If you want to be a complete horseman (or horsewoman) I encourage you to read as much as you can on the subject.  Read every horse book there is, even ones you think you won't agree with.  You should know WHY you don't agree. So read, read, read.  Go to clinics, all kinds of clinics.  Don't become a disciple of any one, listen to them all.  Immerse yourself in all that knowledge, and all the differing opinions.  Try it out, see if it works and if anyone of them is correct. Practice what you have learned, try it out. Experiment.  Take lessons, ask questions, don't prevent any information from entering your mind.  At some point you will become confused and realize that most of what you hear is one of three things:

1. The same thing someone else said.
2. The complete opposite of what someone else said.
3. Something completely new and different.

Almost everything really falls under #1.  However, that doesn't matter.  You need to see this for yourself.
There are also many, many contradictions in horse training.  Ask yourself why this is.  Look for the new and different.  This is easy because there is very, very little that is new and different.

Once you have done all this, and have a thorough knowledge of horse training theory, philosophy and method, throw it all out.


Only then can you trust yourself and realize that you know what you need to know already, the tools are there.

However, you won't believe this until you read everything there is first.

Only then can you rise above and attain true knowledge.

And come home again.

Changing the way horse people think about horse training


I read an article yesterday called "The Dog Whisperer Should Just Shut Up" by Curtis Pesmen (there is a link below). The article talks about Cesar's methods and how they are dominant and aggressive and the fact that he has no "credentials". So, what does Cesar Millan, "The Dog Whisperer" have to do with horse training?  In one sense, everything.  His dog training methods are nearly identical to Clinton Anderson's and most traditional horse training.  It's all about dominance, being the "pack leader", using the animals' "own language" to become part of the group and control them. What's wrong with that?  I mean, using the animal's own language sounds somehow intuitive, doesn't it? And what about the fact that most clinicians do NOT have any credentials from a college or university, but merely have put in many hours with other horse trainers?  What does that say about the horse training industry?  It says we value experience more than education, but I don't think anyone will be speaking out against those trainers publicly. 


If a horse trainer has won some competitions, has a TV show and a DVD training series, travels around giving clinics and is "good with horses", those are considered credentials enough. How many of them have degrees in Equine Science?  How many of them know any theories about animal or horse behavior specifically?  I don't know.  None of the clinicians I know of has ever mentioned any credentials besides...other horsemen (if that. Many say they came up with it all on their own).  What I'm talking about here are the more "Western" style clinicians, the ones who are really making the big bucks and marketing themselves.  


On the other hand, the dressage folks certify instructors and judges and have rules that govern many aspects of the sport.  They lean towards education and rules. Those at the highest level of the sport still have coaches and take riding lessons.  That doesn't make it perfect, but at least there is a group of people overseeing things that makes sure someone who teaches and trains knows what they are doing. 


Aside from the fact that many clinicians and backyard trainers are not educated, the overall (English or western) attitude is that "if it's been done this way forever, it's the way to do it forever".  I bought in to all of it, too -the "joining up" in the round pen, the need to dominate the horse, the fact that they are unpredictable and dangerous.   I also bought in to the "sacking out" technique - just keep rubbing that tarp on the horse until they give in...after weeks, months, yes they might give in.  Some give in right away and others fight it, but in the end it's all learned helplessness.  Yes, that's right - they do "learn" to "accept" the tarp, but they don't necessarily like it, either. I believe that these methods only bring out aggression in horses, causing them to become more dangerous and unpredictable because we are in essence pressuring them (my mentor even used that very word - pressuring).


In the world of horse training, all of these things are widely accepted and never questioned by horse people.  The longer someone has been a "horse person", the more likely they are to accept these things and the more immune they become to what is really happening. No one who has been working with horses since they were ten years old thinks that they are mistreating a horse.  No one who has been competing horses since the age of ten thinks that they are doing anything wrong. 
That's exactly what the problem is - this is how we have ALWAYS trained horses.  Few folks wonder if it's the right way.

