Do horses have to spook?

I'm pretty sure that whatever advise most of us have received in our lives, after about the age of 6 it wasn't to simply "go out there and have lots of fun"!

Before the age of 6, it's perfectly ok to play, imagine, create and indulge (24 x7),  in fun making activity. Then it changes, and after about the age of 6 or 7, it becomes increasingly taboo and discouraged!  What fills the gap?  In my view an over emphasis on Control.  Control your self, your emotions, what you say, what you wear, what you do, how you spend your time, what you eat, when you do your studies, and on and on.

It plays out in our riding too.  As I've said before in earlier posts, too often when we interact with, or ride horses, other 'more knowledgeable' so called experts bark at us to "tell her who is boss" and "make her get over that jump" etc!.  It's always about control and us exerting control over a half ton horse.

Yet do any of us stop for a moment to consider the horse?  Does the horse actually understand our need for control and therefore submission to it (should they even have to)? Is it a meaningful concept?  Is it based on equality and compassion and therefore help us to really connect; human to horse and vice verse?

The origins of this need for control seem to come from our fundamental belief that we are the central or most significant species on the planet (known as an anthropocentric view). This in part explains why we assume these roles and positions of control over other species.  Be it at Zoos, in the domestication of animals for pets, or sports; the use of animals in agriculture, drug testing and research.  We simply barge all over other species -  their rights, feelings and emotional and physical needs.  Often without a thought!

Is our need for control actually setting us up for a fall, literally?  Let's take for example the possibility that it is us that creates a spooky horse!  Our need for control is so ingrained in us that it takes over and gets in the way of letting our horse figure out situations and dangers, for himself.

The moment a horse's attention leaves the menage we grab hold and pull his head back down, dismissing what he needs to look at and often causing tension as a result.  As soon as he slows down on the hack, head going high up to look ahead at something in the distance, we again push on, dig in, and exert control.  In either situation what the horse actually needs is to assimilate the context of his new observations.  He/she needs to take in data, to look, pay attention, smell, sniff, and sense with his all of his body and being.

 

Grace taking her time to breath in a human!

This happened once with Grace, when I was not the jockey due to injury.  While Grace was being schooled by an experienced "trainer" another livery was readying herself to ride her horse next.   She placed her boy's saddle on the menage fence.  I presume it must have given off a strong smell, something undetectable to me, as what happened next was a classic in horse human mis-communication.

Grace suddenly wouldn't go past that section of the menage fence, she spooked, she cavorted, she was snorting, and genuinely 'concerned'.  Instead of the rider bringing her calmly over to the fence to investigate the foreign object, and quietly move on once the threat of danger was eradicated, she went into 'control' mode. The rider kicked, pushed, shouted and bullied Grace.  Grace in return threw everything back at her; more spins, running backwards and a big bout of nappy behaviour.

It was a great demonstration of how 'control' was completely the wrong approach and did not create a solution for horse or rider. The situation became unsafe, burst horse and rider's confidence bubble and the next two trips into the menage Grace was on 'high alert'.   (It's the only time she has ever had a poo in a menage, such was her legitimate fright).

Control: Can you turn it on or off?

The moral of the story here is; give a horse time to take in a change in their environment.  Say no to bully, strong, power based control techniques and give the horse a moment to figure out if he needs to nap and spook, or walk calmly on by!

If a horse doesn't know who he is or where he is he becomes a ticking time bomb!  Think about it; we want instant results, fast training methods, short cuts, guaranteed solutions and quick fixes.  None of which plays to the innate skills of a horse and how he takes in the world to decide if it's safe or not, which takes time and careful consideration.

Surely even if we are the 'so called dominate species on the planet' it is our duty to make sure our horse is not helpless, or turns into a reactive animal with his senses overwhelmed and frazzled, without time to assess. Especially when we are on his back!

Francesco De Giorgio puts it beautifully when he says "a relationship can not be developed when it is based on a behavioural outcome that has to be controlled".  He goes on to say horses spookiness is due to their living conditions rather than it being their "innate state of being".

Imagine!  If it actually ISN'T a "given" that horses will always spook - and that instead of being something we have to accept, we now take responsibility for it being something we create!  

