I recall one of the wisest sayings I ever learned regarding the training of horses. A coach of mine for many years, the late Major David Pardoe, often used to say “never pick a fight you can’t win.” Over the years I have come to realize how profound this sentiment is.I have reached the conclusion there is next to nothing to be gained by trying to beat or frighten a horse into submission. At the worst : you and /or the horse could be badly hurt. At the very least you create an atmosphere of mistrust which makes training nearly impossible.

    Horses are extremely social creatures. In a herd they mimic and take behavioral cues from the lead horse. In our stables , schools , facilities and humanized environments horses take their socialization cues increasingly from us , their caregivers, stable masters , riders and trainers. They look to us for feedback and recognize us as their herd leaders for better or worse. If we are wise , we will do our best to make them feel safe, secure , non threatened and yet develop an enthusiasm for doing our bidding which may only be that of fair expectations vis a vis their age , conditioning ,ability and schooling.We must also rule out pain  or disease as a reason for antisocial behaviour.

    As Larissa discussed in the previous post on treats and their place in training , we must be careful not to spoil the horse or overdo rewards which have not been earned. By the same token I use withdrawal of approval as my primary method of discipline with my horses.This should not be confused with correction , which is a normal and necessary part of training. The whip and spur used only as aids and not instruments of abuse cause the horse very little pain or stress and merely emphasize a point in training.

     Discipline on the other hand is clear and emphatic notice of strong disapproval leaving the horse with a very clear recognition of the fact that certain behaviours are absolutely non negotiable and unacceptable. Biting , kicking , rearing , setting out to throw a rider , balking, bolting ,dragging are a few examples I would place in this category

   Having clearly eatablished to the horse that a pat,kind word or  treat represent various levels of reward: we then have the opportunity to reverse the process ie: a sharp NO, no pats , no treats, no interaction at all and a quick return to the stall with no feedback whatsoever except perhaps a rather loud shutting of the stall door and a somewhat exaggerated stomping away muttering very unhappy remarks such as “bad horse” or “we don’t do that here”  or” That is not acceptable!”Now the horse having come to seek our approval has absolutely no problem understanding it’s removal.In serious cases I make rather more fuss of grain for everyone else at night feed and a clear “bad horses don’t get grain ” for the offender.Actually a loud pinging of ONE pellet in the bin is even more effective!

   Using this method I have found we have not hurt the horse, we have not frightened the horse, we have developed the horse’s  ability to make choices and consider consequences, in short to think about their behaviour and decide to do better.

   With horses who have a previous history of being abused this method must be introduced slowly and clearly as the horse’s triggers for fear , panic and acting out may still override their reasoning abilities. Over time , with patience I have never seen this  method fail to improve their outlook.

   We want our horses to enjoy being with us , to have expectations of good things when we appear.Not only do they become happier day to day it also gives us more leverage when we wish to make a strong point regarding the seriousness of a bad behaviour.

  Owning a horse is very much like parenting. The same qualities are needed to have a functional life in your stable as in your family life. Consistency of expectations, fairness, clarity of boundaries and no waffling on those boundaries. Then you will have a barn of sane , happy , well adjusted horses who do not suffer the stress of never knowing where they stand. “A thinking trainer creates a thinking horse” Practice happy,positive horse keeping and never hold a grudge. When you have made your point , let it go. Every day your horse must know they have a new chance to regain your favour. Cheers. Libby Keenan

Oh dear it’s Sunday night and my Hello Weekend post has become Hello Work Week again ! @ridingcoach, Larissa , has been gone barely a week and already I’ve fallen sadly behind. To be fair I’ve had shows every weekend , my own show next week and one more after that to wind up the season here.

  Larissa seems to be getting adapted and finding her way in a new life , though I see on twitter her horse Rio is having some edema problems. I hope it’s nothing serious!

     I thought tonight I would post a few of the things that riders and horse owners do that make me Bug Eyed.

 At home at Sunhall I work very hard on training riders , students and parents to be safe and informed horsepeople. This past few weeks , being on the road showing again , I have had my memory refreshed regarding how much nonsense and how many dangerous practices actually go on in the horse world.

  In our home ring we observe ring rules , I believe they are basically universal but sadly they seem to go out the window at shows to a large degree.Pass left to left, fast horse has the track,call a circle, call passing behind, call door.

  When one coach decides to hold ego driven court in the middle of the warm up ring so all of us can observe how amazing their skills are , everyone else has to give way and end up fighting for a corner to warm up in .Very bad form  Ms/Mr. ultra coach!

   Why is it that people think by tying everything but the kitchen sink to their horse before a class it will magically transform from a hard mouthed , defensive bully that runs off at any opportunity to a splendid , mannerly dressage horse in the ring? If these people spent as much money on good solid well informed coaching as they did on side reins, martingales,whips and sharp bits they would be much further ahead.

   It annoys me no end that young riders who refuse to work up a sweat in case their hair bow might get ruffled, expect their horse to put in a stellar performance that they can text about to friends leaving their horse with tired, puzzled looking Moms and Dads who have no idea how to cool out let alone untack.

   It  is very frightening to see horses tied and left at trailers with no water on leads so long they can easily step on them eating out of hay nets that are  nearly dragging on the ground just begging to snare a leg….while their owners head off to the snack booth  and general socializing barely ever glancing back at their trailer.

  I find it disgraceful that young ladies looking the absolute picture of sugar and spice on clearly expensive ponies in the very latest attire, unleash a torrent of vulgar language strong enough to make a sailor blush when scores not to their liking are posted.

     Riders who dismount while leaving one foot in the stirrup have certainly never had the misfortune to be dragged Yet.

    It pains me to hear the wince of  a horse being tacked in a rush since their owner slept in and the girth is reefed up to the top notch in one swift gut busting wrench.

    Many riders seem to think it is the colour and newness of polos that lend support rather than taking some lessons on how to wrap  them properly.

    I think that performing three tests in a day is plenty for any horse. Today I saw a sturdy but worn looking trooper cart four separate children through an entire division each.

   At my stable if riders forget equipment at the trailer we have the horse held while the rider hikes back for it. It’s amazing to me that the most effective and hard nosed business man can be reduced to a fawning idiot and spend his whole sunday running around a show grounds fetching water, gloves etc., etc. for his little princess with nary a peep out of him. At least “riding mothers” complain:)

   It’s funny how you reach a certain age and “turning on the tears” no longer commands any reaction at all.

  If as coaches and parents we don’t teach children to be responsible I doubt a birthday is going to do it.Don’t misunderstand me , I love working with youth but consider a large part of that job to be imparting sportsmanship , a “see to your horse first” attitude and having any one I take out to compete be a credit to the show.

   Last but not least on my list of pet peeves tonight are the desperate attempts at control of the inexperienced rider who has managed to have someone buy them a young horse under the misguided assumption that the horse will “grow” with them . I won’t even look at a green horse for a green rider.

   If you see yourself here….change. If you’ve seen countless others in  my examples know you’re not alone. We can’t really march around demanding people do things our way at shows but I do try to be an advocate for horses when I can. We can serve on show committees establishing safe practice rules. We can try in our own riding  and behaviour to set a good example.

    Wishing to end on a more positive note I will say the overwhelming majority of people I come across at horse shows are caring , educated, helpful, polite with lucky horses and participating for all the right reasons. It is my fervent hope that these wonderful people will influence the few less sophisticated over time to adopt practices more in keeping with good horsemanship:) Cheers and Happy SAFE , sportsmanlike Riding Libby Keenan