It’s pretty easy for me to deduce where someone’s horse issues likely occur by talking to them on the phone, monitoring their social media broadcasts or by observing their style on a listserv (or several). Whether people recognize it or not, the way they choose to handle human communications is very telling about their attitude with horses.

Can you see through the eyes of your horse?

Are you defensive without cause?

This week, I received a caustic e-mail in response to a gentle request to confirm a horse connection on an equine Linked In group I help moderate (Horse Lovers of the Business World). The charter of HLBW involves a strict policy of no advertisements on the main discussion board. This culture was set from the beginning by David Hasbury (the list founder) and the conversation, camaraderie and support that’s encouraged has drawn thousands of members. Consequently, participants really get their hackles up when even soft spam hits the list. So, five moderators now spend a lot of time ensuring members that are approved have an interest in horses and understand that commercial posts do not belong on the main discussion board. For those who want to advertise, we’ve created a subgroup (that has only attracted a very small percentage of the total group population – few come here to endure a sales pitches).

Anyway, the retort basically involved a defensive ‘if you don’t want to let me play in your sandbox there are lots of kids who want me in theirs’ grumble and a huff you could hear through cyberspace. She was approved and then immediately posted to a thread with an exclamation that she’s on Linked In to promote her business. Sadly, she didn’t get that a two-by-four approach on this list isn’t going to create any friends.

Would you want to be her horse?

Do you know how to truly listen?

Social media is a great way to test your listening savvy – a critical skill to develop of you want to truly connect with horses. If you’ve decided you’re going to ram personal objectives down the throats of others without regard to their preferred communications style or the culture and personality of a particular group, good luck with that one. The same holds true with horses. Horses are like forums, blogs, membership sites and social media platforms in a lot of ways – if you don’t show an interest by taking the necessary time to understand and accommodate the particular needs of a community (or an individual equine), they’re going to tune you out. Or, worse yet, come after you.

Are you a humble, yet confident leader?

Horses respond when they have a confident leader that is ready to guide but humble enough to listen and learn. Jim Collins talks about Level Five Leaders in his book, Good to Great. He describes the traits of CEOs in ways that could be easily applied to the most insightful horsemen that have emerged through the centuries. Granted, this pertains to businesses, but there’s a lot people could learn about horse training in the pages that dissect the attributes of an effective corporate leader. None of the CEOs called out let ego or personal agendas get in the way of company success. Nor did they go in with a game plan. If you want to develop a horse to be the best he can be, learn to adopt your style, approach and responses to his input and proclivities.

Horse communication breakdowns aren’t hard to figure out

How can you tell by listening to someone where their horse talk breakdowns are likely to occur? It all comes back to perspective and attitude. Those who are all about making people conform to their ideals usually have challenges getting their horse to enjoy training. The meek or vacillating lack the credibility to guide a horse with the confident persona an equine seeks in a leader. The result is a confused horse that doesn’t trust his handler. Those who know it all lack an ability to hear the horse and tend to have major standoffs or blow ups with horses who are assertive enough to object to a dictatorial approach that doesn’t consider the signals the equine is sending. Provoked enough, these horses will hurt their rider/handler, but sadly, the blame is usually put on the horse. People convinced that a good strategy or pat formula deserves compliance, run into trouble when a horse doesn’t understand or like the regimen. The horses they fail to engage generally get volatile or shut down. Horse huggers who set no direction or limits for the horse wind up with equines that abuse their humans and lose out on the opportunity for a fulfilling job.

Horses like to be heard

Where would you rank with the herd?

Just like people, horses like to be heard. It’s funny how the perceived anonymity of online communications (without the benefit of a face-to-face) can bring out the worst in some people. It’s not a huge leap to conclude that what these folks do privately with their horses is more closely aligned with how they behave in social media gatherings than what they put out there as equine ideals.

Horses, like people, are on the ready to help you learn if you’re open to receiving their input. Think about how you behave when someone questions you. Do you have the same knee-jerk response with your horse? Is that helping or hurting your relationship? Nobody’s perfect (I’m certainly not), but if you really want to reach that partnership nirvana with a horse, listening is the key to understanding. Horses want to be heard. Acknowledge their input (and there’s nothing wrong with a ‘no’ answer, provided you’re responding to the question posed), and you’ll discover a new level of connection with your horse that is beyond imagination. It’s so exciting to be part of a human/equine team with a horse that will do anything for you. You might be surprised how much your horse will give back when you provide a mere nod to his concerns. Try it.

Please share your stories of uncanny horse connections you’ve experienced in the comments below, voice lessons learned, or, if you’d prefer, feel free to call me crazy J.

It’s hard not to be awestruck by the athleticism of horses competing on the Grand Prix circuit. This is a fun video that shows a group of guys hamming it up to clear the height without the benefit of a horse beneath them.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbo3yr_horseman-a-dresden-homme-cheval-bab_shortfilms#from=embed

To get a little personal for a moment, I did track and field in high school and know the challenges hurdles and high jumps can present. To watch these guys not only handle the strides between artfully, but also clear the height (almost flawlessly) with a forward leap vs. the popular flop we see today that involves a twist at the end of the run that shows your back to the bar for the jump is jaw-dropping. This kind of human training, conditioning and performance makes one wonder how great our horses could be with the right start in early years.

