Eight horses - One winter.

Ask yourself this?

2011-07-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Are you making progress with your horsemanship?

I am constantly amazed by the money that people hand over to trainers in return for not a lot really. If you want to employ a trainer to help you progress your horsemanship, here are some guidelines I reckon you should follow.

a) You should make tangible progress in every session.
b) You should leave with more knowledge and less confusion than you arrived with.
c) You should understand what the job is that you are trying to do.
d) Your horse should understand what the job is that you are asking him to do.
e) Your trainer should be concerned if you are not making progress.

That is some basic stuff just about your sessions – The next list is about you and your horse, and is just my opinion. I would go as far as to say that if these things aren’t happening you need to think about what you and your horse are actually learning in your training sessions.

a) You should be learning to relax on your horse.
b) Your horse should be learning to relax with you on board.
c) You should be training your horse without the use of force or restriction.
d) Your horse should be learning to carry you correctly.

Put in a nutshell, I guess what I am saying is if you are using any bracing in yourself, you shouldn’t be. If you are using restrictive tack you shouldn’t be. If you are pulling your horse in at the front you shouldn’t be. If your horse is over-bending he shouldn’t be. If your horse is worried about the bit he shouldn’t be. If you have a backwards pull in your hands you shouldn’t have. If your horse isn’t going forward when you ask he should be. If you are doing all the work to keep your horse going you shouldn’t be. If your horse is travelling on the front end he shouldn’t be. If your horse isn’t willing to do what you ask he should be. And finally, you should understand what riding in balance is.

If you don’t understand anything about any or all of the above you should ask your trainer to explain these things to you, and make sure that you understand his/her answer, and that you are happy with it.

At last!

2011-05-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

At last we have written down some principles.

Photo taken at this weekend's clinic

Working with respect for the horse’s physical and mental well-being, and with the aim of improving both.

Teaching the horse to understand, be physically able and mentally willing to do what you want, rather than the rider having to push, hold, cajole, argue, force and ‘manufacture’ the horse.

Understanding that balance is crucial for your horse, especially when carrying a rider, and working to develop it right from the start of training.

Recognizing that without ‘feel’ results will always be mediocre, and that it can be learned (but maybe not taught).

The two ways to train horses.

2011-04-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

Surely there must be more than two ways to train a horse. Well, I don't think there are. You either train the horse to accept restriction or you train it to work in freedom. You might think that there is a spectrum between those two extremes, but there isn't. There is a spectrum of restriction, ranging from simply appalling to not too bad. But freedom is freedom, it isn't on a spectrum and you are either doing it or you are not.

One thing is for sure, it's quicker and easier to train a horse to accept restriction, and if you measure progress by what the horse can do, you might even begin to think that it is indeed the best way to go. Walk, trot, canter, hack, hunt, jump, or even do some fancy moves. You can get your horse to do all this pretty quickly by holding it in place. Once the horse has accepted the pressure of the bit in his mouth, and the power of the riders hands and legs, then all he has to do is surrender and go wherever he is pulled or pushed.

I guess it is fairly obvious that I don't like that system of training very much. I can see it suits some people's needs, but the thing is it's not very good really, is it? The horses might be doing a semblance of the job, but there is always something wrong with how it's being done. Because of the restrictions the horse has no natural balance, so his movements are always, at best, going to be slightly wrong. I mean, think about it, if you take away all the physical support from the rider and the tack, could the horse still do all that stuff. Let's face it, he wouldn't have a clue. The restricted horse is trained to accept the movements that the rider physically makes him do.

To sit on a horse that understands to travel in balance, and happily moves to the smallest ask - now that's what I call a nicely trained horse. And producing a horse like that, now that's what I call good horse training.

So what is dressage?

2011-03-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

So what is dressage? Is it that ghastly stuff you see where people pull their horses around using severely restricting equipment? Is it forcing your horse into a shape that you saw in a book, but at the same time having no idea why you are doing it? Is it doing fancy moves to show off to your friends? Is it a competition? Is it honing your riding skills to such a degree that you can manufacture the horse that you want? If you think it is any of the above I have to say straight out, for the sake of the horse, I disagree with you. So what is it then? Well, I’m pretty sure it’s exercises to help your horse travel straight and in balance. This is important stuff to a horse, physically and mentally. Straightness and balance make horses feel good. But it’s not something you can force on the horse. You have to train the horse himself to maintain the correct way of going. So if you are using your tack or your seat or your arms or your legs to keep your horse on track, then the job isn’t done. People may think you are a good rider, and you might be too, but the truth is you are manufacturing the horse. Our 2011 clinic plans are now up. http://bewithyourhorse.com/about-our-clinics/

Welcome

2010-11-29T05:06:00.000-08:00

Hi.
Thanks for visiting my horse blog. I am taking a break from the blog for a while as I have another project on. If this is your first visit please feel free to read and hopefully enjoy previous posts.
Kind Regards
Tom

Is horsemanship a marshall art?

2010-11-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about horsemanship, and how learning it is a bit like learning a marshall art. Not that I've ever learnt one of those, but I have heard people talking about it. Practising the move until it's perfect, done in relaxation and without thought - that's how I want to be with my horse.

There are a few basic things that I am working on with my horse at the moment. They are feel, balance, relaxation, co-ordination, and knowledge of the horse and how it moves, and that's about it for me really. At times I have focussed in on any one of these things and thought it was all there was to know about horses, but now I reckon it's all of them that I need to study, understand and work on.

I was watching a girl ride my horse the other day. She was riding him nicely. She is a more experienced rider than me and in some ways it shows. But there were one or two things that I saw there that have prompted me to write this post. I work a lot on my balance, and to be honest that showed up a bit there. When my friend was moving my horse through the shoulder in walk she couldn't get as sharp of a turn as I get. So why was that - same horse after all. I thought about this for a while and then decided that the more you work on feel and balance the more control you and your horse have in situations like that. The difference in weight change front to back might be tiny, but it makes all the difference to how sharp you could make that turn. Right there I'd better say that I want to do this whole thing with no force - just feel - no pulling or pushing ok.

That skill, learning to balance, is something to practice. I am at the beginning of it. Combining it with a nice feel through your body and through your hands - well, I think that is what I need to practise over and over to get the improvement in my horsemanship that I want to see.

So to get a nice feel - well, that's about being able to relax on my horse. I notice that when things get a bit difficult, that is when I tighten up. So I practice making a move and staying relaxed. I have heard people talk about a good seat. No idea what that means myself, but I have worked hard on relaxing in the saddle. Tension and balance struggle to exist together. I know the bits of me that tense up and I am consciously working on ironing them out. If you get on a tricky horse that struggles with a move, say even a simple move like a back up, that's a good time to see what your body does when things are a bit difficult. When your horse floats back like a good un, well, it's pretty easy to relax with that.

Co-ordination and knowledge of the horse's way of going - those are things that I would have chosen to ignore in my past. But now I can see the need. I have to know what affects what, and how the horse needs to travel (I don't mean he needs to take a little road trip - I mean the way he goes best). It's not rocket science - well it might be, but at my level it's not. The fact is the way you use your hands can have a huge effect, so it's important. An example might be if you are asking your horse to bend and you put a slightly backwards and outwards feel into your rein you may well get a lurch to that side. If you put a slightly backwards and inwards feel in the rein you might get a sideways twist in your horses neck. If you put a really nice small upwards feel, neither backwards, outwards or inwards, you will have more of a chance of getting a nice clean little bend.

All these things are quite small points to work on. But that seems to be what it's coming down to for me. I'm quite pleased really. I'd hate it if horsemanship had turned out to be some crap thing where you have to tie your horse down and pull him around all over the place. There's a lot of people still doing that though, aren't there!

New interview with Annie

2010-10-16T03:40:00.000-07:00

Annie: Hi Tom. It’s been a couple of years since we met up and chatted about horses.

Tom: Yep, it has, and it feels like a lot has happened since then.

Annie: So I’m really interested in what you have been getting up to with the horse-work. Any huge changes?

Tom: Well, I wouldn’t say ‘huge changes’ but yes, we have moved things along quite a way. I’d say all the important stuff is still in place. Working on softness and feel – you never get to the end of that job. But what we have done is made some dramatic changes to our ridden work.

Annie: Oh that’s interesting – cos you were always known as a trainer who didn’t ride much. Are you riding a lot these days?

