nuzzle to show affection to another.  b. Standing over their friend, protecting and ready to warn in case of danger, or dinner.  c. Were you ever in the pasture and just had your horse come up and stand next to you, maybe touch you gently.  d.  Mutual grooming between friends (animal or person).

Remember a horse judges everything based on what’s important in his life.  Safety and food rank the highest in importance.

What they might be trying to tell you.

1. It hurts, I’m scared, this doesn’t fit right, I can’t do this, I don’t understand.
2. Head tossing – is the bit too tight, too small, have you checked the contour of his mouth does it fit right, are your hands too high causing the bit to hit the roof of his mouth, do you have the chain twisted, do you have heavy hands.  It may also be that he wants to take control of the situation, in other words, who’s the boss here?
3. Angry look when you are trying to saddle –  the saddle doesn’t fit, the girth pinches, you pull it up too tight too fast, my back hurts, I have a broken rib that you don’t know about, I don’t like you riding because you bounce on my spine.
4. This scares me – I don’t know what you are asking, I might get hurt, I am physically, or emotionally not prepared to do this, the boogeyman lives there, and I don’t trust you to take care of me, it’s dark in that trailer and I can’t get away if something bad happens.
5. I don’t understand – and if I don’t do it right you’re going to hit me.  I’m not a mind reader and I can’t figure out what you want.

But do you get my point?  They are always communicating with us, but we have our mute button turned on.

Horses aren’t born bad (although I’ve met a few that I have doubts about).  By not listening, sometimes we train them to be bad.

Sometimes they just don’t like doing something.  Is it because it hurts?  Is it because it scares them?  Do you and your horse like doing the same things?

An old saying comes to mind – are you trying to put a square peg in a round hole?  Is your horse cut out physically, mentally, and emotionally for the job you are asking him to do?  Are you two different personalities fighting against each other?

An athlete who doesn’t train and condition properly will hurt after his work out.  Do you only take your athlete out on the weekends and work him hard?  Then he aches for 5 days and it’s Saturday again and out you two go for another long hard ride again?  Ouch!

I always tell my students – Finding the right horse is like finding the right husband, you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find that prince.  Don’t settle.

Don’t pick a horse because it’s pretty, or the right color.  Pick one that also enjoys what you want to do.  Pick one that compliments your personality.  You’ll both be a lot happier if you do.  Don’t make both of your lives miserable trying to make them into something they are not right for.  If a horse enjoys what he is doing he will give you 150%.  If he doesn’t like what he is doing, he won’t do it well or safely.  It could become dangerous to you both.

I think Amy Fleming from the TV series “Heartland” said it best – “We don’t whisper to horses, we listen to horses.”  Your horse is always trying to tell you something.

Are you listening?  Can you hear me now?

Now you’re probably wondering what I mean by that, or maybe not.

When I was a teenager, many moons ago, I rode and worked at an English barn.  There was a barn up the road that everyone rode Western.  We were friends and spoke often when we met on the trail, but we kind of looked down on each other.

Really not much has changed, but in a way it has.  I knew many Hunt people who looked down on Dressage people, and Western still looks sideways at English, and visa versa.   But more and more you will see cross overs.  There is Western Dressage now.  We’ve seen top Western and Dressage riders demonstrating their versions of the same move.  Does this shed any light on a reality?  Okay so maybe a Dressage horse doesn’t perform a sliding stop, but I’ve sure seen some Western horses do “Airs above ground” to their riders shock.

My point is that teaching you and your horse other disciplines, is not a bad idea.  You don’t have to switch saddles, just ride.

Sure English riders teach their horses to move off their leg, but isn’t more fun to practice it with a set of cones set up like a pole bending course?  Yes we can work our horses at figure eights, but isn’t more interesting to work them in figure eights around two barrels.  It gives you something to base your circle on, and gives the horse something else to think about.  The light bulb comes on when there is another object to focus on.

Good Western Horseman have always posted when they were working their horses at an extended trot. Their basic position is the same as English, just the saddle is different.  They work their horses over low jumps to get themselves and their horses comfortable for either a trail class or just out on the trails.

