I would love it to be usual for our horses to enjoy the work that we do together as much or more than we do.
All healthy horses are capable of learning a great deal. They are much brighter than the majority of people believe it is possible for them to be. I have worked with many horses now, and the very slowest horse I have yet come across took 10 minutes to get the hang of clicker training.
I believe that with correct and sympathetic training horses are capable of becoming true partners and willing participants in the sports we ask them to undertake. Whether it be hacking or show jumping, dressage, racing, driving or cross country, there is a tremendous amount to be gained by training the horse so that they know what is required of them. In the end, no horse really volunteers for the life of a working horse. So, as their owners, riders and handlers it is up to us to give them the very best life we can. Teaching them in a way that gains their understanding and cooperation is a really big step forward in the welfare of the horse. Most people who have been around horses for a long time have met horses who are willing and happy to do their work and who actively look after their riders and handlers. But there are others who are unhappy, unwilling, and sometimes dangerous. It is my belief that correct, kind and proper training would prevent horses ending up in this last category, and can do a tremendous ammount towards helping those unfortunate horses who have already ended up there.
One of my strongest pieces of advice is; never lose your temper with a horse...
I know that for some people, keeping a check on their temper is extremely difficult, but to become the best horse trainer that you can be you must never act or punish in anger. It is sometimes understandable that in a moment of great stress, humiliation, pain or nerves, people strike out. If you have done this before, don't beat yourself up about it. Resolve to change instead, all it takes is the decision to become someone that your horse is right to trust.
From even a totally unsympathetic and utterly practical point of view, hurting your horse for something you have deemed that they have done wrong is completely counterproductive. Say, Jay falls off in the showjumping ring when the horse runs out at a fence. If Jay were to leap up, go catch their horse, yank the reins a few times and take the stick to them, what is it that has actually happened here?
From the horses point of view, their rider is angry and violent for some reason. Is it because the horse is in the showjumping ring? Is it because the horse allowed themselves to be caught? Is it because the rider just gets really tense and irritable every time they go to a competition? The horse has no way of knowing what they are being punished for, and can only see that their rider is unpredictable and violent. This horse would be wise to be wary, to be tense and unwilling, and to think twice about jumping.
If in contrast Jay's horse has learned how to use it's body comfortably and with balance, has learned how to judge the striding and best place to take off, has been taught to be quick thinking and that showjumping is fun and rewarding, has been trained to be fit enough, supple enough, confident enough that what they do in the showjumping arena is something they are mentally and physically at ease with, and that they know what the aim of the game is. The horse will be in a much better place to get round clear, and if they run out at a jump, their rider will work on doing it better and being more prepared next time, and will work out why their horse felt that they could not jump or did not want to jump, because there will be a reason.
All healthy horses are capable of learning a great deal. They are much brighter than the majority of people believe it is possible for them to be. I have worked with many horses now, and the very slowest horse I have yet come across took 10 minutes to get the hang of clicker training.
I believe that with correct and sympathetic training horses are capable of becoming true partners and willing participants in the sports we ask them to undertake. Whether it be hacking or show jumping, dressage, racing, driving or cross country, there is a tremendous amount to be gained by training the horse so that they know what is required of them. In the end, no horse really volunteers for the life of a working horse. So, as their owners, riders and handlers it is up to us to give them the very best life we can. Teaching them in a way that gains their understanding and cooperation is a really big step forward in the welfare of the horse. Most people who have been around horses for a long time have met horses who are willing and happy to do their work and who actively look after their riders and handlers. But there are others who are unhappy, unwilling, and sometimes dangerous. It is my belief that correct, kind and proper training would prevent horses ending up in this last category, and can do a tremendous ammount towards helping those unfortunate horses who have already ended up there.
One of my strongest pieces of advice is; never lose your temper with a horse...
I know that for some people, keeping a check on their temper is extremely difficult, but to become the best horse trainer that you can be you must never act or punish in anger. It is sometimes understandable that in a moment of great stress, humiliation, pain or nerves, people strike out. If you have done this before, don't beat yourself up about it. Resolve to change instead, all it takes is the decision to become someone that your horse is right to trust.
From even a totally unsympathetic and utterly practical point of view, hurting your horse for something you have deemed that they have done wrong is completely counterproductive. Say, Jay falls off in the showjumping ring when the horse runs out at a fence. If Jay were to leap up, go catch their horse, yank the reins a few times and take the stick to them, what is it that has actually happened here?
From the horses point of view, their rider is angry and violent for some reason. Is it because the horse is in the showjumping ring? Is it because the horse allowed themselves to be caught? Is it because the rider just gets really tense and irritable every time they go to a competition? The horse has no way of knowing what they are being punished for, and can only see that their rider is unpredictable and violent. This horse would be wise to be wary, to be tense and unwilling, and to think twice about jumping.
If in contrast Jay's horse has learned how to use it's body comfortably and with balance, has learned how to judge the striding and best place to take off, has been taught to be quick thinking and that showjumping is fun and rewarding, has been trained to be fit enough, supple enough, confident enough that what they do in the showjumping arena is something they are mentally and physically at ease with, and that they know what the aim of the game is. The horse will be in a much better place to get round clear, and if they run out at a jump, their rider will work on doing it better and being more prepared next time, and will work out why their horse felt that they could not jump or did not want to jump, because there will be a reason.