Tom: Yeah, I do ride quite a bit. I like going out to check the cows. I’m still not a particularly accomplished rider, but I love the work we are doing now. It all makes so much sense to me. I feel like I have finally found out how to ‘be with the horse’ while I am riding him. That was always such a mystery to me – I felt like I couldn’t find the key to that one. But now I’ve got it.

Annie: Go on then, tell me.

Tom: Well, it’s simple stuff actually. I guess in a sentence I’d say, ‘get your horse in balance with you, in the moment, and you’ve got him, right there with you, and that’s it’.

Annie: That doesn’t mean much to me Tom. Explain what you mean by that?

Tom: Well, for years I heard people saying stuff like ‘get your horse off the forehand’ and I had not the slightest idea what they were on about. I presumed it was something that happens to you when you reach a level of riding skill way beyond what I was ever going to get to. I don’t really believe that anymore. I reckon most people (and horses) can get to it. And that’s what I mean by balance. You and the horse balanced with the weight on all four feet. I remember Mark saying once, when he sits on his horse he feels like he is sitting on a ball that could go anyway. When I heard that I thought, mmm that sounds good – well, that’s what it feels like when your horse is in balance.

The thing is, once you open this door, everything starts to make sense. Suddenly straightness is in sight, suddenly it’s imperative that the horse is not bracing, and suddenly it’s important you are not bracing either. It’s important that your horse even-loads his feet. It’s important that you feel the balance, and you, nor the horse, can feel the balance when there is tenseness or tightness in your or his muscles.

And when you feel that balance, then your horse is with you – almost trapped in the moment. It’s a pretty powerful experience.

Annie: That sounds interesting. How did you get to this then?

Tom: Well, I hate to say it but I read it in a book. But really I had to get to it because I was stuck with some work I was doing with my horse.

Annie: Well, tell me about the work, and then tell me about the book.

Tom: OK I will. The thing that got me to it was that I could turn my horse to the right on a circle no problem, but when I turned her to the left she fell over through her shoulder every single time. Sounds simple to me now, but back then I couldn’t work it out at all. So once I explained to her the cues for the two different ways of turning that she was giving me, I suddenly had both options on both sides. At the same time I had to work hard at getting her ‘front to back’ balance sorted. I had inadvertently taught her to overbend at the poll which gave her no option but to be front end heavy. She was also travelling behind the bit which made communication through the reins very difficult. Now I have her very happy with the bit right there, no pressure from either of us, but the bit is right there, happily sitting in her mouth and she is happy with it there too, so where the bit goes her head goes, so it’s all pretty straightforward really. Maybe I should add there – the theory is pretty straightforward, anyway.

Annie: I’ve never really understood the bit. Everyone seems to talk in very vague ways about it.

Tom: Yes, I couldn’t agree with you more about that. What the heck does all that stuff about ‘seeking the bit’ mean, or ‘accepting the bit’. Why don’t people just say what they mean. I sometimes think it’s because maybe they don’t know.

See, some people want their horse to lean on the bit. Well, if you want balance, leaning on the bit is no good. That’s like providing a fifth leg. We need the horse balanced evenly on all four feet, and what’s more, do you really want the job of holding up your horses head. Then other people want their horse behind the bit – I mean by that that the horse is slightly scared of the bit and shies back off it. I found it impossible to have the communication that I want with my horse like that.

When I came across the idea of having my horse completely happy and comfortable with the bit resting in his mouth, and have him happy to follow it wherever I take it, well, that was some kind of revelation for me. Also, the idea of my horse having a soft mobile relaxed jaw is just great. A horse in balance will hold no tension anywhere, and the starting point is his mouth.

Annie: And the book?

Tom: Ooooh, maybe I won’t tell you that. I’ll just pretend I worked all this stuff out on my own. Oh OK, I’ll tell you, but promise not to tell anyone else OK. Actually I’m happy to tell you everything. I’ve told loads of people and most of them walk off like I hadn’t said anything. The odd one or two think it might be useful, and then the odd one of them tries it out. Then the odd one of them sticks with it, and that is fantastic. See, I look at what everyone else is up too and I just think, actually what we are working towards is pretty good really – riding a horse in freedom, or what the French might call ‘legerite’.

The guys you want to read are Francois Baucher, Phillipe Karl, Anje Beran, and Jean Claude Racinet. There’s probably others, but I’d stick my neck out here and say Baucher got this sorted initially. The guy whose book explains it really clearly, for me anyway, is Philippe Karl – I might go as far to say, and bear in mind I have never met him, he is a quite a clever guy. We basically worked through the parts of his book and DVDs that applied to where we were at with our horses. He explains everything – all about balance – I found the whole book, or at least a lot of the book, absolutely spot on. Obviously the more advanced stuff went straight over my head, but that’s actually what I like about this stuff – it’s useful whatever level of horsemanship you are operating at.

Annie: Wow, you’re quite keen on that aren’t you! So where is all this leading to.

Tom: Well, I wouldn’t know where it might be leading to. For me I just chip away slowly at me and my horse – trying to improve what I’m doing. I’m not ambitious really – I just enjoy the feeling when things are going well between me and my horse.

Annie: Thanks Tom, I’ve enjoyed the interview. Shall we pencil another in for a couple of years time.

Tom: Hahaha, Could do I guess. It’s always fun chatting with you.

A horseman in the Pyrenees.

2010-09-23T03:29:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the centre of the village to meet up with Daniel. Sure enough there he was on his horse - a softly spoken guy on a really nice sort of Section D type mare - in fact she was a Castillon, a rare breed local to the area.

A few hundred yards up the hill Daniel had a couple more horses at his village barn. No saddles or bridles!
'It's quite steep - Hang on the mane if you need to'.
He was right - it was steep and I did have to hang on to the mane. The house was at 1300 metres, and looked out across the mountains. It was a beautiful sunny day and the whole scene felt idyllic. I'm guessing it's pretty tough up there in Winter.

After coffee Daniel put some harness on the mare that I had just ridden up the mountain and off we went to his garden to do a spot of work. First he harrowed the ground, including a quick lesson for my son Paul.

Then he spread the seed, and harrowed it in.

While he showed Paul around the rest of the garden I took the horse back home. She was so sweet to work.

Daniel has lived and worked with his horses in these mountains for 35 years.

What are horses like this worth - more than money can buy I reckon.

Horsemanship for ordinary folk.

2010-08-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I stray on to the discussion boards. Nearly always I come away wondering what the hell am I doing with my horsemanship. But if I stay away then I quite happily continue to work away on whatever it is that I am working on. I wish it wasn't like that, but there is still something in me that seems to think I should be millions of miles down the road from where I am.

There is always someone doing something incredible. Some new video or some new idea. Have you seen so and so - riding blindfold, backwards, and without tack. Meanwhile back at the ranch, I am getting on working with my bit and bridle, working with perfecting my right hand bend or getting a nice halt or whatever. Today maybe we trotted a whole circle in balance, in partnership, with both of us happy doing it. Or maybe not - maybe things were a bit bracey, there was a little pull on the reins here and there when maybe I asked for more than I should have. Or maybe we went for a hack and my horse went pretty nice, or maybe she lost her mind a little here and there but generally she was pretty good. And truly, that's about as far as I've got so far with my horsemanship.

So what am I trying to say. Well, I know my aim and I have had it for a while now, and it involves always working on the job that presents itself to me. I want a nice willing horse that softly responds to my requests. Nothing more! I'm not bothered about any extras. Maybe when I get this job done, maybe then I could think about tackless, blindfolded and backwards, but for now I have plenty to do. And quite honestly I'm pretty happy with the way things are going. Since I came across and worked out the 'relaxed mouth' stuff, my horses and my horsemanship have come on a long way.

What I love most of all about all this is that this is good horsemanship within the grasp of ordinary people. Seriously, you don't have to be a super human super horse trainer type of person to benefit from this. With the C1 flexions and a commitment to 'evenloading' the horses feet, a whole world opens up. Working horses this way is good - the horses understand it, but maybe more importantly, so do I.

Be good to the horse!

2010-07-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm just about at that point where I don't really want to hear any more discussion on horsemanship, but I needed to get that foot trimming post off the top of my blog.

There's just a couple of things really. I want to try and make sure that any horses I work with understand what is going on, as best as I can make sure of that, and I want to carry on practising my balance and relaxation in the saddle, as best as I can make sure of that too.

