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.

Relationship Building Part Two

In the last post we discussed relationship building and touched on the techniques for success. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is lack of trust as it’s not easy to accurately determine what the levels are. A good indicator is how strong the boundaries are between you. Your horse may be all over you like a rash but that doesn’t necessarily mean he trusts you. How do we define trust? Trust is the absence of fear based reactions both on the ground and under saddle. What are the signs? When your horse is happy to stand still without being tied up or held onto. When your horse agrees to be ridden without sudden shying, running off at unexpected noises, or other unpredictable behaviour. Natural though these responses are, they mostly occur when a horse feels insecure or under threat which can be most of the time for some.

In order to change their perception of how life works, we must learn to be totally consistent with everything we do. We know horses are creatures of habit and a big part of that is their need for consistency which isn’t to be confused with routine. You can have a routine without consistency and consistency without routine. We prefer the latter because it gives us and the horses more flexibility and opportunity to build a relationship without restraints.  Where should you start with consistency? By consciously making sure you do everything in the same way and at the same speed of movement to obtain a particular result until it becomes a habit or ritual the horse can rely on. The horse is less concerned whether what you do is right or wrong but cares deeply about doing something one way today and another tomorrow. Your horse will find it easier to trust you when you consistently do the “wrong” thing all of the time than the “right” thing some of the time. If he can’t rely on you to be consistent, how can he trust you to keep him safe when you take him away from the herd?

As an example of how much value a horse places on consistency, let’s look at a typical situation out hacking where the horse sees something he doesn’t like and refuses to go past it. Maybe you feel it expedient to get off and lead him past. The next day he does the same thing. You try a little harder to persuade him to keep going but he says no and turns round. You bring him back and try again. He tells you he doesn’t think it’s a good idea and before you know it, he’s turned round again and is heading for home. You manage to get him back so he’s facing the “right” way and to avoid an argument, you dismount and lead him past. The next day you ride out with a friend whose horse just walks by and not surprisingly, your horse is happy to follow. The day after you are on your own again and even more determined to ride past the stumbling block. After a couple of attempts to turn round, he agrees to go past with a bit of a dash. You give him lots of pats and tell him he’s a good boy. The next time you ride him it’s very windy, he’s more jumpy than usual so you’re not surprised he won’t pass the dreaded “thing.” You don’t trust him to stand still long enough for you to get on again if you lead him past so you decide to take an alternative route. Time goes by with some improvement. There are days he goes by without a problem but on others, he flatly refuses and tries evasion tactics which make you feel nervous enough to either dismount or go another way.

What’s actually happening is that the horse has developed a rule to help him deal with a lack of consistency beyond dismounting with regard to riding past whatever it was that he didn’t like, even though by now it no longer poses a threat. Now he dictates whether or not he’ll go past, depending on how confident he feels on any particular day. The rule is he will follow you or another horse past or go on his own if he feels like it. The rule is not only consistent, it’s also a habit. Consistency is so important to horses that they will be inclined to put their own version in place in order to feel safe unless you can show you can step up to the mark.  

Trust through consistency is absolutely the best way to build a successful partnership.

Relationship Building

Relationships are tricky things at the best of times. If we look back on our life, most of us can remember falling out with a friend, a work colleague or even a family member. Relationships change over time; as the years pass, our needs can change or we look at things from a different perspective. The business of relationships in general is big and complex. Communicational difficulties between humans often need a professional mediator so what chance is there to enjoy a successful relationship with a non verbal being like a horse?

Many people admit to liking animals better than humans, finding it easier to relate to their pets. If asked why, they would come up with reasons like "Animals don't judge you, " or "He's always pleased to see me", or "He accepts me for what I am, I can be me". Although these statements also apply to horses, on their own they are not enough. The difference between a horse and a dog for instance, is the latter relies on his owner completely for food, shelter, and companionship while horses never truly lose their wild heritage. Their need for safety and survival is so great, the instinct to return to the herd is overriding, even stronger than the desire for food.

A good relationship with your horse is determined by its health. Just like human relationships, not all are positive.  Horses are individuals with a group mentality; it is easier to form a bond with some than others depending on character and previous conditioning. Sadly most horses have multiple owners throughout their life which inevitably means they will collect some baggage over time that not only affect their performance, but also their ability to relate positively to humans.

