This week some friends came up, two teenage girls and a mom.  They wanted to ride the horses which I enthusiastically encouraged. One girl thought she could handle anything and had ridden before, the other one had never been around horses but had an interest (not the 'horse crazy' variety), and the mom loves horses but hadn't ridden since she was a girl. 

My initial feeling was that the situation could turn bad with the two girls pretty quickly, so I was maintaining heavy control from the start.  I had confidence in my horses, Snickers and Angel, as I had been schooling them fairly regularly and had plenty of notice that everyone was coming to ride.

Here is how things turned out:

Fearless teen rode first on Snickers.  She was a good rider though not particularly knowledgeable. She was confident, though, made even more so by the presence of the other girl who was very shy.  After a bit of instruction she was off and running, confidently riding out his giant trot across the pasture.  I put the other girl on Angel with a lunge line.  She was not too sure of all this but after about 20 minutes she agreed to try walking around off the lunge line.  It went well until I sent her towards the fence.  When she got to the fence and turned around, Angel started trotting for home.  I was able to talk her down and got her to stop Angel before things got dangerous but it scared her.  She wasn't really enjoying it much.

Then I put the mom on Angel and she did really well, but  Angel was nervous and too quick.  I could tell that she was somewhat confused by the beginners and didn't feel comfortable.  With some instruction the mom was able to have a good ride on her and did a really good job of listening to me and doing what I said.  Whew!  Since the second girl wasn't feeling confident I didn't have to worry about the two girls galloping across the pasture and getting dumped somewhere while I yell "slow down" to no avail...

All of this reminded me of a few things.  One, that riding takes skill, actually skillS.  There are so many things you must do at once to make it appear smooth, regular and in control.  Even more skills to do the turns, shoulder-ins, etc.  Plus our pasture is dotted with small trees, about knee-high making riding a challenge at times. And ditches, yes, lots of small ditches and long grass, and POOP.  I suddenly realized that although I enjoy riding Angel and Snickers, it actually takes a lot of riding to get them to do what I want.  I am always comparing them to last week, last month, last year.  They keep improving but not enough for a beginner to feel comfortable on. 

In my mind, since Angel isn't rearing straight up and Snickers isn't turning back to the barn every other stride (I am NOT exaggerating!) that they are REALLY GOOD.  So this weekend was a wake-up call for me and for them too.  I think my horses appreciate me more now... I hope. 

The other thing I realized is that I am better than I think sometimes.  It's easy to get down on yourself, especially if you don't compete.  I have no way of knowing how far I've come since I can't take lessons right now.  I can't afford to compete, either, and these two facts tend to lead me to believe that I am not very good.  Or that I am becoming a bad rider...with bad habits.  This weekend I learned that I make two very green horses look good and that's not easy to do.  Although I would like my horses to be able to be ridden by anyone, I realize that it takes time for them to feel confident in themselves so that can happen. 

To everyone who has ridden for a long time, pat yourself on the back.  You are probably far better than you realize!

As I get older I find that sometimes the drive to ride and train...falls off a bit.  Especially if I havent' been able to ride or work with them for awhile I feel guilty, which then has the weird effect of taking away my impetus to ride.  It should have the opposite effect, shouldn't it? 

In the past month, though, inspiration hit me in spades.  Here is the strange part: I have been trying to tell my husband, Doug, for weeks that I have lost my drive and feel like I haven't accomplished anything in my riding, and since we live in a godforsaken rural area there are no dressage instructors, etc., etc.  Finally I got him to listen and I voiced all my angst. The horses are sorely in need of training and regular riding.  I am out of work, so time is no longer a problem, I only have the weather to get in the way yet I had trouble getting out there and really going at it. 

Then, after I voiced my feelings, three things happened that changed everything.   First I started giving riding lessons to an 11 year old girl that visits my neighbor's house.  They bought a horse for her, a very sweet old ex-jumper named Charlie.  Charlie has wandered over to our house for visits on occasion so I got to know him well.  In any case, this little girl is horse crazy and brimming with all that lovely courage that comes with riding.  She fell off when he stopped suddenly and hopped right back on, no fear at all.  She rode him every morning and then I would come over and give her a lesson.  She reminded me that I am so lucky to have my own horses and that it is a privilege to ride every day.  She brought out the 11-year old horse crazy girl in me.  After she left I went out and rode every day.

Then I read about a woman in the May issue of Oprah magazine.  There was a piece on women who were old for their activities and one of them was this fabulous 60 year old barrel racer from Hawaii.  In the photo she is standing on the back of her horse with her long grey hair in braids and she's smiling big.  She got into riding at 45 or there about and said that she just "rode, rode, rode" her horse all the time.  She competes for fun, for something to do. 

After reading that I scolded myself for being too caught up in my age and my (lack of )  accomplishments.  It's more important to DO IT than anything else.  With riding the process is what counts, as it is with training.  Doing it every day is the most important thing, and the improvements will happen. 

The third inspiration was even more wonderful and unusual.  I will save the full story for later, but I found out there is an FEI level rider only an hour away named Anita Williams.  I am going to meet her on Monday!  She's going to allow me to be a working student. 

This week, before the rain started, I rode and rode and rode.  And Angel lost weight...for the first time in 3 years!  And she also learned her canter leads, at 11 years old! 



Angel this week - note the crest on her neck is now a slight bump.  We are working on muscles for the hind end...



Taken about a year ago - here you can see how cresty she was!  She also wants you to know
 that she is "large boned"and being covered in white fur is NOT slimming in the least!