For the last couple of years I haven't really seen anything else that makes sense to me concerning horsemanship. I'm convinced that there is very little, if anything, to be gained from confusing a horse, and I am equally certain that any ridden work done with the horse out of balance is at very best a waste of time.

I've watched quite a few horses now taking their first few ridden steps in balance. Sometimes they stumble - it's as if they can't believe it is being asked of them. But they soon get it. It feels good to them. From balance comes relaxation. A horse in balance is in the moment, enjoying being there, with his owner, two beings as one. It might start with one small step in walk, and it might seem to the rider that the road ahead is just too long a journey to go on. And I know a lot of folks won't bother to try. But I've lost interest in the other stuff now. I used to wonder where man meets the horse. It took me a while to figure it out. We meet in the moment, but we both have to be there or it simply isn't going to happen.

Trimming horses feet

2010-06-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

Several years ago my wife went on a barefoot course. I told her at the time, 'don't expect me to get involved, I have enough to do'. Yes, you guessed it - I now spend half my life trimming feet.

I have no doubt that if my horse can go barefoot then I should allow him to. My horse was the original reason we got into trimming because at the time the farrier had let his toes get so long he actually was struggling to walk down hills. We knew something was wrong because he started doing mini bucks to tell us, and when we took his shoes off and trimmed his toes he was immediately back to his old self.

I think I have finally worked out how to do this foot trimming thing properly. My problem in the past was that I didn't have any points of reference on the foot. Despite a few foot gurus trying their hardest to explain, for me it was all a bit vague. Now I have got it (I think). The three fixed points on the underside of the foot are the two heels and the point of the frog. If you use those points as the 'plane of the foot' then from there it is pretty easy to keep the foot in balance. The bit of information that I was missing was the point of the frog, and that was why I couldn't understand how to stop the toe running away from me. I was trimming to the visible sole of the foot and actually on a lot of horses that visible sole, isn't all true sole. And that is especially true where you haven't been taking care of the 'flare'.

So now I have the underside sorted, and I've learnt to trim the frog pretty well, and I'm pretty determined not to have any flare, I reckon my horses feet are starting to look pretty damn good. Ah well, it's only been the seven years since I started. See, this is important, because it's easy enough to have a foot that can go anywhere on any ground, but there was always this problem of the long toe and the resultant separation, not to mention what can be the pretty disasterous effects on the leg and shoulder joints.

You might not be interested in horses feet ( I wish I wasn't), but even if you pay a farrier or a trimmer, it might be handy to have a bit of a picture in your mind of what a good foot might look like. If you put a straight edge across the heel to the toe I reckon it should run parallel to the frog (that's if the frog is trimmed to the point of the frog). If the gap widens towards the toe then I reckon you have probably got false sole, a load of flare, and a long toe.

Bare in mind I have never been on a trimming course and have no qualification whatsoever, so as with everything horse related, don't take someone's word for it - work it out for yourself. I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has any thoughts on this subject.

Did we miss something?

2010-05-30T04:39:00.000-07:00

Do you think we are getting to a point in horsemanship where there is not a lot left to say? We've been around the houses, tried this and tried that, and realised that the best thing to do is just get on and do it.

I had this idea that I'd get my two riding horses used to ponying each other, so that I could carry my tent, cooker and food on one, and ride the other. We could swap jobs and take turns, or at least they could. So I got the two horses out and tacked Sam up. He was a bit restless and twitchy so I rode him around a bit and then asked Sarah to put a rope on Splodge and hand it to me. Sam saw the rope and kind of squirmed away sideways like he'd seen some kind of a snake. 'What's with this horse' I thought to myself. One day he can do anything and the next day he's scared of a rope. Anyway, we carried on and he got the hang of it. Splodge had her ears back like she was saying, 'Piss off Sam, you can't lead me about'.

A couple of minutes later we'd all got the idea and Sam was going the best he's ever gone. We were all going together as easy as it could be. I love Sam!

You know the trouble with late twentieth/early twenty first century leisure horsemanship - we lack a job. It's a bit like western society - it's just got a bit too much time on its hands, and it thinks just that bit too much.

Sam

2010-05-13T00:36:00.000-07:00

Do you know what - I'm wondering about horses and horsemanship.

I rode my horse out yesterday looking for our cows. We found eleven, so only nine missing. The thing is there are so many places they can hide. I walked out later and found another six. Tomorrow we have to get them in to start calving, so hope they all show up then.

Anyway, what I was going to say was this, my old horse Sam, he never really had a chance to be as good as he could have been, cos quite frankly I didn't know what I was doing. Do I know now? Nah, not really! But thank the good lord I do know a little more than I used to. Sam has a bit of a tendency to go a bit 'unbroke' sometimes. You know, you kind of have the feeling that you are sitting on a horse that has forgotten you are there, or maybe never even realised it in the first place. But yesterday I had him, right there. I rode like a demon and he was listening all the way.

So what is that thing that I can bring to the deal, that makes the difference. That elusive quality that for years I had no idea existed, and as life goes on, I find it slightly easier to come up with. That is horsemanship and I love it. And actually, if I was going to be really practical here, which I absolutely believe I should be, specifically what did I do different. Well, it was balance - but not in some 'sit like this' kind of way. It was me and the horse in balance as one thing. The feeling to me is of the horse almost being trapped there - I know that is a slightly dodgy concept but it's how it feels to me. Like the horse can't splurge out from under you. Like he is listening to every step. It feels good!

And when I watch good riders, or think back to watching riders I like, I can see they are doing that same thing. The horse is there, under them, physically, and mentally too! And then you put your horse away and think about that ride, and how tomorrow you are going to ride and try and get it right again.

Balance before Movement.

2010-05-02T23:45:00.000-07:00

There have been many mile stones along the way, and the day I cottoned on to balance was an important one. If you get your horse in balance you've got him right there in the moment, ready to do whatever you want. I'm not saying he'll necessarily be able to do it, but he will be available to give it a try. And you will have done your part in making it as easy as possible for him.

And the final decider for me on this argument is that balance makes horses feel good. If you can show your horse that you understand this, and that you are not going to ask him to do stuff that he can't manage without losing his balance, then he quickly gains trust in you, and 'the relationship' changes.

I'm done with watching people ask their horses for more than they can correctly do, then watching the horse falling through the shoulder, or tipping on to the front end, in a desperate try to get the job done. Not good horsemanship from the human, I'd say. And then they bang on and on, round and round, thinking that if they do it enough times somehow the horse will find a way. Think about it! Do humans run before they can walk. Now I try to put things together for my horse in some kind of order, that makes sense from his point of view, truly I am convinced he sees me differently.

Here is a quote from Francois Baucher.

'What delights the expert horseman will experience in the progressive application of his art! His pupil at first rebellious will insensibly yield himself to his every wish; will adopt his character, and end by becoming the living personification of him. Take care, then, rider! If your horse is capricious, violent, fantastic, we will have the right to say that you yourself do not shine by the amenity of your disposition, and the propriety of your proceedings.'

And here is another pic of Martin - what a beast!

Time to get serious about horsemanship

2010-04-16T00:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Martin, and that's with the French pronunciation OK (Martaine). He is four weeks old and his mum, Tilly, is supposedly 10. And here are two very interesting quotes from the lady who 'rescued' her from France nine months ago.

'They treat the horses really badly over there'.

'All of the seven horses we rescued have behaved perfectly since day one'.

I have to say Tilly is a joy to handle. Martin, on the other hand, is totally bonkers.

Why I like Baucherism

2010-04-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

So, anyone who knows me will know I am no great horseman. I reckon my biggest success is to take a pride in my non-greatness, enjoy my horses, and maybe help other 'not so great' horsemen to enjoy their horses too. Since I started out I have always strived to keep things simple. I have fought hard against so many of the semi-abstract concepts and phrases that the horse world is littered with. I see no need for that stuff. Mostly what it does is give the impression to the unknowledgeable that the speaker knows what they are talking about, but to me it feels akin to the blag that you hear from politicians. It's mostly meaningless blather!

So when I come across a horseman who speaks in a language that I understand, I appreciate that, and I am grateful to them. I have come across a few horsetrainers who speak in words that make sense, and who try to explain how this whole thing fits together. They are the trainers who can actually give you some practical help as to how to progress in your horsemanship. You can spend time with them and leave with some tangible advice that you can use, rather than come away with a load more confused dogma to add to the pile of confusion that you already have.

