Horse Shopping

 

 

Photo by Rick Hustead
 

“You're not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you've met, she's not perfect either. But the question is whether or not you're perfect for each other.” –Good Will Hunting

I love that quote. Ben Affleck may have been giving romantic advice to Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, but the insight is also appropriate when you’re looking for an equine partner. Now that I have started “shopping” for a new horse, I must ask myself/address some very important questions about my goals and ideas about my future, “perfect” equine partner.

·         What kind of riding do I want to do? I train in dressage, a riding discipline which I would like to continue to do. Therefore, the horses I look at will be schooling in this discipline and working at a slightly higher level than I am at.

·         How much more “experienced” should the horse be? Despite daydreaming about riding my horse in a single-tempi canter down the centerline, doing this is a long, long way off. I am about to compete for the first time, and I will be riding training-level dressage tests, at that. My trainer suggests that I look for a horse that is schooled to Level 2, so I can work on my riding skills without having to teach the horse movements that I don’t know how to do. However, the horse should not have so much more training/experience that he is likely to get bored working on material he has already mastered

·         What kind of riding ability do I need to have in order ride a horse that is working/training at a higher level than I am currently training? I am currently taking two lessons each week, plus riding on my own to practice the instructions that my trainer gives me. I must also be patient, relaxed, and confident enough in my riding skill to go beyond my comfort zone. For example, I am not used to riding a “forward” mount—Geeves was very arthritic at the end of his life—so I must get used to this kind of action. I must improve my strength and balance in order to be able ride this kind of action.

·         What kind of ability/talent should the horse have? This will come down to the horse’s conformation and its work ethic/attitude. I am looking for a “forward” moving horse, with plenty of flexibility, impulsion, and action and strength in the hindquarters. I am looking for a horse that has the physical and mental ability to advance in its dressage training, as well.

·       Which breed of horse should I be looking at? I know that Warmbloods make good mounts in dressage competition. However, I love Thoroughbreds, and my last horse was a Thoroughbred. Is this still a good choice for me? The Thoroughbred is very sensitive and can be a lot of horse to handle. Also, like Warmbloods, many TB horses are large, standing an average of 16-plus hands. I am very petite, and I agree with my trainers that a large pony or small horse is a better match for me in terms of size and ease/accuracy of applying riding aids. To some extent, the horse’s breed will be less important than his personality/attitude, patience, conformation, and ability to achieve my riding goals.

·         Most important of all…. One day, I would love to ride single-tempi changes and to experience the piaffe or passage. But, I would also like to gallop on a beach or ride a mountain trail. I am looking for an equine “partner,” a buddy, that I can have for many, many years. I want a horse that I like, trust, and respect; and who likes, trusts, and respects me. I had that once. I know I will have it again.

     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/.

Notes from the Myler Bit Seminar

Myler Bit Seminar by Dale Myler

 Valencia Sports Saddlery

May 19, 2011

 

 

Signs of resistance to the bit: rooting àMB01 (comfort snaffle/narrow barrel)

Ron Myler started the Myler bitting system. RM rides cutting horses. Bob Myler does cowboy shooting.

Don’t expect more from the horse than you put into it.

When you start working with the horse, handle their face. Better-educated horses need very light contact.

How relaxed is the horse when you handle him?

The horse follows his shoulders. The head and neck are balancing points.

Look for: How can you keep the QD, Master of Equine Dentistry, says: The most important thing about bitting a horse is to make sure the mouth is in excellent condition.

Horse age: 1 year of a horse’s life=3 human years

Myler does dentistry 2x year through first 5 years of its life

Wide/think tongue vs. shallow palate

The lip cushions the bar of the mouth, but the skin at the corner of the mouth is very sensitive

Levels of bits:

·         Pressure points

·         Bars

·         Tongue

On the ground, the bit goes into the palate.

A bit will never collapse enough to be free in the mouth and create even pressure=least amount of resistance.

The animal avoids tongue pressure, not bar pressure.

The horse’s tongue twists and elevates when the animal swallows.

Horses are willing to close off their airway to protect their mouth/tongue.

There is a direct connection between the heart and tongue. The tongue is a sensory organ.

Check the color of the horse’s gums and tongue.

