I admit, I've been lucky. I've had the wonderful fortune of working with top trainers in various fields, including racing (both Standardbred and Thoroughbred), hunter/jumpers, competitive trail, quarter horse, appaloosa and draft horses. I've also been able to watch horses in their natural settings.... meaning that they were out in herds (this on breeding farms). I've worked with 4-H'ers, and Medal/Maclay riders. Just watching has allowed me to see how horses react with each other, how they talk to each other, and what those things mean.
Let's face it. Almost all trainers use the natural responses of horses to get the response they want.
But what happens when a horse doesn't respond they way the trainer thinks they should?
They get labelled.....incorrigible/problematic/mean/stubborn/untrainable
Suggestion....."get rid of it"
Yeah, give it someone else. So how do YOU like it when You get someone else's problem?
So why don't horses "do" what they are "suppose to?"
Several reasons:
- They hurt. Either the tack is pinching, something doesn't fit right; or they twisted a knee,hock, hip, fetlock or even their back or neck or something is in their foot or bruised it.
- They physically can't. Some horses just CAN'T flex at the poll for higher dressage levels; pick their knees high enough to hurdle jumps, do not have the hoof wall necessary for heavy trail riding, or riding over gravel, or can't drop their head low enough to be a peanut-roller pleasure horse.
- They have mental or psychological "problems". These are the ones they say..."Get RID of it!" but these are also the ones who often have reasons for their behavior, whether we know it or not. Sometimes we have to be detectives to figure them out, and that takes time. These will not be 30-60-90 day wonders. Sometimes it takes YEARS to straighten it out.
- Their status in the "herd" makes it difficult. Alpha mares usually do well as performance horses, but are not happy in the pleasure or under saddle classes. They often kick or pin their ears when horses go by. Beta horses respond differently than Deltas, or Omegas. Omegas can make nice pleasure horses because they are easily bullied into submission.
- They just plain ole' don't want to. When you're not feeling well, you don't usually feel like going to the movies or to a party. So when the horse isn't feeling well, he doesn't feel like getting on the trailer and going to a (stressful) horse show!
You have to take time to watch your horse interact with other horses, interact with other humans and interact with YOU. That's hard.....sometimes it helps to video your riding sessions in order to really, REALLY look at what your horse is telling you.
Does your horse do the equivalent of "rolling his eyes" when you approach with the saddle?
Does he pin his ears?
What is he doing with his lips?
These are all LOUD warnings to another horse.....but we're so busy talking and reprimanding, that we don't even notice it! Horses "talk" via body language. Noises are only used for very specific reasons. Squeals mean danger (and usually include kicking or threats of kicking). Neighs ask "where are you?" or "I'm over here!". Nickers mean, "come closer and be safe". Mares do it to their foals to keep them close, and horses to it to you when it's feeding time.....they want their food to be safe. Pawing means "I want what I want NOW!" This can be regarding food, or being let out, or being untied.
Horse whispering is fine. And it works! But we really need to spend a lot more time horse LISTENING. Whispering is still talking TO the horse, and doesn't necessarily mean listening to him (how many times have you said something and the person you were talking to did not really hear you, or has been formulating their own answer and didn't REALLY hear you). That's what WE do.
And we need to really stop it, if we really, honestly want to have a partnership with our "best friends".