So how does Baucher fit into all this. Well, he was a man of the same sentiment. He strived to get across to people the simplicity of horsemanship, and although in his life time he didn't really enjoy the recognition and success he maybe deserved, the work he did, successfully lives on.

In what is known as 'Baucher's second manner' he provided us with a very clear explanation of how to work the horse in lightness, or legerete. Since I came across this I have been greatly influenced by it, mainly because it works. His clear instructions, coupled with the written explanations of people past and present who work in this way, including General L'hotte, Captain Beaudant, Jean Claude Racinet and presently, Phillipe Karl) make it possible for the ordinary horseman to practise his ideas. In my limited way I have really been enjoying the results of this work - I say 'limited way' because I have no ambition to be a great rider, in fact my riding ambitions stretch about as far as getting to the local pub. But what I have managed to do is turn around some pretty confused horses, simply by being able to explain to them how things work, and in a way that they clearly understand and enjoy. I have also worked with some very interesting people, including a twelve year old boy with his show pony that habitually pushed up on the bit and travelled along like a llama. The young boy had no problem at all in understanding what I explained to him to do, mainly because everything we did was simple and worked. To my surprise he continued the work and now a couple months later his pony is a real credit to him.

It's really important that we understand how things work. If we don't understand something then how can we ever expect our horses to. To understand the bit, and the feel we should have in our hands, and the effects of our actions on the bit, plus the security the horse feels from being in good balance; this is a hugely important step for us, and the horse. I know he is long gone and he won't hear my thanks, but Baucher was a man who helped get me started on this.

Jack and C1

2010-03-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

One of the things I work on right from the start is trying to make it really clear between me and the horse what the bit means. I work a lot on the response to a feel on the bit in the corner of the mouth. I want the response to be a mobile mouth and an absolute willingness to follow the bit. This is done with feel - no pull. I am looking for a clean, soft, sideways movement in C1, as in the picture below.

With Jack, on his right side, he really found it difficult to turn his head on the C1 joint. He invariably combined the movement with a tip and twist in the C2 joint. If I really worked at it I could just about get a clear flexion but if I left it to Jack he always gave me a twist.

So why does it matter? Well, as in everything between me and the horse, my requests and my horse's responses need to be clear and concise, but also in this case, it is actually very important for balance. If my horse tilts his head like in the next picture, then I am going to be really struggling to get him to walk around corners even-loading on all four feet. He's going to lose his balance and fall on his shoulder. If you keep your horse in balance it has a big effect on him psychologically. I believe in this to such an extent that I try to always make balance one of my primary aims. From this comes confidence, and for the horse, what almost feels to me like, 'pride in their work'.

So this weekend I had the chance to get Jack's C1 worked on by Dave Siemens. Dave is a chiropractor who we have known for a few years now. I asked him to specifically check out the C1 joint. Take a look at the next picture - Jack now just does it whereas before he almost couldn't.

If you don't use the full movement in any joint then over time that movement will not be available to you. In Jack's case he didn't have an easy option on C1 to his right. At first I thought it was because he didn't understand what I wanted, but as soon as the joint was freed up it was clear that it was a physical issue rather than a training one.

The journey to nowhere

2010-02-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

It all started off pretty simple. When I first sat on a horse I quickly decided that for my own safety, I needed to be in control of the situation. I worked out that my horse had a few ideas of his own, and in some situations he even insisted on putting his ideas in to practise. This was sometimes fun, but not always.

Then pretty soon, a whole load of theories about horsemanship came into view. First I came across join up, after which the horse would be only too happy to do whatever I asked - oh, but I might need a pressure halter. And then pretty quickly a whole load more stuff came trucking along. Before I knew it a huge industry was spawned, all centred around this special relationship between man and the horse. Now suddenly, there was lots for me to think about. Am I the alpha, or perhaps I'm not? Is my horse right brained or is he left brained? Is he introvert or is he extrovert? Or, god forbid, is he the 'used one? Heck, this was starting to get complicated.

And then came the books, the endless books, telling me about this deep and meaningful relationship, but mysteriously, somehow not quite telling me how I can get to it.

But for the last few years I've been looking at my horse and wondering. And I'm standing there thinking, 'Nah, he doesn't care a jot about any of this stuff. He just needs to feel safe and know I'm not going to do anything too dumb. That's pretty much the same as what I want from him really!'

Understanding the Bit

2010-02-14T00:41:00.000-08:00

I am beginning to think, in fact I now know, that this is a really rather important job, and it is one that often gets rather overlooked. The first thing is, if you don't understand the bit how the hell is your horse going to understand it? There are obviously lots of different opinions about what the bit is for and how to use it and so on. So you have to decide all that before you start. If you understand that the bit is something that you use with force, ie have pressure in your hands, then you have to train your horse to accept that force. If you want your horse to travel behind the bit then you have to set that up too. I personally don't think either of those two options are the best way to use a bit. Both of those ways are 100% counter productive, physically and mentally, to what I want to acheive with my horse.

So, bearing in mind the way that I want to ride my horse, here is my understanding of the bit. There are three simple things I need to set up with my horse: a) the bit is a boundary through which the horse must not go, b) the bit is how I tell my horse where I want him to put his head, and c) the bit is a source of comfort to my horse. Once those things are in place I am in business.

Firstly, setting the boundary up. Well that's fairly straightforward. Never let the horse push the bit around, or lean on the bit, or put weight on the bit in any way. The horse needs to carry himself, in balance, and that is not a balance dependent on you holding him in place.

Secondly, I want my horse's mouth to follow the bit wherever I move it to; left or right, up or down. I want this to happen without resistance from the horse or the use of any force from me.

Thirdly, I want my horse to be comfortable with me using the bit. I don't want my horse to be frightened of the bit, or to be running away from the bit by going behind it. It is important to me that the bit is always right there, comfortable in the horses mouth. This is where I need to work to have a good reliable and consistent nice feel in my hands, that the horse can learnt to trust and love.

If I get all this in place, without grey areas in my or the horses mind, then things can start to really settle down. I am pretty sure a huge amount of horses anxieties come from illogical stuff happening in their mouths.

The History of Horsemanship - part one

2010-01-14T01:07:00.000-08:00

'It is essential to appreciate that the rider is the leader of the equestrian partnership and, for better or worse, sets the physical and psychological scene - not the horse. The true horseman lives by the premise that nothing is ever the horses fault.'

I have been dipping in to a few old horsebooks recently and I am continually coming across this kind of stuff. This was written in 1980 (or at least, published then) by some German dressage geezer called Herbermann. The book has a whole section of really sound practical, helpful explanations and advice that is useful to even basic horsemen such as myself. To be honest it makes a lot of the fancy illustrated horse books published over the last twenty years or so look like magazine articles.

Because my wife is a very keen student of horsemanship and riding, I get to watch/read/hear an awful lot about very accomplished horsemanship. You might think that could only be a good thing, and I would have to agree, but it does have its downside - I often feel like I should give up now! But one thing I have realised, which is good, is that good horsemanship has been with us since the beginning of time. What may seem to me to be a major breakthrough and realisation in my horsemanship is, to some of these old guys, nothing more than common sense that they have been practising for years.

That got me to thinking about all these people who sell their own brands of horsemanship as though they have discovered something new. And that got me to thinking about what happened to Baucher when he published his 'nouvelle methode' in the 1830s. There was a huge backlash against it, and people were saying, 'there's nothing new here' and so on and so on. I'm not a great fan of anyone who pronounces 'my methods' as though they have come up with some revolutionary new idea, but as far as I can tell, Baucher, at that time, did come up with some pretty new stuff. I really like a lot of what he says, and I have found some of it pretty helpful in my horsemanship.

To be specific, I like the exercises to 'relax the jaw', and to get the 'flexions' which really help my horse, and even more importantly, I like how my understanding/interpretation of this has really helped me to understand how my hands and the reins work with the horse's mouth.

Ah, the mysteries slowly unfold, and all for why? I have no idea!

The Broken Horse

2009-11-14T03:10:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I read a little book by Jack Brainard. In the book is a chapter titled 'What is a "broke" horse?'. It's a nice book that I enjoyed reading, but that one particular chapter made a big impression on me because I realised that the horse he was describing there was the horse that I want. This broke horse does all this work willingly, happily ties up while Jack has coffee with his mates, and then goes and does a load more work. Then the next day he takes out a lady who hasn't been on a horse in years on two hour ride around the farm, and then he goes on to be ridden by one of Jack's friends in a parade, and so on and so on.