We’ll see if we did it right as our four-year-old Irish Draught Sport Horse filly heads down to Kentucky next year to begin her jumping training and career. She showed the talent and attitude well before she was weaned.  We strived to direct her intensity and winning spirit rather than conquer it and this seems to be working. She was ready when we briefly started her under saddle (late in her three-year-old year), to enjoy the idea of a collaborative approach to training. In fact, she was begging for a job. This year, we’re planning on spending a good deal of time on the trails and the hills and maybe even take her to a few dressage shows to keep her interested and engaged (even as a yearling, she knew how to turn it on when the judge was watching). She’s a character and has certainly presented challenges with her smarts, athleticism and strong alpha tendencies, but she’s morphed into an eager learner that’s curious and kind about riding requests that are fair and consider her input. Remember the name Seamus’ Halcyon Clover. You never know.

Special thanks go out to Marya H. Zubaty at Stable Woman Gazette for spotlighting this video yesterday. It’s so much fun and irresistible, it seemed only right to share.

And if some kind soul can help me figure out how to embed this video into the blog so it shows up as a video image and click through by the end of the day tomorrow, I’d be happy to send you a free hot-off-the presses copy of “Turning Challenging Horses Into Willing Partners.”

Horse owners who are struggling in this tough economy seem to be asking the question “why not start my own boarding facility and make gobs of money.” Few who have always relied on others for the care and feeding of their horses realize the costs involved in keeping them healthy, safe and sheltered. The fact is, most facilities profit from add-on services and operate with razor-thin margins on board. Most who offer ‘cheap board’ either haven’t tabulated their real costs, or aren’t taking good care of the facility and/or horses.

Mom and baby are cute, but they cost money to house

Horse breeds effect costs

Of course, certain breeds cost less to feed than others (we deal primarily with Thoroughbreds (TBs) and TB crosses at Halcyon Acres, with higher feed costs, but no sugar or obesity issues, so we can use pastures for nourishment too without the health concerns other breeds face). Horses in training cost about $160/horse/month for hay/grain sustenance and bedding. There’s more to housing horses for others, though, than factoring what you dump in the stall.

There’s more than feed and bedding

Most who haven’t housed horses figure feed and bedding as the only costs. Some enlightened even calculate time into the mix. Maybe you can get by with this if he’s in your backyard and you don’t care about what the place looks like, but the expenses for a boarding facility are generally considerably higher.

Staff costs can be huge, and few consider this as a cost associated with their horse care. If the owner is doing all work themselves, they’re taking time away from other activities that could be earning them (more) money.

Electric tends to be another big ticket item if you have boarders coming into the barn to pet their horse or ride (we had one boarder who doubled our electric bill with just two horses at the barn by leaving lights on and periodically forgetting to turn off the water hydrant – flooding the barn was costly too).

Add driveway and parking lot care, manure storage and removal, stall repairs, fencing and general building and property maintenance to costs that escalate with every horse you add to the mix.

Have you tallied insurance and financing costs?

What few consider is liability insurance and mortgage fees for financing the place. These are usually very high ticket items that need to be amortized across the number of horses the facility holds if true expenses are to be considered. You say they’re building equity in the property so interest on the property loan should not be factored in – not in today’s economy. Liability insurance is a must have for anyone who has horses on their property (even if they’re in your own backyard) and the cost of this increases exponentially if it needs to include others riding on the property.

Turn-out board

Even with turnout board arrangements, unless you have massive acreage, the only way to keep pastures and horses healthy is with rotational grazing. Moving the herd can take a lot of time. Pastures need to be mowed after the horses are moved off and given time to rejuvenate. The labor, gas and equipment costs for this can be considerable, depending on the size of the property (and your mower) and the lay of land. Pastures need to be periodically reseeded if they are to remain useful. Run-in sheds aren’t cheap (weather purchased or built) and these need to be available in all areas where horses are left outside. They also need to be cleaned at least daily and maintained (time and materials). Give a horse something they can sink their teeth into and they’ll find a reason to chew.

No matter how docile and sedate your horse may be, fence repairs are an ongoing chore and expense.

Here, we need to buy water on a daily basis. That means added costs for the truck, trailer, tank, gas, time and money necessary for the water purchase.

Equipment and traffic costs

Farm equipment (truck, tractor, brush hog, manure spreader, etc.) costs money to buy and maintain. With each horse you add, the wear, tear and operating expenses increase.

If you have boarders cleaning their own stalls, expect broken pitch forks, brooms, rakes, wheelbarrows, lead ropes, buckets and snaps as well as stock farm items being used and not replaced.

Paint, lumber, hardware and other costs associated with keeping the property maintained are constant costs few consider as expenses in keeping up the farm for boarders. The more boarders you have, the more you will need to invest in these items.

Of course, you need to equip the barn with medical and doctoring supplies (you don’t want to face an emergency and have the horse wait until the vet arrives or you get back from your trip to the store), which aren’t free – nor generally replaced by boarders who need them.

Here, the cost of boarding horses (this only applies to client horses in for training, so we collect other fees to make it work) is break-even, at best. We’ll be experimenting with turnout board in the coming months (for horses on layup, retired or for other reasons there would be no rider in the mix). It’s still not clear if the additional pasture drain and run-in shed costs will make this a profitable activity, but it’s worth a test.

