In previous lessons, we have been talking about YOUR version of self carriage, YOUR ability to carry yourself with all your joints flexing beautifully.
THIS lesson is the first of those horse oriented lessons that will enable your horse to move in THEIR self carriage, with soft rhythmic strides and a naturally elevated back, to carry you with strength and grace.
Real self carriage comes from a horse being in their Comfort Zone and the key to fast tracking brilliant riding is in both you AND your horse feeling good – REALLY good. Having you and your horse in your Comfort Zones starts from the moment you go to get them from the stable, barn or paddock (or field).
Pause on this please…
Having you and your horse in your Comfort Zones starts from the moment you go to get them from the stable, barn or paddock (or field). THIS is the fast track that will shortcut years off your journey to incredible Feel and great horsemanship.
I get it… At first, some of you will think that this Lesson and some others like it, are for the less experienced – but don’t let that distract you from the real message or stop you from doing the task. Whether you have your horse by themselves in a stable or field or whether you keep two or more horses together then this Lesson is for you.
And it is for the experienced too. The skills that you are learning in this course include how to notice even the subtle signs of the early warning signal that I call a Not Quite Right – in all kinds of circumstances – and to develop the inner awareness, an ability to listen inside yourself, that is the hallmark of a world class horseperson and that starts from the very moment that you go to get your horse.
Sue’s biggest relationship breakthrough with Mimi came when she was actually filming this Lesson, helping Mimi feel safe and protected at the gate.
That attention to detail, that attention to every nuance of you and your horse’s Comfort Zones and safety starts right from the very beginning.
This Lesson is about keeping yourself and your horse feeling safe and happy as you work with them in a herd situation. And it gives you the opportunity to look at and fix any Not Quite Rights that you may feel when you go to get your horse, especially out of a shared pasture.
Please note – in this video, I talk about wanting to be being able to walk around your herd gently waving your hand if you wanted a horse to move, because you are always looking to use the gentlest option possible.
On the video you are about to watch, Sue had already asked those horses to move with a gentle fan of the stick as she approached and they didn’t move. Sorry I didn’t film that bit. She still had a Not Quite Right when they were crowding the gate and the horse that she wanted to bring out, so she stepped back and started again, coming in with more assertiveness. The footage you see in this video is that assertiveness.
An interesting footnote: on another day not long after this video, Sue was bringing Mimi in a halter and lead out of the same gate and had her major bonding breakthrough with Mimi. It happened when Sue used her Not Quite Rights at the gate to persistently send the other horses further and further away, leading to a deeply protected feeling for Mimi at the gate, a deep Comfort Zone.
As you can see, the big breakthroughs to deep bonding can be found in attending to routine Not Quite Rights.
Watch on youtube if you need to.
Written Version of the Video
So many of you keep your horses in herds now and that is a VERY good deal. Horses are herd animals and LOVE company.
But I’ll bet even you experienced horse people will be surprised at how much Not Quite Right there is as you work with your horse amongst a herd, even for something as simple as putting the halter on and leaving the herd.
While you are looking for your horse’s attention, your horse can be distracted or feel crowded and vulnerable FROM THE OTHER HORSES and that can surely get in the way of happiness.
Look at this photo – one minute the two horses are standing there peacefully side by side and then within 1 second – ONE second – one horse pushed the other horse out of the way. See the tail swishing?
What would that have been like if you had been standing in the way? And how much Not Quite Right are you feeling if you are doing something with your horse and he or she is worried about another horse that is going to push them around like that?
Look at this short video of Sirocco having his feet done. How could he concentrate on politely holding his feet in the air for the feet trimmer while that other horse was so close?
How vulnerable could your horse feel to have a halter and lead rope on and not be able to get away if another horse pushed on them like that horse just did?
Now it is not ALWAYS the case, that they feel vulnerable with another horse close by when we are doing something with them – but it IS a common source of Not Quite Right – so if you are not experienced yet at listening to every Not Quite Right
– then be cautious about your safety and send the other horses away…
– BEFORE you even try to do anything with your own horse.
And you do all of this at liberty so that your horse can run away if they need to, while they get used to the idea that this is about protecting them.
Later on, they will be so used to you protecting them, that you will be able to do whatever you have to, while you have your horse in a halter and lead rope and they will feel quite confident in the way that you protect them.
And don’t worry about your horse at liberty leaving you as you send the other horses away. If you are POLITE AND GENTLE and yet firm about sending the other horses away, your horse will pretty soon get the idea that you are doing it for their benefit. And the connection work that you have already done will have your horse feeling more comfortable with you already.
So how FAR do you want these other horses to go? The answer is – however far it takes for you and your horse to feel happy. The less experienced you are, the further you will need to send the other horses away.
But make it HOWEVER far away it takes for you to get rid of that feeling that something is Not Quite Right.
When you are consistently in complete harmony with the whole herd then you may not need a stick (maybe just a piece of rope in your pocket as a back up). You can wander amongst them, wave them away gently with your hand if you don’t want them near you – but right now, you need to not only keep yourself safe – you and your horse need to feel safe too and you need some tools to help you do that!
Use something long like a lunge whip, or a carriage whip or a stick and string – it gives me a good distance for a sense of safety if there is high energy from the horses in the paddock – I can keep a horse a good distance away if they kick up, and I can create a big energy with it and lots of noise if I have to.
I can hit it on the ground harder if someone worries me, but notice how Mel in this footage is using her whole arm BIG AND VERY SLOW in two different ways. They are both VERY effective and polite ways of clearing the space around you.
(One way Mel showed us was swinging the stick from side to side over the top of her head, in a very slow action – using her straight arm to create more clear space around her. And the other way she showed us was twirling the stick SLOWLY around in a circle over her head – also using her straight arm, rotating her wrist so she doesn’t get the rope wound around the stick. )
Then I can use the stick harder and faster if I have to – if the horse still keeps coming. Some horses are so cute, they think you couldn’t possibly mean for them to stay away.
If they come back again, you may have to walk after them for a bit longer, using your stick to ask them to move away further, so as to make your point that you actually don’t want them to come back. You may have to get a bit bigger or faster if they come back. Don’t be afraid to explore within the boundaries of politeness.
Up Next
This next lesson is fabulous for deepening the bond with your horse if they have run away while you were sending other horses away – and it can be done from great distances while they are at liberty and still in the herd.
Look forward to seeing you there!