Today I went trail riding with a friend of the library, Kristy. I rode a different horse, Cody. Midnight was a wonderful horse, but I really really enjoyed riding Cody. He would sometimes take a different route than the other horses and I let him. There was one particular spot where the rain had washed part of a hill down, and Cody took the most difficult way to the top, but it was exciting. Cody was a little spontaneous, for a horse anyway, and I found that I like that- when it isn't dangerous. My significant other is spontaneous as well, I should learn to communicate to him that I enjoy that aspect of his personality. I think an important aspect of a relationship is communicating approval or happiness.
I also worked on my paper some more today, but it still has a long way to go. I can't believe that interim has gone by so fast! And for those of you that have kept up with my blog I appreciate your interest and hope you found my days with horses interesting! :) More posting will come tomorrow, but I thought my appreciation should be noted.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Horse Dentist
Yesterday was a full day. I met Mr. Gary Biggerstaff at 8:00 and we did not get back into Spartanburg until around 7:00 in the afternoon. We drove to Charlotte, NC and visited three different Horse Farms where he did his work as an Equine Dentist. It was interesting to see the trust that the horse had for someone to grind or pull his teeth.
At one of these farms I met with a lady named Charlotte that has won national trophies several times for her horsemanship. She thought my project was neat and proceeded to tell me about how she learned about psycho pathways, and right brain left brain. Extremely interesting but somewhat difficult to understand. From what I understand and remember- a teacher taught her students by making do tasks that involved both their right brain and their left brain. Charlotte heard about this and attempted to do the same thing with horses. It kind of relates to my project, but is so difficult to understand, I'm not sure it will be fully included into my paper.
With talking to Gary I learned that he used to be a very shy person. He said that working with horses has allowed him to open up and communicate more and better with people. This is exactly what I have been searching for. Horses have helped him to become more comfortable around people and therefore communicate better with them. I was extremely excited to hear him speak of how his life had changed because of horses.
Today I rode Midnight with another person on a trail. It was very fun and different from just riding in the arena, but I learned that he is not very confident in himself and I am not a very assertive person. Maybe that is why I am not great in crowds of people.. I am not assertive enough to put myself out there... this is what I have been looking for. If I can learn to be more assertive with the horse, and since I have learned this about myself, maybe I can work on it and become better and communicating with other people.
I also volunteered at Hope Remains today. There was a new kid there today, and before we went down to see the horses he claimed that there was not way he was going to ride him. By the time the hour was up, he was riding and I believe enjoying himself. It is amazing how therapeutic a horse can be. It seemed that spending even an hour with this horse gave him more confidence than he walked in the door with. I am sure with time, he will learn to have confidence with other things in his life.
I have worked some more on my paper today, no where near where it will be come Feb. 1st, but slowly getting there. Yesterday was a major motivation for my paper, and learning from Gary inspires me to continue to learn about horses and keep them in my life. My advice, if you have a bad day find a horse to pet or brush, you will be more relaxed that you could imagine.
At one of these farms I met with a lady named Charlotte that has won national trophies several times for her horsemanship. She thought my project was neat and proceeded to tell me about how she learned about psycho pathways, and right brain left brain. Extremely interesting but somewhat difficult to understand. From what I understand and remember- a teacher taught her students by making do tasks that involved both their right brain and their left brain. Charlotte heard about this and attempted to do the same thing with horses. It kind of relates to my project, but is so difficult to understand, I'm not sure it will be fully included into my paper.
With talking to Gary I learned that he used to be a very shy person. He said that working with horses has allowed him to open up and communicate more and better with people. This is exactly what I have been searching for. Horses have helped him to become more comfortable around people and therefore communicate better with them. I was extremely excited to hear him speak of how his life had changed because of horses.
Today I rode Midnight with another person on a trail. It was very fun and different from just riding in the arena, but I learned that he is not very confident in himself and I am not a very assertive person. Maybe that is why I am not great in crowds of people.. I am not assertive enough to put myself out there... this is what I have been looking for. If I can learn to be more assertive with the horse, and since I have learned this about myself, maybe I can work on it and become better and communicating with other people.
I also volunteered at Hope Remains today. There was a new kid there today, and before we went down to see the horses he claimed that there was not way he was going to ride him. By the time the hour was up, he was riding and I believe enjoying himself. It is amazing how therapeutic a horse can be. It seemed that spending even an hour with this horse gave him more confidence than he walked in the door with. I am sure with time, he will learn to have confidence with other things in his life.
I have worked some more on my paper today, no where near where it will be come Feb. 1st, but slowly getting there. Yesterday was a major motivation for my paper, and learning from Gary inspires me to continue to learn about horses and keep them in my life. My advice, if you have a bad day find a horse to pet or brush, you will be more relaxed that you could imagine.
Monday, January 25, 2010
The last few days
Friday was not very successful. I was supposed to meet the 'horse whisperer' again, but the rain prevented me from meeting with him. We were supposed to go to King's Mountain and meet with a lady that has 7 horses, but her arena was in really bad shape and not usable. He called me on Friday and told me this. The arena at the stables was also messed up, so I couldn't go ride Midnight. I decided to watch my last film Saddling and Riding, which was interesting to watch, but somewhat repetitive to what I have watched and read.
Today I volunteered at Hope Remains. I got to speak to a young boy about his experiences there and how they have affected his life. He said that working with horses has given him confidence, this is exciting and supports my research. I hope to speak to him again on Wednesday when I volunteer again.
I also started writing part of my paper and filling in my outline with specific details.
Tomorrow's post should be much more promising! I will be shadowing an equine dentist!
Today I volunteered at Hope Remains. I got to speak to a young boy about his experiences there and how they have affected his life. He said that working with horses has given him confidence, this is exciting and supports my research. I hope to speak to him again on Wednesday when I volunteer again.
I also started writing part of my paper and filling in my outline with specific details.