Expect expensive surprises

Sometimes you don’t see the added costs until after a horse arrives. We’re keeping a horse here for a friend who is facing some health challenges. After she was put on the truck (from the Left Coast) we were informed she had an allergy to alfalfa. Our standard hay is an alfalfa mix. So, we had to procure hay quickly (at a high cost) for her particular needs as she traveled cross-country. Her special hay is not something our usual providers can supply, so we’re constantly spending time and extra money putting custom roughage in the barn for this mare. The initial plan (and at-cost calculation) was a turn-out board situation with the farm herd. She’s on supplements (something we also discovered while the horse was in-transit), so she needs to be brought into the barn twice a day (or reside for half a day) to be fed. We opted to include her in the crew that is housed in the barn and turned out during the day (or night when bugs and heat are an issue). Add bedding, more labor and stall repairs. We tried turning her out with a couple of different mares (one at a time) and she beat the crap out of them (resulting in vet bills for our mares – she was fine). Now, we need to allocate a pasture for a single horse – creating challenges in our rotational grazing plan. Board is late every month, so we’re paying interest on borrowed money to cover the cost of buying hay and blacksmith services if we don’t have reserves to finance the extra unanticipated outflows. Lesson learned – ask all the questions early and plan for the unexpected.

A horse at home is not the same as a boarding facility

There’s a big difference between putting a little barn at your house and running some fence line and shouldering the costs of a boarding facility. Even if you just add a couple of horses and leave the responsibility of their care to the owners, you’ll be shocked at how quickly your costs escalate. Plus, unless you hire help, your schedule will no longer be your own as it will revolve around horse care, feeding, doctoring, etc.. It’s great fun to have a horse around the house, but a lot of work and probably not as inexpensive as you envision. If you can bring your horse home – go for it! The time and money you save commuting to a boarding facility along with the opportunity to go hang with your horse 24/7 is worth it. If you think you’re going to make a million collecting boarding fees, you might want try the lottery for better odds.

If you’ve figured out a way to make a mint boarding horses, please do tell in the comments below. Are you a boarder who has witnessed great ideas that make your experience better and more cost effective? Share what you’ve experienced with others so we can all learn from your knowledge, if you would. Have something to add that has been forgotten in the list above? All will likely welcome your wisdom. Help build this community and others will undoubtedly chime in to help you learn and grow.

While instinct, bloodlines and breed will cause some horses to be naturally spookier than others, most of the horses that come into Halcyon Acres are jumpy and jittery due to angst. They’ve been asked for too much too soon, handled with impatience and intolerance, not encouraged to develop self-confidence or handled by a frightened person. Usually, the younger the horse is, the easier it is to reduce or eliminate spooky behavior, but horses of all ages can be calmed and encouraged to enjoy new experiences.

Try listening instead of training

There’s a whole lot of literature being put out there now (and even more DVDs –much higher profit margin) that asserts all you need to do to stop a horse from being concerned it to inundate him objects, noises, contact and lessons, and thus, by rendering him ‘desensitized,’ you’ll have a ‘bomb-proof’ horse. It usually doesn’t work that way, but if you do manage to create a steed that is unflappable as a result, he’s probably also now devoid of spirit, having been taught to quell his mind.

Instead, if you learn to read your horse, he’ll tell you all you need to know to help him resolve his concerns. It’s not about force, repetition, one-way respect, quick tricks or formula systems – it’s about understanding. Each horse is different. You need to allow yourself the liberty of learning vicariously. Let your horse be a participant in the decisions you make about activities and limits by letting go enough to ‘get into his head’. Most spooky horses have little confidence in themselves and no confidence in their rider/handler. Give them the opportunity to shine with unwavering confidence and support from you and you might be surprised at how courageous your heartless horse becomes.

Get on the ground

Most fearful horses (and that’s really at the core of a spooky horse’s behavior) learned to distrust humans to keep them out of harm’s way at an early age. While it’s not always necessary, there are distinct advantages to going back to ground work as you begin to strive to undo the damage. Body language is huge with horses (both ways) and it’s a lot tougher to ‘talk’ to your horse when on their backs if you haven’t established good communications out of the saddle.  The same holds true for what you say to the horse – if he can see your entire body, he can gather information about what you want much more easily. Just be sure you get good about picking up what he’s trying to tell you and being clear about what you’re asking.

The roundpen isn’t the best place for this long-term. It’s a good tool for early lessons (for you, mostly) if you are looking for a place to keep the horse in close proximity and note how your body movements, positions, eye contact, behavior and requests affect the horse. It’s also a decent way to get a good read on what may be troubling your horse and take small steps to alleviate his concern.  Resist the temptation, though, to use this area for drill sessions or intensive training. Keep it short, light, fun, informative and a stepping stone to really engaging in meaningful connections.

Spending time with your horse in the stall, the pasture, on long lines, exploring areas around the property and beyond with a halter and lead rope and watching your horse without bothering him are more productive ways to build rapport and gain insight than forcing him around a 60 meter circle. Get creative and listen to your horse to find ways to get him eager, excited and confident about your activities together. This is foundation that starts rebuilding the trust and security of a spooky horse.

Oh, and if you’re horse is terrified about an obstacle you face while riding, consider hopping off his back to be the first to show no fear or harm in passing. There’s no shame in providing a more comfortable experience to a new experience.

Be the rock

If you’re nervous, tense or unnerved, you can’t help a spooky horse. Either learn to get rid of these feelings when you’re around this horse or get someone else to help (and stay out of it until the horse is progressing). Sure, it’s tough to sit aboard a horse that is a notorious wheeler without tensing up, shortening your reins, tipping forward and transmitting concern. The fact is, though, the added tension is going to create more concern for your horse and be sure to spur a spook he may not have considered; no matter how close your hands are to his ears he’s going to do it anyway; and leaning forward and tensing up will increase the likelihood you’ll be dumped. If you give the horse his head to explore; relax; sit back; and calm down, he’s less likely to react and you’re in a better position to over his center of balance (and comfortable in yours) to stay with him if he does.

The same holds true for groundwork. If you can’t be confident, calm, consistent and trustworthy when handling or working around your horse, he’s not going to learn to trust you to keep him safe.