My Mom with Luna and Snickers

If more horsemen got an education such as a basic equine science degree, they would be less likely to keep traditions alive that are harmful or don't work. They might think very differently about how they do things.  They would know that many wives tales about horse behavior, disease and reproduction are just that, wives tales. If they learned merely to question what they are doing perhaps they would be more open minded about new ways of training. I know I did, and it stopped me from being "that kind" of trainer. We are all empowered trainers, empowered to do what we feel is right regardless of what the status quo is. 


 I've said it before in other posts in this blog and I'll say it again here.  Dominance is not necessary in horse training and neither is tap-tap-whack, or an aggressive "do it now" mentality. I firmly believe horses are naturally submissive and are cooperative when you treat them with respect.  It isn't necessary to force them to do things, much less do it quickly.  Give them time to think and they will get it much more quickly plus they will be "using the thinking side of their brains", to quote Mr. Anderson.  Isn't that what we want, after all?
Aggression begets aggression, every time.  Kindness, trust and respect return to you tenfold. 


If you agree or disagree I'd love to hear your thoughts! 


 Below is a link to the article about Cesar Millan:


http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ1006-ESQ100_20-21.FINAL.rev_1?src=soc_fcbk

What road will you travel?

So far I've shared with you why I have started working (or not working) in a way that empowers the horses.  I'd like to take a moment to take stock and give some suggestions if you want to try it yourself.  After reading Empowered Horses by Imke Spilker, I felt kind of lost as to what to do next.  She suggested to me that this was OK, and that feeling empty because all of your former tools have been removed is good.  In other words, erase your mind of everything you knew before and approach the horses with a mindset of openness and wanting to communicate.  Ask them questions.  Ask yourself questions.  Give the horse a chance to give you feedback.  Observe, don't be so controlling, be gentle.  See what happens when you act this way. 


First of all, you really have nothing to lose by trying this.  Remember that your horse doesn't know if you are doing the "Parelli method" or "natural horsemanship".  Basically, all they know is that you are interacting with them.  It's probably best to give it a few sessions though so that you can see what happens.  It takes time for the horses to realize that something very basic has changed.  If you don't like it or it isn't working for you, going back is always an option. 


Here is what I would suggest if you want to try working with your horses in an empowered way.  It's also kind of counter-productive to give you a formula.  What I will do is give you a place to start.  What you do with it is up to you, because you are empowered just like the horse.  


Empowerment is about two-way communication and allowing the horse to have a voice.  It also involves being aware of what's happening.  Here's what some of your first sessions might look like:


- Spend time just hanging out with your horse, finding out where they like to be scratched, or just being together.  


- Do a grooming session (put away your phone and all distractions) where you focus on the horse completely.  How are you brushing them?  Are they relaxed, do they like what you're doing?  Think about how you would like to have your hair brushed.


- Go for a walk with your horse.  Walk in rhythm with them.  This creates synchronicity which horses tune in to and like.  Think of driving teams and how they move in sync.  Walk around the pasture and let them choose where to go.


While you are around your horse, think of games that they might like.  So far, games have been a difficulty for me.  My horses are mainly older and not as playful as they once were, which doesn't help.  So if anyone has suggestions for games I'd love to hear them!  


Also, after your sessions, review what happened and what didn't.  Watch what happens in the next session.  Is your horse acting any differently?  Is he reacting to you differently?   Any experiences you would like to share, I'd love to hear about them. I think you'll be surprised at the results - good luck!

The "gang" having a winter picnic

Angel, Tequila and Bella in summer (I'm tired of looking at brown landscapes!)

Last week when the weather was good I worked with Snickers, Luna and Tequila.  I spent a good amount of time with Tequila and felt like we had a good session.  


The next day I planned to work with Angel and Bella.  All the horses were in the yard, where I normally groom them, so when I appeared with my grooming kit at the tie place, the horses started to gather around.  Snicker stopped by and when I just brushed him, he left.  Then Luna stopped for a quick brush but was chased away by Tequila.  I worked on Tequila for a few minutes and then Angel showed up.  I stopped brushing Tequila and caught Angel, since she was the one I wanted.  


