CHAPTER 1
Open-Minded Does't Mean"Sucker for Anything"
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I had always considered myself open-minded. But I hadn't really thought muchabout what that meant until someone suggested I was close-minded when it came tohorsemanship.
On a damp March day in 1991, I took a riding lesson at a local stable. I waslooking for something physical and animal-related to add to my life. The lessonwas entertaining but not compelling enough to draw me back.
Two months later I stopped by a former riding buddy's place. The first thing sheasked when I walked up to the door was "you wanna buy a horse?" I chuckled butthroughout our visit her question stuck in my mind like a dream that you can'tquite shake. Do I want to buy a horse? My friend, a great salesperson, evensaddled up a couple of her riding horses and we went for a short ride.
The rhythmic clip-clop of the horses' feet plopping along the back road wasrelaxing, and it was refreshing to be outside in the waning sun of a springafternoon. When we finished, I took another peek at the horse for sale.
That week, I found myself doing some research about the current expenses ofowning a horse. Then I did some soul-searching. Did I really want theresponsibility of a horse? Was I willing to add commuting to a boarding barn tomy schedule? I had a pretty cushy lifestyle; did I really want to shake it up? Iguess so. Within a month, Bud was mine.
The key to my plan, however, was that my new life with horses would be differentfrom my old life with horses. There were many things about that former horseworld that I did not like. The frustration, for instance, of getting a horse tostand for the horseshoer. The way horses bring out my lack of patience,especially when I need to do something like load them in a trailer. Andespecially the dreaded chain lead rope.
One way that many horse people use to attempt to control horses when handlingthem is a lead rope with a several-inch chain on the end that wraps around thedelicate part of the horse's nose before clipping to the other side of thehalter. This chain, when snapped, is supposed to add some control. It alwaysmakes me cringe, though; I suspect it damages the horse's nose, and it'squestionable whether or not any real control is gained with this chain. But Ihad used one of these chains on my first horse, and I used one for the first fewmonths I had my new horse, simply because I had no idea what else to do. Thatwas, until I signed up for a clinic on starting a young horse under saddle thatchanged and saved my horse life.
The clinician presented to the two dozen or so participants and a couple hundredspectators a way of handling horses that worked with the horse's naturalinstincts to make teaching things and presenting new things to the horse easierfor both horse and handler. A horse's instincts are many—the supreme concernwith self-preservation, the need to flee perceived danger, and the strongpreference to get along, expend as little energy as necessary, and avoidconfusion and chaos as much as possible.
This clinic taught me to work with the horse where it is at, use the horse'snatural instincts when you can, and try to open the door to the response youwant from the horse and shut the door to the response you don't want. And thetools you need are simple: a halter, lead rope, bridle, a saddle, and an openmind.
For several years, I hung around only with other like-minded individuals.However, I have never been much of a group person, so when I felt like I hadsome basic skills down and that I had reasonable control of my horse's feet, Iventured out into the greater horse world and rode with people outside of mycircle. And this is where I encountered the idea that I was not very open-mindedabout horsemanship. And, you know what, it's still probably true.
The horse world is full of gimmicks—reins with elastic ends that give for youinstead of the rider having to learn to give, different bits with littlegimmicks that are said to work miracles to change behavior, training methodsthat involve clickers and treats. I have never denied that any of these thingswork—they sure do. But I adamantly believe that using these gimmicks does notrepresent good horsemanship. I believe that many of them skirt around hard workand make a mockery of the horse. The horse is an incredible animal that iswilling to interact with the likes of humans. I believe those of us who chooseto interact with horses (it is certainly not the horse making that choice!) areobligated to treat them with respect—which includes expecting them to treat uswith respect.
And so I remain somewhat close-minded, I guess, in that I have found one way ofworking with horses that gives me criteria to use in assessing other methods,and it has served me well so far. I've saved a bundle of money not buying thegimmicks. And I'm dedicated to the idea that to have deeper relationships, youneed to do the hard work, to get beyond the physical, beyond appearances. ButI've come to realize that I am also open-minded in the sense that althougheverything I do when I work with a new horse has to fit into a certain criteria,I am open to all sorts of things within those parameters. If something doesn'twork, I try something else—that fits within my criteria. And that holds truewith every aspect of my life, whether it is spirituality, business, or justwatching television.
Anger and a Half-Ton Horse
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Getting angry with a horse is like trying to fight a forest fire with a squirtgun—there is no question you are out powered. A horse's reaction to human angergoes in a couple directions: she gets defensive or she gives up in defeat. Thefirst is something you probably don't want to experience, the second is downrightdepressing.
For the everyday horse owner, anger often arises when we can't get a horse to dosomething we want her to do—stand still while the farrier works on her feet, gothrough a puddle, get in a trailer, stand to be mounted, stop grazing along thetrail. Even aged horses who have been taught the behaviors we want them to havedo not necessarily continue with them when they come into the hands of someonewho does not know how to expect these things from the horse. Horses will always,almost without exception, work their way up or down to the level of theirhandler/rider. The less-skilled rider would do well to up his or her skilllevel. Novice...