Damage to the tongue can cut off oxygen supply.

The tongue is connected to the horse’s sternum and shoulders.

The tongue is the strongest muscle in the horse’s body. It is directly connected to the horse’s sternum and shoulders. Tension in the horse’s tongue creates tension in the sternum…resulting in the inability to round up.

Muscles in the TMJ control balance and proprioception (coordination)

When the tongue is soft, the horse moves more freely. Restricting the jaws and neck movement/creates tension that alters movement patterns.

Dr. Robert Miller observed “how little the horse world—including me—knows about bits and bitting.”

·         According to Miller, bits are “instruments of discomfort.”

·         “Clinging to bits because they are traditional is not justified.”

·         Prey animals’ instincts/response to pain is to flee, and horses enter “flight” mode.

Most people change bits because of resistance, not connection. The horse is trying to release pressure of the bit.

We don’t bit a horse to hurt it; we bit a horse to handle it. Put a bit on the horse that has no collapse/take some pressure-points away. Don’t presume that the horse is being bullish/belligerent if it evades…the only way it communicate.

99% of recreational horses never need a correctional mouthpiece.

Myler bits only use the part of the bit that you need to achieve the maneuver.

How much freedom can we give you and still be able to handle him?

The more places on the bit that you ask from, the less pressure/easier it is for the horse to find you.

Go to www.mylerbitsusa.com to look at the combination bit.

There should always be an introduction to the bit.

Every time the horse does something/makes and effort to do what you ask, he deserves praise/a reward.

Choose the combination bit when taking into account the pressure-points in a horse’s mouth/face include:

·         Hard palate

·         Nose

·         Bars

·         Tongue

·         Chin

·         Groove

·         Outer lip

·         Poll

Look at the size of the horse’s mouth and bit to determine where he’s comfortable to close his mouth.

Horse=prey. Rider=predator.

The more relaxed the horseßà the more relaxed the rider.

The average human produces 32-51 ounces of saliva per day. The average horse produces 10 GALLONS of saliva per day.

Humans and animals will always seek the comfort zone in the job they’re doing. If the horse is interfered with, it can’t stay in that comfort zone.

When you collect a horse, he collects from the brain first. He has to be relaxed into the bridle to lift his

withers and back, to move through the hindquarters.

The brain is the most important thing to the horse. He must be relaxed in his mind so he can lift in his withers and move from the back.

When you bit a horse up and he gets nervous, he starts evading again.

MouthàMindàMouth

The horse must press his tongue against the palate to swallow…imagine the discomfort/pain at the dentist.

Bits will not train the animal. People train the horse. The more relaxed the horse is, the more you can do with/teach it.

We need to figure out and develop equipment that is comfortable for the horse, not develop equipment to force the horse’s mouth closed.

Never put more bit on a horse than we take off.

The point is: How can we go out and have fun with our horse?

You want the horse’s withers and back up so he can carry the rider more easily.

Every time you step up on the horse, he’s learning. But he’ll only show you what he’s learned when his mind can relax.

It’s virtually impossible to develop a good/nice set of hands if the horse is always moving away from you.

Help the horse to get relaxed into the bit/bridle so the rider can learn to use other aids.

Horses are like people: they remember the last thing that happened to him.

MB Level 1 bit: anyplace he goes except where you want him, he applies pressure to himself. Correct position I s comfort.

Will the horse allow you to pick up and school/teach him something new?

Only the horse’s lower jaw moves—like people!

Go to the questionnaire on MB Web-site: www.mylerbitsusa.com

Tradition is held by members of the discipline.

The mouthpiece is for the horse; the shank is for the rider. A long shank is OK for gentle hands.

MB01, MB02 bits are acceptable in dressage competitions!

MB Level 2, 04 combination is for starting the horse.

Transitioning from the O-ring snaffle to the Myler bit is no different from any other bit.

You should have 1 to 1 ½ wrinkles at the corner of the horse’s mouth.

The curb balances the bit; the head-stall pulls the bit back into the horse’s mouth.

 

 

     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/.