Little did I realize that I must have hurt Tequila's feelings.  That night and for two days afterwards, she refused to hug me.  This has been our special ritual whenever I feed her.  She always gives me some kind of hug by wrapping her head around my shoulders and squeezing.  Some are better than others, but never has she stopped hugging for so long.  

It really blew me away and at first I was at a loss as to why this had happened. Then I remembered that it had started after the grooming thing. It proves to me that horses have much better memory than we give them credit for and that they get their feelings hurt.  I have sensed this before, but this entire incident proved it beyond a doubt to me. 


Today I braved the wind (I really hate working in the wind) and worked with Tequila.  I groomed her and then lunged her for a bit.  And tonight when I fed her, I got a big, heartfelt hug! 

Yesterday I decided to work with some of the horses and chose Snickers first.  Or, I should say that Snickers was the first one to approach me.  Ever since I started clicker training him, he views of training have changed completely. He loves it!

Snickers in summer

So first I tried to get him to cross a ditch.  He's the only one who won't jump the irrigation ditch, so we worked on that for awhile.  Then I began to groom him without being tied. He stood in one place nicely, but spent the entire session looking for me to give him a treat.  He fidgeted (but didn't move his feet).  I was concentrating on being present with him, but for the first time I realized that he doesn't seem to enjoy grooming.  


This intrigued me.  Was it because no one really spent time grooming him before we got him?  Did he just not like it?  Was he so used to people not being tuned in to him in general that he'd given up, or was his personality such that he needed something to keep him occupied at all times?  


The answer didn't come to me that day, so I will be watching to see if I can figure this out.  I also spent time with Tequila, who seemed to be anxious to work.  I walked both horses down the road a ways to get them off the property and do something different.  She was really good - moved forward easily while Snickers kept stopping and hesitated a lot, although he had been down that road more often than Tequila (she's only been down there once).  Maybe that's just the difference between mares and geldings. 

Tequila

In any case, my "work" is still focused on spending "quality time" with the horses - being present with them, focusing completely on them and nothing else. We do a little bit of lunging for collection, maybe five minutes. Still, what strikes me most was that somehow the horses know that things have changed.  How do I know that they know?  It's a few little things, like being less reactive to me.  It's not that they are disrespectful, it's more that they are calmer and they know we aren't on the former program anymore.  


It just proves to me that everything Imke Spilker said was true.  The most important thing in working with horses is your intention, your dedication to the moment and communication.  Not dictation - a two-way street.  That part is still difficult, especially with Snickers because we don't have a two-way thing going yet.  I can't always tell what he's trying to tell me. 
I sense that he desperately wants something to happen but I'm not sure exactly what that is. 


So, while it may seem like nothing is happening, lots of things are happening!

Tequila

If you asked your horse what they thought about how you trained them, what do you think they would say?
 I wrote what follows and started to feel very sad, very bad about myself.  I almost can't post this, but I think it's important for others to think about this and admit to themselves how their horse might have felt about what they did to them.  How do you know that your horse feels this way? Actually, it's not as difficult as it sounds. 


I know what mine would say. Unfortunately.


"Cari, you:
1. Lack patience so often, and you get upset and frustrated.  We don't understand why? What did we do wrong?  We are trying to do what you want.
  (I know this because I DO get frustrated, and the look on the horse's face says it all.  I do think that they want to work with us, as long as we are fair, explain things clearly and have patience.  We lack patience because we think things should be a certain way.  When you are following a training DVD, for example.  They make it look so easy and when you try it, you run into problems.  You get frustrated.)

Angel - I think....

2. Sometimes you don't even pay attention to us when you are doing things with us.  You talk on the phone while grooming us and we feel like you don't care. 
  (I have talked on the phone, thought about things that are bothering me, etc, especially while grooming them.  When I began to pay attention to the horse I was working on, everything changed!  THEY changed. They relaxed, they liked what I was doing.)

