The Balance Between Desensitizing and Sensitizing.

I have heard the phrase, "people who practice 'Natural Horsemanship' have lifeless or dead horses because of all of the desensitizing" too many times to count.  This results from an unbalanced ratio of desensitizing to sensitizing.  It comes from someone who wants a "fearless" horse, and figures that the more objects that they can get the horse used to the better.  So, this person spends countless hours desensitizing the horse to whatever they can dream of, but next to no time sensitizing the horse to ques.  The result is a horse that shows no physical reaction to anything, including what it is supposed to.  Sounds like a fun horse to ride, right?  I personally don't think so, but if that is your cup of tea then get after it.

The purpose of desensitizing a horse is not to teach them to react to nothing.  It is to teach them to look to you for the appropriate response.  It's to show them, that if you stay relaxed and calm; so should they.  That is why when you start the process in ground work, you are supposed to keep your body language neutral and relaxed.

The purpose of sensitizing is to get them to respond to light pressure, like a change in your seat position, versus a heavy direct rein because that is what it takes to stop the horse on its best day..

The biggest issue with using desensitizing/sensitizing in training horses is finding the proper balance between the two.  Wouldn't the world be perfect if it was 50-50 on every horse that you ever worked with?  (I hope you can see the sarcasm dripping from that question.)  Every horse, just like every human, is different and requires different ways of training.  If you start with a horse that is laid back and quite frankly lazy, you will want to focus more on the sensitizing.  Doing this will get the horse where it responds to your ques to move off your leg, or to simply move faster.  If you were to start with a horse that is very reactive to everything, you would want to focus more on the desensitizing.  This would help calm the horse down and probably slow it down.  If you worked this horse on a 50-50 ratio, you would quickly turn it into a complete and total idiot that spooks at everything and bolts when you ask it to move off your leg.  Whereas, if you done a 50-50 ratio with the laid back, lazy horse, it might not move at all for you, or it might have the energy and response of a fence post.

Neither desensitizing nor sensitizing is a complete training program by itself.  They have to be used together and in balance for each particular horse for them to develop the proper results.  This is what most people miss, and just to the desensitizing exercises.  Find the balance for your horse, and you will end up with a horse that ignores what you want it to, but still responds lightly and quickly to your ques.

Good luck, happy trails, stay safe, and God bless you and yours.

Until next time,
Lisa

Dealing with Flighty or Wary Horses Dealing with Flighty or Wary Horses

The idea

The idea for this post came after a comment on one of my other hubs, titles Natural Horsemanship Fact or Fiction.http://paintedlady2000.hubpages.com/hub/Natural-Horsemanship-Fact-or-FictionThe person said that of all of the animals that we have domesticated, this is the one that baffles them because it is so wary and jumpy. (I hope I quoted that correctly) So, JKenny, this one is for you.

The Wary or Jumpy Horse.

There are many adjectives that can be placed in front of the word horse, especially to describe a horse that does not stand quietly for anything to take place, including the simplest of tasks. Let's name a few; wary, jumpy, nervous, untrained, head strong, hot blooded, the list could go on and on. For the sake of getting to my point, I will digress and move on. For the sake of this conversation, I'm going to use the adjective nervous.

We've all seen the horses, either at shows or at trail rides, some even at their own homes who are always looking for the proverbial monster that they are sure is going to jump out and eat them at any moment. I know that I've seen and dealt with my fair share of them. And through those experiences have come to the conclusion that this condition shall we call it, is usually the result of 1 of 3 things.

Want to know what those three things are? Read on.

Three Conditions that cause a Nervous Horse.

I'll start this list with the easiest to explain of the three:

Breeding: The temperment of breeding stock is very important. Bad tempered or unfavorable tempered horses should never be used as breeding stock. Now granted, some breeds are known for being hotter than others, like Thoroughbred and Arabians as a couple of examples. Does that mean that every horse of those breeds are nervous horses? Of course it doesn't, they are just more know for the nervous ones than the calm one.

Mishandling in the Horses Past: I am not strictly talking about a horse being physically abused, but that can result in a very nervous horse. I'm talking about a horse that has been around people, and had never been taught to follow them.

Lack of Knowledge: Here I'm talking about a horse that has never been handles period. Granted, you're not likely to see one of these at a horse show or on a trail ride, but we all know that they exist.

The biggest problem we face in trying to train them is figuring out which one of these fields they fit in.

Which Field is My Horse in?