We all know a healthy relationship is based on trust. Trust has to be earned.  It can’t be bought, forced or demanded. It is totally dependent on the horse feeling safe and secure. These feelings can change in an instant, they might be present one minute and gone the next as we all know. Horses only feel safe and secure while their survival isn’t under threat. Being absolutely consistent in riding and handling them with an aura of calm, assertive energy, giving them enough time to work out what we want them to do, allows trust to develop naturally. One of the best indicators of your horse’s trust levels is how happy he is to simply stand still without being constrained.

Since this might bring up more questions than answers, next time we will explore some simple techniques for relationship success.

Horses are Great Teachers, a guest post from Sam

I have now had 2 separate horses from Avril and the initial story for each has been the same. As a mum returning to riding 20 years after my last serious experiences with it, and then not very good, I have all the usual associated problems – not fit, not competent, and not confident. And even today I have little confidence and need a horse I am sure will not bolt, reverse into a ditch or spook into the oncoming traffic. I also carry my own neuroses – that any horse I will ride will not be as good for me as it is for Avril; that I may “ruin” a horse; and that I am not good enough to tell the difference between a horse that is testing boundaries and one that doesn’t understand what I am asking – because I am not asking correctly or mis-reading what it is telling me.

This background lead to the arrival of Oxo – one of Avril’s own ponies about whom I have written previously. It has since been followed by the arrival of Puzzle who’s role is to temporarily cover Oxo’s role while Oxo is resting from some surgery.

In both cases I have approached them with both terror and excitement – excitement that this might be the pony that will take me on quiet, gentle, peaceful hacks around the farm, allowing me to watch the swifts insect-diving in the ripening wheat. But the terror has been the prevailing emotion – and of course the one I share with the horses, and for which they end up having to take responsibility, in looking after me.

The first obvious consequence of this terror, combined with the horse being in an entirely new environment starts when I try to get on a pony which has not moved off from the mounting block without its rider in 10 years but because I am telling it so strongly that this is highly dangerous, it chooses to do so. Oxo did this for my first 4 or 5 rides, and on our first ride went marching out of the yard the minute I was on. For Puzzle, where I was slightly less terrified but not much she did this for our first ride. But as a (nearly) old hand at this I realized that I had to a) get a better grip on my nerves and b) just keep, patiently telling her that I needed her to stand still. After 5 or 6 circuits of the mounting block she stood still, including once I was on, and sorting out my stirrups. On our second ride she stood perfectly still straightaway and there was less fuss. Whether this was because I had reduced my fear after a lovely hack the day before, or because I had insisted the day before I don’t know – but of course the minute it happens then the virtuous circle on the confidence front commences. Since then we have had a couple of times moving off, usually after I haven’t ridden for a couple of days, but as my confidence in her, and in asking her to stand has grown it becomes less and less an issue. Certainly with Oxo it is an issue I had forgotten ever existed after a year of riding her.

My second challenge has been that both horses are perfectly patient and will wait while out, if you chat to a passer-by, want to let a dog be caught etc. Except that neither will with me – they want to pace a bit – I think because standing still is dangerous, especially when your rider is telling you there is trouble out there. With Oxo this was more of a problem because I was (even) more of a novice. So I started by asking her for 2 or 3 second stops on the outward trip and over time built up to 5 or 10 second stops, and then added in doing these on the way home, including even within spitting distance of the yard. Now she stands without me thinking about it – this is not something I have taught her because when I first rode her at Avril’s she stood perfectly when out – it is something she has now understood is ok to do with me even though I am exhibiting fear. For Puzzle exactly the same experience has emerged – and again I rode her a couple of times at Avril’s and it was not a feature there. So I know it is something about me which is making it happen. For Puzzle I now know enough not to just pull on the reins if she tries to walk on, so I ask her to walk round in a circle and then stand which has worked. I am also confident that as I relax the issue will go away – but until we have got to know each other I wont ask her to stand at road junctions etc.

