Don’t have an answer to these questions? You aren’t alone. The term “on the bit” doesn’t have an origin in the long-time history of Dressage, but according to Bettina Drummond it is an orphan that is only causing chaos, confusion and much of the demise of Dressage.

I found this great article at Eclectic Horseman written by Dr. Max Gahwyler and Bettina Drummond which talks about the origins of “on the bit” :

There is no other statement used so often in Dressage riding as the horse should accept the bit, be on the bit, etc. And very often when you go to clinics or shows, it’s the predominant preoccupation of riders, trainers and, unfortunately, often also the judges. It is the foundation of Dressage riding in our country, and this should be just the reason why we should step back and have an unbiased look at what it does to Dressage riding (and why so many of our horses and riders get stuck or break down in the 1st or 2nd Level.)
So our next step is to go back to the countries where our present day Dressage originated 500 years ago, such as Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Sweden, and scrutinize the literature in the original language and meaning, and not in the English translations, which are all very recent. Even the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) and later the American Horse Show Association (AHSA) Dressage Rulebook were only put into English in the 1920s. But, no matter how hard you look, even going back to the 15th and 16th century, you do not find any expression equivalent to “On the Bit.”
This expression, if you like it or not, fixes the attention of riders, trainers and judges on the head carriage and frame in front as the symbol and hallmark and primary objective of Dressage and training. Instead, the frame in front should express the engagement and throughness from behind and the rider in harmony with the horse on the aids; the frame in front should not be the result of hanging on the reins. It is well expressed in the German Federation statement that the horse seeks the contact and the rider provides it, not the other way around, since pulling the horse into a vertical head position has nothing to do with collection. On the contrary, it prevents engagement and develops nothing but an insensitive, unresponsive horse on the forehand and does not allow for an expressive movement in self-carriage.

The concept of collection and elevation in front. The lines behind the horse show the progressive flexion and engaging of the hindquarters. Wilhelm Museler from Reit Lehre 1928.

That brings up the subject of maintaining a sensitive and soft mouth, which goes back to the school of Naples. It was then clearly realized that in training a young horse, harsh rein action would occur, either inflicted by the rider, or the self-defense of a young horse, and the sensitivity of the bars would be progressively damaged. Let’s face it, a piece of steel in the mouth that is pulled on unilaterally or on both sides with the connection of the snaffle joint pushing against the palette is no treat. Also for about 6,000 years all snaffle bits had cheek pieces, so when using one rein, the cheekpiece of the other side prevented the bit from slipping through the mouth and pushed the head in the desired direction. More recently invented loose ring snaffles are not a step in the right direction.
So when you read the book of Johan Batista Galiberti, written in 1610 and translated into German in 1660, Galiberti, a pupil of Grisone and Piniatelli, recommends the training of the horses first in a caveson or hackamore until the basics are established and only then progressively introducing a bit. In addition, the reins to the bit are held in the left hand, which is always softer, and never used. Training continues with the caveson in the right hand until the horse is made light and in self-carriage. At this time, the caveson is progressively dropped and the connection established through the reins to the bit. But since the bit was never used for the training, the sensitivity and lightness was maintained and the principle of the Descente de Main evolved as used in the Ecole de Versailles and later became beautifully described by Robichon de la Guérinière and DuPaty de Clam.
Interestingly, a few years ago, the riding manuals of 1720 of the Royal Spanish Riding School, which were believed lost, were rediscovered in Vienna. And here again, the training of the young Lippizzaners was done in a caveson without a bit, which was only introduced after they had reached a secure level of training.
The remainder of this concept can still be seen in some lunging cavesons from Europe, having in addition an adjustable snaffle bit. These cavesons were common 50 years ago in Europe, but were never available in the United States where the concept of preserving a sensitive mouth was never a primary objective of Dressage training. However, in a young horse trained like this neither the lunge line or initially the side-reins were attached to the bit, so the introduction of the steel bit was a process of slow, gradual acceptance without any pressure. Later in the training, long side reins were attached to the snaffle, but never the lunge line, which only pulls the bit up or out of the mouth. Doing this is an abuse of the horse and only done by uneducated and insensitive horsemen.