Luckily, with experience and a watchful eye you can figure out which why your horse is nervous. A lot of nervous horses can learn to relax and trust their leader. Nervous horses can actually be good horses in the end, though it will take work. Sometimes, it's as obvious as the nose on their face.

So, I'll so through the fields one by one and give you some of what to look for.

Breeding: If you are buying the horse from the breeder, ask to see the horse's parents. If both of them act like complete nervous idiots, chances are it's breeding. If you get the horse later on from someone else, simply ask what the horse's temperment is. If the horse is registered, a little digging around can often uncover if breeding is the issue. Never write off a horse's nervousness as breeding strictly because of it's breed.

Mishandling in the Horse's Past: If it was a case of physical abuse the horse will bear physical scars from it. That is one dead give away, the horse will also not want anything to do with you, it just wants to be away from you. If it's just a case of not being taught any better the horse will usually be pushy, and if it spooks will often jump right on top of you, because it is less scared of you then whatever has spooked it. Teaching it to respect your space should be a major concern with the later case.

Lack of Knowledge: Usually if you get one of these, you knew it when you bought it. If not, you found out when you picked it up or it was delivered. It's the one that requires a loading shoot to get into the trailer, or is the one that is unloaded directly into whatever enclosure you want it kept in, which for your sake I hope was a small paddock or round pen. But, it's OK, these are usually the nervous horses that come around the quickest.

What equipment will I need?

This is a pretty simple question to answer. You'll need the following things; a good, quality halter, a lead rope(at least 12 foot long), a round pen or small pen(if you don't have one of these, you can do this with the halter and lead and that's fine), a whip, and various items to desensitize the horse with. I personally suggest plastic bags, as I have seen even the calmest horses come unglued at the sight and sound of a plastic bag blowing in the breeze.

Pretty simple list, huh?

OK, now what?

Ground work. Nervous horses are trained like any other horse, from the ground up. No, you can not run the nervousness out of a horse. You can however redirect his attention to you, which is where you want it to be.

Note: If you are not confident in you body language with horses, you may need to carry a whip to use as on extension of your arm.

At first, all that may be required to send him off around the round pen or small paddock; which ever you have access to, is simply your presence. His instincts tell him run first, think later.

Note: If your horse is trying or thinking about jumping out of what ever you are using back off, because if they feel too much pressure, they will try it. I'm not saying leave the enclose, simply back out of the center to one side, where he has more room to get away from you. What ever slice of the pen you are in is your territory, keep him out of it, but honestly if he was thinking about jumping out, you simply being there should change his direction.

Let him make a trip or a trip and an half around the pen, then move to cut him off and change his direction. It does not matter if he turns into the pen or into the fence as long as he leaves going in the opposite direction. I don't even care how fast he leaves in the opposite direction as long as he leaves. The horse that you are watching is probably running around the pen with his head up in the air, his ears twitching every direction, you can probably see the whites of his eyes very clearly, his lips are pulled back tight. Some horses will even grind their teeth when stressed or afraid. As you continue to work him back and forth around the pen, you should start to see a change in his body language. His head will lower to a natural carriage, his inside ear should be directed at you, his eyes will relax, and his lips will relax.

This point is where you simply turn your back on the horse, and give it the opportunity to come to you, or at the very least catch it's breathe for a moment while facing you. If he takes a step in your direction, let him rest some more. If the horse stops and faces away from you, send it straight back to work. This may take five minutes for some horses, and an hour for others. Every horse is different.

Desensitizing.

I know that some popular clinicians say that there are four horses that you train in this stage, left side, right side, in front of (not directly, for you safety), and behind (Again, not directly, for your safety.). Personally I have found that there are six, the original four, plus below and above. Always keep your body language very relaxed when doing desensitizing exercises, and start with gentle movement then work your way gradually up to more abrupt movements.

By the time you get to this point of training, you should know which of the fields you horse truly belongs in. If he belongs in the lack of knowledge field, Desensitizing and Sensitizing should be carried out like you should with any normal horse. If he belongs to either of the other two fields, you need to spend more time on the desensitizing than you normally would. Always start with your equipment, halter, lead rope, whip, etc. Remember to start away from the horse and gradually work in closer to the horse, approach and retreat. If he wants to leave, that's OK, let him. Send him straight back to work. (The object is to back off before he gets to the point of leaving.) It should not take as long for him to ask to come back in and stand in the middle with you. When he asks, push his just a little longer, then tell him it's OK to come in.

If you know that you can get an object as close as 10 feet way from him before he tenses up and leaves, stop at 10 and an half feet. Don't try to force these exercises on him, let him kind of come to them. If you try to force the issue you can make him more nervous.

