EXPLORING THE MEANING OF NATURAL IN HORSEMANSHIP

 

 

Since ‘natural’ is something that exists in or is formed by nature, an inherent quality not acquired or changed from its natural state, we might ask if anything we do with horses apart from allowing them to graze unrestricted in a herd, is strictly natural. Beyond the semantics is the realisation that nature is all knowing, the result of a universal wisdom that guides and shapes life in an evolutionary spiral of infinite intelligence that quantum physics is able to show reaches down to the sub atomic level where it has been discovered that everything is connected across time and space. If that is the case, we can connect with horses on an emotional, mental, and intuitive level in accordance with natural law governing non verbal species.

Herd living provides horses with all they need for their physical and emotional survival. It is easy to supply solutions for the former but far more difficult to serve the latter. From the moment we take a horse away from his social circle, he feels an inner need to return. It is up to us to find ways to replicate those feelings of comfort and safety in our company, or within the confines of our areas of containment, that he can experience as a natural extension to his daily routine free from anxiety and worry. 

It only requires a small leap of faith to believe that removing horses from their natural environment isn’t that unnatural depending on what our motives are and how we approach the great responsibility of delivering information so that the horse understands what we want him to do for us. To do this successfully in harmony with horse nature involves horsemanship which, on a deeper level, is really horse..man..relationship; horse and man working together to build a relationship, a meaning which may not be recognised from a purely mechanical perspective.

The foundation for the most authentic horse-human relationship is built on trust, mutual respect, listening and communication. An absence of these basic qualities, which are everywhere in nature, will lack depth because a training program on its own it isn’t natural whereas building a relationship is. The term Natural Horsemanship makes us feel we are doing the best by the horse but if we simply go through the motions they tend to have a mechanical quality. In working with horses naturally, we must get in touch our true nature. Horses know when we have an agenda contrary to our original (natural) self, and are unable to completely trust us. One of the most important factors in the natural horsemanship armoury is our sense of feel. When we ask something of the horse, as in giving an aid, he may well do it, but it won’t be executed as freely as if we were to ask him from a place of true feeling. Horses really can relate to requests based on integrity of feeling, allowing them to respond in a much softer manner.

Although we sometimes forget we are part of the cycle of nature, we have an inner longing to feel and rediscover it and there is no better place to start than by simply watching horses who are truly at home in the great outdoors. Natural Horsemanship is not so much a method, it is more a way of thinking, based on developing a sense of feel free from the pressures of linear time that can lead to a completely new outlook and way of being. There are indeed lessons to be learned through relationship building with horses that go beyond horsemanship.

 

 

DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH FOR A BETTER RELATIONSHIP

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Becoming aware of your horse’s breathing allows you to gain an immediate response, helping to bring greater balance and inner harmony to your relationship. When we have an understanding of core breathing, we can develop more poise, symmetric posture, and stability in the saddle. We can also positively influence the horse on the ground by reducing the need to move around when we would prefer him to simply stand still. Core stability is achieved through correctly using our stomach muscles when we breathe in and out, helping us find our centre of gravity which will influence our balance in riding.

You can test how your breathing affects your balance with a simple exercise on the ground. Stand still and place your hand on your stomach. Notice that as you breathe in, you can feel your tummy expand with the air you are taking in. As you become aware of the air filling up within you, feel your back lengthen. Focus on your breathing to remove any tension or tightness in your chest area so that the breath can travel round your spine, expanding your rib cage. Breathing inwardly this way will make you feel more centred, taller, and stronger.


Now it’s time to take a long outward breath. Feel it moving through your back into your abdomen. Now become aware of your pelvic floor muscles and tighten them. They are the ones you can feel when you cough. Your tummy should feel deflated and empty. Doing this even a few times while standing still will show you how your core breathing allows your stomach area to support your upper body.