Very few people have ever made or experienced a horse with a truly sensitive mouth, as neither trainers nor riders are concerned with this, as it is not part of the present culture of “On the Bit” in the U.S. In addition, the early introduction of the double bridle, not to speak about draw reins and other devices we see so often, is the hallmark of incompetence as well described by Udo Burger.
So how did the English term “On the Bit” appear in our terminology? To the best of my knowledge, it started with the creation of the FEI, which took place in 1921, initiated by General DeCarpentry with the assistance of Dr. Rau and the German General Halsing Bersett.
General DeCarpentry wrote the FEI rules and definitions in French as we see them today in the FEI rulebook using the sophisticated French Dressage vocabulary with its infinite nuances and meanings. But nowhere do we find any expression even remotely resembling our notation of “On the Bit.” which would translate in French as “Sur le Mors,” an expression which simply does not exist.
The Germans never translated the French FEI text, understanding most French and having an eloquent and well-established equestrian vocabulary of their own as demonstrated in their rule book and the publication of Basic Principles of Riding and Advanced Techniques of Riding by the German Equestrian Federation. Nowhere do we find anything in the original German version close to our statement of “On the Bit,” which is only occasionally used in the English translation for lack of any other expression. So why does this definition of “On the Bit” come up in the English FEI version which became today’s AHSA Dressage Rules and definitions in the official rule book?
Since there was hardly any Dressage in the early 1900s in England or in the United States, nor any English books on Dressage or magazines, there were simply no real equivalent terms for the statements of DeCarpentry, not to speak of reflecting the nuances of meaning of the French Dressage terms. I do not know who translated in the 1920s to ‘30s the French FEI text into English. It is eminently clear that the translator had a fairly good grasp of French but not of the French equestrian terminology, and the term “On the Bit” was created without really understanding what was meant in French or how this newly created definition would affect riding in English-speaking countries.
Lacking any other source of information, this FEI text was taken over by the AHSA and is still the official version which we see today in our rulebook, including the statement “On the Bit” without any futher explanation. Also, our AHSA rules reflect primarily FEI requirements, movements and gaits with no really meaningful statement from Training Level to 4th Level. Even recently introduced new movements such as chewing the reins out of the hands are neither referred to nor defined after they were put into our tests six years ago.

Just to show you a quick example of the first few pages of the AHSA rulebook and how this can lead to complete misinterpretation of the original French text of DeCarpentry, article 401-3 states “The horse gives the impression to execute of his own accord what is required of him, etc.” But in article 401-6, it states “In all his work, even at the halt, the horse must be on the bit”-which obviously includes training levels and introductory levels, since there is no distinction made. This in no way represents the finesse of the French Dans la Main (“on the aids”). But in article 403-3, it states that at the walk the horse should not be asked to walk on the bit, and in article 403-4.2, it states that at the medium walk the horse must be on the bit. This makes absolutely no sense, and if you want, you can go through the entire rulebook as far as riding is concerned and find contradictory statements like this one after the other.
If in our English translation we would say in article 401-6 that the horse in all its work even at the halt remains obediently under the influence of the rider’s aids, this would be closer to the true French meaning and removes the fixation to the hands, the bit and the front of the horse, and leads to a more integrated approach of all aids applicable to this movement.
Using this expression “On the Aids,” we could approach the variability of the French terminology with expressions like “teaching the young horse the progressive acceptance of the aids” up to the FEI levels where it should be on the aids. This includes lightness and self-carriage: not pulled into an artificial frame in front, the emphasis placed on the seat, position, weight, harmony between horse and rider and correct timing and coordination of all the aids. An artificial frame in front does not allow for expressive movement in self-carriage.
But to replace the expression “On the Bit” and banish it forever to oblivion is really no problem, since over the past 50 years we have established a vocabulary of Dressage in America. Terms such as “Acceptance of the Aids,” “On the Aids,” “Throughness,” “Connection,” “Lightness,” “Self-Carriage,” “Swinging Back,” “Relaxation,” “Balance,” and “Engagement,” just to name a few, would much better demonstrate what we really mean and which are really the objectives of Dressage.