Desensitize him to your equipment very well before you even thing about doing any sensitizing exercises.

Sensitizing

Nervous horses will usually require very little sensitizing, and too much time or energy expended in this stage, can actually make him more nervous. (I'm sticking with the male gender, let's assume it's a gelding, because I started it in the last area, and wish to avoid confusion. Of me, not necessarily you!) When working on this section, I agree that you are training four different direction, forward, backwards, left and right. Granted a horse can move forward and to the left at the same time, but he has to learn each maneuver individually first.

This is the area where your body language and posture will actually help drive him away from you. If you focus your energy behind his drive line (imagine a line running vertical to the ground right behind the horses withers.) it should drive the horse forward. There are a few decisions that you need to make before you start this work. The first is, what ques you want to use. Do you want to point in whatever direction you want him to go and have him go that way, or do you want to use words like left or right, or what ever as long as you are consistent. Understand that you will start with the que only, if that does not work you will left the whip as you repeat the que. For most nervous horses this is enough, but if it is not, you may have to touch him with the whip while you repeat the que yet again. He needs to associate the que with moving in what ever direction you are wanting.

If the horse starts to get nervous, go back to something that you know he can do, even if it is a desensitizing exercise that he excelled at.

What about the Nervous horse that isn't Nervous until you put a halter on it?

I know this sounds strange, but they do exist. I have seen horses that seem fine being around stuff and people, up until you put a halter and lead rope on them. You effectively take away their just leave if you get spooked option, and they feel trapped, so now they are a completely different horse.

This is no big deal, you just do the ground work, desensitizing and sensitizing with a halter and lead, instead of free lounging in a round pen. Make sure to wear gloves and if the horse spooks, do not try to stop the spook just go with it.

Now, this is where if I was a big time clinician, I would try to sell you my handy dandy halter and lead rope set for $49.99, or what ever price I thought someone would pay for it. But I'm not, so I'll just say use what ever halter and lead rope you have around, just make sure that it is in good condition. I will suggest using a lead that is at least 12 feet long. That way you can allow rope to slide through your hand, if you can't keep up with the horse spooking. This is why you need to wear gloves, because even if you relax your hand (which you won't, it's human nature to try to stop it, and your hand will tense some) the rope being pulled through it will burn you hands.

Knowing when to Quit

I'm not talking about quitting on the horse, but quitting for the day. It can be difficult to stop, especially if the horse is doing really well, but eventually the horse is going to get bored or his attention span is going to go out. You need to quit before either of these happen. If the horse is starting to get bored or his attention seems to be wondering, go back to something that you know he can do really well. Have him do that, then stop for the day on a good note.

If at any time you feel your frustration growing, again go back to something that you know that he does really well, and end the day on a good note.

Losing your temper with any horse can undo all the work that you have just done. If you feel that you have to, and the horse is in a safe place just drop the rope and walk off for a while. Return, and end on a good note after you have had a few minutes to compose your self. It is far better to just walk off, then risk totally losing it on the horse. It's also better for you, it will eventually teach you more control of yourself.

So, what's next?

After the ground work, desensitizing, and sensitizing you will go on with the same ground work that you would do with any other horse. Always backing up to something the horse can go well when he gets nervous. Redirect his attention from what ever, and give him something to do that he can do.

Take his training slow and steady, and his trust in you will grow. Every horse in training needs to be worked daily, even if you can only squeeze in a few minutes. Always start with something that you know he can do and build off of that.

When nervous horses spook

As you work with your horse, you will begin to know when a spook is coming. You will need to learn to relax in these situations arise. Now I'll tell you why. Say you're out on the trail, and you feel your horse tense up, getting ready for a spook, in response to him tensing up, you tense up, collect your reins, even though you may not realize it, your seat tightens, your legs tighten, and you hold your breathe, all getting ready for the ride that you are fixing to have. Whether it's a jump to the side, a spin and run off in the opposite direction or a bolt, buck or rear, your body is getting ready for it, because you mind is saying, here we go again. Your horse interprets this as what he is thinking about spooking as is a real threat, because his leader is also getting ready to spook at it. Do you see how this is a chain reaction, getting ready to explode?

All the work that you have done with him, has been to teach him to trust you. If you stay relaxed, he should walk right by what ever it was that he was thinking about spooking at. The key to staying relaxed? Keep breathing, even if you have to tell yourself breathe in, breathe out, just keep breathing. Holding our breathe is usually our body's first physical response to a stressful situation, and it is often the reason why we can not recall all of the details of the situation, but that's another blog all by itself.