For Puzzle the other manifestation was initially a real marching walk – not a run, and no hint of a jog, but a striding out that was the most purposeful I have ever felt. But again, literally by day 2, Puzzle had settled her walk (though it is a naturally very forward going walk, but I now also know it wont speed up or break into a trot, even when ridden on the buckle). It was the same with her trot – which the first time was more of a run, the second was less so and now is a very ground covering trot – which is the norm for Puzzle but with no hint of speeding up, and instant downward transitions (which also caught me out the first time I experienced it!)

After this the two ponies are different – Oxo has done the odd spook but only when she has been caught by surprise – a herd of deer moving through the woods when she could only catch glimpses of them was the most extreme – it involved a leap to one side and kicking out with her back feet. Initially this completely threw me because I thought it was a buck – even though it didn’t unseat me at all, and has never been seen since. This was in our first week and since then she has mostly just muscle twitched if something, like a pheasant, has leapt out of the hedge. But even then its only if she is caught by surprise. Now her muscle twitching is her only real spooking.

Puzzle told me of her nerves in a different way – she called and called the first hack we did together. I found this disconcerting but knew to keep her head straight and just tell her that we were going to continue out all the way until we got home. On our second hack she called twice and I haven’t heard her call at all since. Again this is not something I heard her do at Avril’s, and isn’t typical of her.

So I guess what I have taken from these experiences is that if we show our horses a lot of nerves they will show us some back – because they would not be remotely tuned into us if they didn’t and they are animals which survive on reading the body language of those around them. And that has lead me to conclude that with a new horse the first week will not necessarily be like the subsequent weeks and they may well show some small lapses in their perfect behaviour in the face of being at a new yard, different routine, different companions and a nervous rider.

With both horses I have done things in a way some would describe as particularly hard – I have spen my first few weeks hacking out alone. I have done this because I know that is what Avril’s horses are used to, and also so that I don’t have to worry about their reaction to any other horses, or the behavior of any other horses, and can just concentrate on me and my horse. I also feel that if I can do that then everything else will be easier later, including that I wont have to worry about finding a riding companion – and that is how it has proved to be. For me there is little that is more glorious than being on a horse, on my own, on a long rein, watching the wildlife ignore me!

Sam

Mastering "Natural" Horsemanship

We feel this post, an article by Ron Meredith is most relevant to owners and riders alike. Horsemanship is as much a journey in self-discovery as it is in learning new or established techniques. With many valuable tips and strategies to remind you of what your horse needs to feel comfortable with you. If they could speak in words, I'm sure they would say it is easier to listen to us when we take the time to ensure we are a are a clear channel of communication.

Most people think you control a horse by controlling its head. You put on a lead rope or a bridle and you use that to show the horse how you want him to start and stop and turn and move his feet and disengage this or that and other stuff. So how do you control a horse when you don’t have a lead rope or a bridle on him? Every day, there are a lot of people chasing horses around in pastures asking that question.

A horse-logical training system like heeding teaches people how to control the horse’s mind. If you’ve got his mind, you’ve got the horse whether or not he’s loaded with tack. It takes a very specific discipline to learn to do this correctly. I don’t mean discipline in the sense of obedience or punishment. When I use the word discipline, I mean calm compliance. It takes discipline or self control on the part of the trainer to make the horse into a disciple or follower, to cause the horse to willingly follow your lead.

In the animal kingdom, humans are predators and horses are prey animals. In order to work with horses, we have to figure out how to bridge that zoological gap. We do this by establishing a pattern, a feeling in the horse, that we are the safest, most comfortable place in the world to be rather than a predator out to do them harm. It is simple to describe how to do this but hard to master the program. Here are the ground rules:

Pay attention. You get the horse to pay attention to you by paying constant attention first to yourself, then to the horse. Say hello to your friends at the stables, scratch all the dogs and shoot the breeze with the yard manager before you head down the aisle to get your horse, not while you’re with him. Don’t forget to turn off the radio or put the compact disk player and ear buds away.

In order to pay full attention to what you are doing and what your horse is doing, you have to put any distractions aside. You need to focus and concentrate. If that’s hard for you, start with 10 minutes and work your way up. Eventually you want to be so focused on your horse that you wouldn’t notice if a bomb went off or someone came up alongside you waving a million pound check.