Wonderfully,  that means we can do something about avoiding and minimising it, horse by horse.  Some practical tips for doing this:-

1.   Spend time with your horse in the paddock together, doing NOTHING!

2.   Introduce items to your horse in the paddock or menage, one at a time, over days and weeks be that wheelbarrows, tarpaulin, buckets, door mats 

3.  Let your horse stop, look, smell - anytime he wants to or needs to

4. Bring your breathing consciously down whenever your horse seems tense - breathe in for the count of 5 and exhale for the count of five  - filling your belly and emptying it on each respective in and out breath

5.  Take time with your horse - stop rushing to get him moving, trotting, into canter, progressing etc

6. Go for walks, down lanes, round the yard, paddock on a long line, with him taking the lead and you following

and enjoy....!

Let spooks be gone and be a thing of the past!

 

Letting go of the "Leadership" Reins!

In an earlier blog I toyed with the idea of letting my horse lead me for a change.

It's early days into the process but here are some of my reflections on what has been a really valuable experience.

'Ah-has'...

The first thing I noticed was how my brain immediately tried to 'plan' the session!  Yes, I actually began to create a mental map of how I would NOT Lead, including all the things I would not do, which left me bereft of what I actually would be doing!   (Guess it's a pretty foreign concept for me right?!)

I found myself thinking 'what kind of a person needs to plan how they will follow another?'

Don't you just do it?  Answer? Yes, but following is a skill that requires close observation, being present, letting go of control,  being non judgemental and spontaneous,  and, of course a willingness to wait for something to happen!  None of which describes my normal 'Modus Operandi'!

(Needless to say I caught myself 'mid-planning' and had a good giggle and stopped!)

So, what did I do?

I lead Grace into the menage, shut the gate, and stood stock still.  After a few glances at me (where I'm sure I could hear her saying 'well aren't you going to do something?') -  she walked off.   That was my cue to follow.

When she stopped I stopped

Whatever caught her attention;  gained mine!

Where she looked; my eyes went too

When she exhaled, I let go and exhaled

When she turned to go in the opposite direction I was at her side

However long she stood and observed something in the distance, I held my gaze too.

I didn't dive my nose literally into the rubber and sand when she did to take a long sniff (maybe next time), but I did kneel down to get much closer to it.

Throughout our evening saunter, I found myself utterly fascinated by how she experiences life and what this life might actually be like for her. Some of those observations that fascinated me, were:-

What does rubber and sand smell like to a horse? 

How can it be so easy for a horse to stand motionless watching something for five minutes straight?

What makes them then move off, or change direction?
What gets their attention?

What are they thinking? 

How do they process information?

What can they small on the wind, in the air, on the human at their side?

What do they make of our requests to go round in circles seemingly without purpose, outcome or process?

What constitutes fun for them, if that concept applies?

When is sniffing 'enough' and turns into time to move on?

Some moments of intrigue for Grace...

 (Needless to say I did have to intervene before I lost my rear windshield!)

(I know the pitch fork shouldn't have been there, but a clinically barren environment doesn't feel authentic for me or her so please forgive it's presence)!

As we sauntered around the menage without head collar or rope (unlike in the above videos), I can honestly say it was fun to just be there with no reason other than to observe and study my horse as she explored things and places, sights and sounds.

It was a joy not to be making all the decisions and wondering was I communicating clearly, respectfully and effectively?  It was great not to have the responsibility for balancing exercise, stretching and fitness.  Interestingly we had no cartwheels or spooks and nor did I at any time feel unsafe or have cause to question hers!

It was a very peaceful, refreshing evening.  I loved so many things about 'following' not 'leading', including:-

a horse can be intrigued by simply absorbing information

a horse seems to follow the same rules as we do i.e. 'minimal effort, maximum result'

a horse will naturally savour moments for freedom of expression, adventure and exploration

as Francesco de Giorgi says in his book 'The Cognitive Horse' ...

 "you can bring a horse to 'your environment' or bring 'your environment' to your horse"

Given a choice and left alone, how would your horse pass his time?  Will he alternate between being the leader and being the follower? He unreservedly knows the difference, the question is do we?

A final thought from Francesco De Giorgio's book, reads:

"only when you give horses the space, the context, and the time to create their own experience, their own learning, their own sharing, when you focus on their quality of life, will you see the horse as he is"

My 'agenda free' time has certainly made me question how in the past I have not seen the Horse for the horse, and I'm now very keen to continue to explore "The Horse Within", with each of my individual horses.  I'll be reporting back in due course!