To give you the feeling of balance within core breathing, start walking a circle on an outward breath. As you do this, feel how the air is transformed into energy as it travels through your spine, releasing tension so that your movement becomes more fluid. Walk a couple more steps and take a deep inward breath. Feel your upper body becoming strong as it lengthens and re balances. Now stand still and breathe normally.  When you are ready, breathe out even deeper. Bring awareness to your spine and walk forward. Can you feel your lower back releasing and letting go? Paying attention to the way you breathe not only helps your own balance, it makes it easier for your horse to carry you with increased natural balance.


Whether we realise it or not, when we ride, we affect the horse’s natural equilibrium. Over time, both horse and rider learn to adjust to each other’s bodies, although not always in a free and fluid way. The art of riding within a balanced relationship involves awareness of our own symmetry and poise within different movements and gaits.

A relaxed horse will breathe rhythmically and deeply, supporting himself while carrying a rider with less strain and tension. We unintentionally disturb this process if we hold onto our breath or take shallow breaths. Correct breathing not only releases tension and improves posture, it is also a carrier of information.  You can literally be “inspired” to breathe your way to phrasing your requests so that you need less conventional means of control and thus create greater harmony in your relationship. Core breathing not only lessens anxiety in your horse, it helps regulate pace and reduce tightness (resistance.) For example, if we find our horse tends to run off in a particular section of the school, or on a portion of a circle, we tend to hold our breath in anticipation, contracting our muscles and creating tension. Horses sense even the slightest muscular contraction which is a daunting thought, meaning we can unintentionally contribute to an unwanted situation.

With a little forethought, we can make remarkable improvements. Before your horse arrives at the place where you know he is going to rush or be anticipatory, pay attention to your core breathing while conscious effort to avoid any tendency to stiffen or grip with your limbs. Your horse will quickly become sensitive to this new approach, adapting his tempo and gait to match. As you become more familiar with the process, you will discover that core breathing can help you achieve seamless transitions, a softer outline with minimal effort, and increased confidence out hacking.

When we breathe inward deeply, forward energy is slowed down, reflecting a lengthening of our upper body as previously discussed. This gives a signal to the horse, a virtual half halt, to prepare for a transition, a change of direction or to focus his mind.  Breathing our way to a real connection is a wonderful thing. When we breathe out deeply, the energy, previously contained, can be expressed as lightness, forwardness, a relaxed mind, etc.

Learning breathing techniques greatly improves communication with our horses and like any skill, requires practice. Horses are great teachers, giving us reliable feedback on our progress. It is easy to get disheartened when we don’t seem to be getting results the results we hoped for but if we make core breathing a regular part of our horse time, we will definitely experience the benefits.

Don’t Put Your Relationship Under Pressure

Horses are at their most relaxed and content living in natural conditions among a well established herd. When we take them away from that environment, everything we do is experienced as either positive or negative physical and mental pressure. We know positive feelings reduce stress, helping to keep the horse relaxed, and that negative experiences create anxiety and tension. Horses can only pay attention and learn in a relaxed frame of mind. A horse who is focused on looking for a way out is no longer relaxed, and if he can’t find one, will either panic or shut down, depending on his temperament.

Groundwork is the best way to build a foundation of positive experiences for the horse. His trust in us grows as he learns that the pressure of being in our company produces positive feelings of release and comfort. Working with your horse is more than carrying out specific exercises, it means being totally involved with him from the moment you greet him until you’ve finished putting him away. By concentrating on giving him the right kind of attention, you are opening the door to him choosing to be with you. So what is the right kind of attention? It is the ability to replicate a similar system of support that living within a herd naturally provides.