The horse looks to you for leadership, and if you remain relaxed and not spooked, so will he.

Will my horse ever be where he doesn't spook at everything?

Yes, he will get to where he will not spook at everything. But the chances of him ever getting where he will not spook at anything are not very good. There is no way that you can expose him to everything that could ever possibly spook him during training. The good news is that he will get to where he spooks more quietly, and less explosively than he does now. He will learn to rely on you for input, and trust your judgement. But only time and training can build this relationship.

Gimmics

Most of the big time clinicians, sell their information at a premium price, and they tell you that you have to use their equipment for it to work. When in fact, you can use a good condition halter and lead rope you already have and what ever whip you already have as well. If not, you can buy a few of them for what these clinicians charge.

Now, can I sell you a halter and lead rope set?  You bet I can, for the price of $24.00 for the set, plus shipping and handling. But I can guarantee you that I'm not making a killing on them either. For each set, I would make a grand total of $6.60, all the rest is the cost of materials. It doesn't even figure in that it takes me five to six hours to braid the lead rope. I make them because I use them, not because I tell everyone else that they have to use, or this training won't work.

You'll never convince me that CA's halter is any better than mine, and mine only costs me a dollar and a few minutes of my time to make.

Natural Horsemanship - Fact or Fiction

Is Natural Horsemanship actually natural?

To be completely honest, there is nothing natural about our relationship with horses. They are prey animals, and we are predatory animals. They rely on thousands of years of inherited instincts to rule their daily life. Even the selected breeding of generations of horses, has not, and will not change this fact.

Some people keep their horses in stables, 24/7 with exercise daily if they are lucky. Some people like me, keep their horses in a pasture to live as close to nature as we can manage. But the fact still remains that horses were made by God to roam great areas in a day in the constant search of food stuffs and water. A wild horse can travel upwards of 20 miles a day in this search.

Now, is there a way to interact with horses that is more natural to them? Absolutely. If you've ever spent much time watching the horses in your pasture, you know that they communicate primarily through body language; the glare of an eye, the pinning back of ears, the picking up of a hind leg, etc, etc...

Granted, we can not imitate some of these behaviors. I don't know about you, but I can't pin my ears back, no matter how hard I try. I can however glare at them, and if I'm positioned correctly, drive them out of my personal space in a safe manner.

So, the answer to this question is simply, no! There is nothing natural about a prey animal allowing a predatory animal on it back to cart it around for hours on end.

What exactly is natural horsemanship about?

Simply put, it's about becoming the leader of the herd. Whether it's a herd of two or a herd of many. It is a position that has to be constantly enforced, and held. Granted, it can be enforce with reason, as it should be.

Being the leader of the herd, has many benefits. It keeps you safe, if you want a horse to move, often a simple look will get it to move. It often makes catching horses, for whatever reason, easier. It makes feeding time easier and safer, as you are the leader and the horse does not get the feed until you tell him/her that they can have it. Those are just a few of the benefits.

Is there a difference between being a leader and being a partner?

To answer this question, I have to explain the difference between being a leader, and a partner. Or at least the difference to me.

A partner is someone or something that has equal say in what is going on. Say a 50/50 division of power. Like a husband and wife. My husband and I are partners, we each have a say in everything that goes on in our household, including everything with the horses; even though he has little or nothing to actually do with them. Do you really want to give your horse that kind of power in your relationship? I don't want a 1,100 pound animal that can tell me no, I don't really want to go riding today, or whatever the case may be.

A leader, is the person that makes the decisions, and everyone follows their directions. Between you and your horse, who do you really want to be the leader? You, who can reason things out, or the horse who reacts first and thinks later? I want to be the leader in my herd, because I can think on my feet so to speak.

What steps are there in Natural Horsemanship?

The following are steps in the process of training with Natural Horsemanship:

1. Ground work - get the horses feet moving
2. Desensitizing
3. Sensitizing

I will explain each in the following areas, though not in depth, just a general explaination of what they are.

How important is ground work in "Natural Horsemanship"?

Groundwork is very important in terms of natural horsemanship. It is were the foundations for your leadership are laid. There are two options for how you can accomplish this.

The first option is round penning, or free lounging. No halter or lead rope on the horse, but instead it is turned into a small paddock with few or no corners for the horse to freeze up in, or an actual round pen if you have one. Keep in mind that horses are different in personality, and some respond better to this option, and some respond better to the second option. I have two horses, and one prefers this method to the second option.

The second option is lounging the horse with a halter and lounge line. My other horse prefers this method of working.

