We set time aside to work with our horses.  We make appointments to take lessons.  We sign up for clinics.  BUT – we train our horses every moment we spend with them.

We are either teaching them something new or reinforcing something they already do.  It’s just that simple.  Now is that something we are reinforcing a good trait, or a bad habit?  That is the ultimate question.

Every second we are in contact with our horses we are training them.  Bet you never gave that a thought.  Most of the time we don’t think, we just do.  But start observing your everyday routine.

• When you go to feed him/her, are his ears forward or back?  If they are back then he’s telling you that he’s in charge and wants to be fed now.  Or possibly, it’s my food get away from it.  Are you rewarding his bad behavior by feeding the Grinch?  Or do you ask him to relax, put his ears forward, and be happy to see you before you give him his grain.  Who’s in charge now?  Usually we are in a hurry and don’t even notice the horses body language.
• When he’s in a stall and you go to enter, is he facing you with ears forward (or at least relaxed), happy to see you?  Or is his butt toward the doorway.  Ask him to turn around and great you pleasantly.
• When we’re leading horses we are usually in a hurry to get things done.  Who’s leading?  If we don’t pay attention, they may be in charge.  It can’t be right some of the times, that’s not being consistent.  You can’t yell at them to get behind, when you feel like it, and not all the time.  You confuse them.
• When you go to mount.  Make them stand still until you are seated All The Time.  Not just when you have time.

If you give clear rules and boundaries there will never be a question of ‘Is it Tuesday or Thursday?  Do I have to stand still today, or is that tomorrow?’

K.I.S.S.  Keep It Simple Stupid.  Make it the same everyday and remember, you are a trainer at all times.

Many of you don’t remember the ’60s, but take it from me, there were a lot of different dances back then.  The “Twist” of the ’50’s carried over to the ’60’s and then you added the “Mashed Potatoes”, “The Stomp”, “The Swim”, “The Monkey”, “The Shimmy”, “The Fly”, “The Bossa Nova”, “The Cool Jerk” and probably others that I am forgetting.  Oh how could I ever forget the “Freddie.”  Thank goodness the ’70’s came and brought “Disco.”  Some of those ’60s dances are probably the reason I am now arthritic and into Chiropractic and Acupuncture.  Doing stupid stuff and getting dumped off horses for the last 50 years have absolutely nothing to do with it.  Having a chute set up with jumps, bareback, no bridle, with a person at one end with a longe whip, and another person at the other end with a broom, sending your horse back and forth over the jumps had positively nothing to do with it, but boy those big jumpin’ horses could do a roll back real good when they saw the broom swinging through the air.

But I’m not here to talk about my insane childhood memories, that I hold so dear, I’m here to talk to you about the “Uncool Jerk'” we do to our horses mouth.

Depending on the bit you use, and if it involves a curb chain,  it puts pressure on different areas.  All bits, except Hackamores, put pressure on the mouth, seated where there are no teeth.  If it’s a snaffle, it has a nut cracker effect on the tongue and the roof of the mouth (you only thought this bit was gentle).  Any bit can be gentle and kind or absolutely cruel, depending on the hands that are using it.  Other pressure points can be on the nose, the poll, and the chin.  Unless you get into gag or elevator bits.

Now this isn’t going to be a conversation about bits and their application, it’s about us and our hands.

Have you ever walked along holding someone’s hand.  Has it been a light loving touch that made you feel loved and secure?  Have you ever walked along holding someone’s hand that was intent on dragging you somewhere?  Which was a more pleasant experience.  You were still being directed, but with a different energy, attitude and kindness.  Think about what you do to your horse.

With my students I will first let them put a clean bit in their mouths.  They usually don’t like the weight of it.  Then I will hand them one end of a rein and I will hold the other. and ask them to make-believe that their hand was the horse’s mouth.  I will first, gently pull their hand and lead them to the left, then the right, and ask them to stop.  I will explain, this is how your horse would like you to communicate with him.  Then I will take the rein and yank it to the left, and then to the right, eventually pulling back hard for a stop.  This is how your horse would not like you to communicate with him.  Now remember, you’re not doing this to his leg you’re doing this to his mouth.  Ouch!

