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/.

.

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/.

Musical Tribute

Photo by Rick Husted

 

     I love listening to music, especially music that "speaks" to me. Pop. Country. Classical. Motion-picture soundtracks.  Rock 'n roll. Even disco/electronic bands. When the music reminds me of my horse, well, that's even better.
     Over the years, I have been compiling a "Play List" for my horse. The music I have chosen is definitely eclectic. For example, the first few selections are themes from favorite movie soundtracks: "Homeland," from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron; and "The Sandhills," from Phar Lap. Whenever I listen to these, I can just see my horse galloping over a green meadow, or I'm riding him on a beach. I didn't know Geeves when he  was a foal, but Robert Miles's electronic confection, "Children," gets me imagining what my baby was like when he was a baby.
     One of the songs on it is "Breathe," by Anna Nalick. Every time I think about the lyrics, I feel myself draw a deeper breath. Deep breathing is a great way to relax the body and mind during a ride on a windy day! Bon Jovi's "It's My Life" and "Hold on Tight" by the Electric Light Orchestra are on to help me pump up my confidence when I work on something new. Or, just because.
     Right now, I'm listening to some of the songs that specifically remind me of the bond I have had with my horse. Shania Twain's "Forever and Always" is the song I imagine that Geeves would have for me. The song I have for him is "I Knew I Loved You," by Savage Garden.
     There's an entire other Play List that I created for us to ride in a "Fantasy Freestyle" program, including music for a victory gallop. (More on that in a future Blog.)
     And, finally, I have songs that I play when I just want to think about and honor the love and respect I have for my horse. Even though Geeves passed away last autumn, the music--like his memory--lives on.
  

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/.

Oh, rainy days!

   Compared to the rest of the United States, Southern California typically does not get a lot of rain. Unless you don't mind rain (I love it) or have access to a covered riding arena (I do not), precipitation--and mud--could ruin your riding plans for a while. But it doesn't have to keep you away from the barn, or your horse and horse-related activities.

•    Clean/condition tack: Whether you got your saddle second-hand or invested a small fortune to buy it, you want to keep it in good condition. Leather should be cleaned and oiled regularly; take advantage of the inclement weather to prepare your tack for your ride when the sun comes out.
•    Watch training videos/highlights from Grand Prix or Olympic competitions in your riding discipline: Invite some friends/your students from the barn to watch and discuss what you see. Take notes! What advice/corrections is the trainer providing to clinic participants? If you are watching a competition, what are the riders doing correctly--or incorrectly--during their ride? What could, would or should you do in situation "x"?
•    Curl up with a book: Read about riding or some aspect of training or horsemanship. It can be a favorite novel from your childhood, such as The Black Stallion, Misty of Chincoteague, Black Beauty, etc. Pick up a biography about your favorite equestrian or trainer. A couple of years ago, I invested in some coloring books about equine anatomy. I find working on these books very relaxing; and the physical act of "coloring" has really helped me to learn and remember parts of the equine anatomy. Whatever you read, it will enrich your experience of the horse. Check out my previous blog titled "Some of My Favorite Things" for more reading ideas.
•    Visualization/imagery exercises: Many professional athletes use these techniques to improve their sports performance. I employ a lot of visualization exercises to help equestrians achieve their best ride. Visualization can employ many senses; the more you can activate, the richer the exercise will be. Playing equestrian-themed video games (I have "Dressage Divas" and "Lucinda Greene's Equestrian Challenge") also let you "visualize" your ride.
•    Groom/hang out with your horse in the barn. In addition to cleaning off any mud that may have accumulated on his coat, use this time to check him for any unusual bumps or scratches. Remember, the quiet time you spend currying and brushing your horse is an opportunity to re-establish the bond you share with him. 

These are just a few ideas. Please share any additional suggestions you have. I look forward to hearing from 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/.