I have a round pen and use it judiciously. Work in the round pen should not be over done. They do come in handy when first getting to know a horse, and when training a horse to work on a lounge line alike. They are also great for the first few rides, but after that, you need to move out of them and into larger spaces. Now, keep in mind that I'm not saying that this applies to every horse that you will encounter, but you should move out of it as soon as you feel confident that you can safely ride and stop the horse. For some horses that may be three or four rides, for others it may take several.

Always keep in mind that no two horses are the same and that is always to be taken into account when working with a horse.

Desensitizing/Sensitizing

Desensitizing and sensitizing are two things that require balance to work properly. You do not want you horse to react hastily to your regular equipment, like your halter and lead rope. You should be able to toss your lead rope over your horses back without it reacting at all. But chances are the first time you do it, the horse is going to react unless it has been trained by someone else.

The more time you spend desensitizing the horse, the more it will learn to completely ignore and have no reaction to what ever it is presented with. If you spend too much time doing this, the horse will get to where it does not react to anything, including what you want it to react to.

On the other side of the coin, you have the sensitizing exercises. Teaching the horse to move off of pressure, as light as possible but as firm as necessary to get the desired result. Spend too much time on this and you'll end up with a hot horse that reacts to everything.

So balancing these two training techniques is crucial to have a horse that is well rounded and well behaved.

Just how many horses am I training, exactly?

Well, in terms of desensitizing there are six, and in sensitizing there are four. Let me explain further.

In desensitizing, the six horses are: to the horse's left, to the horse's right, in front of the horse, behind the horse, below the horse, and above the horse.

Most people work the first four areas, and ignore the last two. Then they wonder why the first time they ride under a limb on a tree and it barely touches the horse or makes a noise because the rider had to move it, the horse flips out. The same goes for a horse that has something blown below it that makes noise, it's not used to it, so it flips out.

In sensitizing, the four horses are: forward, backwards, left and right. Now, a horse can move forward and to the right at the same time, but they need to be taught one at a time.

Again, balance between the two is key.

Can "Natural Horsemanship" actually build a bond between me and my horse?

You bet it can. I get proof of that every time I go to the barn. If I don't feed immediately when I get there the horses will often go about their daily lives as if I was not there, especially if I am busy doing something else. But if I just walk out into the pasture, either with a chair to sit in or just stand around, my horses will gradually make their way over to just hang out.

You will find that after you have established yourself as the leader, that your horse will actually want to be around you, and look for you.

Conclusion

Is "Natural Horsemanship" fact or fiction?

To me, it's fiction, because like I stated earlier there is nothing natural about our relationship with horses. Now, do I believe that there is a better way of training horses? Yes I do, and the type of training that has been coined "Natural Horsemanship" is probably it. It works on the horses' natural means of communication, and is gentler than traditional methods.

That being said, I subscribe to no one trainer's methods. Anybody that says that their way is the only way, is full of you know what!

There are clinicians that are better at training people than others. Clinton Anderson is a prime example of this. He explains things in almost an idiot proof way, his biggest downfall is he often plugs his own merchandise. But the truth be told, whether you spend the $40+ for his halter and lead combination or buy a rope halter for $5 at your local tack shop or feed store, his methods are still pretty solid. He's also one of the few mainstream clinicians that actually has a show record on horses that he has trained himself.

Before I follow any clinician, I look at what his background and outlook are. Other clinicians that I like, are John Lyons, Craig Cameron, Dennis Reis, and I'm sure that there are others too, but they are escaping me right now.

There are only a couple that I absolutely not stand, one is a mainstream clinician, the other is a youtube sensation.

One is Pat Parelli, because I've seen too many clips of him and his wife losing their temper with horses that did not immediately come around to their way of thinking. And because they both think that their way is the only way. This is not to say that they do not offer some good information, because they do. I like the horse personality test that you can find on their website, it's very informative about how your horse thinks.

The other is Rick Gore, because if you can find a video of him riding you will see why. He uses the same two horses for all of his videos, and even those don't behave all of the time. When you see him riding, you notice that he has made no attempt to collect his horse to help them carry him. He also preaches one thing while his horses show that he doesn't even practice what he preaches. If you contradict him in anyway, via the comments below his videos, he will delete the comment and block you from making further comments. That just screams professionalism to me, doesn't it to you. And he makes comments that are laughable to say the least. Watch some of his videos and see for yourself.

The biggest message that I can pass on about "Natural Horsemanship" is to find what works for you and your horse, whether it is from one trainer or many. Everybody is different, and so is every horse.