Approach

Find true partnership; feel balance and lightness through trust and understanding.

Learning horsemanship requires adopting an attitude of compassion, awareness, patience, forgiveness, confidence, and general mindfulness. Riding is a discipline that helps us to remember to be in the moment, to be aware of our minds and bodies and how we interact with and the effect we have on the world around us.

Horses amaze me not only with their athletic capabilities, but in their sensitivity and willingness to do our bidding. When I start a young horse, or meet a horse that has “issues”, the first step that must be taken is to gain the animal's trust. Without this, I will accomplish nothing. Some individuals require more time and effort than others before learning can progress, but it is imperative that a horse be allowed the time he needs to trust his handler before asking more of him.

To earn a horse's trust, I will practice good leadership skills that a horse can respect and understand. I intend to earn the respectful relationship I have with the horse by demonstrating that I am fair, I am kind, I am confident, and I will not put the horse in a compromising situation. If my horse trusts in my leadership role, than he or she will be willing do anything I ask.

I have found that the many skilled practitioners of equine massage and other bodywork can help establish trust in a horse. There is nothing to promote trust like making someone feel good! Attending to a horse's physical needs is a wonderful way to gain trust. As another well-known trainer has said, “Horses enjoy us because we have fingers.” Many of the clinicians I have learned from have shown me myriad ways to touch my horses. Taking time to develop a relationship with your horse through touch will always be beneficial.

Horses are very emotional animals, and they rely very heavily on their family. It's true that in a natural herd setting, there is a lead stallion, the one that drives the others away from danger or an imposing rival stallion. But the herd is a complex social organization, and there are other important relationships between the individual horses. There is a lead mare, which the others trust to keep them safe and lead them from potential dangers. All of the horses are aware of their surroundings, and alert their herd to anything unusual. But they need a member of their family to assume leadership for them to feel safe.

One of my mentors once told me: “If they can do it, they will do it.” This is why it is so important for people working with horses to ensure that the horses understand what is being asked of them. It is the responsibility of the rider or handler to earn the horse's trust, to clearly explain to the horse what he needs to do, and to consider why he might be unable to do it. The human may need to reexamine their presentation and adjust to fit the horse to be successful. If a horse fails to perform as a result of confusion, punishment will not cause him to correct himself, and it can compromise his trust in people.

"You just gotta show him who's boss." These infamous words from so many so-called trainers and others in the horse business have doomed many a horse to a life of kicking and pulling. No wonder so many horses can seem so unwilling. Many people assume that their horse “knows he's been bad” or is “just being stubborn”, when, in fact, the horse is confused. Until there is comprehension of a request, the horse cannot perform as expected.

Often, when a horse seems belligerent, it is unable to do what is asked because of miscommunication or because of pain or another physical limitation. Since they aren't really verbal, horses have much different means of communication than humans, so it's up to us to find other methods, like body language, and to listen to what the horse is trying to 'say' without words. People can exert the most influence on horses by learning about the intricacies of horse language and behavior and using this knowledge to our benefit. It is much easier for a human to learn to speak horse than for a horse to learn English! Once a human has met a horse on his terms and earned his trust, we can begin to ask him to respond to our invented language. But it is up to us to translate our requests in such a way that our horses can understand them.

This is not to say that in order to ride a horse we must be perfect riders. Horses are amazingly kind and forgiving of our mistakes, and the only way to learn to ride is to do it. It is important to remember that some individuals are more effective teachers, be they horse or human. Different riders have different goals, so it is important that the motivation for the horse and rider be understood. It is a rider's responsibility to ensure that we are matched with a suitable horse, and to seek out an education that works for us. Asking a horse to do something that he is physically, mentally, or emotionally unable to do is unfair, and potentially dangerous.

A quality horseman can help assess whether a horse and rider are an appropriate match, and to suggest realistic goals for both to achieve. Part of my job is to recognize my own strengths and weaknesses, as well as my clients' ambitions, and to be able to refer them on as necessary. Many young horses exhibit competitive potential after their first few months of training. I can help place young horses with accomplished trainers that will showcase their talents. There are so many variables in horsemanship, and horses are such wonderfully capable athletes, that I would not want to impose limits on anyone. There is much that I have to offer, and there is much more to learn from so many others as well.

As I continue to grow as a horsewoman and individual, I must remember humility and keep in mind that knowledge is not enough, to achieve real understanding of anything, it must be applied in practice. I am constantly considering the best way to communicate and explain myself to the horse or human student in order to achieve our goals. I attend clinics and take lessons from more experienced horsemen (and women) as often as possible, and encourage my students to do the same.