Jack goes on to say that, 'you too can ride a broke horse and he doesn't have to be a futurity winner to be a great horse. You can still be riding him when he's 20 and enjoying every minute of it. All of this, because he was trained properly with some consideration.'

It made me realise how much time we spend working and riding unbroken horses. It's just so much more fun riding broke ones. I think this fact has got a bit lost in all the modern day discussions around what kind of 'relationship' we want between us and our horses. In the end for me, it just comes down to when I ask my horse to do something, I want him to do it how I want it done, willingly, now. If that's not happening and he's not happy with it, then somewhere along the line, I reckon I've left a bit of a hole in the training. I've left my horse asking questions that I need to give him answers too, and that is where my work needs to begin.

It's just so nice to have horses around the place that are happy to get on with the job.

Could horsemanship be simpler than we think?

2009-10-22T01:07:00.000-07:00

I'm no trained rider - that's for sure! Most of what I know I've worked out as I go. Over the years I've heard so much about how to ride though. Loads of phrases like 'on the bit, 'a good seat', 'on the forehand', 'outside rein inside leg (or it might be the other way round, I'm not sure)', 'take up a contact', 'drive the horse forward'. I have no idea what all this stuff means - I mean that, I really don't, and what's more, I don't want to know either.

I've watched a few people ride who I thought looked pretty comfortable. I'd like to ride like they do really. And I've learnt quite a bit about how it is mentally and physically best for the horse if he goes in a certain way. I've worked out that you can pretty soon trash horses if you don't look after them and you ride them wrong. I've taken that on board.

I was wondering if I pitched up on a remote island, and there were some horses there, untouched horses, and I'd never seen a horse before, how would I get along with them. This is quite a big island, by the way. Big enough for me to have a bit of a farming operation going, so over the years I build up my herd of cattle and my flock of sheep. I eventually get round to taming one or two of the horses and it's not long before I work out that that bit of curved back there just behind the withers looks about right to sit on. I also work out that for control and steering purposes I need something on the horses head, so I make a bridle (I guess I'd start with a bitless, so that's the first thing - I'd miss out on all the communication I get with the horses' mouth).

So there I go, riding my horse all over the place, getting the jobs done, rounding up the animals, stopping and starting, twisting and turning, and working out the best way for me and my horse to get along. But this time I wouldn't have all the helpful information that I have picked up along the way in the real world. I wouldn't know that I needed to spend twenty years working on my seat, or that I needed to study the great masters to learn the art of riding. I might just work out that it's best not to fall off too much though, and that things are easier if I have a bit of balance between me and the horse when I go for a turn. I'd probably work out that that balance I feel in the turn is pretty nice to feel in most of what I do too, and I'd probably work out that that balance, when I find it, can only really come through for me and the horse when I relax.

I do sometimes wonder if we have maybe made it all a bit more complicated than it is.

What, where, when and how!

2009-08-29T02:38:00.000-07:00

I loved working with Connor and his hunter.

* * *

We've just come back from a week in Ireland. We did a four day clinic with a day off either end. Some people were in for one day, some for two days and some for four days, so all in all we got to work with fourteen riders and their horses. I learnt stacks!

Pretty much every time I do clinics nowadays, at some point I become really aware that I only have about one thing I know about horses. I use it in every job but it does sometimes gets thinly disguised as different things. So I may be doing a loader, or I may be helping someone get their horse to stand still at the mounting block, or I may be helping someone do a move that I don't even know what it is, or even how to do it myself, or I might be helping a horse understand the bit, or I might be messing about at home playing around with the balance in my horse, or anything really, picking up a youngsters feet for the first time, or the second, or just picking up a youngsters feet - it's all the same stuff!

So whatever the job what is that thing - I'd say it is that you want to keep your horse feeling safe. Working with that anxious or fleeing horse, in the immortal words of a friend of ours, 'is at best a waste of time'. Over the last few years I have learnt so much about horses, but still one thing that I found out years ago stays the same - if I set up the boundaries and stay in charge of the movement, then I get the best out of my horse.

* * *

I heard Harry Whitney say, 'The horse needs to know what, when, where, and how'. I've worked out that if I get that lot in place most things go well, and conversely, if things are not going so well, I've left at least one of those jobs up to the horse, for sure.

A little less worried arabian horse

2009-07-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

We've just arrived back from doing a couple of clinics in Kent. I got to work with a little arabian gelding who was really struggling with his life. Well, let's be accurate here - struggling with some parts of his life, but mainly the riding part. I think some of the bit work he had learnt in his showing days had pretty much done his head in.

He was ridden a lot in a halter which worked fine on a good day, but when he wasn't feeling so good, or when too much was going on, the halter didn't really give his rider much opportunity to help him through. He would alternate between being massively spooky to being pretty shut down, with not much time in between. Basically not much fun!

In a previous clinic we had introduced him to the bit, but to be honest we hadn't really got him to understand it. I tried using long lines to help him see how it worked but I never really got it sorted. This time I had some new ideas. The first thing to do was show him that the bit wasn't there for him to lean on or to push on. I did this by taking the bit in my hands and just offering him softness when he relaxed. If he pushed or leaned I backed him off - not heavily, he is an arab and learnt pretty quickly. I then moved on to showing him how the steering worked. When he feels the cue on his mouth he needs to just turn his head that way. The cue is a very light feel with no backwards in it. It took him a while to relax with this. He was very worried about what the bit might do, and he came up with lots of different ideas about how to deal with it. Lots of pushing and neck twisting, and at times he would completely zone out because he just felt he couldn't cope.

It took me an hour to have him walking around, quiet, following the bit, and with a nice relaxed mouth. Then I got on him to see if it worked from on top, and it did. Over the next three days Sarah and his owner rode him around, just in a 'safe' (to him) part of the school, doing nice bends, halts, and also working in some neck reining to move his shoulders. He was a pretty happy and relaxed horse. This isn't a done job, but it's a start. It's nice to see a horse understand something that previously terrified him, and it's nice to see the rider have some way of helping him through those moments when he starts to lose his focus. I would say, as his confidence grows his world can get bigger.

More and more I'm convinced that the way to go with this horse training game is to find the first thing the horse isn't comfortable about, and get it sorted. And then the next one etc etc. The horse soon starts to behave like he's thinking, 'mmmm this guys quite handy to have around'.

Working with horse trainers

2009-06-17T05:57:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a post on my favourite friendly proboard ( http://feelforthehorse.proboards.com/ ) about the implications of working with several different trainers, that got me thinking about getting to the point where you feel confident enough to work in your own right.

When I first watched Mark work I knew pretty much instantly that he had something I needed to learn. That was how I wanted to work with my horses. I watched him for a few years (and hopefully will continue to do so) and slowly slowly I began to get the hang of it, to the point where I'm pretty happy with most of what I do around the horses now.

From there I found I had the confidence to begin to work things out in my own right. I began to get an understanding of how I think a horse should perform in a way that he is both physically and mentally comfortable with. As it turns out, not surprisingly really I guess, I found this is also the way that is most comfortable for me too.

At that point I realised that I had in my mind a kind of overview of how to be with my horse and how to train him to be how I wanted him to be. Of course it is not a finished product, and it is unlikely to be one for me either. I know I am never going to be an incredible horse person, but I do think I can be a pretty reasonable one.

There is another question that ties in to this subject and actually really interests me too - what level can we really expect to get to with our horsemanship? Are some of us doomed to forever not really know how to do this? I don't believe that for a minute. I do believe that it is in quite a lot of peoples interest to make us believe that though, because that keeps them in work. I was listening to a trainer having a casual conversation the other day and in all seriousness, he said, 'I'm not showing them how I do this, it cost me a lot of money to learn that'.

I thought at the time, 'well, good luck to you mate, you haven't understood the way this game works. Horsemanship is not some list of facts you learn and then buy and sell for money - it's a lifelong apprenticeship that is way beyond that'. Needless to say I didn't have the bottle to say it out loud, so I just sneaked away and wrote it on my blog.

Nurturing the natural try

2009-06-02T00:39:00.001-07:00

'We shall take care never to vex the horse, or cause it to abandon its affable gracefulness in disgust. For this is like the fragrance of blossoms, which never returns once it has vanished'.

