I was talking to some people about Horse Listening and suddenly realized that they really had no idea of what I was talking about. There were questions about neighs and squeals and nickers, etc.; what they meant. I shook my head; they didn't get it. And, it was my fault, because I really didn't EXPLAIN what Horse Listening really is.
Most people think that Listening is part of sense of hearing. Well it is, but that's not ALL it is.
Hearing is the science of sound waves hitting the eardrum, sending chemical and electrical currents up nerves to the brain. The art of hearing comes as the brain interprets what those chemical and electrical impulses are telling it. Hearing is only a part of Listening.
Humans, as arrogant as we tend to be in relation to our animal friends, seem to think that OUR understanding of the senses is the way ALL creatures should sense. But even WE don't just sense that way. Think about it......how often have you just known something was wrong with a family member or friend, even when no one said anything. Obviously they didn't tell you in the normal sense of the word....you didn't really hear it through your ears. But you still knew it. You LISTENED.
The ART of Listening uses all the senses.....including that sixth sense we call intuition. Yes, it includes the sense of hearing from ears, but it also includes the sense of seeing with eyes, sensing with intuition, perhaps even smelling and/or tasting with the nose and tactile sensations (feeling) with the hands. Anyone who has ever had a really sick horse knows they have an odor that is different from anything ever smelled before. Manure pulled out by a vet smells different that that which plops on the ground normally.
ALL of these things are interpreted by our brains, to give us a "big picture". Now, we can get the wrong big picture because we interpret the signals poorly. Anyone who has played the game of "telephone" as a little kid, knows how distorted the message gets as it gets passed on. Why? Lots of reasons. We may have "heard" the words, but our brain "heard" something else. A long time ago someone said, "You may have heard what you think I said, but I don't think you heard what I really meant."
All that said, now let's get to the meat of this.
Horses, as prey animals, have few sounds. Obviously, the quieter one is, the less likely one will attract a predator. So, many animals rely on displays rather than sounds. "Reading" those displays tell you what is really going on. These displays have different meanings, depending on what other display is happening.
OK that was as clear as mud.
Simply put.......ears back mean ????? Well, it depends on how far back, how they are rotated, what the eyes are focused on, what the lips are doing, how the body is held, how the body is situated to the focus, etc, etc, etc. It's absolutely amazing how very small movements of ears, lips and focus can tell another horse to "knock it off", or "don't even think it", in no uncertain terms for them. Or the head position and focus of a foal, who's mom is nickering because it is too far away, will rotate one ear back, and the mare will go back to eating......she knows the foal knows where she is.....and soon, it trots back to her.
So, Horse Listening is an ART that we have to learn. Horses (and dogs and cats) are much better at learning OUR language than we are at learning theirs. The wonderful thing is, when we learn it, we begin to have whole "conversations" with our friends, and our training and just being with them becomes oh, so much better!!!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
School Horses
School horses are absolutely wonderful to study. You take a bunch of horses that, for whatever reason, can't make it "out there" with one owner/rider, and stick them all together with a bunch of people who don't know anything about horses (particularly new students) and expect miracles. Somehow, this creature is supposed to be able to "fit" many different types of students, style of students and mentality of students. And then we wonder why they get "sour".
Well, duh. How are YOU at being around different people all day.....those who treat you well, those that jerk you around, those that lean heavily on you, those that just seem to tolerate you. Think in terms of family get-togethers......especially the really big family reunions. How does that make you feel? I have a great family, and we have wonderful family reunions, but I can only take it for a few days at most. We all have our comfort zone and we like to be in it. A horse is no different.
Think about it. Look around you if you either have students or are one. Anyone looking at this blog is probably far more aware of things than even they might realize. Think of the horses/students you know. Certain students hate certain school horses, and certain school horses hate certain riders. You can see it when they get paired up. Some school horses are just confused as to why the person on their back seems to have "issues", while others just seem to aggrevate the "issue" in order to get rid of the person. Gee, sound like people you know?
However, the HORSE has no alternative. He can't just walk away. So is it any surprise that they get "sour"; that students have to force the issue? That kicking and cropping become the only way to say, "Hello, need to move here"?
We can take a pleasant animal and turn him into a cranky-butt. And you can see the changes in the herd dynamics. So let's look at this.
A school with say 10-15 horses is excellent for this kind of study. The herd dynamics are the same for any group.....even a group of broodmares. But let's look at what happens.