Then we achieve what the FEI and DeCarpentry said originally; namely, that the horse gives the impression of doing on his own what is required of him, and not pulled together behind the vertical and consistently on the forehand and never truly through. Unfortunately, we see this all the time from Training Level up to a lot of poor piaffes, passages, piourettes and awful transitions.
Allowing the horse to seek the aids as the older Germans said, or the coordinated aids, aids coming through the back, non-interfering aids, weight aids, seat aids, supporting aids, leg aids, etc. with the horse determining the contact would probably better represent what we really should aim for in Dressage.
Also, what further seems to justify to pull together the front of the horse, and often behind the vertical and call it Dressage, are photos shown in European and in American Dressage magazines of winning teams with an incorrect, pulled together, short frame in front. Even though we always speak of Classical Dressage, nobody seems to go back to the original drawings and photos of the past. Interestingly enough, this concept of having a horse in front of you and with a head carriage more in front of the vertical the more it is collected is clearly depicted in the pictures of Müseler, (see diagram on facing page), which were adopted as correct by the FEI as long as Niggli was its chief but have pretty much fallen by the wayside as of now.
On the one hand magazines print the statements of Harry Boldt, Klaus Balkenhol, Christine Stuckelberger, Cindy Sydor, etc, condemning pulling the horse together in front and then publish dozens of pictures showing exactly the opposite, with horses pulled behind the vertical winning competitions. Take a look in one of the many Dressage publications available in the U.S. and judge for yourself. A clear policy and message to the Dressage community could not hurt.

In a more recent example in an article with Christine Stuckelberger said, “Today you see the horses pulled together. This is a mistake. A judge should penalize a horse that is tense and always goes behind the vertical.”
Harry Bolt said, “Regarding horses’ necks, I think judges should be more careful that horses’ noses are in front of the vertical.”
Snydor echoes the comments of many colleagues in adding that an overemphasis on the front end of the horse is another threat posed by poorly trained and performed exhibition work. “If it’s too much about the head, neck and front legs, it’s bad,” she says. “It may be more spectacular to the uninitiated, but there is already too much emphasis on the front end in regular dressage. We don’t need to be promoting that emphasis any further.”
Another reason the scores are so high today is because of the gaits our top horses show, not because of the quality of the execution of the difficult dressage movements. Just look at the horses’ mediocre piaffes, passages, flying changes and transitions, etc., we see in all the shows. But the German warmblood has a habit of going forward no matter what kind of head position the rider puts him in, even though this does not represent correct training and pulls him on the forehand.

In conclusion, since we now have a terminology in the United States correctly expressing the objectives of Dressage, maybe the time has come to upgrade our definition and rulebook statements and get rid of terms that not only make no sense but also are detrimental to the future of our sport.
It would be a nice beginning of the new century.

Read Original Article on Eclectic Horseman »

As a Massage Therapist and NeuroMuscular Therapist, the alignment and focus on the horse’s pelvis makes much more sense to me than focusing in the position of the head and neck, although the two do influence one another and are inter-dependent. The state of modern horsemanship is short-sighted, looking only at what is in front of us when riding, than looking at what is underneath us. But, as a bodyworker, I am also reminded frequently that this is not common knowledge and unfortunately is not widely known among the public – yet. :)

I love the visual in the second image shown above, which illustrates the relationship of the horse’s pelvis to his balance point and center of gravity, as well as how it affects the horse’s neck posture. In humans there is a similar correlation. If our pelvis is rotated one direction or the other our neck vertebrae will likewise have more or less curvature.

