July 11, 2008

Caroline Rider Natural Horsemanship Newsletter

Welcome Rider Natural Horsemanship’s NEWEST Apprentice, Chelsey Rodgers!

We want to congratulate Chelsey as she has just graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelors Degree in General Animal Science.

Chelsey writes about her experience at Rider’s Crossing, Natural Horsemanship Facility thus far:

“Fifteen years ago, at eight years old, my mother dropped me off for my first horseback riding lesson. It had been years in the making as my desire to ride and my empathy for horses were something I feel I was born with. My love for horses continued to grow and at the age of eighteen, I attended college with the intent of becoming an equine veterinarian. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that this path was not quite what I was looking for. I began thinking about my options following my graduation and the horse continued to flood my mind. I knew that I desired something deeper than just the mere presence of this prestigious creature. I yearned for something more compassionate and fulfilling.

I recalled a movie I had seen numerous years in the past, “The Horse Whisperer” but was unaware that a form of training called Natural Horsemanship really existed. I put to use my knowledge of the internet and came across programs such as Pat Parelli, Monty Roberts, and John Lyons, all of which were out of reach as I was still attending college. Other local programs also fell through but it wasn’t long before I stumbled across a website for “Caroline Rider”. Innately, I knew it was perfect. It was close to home and I could take my newly acquired horse with me to her facility to use in her program.

The first time I drove down the driveway to Caroline’s facility, I knew that this would be the place my horse and I would soon call home. The aura of ‘ease’ and compassion was overpowering. This was it, a place where other people could relate with me the same desires and love for the horse. Not to mention, the facility is located in the most beautiful and quaint town I have ever seen.

I have only been studying Natural Horsemanship with Caroline for a mere three weeks and everything I thought I knew about horses has been reinterpreted in the most magnificent of ways. Everyday, I am more amazed by my interactions with the horses on her farm. Many who have never known a gentle hand or a loving stroke before have begun to find calm in the presence of people. Caroline has only just begun to share with me how just the movement of our bodies and the intent of our minds can affect the thoughts and actions of the horse.

Bringing together all of the techniques and matching it properly to each individual horse has been a challenge for me but Caroline’s ability to push me when necessary or to provide assistance when confusion sets in has been more than phenomenal. Though Caroline often says, “the horse is our best teacher” (and I have begun to understand!), it certainly does not take away from her abilities to share and express her talent to others. Every time Caroline speaks, I learn something knew; something I had never taken the time to consider before.”

This Month’s Topic of Interest:

“Demand or Request? Passive Leadership or Dominance? What is the intent behind the movement?”

The definition of demand states the following: request urgently and forcefully; an urgent or peremptory request. To further define, a demand is that which offers consequence if it’s “request” is not met. I want to make myself very clear that my intent is NOT to dominate the horse but to seek out a passive leadership position, because I believe that passive leadership is what we should emulate. Everything we ask of our horses should be asked in a manner that respects the sensitivity of the horse.

Let’s look at this way, the passive leader does just what needs to be done to accomplish a particular task, no more and no less. If she wants another horse to move she uses only the energy required. She will politely suggest the other horse move and then back it up only if she needs to. The Passive Leader does not waste energy bullying or flagrantly displaying power. The other horses respect this type of leadership and will follow her willingly.

So, when I use the word consequence, I refer to a system of phases, or as some trainers say, a “promise.” These phases are to teach and reward. I DO NOT use them as punishment nor are they used to make the horse feel wrong. The phases are used to reinforce my demand and are applied ONLY when necessary with slow, yet firm increments of pressure so the horse has time to figure out what I want. I’m looking for the horse to TRY and because I know they can test you, as well as get worried, I always allow them the choice to move where they want. I then take what the horse gives me and I work with it until we are working as one. Eventually we will develop better connection, join up and partnership.

The definition of request states the following: the act of requesting; a formal message requesting something; the state of being sought after; to express the need or desire for; to ask somebody to do something. It is simply that: the choice to express “yes, no or a counter offer” your request. It is up to us to choose where to take it – whether we accept it, walk away from it or not accept it, thus creating a demand, and consequence through our actions (phases).

Let’s talk about that and what it means when working with our horses. Firstly, I’d like to talk about how horses interact with one another, that is our goal foremost, learning from the horse and how it communicates.

Horses in herds use movement, or increments of pressure, to define their intent. Meaning, when they want to go somewhere, or be somewhere within the herd, they use their body gestures, or movement to indicate where, when and why. They don’t spend time wallowing in thought or rationalization. It is as simple as it is and all about finding safety and comfort through dominating or submitting to movement. So, depending on their hierarchy (pecking order), they will either apply steady increments of movement (steady pressure), to let the other horse know who is in charge or let themselves be governed by another’s movement.

For humans to interact well with horses we need to understand and appreciate the need to move away from, and with pressure, foremost: when to move and why. When a horse trusts another they will move with that horses movement, thus “join up” or hook on to that horse. If they feel threatened, they will move away. And because we want to strengthen our relationship with our horses, it is important to understand the difference, thus act accordingly through our intent and action (movement).

This brings me to the concept of natural horsemanship and the many techniques out there designed to develop trust, respect and leadership between horse and human. They all (including my own) use a “phase system” when working with horses. When steady increments (gradual increase) of pressure and/or movement are applied justly and fairly the phase system becomes equivalent to how they interact and communicate within the herd, thus a clear message is given (intent) and understood (through movement).

So, what does this mean? Are we demanding or requesting our horses to act and behave in a certain manner? You tell me…. I know that I try to be as clear as a mother horse is to her foal when it comes to the intentions of my movement (actions) and for both of us, safety comes first. It is also important that I teach the horse what is acceptable through mirroring their body movements. This is my responsibility for domesticating the horse and expecting them to live in my backyard vs the wild. So, with that being said, with the concern of safety comes the responsibility to educate the horse as to what is “acceptable behavior and what is not.” Therefore, I am demanding that they behave a certain way, HOWEVER, I always ask (request) first, suggest and then promise (follow through with phases). If a fair and effective phases system is used when teaching, we will eventually end up “requesting” (start as light as you want to end) rather than demanding when working with our horses.