I then have to explain that the light gentle touch is like a whisper (same principle applies to their leg pressure).  Sometimes your horse doesn’t hear the whisper, so you have to use a little more pressure, speaking a little louder.  If he still doesn’t hear you, add a little more until you get the required result.  If a horse is used to a lot of pressure, it’s going to take him a little while to figure out what you are asking, but he will, and he’ll be glad to react.  Adding a voice command gives him a better clue.  I break all my horses to voice commands before I even put a bit in their mouths, or get on their backs.  It makes it so easy on both of us.

Don’t start out yanking and then try to lighten up.  He’ll be waiting for the pain from too much pressure.  He’ll set his jaw and his neck in defense.  If you were waiting to get yanked, wouldn’t you?

Once again start at a walk with the whoa and the stop.  Practice the turns, gently.  Watch your horse soften, transform, and respond.  Don’t forget to use your legs to reinforce you cues when turning.

Let’s look at it this way.  If you’re yelling at a child, he doesn’t listen.  They’ll shut down, and tune you out, or just defy you even more.  But if you tell the child to come here and I’ll whisper a secret to you, they are going to come and listen closely.

• First of all, notice who you are.  Most of the time we aren’t even aware of what we are doing.
• Notice how your horse is responding.
• Now try to lighten up and see how long it takes for your horse to notice.
• Think of your hands as speaking to the horse.  If the horse is not paying attention, speak a little louder until they hear you.
• But always go back and try again in a light touch the next time.

Some days it works better than others, because of different outside stimuli, but work on the communication between you.

Your out to enjoy your ride, your tension and attitude will make a big difference in your communication with your horse.  Check on that too.

Be “Cool” – not a “Jerk.”

Remember when you were a kid and you and your friends played “Tug Of War?”  It was a team effort which included rope burns on your hands, skinned knees if you were dragged, and mud if you were lucky enough to live in the country, and if one team let go of the rope, a ten kid pile-up.  Ahh the good old days.

But now I see too many people playing “Tug Of War” with their dogs and horses.  You may beat the odds with your dogs, but you’re not going to win with your horses.  Let’s look at the simple fact – 1000 to 2000 lbs. vs 100 to 200 lbs. soaking wet.  No contest.

I watch the “Dog Whisperer” in the mornings trying to learn the predator body language and corrections.  I can handle the 2000 lb. Clydesdale no problem, but my 45 lb. ADHD deaf, mostly blind,  45 lb. Catahoula puppy is a challenge.  I am amazed at how many people have dogs, of various sizes, just dragging them down the sidewalks.

Now most horse owners lead their horses better than the dog owners I’ve seen, but Cesar’s instructions ring true to horse owners also.

• Never let the animal get ahead of you
• Never, ever wrap anything around your hands (mine)
• Catch the forward motion quickly and make the correction
• Be calm and assertive (be in charge)
• Be gentle yet firm, expect obedience at all times. (My instructions, be consistent)
• Cesar would say be the pack leader, with horses just be the leader, period, end of discussion.

How many times has your horse just leaned into the halter and took you where he/she wanted to go?  He was ahead of you I’ll bet.  With a dog, they want to smell that tree, or check the local peemail.  With a horse there’s better grass over there, or I just don’t want to be here.

Hello!  Who’s in charge here?  Whoever pays the bills gets to make the decisions, that’s my way of thinking about it.

• First thing is to teach your horse what Whoa means.  Walk, say whoa, and stop sharply (don’t meander to a stop).  Repeat until they get it.  Make sure they are relaxed before moving on.  Sometimes a slice of carrot works well as a reward.  They will not only learn the word whoa (and look for the treat), but they will start to watch your body motion.  When you stop so should they.
• Never let them get in front of you.  If they start moving in front, a little short tap on the halter should break their forward motion.  I also like to carry a small crop or use the end of the lead to just tap them on the chest to remind them, and reinforce my command if necessary.  I’ll either say “easy” or “come back.”  It’s always a good idea to teach them to back up first.  I don’t use constant pressure at any time, just short taps both with the halter and lead, and with any artificial aid I am using.