New horse comes in. He has been selected because he seemed pleasant enough and safe enough to put new students on. He is introduced into the herd, which promptly lets him know where he is in the social order. If he's lucky, he'll find a buddy (often the LAST new horse of the group). From there is his brought in and either brushed hard and quickly by staff to get him ready, or by students (who are also in a hurry to get ready and RIDE!). The brushing may or may not get all the dirt out. The saddle gets thumped on (most new students are young and can't quite reach up high enough to let the saddle down slowly......not to mention if it is a WESTERN saddle and way to heavy for them to lift up!). The bridle is jammed into the mouth, often whacking the teeth as it goes in (serves him right for not opening his mouth for the bit!), and is usually too loose or too tight and the student either struggles with it, trying to get it over the ears, or is unaware that the bit is banging the back of the incisors. The student in unceremoniously pushed on or clambors up as best as s/he can.....pulling the horse's body in one direction, his head in the other (cuz we need the reins to help us up if we aren't tall enough to grab mane), horse stumbles in the direction of pull and is promptly smacked and growled at to "stand there".
Ouch! That little bit of dirt that didn't come out.....that hurts! It's like getting a bit of gravel caught in your shoe.....when you take your shoe off and empty it, there's not much there, but it sure felt like a boulder!!!
Now, he's uncomfortable, and all he can think about or feel is that little bit of dirt. So he's not paying attention. "Kick him" comes the command, which student does. Horse jumps....wasn't ready for that. Student jerks on reins in response (normal response of new student). Ouch, what was that for? That boulder's still there. I don't like this. Ow, I'm getting kicked in the side....jumps.....gets jerked.....what's up with this?
Anyone who's been around school horses knows this goes on. The Newbie student can't help it, it's all instinctive. AND THE HORSE CAN'T HELP IT EITHER......IT'S ALSO INSTINCTIVE.
So, after a few days/weeks/months of this, the horse is suddenly "sour". He's not happy, he's grumpy, and he'll take it out on the rest of the horses when they are out in the pasture, since he can't take it out on the humans. After awhile, he WILL take it out on the human. And while bucking and kicking is the last resort for them, they will use it when it comes to that last resort.
So when your school horse has an attitude.....you need to know WHY. Is it something you're doing...whether on purpose or not. Is it something you can do something about (other than beating the horse into submission)? Or does this animal NOT have the proper mentality to deal with this? Some otherwise excellent horses just can NOT deal with a constant stream of different riders......any more than you could deal with a constant stream of different people; some of us like it, some of us don't.
Listen to the horse. If you truly "love horses" you will listen, really hear and then work with him.
Well, duh. How are YOU at being around different people all day.....those who treat you well, those that jerk you around, those that lean heavily on you, those that just seem to tolerate you. Think in terms of family get-togethers......especially the really big family reunions. How does that make you feel? I have a great family, and we have wonderful family reunions, but I can only take it for a few days at most. We all have our comfort zone and we like to be in it. A horse is no different.
Think about it. Look around you if you either have students or are one. Anyone looking at this blog is probably far more aware of things than even they might realize. Think of the horses/students you know. Certain students hate certain school horses, and certain school horses hate certain riders. You can see it when they get paired up. Some school horses are just confused as to why the person on their back seems to have "issues", while others just seem to aggrevate the "issue" in order to get rid of the person. Gee, sound like people you know?
However, the HORSE has no alternative. He can't just walk away. So is it any surprise that they get "sour"; that students have to force the issue? That kicking and cropping become the only way to say, "Hello, need to move here"?
We can take a pleasant animal and turn him into a cranky-butt. And you can see the changes in the herd dynamics. So let's look at this.
A school with say 10-15 horses is excellent for this kind of study. The herd dynamics are the same for any group.....even a group of broodmares. But let's look at what happens.
New horse comes in. He has been selected because he seemed pleasant enough and safe enough to put new students on. He is introduced into the herd, which promptly lets him know where he is in the social order. If he's lucky, he'll find a buddy (often the LAST new horse of the group). From there is his brought in and either brushed hard and quickly by staff to get him ready, or by students (who are also in a hurry to get ready and RIDE!). The brushing may or may not get all the dirt out. The saddle gets thumped on (most new students are young and can't quite reach up high enough to let the saddle down slowly......not to mention if it is a WESTERN saddle and way to heavy for them to lift up!). The bridle is jammed into the mouth, often whacking the teeth as it goes in (serves him right for not opening his mouth for the bit!), and is usually too loose or too tight and the student either struggles with it, trying to get it over the ears, or is unaware that the bit is banging the back of the incisors. The student in unceremoniously pushed on or clambors up as best as s/he can.....pulling the horse's body in one direction, his head in the other (cuz we need the reins to help us up if we aren't tall enough to grab mane), horse stumbles in the direction of pull and is promptly smacked and growled at to "stand there".