Snickers

3. We can clearly see you are asking something of us but we have no idea what.  Then you keep changing things.  You aren't very clear in what you are asking. 
  (This is a problem I have been aware of for awhile. Clicker training actually helped me get more organized.  Empowering the horse removes the intense structure, which is more my style.  Still, it's important to be clear!)

Luna

4. We don't understand WHY you want us to do half these things.  What purpose does it serve?
 (It's always MY purpose, isn't it?  And my purpose may not make sense to the horse because they don't understand the goal or why the goal is important.  There is one goal we have in common - to move beautifully and with athleticism.)

Snickers chasing Bella, who is protected by Angel

5. Do you even trust us?  You don't act like it. 
  (In fact, while my actions say otherwise, I do trust them more than I let on.  I am concentrating on letting them feel the trust I have for them.)

Tequila

6. So many wonderful, perfect days go by where you stay in your house or you're gone.  We wish you would come spend time with us.
  (I need to make more time for them, even if it's 15 minutes.  Sometimes my life gets in the way, and I feel their questions at the end of a perfect day that I had to spend inside applying for jobs or cleaning the house.)

Bella

7.   We don't like the bit.  It hurts.  It makes us want to run away.  You pull too hard on us and you are very demanding!
  (Angel and Snickers never had a bit when I got them, so I started them on the bit. Snickers really doesn't like it, even if I am as gentle as I can be.  Angel is more tolerant, but after watching Nevzorov's movie, I decided to try using the hackamore.  Not bad!  Tequila, too, fights the bit, and saddle, so I am re-thinking what to do with her. I had always been told that if they fight back, they are just "testing" us.  Sometimes that's true, but when I got on Snickers and let him do and go where he wanted, he continually took me to the tie rail.  "Of course he did!" You say.  "You must make him do things, take control!"  I no longer believe that.  Snickers did not enjoy what we did together under saddle.  Neither did Tequila.  Angel was kinder, and we have a better relationship than the others.  But what does that tell you?  The question is, can they get to the point where they like it?  That's what this is all about!)


8.  We don't like to be whacked with the orange stick just because we don't understand what to do.
  (This is something I did while following Clinton Anderson's videos.  He likes to whack a lot.  If they don't move, then you continually increase the pressure, many times using the stick to tap-tap harder-whack.  It's punishing and if they don't get it to begin with, how does it help?  When I did this type of training with Angel, she gave me a look I'll never forget.  It said, "Why?  Why are you hitting me like this?"  I never did it again.)


These are a few things I thought of and I'm sure there are more. Some are things that I had realized and already taken steps to change myself.  Some are more recent discoveries and I still feel guilty about them.
We have only just begun down the path to the goal, the goal of becoming stronger, more beautiful in movement and closer in our relationship. Those were always the goals, when I think back on it. 


Just what is it that I want?  I want to have that kind of relationship where my horse moves like the beautiful athlete they are, where there is mutual trust and communication, where we all feel safe in what we are doing.  The kind of relationship that I think certain masters have with their horses.  Where we can dance. 

The past month has been a difficult one for getting any work done with the horses. Between the weather and the job search, I have not worked with them much at all.  I did manage a few sessions of very light lunging and grooming, as mentioned I think. What I had done seemed so minor, so insignificant that I wasn't expecting any results.  Not that my work was really based on results - it was more about communication. I guess what I mean is that I didn't expect those few sessions to change anything about the horses or my relationship to them. 

Tried to get pictures of them in motion - these aren't the best!
However, you can see Snickers' (in fore-front) inside hind coming
 underneath his body nicely.

However, yesterday I let the horses out in the pasture together (they have been in two groups because Snickers harasses Bella) while I watched from my living room.  They began to run around, full of energy.  As I watched I noticed - could it be?  They were moving differently.  Luna has always had a very heavy gait - not very light or "floaty".  Her hind legs tend to drag. As I watch her now her hind feet are really moving, coming up off the ground with so much more grace.  It's not perfect, but it's so much better.