Don’t push your horse to ‘buck up’

Spooky horses are scared. Getting rough or demanding with them is only going to increase their concern. Give them the time and encouragement to carefully approach items that are frightening. Pulling out the whip, chain, spurs or temper is only going to create more fear and less trust in you. If you think beating a horse over water the first time you encounter a stream is going to make happy about crossing it the next time, think again.

Isn't he cute? Buster stood out as special early on.

Anyone who is looking for a teacher about the importance of patience and understanding should experience a horse like Buster. He was already an ‘old soul’ when we started him under saddle as a three-year-old. His wisdom shined through from day one. He was unflappable, but careful. The funny thing about Buster was, he’d do anything you asked, so long as you respected his need to be given the time (and head freedom) to survey the situation. One day (he had only had about eight days under saddle), we faced an obstacle course in front of the trail head that would have made a seasoned horse baulk. Contractors had strewn insulation, lumber, packaging, vehicles, tools, saw benches and all kinds of debris so that we had to pick through a narrow, winding path for about 20 feet. Holding the reins at the buckle and giving him the two minutes or so he wanted to survey the situation and choose a path, proved to be a sufficient response to his needs for him to proceed on his own, without prompting or direction. This thing with Buster was, if you pushed too hard for him to tackle a new sight or obstacle before he was ready, he’d stop. Keep it up and he’d go into backing mode. That was Buster’s kind way of saying ‘too much, too fast.’ What a wonderful teacher he was! He’s moved on (his career choice, not our imagined one for him) to an unexpected home that will probably keep him out of the limelight, but with a job that’s going to be very rewarding for him and an owner who will appreciate him more than most. Keep us posted, Sarah!

Help your horse get brave with a companion

The equine buddy system seems to be a standard today for most. It’s easier early, but can create problems later when the horse learns to draw his confidence and direction from another horse instead of the rider. We stumbled on a much better approach (animals can be so intuitive). Gatsby (our 90-pound mutt) provided an ideal solution. In the thirteen years he’s served as assistant trainer at the farm, no horse has ever become herd-bound over a dog. For the young ones just starting to learn how to handle a rider aboard, he tracks at their heels until we hit a spot that alarms the horse. Then, we ask him to take the lead and he escorts the horse through areas they see as trouble. All the horses here get to know him during ground work training (he’s an artful contributor here too), so they learn to trust him ti be safe before we hit the trails.

Gatsby greeting a newborn foal at Halcyon Acres

If you’re dealing with an older horse that’s spooky, you’re better off having an equine lead that’s seasoned and confident than going it alone to start. The more you can make riding experiences fun and non-threatening, the better. You can wean him off the company in time, but old habits die hard and you’ll be safer, and able to gain more confidence, if you let another horse blaze the trail as you start to work to calm your horse and yourself.

Forgo the formula equine approaches

Spooky horses are usually taught to be so. To undo the damage, you need to get personal. This can’t be done with rote lessons that are planned ahead and applied to all cases. If you’re not willing to customize an approach to meet your horse’s indicated needs, you’re not going to build a trusting, confident and mutually respectful relationship. You might be able to get him to tune out and mollify his brain into an absent state to escape the stress, but it won’t result in a happy partner you grow with. The rewards you get from being open to a communications process that includes the horse will be huge, if you have the desire and patience to go there. Here’s hoping you do!

Do you have a story to tell about a spooky horse? A problem you’re currently facing that you’d like some guidance on? Have a question about how to work with your horse? Please comment below.

Much of the United States has been blanketed in stifling humidity and record heat this summer.  In our area of the Northeast, we beat last year’s total number of 90 degree days in early July (August is usually the month for hot, and it’s coming in steamy). Our southern and western neighbors are probably thinking double digits would be a welcome cool spell, but it’s tough to take when you’re not used to it (come on up in January and we’ll giggle as you shiver at balmy days in the 20s). Whether you’re in Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, New England or any other area of the country, you and your horses have probably had it with sweating, sweltering and sun burn.  Take heart – you’re not alone. Get smart to ensure you and your horse can be happy with your time together and both of you stay safe.  Here are some ideas to help you keep your cool (and please add your ideas in the comment section below as others will surely welcome your insight and experience).

