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Subject: Is
your horse showing disrespect or confusion?
Author : An Interview with Mark Rashid
(from the Rashid newsletter
06/99)
Many of us are confused by the
term "respect". We've been told that a wide variety
of behaviors by our horses indicated that we are doing something
wrong -- that we don't have our horses' respect. And, our response
to this "lack of respect", it is often suggested, can
range from making the horse move his feet by backing him up quickly
or by putting him in a tight circle or some other maneuver along
those lines.
If we understand that we need
to be dependable and reliable in our routine activities and in
the way we work with our horses, then let's talk about what's
next. Many folks get confused and then maybe get into some trouble.
We'd like to offer a little different twist on this topic and
some suggestions about what to do when certain behaviors pop
up -- in ourselves or in our horses.
Here are some questions posed
to Mark about this :
- First, do you
feel it is important that we have our horse's respect?
Yes. But before you can get
their respect, you have to have the horse's trust. Respect is
a two way street. You can't get it without giving it.
- How do you believe
we should go about getting that respect?
By first trying to gain the
horse' s trust and by not assuming that the horse is being disrespectful
all the time. A lot of things that horses do are not always out
of disrespect. If you're seeing something, for instance in the
round pen - the horse runs by and kicks at you - is that disrespect?
Not necessarily. Often, what appears to be disrespectful behavior
is actually confusion or defensive behavior. If they're kicking
at you from 30 feet away, what are the chances of them really
connecting? Look at the big picture. Even if a horse is attacking
or backing at you from quite a distance, I think it's usually
confusion or a defensive thing that we may have prompted or that
is being prompted by the memory of past stressful incidents.
By not always assuming disrespect but assuming confusion, we
leave ourselves another avenue to pursue.
- Is there ever
a time when "pressure" on our horses should be escalated?
Certainly, there are times.
But again, you have to take each situation as it comes. If our
horse is offering certain behaviors that are not acceptable,
we can start with minimal responses to let the horse know that
the behavior is not okay. We then have somewhere to go if we
need to. For example, the succession might be to make a sound,
then (if necessary) taking a step in the horse's direction, maybe
the next thing would be to lift the arms up some.
Where I often see folks getting into a jam is that they usually
start out bigger than they need to therefore they override the
little tries that the horse is giving them and missing the point
altogether. Start with least and then work your way up. So yes,
there are times when probably more is needed, but take each situation
as it comes.
- If so, what
are three things you'd suggest to help us we evaluate that situation?
Big one is -- hold your horse's
attention. Before you can do anything you have to have that.
Once you have it, you can usually keep it by doing very subtle
things. However, many times we use some technique but don't really
have the horse's full attention or the attention will wander
and then we are forced to up the pressure to regain the attention.
If we had kept the attention to begin with or relied more on
keeping the attention, we wouldn't have had to up the pressure
in the first place.
#2 If you have the attention but still some of the behaviors,
the horse probably didn't understand what was being asked and
that doesn't always mean they're not trying. You might have to
up the pressure a little bit to get a response but it should
only be a little bit. If you up the pressure a lot right off
the bat and go past the point where horse could have responded,
the horse can become upset. Once the horse is upset, usually
the fights start.
#3 If you've upped the pressure too much and gone past the comfortable
spot for the horse, you can recover - just back up or stop -
don't escalate. If things are going real bad, you can even leave
the pen (or whatever enclosure you're working in) to regroup
before trying again.. If you are in the saddle and having a problem,
for instance, looking for a lead change and you're in a fight
with horse, just stop and go back to walk. If have to get off
, do so. Give the both of you a little time to think about it
and start over. You may have to even quit for the day. Use whatever
you need to make it right. I always prefer backing off instead
of escalating. It's been my experience that, if you escalate
pressure, your horse will be willing to escalate the undesired
behavior. By backing off a little, it's easier to both then get
back on same page or at least in the same book and work from
there.
- What are two
techniques you've been successful using in those situations --
in general? (i.e. backing up w/ taut lead rope, etc.)
Use what you have to is the
best way to put it. Use what tools are available at the time
and go from there. Most people are so locked into technique that
they don't use their imagination for situations. Overusing technique
can be a problem because it doesn't allow the person to take
the next step on their own based upon what's happening at that
moment. People need to know that it's okay to be creative so
they can solve problems or avoid the problem.
For example, I once had a mare who needed some encouragement
from behind to help her step up into a trailer. The only thing
handy was a nearby garden hose. We stretched the hose out about
fifteen feet behind the horse and lightly shook the hose on the
ground. This gave her the pressure she needed to make a try and
soon we were able to stop using the hose. So, instead of being
stuck with something that isn't working, think about the big
picture and what can help you both get the desired response.
- Let's
take a specific example -- let's say we have checked out all
the environmental factors we could that might be the cause of
a certain behavior and we ultimately conclude that our horse
has stopped trying for us. Walk us through a general process
you go through to resolve this.
If a horse that normally
loads in a trailer suddenly won't go in, something in the routine
has probably changed. The horse is usually not just going to
stop doing something that they've always done. I would look for
a change of routine or environmental factors or anything else
out of the ordinary. A good hard look at the big picture will
usually tell you where the refusal is coming from. If you honestly
feel comfortable that you have looked at all the external factors
(or possible physical factors such as soreness or lameness, etc.),
it may be time to get creative. The kind or number of techniques
that you might come up with to help your horse are limited only
by the constraints of your own imagination.
Reprinted with permission
from Mark Rashid. Mark is a highly respected clinician and author
of 3 books, Considering The Horse, A Good Horse is Never a Bad
Color, and his latest, Horses Never Lie - The Heart of Passive
Leadership. See our links page for a link to Mark's website at
www.markrashid.com.
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