Antoine de Pluvinel 1685

As I go on learning more and more about horses I keep spotting more and more stuff. Improving my horsemanship is in fact an endless quest.

Anyway, I don't know if I have ever mentioned Hugo before, but he is interesting, mainly for one thing - he is totally lazy and only half there. Now, years ago I would probably have been fine with that - a nice slow horse that even my granny could have sat on, but now I am looking at him and thinking, 'how the hell did he get in to that state?'.

He's lost his 'try'. So here is what I think. The try is there in the horse, he wants to find a peaceful place, and through selection man has bred it into them maybe even more. Horses are born with try - loads of it. A bit like working dogs, they want to get it right. Our job is not to kill that try, but to actually nurture it. There is nothing so much fun as sitting on a horse that tries - it is a powerful and inspiring experience. There is nothing so dispiriting as sitting on a horse that has lost its try - feeling the pain of its history, and then feeling the pain of trying to rebuild that try - I think it is one of the hardest jobs and I'm not sure it's even possible. I'm not sure they can ever be the same again.

So here is my plan. Any horse I am working on, I want to preserve and nurture the try. I don't want to be the one that is responsible for taking that out of the horse. So how can I do that? Well the really obvious things to avoid are quite simple. Get your releases right. Don't just go in all guns blazing - ask small and release on the first signs of a try. Once you've asked don't just release without getting a response. Don't keep asking when the horse is already doing what you asked for. Don't confuse the horse by asking too much too soon, or by asking in inconsistent unclear ways. And here is the big one that I'm still thinking about, but I am pretty sure is true. Keep the horse happy working for a good release. In other words, don't go upping the reward, because then the horse won't be so keen to work for less.

There is nothing so good as a horse that is naturally happy to work.

How we work.

2009-04-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

We have been running clinics for a few years now and we are happy to work with most situations people ask about. I would like to explain a bit more about how we work. If you are booked into one of our clinics or would like to attend one, then it is best that you have some idea about our work.

Our most important aim when we work with horses is that they are relaxed. When a horse is relaxed he can learn, or at least he can learn stuff you want him to learn. When he isn’t relaxed there is a good chance he can learn a lot of stuff you’d rather he didn’t. A lot of us can get our horses relaxed when we are on the ground, but sometimes when we are riding they are anything but. It took me a while to work this problem out, but as with everything, once I realised it, I couldn’t believe I’d missed something so obvious.

I just kept thinking, how come they trust me when I’m on the ground, and how come nearly all driven horses, and nearly all working horses just get on with it, but a large number of leisure horses just can’t relax when they are being ridden? The answer is that horses just find it really difficult to deal with grey areas – they need to know and understand what is going on. If they don’t know or understand, they don’t feel safe, and that is when you get all the tricky stuff happening. It’s a fair enough deal, I’d say: the horse is entitled to feel safe, or worry – that’s what horses do.

So I set off on my search for grey areas when I ride my horse. It didn’t take me long to find some. Here’s a really basic one that I reckon a few of us have come across. When I asked my horse to turn right she went nicely around the curve but when I asked her to turn left she fell across the turn. Now, before you all go, ‘ah, now what you need to do is this, blah blah blah’, I want to explain what I thought my horse made of this. She thought that my cue for turn one way meant one thing, and my same cue on the other side to turn the other way meant another thing.

For a while I just assumed she was stiff or bent or something, but now I have worked it out. If I get her to completely release all her tension, and then I explain the two types of turn, and have them on different cues, then she is fine. When I got this organised I felt like she was saying to me, ‘Why didn’t you explain that to me properly before?’ Looking further into that situation I suddenly realised that there were a whole lot of movements there that my horse had options on, that I wasn’t in control of, she was. That, for her, was a huge grey area.

As it turns out, the two things we have found that make the difference with pretty much all horses are understanding the bit, and balance – front to back and straightness. Getting a nice relaxed mouth, and nice soft hands with no pull, and getting the horse balanced on all four feet, can make a huge difference. So that’s how we work. Everything must make sense to the horse. It’s just not fair if it doesn’t. And if it does, what do you get? You get a nice calm horse!

Yeehah

2009-03-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

So what are we all looking at?

OMG, who bought those?

Well, the thing is they are organic and they are pedigree!

Now all we need is Glenatron and Zorro

to come and round them up!

A question of bits

2009-03-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

The other day I met a horse who doesn't like a snaffle bit. I once would have taken that at face value, but now it leaves me wondering whether they quite understand that bit or whether it just comes down to other reasons. Have you found horses that, once they knew what was meant by it, still showed strong preferences between bits, and if so what do you attribute that to?

Many times I have seen horses who really can't get on with a particular bit, but when they are shown some logic in how it works they settle down with it. What they really struggle with is irrationality.

I have to admit I never rush to change things. I would really need to be convinced that it is the actual bit that is causing the issue, and I have to say I don't remember the last time I personally changed a bit for physical problems. I do often change them if I feel that the bit is designed in a way that makes the communication between the rider and the horse 'blurry'. I like the bit to sit pretty still in the horse's mouth, so if there is a lot of side to side movement I change that. I also can't see how leverage bits can be clear in the way I like, because it is very hard for most of us to guage the effect of leverage.

Now I know this might sound arrogant, but hopefully it may be helpful. We have one horse who gets really fidgety and chewy on her bit. When we ride her she settles down and makes no fuss at all. We sometimes use her for other people to ride, and pretty much for the next few rides she fidgets with the bit. To me that clearly says, if the horse understands the bit she is fine. If things change, maybe it's just the change, or maybe if there is a bit of 'pull' in there, she loses confidence and worries.

I was talking to a friend of mine this morning and she was using slobber straps. She has a spare set she was trying to sell me. I personally don't think slobber straps would suit the way I use the bit, but her and her horse were getting along fine. What I am saying is this. I think there are probably loads of ways of communicating with a horse using a bit. So if you use a bit, I would just say, make sure it makes sense to your horse before you rush out to change it. If you don't know what 'making sense' is when you are using a bit, then firstly, how is your horse going to make sense of that, and secondly ASK someone you trust to explain how they use the bit and see if that makes sense to you, then you can make sense to your horse.

I guess I'd have to say I haven't really seen horses that prefer one bit majorly to another, but then I always use the same bits, and I don't see that many horses, and I don't see that many different breeds.

Endless Discussion!

2009-03-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

This is a question from our friend Carrie, to Sarah. It relates to the 'bitless' text on Dr Cook's website. I thought you might enjoy reading it, not so much because it's a bout bitless, or bits, but more because I think it important to try and get to that point where the 'endless discussion' stops.

* * *

hi sarah, as i said on the fone the other day the vet said to look up bitless. so i did. im not going 1 way or the other but was just interested and open to both sides. at the moment i use both methods, ie bit and riding of the head coller and cant c me changing yet. ive copied and pasted dr robbert cook whos seems to be very opinionated but he did throw up a question for me i wanted to seek yr opinion? the question is wots yr opinion on the bit interfering with breathing? ive also put other info of his just for u 2 read

* * *

Carrie

Hats off to you for researching stuff - I'd say the majority of horse people I meet can't be bothered, or read something and pick out the sensational bits, pass them on as gospel and then immediately forget about it all again!

I haven't really got time to read through all this right now (I've read quite a bit of it, and way in the past have read the whole thing). But I might make a few general observations:

1) Be wary of 'scientific' claims made by people who are trying to sell you something.

2) I'll take back No 1 if DC has full and proper, extensive, provable and repeatable scientific evidence for everything he says (maybe that comes further down the text?)!

3) This whole dichotomy between 'bits' and 'bitless' seems completely artificial to me - and I think to you, as you are doing both. My feeling is that it has arisen over the past few decades as horses became primarily leisure (not working) animals and people began to see them as pets - with all the sentimental, ill-conceived baggage and shrieking about 'cruelty' that goes with that. There are traditions of riding where both bits and bitless are used at various different stages of training (eg vacquero cowboys, who progress from snaffle bit, to bosal, finally to curb for the fully trained horse), and plenty of people who mix both as they like. I ain't got a problem with that, would do it myself, and riding with just a sidepull or headcollar or indeed nothing is fun and different for the horse and rider, good training, and so on - but for safety's sake, and 'kindness' sake, it does presuppose your horse being responsive to your feel on the reins (whatever is on the horse's end of them), weight, body movements, breathing etc, which many horses that are being 'tortured' in bitless devices aren't.