Equine Teacher, Equine Student, Equine Partner: Part 3

The Horse as Equine Partner

Photo by Rick Hustead

 

 

 

I believe that people who train and work with horses should aim to achieve a partnership with their horse. I love the way Monty Roberts and Kelly Marks talk about their “equine partners” when they teach horsemanship and training techniques. My trainers teach every student at the barn to consider and interact with their mount as an equine partner. But, what does this term really mean? What does it mean to be a human partner to your horse?

Enid Bagnold’s classic novel, National Velvet, depicts a teenage Velvet Brown’s bond with a piebald gelding, which she rides to victory in the Grand National horse race. In Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion, Alec Ramsay earns the trust of a wild Arabian stallion when they are shipwrecked on a deserted island. “The Black” demonstrates his devotion to Alec when he kills a cobra poised to bite the boy; after they are rescued, Alec enlists the help of a former jockey to train them for an important race. Finally, in one of the most exciting scenes in my favorite movie, The Man From Snowy River, Jim Craig’s trusted mount gallops at breakneck speed, headlong down a cliff and over rugged terrain in their quest to round up a herd of wild horses.

Now, consider the horses that you have known in your life: The horse that carried you safely home when you were sure that you were “lost” on the trail. The horse who, even after “dumping” you at that oxer, stood patiently beside you and waited for you to catch your breath (and gathered your pride) before climbing on his back. The horse that braced his body perpendicular to a steep incline, allowing you to pull yourself up the hill by using the reins and his weight as leverage. Finally: The horse that carried you to a first-place win after crossing 100 miles of grueling terrain in an endurance race, or bested the other equine athletes at a three-day, combined-training event. How—or, why—do they do these things for us?

While considering this question, I am reminded of the famous challenge in President Kennedy’s inaugural speech: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” I believe that this theme forms the basis of the partnership that is forged between a horse and his rider.

Horses are social animals. They thrive in groups (herd or band) and want a confident leader that will help the group survive. Unless he is challenging another member for this leadership role, the horse is likely to cooperate with the current status quo. Therefore, rather than focus on the prize or reward that is being offered at the end of the ride, consider what it takes to achieve that goal: i.e., earn the respect and cooperation of your equine partner.

Spend time watching your horse in pasture and take the time to learn how to communicate and interpret the horse’s body language. Groom him and establish a mutual bond of trust and respect before you even think about climbing onto his back. Rather than jabbing a spur into his side and demanding your horse to go forward, first “ask” him to walk/trot/canter out with gentle aid, such as a cluck or squeeze. Reward the horse with praise and gentle pats when he does what you have asked. When you must correct the horse’s behavior, be firm—but fair: refusing to go forward because he is belligerent is not the same thing as not understanding what you have asked him to do. If your horse spooks at something on a trail or in the arena, help him to build his confidence by remaining patient and calm through the incident. Be an example of bravery as you desensitize him to what has previously startled him. Demonstrate and reinforce your role as herd leader by providing him with food, water, shelter, and time to just be a horse.

If, as Kelly Marks writes, you can “be the owner your horse would choose for himself,” he can be a reliable equine partner for you.

     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/.

 

Equine Teacher, Equine Student, Equine Partner: Part 2

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/.

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Equine Teacher, Equine Student, Equine Partner: Part 1

        The horse as equine teacher:

        No matter how long we have been riding or handling horses, each one has something to teach us. For many people, the first horse they ever ride is an old hand on the ranch. Whether he is a veteran trail horse—one of many in a riding string at camp—or a “schoolmaster” at a riding academy, he has been around. He knows his “stuff,” and his handlers expect him to give their clients a safe ride. The obstreperous pony that “ran away” with you is probably the one that taught you how to ride. He gave you the confidence to know that even a fast horse eventually stops—and sometimes it’s fun to ride fast. Many retired show horses have carried Grand Prix and Olympian riders over their first, small cross-rail.

        When I started riding (again) in 2003, I had not been on a horse for more than nineteen years. I took lessons on—and then bought—a schooling horse. Geeves was being used in jumping lessons; in fact, a friend recently told me that he was the horse that taught her “the finer points of jumping.” When he became my horse, we trained in dressage. This discipline was new to both of us, but he was a true professor when it came to teaching me how to ride. If I applied an aid incorrectly, my horse would not change his gait until I asked the right question. In the eight years or so that we were together, Geeves taught me a lot about caring for, handling and riding a horse. He helped me to gain self-confidence and to become more assertive; he taught me to be a better rider and a more sensitive horsewoman.