Tomorrow's post should be much more promising! I will be shadowing an equine dentist!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Chiropractor
Yesterday I shadowed a horse Chiropractor. Her work is very fascinating and opened my eyes to the body of the horse. It is amazing that an imbalance in the rider can cause a horse to be insufficient in performance. This Chiropractor, Natasha, works with humans, horses and animals of all sorts. To see the relief and relaxation that she brings to animals and humans alike is inspiring. I did not know much about Chiropractic work, but here is what I learned. Your nervous system is centered in your brain and down your spine. If your spine is not aligned properly it can affect your nervous system and cause pains and problems throughout your body. It works the same for a horse. If the horses body is out of align due to a saddle, the rider, or an activity that may be strenuous to the horse- it affects his ability to perform. Once the horse is aligned he may be able to respond quicker to his rider and therefore increase communication.
The first stop with Natasha was a stable that had 2 horses. One horse was 26 years old, and you could definitely tell, swayed back, slow walking, and enlarged knees due to arthritis. The other horse was maybe 10 years old and in really good shape. It was easy to notice when Natasha relieved the horse, she would adjust a part of its body and the horse would seem to breath a sign of relief. Can you image how much easier it is for that horse to perform and to do task quicker after it is relaxed? It would be like having a pinched nerve and someone telling you to run that mile faster, you aren't doing it quick enough! We should do the same thing with our human partners, don't ask them to do something that might be impossible for them. If they seem resistant to doing something you want them to do, maybe you should take a second and think what might be preventing them from granting my wishes.
The second stop was at a lady's house and she wanted a saddle fitting. This lady was quirky but fun. She was talkative and seemed to really care for her horse. Natasha had her ride briefly to get an indention mark in gel. (She placed a gel mat underneath the saddle and had the lady ride, so she could see where the lady was placing pressure on the horses back- she could adjust things on the saddle from there) This lady rode off-center. She recognized this problem and has done things to try and correct this, but she has been off-center for her entire life; that is not easy to fix in just a few years. Natasha made the imprint and found where the lady was putting more pressure on one side of the horse than the other, and inserted some foam in that spot to help the horse be more comfortable riding. It was refreshing to see a 'horse person' so willing to experiment with different things. She was even so kind as to loan me a book to read. (The Tao of Equus) I feel that if you can be open to communicate with an animal in which you cannot communicate verbally with, then why can't some people be so willing to communicate with other people?
The third and last stop was at a stable in which Natasha spent time briefly with two horses. She did not do any chiropractic work on them, but she gave them a brief ride to keep them used to someone on their back. (I believe the owner has been out of town recently.) She rode this giant horse, over 17.3 hands, for those of you who don't know how big that is, image the top of a 6 foot man's head being even the the top of this horses back. This horse towered over me and her, but it was absolutely amazing for me to see that she still had control over this animal. The other horse was smaller, but full of enough energy for 3 horses. She was warm blooded and tested her boundaries every second Natasha was with her. A very important observation was that Natasha did not treat these animals exactly the same way. She was more stern and attentive to the second horse, the mare, because the horses 'horseanility' called for it. We should treat people this way too, when we communicate with them we should realize that it might have to be different depending on who you talk to. If someone if very sensitive you might want take that into consideration over someone who 'has thick skin'.
I did not get to volunteer at Hope Remains yesterday, because most of the kids were sick. It also rained and with few kids there were way too many volunteer and not enough for us to do. We went home but before we did that we gave a horse worm medicine. An exciting experience to watch since one of the horses DID NOT want to take the medicine. I learned that the horse needs time to get used to an idea that you want it to get used to immediately. The horse did not want to take the medicine just like a young child might not want to take medicine. But if you explain it to the child and do a little coaxing it eventually happens, without the entire amount of medicine all over you or the child. Once the horse got used to the syringe (it was just squirted into his mouth, not injected) he accepted the medicine and we all went on our way.
One important thing I have realized is that I have trust issues. I have a very wonderful and stable family, this does not stem from that, but more so because I have had many friend bail. I find myself expecting the worse when I meet a new person- or when meeting alone with someone I have not previously met- extremely nervous. But I think if I continued to work with horses this could change a bit. If I can trust a 1500 pound animal with my life, and trust that I can effectively communicate with it in situations to keep me safe, then why can't a trust a person? I think my intuition will improve with further work with horses. I will learn to keep my guard up, when I need to; not just because I meet alone with a man that I did not previously know.
I think that horses will tell me more about myself than I could learn otherwise. You can't be fake with a horse. He doesn't read your lips or your words he reads your body language. A horse can tell you intention, and tell whether you might be a threat. Working with a horse will tell you if you have issues with control, anger, shyness- it will eventually come out. A horse can also give you confidence. Once you can figure yourself out, you can learn the best way for you to communicate with other people. Sometimes you have to truly understand yourself, before you can understand someone else. Once a person can understand their strengths and weaknesses, they can then learn to communicate that with a another person.
Today was rainy, and there was not much I could get out and do. Arena would be just mud and the saddle would have the potential to be ruined, so I gave it a break for today. I read a bunch of articles and watched a 3 hour film by Tom Dorrance. His film was interesting, but very slow to develop and I couldn't find much to relate to my research. (Maybe something will click later, but I have yet to draw any profound conclusions.) Some of the articles I read were interesting though. One article on gender and the horse world was a new path for me to explore.
Mutual Corporeality: Gender and human/horse relationships
Important quotes from this article:
*"Our relationships with nonhuman animals are a crucial, but often overlooked, part of our social life"
*"messing around with horses allows them to be tomboys, and to develop self-esteem and confidence" ----This is very important to relationships with other people. If you are confident you may be more social and have more frequent relationships that are open.
*"In turn, participation in these activities helps to produce a sense of belonging to particular rural communities. In many ways, the horse and its specific abilities helps humans to shape their identities as horsepeople" ----These people work with horses and this refines their social group to mainly other horse people. This can show that their communication with people is definitely affected by their work with horses. They communicate more with people that have horses and less with 'outsiders'.
