That nagging feeling is urging you to step even deeper into the riding world. Much more awaits aside from just the mechanical steps of the horse. Below the surface level, you discover that you can in fact influence your horse beyond your wildest expectations - you realize that through riding alone, you can create the horse's attitude, comfort, self-confidence, and even the way your horse carries himself. You can affect his coat shine, muscling, the quality of his movement when he is turned out in the field.
You discover that you can be a prime factor in developing his personality.
And at this point, your riding efforts go through a transformation. You now use your technical skill to improve the horse - his way of going and his mental outlook. No longer is it sufficient to get the horse moving from point A to point B. Now, your focus changes to getting there with more balance, a little lighter on the forehand, with more enthusiasm and expression... and you search for the intangibles that become the true essence of riding.
Thus you move from the pure mechanics of riding to a soul-stirring, relationship-creating effort that involves not just a rider and a horse but two partners giving of each self to create a new whole.
This path from the lower-case 'r' to the upper-case 'R' is what keeps you coming back for more....
In the beginning, you must focus all your energy on just riding. This phase includes learning all the basic skills - how to balance, how to manipulate and coordinate your various appendages, and how to use your various 'aids'.
You discover that you have a 'seat' and that it is the crux of all things in riding, and if you are lucky, you are blessed with an instructor that is willing to lunge you to develop that seat.
You learn about the gaits, the surge of energy when a horse proceeds with an upward or downward 'transition', and distinguish between your inside and outside reins and aids.
You differentiate between go and (not 'stop' but) halt.
You negotiate patterns, movements, and figures.
You graduate from the walk to the trot ('posting' and in a while, with 'diagonals'). Eventually you take your first canter steps and you wonder what the horse world has waiting for you after all these accomplishments.
You begin to jump, rein (spins, slides and stops), fly over jumps in cross-country, get 'test'ed in dressage, complete the pattern in western horsemanship or trail, run the barrels, or maybe even head for the hills during a 30-mile long competitive trail.
You might learn to jump higher, spin faster, go longer on the trail.
At this point, riding is a pleasure, a recreational sport, a chance to enjoy the company of the magnificent horse.
But at some point, you realize that there is something missing - but you can't put your finger on it. Yet the feeling continues to pick away until through some catalyst (watching someone ride, or learning something new), you take a bite out of the proverbial apple... and discover Riding (with the capital R).
Every now and then, it is a super feeling to get out of your own backyard, hit the road with your horse friend that you've been working with for so long, and get out to "play" with other like-minded people.
However, before you head off, set yourself some achievable goals for the day - both for your riding and for your horse - and be satisfied with your performances if you achieved your goals. Sometimes, you might achieve your personal best out there in the ring, but on that day, it just isn't good enough to receive a placing. And that should be as good an accomplishment as any.
DON'T go if:
- you aren't getting excellent rides at home, mentally and physically, both you and your horse.
- you haven't taken your horse off-property in many months (go somewhere lower-key first).
- you haven't done your "homework": both you and your horse are fit (conditioning, muscling, mentally) and riding AT LEAST one level (regardless of discipline of riding) higher than what you will be doing at the show.
- you are struggling with a component that you will need at the show.
- you absolutely HAVE TO take home the winning ribbon/prize/championship (well, ok, unless you are there to win thousands of dollars or the Olympics).
- you are unprepared in terms of tack/supplies.
"Green light" checklist for the show:
- you can thank your horse for just getting the two of you to the show
- you have it pretty good at home and your horse is producing "winning" rides on a regular basis
your horse can easily handle the physical exertion that will be required while you're riding at home
- you want to go and soak in the atmosphere of hundreds of others of people dedicated to their horses and sport like you!
- you are prepared to put forth a strong attempt and receive feedback from the judge (and your horse!) with humility.
- you know deep down that there is a tomorrow and you take what you learn from this show and put it forward to the work you will do at home and at the next show.
- you know that even if you don't win the class, you have a chance to watch others and learn from their efforts and experiences.
- you will celebrate any ribbons (accomplishments) with the joy that comes with a deep sense of knowing that everything came together at the right place at the right time
Know that there is always the possibility that things don't come together, and you might end up with a sub-par performance that day. In this case, know that there will be other days ahead when things will go right together.
Most important -listen to your horse, and see if the show was beneficial for him as well as you.
Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!
Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the new Horse Listening Practice Sessions.
This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.
