I’m pretty sure almost every equestrian has been been in the position of being puzzled, perplexed and frustrated when their horse reacts and evades our requests, turning a deaf “ear” to our aids and marching on (or in some cases, not budging an inch) to his own tune. I know I’ve been there, and I remember the consternation it caused me, wondering how I could resolve the problem without causing harm to either myself or my horse.
Once we gain a good foundation from our education in the classical approach to horsemanship, we soon find almost all problems can be corrected by using the new skills we’ve developed. We also find that it becomes easier to spot difficulties that others may be having with their horses, noticing the little things that should be corrected with patience and practical application of correct training methods for both horse and rider.
It’s been a genuine pleasure to meet Jan and her horses Wiseguy and Boss. Wiseguy is a sweet, itty bitty miniature horse that Jan has had lots of fun with, he has a special little cart that he can easily pull, and it must be a blast to take a tour of the ranch from this view! I hope I get to watch the two of them in action this coming Spring. Boss is her new, very first, full size riding horse, and she has spent the last couple months getting to know him better and forming a bond. A smart lady, she took riding lessons before buying a horse and continues to hone her skills as she rides and works with him, visiting him at the stable almost every day. Her goal is to be able to ride comfortably and safely on the nearby trails, to have a good relationship with her horse, knowing he is trustworthy, obedient and happy.
Boss is a former working ranch horse and has a good temperament, but lately he has shown a bit of negative attitude when under saddle. As at most stables, many well intentioned folks have offered Jan all kinds of advice, but it seemed like nothing was improving. We know that it doesn’t take long for situations to get out of hand, the problem intensifies, and we soon become even more confounded. The frustrated rider thinks, “what am I doing wrong, what is my horse trying to do and why is he doing this?”
Flicka and I went on a little arena ride with Jan and Boss, the first loop around the ring went fairly well, but soon he was acting a bit naughty, nothing horrid, but rather resistant and uncompromising. I offered to get on Boss just to see for myself exactly what he was doing under saddle. Within a few strides I was pretty well convinced of what was going on…that old evasive move that Flicka loved to pull on me, yep, the stiff neck, shoulder out, “gotcha in the corner” move. I learned from Feather how to correct this problem before the horse goes crooked, but even with that knowledge I still appreciate how GOOD horses are at evading us. Boss caught me off guard several times before I could fix him and keep him straight. Phew, I thought, “this needs to be fixed soon, before it becomes a real problem”.
I told Jan that this was no fault of hers. Like all horses, Boss has found an evasive tactic that worked and allowed him to make the decisions. He says to her, “I’m done working and I don’t want to do this anymore”.
I mentioned to Jan that she might want to read a few of the posts on this blog, specifically a couple posts by Tammy and Sherrie C, just so she could see that her situation isn’t unique and all of us have been in her position at one time or another. And then Feather offered to give a brief evaluation of Boss on the day she was coming over to help me with Sage’s training.
As Judy, Cherie, Jan and I looked on, Feather worked with Boss on the lunge line, side reins attached to surcingle. He’s a smart boy and soon figured out that nothing harmful would occur, and presently he gave a nice marching walk, his stride lengthening as he relaxed and loosened his back muscles. Trot was also asked for and again he was soon moving out of the short, choppy jog and into a better rhythm with lengthened stride.
Jan observed and had several questions that Judy adeptly answered, and as usual, Feather kept Boss quietly moving around her, even as she gave us commentary on what she was asking and looking for as he responded to her requests.
I want to mention that there is a great little book titled, “The Art of Lungeing”, by Sylvia Stanier (it can be purchased online), and reading through sections of it tonight, I’m struck by how closely it coincides with the way Feather has instructed us during our groundwork classes. There is so much that we can do for our horses, and ourselves, through excellent groundwork.
After the lunge line work, Feather surprised Jan by asking her if she had time for a brief lesson in the saddle. Heehee!
She’s good at pulling that one! Better too, Judy, Cherie and I all got to join in for a quick, mini-group lesson.
We had fun, I hope Jan had a good time too, but best of all was that even though all of us are a bit rusty, our horses all got into the swing of things and we had a great little refresher course just working at walk, halt and even a tad bit of shoulder-in. I wonder what Boss thought about being in a Feather Touch class?
Happy New Year to all!
ps: Feather asked me to remind Jan, “Keep it simple, straight, and even”. I think we know what she means by that, but if anyone else would like to explain these rudiments to Jan even further, please do so in the comments at the bottom. Thanks!
Kristy
prairie pinto
amy
Stephanie
Judy
cherie
becky
mquirk
daisysrider
peggy
sherriec
Carley
Jan here — just wanted to say thanks to all of you for your help and your genuine concern that I become a better rider and form a better partnership with Boss. I learned so very much that day spent with Feather and all of you, and am already seeing results by putting into practice some of those pearls of wisdom you all offered up. But mostly, you help me build my confidence and that’s truly the best gift any of you could give me.