Ouch! That little bit of dirt that didn't come out.....that hurts! It's like getting a bit of gravel caught in your shoe.....when you take your shoe off and empty it, there's not much there, but it sure felt like a boulder!!!
Now, he's uncomfortable, and all he can think about or feel is that little bit of dirt. So he's not paying attention. "Kick him" comes the command, which student does. Horse jumps....wasn't ready for that. Student jerks on reins in response (normal response of new student). Ouch, what was that for? That boulder's still there. I don't like this. Ow, I'm getting kicked in the side....jumps.....gets jerked.....what's up with this?
Anyone who's been around school horses knows this goes on. The Newbie student can't help it, it's all instinctive. AND THE HORSE CAN'T HELP IT EITHER......IT'S ALSO INSTINCTIVE.
So, after a few days/weeks/months of this, the horse is suddenly "sour". He's not happy, he's grumpy, and he'll take it out on the rest of the horses when they are out in the pasture, since he can't take it out on the humans. After awhile, he WILL take it out on the human. And while bucking and kicking is the last resort for them, they will use it when it comes to that last resort.
So when your school horse has an attitude.....you need to know WHY. Is it something you're doing...whether on purpose or not. Is it something you can do something about (other than beating the horse into submission)? Or does this animal NOT have the proper mentality to deal with this? Some otherwise excellent horses just can NOT deal with a constant stream of different riders......any more than you could deal with a constant stream of different people; some of us like it, some of us don't.
Listen to the horse. If you truly "love horses" you will listen, really hear and then work with him.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
About the Delay......
Sorry about the delay. I had a young filly born Mid-March who was exceptional in every way.....but one. She was born rather easily and quickly, but she is a head-strong little cuss, and was trying to "frog" up to Mom's head before she was even half-way out! For those not familiar with birthing, the babies seem to instinctively try to get to Mom's head so she can lick them and get used to them. Since they can't stand yet, they kind of "throw" themselves in the general direction and it looks like a frog hop. Because she was so absolutely determined to get up there right now, she was pulling on the cord, so I had to cut it. I prefer not to, but the choice was..... 1) cut it, 2) let her break the cord close to her body (and trust me, that means a major loss of blood on the foal's part or 3) let her pull the placenta out of Mom (major loss of blood from Mom, plus infection and all sorts of ick). So it got cut......just like human babies.....between 2 ties to prevent as much blood loss as possible. The problem with cutting it is that you usually end up with a "ropier" (thicker) cord than normal.....and that can cause hernias or other problems.
Everything went well......the booger-butt is independent and was not about to let us help her get to her feet; she found the spigot on her own and very quickly.....in fact was the easiest baby we've ever had. I should've known. She was bright-eyed and bouncy.......until no one was around. We have cameras on our broodmares, so we can watch and help if there's a problem. At about 2 weeks of age, I noticed that when there was no one around, she did the "dummy walk". A dummy foal usually does not nurse, is not aware of it's surroundings and it walks into and along the walls, rubbing its nose on the wall as if trying to nurse. I've had one, and it is heartbreaking to watch. However, she was no dummy, since she was easily distracted by people and behaved normally then. She also continued to nurse and check out Mom's feed. She just wasn't........right.