As I watch all of them out there they are all moving better.  Even Snickers, who moved fairly well to begin with.  He looks like a dressage horse.  Angel and Tequila, too, are moving more gracefully and freely.  All that from maybe three sessions of lunging and working with them on bringing the hind leg underneath them further. I concentrated on keeping that mental thought in the forefront of my mind while lunging them, in order to get across to them what we were trying to accomplish.  I didn't push, and if they wanted to stop OR keep going, we did.  

Angel and Bella, best friends!  

I'm floored and very pleased.  I think perhaps there was communication and that they are finally doing something that I taught them that they want to do! I find that so inspiring and wonderful.  There's something about trying to get a horse to do something that only you think is important that ruins the relationship.  It becomes an oppressive relationship rather than a cooperative one.  

What's the difference?  When both sides have a say in what you do together, there is more trust, true friendship and love than just you saying "This is what we will do today and if you don't like it, too bad, because I am in charge!"  So I'm very excited about the future of the horses and the future of my relationship to them.

From left to right, front to back: Snickers, Tequila, Luna, Bella, Angel

     Last night I found some notes that I took while reading Imke Spilker's wonderful book, Empowered Horses.  They were notes for when I went out to work with the horses, things I wanted to remember.  Finding the notes inspired today's work, or non-work as it were.  The results were telling, to say the least.  Here is what happened:

     I got Snickers out first because he has wanted time with me for a while.  He loves clicker training, so with that in mind his regime involved teaching him to walk in step with me.  He might have picked this up otherwise, but he was partly focused on dinner so he wasn't his usual self.  Using the clicker allowed me to point out something, that it would be nice if we walked in step.  Then he easily and almost on his own started to lunge himself around me.  He was quite willing and picked up on stepping further underneath himself with his inside hind leg (to help collection).




Snickers in Winter, and  (left) in summer



    










Next was Luna, who loves being groomed.  This will be the foundation for everything else, this will be the start of trust and affection, so I went slowly and with attention.  I focused on making her feel good.  The difference is that she responds in a whole new way to that!  Her eyes close part way in pleasure, she stretches up her neck to be brushed underneath.  She sighs and stands very still.  She tells me where she is itchy.  Then we did some lunging, just walking, and she gave me a real hug.  It felt good.




Luna


     Now for the best - Tequila.  Tequila usually avoids me when I go to catch her and it takes a bit of convincing that she should hold still.  Today she stood and allowed me to catch her right away.  This was new!  Without tying her, she stood quietly while I groomed her, probably for the first time, with attention and focus.  Her head dropped as she relaxed.  She never fidgeted or flicked her tail.  She liked it!  I got the camera and took her picture.  She preened and posed for me.  It made her feel special, I think.




Tequila, right after her special grooming today.


     Then I lunged her, just at the walk, and she got the idea about her inside hind leg quickly.  Afterwards we walked around a little and looked at the sunset.  She bit my hat and we played a little.  This wasn't the Tequila I knew, it was totally different.  Her calmness and playfulness came through.  I got the feeling she didn't want to be put away.

     As I write my experiences the words of other trainers come to mind, their boasts of what "they" have accomplished.  It's clear to me that my own ego has gotten in the way of true communication with the horses.  They've tried to tell me many, many times that they didn't like what I was doing.  Today brought it home like a sledge hammer.  Wow, I totally gave up what I had done with Bella to be a "trainer". 

     It blows me away, how much of these things I already knew when I got Bella. I trusted my instincts, and with a few rare things, I might be much better today if I had stayed that way rather than learning everything I could.  But then again, I wouldn't know all this, nor would I be so wise or feel so insensitive and stupid.  

     After reading Empowered Horses I didn't know where to start, what to do.  The book also empowers the "trainer" to do whatever they think they should.  That's so scary and also so freeing.  I've felt lost until today but now I know how to proceed.  I can get one of the horses and start grooming, or with Snickers, do something with treats.  It doesn't have to take a long time, it just has to be intensive and requires my attention and focus.  That I can do, that I will do.