Pay attention to what you are thinking, to what you are doing, and to how you are breathing. If you’re thinking about what kind of pizza you want for dinner, you’re not with your horse. If you’re thinking about how your horse is going to perform at next week’s show, you’re not with your horse right now. Keep monitoring your attention and bringing it back to your horse.

As you are paying attention to your horse, ask yourself what kind of feedback he’s giving you? How is he breathing? What are his eyes and his ears signalling? Are his reactions to haltering, leading, grooming or whatever you’re doing with him the same as the last time you worked with him?

If you are paying attention to your horse, you will know when his attention wanders from you. You don’t jerk on the lead rope or spank or poke him. You don’t “correct” him or punish him. You just quietly do the smallest thing you need to do to get his attention back on you. It might be as little a brushing your hand against your nylon jacket to make a little noise or as much as using some sort of pressure that makes him move his feet a little. It’s going to vary from horse to horse and it will change as the horse spends more time with you.

The most important things to pay attention to are rhythm and relaxation. You start moving rhythmically from the moment the horse can hear your voice or footsteps or sees you coming toward his stall. Everything about your approach should be rhythmic and relaxed. Pay attention to your breathing because that’s where it starts. Then pay attention to every movement you make and the tension in your muscles, even your face.

As you greet the horse in his stable, put on his halter, stand him in the aisle, start grooming, tack him up, or whatever you’re doing that day, you work with a constant sense of rhythm. From the way you buckle the halter to the way you coil the end of the lead to the way you pick up and put down your brushes or lay the saddle pad on the horse’s back you don’t speed up, you don’t slow down, and you don’t let things get jerky or jittery. Rhythm. Rhythm. Rhythm.

Move your horse to the arena with rhythm, mount with rhythm, and ride with rhythm. Rhythm is the mother of relaxation and teaching your horse that pattern can help prevent a wreck down the road someday when something unusual and unplanned happens. And it will.

Never raise the excitement level to a predatory level. Keeping yourself rhythmic and relaxed will help you keep your wits and your patience so you never do anything that startles the horse. Never do anything that interrupts the feeling you want him to have that you are a safe place to be. If something you do elevates the excitement level, you put too much pressure on the horse. If you do something and he didn’t notice it, you need to go back and repeat the lessons about paying attention until you both have that down.

Here’s an example. If you are constantly paying attention to the horse you will be constantly aware of what he’s thinking and doing. You will start to catch little things before they escalate into big things. You will start to control your own reactions so that you can control the horse’s reactions. For instance, let’s say you have a horse in a round pen and something startles him and he leaves. You don’t react to his leaving by increasing the pressure and asking him for a few extra laps of the pen. That’s retribution and you are not trying to establish the pattern that if the horse leaves when you didn’t tell him to leave, he’s going to get punished for that.

Instead, if something unusual grabs his attention and raises his excitement level to the point that he needs to leave, you just let him go and act like nothing happened. Then you have to get his attention back before you can do anything else. So you do the smallest thing you need to do to get his attention back on you. Then you invite him to come back to you. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. After awhile when something startles him, he’ll start checking to see what you’re doing before he leaves. If you keep acting like nothing happened, he’ll start to follow your lead and act that way, too.
Repeat these steps until you figure it out. You have to work on paying attention, staying rhythmic and staying relaxed until your self control is a pattern the horse can absolutely trust. Then you can be in control of your horse.

Don’t be surprised if everything doesn’t just fall neatly in place the first day or week or even for several months when you start learning a non-predatory way of being horses. Some call it “natural” horsemanship but it doesn’t come naturally to a lot of people. Developing the mental self control that enables you to control a horse is hard work. A lot of the old horsemen teaching this took a lifetime to learn it. If you’re younger than they are, don’t get discouraged. Take your time and be as patient with yourself as you want to be with your horse.

Relationship Building

Regular readers of our blog will know that Briar has her own page where this update is can also be found. Her story is so inspiring, we've feel it is more than worthy of being front page news!

Briar came home to us a week ago and so I thought it was time for an update.... I know I have thanked you many times already but I have to thank you again because Briar is such a star . . Its been a long process but it has soooooo been worth it after what I have been witness to this week... tears in my eyes wouldnt quite cover it!