For anyone who is not familiar with the term Artificial Aid I will explain.  Your hands, legs, weight are your aids, I like to include your voice too.  Any foreign object is an artificial aid.  This would include, whips, spurs, training devices, chains, ropes, Rottweilers, you get the idea.

• If they are prancy or dancy circle them around you to stop them.  Make them stand where you told them to stand, not where they choose.  I will sometimes teach them to square up at this point.  It gives them something else to think about.   Get them to relax, and then move forward again.  They have an agenda which usually doesn’t include what you want.  Who is in charge here?
• Remember, whenever you feel you are losing control of the situation, break forward motion.

Always remember, say what you mean and mean what you say.  Not just sometimes, but all the time.  What you say is non-negotiable.

This “Tug Of War” is not limited to leading only, I’ve seen it many times between the horse and rider using the reins.

The theory is the same.  Don’t get into a “Tug Of War.”  We used to say “Check and Release”  now they say do a “Half Halt.”  Bottom line is you touch the horse’s mouth and quickly release it, several times if you have to.  You’ll usually feel your horse shift his weight to the hind quarters, breaking forward motion.  If you are out of control, circle, no matter what speed you are going.  Of course use your judgement as to how small the circle should be.  You are not going to make the same size circle at a canter/lope as you would at a walk.  Best thing to do is start at a walk and teach the whoa, and back (breaking forward motion).  When they have that down, do it at a trot.

The lighter you are on your horse’s mouth, the lighter he will respond.  This may take time to teach him, but he’ll be grateful you did.

Don’t ever get into a “Tug Of War” with your horse.  My money is always on the horse.

The group I rode with up North decided to have a Halloween Hunter Pace.  Now when we had a Hunter Pace it went through the park and through the neighborhood.  We’d ride up the roads and through people’s fields and yards.  It was a very horsey community.

So now what do you do on a “Halloween” Hunter Pace?  You dress in costumes of course, and so does your horse.

The first year I dressed as a witch and Desert was dressed as a devil.  I braided his tail and put a red point on the end.  Red sheet, red leg wraps, red socks on his ears to look like horns, and of course a red bridle.  Bob was dressed as the headless horseman, riding my black mare Magic.  He wore a cape over his head, carried a stuffed pumpkin under his arm and this is the way we went through the neighborhood.

Now we were cute and got a lot of laughs on that early Saturday morning, but the looks we got were nothing compared to our friend who had a white Arabian.  She dressed in a full neutral colored body suite with a long blond wig down to her knees, and went as Lady Godiva.  You want to talk about stopping traffic.  It was the talk of the town for days.

Sometimes we take ourselves, and our riding to serious.  Lighten up and have a good time with your horse and your friends.  Life is short, enjoy every minute of it.

The other day we were out on our boat with friends,  the weather kicked up, and it got a little choppy.  I went up on the bow to put a fender, and a line away, and was moving with the boats motion.  When I came back down my friend asked how I managed such good balance?  My answer was simple, horses.  Now she’s a rider so I didn’t have to go into an explanation.

When we were kids we struggled to learn to balance on our first two-wheeler, remember?  Now that was narrow with narrow wheels, with nothing to wrap our legs around.  We would just sit there on our perch, and hope for the best.  Most of us mastered that.

Okay, so on a horse you are up higher than a bike, but the landing after a fall, is a lot softer.  When we were riding our bikes we were usually on a road, sidewalk, or other hard surface.  So why are people so afraid of falling off a horse?  We get really tense, hold our breath, and kind of space out.

Here are some exercises to help you gain confidence and balance on a horse. Don’t forget you also have the advantage of grip, not like a bike.

First thing you need is a quiet, bomb-proof horse.  It’s better to be in a small enclosed area such as a round pen and/or have someone stand at your horse’s head to keep your horse from moving.

This is easier to do with an English saddle, or if you’re brave, bareback.  So borrow an English saddle from a friend if you don’t have one.  Make sure your girth is tight.

