2B Horsemanship

03/21/2023

Make Them Carry Their Saddle

A father of a darling girl and I were talking last week and he said that he wanted his daughter to ride more and not have to do the work part of the catching, grooming, and saddling. I smiled as I explained.

Riding horses is a combination of strength, timing, and balance. Kids in this country are physically weak (unless they are actively involved with weight training and physical conditioning 4+ times a week.)

When you walk out to the field, you are clearing your stress from being under fluorescent lights all day; feeling the sun soak into your bones. As your body moves on uneven surfaces, it strengthens your legs and core.

When you groom your horse (especially currying), you are toning your arms and stabilizing your core.

When you carry your saddle, your arms, chest, and back are doing isolated strengthening work.

Being near horses, calms and makes you tune into the splendor of these empathetic animals.

When you ride at a posting trot, it’s equivalent to a slow jog calorie burn wise.

After a lesson, the riders are physically tired and mentally quiet and balanced.

Horses feel your heart beat and mirror your emotions back.

Riding large and somewhat unpredictable animals makes you resilient and pushes your expectations.

Working with horses is so much more than learning how to ride.

So parents, make your children carry their saddles. Don’t do the hard parts for them, as long term it actually hurts them. To advance with their riding, they must get stronger. You can help by doing the high parts.

I love having you all at the farm, and am so grateful to get to share these fascinating animals with you.

Hannah Campbell Zapletal

11/29/2022

I DON’T KNOW YOUR HORSE…
…But I do know horses. Here are a few things I’ve learned that should help most horses, most of the time, with whatever problem you may be having.

DO LESS:
Whatever it is, just do less. Expect less. React less. Use less strength. Less contact. Less pressure down the rein/rope. Less pressure from the leg. Less driving from the seat. Less noise…

GIVE MORE:
More patience. More time. More benefit of the doubt. More rest breaks. More reward. More still. More quiet. More variety. More length to the neck…

DITCH YOUR EGO & LET STUFF SLIDE:
Your horse isn’t trying to get one over on you, (or if it is, ask yourself why it feels the need to). What you think is naughty behaviour is usually just an attempt to communicate something: Discomfort, distrust, uncertainty, anxiety, fear, none of which require ‘telling off’…

COUNT TO TEN:
Be in control of your own emotions before you try and control your horse’s emotions. Once you let your emotions change, the whole dialogue upon which your training is based, changes…

IT TAKES TWO TO ARGUE:
So rather than asking for something that goes against your horse, start by asking for things you’re already pretty sure the horse is going to give, and go from there. (This one takes a little figuring out but is totally worth it!) Common sense required!…

EVERYTHING IS MADE UP OF THE BASICS:
More advanced work is simply an arrangement of the basics taken care of simultaneously…

NEVER DISCOUNT PAIN:
You can never truly ‘rule out pain’ as a cause of unwanted behaviour. No matter how much money you spend, or how good your vet is…

REST DAYS ARE AS IMPORTANT AS TRAINING DAYS: Overtraining can be just as damaging as under preparing. Horses only have so many jumps/steps in them - use them sparingly…

BREAK IT DOWN:
Most issues can be solved by taking a step back, breaking the issue down into smaller chunks, and taking care of those chunks one by one…

TAKE YOUR TIME:
You’ll get there much quicker if you do. Cutting a corner will only come back to bite you in the ass sooner or later…

ONE FINAL THING…
Horse training is subject to the same laws of physics as everything else. You can’t argue with either anatomy or physics, no matter how many medals you’ve won. Train with this in mind, because there isn’t a single instance where an unyielding or strong rein contact will benefit your training, or your horse…

04/14/2022

02/07/2022

"One thing horses have taught me is that fear begets fear. If I create an environment that causes the horse to fear me, then he will probably act in a manner to cause me to fear him." - Monty Roberts

05/14/2021

The five basic psychology concepts of natural horsemanship are:

1. Approach and Retreat

The words "approach and retreat" refer to training confidence in a horse. Let me give you an example. If I notice my horse is scared of a saddle, I wouldn't just throw it on his back and hope he gets over the fear issue. Instead, I'd throw it toward his back, then take it away to give him a chance to relax about what's happening. Then I'd do it again, and again. Slowly, I'd swing the saddle a little closer, backing away each time until he relaxed. Ultimately I could place the saddle on his back with him staying in a relaxed and calm state of mind.

