(This
blog was originally posted on August 12, 2016)
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Me and Linda
Kohanov, best-selling author and
founder of
Eponaquest Worldwide
Photo Courtesy of Sara Fogan
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Most riders know and even expect that their horse will spook at
something at some point. It’s bad enough having to deal with it (and, more
importantly, our own nerves after the fact, while training or on a trail ride.
It certainly can and does happen during competitions, too. For some reason, you
just don’t expect to see an Olympic gold medalist experiencing this most
natural balking response when the horse is startled or scared. We just believe
and expect that these riders are so good and the horse must be so well-trained
that this mundane phenomenon simply doesn’t even happen. At this level of
competitive prowess, both horse and rider are surely beyond that kind of silly
drama. Right?
But that is what happened when British Olympic dressage rider Carl Hester had to deal with his mount
Nip Tuck’s spook during a transition to the extended walk during their 2016 Olympic Grand Prix competition. Some observers
reported that the horse was nervous at the beginning of their ride, but a
camera flash reportedly sent him over the edge. Fortunately, Hester was right
there to take control of the situation and be the confident, dominant leader
the gelding needed at that moment.
As I explained in my blog titled The
Time Carl Hester Demonstrated He Has Mastered the 5 Roles of a Master Herder,
Part 1, a true “master herder” is adept at fluidly utilizing any and all
five functions whenever necessary to keep the herd or group safe and succeed in
various environments and situations. Here is a brief summary of the ideal
function/goals of each role, as explained by Linda Kohanov in
The Five Roles of a Master Herder: A Revolutionary Model for Socially
Intelligent Leadership.:
- Leader: inspires group members to follow his or her example to achieve goals.
- Dominant: uses “force”—language, techniques, emotion—to get group members to go/do what he or she is asking and stop unproductive behavior
- Nurturer/Companion: promotes/monitors well-being of other group members
- Sentinel: Scans the environment so other group members can do their job; also looks for new opportunities for the herd to succeed.
- Predator: Uses dominant energy to stop/cut/cull unproductive/redundant individuals from the group. Also, offers additional protection to group members and can make tough decisions so the group can continue to survive/thrive.
When Nip Tuck balked near the “P” marker on the dressage
court, Hester immediately took a more dominant
position on the horse by adjusting his weight and posture in the saddle. Though
this was invisible to most observers, the rider was certainly applying leg aids
(pressure in the calf and thighs) to keep the horse moving forward in the
direction he wanted them to continue traveling. During the extended walk, the
reins are typically released (long) so the horse can have freedom in his head,
neck and shoulders. If Hester shortened the reins during the spook (I didn’t
notice; as I mentioned previously, this incident was over very quickly) he
certainly would have let them out again right away to comply with regulations
about this element of the competition. This release would immediately
communicate the rider’s relaxation, comfort and control of the situation and
environment to his equine partner (nurturer/companion
and Leader). However, Hester probably
also adopted a more enhanced sentinel
role after that, looking out for any other stimuli that could similarly upset
his horse that could further jeopardize their competitive score. In this
context, he may have also adopted the more predatory, mien of a dominant
leader, ready to re-direct his horse’s attention and correct any misbehavior
before anyone noticed that Nip Tuck was even thinking about going off-script.
Ultimately, the duo earned 75.529 percent for this ride; this is a very good
score in a dressage competition even when your horse doesn’t spook or otherwise
put a hoof wrong.
Carl Hester is my new hero. Yes, he is a fabulous dressage
rider and equestrian, but the way he handled his equine partner's spook during
the Grand Prix test should be an example to us all. The thing we mortal riders
dread during competition (or any ride, actually) happened to an Olympic gold
medalist DURING an Olympic ride. As I have commented before, if you looked away
at the moment Nip Tuck balked you would have missed it altogether, that is how
quickly Mr. Hester regained control of the ride and
his equine partner's focus/attention. They started brilliantly and, I believe,
finished the test the same way. I will definitely employ the image of how
beautifully he handled this incident in future imagery for myself and
equestrian clients. Well done, Mr. Hester. You are an Olympian and, more
importantly, a true and good horseman!
Kohanov, Linda. The Five Roles of a Master Herder: A Revolutionary Model for Socially
Intelligent Leadership. 2016. Novato, CA: New World Library.
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Sara
R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern
California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation
Institute in
2005. In July 2019 she was voted the Best Hypnotherapist in Santa Clarita,
California. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
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