• Sit up straight and drop your reins on you horses neck close to the saddle so you can pick them up, and correct the horse if needed.
• Make sure your legs are directly underneath you, there should be a line that runs from your ear, through your shoulder, hip, and then the line should go through your heel.
• Keeping your legs in that position stretch your arms out forward and touch your horses ears.  Make sure your legs stay underneath you.  Then sit back up.
• With your legs in the same position (never having slipped backward when you reached forward) take your right hand and touch your left toe.  Make sure your other arm is place behind your back, and that your legs don’t slip back.  Return to upright position. Your helmet is on, right?
• Now do the same with the left hand.  With left hand touch your right toe placing your right arm behind your back.  Do this sequence 5 or 6 times.  Always make sure that your legs stay underneath you.  Never, never let them slip back.
• Now go back and touch your horses ears again.  Great job!
• Now I want you to lay down on your horses back.  Lay flat and put your arms over your head and touch your horse’s tail.  Now ears, now tail, now ears, now tail. Left toe, right toe, left toe, right toe, ears, tail.  You get the idea.
• If you are having problems with that, work on it until you feel totally comfortable and your legs are consistently in the proper position.
• Now we are going to do what the kids love to compete with, “Around The World.”
• Sit up straight with your reins farther up on your horse’s neck out-of-the-way.  Drop both stirrups.  Swing your right leg over the front of the saddle until you are sitting sideways.  You do not want to put your leg through the reins, ever, so make sure they are well out-of-the-way.  If you start slipping, it’s okay, just slide down, remount, and start again.
• Now swing your left leg over his butt so that you are sitting backward, swing your right leg over so you are sitting sideways on the right side, swing your left over his neck and return to your original position.  This is when the kids want to do it again and see who can finish first.

It’s amazing to watch the children and adults faces change from “deer caught in the head lights” and move past relaxation to actually having fun.

This is a great way to improve your balance on a horse, realize that you can slip off and not get hurt, and in general, feel more comfortable and free up on their backs.

When you’ve mastered that, you can challenge yourself a little more by doing the toe touches without stirrups, eventually doing them at a trot (with stirrups then without) in the round pen, riding arena, or with the help of someone, on a long longe line with stirrups and then without.

Have you ever seen the All American Cowgirl Chicks do their trick riding?  Now that’s what I call freedom and balance.  They move with, and become one with their horses.

Give these exercises a try.  Never stop learning, and never, ever, stop trying.

Well this is a little late for the Super Moon that we had in August, but we do get a full moon once a month so you will have other chances.

With a local group that I used to ride with up north we would do a full moon ride every August.  We’d meet at the local park where there were trails that we frequented (so we knew the lay-out), we’d order pizza, meet just before sunset, sit under the pavilion, pig out, and wait until it got dark.  Then we’d mount up and go for a moonlight ride.  It was really a lot of fun and laughs.

Riding through the fields were easy.  The full moon provided a lot of light and it was cool, once the sun went down.  Now the woods were a different story.  Whoever had the flash light would lead the group through the woods.  It would be so dark that all you could see was the white saddle pad of the horse in front of you or someones white sneakers.  My friend in front of me switched horses with his wife and didn’t bother to check that his girth was loose.  All you could see was Charlies white sneakers going over his horses back as he hit the ground.  All this at a walk of course.  My granddaughter could be heard for miles trying to tell everyone that her grandparents were mean sending a little kid out on a blind pony, in the dark.  Well Chester did have one good eye.  He was 100% bomb proof and my granddaughter was a drama queen.  She did actually go into theatre several years ago.

Bottom line is that it was a great time.  You might want to grab a couple of friends and try it yourself at the next full moon.

Never be afraid to try new things.  Don’t forget they (the horses) see a lot better than we do.  If you trust your horse, and he trusts you, what’s not to like?

Okay so we’ve talked about saving our brain, and toes, but what really started me on the idea of extremities were my fingers.

Hands, fingers, and toes are all very upfront when working with horses.  They also manage to be in the wrong places at times.  Pretty much all the people I know, that really work with horses, have had their fingers broken or dislocated at one point.  It’s not always because we aren’t careful, it just happens.

Lead lines, longe lines, and halters are the biggest problems with reins coming in there somewhere.

First thing I tell people is not to wrap anything around their hands, it’s quickest way to get dragged.  I instruct my students to either make big circle loops or serpentine with lines and reins.  Never put knots in anything.  You may think that will give you something to grip onto, but when they slip between your fingers you are bound to dislocate a knuckle.  Wearing gloves is also a help because (depending on the type of glove) you will have a better grip and less chance of getting a rope burn.