Some English riders have a great time showing their Western friends that their horses can perform in Gymkhana classes and win.

When you drill your horses on the same thing everyday, they get bored and learn to hate their jobs.  Mix it up a little, keep what they are doing fresh.

I had a young horse years ago that I was breaking, she was extremely smart and learned immediately.  Once she learned something, like trotting or cantering in a circle don’t ask her to do it the next day, she would stop and buck you off.  So every day I had to move cones and barrels just to amuse her, and not let on that she was still doing a circle.

No matter what your discipline is, take your horse on a trail ride.  It clears their mind.

I’ve known some barrel horses that just won’t go through a gate into a ring anymore.  Sour wasn’t the word.  Riders would back them in, have someone lead them in, just short of using a blindfold to get them into the ring.  Try bringing them into a ring with other horses and no barrels, jumps, or Dressage letters, just for relaxation.  Being with a herd is normal and comforting to them.  Show them that a ring can be more than work.  This goes for all disciplines.  Give them time off and trail ride them for a while, they might come back, or they may be done with that line of work.  What I’m trying to say is don’t let them get to that point.  I’m not picking on just barrel horses.  It can happen  in any discipline.  I had a jumper who felt the same way about going in a ring. I’ve known some show horses that hated going around the ring in circles, they just wouldn’t do it anymore.  How many times can you go around, and around, before you learn to hate it.  How many times can you be drilled to do Dressage moves before you hate it.  You’re being put into a frame and never be allowed to stretch you neck down.  With Fox Hunting, a horse either absolutely loves it, or it totally unnerves them.

Now most professionals know when to back off.  A barrel racer, will not run a clover leaf pattern when practicing, they may work them at a trot or collected canter around two barrels doing a figure eight, but rarely at a run and using three barrels.  A good Hunter rider will school their horses over fences, but not over and over again, and certainly not putting the jumps up higher and higher as the horse tires.  A Dressage rider will practice all the moves, not necessarily in a particular pattern, but they will also let the horses relax and stretch.

Keep your horses in love with their jobs, and let them experience others.

If you are in a boring job, that you repeat everyday, over and over again, you know what I am talking about.  Don’t we all look forward to the weekend, a change of pace, to refresh our minds and give us the energy to go back and do the same stuff again on Monday?  Your horse would like that option also.

So if you’re an English rider, trot and then run a set of barrels or poles, just for the fun of it.  If you are a Western rider, see if you can do a Dressage pattern, it’s very similar to a Western Riding pattern.  Get a bunch of friends together and compete against each other in opposite disciplines.

Just have some fun with your horse.  Try it, you’ll like it, and so will they.

Another one of those “Oldie But Goodie” songs.

It’s something that we all want, but don’t always give or get.

You may say that you try to get respect from your horse, sometimes you do, and sometimes you don’t.  That problem goes back to you not being consistent in what, and how you ask.  If you let him get away with something sometimes, he’s not going to know if it’s acceptable today or not.  “CONSISTENT.”

But that’s not where I’m going with this.

Yes you want respect from your horse, but your horse wants respect from you also.

Abuse, under any circumstance, is still abuse.

Most of the people who would even think about reading this post, are caring, loving horse people.  The ones who need to be more respectful of their horse are too involved in themselves to care if the horse is being respected.  Their horse is just another piece of equipment and a means to their goal.  You can usually see the difference in the horses attitude and performance.

A horse that has respect and trust for his rider is one that has been carefully taught that their person, loves them and will keep them safe.  I was going to say that Trust is the key word here, but unless it’s incorporated with Safe it doesn’t work.  You tell your horse that doing something is perfectly safe and then he gets scared or hurt, is he going to believe you the next time?  I don’t think so.  Remember a horse is a fight or flight animal, and flight is their first choice.  Their person is the lead mare who makes sure their needs are met, will warn them when there is a danger, and support them through any difficult situation.  You must first believe in yourself before asking your horse to believe in you.  If you are not strong and confident, your horse will have a hard time believing that the horse eating boogeyman behind that bush isn’t going to get him.