1. School horses early in the morning. On the East coast, it’s light enough at 5:30 a.m. to ride right now and this is the best time to escape the insects, heat and humidity. It takes too much time to cool down in the evening (hours after sunset) and the bugs are brutal. Some go to the health club early in the morning. Why not use your pre-work time for riding exercise instead and use the club for a shower. If you really want to ride the bike, tackle the stairs or lift weights, take advantage of the air conditioning at lunch or after work.
2. Turn horses out at night and bring them into the barn during the day. Even if you have run-in sheds, they don’t provide enough protection from the bugs and the heat when the weather gets steamy. Well-designed barns are much cooler than sun-drenched pastures.
3. Pull out the fans to keep the air moving for you and your horse when in the stall.
4. Go swimming. Most horses really enjoy a lake, river or deep pond respite and riding a horse through water deep enough to have their feet leave the ground can be a lot of fun. Just be careful as those legs get moving with dangerous velocity and force. Iif you manage to get one of your body parts in the way you’ll probably break bones. Always keep your legs in front of the shoulder and make sure you’re stable and balanced enough to stay aboard.
5. Make sure you and your horse have ample and constant water to stay sufficiently hydrated. In this heat, it’s important to keep drinking water as you work (for you and your horse). No guzzling while you’re working hard – that will cause a belly-ache for both of you and that’s so not good with horses – but make sure you have water available at all times for your horse during rest.  When the heat’s really draining your mount might appreciate a few sips while working. Be very careful how much and how quickly you allow a horse to drink after work, while cooling out. It’s best not to allow more than 10-15 sips every three minutes or so while a horse is still hot and sweaty.
6. Hit the trails. While bugs can be more prevalent in the woods, it’s usually a lot cooler where the trees are tall and thick. If you do this in the early morning, bugs are not a big factor. Consider using hot weather time to do some conditioning work at slow paces that cover steep hills and various sights and challenges to keep your horse’s body fit and supple while offering an alternative to discipline drilling that keeps his mind engaged and interested. Changing the riding environment can also help you learn more about you, your horse and how to come up with ideas together to make training fun for both of you.
7. Give you and your horse a day off from the routine.  Sometimes it’s just too hot to discipline train. If you’re facing an unrelenting heat wave, you can still work on activities that help build rapport and understanding, but don’t require tack. Think about what you can do in the stall or in-hand to improve your human-horse communications skills (both ways). Often, lessons learned on the ground are better remembered and easier to accomplish than what you do under tack. Use this time to develop a bond that includes sympathetic responses.  You may find you make great strides in your next ‘real’ lesson that you hadn’t imagined possible.
8. Make sure your horse has access salt (and ample water – they’ll drink more as they ingest salt) as heat descends. Of course, horses should always have access to free-choice salt, but it’s particularly important in hot conditions.
9. Shorten lesson time and offer more frequent breaks. When the heat’s too much to stay at full performance as usual, back off a bit. Better to ask for one good response and end on a good note than to push the both of you to exhaustion. Give both you and your horse a break on the perfection scale and allow ‘good enough’ to be the end-game.
10. Have the heart to cancel a competition appearance if it’s just too dangerously hot. Finger Lakes was the only East Coast race track that didn’t cancel racing several weeks ago when the heat was just too much to bear. Some scratched (good for them), but others continued to run. After so many horses dropped from heat stroke on Monday, you’d think that would be cause for pause for the card on Tuesday. It wasn’t.  Sometimes you need to make the hard call to pull out and forgo the entry costs and possible win money with an eye toward tomorrow.

If you’re struggling with the heat, your horse probably is too. Slow down the pace, reduce the demands, be thoughtful about providing shelter and relief and use the time to get creative about how you can spend new and interesting time together. You might learn something and your horse will likely thank you for the consideration.

How do you beat the heat with your horse? Have you found fun and inventive activities to keep you both cool as you wait out the sauna? Do you have a great story to tell about how you withdrew from an intended event to come out a winner as a result? Please share your comments, ideas, experiences, opinions and stories below. Thanks.

Age in horses is so relative. Many horses continue to work well into their 30s while others are deemed ancient for their initial career at six. Some breeds are best started at a much older age, while some industries are backing horses as yearlings. Of course, much depends on the horse, but the perspective of the humans involved plays a major role.

Keep your horse young with a new career

Just because a horse may be past his prime in one career doesn’t mean he’s ready to be literally turned out to pasture. Few horses seem to enjoy being returned to a wild-type state of unfettered grazing and a dearth of human contact. The current popularity of the ‘forever-home’ concept may do the horse, and the human, a disservice. Sometimes offering a horse a different home with a new career can be the kindest thing to do.

Horses tend to age more quickly when they are idle and bored. They pick up bad habits, are more prone to illness and lose tone.

Equines that relish training and/or are given the opportunity to transition to new and exciting careers seem to stay in their prime for more years than expected.

Help your horse’s head

Like humans, horses seem to thrive on a mix of physical and mental stimulation. Rarely, with domesticated horses, does a natural herd environment alone provide the bliss so many imagine. Instead, those culled out from the herd for training activities that are presented in a fun manner with the horse’s opinions considered in the activity mix appear to be the happiest and healthiest. Training doesn’t always have to involve riding, but the engagement and attention that comes with lessons offers a purpose for the horse that they seem to need. You can play with nursing foals as well as old cripples in ways that help improve their quality of life and yours without stressing feeble bodies.

Talk to your horse about campaigns

The next time you rally behind a cause that advocates forever homes or offers a pastoral return to their wild roots, consider the horse.  If they spoke human, most would say they’d rather have a job. Listen to more subtle cues, though, and you’ll hear their desires.

It seems like so much of the current ‘humanitarian’ effort applied to horses in an effort to ‘protect’ them forgets that we’ve been domesticating horses for millenniums and in so doing, have changed their nature.  If you’ve ever experienced that miraculous moment with a horse when they’re even more excited about excelling at the human-horse partnership challenge than you are, you’ll get this.

Are you making your horse feel old?

So, what makes a horse too old? Usually, it’s what we do to them. Of course, there are genetic and injury issues that can end an active life too early, but more often it comes down to what we do to help our equines live a fulfilling and interesting life. For most horses, that means having a job they can get excited about. Welfare is a wonderful concept – too bad the term has come to mean provider for so many. You might be amazed at how special a horse can become when empowered to give back in ways that are meaningful and fulfilling for both of you (or a new owner who can offer a job). Given the chance, most horses will gladly earn their keep with jobs you request. Those left to languish in freedom get old fast.

Do you have a horse that lit up when you discovered his desired job? Did you make the hard decision to re-home a horse you loved so he could have a more fulfilling life elsewhere? Are you struggling with a horse you just don’t know how to engage? Please share with comments below this blog post. Thanks.