I don’t know about you, but when I read things like the above article it gets my blood moving and makes me want to become fluent in french, german and portuguese just so I can pore over the classic literature…

“On The Bit” image © Emmy Pimlada

One of the most difficult things for a rider to learn is how to use their hands properly. Wait, no. Let me restate that. THE most difficult thing for a rider to learn is how to use their hands properly. Why you may ask.. because the hands are connected to the wrist bone, the wrist bone is connected to the arm bone… and so on right down to your ten little piggies and the hair on your chinny chin chin.

Joking aside though, good hands require a rider to have a balanced seat, which requires the rider to be in the proper position for their individual center of gravity, which requires the proper muscle suppleness and flexibility which is not innate in us human beings. Good hands also require the proper education, something that the vast majority of riders never get and are unlikely to encounter in their average riding lessons. Why? Because their instructors never received it and so can’t pass it on.

Essentially all of these requirements make it nearly impossible for a rider to gain good hands without going through and learning a properly balanced seat so that their hands, seat and legs can work independently from one another.

Now, let’s go back to the original question about bitless bridles, or bridle-less riding. The usual reason behind using either of these ‘tools’, or ‘methods’ if you will, is to circumvent some sort of problem that the horse is having with a bit in it’s mouth. The horse tosses it’s head, has a hard mouth, can’t relax, over-salivates or is anxiously gnawing at the bit, runs through the bridle, etc. Let us also keep in mind that the horse’s mouth is one of the most sensitive areas on his body without losing sight of just how sensitive his skin is alone to a single fly’s presence… ahem.

Essentially it boils down to this – the rider is replacing his lack of skill with a piece of equipment designed to relieve him of ever having to go through the process of developing a seat and thus independent aids and eventually having educated hands that no longer cause all of these “bit issues”. It is for this reason I don’t recommend these tools but instead continue to champion the learning process that first develops a rider’s balance WITHOUT allowing them access to the reins and only after they’ve acquired a seat and independent legs are the reins introduced with education. Never haphazardly as seems to be common – to throw a beginner rider on a horse and leave them wander about the ring not knowing the first thing about how to communicate with the horse and without any balance to then abuse the horse’s mouth and blame the horse’s resistances on the bridle…

I love visuals, so thought I would put some commentary on my observations from some video I just browsed. I have some history on the horse but will wait to share it until after you’ve watched the video to keep from pre-suppositions if possible.

In The Bitless Bridle -

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I watched this video first so am posting in the order that I viewed them. The background information was highlighting that the horse was moving in free extension, self carriage, even collection. I will admit that he is different in certain superficial ways from the video showing him ridden in a bit but I would never say that his actions are that of true extension in the gaits, self carriage or collection. He is not relaxed, is not stepping underneath of himself, is not round in the back, etc. Instead he is a horse who is moving swiftly forward, braced in the neck, tense in the gaits and who is at the same time also doing a commendable job at (imo) trying to do as his rider is requesting.

The problem is that he cannot be in self-carriage, it is not possible with both his level of tension and the rider’s lack of balance. She is not falling off the horse but she is behind his movement and falling downwards at every sitting stride and having to work too hard to push herself out of the saddle in the rising portion. His walk is completely lateralized as is the canter, i.e. both legs on the same side are moving in unison rather than separated into the 4-beat tempo that should be the walk and the three beat canter tempo. His neck is raised but not from the base, rather more inverted and that is shown by the thickness of the underside of the neck.

What bit of extension the rider may be feeling is simply the horse moving more swiftly, or there are a few small moments (if not in this video there is a second one also showing him in the bitless bridle) where he is getting closer to stepping under himself. His hind hooves are not stepping into the front hoof prints and therefore his hind legs are by definition trailing.

Compared to the video of him in a bit he is more confident appearing in his forward movement and less confused about whether he should be going forward or slowing down, which is very common if the rider uses their hands too much in conflict when riding in a bit that they will improve in this way in the bitless bridle.