In practice, it is can be difficult to concentrate when our minds are filled with myriad unrelated thoughts, distracting us from being present with our horse who invariably picks up on the “noise” generated by our neural pathways. We can increase the number of positive experiences by being quietly and calmly engrossed in our interactions while letting go of the desire for a specific result. Desirable outcomes in performance and behaviour are more quickly achieved when our horse really understands how to respond to pressure in a soft, relaxed manner. Although we often think of pressure in an unfavourable light, it is always present in establishing and maintaining boundaries within the herd hierarchy or pecking order. The difference between horse to horse and human to horse pressure is that we often have a personal agenda that is of little interest to the horse who, as an authentic being, has no agenda at all. We can also be unaware of the value of its release, as well as how much is too much.  To begin with, he has little understanding of our rules, as his natural inclination is to move into pressure or pull away from it.

In physically softening our horse to pressure, our aim is to also soften him mentally, removing fear and the desire to run away. We can do this very effectively on the ground when we make our horse’s need to feel safe a priority beyond any personal ambition. We know we are on the right path, using the right kind of pressure, when our horse is happy to stand quietly in his own space, without moving into or away from ours, and willingly yields every part of his body to our firm but gentle touch.

What is the right kind of pressure? It is asking something of the horse where the desired response brings fast release, or even its absence, which will allow the horse to indulge in one of his favourite actions, which is to do nothing. For instance, tacking up slowly with a quiet, still mind so that the horse feels no need to move around is the absence of pressure. Conversely, a horse who won’t stand to be saddled without some form of restraint feels under pressure in some way, even if there is apparent physical reason.

Pressing on the poll to get the horse to lower his head is an example of pressure and release. The horse understands that he can remove the pressure of your hand on his head by lowering it, provided of course, you don’t forget to take it away. I like this example because a horse will only lower his head if he feels safe or isn’t thinking about something else. To help him get into the right frame of mind, you will have also been giving him your full concentration and attention.

 

 

 

 

The Value of Riding to a Contact Naturally

At liberty, we can observe horses moving with complete freedom while maintaining a naturally collected outline. Such posture is only held for moments before returning to a more comfortable position. The head and neck are lowered and most of the weight is carried on the forehand. As primarily grazing animals, horses have evolved to carry most of their weight on the forehand. In order to balance their weight, they need freedom of their neck and head. A horse has his own natural balance, but when he is asked to carry a rider, he has to find a new balance point which takes several months or even longer.

Correctly training a horse to perform even basic movements with grace and beauty is not possible without taking his natural balance into consideration.When a horse moves in self-imposed collection, he will instinctively lift his back, using the right muscles, tendons, and ligaments throughout his body to directly support this posture. One of the most damaging things we can do when schooling is ask for an “outline”, especially for a young horse. A horse’s outline changes in relation to his physical and mental development, it is fluid in its form, and is something that will, with correct training, develop naturally over a period of years. To insist on it before the horse is ready will have an effect on the way he functions on an emotional, mental and physical level. Too much contact creates a short neck and destroys the horse’s natural balance. At the very least he needs time to organise his legs and adjust his vertebrae.

That’s not to say that a long neck is always preferable. Unless a horse is encouraged to seek contact with the rider’s hands, to lift a little, he will never learn to carry a rider in true balance or develop the muscles he needs to move comfortably within a more advanced frame. By that I mean being able to alter his centre of gravity, without artificial inducement, in order to carry less weight on his forehand.

We should always strive to maintain a light contact throughout the horse’s training. If it needs to be held to maintain a more desirable shape, it is likely that shortcuts will have been taken or the horse less established than we thought he was. Shorter contact should always be the by product of physical development, not the means by which physical development is achieved.

The amount of contact required to allow the horse to work with his neck in the optimal position depends on his level of training, mental and physical development. It’s really important to understand why the nose must always be in front of the vertical. When we force a green horse to work with a short contact, in an outline, the poll becomes stiff, encouraging him to bring his nose behind the vertical in an effort to evade the pain we are creating in his mouth and neck. This way of working produces a very uncomfortable posture for the horse as he struggles to support himself in an unnatural way. The neck vertebrae become stiff and tense, blood flow is inhibited and the horse’s ability to learn is impaired. It also causes changes in spatial awareness, depth perception etc and is a major cause of shying for no apparent reason. Throughout a horse’s training, we should encourage our horses to stretch their necks down and out, to seek our hands through the reins, to go long and low no matter how high their level of schooling.

