Nuggets of wisdom gleaned and used?

[PamnReba]

Talking about horse related, of course. Here’s my example. I love Mark Rashid and have read all of his books, most of them more than once. I just really enjoy the way he writes and how he observes and processes and then relates what he sees with his own horses, and also those he’s been asked for help with. He has such amazing insight!

Therefore, I don’t remember which book it was in, but he was relating a tale about a woman who needed help with her horse - it just didn’t want to be ridden, behave, do what was asked - nothing. So Mark went to check it out. It took some sleuthing, but his final observation was that this woman wore a TON of perfume, and the horse was overwhelmed by the scent. He told the woman what he thought the problem was, she came one time without the perfume, and the horse was like a different animal. Unfortunately, she refused to give up her perfume habit, and would not go without. So Mark just had to leave it at that. And that story has stuck with me since I first read it.

So my wisdom nugget? I never wear perfume, or anything else with a heavy scent, when I know I’m going to be around horses. That’s true whether I’m riding, just working them on the lunge, or even just petting noses visiting other’s animals. Since I have mine at home, I’m around them multiple times daily. My detergent is unscented, as well as my deodorant and body wash. There may be a faint scent from the dryer sheets I use or my shampoo, but that’s it. I do wear perfume to work though, limited to two short spritzes. By the end of the day it’s pretty much gone.

I also once had a person come out who was a natural trimmer. She did a good job on my horse’s feet, but they disliked her immensely. The reason? She had an odd scent around her. Not necessarily offensive, but definitely strong. I suspected it was probably something she cooked with, that had saturated her house and clothes because it was the same strong smell every time… But what ever it was, the horses were anxious and impatient with her from the time she got there until she left. Once they got a good distance away from her, they relaxed and were fine. I eventually had to put one horse in front shoes, and that was my excused to change to a farrier instead. He smokes, and I can smell it on him myself, but the horses don’t seem to mind it and behave just fine for him.

So what is your wisdom nugget and how has it impacted your interactions with horses?

[moonlitoaksranch]

I’ve heard trainers say don’t talk to your horses. They use body language rather than make sounds, for the most part. Fine. However, what I’ve learned is that if talking to your horse calms you down, then it is helpful to you and your horse. I’ve also learned that singing to a nervous horse in a stall while you clean helps them relax and get used to you. They can tell where you are that way. Although it depends on the songs. Obviously, there’s a big difference between singing a nice melody and playing air guitar while screaming out acid rock. If you talk so much you aren’t seeing what they say with their bodies, that’s too much, but otherwise, babble away if it keeps you calm and happy.

[Texarkana]

I was at a mustang demo and two different clinicians stressed there is never any need to “kick up dust,” aka run your horse in the round pen.

So much of the natural horsemanship I learned involved sending your horse off until they submit or “join up,” but it’s completely unnecessary. If the horse wants to take a few strides of trot or canter on their own to release their tension, that’s fine, but you can accomplish the same ”join up” (or whatever you want to call it) effect with a quiet approach/retreat that involves no running.

It’s pretty rare I’m working with feral or unhandled horses these days, but remembering not to kick up dust has a lot of indirect applications. If a situation is getting a little too intense, I find I’m a lot more apt to stop and reflect if there is a better way to go about it that won’t “kick up dust.”

[Samondel]

Can’t talk or sing if you’re holding your breath, and I know when I get tense, I do hold my breath. So, talking means I’m still breathing (and at a natural cadence). If my horse is tense, and I get tense, and we get that cycle of winding each other up going, I just… tell him about my day. 99% of the time, that resumption in regular breathing brings us both back down to earth.

[LCDR]

I learned when to stop. By that I mean that when I have accomplished my training goal for the ride, I get off, praise and thank my horse, and walk her back to the barn. This can sometimes make for a 10 minute ride when I have planned for an hour, but it is always best to end with a positive experience for both of us.

[Texarkana]

I was thinking about this thread this morning while riding then later working with my yearling on the ground.

I’ve changed a lot as a horsewoman over my lifetime.

I’ve learned not to micromanage so much. I have learned to be aware of my emotions and how they affect the situation. I’ve learned not to take things so personally. I’ve learned that I don’t need to react or interfere; it’s best to let the horse just figure it out (within the context of presenting them with a new question). I’ve learned to listen to the horse. I’ve come to reevaluate my relationship with horses: I’m their partner and friend, not their dictator.

There is no one person I can thank for these changes. There were lots of little influences along the way, but mostly I learned from the horses themselves.

[anon40672407]

Never rush the warm up.