Briar came home a little earlier than expected as she had a perculiar health turn not really poorly as such but showing some symtoms that needed attention.. I treat homeopathically and for that reason she needed to be home so she could be watched as remedies need to altered depending on the change in symptoms.. I would like to take this opportunity to say that she has been looked after impeccably by my friends and  they were sad to see her leave it was really hard as they were so kind to drop her to us to what will be our new home very soon ..and their daughter cried as she said goodbye...... my friend told me it hit her when she looked across the field the next day and the little black cob wasnt there.. I tell you this little black mare touches hearts

During the last week Briar has had two Shiatsu sessions which were very revealing paticulaly the last one as she finds it hard to give of her self to these kind of treatmensts and actually to begin with was quite grumpy and unhappy about it all but eventually she secumbed to the gentle treatment and was enthralling with her muzzle nestled in Jeans face as she worked on meridian points in her face.. she carries a lot of anger ( not surprising really as she tries to keep being with us and I keep sending her off elsewhere BUT no more)this shows physically in pain behind the saddle and Avril found her sore here before so it is an area that definately needs keeping an eye on..

Lottie has been so patient desperate to sit on but knowing that Briar had to feel well and not in pain.. so she took to just sitting in her stable as often as she could... I went to check on them, crept quietly over so not to disturb  and there was Lottie sat on the floor legs out, back against the wall talking to Briar about her name and would she mind if she changed it as she felt that Briar was such a spiky sounding name and Briar was no longer a spiky person .. so she wondered if she could call her by her other name Ebony which means  dark strength .. Briar I have to tell you was stood over Lotties legs with her head down and falling asleep ... it was so so wonderful to see..her stable is very big and she could have chosen to stand anywhere but Lottie told me later she walked over and chose to stand with her..  Later on I asked Lottie how she would know what Briar felt about her name.. and she just said Briar is thinking about it... so will let you know when Briar lets Lottie know!

Lottie is very strict about following what she learnt on one of Avrils courses and from day one made Briar walk behind her and stop when asked... I say made as if it was an issue but with Lottie it just isnt she walks quietly behind and the paddock she is in is about 1/3 of mile away from the stables and  Briar never  moves from being behind... I have more trouble and I am certain it is because I find it harder to empty my head of junk whereas  Lottie seems able to totally focus...what was so funny /humbling in witnessing was a few days ago was the following... Lottie was leading Briar to the field and at a road junction put her arms out for Briar to stop and stand.. Briar immediately stopped but everso sweetly and slowly raised her head and just stretched her neck out without taking a step forward to rest her chin on Lotties outstretched arms... Lottie could hardly breathe at this gesture which is quite something from Briar.. so they just stood Lottie with outstretched arms and Briar resting her chin but never moving a hoof... what the traffic thought goodness knows!!

As Briars back ceased to be sore Lottie excitedly asked if she could ride her out to the field... I think that will be fine i said..  was she tacked ? no.. bridle maybe? no!... she jumped on bareback with a headcoller and reins and off we went.. Lottie in front and me behind leading her field companion... I have been waiting so long to see Lottie enjoying her pony like kids should but never did i think that pony would be Briar.. but hey what do I know about getting the right pony!!lol

Well the real tester was today and i cant help it but try as i could to be chilled i was in bits inside and i told Briar so... Lottie was taking her out on a hack on her own in a bitless Bridle .... She tacked up calmly stood like a rock to be mounted and off they went round the yard a bit.. she did a couple of halts to see if she felt ok which they both did so out the gate to explore..... I tried so hard to get on with other jobs and trust in Briars honourable nature and Lotties abilility... but I am afraid I am a mother and after 15minutes could stand it no longer and jumped into the car to casually ( ha ha ha not so casual inside!!) drive passed and check all was well.. gosh they looked so great together loose reins ears pricked and the biggest wave from Lots.. the sun was shining .. it was just one of those perfect moments... well I am so sad to say that i was intending to drive round the block back home but i just found the car couldnt help itself and it had this deep need to do a three point turn and casually drive passed again but from the other direction!!! of course  all was still well but instead of the entusiastic wave i got that look from Lottie that was saying what on earth are you doing you mad person go home we are fine! so i did .. and yes they arrived safely home .. Lottie high fived me later this evening .. its been a long time coming but truly we have finally arrived... we are very blessed...