As well as ‘long and low’ we use the term ‘deep and round.’ They are not the same thing as the latter is often achieved with side reins and running reins which can lead to an artificially lowered head and shortened neck. We are told that this lifts the back and stretches the spine as a result of the hind leg coming through, but when a horse is worked too deep in the neck, his back arches down, making the hind legs work harder to compensate. This produces too much movement in the stifle and the hock, and not enough in the body. The hind quarters can’t work in harmony with the forehand when the bridge between them, the back, is not moving. When the legs work like this, they hit the ground harder, causing concussion not only in the leg joints, but also in the hip and spine. Dressage is an art form and schooling is a system of education.It needs time and the right conditions to grow and flourish. Allowing our horses to work with their necks long and low is where it all begins.

THE VALUE OF A REAL CONNECTION

 

More people than ever are becoming connected through social media, smart phones, apps, and many other forms of technology which has lead us silently and swiftly to embrace the age of instant gratification. When we want something, we want it now. We are losing the ability to wait for a delay in the fulfilment of our desires. Feelings of satisfaction are increasingly time sensitive and dependant on being able to almost instantly access a reward for what we are seeking.

Without our devices, most of us feel cut off, disconnected from our friends and what is going on in the rest of our world.  When we connect through a phone or computer, many aspects that go with a face to face communication are lost. The emotional exchange that happens when we experience each others’ facial expressions and body language is missing. Matched expressions of emotion are known to have a calming effect on our minds and bodies.


 The depth of connection with people and animals isn’t really possible using this kind of virtual contact. I sometimes reflect back to the days before mobile phones and wonder how I managed to find people and places with just an address and a landline number. If I needed to call someone, I would have to scout around for the old fashioned telephone kiosk, now a museum piece, praying I had the right change. Unless the other person was within reach of the receiver, my call would go unanswered. It was so much harder to keep in touch even fifteen years ago. A certain amount of sideways thinking and resourcefulness was needed to accomplish what often felt like a mission.


Successful communication with horses happens when we are able to bridge the invisible gap between our body language and their emotions in order to positively influence behaviour. We live in an age of rapid exchange of information but “talking” to your horse is usually far from instant, it requires much time and effort before a rewarding connection is acknowledged by both parties. It is so much easier to join up electronically with friends and discuss where our relationship is at and how we are going to improve it than actually going out and working on it in physically. Technology can rob us of the will to make tangible, consistent endeavours towards building a true connection with animals, but conversely, our need to do so has never been greater. Our desire to achieve a meaningful bond is historically stronger than ever. Although the advantages of instant messaging, social sharing etc are huge, they can’t fill the gap in our hearts that long to connect in a more inwardly satisfying way.

When we interact with a horse there is a direct communication through body language and unexpressed emotion. In other words, horses pick up on our thoughts and feelings whether or not they are expressed or visible. They are definitely affected by our mental state; we can’t fake it.  Reactions, in the form of feedback, take place without disguise, and with complete authenticity. Unlike a horse, we can say one thing but mean another and manipulate our facial expression to mask what we are really thinking.


Since horses are large and imposing animals, we are likely to notice their behaviour, and in doing so, we have the ideal opportunity to look at our own. Communicating face to face allows us to open ourselves to empathic understanding. Without the possibility of shared feelings, a true connection is nothing more than fantasy. For most of us, the idea of being fully accepted, warts and all, is only a dream. Perhaps one of the reasons so many of us have pets.  Horses, and other animals, simply don’t judge us, not ever; even when we do things we think will result in judgment being made against us. In an animal’s presence, we can feel our most whole. Spending time with our horses includes being with ourselves in ways that are impossible when we are plugged in to one of the many forms of electromagnetic wizardry.