Now from riding we know that the muscle on the inside of our arm is not as strong as the muscle on the out side of our arm.  So if you are leading a horse and want a little more control have the line come through your hand from the pinky to the thumb, instead of having the line come from the halter through your hand from thumb to pinky.  If you have a horse that is really strong, use a stud chain for leverage.  Stud chain placement is a whole other subject.

Never try to lead a horse by the halter without a lead line.  Fingers have away of getting themselves into those little rings and openings, and one swift move from the horse and they’re broken.  Just having a fly land somewhere will cause him to swing his head around with your finger in tow.  Not to mention the pull on your shoulder.

These are all silly little things that can cause great pain and inconvenience.  Always be mindful of your fingers and toes.

I give this a big Thumbs Up!

If you’ve been around horses for any length of time you’ve had your toes stepped on, it just goes with the territory.  Now I always advocate wearing boots around the horses.  You still get stepped on but there’s something resembling a foot and toes left after the incident.  I’ve seen kids with flip-flops or barefoot, not at my barn, but when I see that my heart rises to my throat.  My grandchildren would run through the barn barefoot with me yelling at them, but the horses were out in the pasture, nowhere near the barn.

No matter how careful we are there is always that possibility.  All though I hurt my toe last week, ( which became a beautiful combination of colors of purple and blue and pink and red and finally yellow and green) slamming it into a chair leg.  My toes have been stepped on so many times they are all different lengths and shapes.  One bends both ways.  All this with boots on.  I’m very talented.

Several weeks ago I was putting a fly mask on one of the horses in the pasture and the horse next door spooked at something, invisible of course.  My horse felt or heard him spook and reacted putting one foot to the left to run.  He then realized I was there and stopped.  Yup, you guessed it, right on the arch of my left foot.  He froze, yup on my foot.  I stood there going ouch!, ouch!, ouch!, and simply pushed his shoulder and he removed his foot from mine very slowly and carefully.  Thank you God that I have all reasonable horses to work around.  They try at all times to be careful around people, but there is still that fight or flight instinct in them.

I always tell my students to pay attention, and do everything properly, even if you have the sweetest, best, kindest, smartest, horse in the world, because some day you may just be holding another horse that isn’t.  If you get in the habit of doing everything the right way, it will always come natural and instinctual.

Boots are always a good idea, and stylish too.  I like my toes, I use them everyday, just like my brains (well actually the jury is out on that lately.  I Hate Old Age!)

I tell the children to walk along side of the horses neck, just behind the head, holding the lead line or reins short, close to the halter or bit.  Don’t ever let them walk behind you, because if something frightens them they will probably run you over trying to get away from it.  Or never let them walk ahead of you because then you have no control.  I also tell them to look ahead to where they are going, not at the horse.  If you trip and fall, the horse is going to trip and fall over your body.   Double Ouch!

Be mindful of where your feet are, more so than theirs.

Ask.com describes that as having will power over obstacles.

It’s a great title but I’m not sure if that really has to do with my subject.  I guess, in a way it might.

With age I notice I’m having trouble with my mind.  It just doesn’t keep up with me anymore, and in most cases my friends are having the same problem.  For those of you who are young, a warning, it stinks.

But this post isn’t about old age, it’s really about the minds of children these days.

If you’ve worked with children for any period of time you have noticed a big change in their attention span.  Between working with the children at church and with the horses, it’s really becoming more of a challenge.  We hear more about A.D.D. and A.D.H.D.  When I was a kid, back in the stone age, we never heard anything about this stuff.  For that matter, kids were kids and really didn’t have these problems.  We were outside every chance we got, played hard, got tired and went to bed.  Now a days, both adults and children have their nose buried in some kind of technological wonder.  There is no eye contact with another human being, they will sit in the same room and text each other.  Games are now all downloaded and played constantly.  Things move so fast on the game board that children, when confronted with everyday life, find it extremely boring and slow.  As with adults, they want everything now.  Frustration comes in when things can’t be accomplished immediately and boredom sets in if the information isn’t passed along in a split second.  So how do you teach something that requires patience and time.

