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| Photo courtesy of Sara Fogan Grand Point learns to jump |
The Horse as Equine Student
"Suggestibility is how we learn."
This is one of the first lessons that I was taught when I began my hypnotherapy training in 2004. And, we continue to learn all of our lives.
According to Dr. John Kappas's "Theory of Mind," this learning process begins the moment we are born. Everyone is born with two instincts: (reaction to) fear of loud noise and (reaction to) fear of falling. (I will elaborate on this subject in another essay.) We are most strongly influenced by our primarily caretaker--usually mother--from birth until age five. The father becomes more influential between ages five to thirteen. Then, when we become teenagers, peers become primary role models.
I believe that, to some extent, this model is also applicable to horses. In the wild, a mare teaches her foal what it means to be a horse. She encourages him to take his first, halting steps. She shows him where to find grass and water. She teaches him "good manners": i.e., to show deference to higher-ranking horses. If the foal nips or kicks her, she will correct his misbehavior with a nip or kick of her own. As the foal grows older, and throughout his life, he will play and interact with other horses to establish his own place (rank) in the herd. Depending on this individual's rank, this growing foal will be on the giving or receiving end of the disciplinary action.
In the case of domesticated horses, it will be up to anyone who rides and/or handles horses to teach and reinforce the behaviors that you want the horse to know. When my trainers gentle their young horses, school green prospects, they speak to the horse in an almost musical, sing-song voice: "good girrrlll" or "good bo-oy." As the horse learns the lesson, the challenges may increase--but so too do their patience and desire to increase the horse's confidence.
Yesterday, one of the students where I ride was helping an off-track Thoroughbred negotiate his first jumping course. Grand Point came to the barn three years ago, the pedigreed son of a major-stakes winner with a successful track career of his own. I don't know what the trainer at the racetrack did to encourage this horse to run well. When he raced, he probably flew down the track at over 35 miles per hour. He was asked to "fly" yesterday, too, but at a much slower speed, and literally eight inches off the ground. If people are afraid of falling, imagine what goes through a horse's mind when he is asked to go over an obstacle with a predator (rider) on his back.
I sat outside the arena with a couple other students and watched jumping lesson. Julie Van Loo, the head trainer at Silver Gate Farms (www.silvergatefarms.com), reminded the rider to reward every try that the gelding made. She explained that it is important to build his confidence so he would enjoy the work. So, Grand Point was rewarded with pats and praise even if the horse tapped or knocked a pole, so long as he was trying to clear it. A couple of times, he balked at a jump; but the rider patiently put him into a circle and tried again; the second time was a charm. Those of us watching the lesson applauded his tries, too. By the end of the lesson, the horse was making more energetic departures and, it seemed, clearing each obstacle with more confidence. I think Julie even raised the pole a notch, and the gelding had started to tuck his front legs in a very cute jumping form.
Many years ago, my riding instructor told me: "Every time you get on this horse, you are the trainer." Whenever we give and reinforce an aid or instruction, our horse will learn to do what we have asked of him. By the same token, when we project confidence and relaxation when we are riding or handling a horse, we are subconsciously communicating that he can be confident and relaxed, too.
Grand Point was a very good student, yesterday... and his rider and the trainer were very good teachers for him.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy®, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