Don’t miss a single issue of Horse Listening! If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published! Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list.Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email
Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book:Stepping Forward to Effective Riding
Top 6 Ways to Ramp It Up For Show Season: Preparing for the show season may not be as easy as it looks. There are many aspects that go into getting to the show ring, and even more that need to be done before you even set your first trailer tires onto the road.
The 99% Lucky rule is very simple - when you're around horses, and particularly in dangerous situations, you are lucky 99% of the time. That is a good rule - unless it happens to be the 1% of the time that you might be 'un'-lucky! Then, it's no fun at all. Let me explain...
When you are around horses, safety must come first before anything else - your safety first, then the horse's safety. Regardless of the horse-related activity you participate in, once the horse is involved, your safety 'barometer' has to be turned on and stay active the whole time.
How to be in the right place at the wrong time (stay in that 99% lucky zone):
- be aware of your positioning in relation to the horse (even if you are on the ground).
- be aware of the surroundings and the possible reactions of the horse.
- know when to stop an activity (whether you should stop insisting on something from the ground, or even to the point of getting off the horse when you know it is time to stop the ride).
- control your external body language to exude calmness and confidence at all times (even if you and/or the horse are at high alert).
- verbally talk yourself and your horse out of a sticky situation - your voice calms the horse and reinforces to yourself what you want to do.
Most of the time, your luck will hold out in dangerous situations. Some of the craziest, most dangerous events go by unnoticed because just out of luck, your horse refrained from reacting as violently he could have, or the situation just didn't present in the worst-case scenario. People then go along as usual, completely unaware that the reason they were not injured was purely thanks to luck....
One example: wrapping a lead rope around your hand while you walk the horse into the barn. Now, we all know that you should never wrap a lead rope around a hand. And still we do it from time to time. And 'most' of the time, nothing happens at all.
The horse obliges nicely and walks beside us as we walk in. 99 times out of 100, the scene proceeds as planned. However, just once, there might be something that jumps out of the bush, or your horse sees something out of the corner of his eye, and he lunges forward/backward/sideways (take your pick) and very unfortunately, your hand must follow!
Work diligently to prevent that 1% unlucky! Make every effort to remain in the "safe zone" of whatever you do with the horse. You'll be glad you did.
Don’t miss a single issue of Horse Listening! If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published! Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list.Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email
Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book:Stepping Forward to Effective Riding
You've seen it before (maybe you've been there yourself?) - the horse/human tug-of-war scenario:
The person is trying desperately to keep the horse in a particular position
or
the person is leading the horse somewhere and all the while, the horse is moving, imposing, and once in a while, running over the doting human being!
* * * * *
Once you know how to listen to your horse, a whole world of communication can open up for you. You will know how to interpret what the horse is saying - to the other horses, to you, and to the 'world'. Horses send messages out as much as humans do. It's just that we do it verbally (just think of what a gathering of people sounds like and you'll know what I mean).
Horses, on the other hand, do very little verbally (unless the horses belong to me - they've definitely learned to 'voice' their opinion!). Most of their communication lies in the non-verbal realm; you need to learn to 'listen' in a different sense, by carefully observing their body movements. Pretty much EVERY movement has a meaning and is 'sent out' with deliberate intention. The talent on your part is to interpret the body language accurately.
Point in fact - the horse's social structure works on a basic hierarchical system. Lower-level horses always defer to the herd leader. In other words, if the herd leader moves into the direction of another horse, the lower horse is expected to move away - from the hay, from another horse friend, or simply from the herd leader himself.
Neglecting to move away often results in a more aggressive movement from the herd leader - including the possibility of a swift kick in the lower-level horse's direction!
This submission has developed over the millenia for good reason - the herd leader HAD to be the one who moved the herd around. In nature, without a good leader to tell the others what to do and where to go, the herd's safety would be at risk.
How does this involve you, the human? Your actions will dictate your current and future relationship with that horse. Here is a possible scenario: while you are leading the horse beside you, the horse steps into your direction, almost walking on top of you. Your possible responses:
- you think it's cute that the horse wants to snuggle up to you, and you step back as the horse walks into you
- you see the horse coming in your direction and you push the horse on his shoulder so he doesn't continue coming into your space
Each reaction on your part gives the horse a different message. The first reaction - stepping away - will tell the horse that he is the herd leader between the two of you, and that he should be the one to make decisions. Many times, this 'herd dynamic' works just fine for your interactions, because chances are that your horse is kind and generous and usually will not be inclined toward stepping on you or dragging the lead rope out of your hand.