A visit to the Rescue Centre

Last weekend we were fortunate enough to have a guided tour, with a brief biography, of the long term residents at a local horse rescue centre. We were shown horses and ponies with a range of difficulties that would make them impossible to sell or even fostered as field ornaments. It was very sad because the only difference between them and a much loved horse of perfect disposition is the sum of their experience with a number of different owners, although there was a grey gelding that had only one of those, but he had just as many problems due to being humanised from a foal.  

We met horses who had been so physically abused their trust in humans was permanently broken. We weren’t surprised to hear a couple of those were born in Ireland where they had received a quick and violent introduction to human relationships. The resulting trauma is so deep, they can only be managed by someone with a wide understanding of what they have been through, and who is able to show them guided leadership without a hint of domination. Even the smallest indication of dominance brings up instant feelings of fear so great, horses like these are totally fixated on escape which makes them dangerous to be near.

We watched two mares, self exercising in a covered school, who hadn’t been hit and were not frightened of people but their difficulties were none the less severe. These girls had serious problems when ridden. The details of what they do under saddle are not important, what we need to know is why they react like that. The reason is simple: horses really don’t understand what they are supposed to do for us unless they are lucky enough to be shown the way through good horsemanship which allows the person responsible for their education to understand the situation from the horse’s perspective.

Horses are herd animals; they are mentally designed to think of themselves as part of a team rather than as an individual. How the horse perceives reality is so different from ours, they may as well be from another planet which is why what we want from them can get completely lost in translation.  Ours is a throw away culture where we are can be less interested in investing in relationships than seeking recognition from our peers. We may not even be aware of our desire to achieve predetermined expectations which is in direct contrast to a horse who is hard wired to seek comfort above everything.

As 21^st Century horse owners, we often lead time starved lives full of deadlines and hectic schedules which prevent us from realising we are human be-ings rather than human do-ings. This had a direct impact not only on the way horses perceive us but also on the feedback they will show us in the future. They are not concerned about the number of jobs on the to do list or duties we’ve signed up for, what matters to them is how we respond “in the moment.”

These moments are priceless jewels on the timeline of reality where horse and human can merge, if only briefly, allowing important information to be downloaded. Unfortunately what often happens is the horse is locked in a stable before having a bit thrust in his mouth, a headpiece jammed over his ears and a saddle dumped on his back, after which he is spun round on the end of a lunge for an hour or so, followed by a person swinging onto his back. Before the horse has had a change to mentally digest what’s happening, a rider kicks his sides while making clucking noises.  

It never ceases to amaze me that more people aren’t aware that horses are not born knowing what leg aids mean. If he fails to respond, which mostly happens, a sort of frozen on the spot reaction, a stick is used until he gets the idea to lurch forward. While he is trying his best to balance with an unfamiliar weight on his back, he is clucked at and kicked at again to go faster until he makes it into trot. Without warning he feels a pulling sensation in his mouth but he has no idea what that means either. Another amazing thing is that people don’t know that horses don’t know they are supposed to stop when the bit is used against their mouth, most of them lean into the pressure, go deeper on the forehand and keep going in order to remove themselves from discomfort.

If they make it all the way back to the yard without bolting, bucking or using some other means to unseat the rider due to panic, fear and lack of understanding, they may be lucky enough to receive a slap-pat while the tack is ripped off them. After two or three weeks of the same treatment, plus a few turns left and right, the horse is considered broken and riding. If the horse isn’t sold directly to a private owner, he is likely to be entered in a sale or find himself in a dealer’s yard where if he is lucky, he may get a couple of weeks’ further education.

A horse’s nature is such that he will always try to be in agreement with what is being asked, at least until communication becomes impossible. When it does, he will use every means available to him to avoid doing whatever it is that he feels he can no longer cope with; the problem horse is born. Before he gets to that point, he may well have submitted temporarily to the demands of a skilled or forceful rider sufficiently enough to be described as a quiet ride, and often, as an all rounder. My description of the breaking process is by no means rare; in fact it’s the usual route horses are made to go down on the horse selling trail.