I just think pitting bits against bitless is the wrong thing to do - both have their place, depending on your individual preference, where your horse is at in his training (or lack of it!), and what you want to do with your horse, both overall and at any particular time. Humans naturally want to seek one 'truth' and stick to it (and slag off anyone who is doing things differently) - basically, it's easier that way - but the reality of the situation is that there are many 'truths' built on top of some (possibly) universal principles. Hence, all the different riding styles that have evolved around the world, for different purposes.

4) I do think you would find it hard to achieve some things with some horses without using a bit - you need that fine, subtle communication and clarity for the horse. If you think it's 'cruel', fine - stick to doing the things you can do without it.

For example, if you look at the proponents of bitless who do High School, you'll notice straight away that they select their horses really carefully - mainly Iberian horses - because these horses have been bred for correct balance for collected work from birth. And at least one leading proponent I know of adds a bridle at the end of training in order to reach the highest level of refinement. (He also said, when I went to watch him, that most horses could not offer you anything beyond shoulder-in - which is clearly nonsense, but might be true if you couldn't offer THEM anything extra in the way of help with their balance.) Ditto for NH - everyone focuses on the riding in a halter, but these systems too end up with a bit. Why do you think that is?

5) I tried out a DC bridle many years ago and found it pretty gross and unclear for the horse. Others obviously have a different experience - but we're all looking for different things from our horses. (And it's not the equipment, it's how you use it - I recently watched a chaotic lesson with someone who was adamant that she would only ride both her horses in a DC bridle because it's kinder, and neither had the slightest understanding of what they were supposed to do - is that kind?)

6) This is the same type of debate you get between barefoot and farriers, vets and equine dentists, treed and treeless saddles - again, note that many of these debates are based on business/market share rather than a search for what is best for each individual horse and person. I'm sick to death of it all, to be honest. In my view, people need to get informed, just as you are trying to do, then make up their own minds and shut up trying to tell everyone else what to do! The difficulty is that it takes a long time to get a good overall view of all these aspects of horsemanship, see where they overlap or contradict, how things fit together, how different training methods are aiming for the same or different things, and what ARE the universal truths (if any?) about horses - mentally, anatomically, biomechanically, emotionally, etc. It's this understanding that then allows you to look at this overwhelming morass of STUFF and make an informed judgement, which then allows you to take things forward in a way that makes sense to and benefits your horse.

That's the quest I've been on for decades, Carrie, and the one you are on, too. It's worth the journey even to get as far as I have, but it's tough. And when you reach a certain point, you truly feel liberated - you can make up your own mind and be confident that at least you won't make things worse for the horse, and very possibly you'll make them better. KEEP GOING!!

Write back if any other questions/comments. And do you want a slot on the next clinic (£35 per day this time, as an old timer!)? Got a couple of people interested already, so don't wait too long.

Lots of love to you and your horses
Sarah

Living with the Dinosaurs

2009-02-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

Some years ago I heard Mark talking about sitting on his horse and how he could feel this energy underneath him ready to go in any direction he asked. I imagined it would feel like sitting on a ball that could roll in any direction. Now, some time later, I can see and feel this myself. I can look at the horse being ridden and see which way the energy is falling, or not. I can see that the energy we add to this 'balance' is crucial. To watch a horse in balance and in movement is a very pretty sight, far more beautiful than the list of regulated moves that have become the benchmark used to prove horsemanship.

When I was with Mark last year, I noticed he was working really hard on getting people to feel the communication between them and their horse down the reins. We were talking one evening and I said to him that I thought it was really cool the way he was doing that. He said to me that it is interesting that a lot of the 'top' horse trainers say that you can't teach feel, it is something that you have or you don't have.

In our next clinic I started to do the same thing. For some people it was a revelation that such a small thing could be so powerful. For me that is one of the beauties of horsemanship - less is so often more. We are working slightly differently now, using that feel to reach a different level, but the feel is still the same thing.

So where to go from there? I am more and more convinced that the goal itself is the feel and the balance. As soon as the goal becomes something further on and we sacrifice the feel and balance, it is all too easy to get into a 'this must happen' mentality. There is a fine line between that pure communication and a pull, and why do we pull? I think it is because our focus goes beyond the feel and on to some other target. Things like us looking good, having horses in outline, winning stuff, mastering specific moves, and so on, take over at the expense of perfect feel and perfect balance.

For me, I see horsemanship as like life itself. It is difficult to build good stuff on dodgy foundations. But put in a good foundation and the good stuff can come along. With dodgy foundations, I don't think it ever truly can.

First clinic of the year

2009-01-26T12:59:00.000-08:00

After a rather desperate post Xmas dip in energy, we are back!

Just enjoyed a great clinic here, and I got to have my first ever ride on an Icelandic. Ednah invited me to have a ride on Glaesir. What a horse! I've just been looking online to see what's for sale out there, and boy, they are expensive! I'd have to sell at least a couple of my horses to buy one of those.

I was in some trepidation about this clinic. We've learnt a lot this winter and it's always a bit confronting taking new stuff into clinics. I always have this slight fear that someone is going to say, 'Ah, but last year you told us this, and now you're saying this'. Anyway, it was fine. In a way, good horsemanship is good horsemanship. The feel that horses respond to doesn't change.

One of the horses in the clinic was a ten year old Haflinger mare who just pushed her way through everything and everyone who came in her path. We used to go out 'sorting horse problems' and it took me back to the stressy times that go along with that kind of work. We made a lot of progress but even after two days she was no way sorted enough to go home. She is staying with us for a few more days. Today I carried on working towards one of our goals - taking her for a long walk - she was loads better and I am feeling pretty confident she is beginning to glimpse a happier way of being. We have also made a good start getting her to relax her mouth and neck while she is being ridden - I think she's going to be a nice little horse.

Trying to keep it simple.

2009-01-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

It is impossible to try to educate the mouth if the horse is not in balance.
Philippe Karl

I promise you I am only here through necessity. I don't mean here writing this blog, I mean here in my horsemanship. I am a happy hacker with not much ambition to be anything else. Having a happy horse has always been my goal. I have always strived to keep things easy, mainly because I am lazy and that combined with an instinctual feeling that 'complicated' is, if not wrong, at least unnecessary.

But things were happening with my horse that I needed to get sorted and this is the way I am doing it. To be specific I realised I needed two separate cues for turning, as on one side she couldn't make the bend, she just fell over sideways (not literally - instead of turning around the bend she fell around it like a board). Now I know this is a very common problem and I have heard many many ways of addressing it. My original plan was that as my horse improved and got more and more happy and clear about our work then surely this would sort itself out. But now I see that couldn't happen because I simply had never explained to her what exactly I wanted from her in the turn. It's not that things were that bad - anyone who knows my horse will tell you she is pretty nice to ride. She goes anywhere and isn't scared of much. I can take her out of the field after a month and go for a hack. She's a good horse.

But the realization that I needed a bit more than her just to be happy and relaxed has lead me to a whole new world. To get to what I want now it is not enough for me to have her just not leaning on the bit, and happy to go where I want. Now I need her mouth relaxed, and I need her balanced from front to back, and I need her specifically cued up for bend on both sides. Don't run away - for any of you who are like me and thinking, phew, this sounds heavy, stick with it. It's possible that more experieced riders will be reading this (actually they have probably already stopped reading it by now) and they will be thinking, 'about time too'.

So that's what I'm up to. It's quite precise stuff and I'm not finding it that easy, which goes against the grain a bit as I have always had this feeling that if it's not easy it's probably not right. I am sticking with it though, because it makes sense to me, and it is getting easier for us both as we go along. But Splodge is one of those horses that tries really hard to get things right, and when she gets confused she kind of seizes up, and then I start to feel I'm letting her down a bit, so I have to be pretty careful to try and keep things clear for her.

I am excited by my horsemanship right now. I have a clear picture of what I am doing, where I am going and how to get there. I'm enjoying it!

Right from the beginning

2009-01-04T04:33:00.000-08:00

So we got pretty spaced out over Christmas. See my wife is really lazy, and I am even lazier, so we get a little excuse like a pagan festival or even a non-pagan one for that matter and we are all curled up in front of the log stove checking to see if there are any good films on telly that day.