But unfortunately, the one time that he feels he must impose his authority on you (if he feels threatened by an unfamiliar object), you will not have a say in his decision-making. As the lower ranked member of your herd, you must obey - meaning, you'd better get out of his way as he tramples you to get away from the fear object!
If instead, you choose to not move away and push him back out of your space the moment you notice him stepping toward you, you impart a very different message. In this case, you are telling him that you are the herd leader, and he needs to respect your personal space.
This is the preferable role for you as human, since you are likely more than six times smaller and lighter and at risk of being easily injured based on just the size difference itself.
As you learn to listen to your horse, you will realize that there is constant communication going back and forth between the two of you (whether you know it or not). So instead of assuming the subservient role, pay closer attention and work on asking your horse the questions. If you move into his space, will he move away from you? If you need him to stop moving his feet, will he stand still?
Make a habit of routinely asking him questions. If he answers "yes" to your questions, you can be thankful and reward him with a pat and a "good boy" vocal response, but your job is not quite complete. Just getting an affirmative is not enough - as soon as your horse gives you the 'yes', you need to ask him the next level of question.
Maybe it could be something like: "Will you stand still and not dive for the grass while I lead you in the field with the yummiest grass?" The next level might be, "Will you walk nicely and not prance around while I lead you away from the barn and your herd members?"
Each time you get the 'yes', think of something that could be the next step. Pushing the envelope is one step in developing a trusting, confident relationship with your horse.
Don’t miss a single issue of Horse Listening! If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published! Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list.Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email
Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book:Stepping Forward to Effective Riding
How the “Not Canter” Can Drastically Improve Your Transitions: Every time you ask (with the correct aids), the horse resists. The situation becomes ugly – you have a hard enough time just sitting the bounciness, never mind getting the transition. What to do? This article remains one of our most popular posts of all-time.
What Responsible Horse Ownership Really Means: We need to keep in mind that horses are prey animals and long-time domesticated livestock. If we listen well enough, we discover that what we think of as giving might not be what the horses truly need.
20 Ways Horse Riding Becomes Life Itself: You could say that horses are our teachers. Not only do we grow in terms of physical ability, but perhaps even more so, we grow in character.
I've met many people who are fascinated by horses enough to want to 'get' their own horse. Often, acquaintances or people I've met will ask me my opinion about buying a horse - where do they start?
I run through all the typical questions with them: Why do you want a horse? Are you aware of all the aspects of horse ownership? Have you budgeted for all the upkeep costs (and we go through the breakdown - the initial purchase price of the horse is dwarfed when compared to maintenance costs, never mind emergency vet bills should they happen).
Why wouldn't you want to lease a horse, part-board or take weekly (multiple?) lessons first, to see if you really are interested in all the associated responsibilities in the long run?
And then, after all these questions are articulated and clearly answered, I hit them with my final question: Are you willing to take lessons (yes, on your own horse!) long-term?
At times, this can become a contentious issue. Many people are not committed to taking lessons, especially if they are themselves, or know of, long-term horse owners. The argument: "Well, so-and-so has had horses forever and never took lessons. They learned from their horse, and they're doing just fine!"
The world of lessons opens up a range of experiences that are not possible to achieve on your own:
- technical know-how (this should go without saying - you can't possibly "know" how to do something if you've never been officially taught it in the first place!)
- help in resolving problem behaviour or finding the source of issues - riding or horsekeeping
- exchange of ideas and information (from a person who presumably knows something you deem valuable to hear from)
- goal setting advice from someone other than yourself (where are you now? what should be your next step?)
- encouragement when you need it, and a "push" when you equally need that
I watch with wonder when some people get on and ride their horses with nary a lesson in years, while on the other hand, I see the "top riders" of our sport working tirelessly with their mentors/trainers even though they are at the peak of performance and technical ability. Of course we are not all heading for the Olympics, nor are we riding in that sort of capacity. But certainly some input can be useful for everyone at some point in time.
As for the final question: How do you know if you've found the right instructor?
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Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book:Stepping Forward to Effective Riding
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Would you like to be the rider that all horses dream of?
By following simple, useful exercises, you will be able to develop a better understanding about many topics including:
I can hear you now – you’re groaning… the path?? How can “the path” be fulfilling?
You might ask: doesn't “the path” translate to tedious repetitions, lack of acknowledgement or recognition, stumbling blocks, frustrations, steps backward more than forward, and all the other associated negativities that occur when something is practiced day-to-day, week-to-week?