The horse that believes in his rider will go above and beyond what his rider asks.  They will put their life on the line for someone they trust and respect.  I’ve been blessed many times over with horses that would do anything for me.  They weren’t my horses and I wasn’t their rider, we were a team.  I know I’ve written about this before, but if you’ve ever experienced it, nothing can describe it.  We thought as one, we moved as one.

My one horse, Desert, I raised from a baby.  He wasn’t my horse, he was an extension of my soul.  He knew what I wanted before I even asked, and I knew him as if he were me.  It’s kind of how they describe the interaction between twins, no words needed.  He would do things for me that were really impossible for him, no questions asked.  He was wonderful to use for lessons.  He would tell on the children when they weren’t doing something right.  He was also a prankster and a comedian.  He always made me smile.  It broke my heart the day he died, but he can still make me smile when I think of him.  As a baby (I had way too much time on my hands waiting for him to grow up) I used to tie my jacket over his head and then lead him through a maze of obstacles.  When it came time for me to ride him over a bridge that was washed out, two planks wide with a 20 foot drop, he did it without batting an eye, several times I might add for that fox had a sense of humor.

You can’t muscle them into doing things like this, they have to trust.  It has to come from their hearts or they won’t be safe doing what you are asking.  If a horse loves you and trusts you he will go beyond all your expectations.  If the horse does something because he’s afraid of the consequences he will not do it well or safe.  I know I say this a lot.

Do you have this kind of relationship with your horse?  Why not?

Make the effort, you will never regret it – ever.

There are so many trainers out there how do you know which one to follow?

Many people ask me which one I follow.  The truth is that I was doing this long before some of these people were born.  I am glad that they are showing a kinder approach to training horses, but are they really?

Running a horse until it is totally exhausted, then saying look what I can do, as you start a chain saw over its head, is not horsemanship, its cruelty (the exhaustion, not the chain saw).  We are removing the fire and the spirit that can make a great horse.  We are turning them into zombies, with no life in their eyes.  I have seen more problems created, maybe unintentionally, by judges and breed associations which trickle down to the owners themselves.  Is there really a difference in breaking their spirit the old way or the new?

Every horse person will do things a little different.  Much of it isn’t right, or wrong, it’s just different.  We all find what works best for us and our horses.  The most important thing to remember is that each horse is different, and what worked well with one horse may not work with another.  Nothing is cast in stone.  The minute you think you’ve got everything figured out, you get a horse that read that book and won’t play by the rules.  You can force them, but it will usually backfire at the wrong time.  Don’t leave holes in their training either, that will show up  eventually too.

Which trainer.  Well I’ve listened to pretty much all of them.  They each have many good points.  If it doesn’t necessarily apply to the horse you’re working with at this time, file it in your memory for another horse, another time.  Some of the trainers out there, I find, are not safety conscious.  Yes it may work for them because they are professionals, have been around psycho horses before, are quick in their response time, and aware of the horses body language.  Saying that, it may also catch up on them one day.  There’s always one horse out there that is going to teach us a thing or two.  I don’t care how great a trainer they are, they’re not going to publish their mistakes.  My problem with them is that they don’t always remember that they are dealing with many new horse owners who don’t have the thought or reaction time that they do.  They don’t always set good examples for their viewers.

My pet peeve is when they teach you to bend low to encourage your horse to move on in a round pen or on a longe line.  If you don’t have a helmet on, aren’t far enough away, or if you take your eyes off your horse for a second, you have put yourself if the firing line of his back feet.  Horses will kick out if you chase them.  You can encourage a horse to move forward standing straight with your eyes up focused on your horse.  When people drop their heads, they usually drop their eyes.  They never see those feet coming.

The long lead or longe line dragging on the ground scares me too.  When people are focusing on the horse they aren’t aware of where their feet are and where the line may be.  They can get their feet tangled in the rope.  Now you’ve got a scared horse, dragging a body, that they think is chasing them.  Wow, sounds like a great idea to me, that will make them run forward really fast.