In a Kimberwicke -

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This video I watched immediately after my observations on the bitless bridle video, I was curious to see how changed he would go in a bit. Again, the rider is behind the movement of her horse and as a result her rein aids are in conflict with the forward movement she is asking out of him – she is using the reins to aid in balance which she has to because her seat is not developed, her legs are neither suppled into position nor independent and therefore her hands will be affected by whatever happens with the seat and legs. The horse responds through confusion – her legs say go forward, her seat cannot follow the movement because it has to work harder than necessary, and her hands say slow down or stop. He in turn reacts out of frustration and confusion.

I don’t want you thinking I am picking on this rider, simply my observations and nothing personal. I could pick out a million other videos and point to the same issues, she is not alone and I have been in her place myself. I have ridden the horses with terrible bit problems, head tossers, balkers, horses that were sucked back and behind the bit, that would bobble between running forward and running backward in confusion. I have ridden with poor balance, heavy hands and the thought that my horses were collected or balanced when they were anything but.

I’d really love to throw up a quick video but alas do not at the moment have free access to a horse so this post will have to suffice for now. Be wary however the trap that is easy to fall into believing that a bit of tack can solve all of your troubles. The bit has a specific purpose and that purpose is to allow for some of the most refined communication available with your hands. The horse’s nose cannot compare in sensitivity to the horse’s mouth – which is the good and the bad. It is why a bitless bridle allows for more refined appearing riding when there is no tact in the rider’s hands or balance in his body and why that same rider can develop a horse with the most horrendous evasions when riding with a bit.

My first dressage instructor used to bring up with a sort of endearing tone and mystical hope in her voice this idea she had heard about – something to the effect of master equestrians riding their horses with a single thread of silk to connect their hand to the bit their touch so refined, subtle and effective. Later I came to experience the power of riding with that refined of communication with the hand – where less is louder to the horse than more. Where a mere 5 grams (the weight of a nickel!) is all that is needed to convey your wishes to the horse and have them be understood. But… that kind of tact is not available when your hands are connected to  your feet which are connected to a body that is out of sync with the horse’s movement, space and time.

Food for thought…

I own one of those.

Her nickname is Andie, and she is one of the most beautiful dark bay mares. She is half Hanoverian, out of a well-bred (for sport that is, not just racing) Thoroughbred mare. When people come out to see our horses they instantly gravitate towards her, oohing and aahing. She has become a little less of an ‘in-your-pocket’ horse now, in part because she doesn’t seek reassurance for constant anxiety. Out of three foals that she’s had only one has survived; one died of a fluke health problem before the idea of starting him could even cross anyone’s mind and another was still-born. Her last foal I admire every morning and evening for his brilliant red coat and the loveliest personality you could ask for.

I bought Andie with the express purpose of being a broodmare, if I had any hopes of buying a riding horse I probably would have passed. She had been in the Dressage show ring by the age of three at Training Level and by 5 had already been retired from riding and her breeding career started. Maybe this doesn’t sound all that different from the life of many broodmares – started under saddle only to prove they are rideable and then turned out to pasture for a spring foal. It is rare for a broodmare to be pulled from the field and put back into a riding career, at least for much more than hacking or lessons.

I was told that she was a “lovely mare to ride as long as the rider is tactful,” a skill her owner admitted not being particularly talented in. She boasted that Andie had been ridden and trained in part by a bareiter from Germany. I can still recall the sales video that was sent to me, the highlight in it being the footage of Andie with her first foal – a handsome bay colt. The rest of it spelled out a different picture: a mare who didn’t know how to interact socially with her herd-mates and behaved quite stallion-like when loose; one who only knew how to run at a frenetic pace at the edge of the lunge line; a mare holding back in such a false frame under saddle at a show that I was convinced she must have been trained in draw reins.

All of this was before I had ever heard of Rollkur or Deep and Round. To me it just seemed like some poorly trained horse who was better at being a broodmare than interacting with a rider on her back.