1. Cull horses into smaller areas and rotate frequently.
2. Schedule a rotation management program that gives pastures enough time to regenerate (depends on area, time of year, number of horses, water, etc.).
3. Mow pastures after moving horses off an area or follow them with livestock (such as cows) that can help manage parasite issues and/or eat what horses will leave.
4. Use salt instead of pesticides to control unwanted plants (such as growth under an electric fence wire, burdocks or thistles). This will take more time but can be as effective without the potential harm to horses and the environment. Plus, it can be administered to paddocks being currently grazed. It’s also inexpensive in 50 pound bags.
5. Break up manure piles to kill worms that may be ingested later.
6. Build gates between paddocks to make transfer to new areas quicker and easier.
7. Use herd leaders to help move horse groups to other pastures. If you grab one of the herd leaders (this works best if you can pair her with number two as you begin the migration) to encourage the rest of the herd to follow. This isn’t necessarily the horse that is hostile to the herd to get first dibs on feed or water. Watch the herd to see who they follow. It’s usually a kind mare that doesn’t command respect, but is chosen due to confidence and operatives with seeming indifference.
8. Supply shelter from sun, wind, bugs and cold. There are many affordable run-in sheds available for purchase. We’ve found Wood Tex (www.woodtex.com) to be exceptional on the quality, price and customer service fronts. In fact, we can’t build a shelter for the price of their delivered units. If you’re building and have an aggressive horse in the herd, an L-shaped shelter works best.
9. Clean out shelters at least daily. Depending on the usage, bedding may be necessary.
10. Pick herds to help school young horses. Do you have an arrogant and aggressiveyoung colt that bullies other horses (or humans)? Turn him out with a pregnant mare (or two) for a quick and lasting attitude adjustment. Are you challenged with a young alpha filly that’s torturing and dominating elderly mares? Kick her out with an established younger herd with an established hierarchy. Have a timid or insecure horse? Find a kind mare (or gelding) they can spend time with one-on-one to bond with and build their confidence. Struggling with an aggressive and violent mare that beats the daylights out of other mares she’s introduced to? If you’re determined to attempt socializing her (we go by the two strikes rule with hostile horses – then they’re permanently solo), try putting a young gelding in an adjacent stall first and if they bond, see if pasture companionship works . Watch carefully for signs of aggression and remove the boy if you have time, but don’t get between the two once a battle ensues.
11. Ensure horses have clean water at all times.
12. Watch the horses’ weight. Heavy horses can be prone to more problems than skinny ones. Limit grazing for obese horses and supplement as needed with those that are harder keepers.
13. Stay current on vaccinations. In addition to the standard 4-ways (or 5-ways), we also add West Nile and Rabies. Issues are often geographically-based, so it makes sense to keep apprised of area concerns.
14. Make salt and/or a mineral block available.
15. Check each horse daily for abrasions, hoof problems (pick them up to make sure nothing is lodged in the foot and/or the health of the frog and sole is good), eye issues, filling in legs and general health and attitude.

Horse Quick Tips

Whether you are a novice or professional, there’s a lot the horse you are working with can teach you about communications. Keep it safe, fun, engaging and interesting for both of you and you’ll be amazed at how much more effective short and collaborative lessons can be than long sessions you dictate alone. Below are some tips for drawing out your horse and making the process easier and safer for you as you begin the challenge of preparing your horse for tack and a rider while you forge a foundation for an exciting human equine/partnership that encourages performance beyond expectations.

1. Stay away from formula approaches – customize a program – and each day – to respond to the horse’s proclivities with collaborate strategies (listen to your horse) designed to move forward vs. get you stuck in combative behavior.
2. Know your horse – recognize her moods and be ready to alter the day’s plan to strive for a good and quick end to the lesson. Choose approaches that your horse can understand and enjoy given his particular issues and personality.
3. There’s no such thing as too much ground work – the more you do prior to hopping aboard to gain the confidence, trust, understanding and cooperation of your horse before you begin to ride him, the easier this next phase will be for both of you.
4. Limit time in the round pen – drilling or exhausting a horse in a small circular pen will not only lead to frustration and boredom, but can also create permanent soundness issues.
5. Hit the trails – hills, varied terrain, wildlife, water and interesting scenery provide a great venue for building the confidence, trust and dependability of a young equine. This can be a wonderful early training approach once you have basic stop, steering and go cues understood.
6. Go it alone – while company can be an easy early training crutch, this tends to create a horse focused on other equines for direction and confidence, taking the focus off you. This can lead to later challenges with barn sour or herd bound behavior.
7. Patience and kindness trump egocentric demands – most horses will react better to someone who offers the time and understanding to process requests, responding to horse feedback over one who bullies them into compliance.
8. End quickly and on a good note – it’s best to keep early lessons brief (both on the ground and under saddle) in a way that encourages the horse to follow requests, rewards them for their effort and ends with a quick win prior to pushing the horse too hard toward frustration.
9. Belly over a horse for the first day or two – this keeps you safe and delays the added concern of you towering over the horse’s head (instinct can cause the horse to view you as a predator in this position). Getting your young horse used to carrying weight at a standstill and walking off with a moving load (many horses will react more dramatically to a person on their backs once they start moving than when they are still) in a way that is less threatening and easy for you to dismount unencumbered can ease the horse into harder lessons and save the time required to settle a horse that’s been traumatized.
10. Get them away from the herd – you want to set the stage for your young horse to view training time with his focus on you. This can be tougher if the herd is in sight. Find a place on your property (or move the other horses into the barn or further away from your working area) where you can reduce the distraction buddies provide.
11. Establish a training area that’s designated for work – don’t use the pasture you turn your horse out in as an arena for training. Conversely, don’t use your work area for recreation. Horses seem to appreciate a specified area that allows them to relax and another that signifies it’s time for your job.
12. Try to stick to a schedule – horses thrive best (because they’re most comfortable) with a routine that they can expect and embrace. Pick a time to train and try to stay consistent. If you make training fun, you’ll find your mount waiting at the gate excited about the expected training lesson.
13. Discover what your horse enjoys most – use this as a reward (try to avoid the temptation to offer treats for tricks) as praise for good work or an activity to end a session.
14. Show your horse you care enough to return the respect – respect goes both ways and that means you need to be able to show your horse you hear him, even if you don’t agree. Give him the courtesy of listening and acknowledging before you levy demands.#
15. Enjoy the ride – if you work toward trust and understanding in early lessons as you customize strategies to reach your horse in ways he understands and appreciates, you’ll be shocked at what he’ll do in return to please and protect you. Sometimes just a simple acknowledgement of the horse’s perspective can turn a frightened, frustrated or belligerent horse into a steed excited about pleasing and exceeding expectations. Pause the next time you have a ‘failure to communicate’ with your horse and consider the possibility he simply doesn’t understand. Corrections are fine when warranted, but most are too quick to blame the horse. Most equines will embrace your request if posed in a way that makes sense to them. Horses allowed to contribute to solutions will make you proud. Respect goes both ways.