Some trainers send a message to their viewers or clients that helmets aren’t required, not in words but in their own actions.  Very sad.  As professionals, it is their responsibility to teach safety at all times.  The inexperienced are watching everything they do, and take it as gospel truth.

What is my theory?  Safety first.  Murphy’s Law usually wins out.  If it can possibly go wrong, it will.  Be clear in what you are asking your horse to do, set boundaries, and most of all be safe and consistent.  We’re always quick to tell them when they are wrong, but don’t forget to tell them when they are right.  They learn from positive reinforcement.

An old saying comes to mind.  Are you trying to put a square peg in a round hole?  Is your horse cut out physically, mentally, and emotionally for the job you are asking him to do?  Are you two different personalities fighting against each other?  Can we make this marriage work.  I always tell my students – You’ve got to kiss a lot of frogs before you find that prince.

Another thing that drives me crazy is when you get a parent wanting a young horse to grow up with their children.  Really?  Do you always hire a five-year old baby sitter to take care of your nine-year old child?  Older, trained horses are ideal for the novice or timid rider, and experienced riders are better suited for the young novice horse.  The more experienced will train the inexperienced.  Now that makes sense.

Be a thinking and responsible horse owner.  Do what is right for you both, even if it means placing him in a different home or job.

Take into consideration the things I have mentioned above when looking for a trainer.  Some of these trainers market themselves really well.  Buyer beware.

Because I’ve been there, its Just my way of thinking.

We’ve all watched sports games where the referee calls interference, but who is calling it on you and your horse?  How may you be interfering with what is natural for him?

Most every movement we ask a horse to make is natural to him.  It’s just communicating the right signals to get the response we’re looking for.  It doesn’t matter if it’s dressage moves, jumping, pole bending, pivoting on the fore, or a roll back.  These are all natural maneuvers for a horse.  Even thinking of the Lippizzan Stallions performing a capriole through the air, these moves were taken, and used by the military for combat purposes.

Let’s just think about each of these movements, what the horse uses them for, and how we interfere.

• A horse will jump something to save his life, but not necessarily 5 foot.  Some enjoy it more than others.
• Have you ever seen an animated horse prance in place?  Perform flying changes while playing in the field?  Dressage.
• Have you watched your horse running through a bunch of trees, bending and weaving?  Pole Bending.
• When you come with a halter to catch your horse and he’s not interested?  Pivot on the fore or hind to avoid you.
• How about when another horse goes to kick them, or they see the horse-eating boogie man behind a bush.  Roll back.
• When you turn them out on a cold morning have they ever leaped in the air just for the joy of it, possibly kicking out?  Sign them up for the Spanish Riding School.

These are all natural movements for horses.  When we’re trying to get them to do a specific movement, we just confuse them with our signals.  It takes time and patience to teach them this signal equals this movement.  But it’s wonderful when you get that aha! moment.

So how do we interfere?  Usually with our body, balance, or not a clear signal.  Of course we did nothing wrong, it must be the horse.  He’s either ignoring us, or he’s just stupid.  Whoa!  You need to rethink this whole mind-set.

• Try running holding a wiggling child or dog.  Messes up your balance doesn’t it.  How steady is your balance on your horses back.  Is it in the right place at the right time?
• Try carrying something heavy on one side.  Kind of pulls you to that side doesn’t it?  Most people aren’t even aware that they are riding crooked.
• Try laying on the floor flat on your stomach, have a child sit on your shoulders and try to get up.  Horse trying to lift off for a jump with you on his front end.
• Your horse is trying to pick up a lead, pivot on the fore or hind.  Where is your weight? Are you helping or hindering?
• Going around a barrel or poles.  Are you fearful and off-balance?  Or are you moving with, and helping your horse?

See if you can spot what you are doing wrong the next time you try any of these maneuvers, and then think what you can do to help your horse in the future.

A horse and rider combination is like “Dancing With The Stars.”  If one partner is doing the Cha-Cha and one is doing the Tango it’s just not going to work.  You both have to Waltz together.  One must lead, that would be you, and one must follow.  It must be a smooth, flowing movement as one.

That’s my whole point, becoming one with your horse.  Try it, you and your horse will like it.