*referring to natural horsemanship " one NH student explained that she was "becoming a better person, learning not to think like a predator... [learning to be] polite to the horse"..."-----the context of this quote was not completely given. I can assume that she is referring to being a better person in reference to her horse (being a better person to her horse). But if she goes so far to say she is a better person, you can't help to think that maybe she thinks differently of herself on the whole.. and maybe wants to carry that in all aspects of her life.
*"Having a good feel means that both are sensing and making sense of each other such that sensation itself becomes an important mode of communication."---maybe this could apply to humans relationships with one another. Once you get a good feel for another person you communication with them can reach a new level.
These are just a few of the many idea that have floated through my brain in the past two days.
The first stop with Natasha was a stable that had 2 horses. One horse was 26 years old, and you could definitely tell, swayed back, slow walking, and enlarged knees due to arthritis. The other horse was maybe 10 years old and in really good shape. It was easy to notice when Natasha relieved the horse, she would adjust a part of its body and the horse would seem to breath a sign of relief. Can you image how much easier it is for that horse to perform and to do task quicker after it is relaxed? It would be like having a pinched nerve and someone telling you to run that mile faster, you aren't doing it quick enough! We should do the same thing with our human partners, don't ask them to do something that might be impossible for them. If they seem resistant to doing something you want them to do, maybe you should take a second and think what might be preventing them from granting my wishes.
The second stop was at a lady's house and she wanted a saddle fitting. This lady was quirky but fun. She was talkative and seemed to really care for her horse. Natasha had her ride briefly to get an indention mark in gel. (She placed a gel mat underneath the saddle and had the lady ride, so she could see where the lady was placing pressure on the horses back- she could adjust things on the saddle from there) This lady rode off-center. She recognized this problem and has done things to try and correct this, but she has been off-center for her entire life; that is not easy to fix in just a few years. Natasha made the imprint and found where the lady was putting more pressure on one side of the horse than the other, and inserted some foam in that spot to help the horse be more comfortable riding. It was refreshing to see a 'horse person' so willing to experiment with different things. She was even so kind as to loan me a book to read. (The Tao of Equus) I feel that if you can be open to communicate with an animal in which you cannot communicate verbally with, then why can't some people be so willing to communicate with other people?
The third and last stop was at a stable in which Natasha spent time briefly with two horses. She did not do any chiropractic work on them, but she gave them a brief ride to keep them used to someone on their back. (I believe the owner has been out of town recently.) She rode this giant horse, over 17.3 hands, for those of you who don't know how big that is, image the top of a 6 foot man's head being even the the top of this horses back. This horse towered over me and her, but it was absolutely amazing for me to see that she still had control over this animal. The other horse was smaller, but full of enough energy for 3 horses. She was warm blooded and tested her boundaries every second Natasha was with her. A very important observation was that Natasha did not treat these animals exactly the same way. She was more stern and attentive to the second horse, the mare, because the horses 'horseanility' called for it. We should treat people this way too, when we communicate with them we should realize that it might have to be different depending on who you talk to. If someone if very sensitive you might want take that into consideration over someone who 'has thick skin'.
I did not get to volunteer at Hope Remains yesterday, because most of the kids were sick. It also rained and with few kids there were way too many volunteer and not enough for us to do. We went home but before we did that we gave a horse worm medicine. An exciting experience to watch since one of the horses DID NOT want to take the medicine. I learned that the horse needs time to get used to an idea that you want it to get used to immediately. The horse did not want to take the medicine just like a young child might not want to take medicine. But if you explain it to the child and do a little coaxing it eventually happens, without the entire amount of medicine all over you or the child. Once the horse got used to the syringe (it was just squirted into his mouth, not injected) he accepted the medicine and we all went on our way.
One important thing I have realized is that I have trust issues. I have a very wonderful and stable family, this does not stem from that, but more so because I have had many friend bail. I find myself expecting the worse when I meet a new person- or when meeting alone with someone I have not previously met- extremely nervous. But I think if I continued to work with horses this could change a bit. If I can trust a 1500 pound animal with my life, and trust that I can effectively communicate with it in situations to keep me safe, then why can't a trust a person? I think my intuition will improve with further work with horses. I will learn to keep my guard up, when I need to; not just because I meet alone with a man that I did not previously know.
I think that horses will tell me more about myself than I could learn otherwise. You can't be fake with a horse. He doesn't read your lips or your words he reads your body language. A horse can tell you intention, and tell whether you might be a threat. Working with a horse will tell you if you have issues with control, anger, shyness- it will eventually come out. A horse can also give you confidence. Once you can figure yourself out, you can learn the best way for you to communicate with other people. Sometimes you have to truly understand yourself, before you can understand someone else. Once a person can understand their strengths and weaknesses, they can then learn to communicate that with a another person.
Today was rainy, and there was not much I could get out and do. Arena would be just mud and the saddle would have the potential to be ruined, so I gave it a break for today. I read a bunch of articles and watched a 3 hour film by Tom Dorrance. His film was interesting, but very slow to develop and I couldn't find much to relate to my research. (Maybe something will click later, but I have yet to draw any profound conclusions.) Some of the articles I read were interesting though. One article on gender and the horse world was a new path for me to explore.
Mutual Corporeality: Gender and human/horse relationships
Important quotes from this article:
*"Our relationships with nonhuman animals are a crucial, but often overlooked, part of our social life"
*"messing around with horses allows them to be tomboys, and to develop self-esteem and confidence" ----This is very important to relationships with other people. If you are confident you may be more social and have more frequent relationships that are open.
*"In turn, participation in these activities helps to produce a sense of belonging to particular rural communities. In many ways, the horse and its specific abilities helps humans to shape their identities as horsepeople" ----These people work with horses and this refines their social group to mainly other horse people. This can show that their communication with people is definitely affected by their work with horses. They communicate more with people that have horses and less with 'outsiders'.