What about the glory of the goal, the clear, final call of reaching the destination, the accolades and the photo finish? How about the sense of accomplishment, the personal gain, the reward of achievement?
Well, you’re right of course. Goal setting is paramount in all activities, especially if they are long-term and difficult to complete. Without a sense of where we want to go, there would be no ‘path’ to speak of. And we all require and crave (at some level) for a sense of recognition and a feeling of a job well done.
But in horse riding, the majority of the time is spent on the path itself. The achievement of goals are short and fleeting, maybe because the horse is a living and breathing entity unto himself, and he has opinions, desires and interests that may not match yours! It is well known that there is a horse somewhere, sometime, that will humble every person. I would argue that the lessons learned from those horses might be the most meaningful of all.
Often, those lessons are not technical in nature. Rather, they teach us about our ability to persevere, to be patient, to set aside personal desires and ego, and so many other deep lessons that are essential in developing wholeness of being and strength of character. They develop our very human-ness and sense of place in the world.
And so, the next time you find yourself stuck on an exercise, struggling to achieve your next desire, and falling flat on your face (hopefully not literally) despite all your effort and dedication, try to step back and see the whole picture. What path are you on? Where have you been and where are you now? How does your current place in the (horse) world fit with where you want to be? What can you do to take just one tiny step closer to the end goal?
And remember, as E. Joseph Cossman put it so well, "The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep." Sleep on it, and go at it again the next day.
And enjoy the path!
"Walker, there is no path, you make the path as you walk." ~Antonio Machado.
Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!
Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the Horse Listening Practice Sessions.
This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.
Some time ago, the term "horse whisperer" came into being, not necessarily by the horse enthusiasts themselves, but largely by the people outside of the industry. The term claimed its fame thanks to Robert Redford who starred in the movie with the same title, while he posed as a rancher who developed a spine-tingling connection to an otherwise unmanageable horse.
The romantic notion of being able to communicate with horses was propelled into the mainstream media and readily devoured by horse people and others far removed from equi-mania.
Long before the movie came out, and fairly early in my horse career, I had already started taking lessons in 'natural horsemanship'. Not only could my friends and I already do what Robert did in the twinkling twilight (with the mysterious, hovering silhouette of the horse in the background), but we knew there was so much more to communicating.
And it begged the question: if we weren't whispering, what were we in fact doing?
Along my path to becoming a more educated horse person, I learned a common-sense truth that follows me to this very day: the most effective way to whisper to a horse is in fact to LISTEN.
If you're not a horse-person, you'd be amazed at how much horses communicate - to each other and even to humans. If you know how to listen, and how to interpret their body language, you would be an adequate interpreter of these amazing creatures. It's not a secret other-wordly skill. Just be quiet enough and sensitive enough, learn the body language signs, and the world of horses will open up to you in a most organic manner.
So here we are at my first official entry of my blog entitled "Horse Listening". My intention for the blog is not to necessarily convince you that there is only one way to ride a horse. In fact, quite the contrary! In this world of electronic communication, I want to stick to a timeless, ancient source of education: I just want to ramble! In a sense, I want to put forth a proposal, if you will, about a topic that has my attention at the moment.
And then I just want to Listen.
I am hoping to open discussion about many and varied topics related to horses, riding, dressage and ultimately, life. Because if there is anything that the horses have taught me, it is that EVERYTHING about horses has a human parallel and every growth (and setback?) we gain through the horse world can be mirrored in our own lives. And the more we think we know about horses (and life), the more we discover that we in fact know so little. Each can be an ever-learning and developing process, and there's stuff to be learned from everyone....
Feel free to drop a line in the comment box and contribute your thoughts on the subject, if you agree, disagree, or have an experience you'd like to share. Stop in and say hi personally by clicking here. Whether you're into horses or not, this is a blog where you can contribute what you've learned by 'listening'. Looking forward to rambling along this road of life with you!
Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book:Stepping Forward to Effective Riding
A Cautionary Horse Tale: Once you decide to ride horses, you put into place a domino effect of consequences, which will occur whether you are conscious of them or not. It’s like a rule of nature.
When Do You Start Riding Your Horse? This question was being posed to me by a very respected and horse-wise mentor one day long ago, early in my riding development.
Dressage As A Healing Tool: Even at its most basic level (or perhaps, especially at the most basic levels), dressage holds a value to horses of all disciplines.
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