[atlatl]

Plan the ride, but you have to ride you what have that day so be willing to change the plan to meet the horse where they are.

[mvp]

Stop asking sooner.

What that means is ask for what you want, say a change of gait or direction or whatever and once you can feel the horse start to do it, take your aid off and allow the horse to manage his body, his way to get it done.

This assumes the other thing that I learned (and learned to do), which made all the difference:

Only ask a horse to move a foot when it’s off the ground, or just leaving the ground. That’s the only time he can possibly do something with it. If, on the other hand, you ask while the relevant foot is on the ground, all he can do is brace against you and keep going in the direction he already is.

If you learn to apply aids for a short duration-- only when the horse has his feet positioned to “answer” your request AND you stop asking as soon as you feel him start that answer, you find yourself having a whole lot of time in your ride, and needing to do a whole lot less. It’s a pretty nice experience for man and beast.

[RedHorses]

If you’re having trouble doing something on one rein, but it’s going well on the other rein try alternating the direction fairly rapidly (ie. don’t wander around the ring to change rein). The first couple of times each way simply feel what you are doing with your aids and use inside/outside instead of left/right. Then continue changing reins between each attempt and try to make your struggle side aids match the good side aids.

The quick changes of direction help both horse and rider avoid bracing against each other as the muscle use changes with the change of rein. In matching the good side aids, the rider is not just applying aids but also releasing any aids they might not have been aware of using.

[Night_Flight]

“Ride her like she’s a good horse.”

Said to me about my very reactive, quirky mare. Every other trainer always wanted me to contain her, change her, fix her. That meant that I was making corrections in anticipation, and she was reacting (poorly) to my anticipation.

When I changed my mentality to “ride her like a good horse”, we both relaxed and she, in her own style, went like a good horse.

I’ve used the advice on other horses since (green, issues with a particular movement/sidedness, unfamiliar horse, etc.), and I find that it helps greatly when your mindset is focused on expecting the correct response vs. anticipating what might be imperfect. More relaxation, less fiddling, happier horses.

[atlatl]

@Night_Flight

“Ride her like she’s a good horse.”

I can’t like this enough!

[ParadoxFarm]

Wonder what horses think about the stinky fly sprays we use. Or heaven forbid, MTG. (Is that stuff still around?)

[Texarkana]

@Night_Flight

“Ride her like she’s a good horse.”

Wow, this one hits home!

I picked up some bad defensive habits over the years. When I found the right coach to break me of those habits, things really started turning around for my horse.

Plus I’ve had such a huge reckoning the past decade that riding is less about micromanaging and more about the rider simply being balanced. So even on green horses, I am less focused than I used to be on “teaching” them what they don’t know and am more focused on just riding as correctly as possible. If my body is doing the right thing every time when I ask, the horse will eventually get it. So basically, riding them like a good (made) horse so they can figure it out.

[Walk_N_Gal88]

I’ve learned that if you’re feeling like shit physically to really decide whether riding that day is in y’all’s best interest. Sometimes you feel bad enough that it translates over to your
horse and causes you to have a bad and/or unproductive ride.

[ShenanAnna]

“Ride her like she’s a good horse.”

Similarly, Centered Riding taught me to ride the movement/gait/whatever you want, and the horse will follow along. It works!

[outerbanks77]

One thing my dressage instructor said to me is “Mares don’t want to be wrong”. I thought about this, and mares are ultimately the protectors of their foals, so it makes so much sense. It really helped me interact better with my very opinionated mare, and I make sure to let her know she’s right as often as I can.

The other thing, when we were going through canter hell with lots of legs flinging around, swapping leads behind and general shenanigans, was “Just sit up there and act like you don’t even notice.” That was a little harder to do, but helped a lot to not react while she sorted things out on her own. One day I was riding through that and a fellow boarder said “wow, that looks terrifying.” Actually, I am terrified, but I’m doing my best not to show it.

[Moonboots]

@Night_Flight

“Ride her like she’s a good horse.”

…

When I changed my mentality to “ride her like a good horse”, we both relaxed and she, in her own style, went like a good horse.

In a similar vein, I’ve learned that there is no shame in taking a step “backwards” and riding a safe, sound, saint of a horse if something has shaken my confidence and I need to rebuild it. The more “challenging” horses require a relaxed rider, and when you’re feeling nervous it’s so easy to accidentally ride defensively and create more stress and tension.

If a horse loses its confidence at a job, we go back and take baby steps to make the task feel easy and safe again. It’s not so crazy to do the same thing for ourselves!