I raise a glass of chilled wine to Avril and MSC dream makers extraordinaire!  x x x x x

Horse Training From The Ground Up

Have you ever wondered what your horse was thinking? Have you ever asked yourself ``Why doesn't he listen to me?'' or ``Why did he do that?'' Well did you ever stop to think that your horse may be asking those very same questions?

The three principles of the Horse/Human Relationship are Trust, Respect, and Communication. These principles have a priority in the horse's mind. If you try to get respect, or communicate with the horse before he trusts you, you will trigger the flight/fight instinct in the horse and he will run away, mentally if not physically.

The normal response to this is to restrict the horse's choices with cross ties, draw reins, martingales, etc. We prefer techniques that allow the horse to make choices, and then tell him when he makes the right one. This teaches the horse to respond to a request, rather than react to a stimulus. Most people never ask the horse what he thinks, because they're afraid he'll give the wrong answer. There's nothing wrong with the horse making a mistake (that's how he learns) as long as you let him know it was a mistake.

Trust is the first and most important priority in the horse/human relationship. Most people can gentle a horse but few earn his trust. In the horse's mind, gentleness is the horse not hurting us, trust is not hurting the horse. Therefore, trust allows the horse to step out of his comfort zone and expand his knowledge and experience.

Respect is to consider worthy of high regard and has nothing to do with fear or intimidation. Though closely intertwined, it differs from trust in that it helps define the relationship within the herd. Trust gives the horse confidence to act, respect motivates him to.

Communication is a process by which information is exchanged through a common system of symbols, signs or behaviour. The horse's language is a physical one of position and gestures, reinforced with verbal expression...just the opposite of ours. It is incumbent upon us to learn his language, and not expect him to learn ours. Many people believe the horse moves away from pressure. If that were true, try to pull a head down that hasn't been taught to lower it, or push him off a toe when he's standing on it. The horse learns to move away from pressure to seek a release. This is where feel, timing, and balance become critical. Feel allows us to recognize when the horse is responding (or thinking of responding). Timing the release tells the horse when he has responded correctly. Balance keeps us in position to feel the horse respond and time the release.

Whether interacting with humans or horses, the principles of a relationship remain the same, all that changes are the values of the individuals and the methods of communication. Treat your horse as you would your best friend, and he'll trust you as his herd leader. For both partners in the horse/human relationship, trust gives the freedom to act, respect motivates them to act, and communication tells them how to act.

Horses Never Forget Human Friends

Horses remain loyal to humans with which they have had past, positive encounters.
They remember people even after long separation. Horses understand vocal commands better than expected.

Human friends may come and go, but a horse could be one of your most loyal, long-term buddy if you treat him right, suggests a new study.
Horses also understand words better than expected, according to the research, and possess "excellent memories," allowing horses to not only recall their human friends after periods of separation, but also to remember complex, problem-solving strategies for ten years or more.

The bond with humans likely is an extension of horse behaviour in the wild, since horses value their own horse relatives and friends, and are also open to new, non-threatening acquaintances.
"Horses maintain long-term bonds with several members of their family group, but they also interact temporarily with members of other groups when forming herds," explained Carol Sankey, who led the research, and her team.
"Equid social relationships are long-lasting and, in some cases, lifelong," added the scientists, whose paper has been accepted for publication in the journal Animal Behaviour.

Ethologist Sankey of the University of Rennes and her colleagues studied 20 Anglo-Arabian and three French Saddlebred horses stabled in Chamberet, France. The scientists tested how well the horses remembered a female trainer and her instructions after she and the horses had been separated up to eight months.
The training program for the horses consisted of 41 steps associated with basic grooming and medical care. For example, the horses had to remain immobile in response to the verbal command "reste!" which is French for "stay." The horses also had to lift their feet, tolerate a thermometer inserted into the rectum and more. When a horse did as it was instructed, the trainer rewarded it with food pellets.
With tasty rewards, the horses "displayed more 'positive' behaviours toward the experimenter, such as sniffing and licking," the researchers wrote. Horses do this as a sign of affiliation with each other, so they weren't necessarily just seeking more food.