*referring to natural horsemanship " one NH student explained that she was "becoming a better person, learning not to think like a predator... [learning to be] polite to the horse"..."-----the context of this quote was not completely given. I can assume that she is referring to being a better person in reference to her horse (being a better person to her horse). But if she goes so far to say she is a better person, you can't help to think that maybe she thinks differently of herself on the whole.. and maybe wants to carry that in all aspects of her life.
*"Having a good feel means that both are sensing and making sense of each other such that sensation itself becomes an important mode of communication."---maybe this could apply to humans relationships with one another. Once you get a good feel for another person you communication with them can reach a new level.
These are just a few of the many idea that have floated through my brain in the past two days.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Ground Work
I started my day by watching a DVD by Stacy Westfall called "Basic Ground Work". It totaled about 2.5 hours, so it took up most of my morning. I don't mean this to sound sexist, but I enjoy watching a woman work with horses because you mostly see men. Some men that work with horses say that a woman is too sensitive and not assertive enough... well they don't know some of the women that I have met! I think it is good that when working with a horse you are sensitive, if you are sensitive to its feelings (such as nervousness or fear) then you can adjust your training or if everything is going as you like, you would know to keep it the same. In so many words, I mean to say that if you can be sensitive to a horses emotions then you should be able to communicate well with other people- they talk.
Back to the DVD. Stacy did exercises lounging, introducing a green horse to a 'whip' (it wasn't really a whip, it had a plastic pole and a long string attached) which she called an extension of her arm. She also introduced it to a tarp and a large bouncing ball- like some people exercise with. She also reiterated how important it is to repeat things on both sides of the horse. Something that never occurred to me, is that you should find out how your horse acts while under pressure. BUT you should find out in a controlled environment first. An example would be a bird flies past the horses feet on a trail. If the horse has never seen this before it will probably jump or run away, and you do not want this to happen when you are on his back. If you expose him to a condition similar to this before you go on the trail, then you reduce the chance of hurting yourself or the horse if it happens on the trail.
Something that clicked in my brain while watching this film was body language. Horses communicate through body language and their movements may be subtle, but can mean so much. If someone works with horses extensively and concentrates on body language they should be able to pick up on body language of a person as well. If that person can pick up on a person's body language then they should be able to communicate more effectively with them. An example would be that if you see someone standing away from everyone else with a scowl on their face and their arms crossed you probably wouldn't approach them; similarly you wouldn't want to approach a horse that is swishing his tail and has his ears pinned back.
Now two definite possibilities to keep exploring Patience and Body language.
Something else that Stacy emphasized in her film is that the horse should respect your personal space. She gives them definite cues to get out of her space such as throwing her elbows way in the air (like the chicken dance). I believe this is something that as people we should work on as well. Sometimes I talk to someone and feel like I keep backing up because they are too close and I am uncomfortable. If we can teach a horse to stay out of our space, then we should be conscious not to be in someone else's space. I have to say, that all the good horse people that I have been around have not invaded my personal space. So far I am finding that working with horses can only increase your communication with other people (that is of course if you are communicating with horses using natural horsemanship, such as the Horse Whisperer, Mr. Dale.)
I think a lot of people do not realize that horses need a purpose; they need a job. If you ride a horse aimlessly, he may get bored and not want to be there because there doesn't seem to be a reason for him to be there. I think the same thing can apply to people. They need a job and a purpose. It would be like putting a child in a classroom and not giving him an assignment. He would want to know why he was there. If you have a purpose or a goal and something for the horse to do when you set out to ride his focus will be on you and your chance of communication is better. Communicating with people can be the same way if you ask someone to meet you, usually there is a purpose and bonding and communication can happen over this purpose.
I think I have mentioned this before but leadership is extremely important in horsemanship and can carry over to relationships with people. If you can be a leader for a half ton animal, then you can be a leader in a group of people.
Teamwork is also important in horsemanship. You may be the leader of the group (you and the horse) but the both of you still have to work together. If a person can work with a horse to get a job done, then they should also be able to communicate well with people to meet a goal.
I rode Midnight again today. I was more nervous that previously simply because I heard horror stories about what can happen if you aren't communicating well with your horse, and of course I am not an expert. I did however pay attention to where his feet were. An example would be, if you want a horse to take a step to the right, you should give him the signal to step right when he is picking up his right foot. If he is picking up his left foot when you give him the signal then he is not going to be able to do what you ask. I watched and felt where his front feet were and tried to give him the signal to step when the correct foot was about to leave the ground. I think it is much more complex to correctly communicate with a horse than most people think. I think it is also amazing that as people we can talk to communicate and many of us do such a poor job. You can imagine how much more in tune a person who works with horses is to body language on a person as well as a horse; they use the body language as well as spoken language to communicate better with people.
Back to the DVD. Stacy did exercises lounging, introducing a green horse to a 'whip' (it wasn't really a whip, it had a plastic pole and a long string attached) which she called an extension of her arm. She also introduced it to a tarp and a large bouncing ball- like some people exercise with. She also reiterated how important it is to repeat things on both sides of the horse. Something that never occurred to me, is that you should find out how your horse acts while under pressure. BUT you should find out in a controlled environment first. An example would be a bird flies past the horses feet on a trail. If the horse has never seen this before it will probably jump or run away, and you do not want this to happen when you are on his back. If you expose him to a condition similar to this before you go on the trail, then you reduce the chance of hurting yourself or the horse if it happens on the trail.
Something that clicked in my brain while watching this film was body language. Horses communicate through body language and their movements may be subtle, but can mean so much. If someone works with horses extensively and concentrates on body language they should be able to pick up on body language of a person as well. If that person can pick up on a person's body language then they should be able to communicate more effectively with them. An example would be that if you see someone standing away from everyone else with a scowl on their face and their arms crossed you probably wouldn't approach them; similarly you wouldn't want to approach a horse that is swishing his tail and has his ears pinned back.