Friday’s Opinion

It seems the older I get, the more I’m inclined to ask the horse how he wants to proceed. Years ago, I’d relish the opportunity to engage a horse in a battle of wills that demonstrated my mettle and glue.  Granted, it’s hard to know how much of my collaborative approach comes from the wisdom of age, or the pain of aging injuries borne from younger and dumber years, but I have found the changes in my technique over the years seem to make training a lot more fun for the horse.

Of course, there’s the occasional alpha that’s already had a good deal of mileage schooling humans who chose to confront them with demands vs. understanding that requires staying power and athleticism, but most horses will choose to be agreeable if you listen to their concerns, spend the time required to ease them into new lessons and fortify your riding time with ground work.

Short is better with early horse training

One of the things I’ve learned when it comes to starting horses under saddle (or working through issues that have developed as a result of an initial bad start) is brief is best when it comes to the duration of lessons.

Sadly, most seem to feel the more time you spend riding a young horse (or, even worse, round penning him to exhaustion in preparation for carrying a mount), the faster he will learn. It upsets me to see people pushing young equine minds past engagement and enjoyment toward a resentful and frustrated state of resistance – or a mindless submissive obedience trance.

Ten to fifteen minutes of training time seems to be the sweet spot for most young horses being introduced to a rider (and this includes ground work done in preparation for this moment too). Usually this can be an easy goal to reach if you spend enough time getting to know your horse so you can gauge his mood, choose lessons that will appeal to him and quit after a request is met. Sure, there are horses and days when your quick lesson plan turns into hours of persistence when wilfulness and attitude surfaces, but these are rare situations once you learn to hear the horse.

Some horses respond better to daily lessons; others need days to absorb what they learned so they can start the next training session ready to progress. Professional trainers and novices who try to make every horse fit into their formula training regimen create unnecessary roadblocks to building a happy partnership and an eager performer. The learning process accelerates exponentially when you customize your plans to respond to the horse’s input. Done right, this reduces the time in the saddle and makes each session a fun and collaborative game for the horse (this doesn’t mean you allow the horse to do whatever he wants – but does require a process that shows you are listening to what he is trying to tell you). Babies just don’t have the mind or body to handle hour-long drill sessions. If you can make each day fun, easy and rewarding for both of you, your horse will come to relish the opportunity to work and you’ll be amazed at how eager he is to learn and please as a result.

Longer prep time leads to better equine performers

I cringe when I hear people boast they “broke a horse in seven days.” These horses fear new situations, don’t trust people and expect every new experience to be traumatic. Who can blame them? Or, with some of the colder breeds, they’ve had their heart yanked out and have succumb to a life of submission and servitude.

Common sense should say that early preparation done patiently and thoroughly makes for an easier and better horse when performance training begins – but that doesn’t seem to prevail with many focused on the clock or calendar.

If you start the training of a young horse with the aim of building trust and rapport, most will strive to please you with responses that exceed your expectations. They also handle new situations with a confidence and interest that you don’t get from a horse that has been rushed or forced. Whether you’re a trainer seeking to put the basics under a horse as quickly as possible to please your client with your speed or a novice following a rote agenda prescribed by someone who’s never even seen your horse, you’re missing out on rewarding opportunities to engage and excite your project. If working with a horse that loves to train doesn’t grab you, you’re also putting early barriers in place for the horse to be the best he can be in the future.

It’s not a matter of losing a few weeks’ time with a slow and easy initial approach, but instead, a method that saves you months or years of time and sometimes a lifetime of frustration for you and/or the horse when you adopt a training approach that incorporates the horse’s particular penchants and responds to his expressed issues. Of course, you can’t get there if you don’t consider the horse as a participant in the process and allow him to give input.

How long is too long with a horse?

If you’re staring a young horse under saddle and he’s done what you first asked then becomes belligerent with subsequent requests, the lesson went on too long. Don’t be tempted to push harder because you’re having a good day (or a bad one and you just want to turn that screw a little further once he’s answered your initial request because you want to establish who’s boss).  Take the win and quit early, knowing you’ll have a willing and responsive horse tomorrow for giving him immediate credit for his efforts.