All we've done is fed, mucked out, and a bit of worming. We worm the horses once a year after the first heavy frost. That kills all the bots too then. It's highly unscientific but it seems to work well for us. It's also the time when we have to handle last years foals. Up till then we have pretty much kept away from them, but they have to be wormed. This year it was really good because we had guests working with us who wanted experience handling young horses, so this was their opportunity. Working with foals is a great way to set up how you need to be to keep the horse onside.

So what's the trick - being soft within yourself, and in all your actions helps, that's for sure. I know it's a much over-used word these days but softness in your mind and body is good. I find it works for most things and also, as a bonus, it helps keep you feeling good within yourself too. And horses tend to trust it too. So in no time you can be putting a headcollar on and off these seven month old foals, and putting your hands around their mouths getting them ready for the wormer. The whole job was done in about three half hour sessions, and the foals were happy with it too.

I don't want to sound cocky about this, because I'm not, but what I do think is important is to try and keep things right with these little horses from the start, because our experience is that then, you get good horses out of it at the other end. This years foals are solid little guys. Simon is going to make a great 15hh plus cob, he is really sound in his mind and you can just see what a solid little horse he is going to be. His little half sister Kate is going to be a really pretty little riding horse. She was just a tiny tiny bit more wary to start with but as soon as she saw we were ok she was fine about everything too. It's just so great to have horses that haven't been cursed with a load of human rubbish in their lives.

Compare that to those poor horses born into human confusion. Horses not born into herds, that know no boundaries, or get weaned too early for no reason other than money or ignorance (sorry, I'm off on a rant here). Just to say, if you are planning to buy a youngster, buy one that's been raised properly - it's worth it, and also the more people who demand that, the more it will happen.

'Keeping the horse in the horse'

2008-12-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

OK, inspired by El's question, and it's something I have been thinking about for some time, here are some thoughts on this subject.
Firstly, what does it mean? I'm genuinely not sure. I read the extract from Ross's book and he is obviously a good horseman - I've heard Harry talking about him and I know he rates him. But there is something I want to say - I have been holding back from saying it because in a way, it's quite arrogant. I expect to be severely mauled in cyberspace if this ever gets out there beyond the safety of this little blog, so it's truly for your eyes only. So here it is - I reckon that once you get to a the point of being a good horseperson, and I include everyone who contributes to this blog, and many many more, in that group, then taking the horse out of the horse isn't really on the agenda.
Up to that point you are serving your apprenticeship - you don't quite know how to be with the horses - you don't quite understand what they want from you - you are maybe a bit caught up in what you'd like them to be, rather than what they are, and so and so on. Taking the horse out of the horse is just a slogan really - I think it works better if you say 'don't go putting things into the horse from your own mind that simply just isn't the horse. But once you have served your apprenticeship, at least if it's the same one I served, then you know the deal, and you can start some serious work.
And that's where the fun begins. That's what I think anyway. But you can't, and this sounds terribly arrogant again, with horses I just don't think you can run before you can walk. You have to approach the horse and your work with utter honesty and sincerity, and with the pure motive of 'learning'. And I don't think you can be taught this stuff - you have to discover it within yourself - jeez, that sounds like a load of old Totnes shite I know, but it's only when I realise something about horsemanship, that now I realise, wow, I read that years ago, or I was told that years ago, but I had no idea what it meant.
Two days ago I was watching Damson being ridden in the school, and seeing her trying to get her mind around what I would call 'front to back balance'. As I watched I realised I had seen this before (at Harry's) and now, finally, I could see it in the horse - it was a nice moment for me. There is something really rewarding about learning horsemanship - it's humbling!

It's a bit basic - I know!

2008-12-10T00:59:00.000-08:00

So what got me started down this latest road? The thing is that the kind of work I have been doing for years has been helping people with unmanageable horses - I haven't really been too into the riding stuff. And then, when I started to get into the riding stuff I was mainly focussing on things like confidence and relaxation - things that help the horse feel good because the rider does, and so on. I steadfastly hung on to my belief that if you get your relationship right with your horse most else would come right with it. But then I started to come up against some more specific stuff - that's what got me thinking I had to be a bit more clear for my horse.

At so many clinics there would be horses that could turn one way on a circle but when they were asked to turn the other way, they couldn't do it - they just stepped across and fell sideways. I have watched and listened to people explaining several different ways of how to sort this out and I wasn't happy with any of them. So many different tricks, and none of them that really work, and anyway, why do you need a trick - that can't be right.

I continued to think about this problem for a while, and tried to find a simple solution, but when I realised I was riding one of my horses and she was doing it too, that's when I really had to move my act on. It took me a while to get to this point in my mind - you have to realise I am a 'get on my horse and go for a ride' guy - I don't like all this fancy stuff - I have always thought people were making problems where there shouldn't be any. But then I started to think, 'hey, I'm up here saying I am a horse trainer, I need to get this sorted'.

So I started to look at things more closely and I realised that going one way, my cue for a turn on a circle meant one thing but going the other it meant something else. I was in effect using the same cue on both sides but it meant different things to the horse. Why and how did this happen? Well, horses are bent one way, it doesn't really matter why, but they are. They find it easier to do things one way than the other. And because of this it is very easy to unknowingly teach them different responses on either side. Once I worked that out I was away. So all I had to do was sort that out and off we go. But of course, if your horse has been responding to you in a certain way for say, fifteen years, and suddenly you want to change that, it might not be so easy.

So that is why I set about re-educating my horse about the bit. And what I found there was a big surprise - it was all pretty chaotic. Tie this in with the experience we were having with Bullet and it really made me think - might there be some connection between a confused mouth and a difficult horse, or to look at that statement in a more positive way, might there be a way to a peaceful horse through a peaceful mouth. I'm becoming convinced!

The story so far

2008-12-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

'The big discovery one makes when one starts studying and applying [these] techniques is that once light in hand, that is, relaxed and mobile in his lower jaw, a horse becomes disciplined'.
Jean Claude Raciner

Working as a horse trainer and running clinics for the last few years has been a lot of fun. I work in partnership with my wife Sarah. Have you heard the expression, 'rust never sleeps' - well that's the same as Sarah's desire to master the art of horsemanship (it never sleeps), she just keeps learning more and more stuff, and what is my role in this? Well, I keep fighting against it, and desperately try to make sure that we really need to do this stuff.

It's not easy, or at least I don't find it easy. You'd think that you could sit on your horse and go where you want to go, and that would be it. But sometimes it doesn't work out that way. A horse comes along and in some way tells us we have to learn more. That is what has happened to us this year. We had a few questions about various things we were encountering in our horsemanship, but the real tipping point for us was when Bullet came to stay. She was a horse who pretty much lived everywhere except in her own body. Our job was to see if we could get some kind of order in her life, and boy, she has taken us right to the edge. Several times we have sat at the table and discussed whether we should tell Jane, her owner, that we have tried all we know and we can't do this job.

But then, we started down another path - to be fair it's a path Sarah has been wandering down for some months - and when we made a start down it with Bullet, lo and behold, we began to see a small light at the end of the tunnel. Even then I fought against what I was seeing, and I still do a bit. I have always, always strived to keep things simple, I have always shied away from systems and methods, but Bullet has demanded we go places I would never normally choose to go, because by going there we have helped her relax. She can now stand still. She can now walk slowly. She can now walk back to the field without racing and twitching like somone was going to kill her. At last, her mind is in her body, not up the field or down the barn. She is behaving like a normal horse - not all the time, but most of the time - and when she gets in trouble we have something that helps her. It feels good!

Of course, I know it may be other things that have helped Bullet. It may be the seasons, or it may be that we have worked for a certain time with her, or it may be we have unknowingly found a combination of things that make her feel ok. So with all this in mind, this winter we are working with eight of our horses to see how they respond to the same work that we are doing with Bullet. Perhaps foolishly, I plan to document our work with these horses over the next few months.

Over the next few days I hope to give details and post photos of the eight horses. They are quite different in their characters, and one or two of them have quite long term 'issues'. I will also try and explain some of the other reasons that have lead us to this point. I am fascinated to see how things work out over the next few months.

It is my hope that you find this of interest, and maybe of some use. Thank you.

Eight Horses - One Winter

2008-12-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

Thank you for visiting my blog - I am writing my first post right now. It's gonna be good so please come back soon.