Now two definite possibilities to keep exploring Patience and Body language.
Something else that Stacy emphasized in her film is that the horse should respect your personal space. She gives them definite cues to get out of her space such as throwing her elbows way in the air (like the chicken dance). I believe this is something that as people we should work on as well. Sometimes I talk to someone and feel like I keep backing up because they are too close and I am uncomfortable. If we can teach a horse to stay out of our space, then we should be conscious not to be in someone else's space. I have to say, that all the good horse people that I have been around have not invaded my personal space. So far I am finding that working with horses can only increase your communication with other people (that is of course if you are communicating with horses using natural horsemanship, such as the Horse Whisperer, Mr. Dale.)
I think a lot of people do not realize that horses need a purpose; they need a job. If you ride a horse aimlessly, he may get bored and not want to be there because there doesn't seem to be a reason for him to be there. I think the same thing can apply to people. They need a job and a purpose. It would be like putting a child in a classroom and not giving him an assignment. He would want to know why he was there. If you have a purpose or a goal and something for the horse to do when you set out to ride his focus will be on you and your chance of communication is better. Communicating with people can be the same way if you ask someone to meet you, usually there is a purpose and bonding and communication can happen over this purpose.
I think I have mentioned this before but leadership is extremely important in horsemanship and can carry over to relationships with people. If you can be a leader for a half ton animal, then you can be a leader in a group of people.
Teamwork is also important in horsemanship. You may be the leader of the group (you and the horse) but the both of you still have to work together. If a person can work with a horse to get a job done, then they should also be able to communicate well with people to meet a goal.
I rode Midnight again today. I was more nervous that previously simply because I heard horror stories about what can happen if you aren't communicating well with your horse, and of course I am not an expert. I did however pay attention to where his feet were. An example would be, if you want a horse to take a step to the right, you should give him the signal to step right when he is picking up his right foot. If he is picking up his left foot when you give him the signal then he is not going to be able to do what you ask. I watched and felt where his front feet were and tried to give him the signal to step when the correct foot was about to leave the ground. I think it is much more complex to correctly communicate with a horse than most people think. I think it is also amazing that as people we can talk to communicate and many of us do such a poor job. You can imagine how much more in tune a person who works with horses is to body language on a person as well as a horse; they use the body language as well as spoken language to communicate better with people.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Whispering to the Horses Again
I spent the day with the Horse Whisperer again. This time I actually got to see him work with a horse. All of this is hard to describe on a blog, but he lounged the horse and did backing up and side steps. But the key is he did all of this with putting pressure on the horse and then releasing pressure the moment the horse did what it was asked. He first started out with light pressure, and allowed the horse to find release, its happy place. He would then apply more pressure and the horse would struggle until it realized how to find that release and happy place again. He finished the exercises with the horse in a good and relaxed mood. He says never leave a horse in a bad place (aggravated or has a problem) because when you come back the next day the horse will still be in that bad place, but if you leave the horse in a good place (relaxed) then when you come back the next day he will still be in a happy good place.
He says that the training starts from the moment you step in the gate to put the halter on the horse. PATIENCE. Working with horses is all about patience. He waited maybe 10 minutes until the horse was curious enough to come to him and allow him to put the halter on. If he had just walked up to the horse and kept pursuing the horse, it would not have come to him or wanted anything to do with him. The more pressure he would have put on the horse the more horse would have flighted, backed away because a horse is a flight animal. It has to be the horses idea before he is going to do it. You have to make it the horses idea, not your idea or it might never happen.
I believe this can relate to people as well. Like a student, if you make it their idea to want to go to college, then they will work harder to get better grades. But if you tell the student to make better grades and don't give them a reason, then why in the world would they put that much effort into, what seems to them is nothing. Horses are like that too. They want to get away from pressure, so if you allow them to make it their idea to get away from pressure then they will do it.
I also believe that the patience you gain from working with horses will of course help you communicate with people. If you have the patience to train and wait on a horse, then you could be patient in potty training a child. You would be patient enough to learn how to communicate to the child when to use the toilet instead of a diaper. It could teach you patience with coworkers or in my case patience with group member when I work on a project.
When you work with a horse you are supposed to work from where they are coming from. Meaning that they are a flight animal and they are scared and you should recognize that. I think you should also do this with other people. You should realize where they are coming from. My friend might be flaky one day and tell me she wants to hang out and then not show up. When I speak to her the next time maybe I should be considerate that she is going through something difficult or maybe she just can't keep plans. Instead of me getting furious at her I should take the pressure off and let her come to me and apologize. Once she realizes that I will not yell at her and be extremely mad she can open up and tell me what is wrong with her. ( I realize of course that some people would take advantage of this situation and do it multiple times... in that case I would loose my patience.)
I also watched a short video with Dale today and he showed me how you shouldn't scare a horse into doing something. This man was in a round pen with a horse and laid down a tarp. The horse had never seen a tarp on the ground and did not want to step on it or even come near it. The man motioned the horse with a flag towards the tarp but allowed the horse to think about it and make the decision to jump over it. With enough time the horse finally just walked over the tarp. But it took patience and time to let the horse make it his idea to walk on the tarp.
I think this can apply to people. Its like forcing a child to ride a bike. If you let them get comfortable with the idea and give them some confidence then they will want to ride the bike. They will allow you to take your hand off the seat and let them ride by themselves. You shouldn't scare or force people into doing something they don't want to do either. You should communicate with them and give them the space and confidence they need in order to do what you may want them to do. Its like someone asking me to ski dive. If you push me out of the plane of course I don't have a choice, but wouldn't that person want to be comfortable and trust them enough to go on my own? ( At least I would think my friend would want this!) Someone pushing me out of the plane is not going to make me conquer my fear of heights. Just like forcing a horse to walk on the tarp is not going to conquer his fear, it is just going to make him distrust you more, and every time he approaches the tarp he will be nervous because in his mind he didn't get over the fear of the tarp you just forced him to cross it. The horse will be fearful of the tarp and additionally the fact that he will have to cross it regardless of his fear.