From Mark Nepo's "The Book of Awakening":
"...the Eskimo also teach us how to hunt for truth in the way they fashion their bait (a wolf's rib sharpened at both ends and frozen in blubber so that the bear eats it and then dies). Not by intellectual debate or esoteric study, but by risking something of ourselves, by placing something troublesome and sweet in the open.  By offering something essential from our hunger and coating it with our vulnerability, we call the greater truth into the open with the smaller. Humbly and unavoidably, the need for truth will lead us into the unexpected living of our lives beyond all images of perfection."

 How true - that's what this journey is all about!

It's been a few weeks of my empowered horses experiment and things are going well.  Let me explain: I wrote a letter to Imke Spilker, the woman who wrote Empowered Horses.  I told her that I liked the book but after reading it, although I completely agreed with everything she said, I was now very lost.  What do I do with my horses now?  I mean what do we do together?  I had this very profound realization that everything I had previously learned about horses meant nothing.  The rug had been pulled out from under me completely. 

She wrote back, which pleased and surprised me.  She told me that the feelings I had were not only valid, but the first step towards empowerment.  She said that the horses "needed this (my) emptiness, in order to actively express themselves".  That this would give me time to find out what it's like on the other side.  They need to figure out that I have cleared my mind of the past and that the future will be different, that it will include their input. 

I understood what she meant and I also understood that horse people are just as empowered, in her view, as horses are.  We simply need to listen to the horses and ask them what we can do to help them.  This is very difficult for me, as you might imagine.  Yet it's also compelling and secretly what I've always wanted to do. 

So I've stopped all formal training, period. I may go to them with a halter and/or a whip, but I have tried a few different things (yeah, I know, not exactly "doing nothing") like going for a walk and letting the horse lead.  Just scratching them and hanging out with them is also a favorite.  Today I went out about 45 minutes before feeding time and Angel latched on to me.  That doesn't happen very often, so I went into my training pen and she followed, of her own accord.  She had no halter but I had my whip.  I stood like I was lunging and she began to circle me of her own accord, staying a perfect distance away.  I worked on the circling exercise (she doesn't call it that) from the book, encouraging Angel to move her inside hind leg further beneath her body.  We moved at a walk, slowly, on both sides.  At the end she was very affectionate, which she usually is not. She stayed close with me while I went to the others.

Angel, before her evening shower...

I went through the paddock and did the same little exercise with each one, all without a halter (except for Luna, who was nervous - I'll explain later) and all with the others right there.  I only did this little exercise for a few circles each direction.  I was slow, gentle, encouraging but not pushing. 
It felt very different working this way.  The horses all seemed to "get it", to understand that I was changed and was trying to help them.  Am I dreaming that they were complicit or was I trying to fit my old way of working into the new way - was I cheating by asking them for something?  In reality they were completely free (no halter, except Luna) to NOT do.  In fact, Bella opted for dinner and a long hug rather than work.  So I stopped asking immediately. 

Here's the thing - as soon as the horses sensed that I was not going to force the issue (before today, even) and "make" them do things, they freely spoke up.  They haven't been afraid to let me know what they want.  Today I worked with them unhaltered and amongst the other horses, usually a situation that encourages them to ignore you.  But they didn't.   

Tequila, always peeking from the back!

As for Luna, she tends to get tense when I have trained her in the past (due to my own  mistakes), so when she saw me with the whip, she didn't trust my intentions.  I made the decision to use the halter and do the exercise with her so that we could start fresh. Seems counter intuitive, but that was how I chose to approach it. I wanted to let her know my intentions had changed and our "work" would be different.  She seemed more relaxed afterwards, so I count it as a positive exchange. 

Tonight I watched a documentary on OWN called "One Lucky Elephant".  Everything in that movie feeds in to what I have just learned and reinforces to  me that I am doing the right thing. More on that tomorrow)  I need to let go even more, though, let go of "doing" and concentrate on being there, among them.    I feel that they can sense my intentions (or any one's, for that matter) and know that I have changed somehow.  I am now the one waiting, listening, with (hopefully) a beginner's mind and it's the horses' turn to take over and train me.  

Our pond