Hi Jan, I’m Sherrie C. I just wanted to say how happy I am for you. There is nothing better for you or your horse than training with Feather, and I can never fully express how big a difference she has made in my life for both myself and my horses. There is nothing like having the tools and knowledge to truly enjoy working with the beautiful horse. Everyday my experiences with them just get better and better.
Jan,
I read this post and have to comment because I am very familiar with the problem you are having. I learned to ride the Tennessee Walking Horse, Relentless, who tries to use the same type of evasion by popping his shoulder out. He would avoid doing what I would ask him to do. Being a novice rider it was especially difficult for me because he had my number and could easily avoid my requests. Working with Feather. I built my confidence and gained the skills to work through this problem and become a better rider. The correction for the rubber-necking horse is counter intuitive to what you think you need to do to fix the problem. Really getting his neck straight is the first correction, but it seems so difficult to do because our tendency is to neck rein…which is the wrong thing to do! I also learned how to correctly adjust my weight in the saddle, instead of leaning in the same direction he was trying to take me. I had to learn to keep my legs on the horse (without squeezing him to death), because the second my legs went off his sides and out in the air it opened the door for loopholes. I learned that the best way to correct this problem is to anticipate and expect the horse to go crooked and fix it before it happens. I am so lucky to have been able to find Feather as she has given me the tools that I needed to become a competent and confident rider.
Hmmm, who named this horse Boss? Maybe he thinks he is the boss!
What a lucky rider to find concerned horse people in your own stable. Amy always takes the time to help out, Judy is thoughtfully supportive and Feather is the master of reading a horses body language. Hope to meet you someday, and in the meantime, enjoy riding with the Mare’s club, they are the best!!
Hello Jan, and pardon the delay in posting my comment. I somehow deleted the one I wrote days ago, just before I finished the last sentence! So at last here is my 2 cents worth… (apologies for run-on sentences) It was a pleasure to share time with you and our equine friends last week. It can be one of life’s greatest pleasures to improve the communication and thus the relationship with your horse. When I hear Feather say “keep it simple: straight and even”, this is what I picture in my head as I ride my horse in a relaxed walk in large circles (20 meters or more): Head up, looking over my horse’s ears, spine stretched from head to hips, and continuing down through my heels, hips open and relaxed without any muscle tension, inside of my legs gently in contact with my horse’s sides, arms straight down along my sides, with elbows at my waist, then a straight line from elbow through quiet, soft hands to the bit. I let my seat just follow each walking step my horse takes. Even= both sides of my body in a relaxed, correct position. Straight= the hind feet of my horse stepping tight up into (or beyond) the tracks of the front feet. Riding “straight” can be done in a circle- in fact it is often more practical to do so. If I find myself fussing or fidgeting or becoming tense, I take a deep breath and return to the correct position. By practicing this (or even one piece of it) every time I ride, it gradually becomes more natural to me as a default position, to which I can then add more increasingly advanced techniques of riding. Although I personally still have ALOT to work on, I find this a helpful way to warm-up and cool-down (both must be part of ANY riding session). As I practice this “straight and even”, I pay attention ( lowering my eyes only, not my head) to how my horse is responding and to what he is telling me. This is essential to your riding ALWAYS. You must learn to read what your horse is telling you. This “staright and even” walk will be the basis from which to add all the other “tools” to influence the horse. I’,m looking forward to seeing you and Boss progress together in 2012! your long-winded friend, Judy
post-script: while observing your horses and other peoples horses, notice whether the horse is tense or relaxed. Is that trot short and choppy or smooth and fluid? What is the horse telling you?
Judy: Perfectly said! Your insightful analysis should really help Jan visualize what is meant by riding our horse “straight and even”. I know Feather has told me countless times to “simplify, don’t try to make it so complicated”. Another refrain, “Quit fiddling!”.
Kristy: You certainly do understand the consternation that Jan was having while working with Boss. We all know how sweet Relentless is, but we also know how very difficult it is to keep him from ‘rubbernecking’ – he really can be the toughest one of our bunch to ride – and because of your perseverance you became a skilled equestrian in a very short time. Remember when you were afraid to ride Flicka, and now she’s the fun pony to hop on for a trail ride or some arena work?
Becky and Sherrie: Thank you both for your words of support. We truly have all been in Jan’s boots and it is helpful to know that others have been there.
Hi all, I just met Feather today at her home. Some of my wild friends were visiting her and so I stopped to visit. I was truly impressed with her and her love of the Horse! I can not wait to get to know her better and perhaps gain some wisdom from her. I have a 14 year old Quarter horse who is afraid of everything and so he is not ridden. He is a beautiful boy but he needs someone who understands him to help us both! We are intimidated by each other!
Feather, Thank you so much for allowing Sam and I to intrude on your day! It was awesome!
Leslie
Hello Jan, Tammy here (AKA Daisy’s rider). How wonderful to read this post and all the positive comments. Welcome to our group – Leslie, hope you join us as well with your horse. I too have a gigantic horse who is afraid of lots of things and my biggest challenge. If not for the wisdom of Feather and the support of the other girls, including Sam, he would probably be standing around doing nothing. Jan, you may have been just what was needed to get this group back together. Look forward to meeting you and Boss
Tammy