I believe pressure and release with a horse can be like pursuing a person. My boyfriend pursued me, but then he let me decide to call him back. He showed interest but allowed me to decide to push the relationship further. You can be like this with horses. You apply pressure and then release. You apply enough pressure to let them know what you want them to do, without pushing them away. ( I understand that dating and relationships can be MUCH more complicated that I am describing but the analogy works here.)
He says that the training starts from the moment you step in the gate to put the halter on the horse. PATIENCE. Working with horses is all about patience. He waited maybe 10 minutes until the horse was curious enough to come to him and allow him to put the halter on. If he had just walked up to the horse and kept pursuing the horse, it would not have come to him or wanted anything to do with him. The more pressure he would have put on the horse the more horse would have flighted, backed away because a horse is a flight animal. It has to be the horses idea before he is going to do it. You have to make it the horses idea, not your idea or it might never happen.
I believe this can relate to people as well. Like a student, if you make it their idea to want to go to college, then they will work harder to get better grades. But if you tell the student to make better grades and don't give them a reason, then why in the world would they put that much effort into, what seems to them is nothing. Horses are like that too. They want to get away from pressure, so if you allow them to make it their idea to get away from pressure then they will do it.
I also believe that the patience you gain from working with horses will of course help you communicate with people. If you have the patience to train and wait on a horse, then you could be patient in potty training a child. You would be patient enough to learn how to communicate to the child when to use the toilet instead of a diaper. It could teach you patience with coworkers or in my case patience with group member when I work on a project.
When you work with a horse you are supposed to work from where they are coming from. Meaning that they are a flight animal and they are scared and you should recognize that. I think you should also do this with other people. You should realize where they are coming from. My friend might be flaky one day and tell me she wants to hang out and then not show up. When I speak to her the next time maybe I should be considerate that she is going through something difficult or maybe she just can't keep plans. Instead of me getting furious at her I should take the pressure off and let her come to me and apologize. Once she realizes that I will not yell at her and be extremely mad she can open up and tell me what is wrong with her. ( I realize of course that some people would take advantage of this situation and do it multiple times... in that case I would loose my patience.)
I also watched a short video with Dale today and he showed me how you shouldn't scare a horse into doing something. This man was in a round pen with a horse and laid down a tarp. The horse had never seen a tarp on the ground and did not want to step on it or even come near it. The man motioned the horse with a flag towards the tarp but allowed the horse to think about it and make the decision to jump over it. With enough time the horse finally just walked over the tarp. But it took patience and time to let the horse make it his idea to walk on the tarp.
I think this can apply to people. Its like forcing a child to ride a bike. If you let them get comfortable with the idea and give them some confidence then they will want to ride the bike. They will allow you to take your hand off the seat and let them ride by themselves. You shouldn't scare or force people into doing something they don't want to do either. You should communicate with them and give them the space and confidence they need in order to do what you may want them to do. Its like someone asking me to ski dive. If you push me out of the plane of course I don't have a choice, but wouldn't that person want to be comfortable and trust them enough to go on my own? ( At least I would think my friend would want this!) Someone pushing me out of the plane is not going to make me conquer my fear of heights. Just like forcing a horse to walk on the tarp is not going to conquer his fear, it is just going to make him distrust you more, and every time he approaches the tarp he will be nervous because in his mind he didn't get over the fear of the tarp you just forced him to cross it. The horse will be fearful of the tarp and additionally the fact that he will have to cross it regardless of his fear.
I believe pressure and release with a horse can be like pursuing a person. My boyfriend pursued me, but then he let me decide to call him back. He showed interest but allowed me to decide to push the relationship further. You can be like this with horses. You apply pressure and then release. You apply enough pressure to let them know what you want them to do, without pushing them away. ( I understand that dating and relationships can be MUCH more complicated that I am describing but the analogy works here.)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Horse Whisperer
Yes I have watched the film. I thought it was good, but talking to an actual 'Horse Whisperer" is even better! I put Horse Whisperer in quotations because he doesn't whisper to the horses, he just uses minimal body language to communicate with horses. I spend all day Friday with this man and learned information that many 'horse people' would love to know.
First I am going to list the questions I asked him and his responses:
1. How have horses affected you life?
-taught him patience
-said he got better working with people( he was previously a plant manager)
2. How many years have you been involved with horses?
-most of his life, but 20 years with his new perspective of natural horsemanship
3. What do you believe is the most effective way to communicate with horses?
-body language, does not use voice commands when working with horses, ( means someone else could control your horse when you are on it)
4.How have horses affected your communication with other people?
-he has learned not to be aggressive back when someone comes to him with a problem( when he used to be a plant manager)
-he has learned that people learn from release as well as horses
- he gave an example that when watching a fight, as soon as one person stops fighting back the other person will soon stop as well ( release of pressure)
5. What have you learned from communicating with horses that you believe that everyone should apply to their relationships with other people?
-respect
-less is better
-try too hard to make a first impression( too nice or too overbearing)
-be natural and honest
6. Do you believe there is any aspect of human communication that can be translated into communication with a horse?
- sign language, you have to pay attention, look and not speak
7. What are some of the most important things about horses to know in order to better communicate with them?
- remember that a horse is a wild animal, NOT a pet
- you have to always have the horses attention
- you need to learn the horses language
- remember that the horse is just as scared as you are
-horses are a flight animal
-you should never destroy a horses self preservation, this can be done by forcing it to submit when breaking it/starting
8.Do you believe that communication with a horse should stem from being the leader in the relationship or do you believe that horse and rider both play equally important roles in the relationship?
-they are a herd animal, they need a leader
-they will always look for a leader
-you have to show the horse that you are capable of being a leader
( The conversation then lead into that if you can be a leader to a horse then you can most definitely be a leader in society.)
