Light Hands

One of the highlights of my year is emceeing the Light Hands Horsemanship Clinic each May in Santa Ynez, California. It’s always a learning experience for me and it renews my dedication to being light with my horse. Now, I’ll admit right up front that I’m just a pup in all this compared to the great horsemen who teach at Light Hands. But I’m learning, and I can tell my horse is grateful for the effort.

What is so good about being light in how you cue your horse? Well, it’s more humane, for one thing and that means it’s more worthy of a human being. It’s also more just in the sense of being fairer to the horse, allowing him to respond to the smallest amount of pressure possible. But here’s the real kicker: it works better! I’ve been experimenting with this, being as light as I can with the reins and legs. It means being really tuned in to the horse because the response may be just as light as the cue. But when you feel that and reward it and are able to build on it, well that’s one of life’s really special moments.

The other thing about getting light in the hands is that it requires you to be light throughout your whole body, even your mind. For us humans, the hands are so special. I mean, think of what is done with the hands. Everything from a piano concerto to brain surgery. The eyes may be windows to the soul but the hands are hardwired to the heart. You can’t be impatient or angry or aggressive and still have light hands. Conversely, when you consciously and deliberately lighten your hands, your heart, your entire being must follow. It has no choice. Exquisite prey animals that they are, horses respond to that.

So here’s my parting suggestion, which can be applied with horses and with people: the next time you are inclined to turn up the pressure, first try turning it down. You just might be surprised at the result.

Rick

Someone Else’s Horse

Does a little voice inside scream, “Don’t do it! You could die!” when you think about riding your horse? If so, you might consider exercising someone else’s horse instead.

You don’t have to ride a horse fast to exercise him. In fact, walking is great for horses just as it is for humans and all that extra riding will give you confidence and skill you can put to work later with your own horse.

How do you find a horse to exercise? Fate has a way of stepping in at times like this, but you can help Fate along by spreading the word. Friends, feed stores, saddle shops, boarding stables … there are many ways to network with your horse community. What you’re looking for is a calm, well-broke horse that isn’t ridden as often as he should be. Simply lay out your proposition to the owner – you exercise the horse for free – and see what happens.

The horse on which I cut my teeth was an 11-year-old paint gelding named Thunder. He was the pride and joy of a family friend who could no longer ride. She was thrilled that I wanted to ride him and for years we essentially shared Thunder. She benefited, I benefited, and Thunder benefited.

If the first horse you try doesn’t work, no big deal. Just calmly move on until you find one that’s right. He’s out there, I promise. Once you find him, do your best to ride a couple times a week. A shorter session in the arena and a longer trail ride would make a nice combination.

Remember, action is your friend. Inaction is your enemy.

Rick

Changing Horses

Do you look forward to riding your horse? Do you feel safe and in control with him? Can you handle him by yourself? Are you both relaxed when you’re together? Does he respect your space? Are you happier after riding him than before? If you answered yes to all these questions, congratulations! If you answered no once or twice, ratchet up your activity level a bit and things will get better. If you answered no to all of these questions, well … Houston, we have a problem.

Most people in this situation end up doing little or nothing with their horses. If this is you, please understand this: it doesn’t mean you’re a failure or your horse is a bad horse. Could it be fixed? Probably, but it would take a lot of time and work on your part. I want you to have fun with your horse now, not months or years from now!

The solution is changing horses. Changing horses doesn’t mean you have to get rid of the horse you can’t ride. Many people are too attached to their horses to even consider that. But it does mean getting a horse in your life that you can and will ride right now.

Often the best candidate is an older, been-there-done-that sort of horse with a calm personality and a willingness to please. (I'll have some ideas on finding this horse in another post.) This is the horse you should be riding every week. Get busy and watch the joy and confidence come flooding back. Watch your feel start to develop. Who knows, one day you may decide it’s time to take another crack at your original horse. He will probably see you in a whole new light, and I'll bet many of the problems you had before won’t be around anymore.

On this journey from human to horseman, action is your friend and inaction is your enemy. Sometimes that means making a change for the better.
Rick

Just Ride

I love Smokie Brannaman’s slogan, “Just ride.” Just get out and do it. Throw a leg over a horse and rack up some miles.

You don’t need to ride perfectly. Just ride. There’s plenty of time for finesse later, after you’ve pumped up your confidence, improved your balance and coordination, and developed some muscle memory.

Want to ride but afraid to? We’ve all been there. My advice for you is, “Just do something!” Pet a horse, groom a horse, bathe a horse, lead a horse, longe a horse. Do whatever you’re comfortable doing with a horse. Slowly but surely your comfort zone will expand and you’ll find yourself doing more and more, including riding.

I remember when I learned to ride a bike. My dad gave me a push and I wobbled all over the place, eyes glued to the handlebars, worried about falling over. But I stuck with it and rode every day. Before long I was looking up, enjoying the scenery and thinking about where I was going, not the mechanics of getting there. You can reach that same place with riding a horse and I’ll prove it to you.

For one week, ride two hours each day. Challenge yourself to do something different each day. Create some wet saddle blankets and tired muscles. See how you feel at the end of the week and see if there’s a difference in your horse.

