WHY IT ALL STARTED:
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My beautiful pony Brandy & John. |
These are the cheerful musings of a girl who loves her horses (and hasn’t grown up yet).
I decided to write this, my horse diary, with more than a little encouragement from my husband John, because I feel proud about what I have achieved with my 2 young horses – and he is proud of me for doing it. My achievements are not Prix St.George or the perfect shoulder in, but loving, happy and content horses, who love to be with me, who are happy to be hacked out, shod, caught, visit the vet, and yes….the Everest of horse ownership will allow me to fling my arms around them and give them the biggest hug! My horses are 'very nice people' they aren't bargy or impolite, but they are a little bonkers, and later on I’ll tell you some stories about that....
firstly, i'll introduce you to the cast:
Tom (Holme Grove Constable)
Henry (Holme Grove Gwygion)
Like most horse keepers I too subscribe to 3 horse magazines a month, and after reading about many of the recurring ‘problems’ people were having with their horses – time and again, the answers for me were clear.
No one is ever going to ask my advice about riding the perfect test or what exercises can help a horse who is behind the bridle, but they might want to ask me about the relationship we have with our horse and how a better understanding can lead to a lot of these 'problems' being solved. The answers are, as with everything important: simple. Spend more time with your horse…off his back.
My favourite place to be is with my boys
Humans and horses are very different; we don’t have the same instinctual need to ‘survive’ every minute of our lives like a prey animal does – as predators we are able to relax – the number one goal for any young horse owner is to try to achieve a level of relaxation with their horse.
First there are a few things that are important to remember, because in this next bit, everything you really need to know about your horse deep-down is explained: he is a prey animal and we are predators, it’s as simple as that...
Horses at liberty practice being scared, and running away, it keeps them fit for flight in mind and body, mine run together all the time.
A horse lives in a world of constant safety assessment, he is acutely aware of his surroundings and makes second by second behavior adjustments depending on which dangers he perceives.
Horses have prey animal instincts, if they decide there is a threat to their safety, they will run to achieve an approximate quarter mile distance between them and the foe. They will turn to face the threat and reassess.
A horse needs time to think, an average of seven seconds to size up a situation, where he will often ‘plant’ himself rigid to the spot in order to give a problem his complete attention.
Horses can react in surprising ways to perceived foe, that’s why it’s important that horses are given lots of room by any vehicle passing them.
A horse is an intelligent and powerful creature, millions of years of instinct development mean he judges danger in different ways to humans, and though not a natural fighter, he can and will defend himself if he feels that is the only way to avoid certain death – if the horse wasn’t like this, it would have died out millions of years ago...eaten.
Tom, looking after me once the cyclists have passed.
It is importand to adopt a safe routine whilst out riding on the roads. Always wear hi-viz head to hoof, even if you're mainly riding off-road. Just in case a dog walker or people with guns are about - this will give them every chance to spot you and change thier plans if necessary. treat all traffic with respect, and always be courteous. I put my outside leg on gently to ask my horse to stay to the curb and straight.
Horses take exception to unexpected things to maintain their own personal feeling of safety – and being safe is the most important thing to a horse...even more important than food. It is difficult for humans to understand these reactions, because we are the opposite of horses, we are predators and have developed a very different existence. All we can hope for as keepers of horses is an understanding of our horses needs and give them the space they need to express them and to help them manage these reactions.
The more I think about what horses really are: the more I am amazed that they let us do the things we can do with them. A horse is an honest and wonderful creature with no agenda other than to survive (or get into the treat cupboard). They aren’t sneaky or vicious, they aren’t evil or spiteful – any horse who is scary to humans has developed his own version of evasion tactics as a defence against the things that have happened to him, it's not his fault, and if treated sympathetically, these manifestations of fear can be managed and overcome, but we need time, time and more time. Horses who are damaged, cannot be rushed, they need a quiet sympathetic handler who has the time and very importantly the patience to help that horse manage its behavior.
Horses are clever and inquisitive, which makes them fast learners and fulfilling to train. I have noticed with my 2 that the ‘training’ has been a 2 way street: while I am teaching them to yield to my touch and stand still when I get on, they have taught me to scratch their itchy bits and turn around so they can rub their heads on me, and much more...all with body language.
Tom & Henry make it very clear when and where they want a scratch: if you're willing to 'listen' your horse will tell you everything you need to know.
If you are lucky to have a good relationship with your horse their answers to our questions can be interpreted and understood and worked on in a very fulfilling way. I can tell you that the moment my youngest let me put a rug on him without him moving away from me, I was so happy….and it’s the little moments like this, that for me, are the important and fulfilling milestones that make me feel like I have achieved the world, it’s a great feeling.
I don’t believe in punishment: shouting, hitting, getting cross…I believe that if a horse is not doing what you are asking then you are either not asking it right, or he doesn’t understand the question – either way the problem is yours, since your horse would probably rather be out in the paddock munching and playing, he has no incentive to work this out with you, you will have to rethink how you are asking…and most likely it’s with a horse version of please, lots of time (don’t rush anything with horses), and of course half a bag of treats. I don’t even have to tie mine up, they stand still for tacking-up, the vet, farrier, for bandages and cold hosing too...because they are relaxed when I’m with them, they know they don’t have to be scared, I won’t do anything to hurt or upset them.
Me: I would never upset my boys xx
If you have a horse that’s scared, the very worst thing you can do is to scare him more by getting upset and worst of all punish him. He won’t understand what it’s for, he’ll just worry that the very person who’s supposed to support and help him, has failed to do either.
let's share some ideas how you might get better at working with your horse...