9. Has communicating with horses allowed you to become a good judge of character in another person?
-Yes, if you can learn to pick out a troubled horse then you can learn to pick out a troubled person.
- Horses and humans can sometimes be alike in the fact that they are good at hiding what troubles them
10.If you have never worked with a horse before, what signs or signals from the horse do you concentrate on or look for to learn about their well being?
- pinning of ears
- tail, knot at the end
-he just looks at body language
-the trained eye can tell by the way the horse moves his feet, and how well he yields to pressure
-if the horse avoids you- there is a problem
11. Are there any signals that you look for when you first meet another person to learn about their well being?
-he says that is more complicated, and he just has to get to know a person
- sometimes you just can't describe it
-bullies are an example, the horse that is the bully is like the person that is the bully, they are that way because they have a problem
-he gave an example that the loudest person in the room is the most troubled, just the horse that causes the most trouble is the most bothered
12. Do you think there is a correlation between these? ( questions 10 &11)
-yes
13. What are some misconceptions that you find people have about communicating with horses?
- people think horses communicate like people do
-you can not treat a horse like a human
14. Do you think that the practices of western riding and dressage use different communication methods with horses?
- I omitted this question because it doesn't really apply to what I am researching. Also I omitted it because communication with horses can vary drastically between to western riders, just as it can with English or dressage riders.
15. Since every horse and every person is different what do you believe is the best method to approach communication?
- to attempt to talk the same language with the horse
- it has to come from within
- should always work from where the horse is coming from( using the fact that a horse is a flight animal etc.)
I spent hours just talking to this man. I learned that he used to train Arabians, who are hot blooded. I learned that hot blooded means that they are high spirited. Also when I arrived there I learned priceless information about which bits should and should not be used. He only recommended one type of bit, a broken snaffle. He said that bits can increasingly get worse and make the horses mouth tougher. The problem is the rider isn't using other forms of communication like the legs, they only use the hands. The broken snaffle is used when a horse is first introduced to riding and a good rider shouldn't have to use anything stronger. The broken snaffle is the easiest on the horses mouth, doesn't make his mouth tough. An analogy would be our hands getting calloused, there mouths can get like this and become resistant to bits.
He compared horses to kids. If you close one door you have to give them another. He hates it when mothers tell their children," just because I said so". It doesn't give them reason or justification. He relates this to a horse, if you tell them they can't go right you have to give them another option, like going left.
He also claims that a happy person can make a horse happy. They can feed off of your energy. He says that sometimes it is like a telepathic communication. He also said that it sometimes looks like a "horse whisperer' is whispering, but the body language is so subtle that it looks like he is.
I also learned that the canter is the easiest gate for the horse to buck. He already has one foot that is kicked out so all he has to do is kick the other one out. You shouldn't even think about getting on a horse if you think it will buck. He says that he has never been on a horse when it bucked. This is due to the fact that he won't get on a horse until he feels it is safe to do so.
He says that riding lessons ARE important. People think that if they get the basics that they can do the rest themselves and that is NOT the case. Some people need to have more of an open mind.
After we talked we went to the stables and we watched some people ride. He told me what they were doing right or mostly wrong and how to watch the horses. For instance one lady had her reins extremely tight and after watching the horse it was obvious that the horse was extremely unhappy. ( Side note: The horse whisperer says the thing about horses is that they are so forgiving, you can make mistakes one day and they will forgive you the next.) This lady had her reins too tight and instead of using her feet to signal to the horse she would pop him with her reins. Another girl was using 'neck reining'. He told me that the horse finally realizes that the rope on the side of their neck means to turn in the opposite direction it usually would. When neck reining you actually put pressure on both sides of the horses mouth, which is not necessary.
Later we followed a lady to another barn on the property. She got her horse out of the barn with only a lead rope. What I saw next was amazing. She lounged her horse and used body motions that were barely detectable to communicate with her horse. For instance she would slightly turn her head to the left and the horse would go to the right. She would then turn her head to the right and the horse would turn around and go left. If she stopped moving her feet the horse did as well. And she would wait for the horse to start licking and chewing its lips before she would move on. This meant that the horse was in a good place and could continue to learn and not be afraid. Something that he said and I think is very important is that you should never leave your horse in a bad place, because when you return it could be worse.
I learned how to safely tie a rope! Many methods show you how to tie a horse but when you pull to release the horse you may get pulled towards the barn or trailer that the horse is tied to. With the method that he showed me, when you pull to release the knot you can step towards the horse giving him a release.
I learned so much that I am still processing some of it, and I know other information will not make sense until I ride again. Hopefully, weather permitting, I will meet with the horse whisperer again tomorrow and he will show me some things with the horse that he has at his place.
Interesting Quotes:
"if you look into a horses eye you can see right into his heart"
"we didn't know the formula for success has been under our nose and we just can't see it"( the formula is the horse)
"horses never lie"
-he said one point in the conversation that in order to raise a child you should be able to start a colt ( have the patience and ability to communicate)
" don't be scared, but don't be foolish"( referring to working with horses)
First I am going to list the questions I asked him and his responses:
1. How have horses affected you life?
-taught him patience
-said he got better working with people( he was previously a plant manager)
2. How many years have you been involved with horses?
-most of his life, but 20 years with his new perspective of natural horsemanship
3. What do you believe is the most effective way to communicate with horses?
-body language, does not use voice commands when working with horses, ( means someone else could control your horse when you are on it)
4.How have horses affected your communication with other people?
-he has learned not to be aggressive back when someone comes to him with a problem( when he used to be a plant manager)
-he has learned that people learn from release as well as horses
- he gave an example that when watching a fight, as soon as one person stops fighting back the other person will soon stop as well ( release of pressure)
5. What have you learned from communicating with horses that you believe that everyone should apply to their relationships with other people?