Aghhhhh!  I think that came from a stone age cartoon character in the comic strip B.C.  More recently it’s become my way of voicing frustration with the computer age children.

Our horses didn’t know anything about instant gratification.  They are still in the mind-set of walk around and find something to eat.  We are now putting a clock in their heads, just like our children, by putting them on a feed schedule.  They now paw at the gate or door if dinner is late, or if they want attention. To avoid this, keep hay or grazing available all the time.  Keep them as close to nature as possible.  We’ve conditioned our children and animals to become impatient and demanding, and truly, we do it to ourselves.  When I was a child there was the lay-a-way plan (which is making a comeback in some form).  If you wanted to purchase something, and you didn’t have the money, you gave the item to the clerk with a deposit and paid a little each week until it was totally paid for and then you took it home.  Now you take it home and then pay for it.

It’s time we took back control of our children, animals, and our lives.  We are so much in fast forward that most times we don’t even know what day it is.  I think that’s why so many people find peace when riding their horses.  To stay safe and enjoy we must slow down and stay in the moment.  If you get on your horse with the “to do list” running through your mind, your horse will feel it and become worried.  This could become dangerous because you are not aware of things going on around you.

Stop and smell the roses.  They may not be there tomorrow.  Take back control of your life and time.  Show your children that there is life out there.  Teach your horses to be horses again.  Trust me your horse will be more receptive to the idea than your children will.

In order to work with a horse, or teach children about horses, they need to slow their minds down and connect with another living, breathing, being, not a computer.  Horses don’t text, they need one on one time, and truthfully, so do we.

Life, right now, is like a run-away horse, take the reins, and take back the control, before it’s too late.

Stay in the moment, or you’ll miss life as it happens.

“Teach what you’ve learned and one less horse will suffer from ignorance, and never stop learning.”  This has always been my philosophy.

We all may not do things the same way.  It may be right, it may be wrong, or it may just be different.

Sharing what you’ve learned and comparing notes may be a learning experience, not only for you, but for others.  Of course we all feel that our way it right and the only way to do things.  But then we might just learn an easier, or another way of doing something.  Always file information in the back of your mind.  You may not need it at this moment, or with this horse, but you never know when a situation will present itself, and puff!, you’ve got just what the doctor ordered.

I love teaching, especially children.  I love explaining things in a fun, thought-provoking way.  There is nothing as satisfying as watching your students learn.  Not to just go through the motions, but really get it, apply it, and know why they are doing it.

I know that I have done my job right, when out of no where, I hear them explain to someone else, word for word,  why something is done a certain way.  Or they diagnose an ailment right off the bat without you even being aware that there was a problem.  I can’t begin to explain how proud I am of them.

Perhaps it is because of how my brain functions, I teach differently.  In order for me to grasp something, I have to know what makes it tick.  Some babies just learn to say NO!  I always asked WHY?

I want my students to learn to ask why.  But I also need them to know when the tone of my voice shouts a command, not a request.  Sometimes I see a disaster in the making and can avoid it by a simple correction, but I need them to respond, now!

I don’t remember the circumstances why we did a lesson on the ground one particular day, but it was one of the funniest, and most rewarding lessons I had ever given, or for that matter, ever received.  I was going to be a first time rider at the barn and they were going to give me a lesson.  What it did show me was exactly how much the girls had learned and retained.  Emily was my, to the very last detail person.   The depth of her knowledge and descriptions of what was to take place was way beyond what a beginner could handle.  Lexy became frustrated when she was trying to get her point across and I had no interest in what she was saying.  Diana made the announcement that she would never be an instructor, to which they all agreed to the same after much laughter.  Hannah, always in charge, was trying to make order out of chaos.  Bottom line was that these girls knew and retained everything I had taught them, could explain it and pass it on.

Emily touched my heart one morning while getting ready to ride.  She came and told me that Desert just wasn’t himself.  Emily and Desert were so in tune that she picked up that something was wrong before there were any clinical signs.  The signs followed hours later.

This is what I strive for.  Listening to what your horse is trying to tell you.  Sensing, feeling, listening, communication without words.  The horse is always trying to tell us, or teach us something.

The horse whispers, are we listening?