There are many variations of this concept, involving speed, size, expression, time spent toward or away, and positions, but the premise is always the same. Move toward, and move away and repeat until calm.

2. Pressure and Release

The concept of pressure and release is simple enough to explain, a little harder to apply in every detailed situation that arises, but here it is in laymen terms. If I notice my horse really does not want to follow me into the horse trailer, I wouldn't just push him in with a tractor. Instead, I'd hold tight on the rope and as soon as he took one single step in the right direction I would release my grip on the rope to acknowledge his or her effort. Then I'd repeat the process. Tighten the rope, wait for a small positive response then loosen the rope when he starts heading the right direction. Timing is everything. Release at the wrong moment and he "might" learn the wrong thing. Release at the right moment and he "should" begin to learn the right thing.

Of course, there are many variations to this concept as well. Variations in the amount of pressure, the speed of pressure, the rhythm or steadiness of the pressure, the type of pressure (visual, tactile, or audio) the time the pressure stays before it changes, the type of release, amount of release, and time spent before restarting the cycle.

02/17/2021

Now accepting new clients! C**t starting, refresher, ground manners...

02/12/2021

Patience.... the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

It takes quite a lot of skill - forethought, presence of mind, riding ability - to be patient while riding. To be honest, it might take years to fully develop these "soft skills", know when to apply them and know which will work for which horse.

11/25/2019

PETTING

When you reach out to pet your horse, stop and think each time: is this for me or for them? Am I petting in a way that I enjoy, or the horse enjoys? How does he respond? Does he flinch, push, avoid, or does he soften, relax, and yield?

Touch is incredibly important to a sensory being like a horse, and to connect well with them, we need to always be thinking not how do I like to pet and when, but how does a horse like to be petted and when?

Here’s a scene many horse owners are familiar with: you go out into the field, a friendly member of your herd approaches you. You begin petting him. Soon his lips are on you, lipping your pockets. Maybe you have treats in your pockets, maybe you don’t. He pushes a little, you joke about how much he loves his scratches. He pushes your feet back a little, maybe turns his butt to you for a scratch. The rest of the herd approaches and soon you have a few extra horses pushing for scratches, competing for placement. Now it becomes dangerous or irritating, and you say, ok that’s enough, I’m leaving.

What might be perceived as a cute and fun social interaction is actually an educational one for the horse. Every interaction with us results in learning, whether we meant it or not. In this case, these horses learned to push – with their necks, with their shoulders. Not only is this undesirable for their general ground handling, it makes riding with softness difficult when your horse is pushing with their necks and shoulders. You may think it doesn’t make a difference under saddle, but it does. Horses that push people on the ground ride markedly heavier in the bridle and are stiffer in the shoulders. Horses that push people also push on fences, other horses, lead ropes, you name it.

Here’s another scenario that I see frequently also, which is a more extreme, but common example, and the progression of the first scenario. Your horse approaches, maybe gets a scratch or a treat, as is his habit. You give him what he came for, but he won’t leave. He keeps pushing, nipping at you. You push his head, he comes back. This cycle continues for some time, as he is sure this behavior produces the desired effect (it usually does, at least for a time). Maybe you move away from him, maybe you don’t, but at this point this habit is so ingrained he keeps trying. Your frustration rises, his rises. Now you’re fighting, and worse, he’s getting mixed signals – come in for a treat, push on me as long as I’m enjoying it, but then his head gets swatted, maybe even smacked. Now we have a pushy and head shy horse at the same time., One very confused and frustrated horse, who is continually invited into peoples space and then punished for it.

If you’re seeking peaceful interactions on the ground and in the saddle, consider what every touch means. Sometimes a good scratching is appropriate. Sometimes just peaceful presence is enough. Treats don’t always produce poor behavior if you’re smart about how you give them, though I choose not to interact this way with my horses. Keep in mind the cause and effect of all your daily interactions with your horse, and if it’s a harmonious relationship you seek, then make sure each interaction with them results in peace. This is what training is – repetition that creates positive behaviors. So remember that every interaction is, in fact, training, for good or for bad.