-respect
-less is better
-try too hard to make a first impression( too nice or too overbearing)
-be natural and honest
6. Do you believe there is any aspect of human communication that can be translated into communication with a horse?
- sign language, you have to pay attention, look and not speak
7. What are some of the most important things about horses to know in order to better communicate with them?
- remember that a horse is a wild animal, NOT a pet
- you have to always have the horses attention
- you need to learn the horses language
- remember that the horse is just as scared as you are
-horses are a flight animal
-you should never destroy a horses self preservation, this can be done by forcing it to submit when breaking it/starting
8.Do you believe that communication with a horse should stem from being the leader in the relationship or do you believe that horse and rider both play equally important roles in the relationship?
-they are a herd animal, they need a leader
-they will always look for a leader
-you have to show the horse that you are capable of being a leader
( The conversation then lead into that if you can be a leader to a horse then you can most definitely be a leader in society.)
9. Has communicating with horses allowed you to become a good judge of character in another person?
-Yes, if you can learn to pick out a troubled horse then you can learn to pick out a troubled person.
- Horses and humans can sometimes be alike in the fact that they are good at hiding what troubles them
10.If you have never worked with a horse before, what signs or signals from the horse do you concentrate on or look for to learn about their well being?
- pinning of ears
- tail, knot at the end
-he just looks at body language
-the trained eye can tell by the way the horse moves his feet, and how well he yields to pressure
-if the horse avoids you- there is a problem
11. Are there any signals that you look for when you first meet another person to learn about their well being?
-he says that is more complicated, and he just has to get to know a person
- sometimes you just can't describe it
-bullies are an example, the horse that is the bully is like the person that is the bully, they are that way because they have a problem
-he gave an example that the loudest person in the room is the most troubled, just the horse that causes the most trouble is the most bothered
12. Do you think there is a correlation between these? ( questions 10 &11)
-yes
13. What are some misconceptions that you find people have about communicating with horses?
- people think horses communicate like people do
-you can not treat a horse like a human
14. Do you think that the practices of western riding and dressage use different communication methods with horses?
- I omitted this question because it doesn't really apply to what I am researching. Also I omitted it because communication with horses can vary drastically between to western riders, just as it can with English or dressage riders.
15. Since every horse and every person is different what do you believe is the best method to approach communication?
- to attempt to talk the same language with the horse
- it has to come from within
- should always work from where the horse is coming from( using the fact that a horse is a flight animal etc.)
I spent hours just talking to this man. I learned that he used to train Arabians, who are hot blooded. I learned that hot blooded means that they are high spirited. Also when I arrived there I learned priceless information about which bits should and should not be used. He only recommended one type of bit, a broken snaffle. He said that bits can increasingly get worse and make the horses mouth tougher. The problem is the rider isn't using other forms of communication like the legs, they only use the hands. The broken snaffle is used when a horse is first introduced to riding and a good rider shouldn't have to use anything stronger. The broken snaffle is the easiest on the horses mouth, doesn't make his mouth tough. An analogy would be our hands getting calloused, there mouths can get like this and become resistant to bits.
He compared horses to kids. If you close one door you have to give them another. He hates it when mothers tell their children," just because I said so". It doesn't give them reason or justification. He relates this to a horse, if you tell them they can't go right you have to give them another option, like going left.
He also claims that a happy person can make a horse happy. They can feed off of your energy. He says that sometimes it is like a telepathic communication. He also said that it sometimes looks like a "horse whisperer' is whispering, but the body language is so subtle that it looks like he is.
I also learned that the canter is the easiest gate for the horse to buck. He already has one foot that is kicked out so all he has to do is kick the other one out. You shouldn't even think about getting on a horse if you think it will buck. He says that he has never been on a horse when it bucked. This is due to the fact that he won't get on a horse until he feels it is safe to do so.
He says that riding lessons ARE important. People think that if they get the basics that they can do the rest themselves and that is NOT the case. Some people need to have more of an open mind.
After we talked we went to the stables and we watched some people ride. He told me what they were doing right or mostly wrong and how to watch the horses. For instance one lady had her reins extremely tight and after watching the horse it was obvious that the horse was extremely unhappy. ( Side note: The horse whisperer says the thing about horses is that they are so forgiving, you can make mistakes one day and they will forgive you the next.) This lady had her reins too tight and instead of using her feet to signal to the horse she would pop him with her reins. Another girl was using 'neck reining'. He told me that the horse finally realizes that the rope on the side of their neck means to turn in the opposite direction it usually would. When neck reining you actually put pressure on both sides of the horses mouth, which is not necessary.
Later we followed a lady to another barn on the property. She got her horse out of the barn with only a lead rope. What I saw next was amazing. She lounged her horse and used body motions that were barely detectable to communicate with her horse. For instance she would slightly turn her head to the left and the horse would go to the right. She would then turn her head to the right and the horse would turn around and go left. If she stopped moving her feet the horse did as well. And she would wait for the horse to start licking and chewing its lips before she would move on. This meant that the horse was in a good place and could continue to learn and not be afraid. Something that he said and I think is very important is that you should never leave your horse in a bad place, because when you return it could be worse.
I learned how to safely tie a rope! Many methods show you how to tie a horse but when you pull to release the horse you may get pulled towards the barn or trailer that the horse is tied to. With the method that he showed me, when you pull to release the knot you can step towards the horse giving him a release.
I learned so much that I am still processing some of it, and I know other information will not make sense until I ride again. Hopefully, weather permitting, I will meet with the horse whisperer again tomorrow and he will show me some things with the horse that he has at his place.
Interesting Quotes:
"if you look into a horses eye you can see right into his heart"
"we didn't know the formula for success has been under our nose and we just can't see it"( the formula is the horse)
"horses never lie"
-he said one point in the conversation that in order to raise a child you should be able to start a colt ( have the patience and ability to communicate)
" don't be scared, but don't be foolish"( referring to working with horses)
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