        Horses teach people how to interact with them. For example, in his book, The Man Who Listens to Horses, Monty Roberts describes the long hours he spent observing wild horses in their natural environment. From these observations, he developed the Join-Up® program, with which he has used to communicate, gentle and train thousands of horses.

        They have a lot to teach veterinarians, too. When Barbaro broke down during the Preakness Stakes in 2006, Dr. Dean Richardson and his veterinary team at New Bolton Center worked hard to save the Kentucky Derby champion. Ultimately, Barbaro developed laminitis in two of his hoofs, and he was humanely euthanized. However, that the veterinary time the team spent treating his injuries and trying to rehabilitate the colt has provided new insights and knowledge about how to treat laminitis.

        All over the country, horses are being used in therapeutic settings to help children and adults with mental, physical, or emotional disabilities to gain self-confidence, increase motivation, and improve mobility. They are also employed to help injured military veterans overcome post-traumatic stress. Without even “saying” a word, these majestic animals—often ten to twenty times bigger than their human partners—have something to teach each one of us.

 

     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/.

Why would you do hypnotherapy for riders?

   Whether you ride competitively or for pleasure, working with horses is a very “mental” activity. You want to feel relaxed and confident when you interact with them. They are also expert interpreters of body language. If you’re angry, tense, nervous, or uncertain; happy, relaxed, or confident, the horse knows how you “feel” before you get in the saddle. As prey animals, horses look to a herd leader (boss mare) for reassurance and confidence. She is the one who tells the herd when (it’s safe) to move, where to go, how fast to get there, and when to stop. As long as the herd stays together, everyone is protected and feels “safe.” Every time you ride a horse, you need to be the “boss mare” in your herd of two.

   Even “small” horses are big, strong animals compared to the humans who ride them. I offer hypnotherapy to help equestrians find that mental and emotional space of comfort, confidence, relaxation and focus they need to assume this leadership role.

     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/.

Opportunity of a Lifetime

      Several weeks ago, I contacted Lisa Machenberg, a hypnotherapist at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute (www.hypnosis.edu) , to ask about conducting hypnotherapy sessions via the Internet. I received my hypnotherapy certification from HMI, and she had been one of my favorite instructors. I knew that Lisa has been offering this service for awhile, and I knew that she would be able to give me a lot of good advice and support. (She did.)

     During our conversation, she asked about my own hypnotherapy practice and invited me and a friend--who like me is also an HMI graduate and works with equestrians--to be guests on her Internet broadcast, "Hypnosis Today." This was an incredible opportunity for me. Here is the link if you would like to watch the interview: http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/video.html

     I'm pleased to say that I felt relaxed, calm, and comfortable preparing for the interview. Part of me was a little surprised at that; but only a very small part. I can still remember the lecture in which  HMI Director George Kappas explained that we (the hypnotherapists) would always know more about our topic (hypnosis and hypnotherapy) than people in our audience. He encouraged us to be confident and "own" our topic.

     Well, I kept that advice in mind as I prepared for my interview. In the weeks leading up to the show, I jotted some notes about points Lisa wanted to discuss with me. I reviewed information about horsemanship and equine behavior. I made more notes about the relationship between John Kappas's Theory of Mind, equine behavior and my hypnotherapy work with equestrians. When Interview Day arrived, I had a good breakfast, got into my car, turned on my favorite music, and drove to HMI.

     My interview on "Hypnosis Today" was everything and more that I "visualized, imagined, pictured, or pretended" that it would be. Lisa Machenberg was a gracious, informed, interested and welcoming host. Her questions provided a forum in which to describe how I have employed my hypnotherapy training to help equestrians achieve their goals communicating, working with, and riding horses.

     Lisa Machenberg's generosity, enthusiasm, and encouragement have given me a wonderful opportunity to share my work with the hypnotherapy and equestrian communities. I am forever grateful to Lisa, the philosophies and work of Dr. John Kappas, and the guidance and teaching of George Kappas and the other HMI instructors, who gave me the incredible training that motivated and taught me to do this special work .

     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/.