You’re having a hard day. A really crummy day. Nothing can go right! But you’ve managed to carve out an hour and a half from your hectic schedule so you can get some quality time in with your horse. You’re irritable and stressed, so as you head to the barn you exclaim to yourself, “Finally! I get to be with my horse and get something accomplished today!” You eagerly anticipate your ride.
We plan for interactions like this to fill so many of our needs, both physical and mental. For many of us, riding or working with our horses is literally our only therapy. And we want to squeeze as much meaningful interaction into each session as possible, so that we come out of it feeling satisfied.
So, you walk into the barn – but immediately your horse becomes agitated or surly. You think, “Darn it! Why today of all days?” Regrettably, you may have caused the problem without knowing it!
The horse’s mind functions in a much simpler manner than a human’s. His “comfort zone” is what I like to call “grazing mode”. He is never happier than when he can be simply grazing in his pasture, safe from predators or stress. He also has “Beware” and “Flight” modes. Remember, he depends on others of his herd for the information needed to survive! Horses are non-verbal; they communicate mainly through body language. You’ve seen an alpha mare move another horse out of her space simply by giving a look, raising a hoof, or laying back an ear; so think about what your horse is reading from YOUR body.
Most humans don’t understand how quickly a horse can “tune” into you. It’s a survival trait. Your horse doesn’t understand that you’ve got a time limit, or that you have a specific goal in mind. For a horse, feeling you mentally multi-task is actually very chaotic and stressful. I describe it as “banging pots and pans in their head”!
If you are anxious or angry, to the horse it means his environment is unsafe. After all, if you’re the “boss mare” and *you’re upset, there must be a reason, therefore the “herd” is in danger. Horses cannot use deductive reasoning, they can only react to their environment. When you become agitated or aggressive, you will put the horse into “fight or flight” mode. Remember, horses are prey animals and their best defense is to flee – to get away from the danger as fast as possible. If they cannot escape or feel “cornered”, they will try to protect themselves even if it means attacking the perceived danger.
In my years of training, I have had to get the rider to “slow down” their mind and be “in the moment” with the horse. When this is done correctly, the horse is comfortable enough to be in “grazing mode” – his “happy place”, his safe place. He is content and relaxed.
Every time I am able to help the rider correct this situation, the horses’ behavior and actions change dramatically.
“Slowing down your mind” has several benefits:
•It creates a ‘safe’ environment for your horse, resulting in a more willing attitude
•Your aids will have better timing
•It enables your horse to learn a positive lesson
•You leave the session feeling peaceful
My suggestions for you as a rider:
1. Please evaluate your day before you get to the barn
2. Don’t try to fit *everything on your agenda into one session
3. Break the goal down and set the horse up to win. You don’t want to frustrate him and leave him confused and upset.
4. Leave your problems at the barn door. They’ll be there when you leave, so why carry them around on your ride?
And maybe… just maybe… the horse is trying to tell you – stop trying to fit 40 pounds of manure into a 20 pound bag!!!
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