Too busy? Sure you are, but with planning you know you can work this out. The idea should excite you. If it doesn’t … well, maybe you don’t have the right horse for this time in your life. More on that later.

Have fun and ride safely.
Rick

A Tragic Choice

The following is a true story, related to me by hunter/jumper instructor Anna Jane White-Mullin in a radio interview some years ago. A young girl had been taking lessons on a school horse and had talked her Dad into buying her a horse of her own. They had narrowed it down to two prospects: a flashy four year old, off-the-track Thoroughbred with a promising future; and a solid teenaged horse with a great deal of experience. The girl was lobbying hard for the younger horse. The girl’s father asked Anna Jane for her advice and, without a moment’s hesitation, Anna Jane replied, “Get the older horse. He will take care of your daughter, forgive her mistakes, and allow her to progress.” The father seemed to understand, thanked Anna Jane, and went on his way.

Some time later, Anna Jane learned the rest of the story.

The father assumed that in a few years his daughter would lose interest in riding and he would have to sell the horse. He reasoned that the younger horse would be easier to sell and would yield a greater return on his investment. The daughter of course was thrilled to get the horse of her dreams and tried her best to ride him. Unfortunately, the green horse and green rider proved a tragic combination. The girl was thrown, shattered her elbow, and was permanently disfigured. One can only imagine how the father must have felt.

I tell this story often because I want the importance of the message to sink in. Kids and puppies are cute. Kids and young horses are disastrous. If you know someone about to make this very common mistake, please do everything in your power to dissuade them. Have them email me and I will do the same.

Just this weekend, I spoke at Equine Affaire Massachusetts on this very topic. I learned later that two young sisters had been in the audience. Each was matched with an inappropriate horse, were regularly being bucked off or run away with, and were petitioning their parents to buy yet another horse for them, a three year old BLM mustang. I can only hope that the parents took my message to heart.

Those of you who know me personally know that I have strong feelings about childrearing and the parent’s role in creating strong, self-sufficient, responsible citizens. I believe in creating boundaries and requiring children (and horses) to live within the boundaries. Saying “no” to a child is hard but is sometimes the most loving thing a parent can do, especially when it comes to saying “no” to an inappropriate horse.

Rick

Walking the Walk

It was still north of 100 degrees in Phoenix on September 14th when we loaded up the animals and headed for Montana. I was to teach an intensive college course in Dillon and Diana was looking forward to a month of focusing on her own studies without the usual distractions.

With Angus the cat, we set up housekeeping in our Featherlite a block from the university. The horses had even better accommodations: fifteen acres of natural terrain just outside town, all the grass hay they wanted (a local blend with just a hint of alfalfa) and a herd of horses and mules to share it with.

Two weeks later the mercury plummeted to single digits and snow covered everything, including our horses. It was decision time. Should I try to protect my horses from the elements or just leave them alone?

Let me back up for a moment and explain something. I have taught – okay, preached – the evils of micromanaging horses for many years. I’ve advocated setting them up in as natural a setting as possible, giving them the right kind of high-forage feed, letting them find their place in a larger herd, and then getting out of the way. As a theory, it’s hard to beat. But when you are standing in the snow and can no longer feel your own toes or fingers, it’s hard to believe your horses don’t share your discomfort. That was my moment of truth.

Our Icelandic mare, Fidla, was not the problem. She thought she’d died and gone to horsey Heaven. But my Quarter Horse mare, Candy, was thin-coated from years in the desert, and although she didn’t seem the least bit distressed, I could see her shiver now and then. What should I do?

I knew what I would tell others: provide free choice grass hay to warm the horses from the inside, give them full contact with the rest of the herd, and make sure they had a windbreak available to them. Check, check, check. It was too cold for rain, which was actually a good thing. Candy’s coat needed to fluff up and trap air to insulate her from the cold. Rain would impede that.

The local vet, Lane Carlson, concurred. So, with expert advice and my own observations to bolster my confidence, I decided to do what I always told other horse owners to do: get out of the way. I had talked the talk for long enough. It was time to walk the walk.

Know what happened? Nothing. We kept a close watch on the horses, made sure they were eating and drinking plenty, and just let the storm pass. Within a few days, temperatures had shot back up, most of the snow had melted, and our horses were none the worse for wear.

What I learned from this is that there are times to think with my brain and times to listen to my heart. It probably would not have hurt my horses to move them to a barn somewhere or blanket them – the horse is one of the most adaptable creatures on the planet – but it really wasn’t necessary. Horses adapt to the natural world and the challenges in it just fine without us running interference for them. In fact, they become stronger and more able to cope when we let them face such challenges.

I’m reminded of a slide in one of my PowerPoint lectures: often the kindest thing you can do for a horse is to simply leave him alone.

By the way, special thanks to Lanie and Cecil Jones for their hospitality and friendship during our Montana venture. They have created the most perfect horsekeeping setup I’ve seen.

Do we still need to call it "natural" horsemanship?

Reporting from lovely (and now snowy) Dillon, Montana where I'm halfway through teaching my first college course on natural horsemanship. This is UM Western's final course in a four-year degree program on NH so my class is very savvy. They think we should drop the “natural” and just call it horsemanship. What do you think? Do we still need to make the distinction?
Professor Lamb aka Rick