No, didn't fall off the edge of the earth!  March was a tough month.  After the loss of BJ we got more bad news (a friend's father committed suicide) and I lost all desire to do anything.  Then we went to San Diego for a week which was at once wonderful and awful.  Won't go in to the awful part... I had hoped to blog on the road and more negative issues made it impossible. So, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

As someone who recently became enamoured with clicker training I must say that visiting Sea World was awesome!  I haven't broached the subject here yet, but basically clicker training for horses is the same method that is used to train dolphins and other exotic animals.  When training aquatic animals or even fish, one cannot use coercion, which I feel is often used to train horses.  You simply cannot force a dolphin, killer whale, etc, to do something it doesn't want to do - it will just swim away.  Even if contained in a pool, there is no way to get that animal to do anything you want using punishment.  The only way is to use positive reinforcement training. 

This type of method uses a sound (or lights or some other reinforcer) such as a whistle for dolphins or a clicker for dogs and horses to mark a wanted behavior.  It basically says "yes, that's it!"  The sound is followed by a reward.  The reward reinforces the behavior - it causes the animal to want to do it more in order to get a reward. 

If you are a believer in  traditional horse training all this sounds very alien and against common training methods.  I thought that way too, at first, but I have since changed my mind.  About 2 years ago I attended a Clinton Anderson clinic.  I was completely hooked on Clinton and his method.  For the record, his method is basically traditional, as is any training under the header "natural horsemanship".  The methods used, some more harsh or gentle than others, are all basically the same.  Ask the horse to do something (say, move its hip over) and when it doesn't respond increase the pressure.  If you use a finger to move the horse's hip you press harder.  If you use a "stick" of some type, tap and then tap harder.  And harder. According to Clinton, the "reward" is removing the pressure.  In other words, you stop "tapping", pushing, prodding and whacking. 

Clinton is VERY good at what he does.  His timing is perfect and he can minimize the use of whacking by being very judicious with it.  When you watch him it appears that he really isn't being so terrible because he does it fast and gets a response.  When I went home from the clinic I immediately began to work with all my horses using things I had learned at the clinic (actually it was one of those mass marketing deals where you watch him train horses, not something I participated in with my own horse). 

Two of my horses, Angel and Snickers, were 9 and 11 respectively when we bought them and they knew very little. I immediately began trying things out on them and will never forget the look on Angel's face when I whacked her really hard on the neck for the fourth time.  I got NO response except a very hurt and surprised look from her.  She never moved away from the pressure, instead she got angry at me.  Let me say that I truly believe that if Clinton did the same exercise with my horse he could have gotten her to move over no problem - I know my faults. 

I didn't like the tapping really hard part and although I tried my best I think my doubt crept in.  I know Clinton's methods work because I can see him succeeding.  I am also not critical of him because had I been in his shoes when I was young and had the chance to learn those things I would have done it and I would be giving clinics all over creation.  He is teaching what he knows and he is really good at it.  I still admire him, but I choose what I think is a better and easier way to train a horse.

Clicker training is better because you are communicating with your horse by saying "yes" and that is very powerful.  Using the traditional method you are basically saying "no" - think about it...  So all you are telling them is "no, NOT THAT!"  It has the potential to create a lot of confusion.  "If not that, then what should I do?" I imagine them saying.  Yes, Clinton does give the animal a scratch and says "good boy" occasionally.
But is a scratch on the head a true reward?  Is it enough to keep them wanting to do more?

When I tried clicker training for the first time it was miraculous to me.  Things that I had tried and tried to train suddenly became very easy.  For example, Snickers was very head shy when we got him.  I had worked with him some to lower his head but the "reward" of letting go of the rope when he lowered his head didn't really entice him to want to do it.  Older horses are always more difficult.  So the first thing I did with the clicker was teach him to lower his head.  It was wonderful!  He wanted to do it more, and he followed me around after wanting more training! 

Since then I have taught three foals all kinds of things, and worked with about ten other horses on various things that they have a problem with. My horse Bella, a mustang, is extremely head shy.  I have worked diligently and extensively over the years to get her over this.  It always takes weeks and lots of patience and in the end she tolerates it. Then, just when I think I've gotten her over it she explodes and I have to start over again.  I still can't put the reins over her head.  So I began using the clicker to get the reins over her head.  In one 5 minute session she stopped throwing her head away from my hand (she can does this violently) and actually relaxed and let me bring the reins up to her ears.  For the first time she lowered her head willingly and by herself while I lifted the reins near her ears.  I will keep you posted on the progress of this. I also hope to use it to get her in the trailer...

Although it takes timing and patience just like traditional training does, using a clicker is generally a much easier to train.  I also find it safer, calmer and the results come so much faster.  The horse tends to remember the training, even if it was brief, because using this method activates the part of the brain called the "seeking circuit" which is a pleasure center.  Certain types of activity activate this brain function and the memory of it stays there for a long time. It works similarly to the fear circuit, in which things that scare an animal stay in memory for a long time. 

Using traditional training methods I would end up fighting with my horses, trying to be the tough one, showing them I was boss.  I'm not saying I was good at it.  I wasn't. I am good at clicker training and the results say it all.  Snickers and Angel and actually all my horses have come so far in a short time without the rodeo.  I don't feel bad for what I have to do, I enjoy it more.  Now when I go out to the pasture to get a horse to train they all come running up to me, eager.  I now train on a first come, first serve basis!