The scientists added, "Horses trained without reinforcement expressed four to six times more 'negative' behaviours, such as biting, kicking and 'falling down' on the experimenter."
Nevertheless, after the eight months of separation, the horses trained with food rewards gravitated towards the same experimenter. The horses also seemed to accept new people more readily, indicating they had developed a "positive memory of humans" in general.

From our results, it appears that horses are no different than humans (in terms of positive reinforcement teachings), according to the researchers. They behave, learn and memorize better when learning is associated with a positive situation."
While people often train dogs in this way, also using verbal commands, Sankey and her team point out that "the majority of horse-riding training is based on tactile sensations -- pressure from bits, movements of riders' legs, weight change in the saddle."

Since horses are able to learn and memorize human words and can hear the human voice better than even dogs can, due to their particular range of hearing, the scientists predict trainers could have success if they incorporate more vocal commands into their horse training programs.
Jill Starr is president and founder of Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue, observed horses responding well to verbal commands, such as "trot," but she still feels horses and people get along better if the person doesn't chatter, since this causes the individual to have greater awareness of body language that is more familiar to horses.

She, however, agrees that horses are loyal, intelligent and have very long-lasting memories -- of both good and bad experiences. She said, "Horses can be very forgiving, but they never forget."

The smell of fear is real say scientists

Horsemen have always known that horses can smell fear but until recently, it wasn't fully accepted in scientific circles. Now there is proof humans are also aware of the smell of fear, it shows empirically the horse's need for continued confidence in our leadership. Horse know us sometimes better than we know ourselves by our odour.

The smell of fear, one of the most terrible cliches of pulp fiction, is founded in fact, scientists claim today.

People can unconsciously detect whether someone is stressed or scared by smelling a chemical pheromone released in their sweat, according to researchers who have investigated the underarm secretions of petrified skydivers.

The team found that the smell of fear triggered a heightened response in brain regions associated with fear when inhaled by volunteers in a brain scanner. The research suggests that like many animal species, humans can detect and subconsciously respond to pheromones released by other people.

The research was funded by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency – the Pentagon's military research wing – raising speculation that it is a first step to isolating the fear pheromone for use in warfare, perhaps to induce terror in enemy troops. But DARPA denied that it had any military plans for fear pheromones or plans to fund further research into the field.

Dr Lilianne Mujica-Parodi at Stony Brook University in New York State and her team taped absorbent pads to the armpits of 20 novice skydivers ­– 11 men and nine women – who were doing their first tandem jump. The pads soaked up sweat before they leaped from the plane and as they fell. For comparison, the team collected sweat from the same individuals as they ran on a treadmill for a similar duration at the same time of day they had made their jump.

They transferred the two types of sweat to nebulisers and asked volunteers in a brain scanner to breathe it in. To avoid biasing the results, the team did not tell the volunteers anything about the experiment. New Scientist magazine reported that the volunteers' amygdala and hypothalamus – brain regions associated with fear – were more active in people who breathed in the "fear" sweat compared with the control. The volunteers in the brain scanner were unable consciously to distinguish between the two types of sweat and rated them both as mild and non-aversive.

In a conference presentation last year, Mujica-Parodi wrote: "We demonstrate here the first direct evidence for a human alarm pheromone … Our findings indicate that there may be a hidden biological component to human social dynamics, in which emotional stress is, quite literally, 'contagious'." She declined to comment further on the results because the study is under review with a scientific journal.

Simon Wessely, a psychiatrist at the King Centre for Military Health Research at King's College London told New Scientist that the idea that a fear pheromone could be developed as a chemical weapon is scientifically implausible. He said that a purely physiological cue is not enough to induce fear if people are not in a frightening situation. "You can generate the physical symptoms of fear but people don't necessarily get scared," he said.

The findings will be controversial because most researchers do not believe that humans can detect pheromones. In other mammals, this is done using a structure in the nose called the vomeronasal organ. Although humans have one of these it is not connected to the brain. However, human pheromones could still be detected elsewhere and some small studies have suggested that human behaviour can be modified by an alarm pheromone. In one study in 2002, for example, 60 women were asked to distinguish between sweat pads worn by women who had watched the horror film Candyman or a documentary. They rated the sweat from the scary film watchers as stronger, less pleasant and smelling more "like aggression".