Ultimately I had the vet out; he could find nothing, no temp, no soreness.....nothing. So he took blood. He did a quick test back at the office lab and called immediately and said, "get her to the Horsepital." We are lucky enough in NE Ohio to have several very good ones within 3 hours of us. Her IgG was way low.....less than 400 and they like it at 1600. Something was going on. At first we thought it was a lack in the mare's milk (this is a first foal) so she was transfused with immunity proteins. Fortunately the vet at Equine Specialty listened to me and my gut instincts and went on HER gut instincts and checked her lungs for pneumonia (nope!) and ultra-sounded the umbilicus. Bingo. What looked like a patent yurakus. Meaning the veins, arteries and urinary tract structures that are used when the baby is in utero are still trying to work....and they should stop and shrink when the baby is born. Soooooooo. surgery. Ouch.....for both baby and pocketbook. Sure enough it was way bigger than it should be, but when it was being prepared for pathology (to find out what went wrong) it was full of nasty thick pus. Major, major antibiotics and care have been going on for some time, to clear this all up. All this time she has not acted sick.....like you would expect a sick horse to act. She just would have these little "spells" where she would act like she was a little colicky.....or at least uncomfortable. In fact, it took 4 people to contain her enough to get a sedative in her and 3 people AFTER the shot to get her clipped for the IV!!! You can just imagine the rodeo we had giving her shots at home!!!! (Note to you all: Naxcel is a wonderful drug......but it STINGS when it goes in....and booger-butt let us all know she did NOT appreciate it!!!!) Oh, yeah, she jumped straight up in the air about 5 feet (my arms were almost ripped out of their sockets) for the blood tests.
All things are healing well, now. But the important point is this:
LISTEN TO WHAT THE HORSE IS SAYING!!!!
Most people would have never noticed a change, it was that slight. Just knowing the horse and seeing a change in the sparkle in her eye......being lucky enough to watch the "dummy walk" when the barn was quiet and she was not distracted from realizing that she did not feel good (she is soooooo afraid she might miss something!!).....those were the only markers (and my own gut after seeing it). According to the ES vets, we would have had a dead foal within a week, as the infection was getting ready to bust through the abdominal wall.
So LISTEN. When you know the body language, it can tell you oh so much more than just sight along!!!
Everything went well......the booger-butt is independent and was not about to let us help her get to her feet; she found the spigot on her own and very quickly.....in fact was the easiest baby we've ever had. I should've known. She was bright-eyed and bouncy.......until no one was around. We have cameras on our broodmares, so we can watch and help if there's a problem. At about 2 weeks of age, I noticed that when there was no one around, she did the "dummy walk". A dummy foal usually does not nurse, is not aware of it's surroundings and it walks into and along the walls, rubbing its nose on the wall as if trying to nurse. I've had one, and it is heartbreaking to watch. However, she was no dummy, since she was easily distracted by people and behaved normally then. She also continued to nurse and check out Mom's feed. She just wasn't........right.
Ultimately I had the vet out; he could find nothing, no temp, no soreness.....nothing. So he took blood. He did a quick test back at the office lab and called immediately and said, "get her to the Horsepital." We are lucky enough in NE Ohio to have several very good ones within 3 hours of us. Her IgG was way low.....less than 400 and they like it at 1600. Something was going on. At first we thought it was a lack in the mare's milk (this is a first foal) so she was transfused with immunity proteins. Fortunately the vet at Equine Specialty listened to me and my gut instincts and went on HER gut instincts and checked her lungs for pneumonia (nope!) and ultra-sounded the umbilicus. Bingo. What looked like a patent yurakus. Meaning the veins, arteries and urinary tract structures that are used when the baby is in utero are still trying to work....and they should stop and shrink when the baby is born. Soooooooo. surgery. Ouch.....for both baby and pocketbook. Sure enough it was way bigger than it should be, but when it was being prepared for pathology (to find out what went wrong) it was full of nasty thick pus. Major, major antibiotics and care have been going on for some time, to clear this all up. All this time she has not acted sick.....like you would expect a sick horse to act. She just would have these little "spells" where she would act like she was a little colicky.....or at least uncomfortable. In fact, it took 4 people to contain her enough to get a sedative in her and 3 people AFTER the shot to get her clipped for the IV!!! You can just imagine the rodeo we had giving her shots at home!!!! (Note to you all: Naxcel is a wonderful drug......but it STINGS when it goes in....and booger-butt let us all know she did NOT appreciate it!!!!) Oh, yeah, she jumped straight up in the air about 5 feet (my arms were almost ripped out of their sockets) for the blood tests.
All things are healing well, now. But the important point is this:
LISTEN TO WHAT THE HORSE IS SAYING!!!!
Most people would have never noticed a change, it was that slight. Just knowing the horse and seeing a change in the sparkle in her eye......being lucky enough to watch the "dummy walk" when the barn was quiet and she was not distracted from realizing that she did not feel good (she is soooooo afraid she might miss something!!).....those were the only markers (and my own gut after seeing it). According to the ES vets, we would have had a dead foal within a week, as the infection was getting ready to bust through the abdominal wall.
So LISTEN. When you know the body language, it can tell you oh so much more than just sight along!!!
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