When an inexperienced owner innocently expects a degree of performance in line with his or her expectation of what was described, things can spiral downhill rapidly if the horse hasn’t sufficient tools to do the job. Such horses are often passed on or resold, collecting baggage rather than the help they need. Whether a horse has reached the point of no return with one or multiple owners, the result is the same. He is an unwanted animal without a future except as a rescue case. It is never the horse’s fault to be in this position, neither is it necessarily the owners, who, no doubt bought in good faith. Is anyone to blame? We are all responsible for the animals in our care, including the source from which they came. Until we really accept that horses need sufficient time, patience and understanding to prepare them for a life of riding and safe human interaction, rescue centres will continue to be busy.

Relationship Building Part Three. Consistency Wins the Day

Continuing the last two posts on consistency, we recently worked on our two day course with a mare who benefited greatly once boundaries were established. Everything within horsemanship is linked, each aspect leading to another like doors which must not only be opened but passed through. This little mare had doors which had never been opened during her entire life and those that were, were quickly closed again without going in to sort out what was buried inside.

There were two main doors which she used as a means of escape. She could either push her way out by the front, or know instinctively how to evade through the back. Her house, let’s use our imagination for minute, was unstructured and disorganised to the point where she was insecure within it. People came and went, often leaving their children for her to entertain and look after. As a kind hearted soul, she tried very hard to oblige but a lot of the time she couldn’t find her coping mechanism manual or instruction kit amongst the clutter left by her visitors.

Another of her problems was that they were all so different, she didn’t know what to expect and most of them never told her what they wanted her to do. Eventually she gave up trying to work it out, and when it got too hot in the kitchen, she would shoot through either door and run around looking for alternative support.  

Her behaviour was often misunderstood; she has a bit of a reputation for unpredictability and bad manners. Whenever she gave a contrary opinion she was ticked off and even made to sit on the naughty step, which she couldn’t see the point of at all, and since no one could make her stay, she left as soon as she could.  Some might consider her a bit of a rebel, or a naughty pony but it wasn’t like that. She loved her visitors, especially her owner who had shown nothing but kindness after rescuing her in a moment of rashness from a dealer. 

As her only training had come from the school of hard knocks, she wasn’t into listening to her rider as the questions were confusing, and when she gave an answer, she was mostly rewarded with a tug and a pull. In her mind, escape was the only solution. Since she was built like a mini tank with a chest as wide as a bull, it was a very effective strategy that had always worked until the day her owner loaded her up and took her to MSC on a course.

I think it’s true to say we were all amazed by the progress and transformation in this little mare. Bolshy and pushy to begin with, she was sufficiently polite and attentive by the end of the first day to join all the activities on the second. How was that achieved? By leaving the door of consistency open to strict boundary definition and following through until the task was understood. When agreement was reached, instant security miraculously popped its head out of one of the windows which had been shut for so long everyone thought it was part of the wall. The little mare yawned, she liked the feeling of not having to take responsibility. Now that she’d stopped trying to get away, she saw another door she’d never noticed before. The door of choice was inviting her in. She could choose to continue life as she knew it or step into the room of release. You could see her thinking about that one.

Understanding all the benefits inside the door of release was a light bulb moment. Although the light flickered off and on, another door with several windows continued to deliver support throughout the day. As she got familiar with the sense of release, she began to feel its influence. Softness came in through the window and pressure went out of the door. 

The dust has been stirred to reveal openings containing interspecies maps hidden under layers of confused signals. Now the windows are opening, letting in the light of communication, understanding, and true connection. Both horse and owner can start afresh, taking consistent steps towards building a healthy trust based relationship. We are forward to receiving updates on her progress.