Foundation work for horses intended to be great performers takes time. A quick early start usually leads to problems later. No horse should be expected to be ready to start career training in a day – or a month. If you’ve spent 60 days with a horse, however, and are getting nowhere, that’s a bad sign. In fact, if you spend a few weeks with a horse and aren’t making any progress, you should probably look for another who may be more adept at reaching the horse. Each horse is different and some come with issues, are slow learners or cannot adapt to your style. Most, though, won’t be able to retain what you’ve taught them with comfort, confidence and the understanding to move on to more refined training demands in much less than a couple of months.  Rush them in the early starting training and you’ll usually pay later.

Make horse training fun

I’ve had a ton of fun lately having the luxury of letting the sport horse farm-bred horses tell me when they’re ready to start training and taking a leisurely approach to lesson frequency and demands. This is rarely an option with client horses, but it’s been a great learning experience to watch how this has played out with the herd. It’s been amazing to see how eager and interested these horses are when training begins when they say they’re ready and are allowed to express how frequently they’d like to train. In fact, all the young stock (along with the older horses in career training) are so eager to train, they express their annoyance with my busy schedule and associated inability to train them all daily. It’s a competition each day at the gate as to who gets the call. The chosen ones are eager to perform and learn and often ask to continue the lesson after its intended end. I’m having a ball working with horses that relish training so much they are determined to progress faster than asked. They seem to appreciate the fact that I’ll skip training plans on a horse if she doesn’t seem eager to come in.

If your horse (or horses) aren’t eager to see you coming and excited about the opportunity to work, you’re probably making the lessons too long, too structured, too demanding, too formula or too about you. Once you start responding to your horse’s requests, you’ll be floored by how eagerly they comply with yours. Try it. And let me know how it goes.

If you have a challenge with a current horse you’re starting under saddle, have questions about young horse issues, ideas to add to help others starting a young horse or want to shout about one of your proud successes, please comment below. Thanks.

This 16.2 HH TB gelding is happy to lower his head and safely share the love of an assisted living resident without the need for "my space, your space" training.

Friday’s Opinion

It’s troubling to see so much being put out there offering formula approaches to reach every horse. The latest mantra seems to be “respect my space” and is often used as an excuse to dominate a horse into submission. This is especially prevalent among novices, who spout the term with conviction, nod in agreement to the need, yet fail to really understand what they are doing to the horse. Sadly, they’re getting this belief from some self-proclaimed professionals. Novices are sponges when it comes to learning, and I think we need to get a better message out there to ensure future happiness – and safety – for horses and their human handlers.

Do you really want to teach a horse to learn through fear, exhaustion or pain to surrender to you? Wouldn’t it be better for both horse and human if space was shared and respect was mutual?

Sure, there’s a time and a place to send a horse off, curtail rude behavior or demand compliance, but for the truly happy partnerships, this is rare.

Smart horses with heart make the greatest competitors if allowed to chip in to the team effort (although they’re certainly not the best mounts for novice riders). Given the opportunity to contribute to the conversation and goal, these horses will outperform more able equines on heart alone. They’ll also turn into eager pleasers once introduced to a human they can respect on their terms. Sadly, the respect conviction some hold, practice and promote that encourages an “alpha” persona (another misunderstood concept see http://horsesenseandcents.com/blog/559/alpha-mares-how-do-you-define-them/ ) can rob these horses of their spirit as they are demanded to conform to a process that doesn’t consider their input.

Additionally, young horses in particular (now often in novice’s hands) need to be heard, understood and considered individually in training regimens. Putting rote boundaries in place to teach the horse to avoid you until called doesn’t give him a lot of confidence (in himself or you) during the learning process. Some horses are timid, frightened or leery.  Such horses usually thrive when offered a kind, helpful and patient approach “in your space.” Using formula programs that discipline him for having the courage to approach you is counterproductive if the aim is a well-adjusted horse.

Those of you who follow this blog know we had a group from an assisted living facility visiting the herd at Halcyon Acres this month (see http://horsesenseandcents.com/blog/645/therapeutic-horses-can-merely-be-happy-ones/). None of these horses have been programmed to “respect” an invisible perimeter around people. It’s a good thing too, because the experience for these residents would have been far less rewarding – and probably more dangerous.

Three-year-old TB taking care of a first-time, tiny rider in 30 MPH winds - no "respect" training here, just early work to encourage rapport and cooperation.

Instead, these horses are all asked to follow a few simple rules (get along or you’re out of the herd; go into your proper stall without a lead when you’re brought into the barn; no biting, kicking or aggression toward humans; I decide who’s coming in first – and last; and a few other basic requests to help keep all safe and farm operations running smoothly). They’re allowed to be friendly and sociable with humans, and relish the opportunity to approach known and unknown people for a pet and a visit. Of course, each gets customized training in ground work and under saddle training and because they are offered a say in the process, they are eager to have a job to do and choose to watch for and respect requests. Consequently, they can be trusted to be smart, safe and responsive when any human comes into the mix. It’s not about dictating compliance – it’s a mutual trust and understanding that develops from two-way communications.

I have to say, I don’t get this “my space, your space” approach. Of course, there’s a lot to body language with horses and with this arsenal, you can usually put a horse just about anywhere you want. So, it’s hard for me to see why training a horse to avoid you makes any sense at all. I certainly haven’t encountered a horse (at least not yet) that shines when respect is a one-way street. For me, I’d rather encourage horses (both client and farm-owned) to join the conversation and tell me how to make the experience fun, exciting and engaging for them. If that means the herd expresses their excitement at training time and jockeys for position to be first in line, I’m OK with that. In fact, it’s rewarding to have horses that not only enjoy training, but also anticipate the joy to the point they’re competing for the attention. If all were forced to succumb to a formula approach and were “trained” to “respect my space,” I don’t imagine they’d be so eager to saddle up.  Different strokes, I guess.