She has always been splendid though. The first day Andie arrived everyone was entranced. Even in her nervousness on the ground at new surroundings she was regal and majestic in how she handled herself. Never pushy or rude, almost apologetic rather as she looked to everyone for reassurance with a pat or a stroke. She loved to rest her forehead against your chest and nearly nap that way. She was obese from a high calorie diet complete with more supplements than a homeopathic guru could assemble!

My first Dressage trainer warned me not to buy her, saying she looked too wasp-waisted, now recognized as a hallmark of Rollkur horses from the hours they spend in hyperflexion. She has filled out her waist-band since…

Her introduction into the herd was one of the messiest I had encountered up to that point. She roared at any horse that looked at her and would immediately take to striking – even when she was in a paddock with a hundred yards between her and another horse. Once she was gently turned into the group loose the other horses tolerated her but there was a sort of block between communication.

Why do I mention her herd interactions? It was like she wasn’t a horse, but rather I had turned some other creature out with this herd of horses. She didn’t know what the lingo meant, how to interpret it let alone how to respond. In the 7 years that Andie has been with me she has really only begun to mesh into the group and relax to their rhythms and language in the last 2. She is greatly attached to her son who is also pastured with her, but that bond is beginning to relax now as other horses are finally allowed in closer to mingle and give her reassurances.

It makes me think of children who are unsocialized, or even locked away into a room alone while growing up and disallowed the language to interact with other children or people even. Though they might learn the language later on they will always be an outcast.

At some point after Andie arrived here I began to think that her potential as a riding horse may not be such a far-off idea. I wondered if it wasn’t simply that the riders had been just that bad on their own. Certainly a horse as sweet and lovey as this could not be so anxious and hyper-sensitive without due cause.

The first time I rode Andie I was met with a wonderful flying dismount! I landed on my feet beside her, one hand holding the buckle of the reins at the pommel of the saddle, just following the most impressive rear I’ve witnessed (and been involved in). Interestingly enough, it had nothing to do with the riding so much as it was her reaction to us riding near some horses she thought she should inform of her hatred and disgust. She did very kindly warn me ahead of rearing by roaring quite loudly, giving me just enough milliseconds to respond by kicking my feet out of the stirrups.

She was a nervous nelly with almost anything to do with riding. She would grind her teeth and champ constantly in the cross-ties if there was a saddle anywhere to be found. She would fidget being saddled, swish her tail being girthed. Bridling was a challenge only because she would dive her head downwards as quickly as possible. I’ve never had to bend over more to bridle a horse as I did with Andie. Once I got the bit in her mouth and one ear in the headstall she would then change it up and put her head out of reach in the air. Once the bit was in her mouth there wouldn’t be another quiet moment to be found until after she had been turned loose in the pasture. She created a plethora of foam I had never before seen the likes of – from her mouth. It was similar to what is seen in competition today.

Getting in the saddle was a laugh; a mash-up of a tall horse, at the time somewhat short rider (I’ve done a bit of growing since then, thankfully), and her inability to stand still. Once I was in the saddle the only gait she knew was a jig – half walk and half trot. If I managed to keep her anxiety at a cool level after getting in the saddle I had no control because she was behind the bit with no forward energy, and had not been truly educated on what legs or hands meant in any fashion. When she became more anxious she would put herself into hyperflexion and there was no hope but to have my ground person step in so I could dismount. To me there is no point in talking to a wall.

Andie has come a long ways since then. She is for the most part quiet when you get her ready to ride, unless it is fly season. She stands rock solid for mounting and is quite good at positioning herself to a mounting block. She has a walk with variable speeds. She has a trot with variable speeds. Her back swings from time to time! You can canter her but it isn’t pretty. Best of all… she has a quiet mouth, she stretches down and forward, she sighs and relaxes. Her skills on the lunge line developed along a similar track – from horrid anxiety and no communication, to the point that I used her in a lunging demonstration to show how in one session you can help release a horse’s tension.

When I watch video of today’s top competitors who are openly using (though they may not publicly admit to it) Rollkur / hyperflexion, I see Andie in their eyes. I see the inability to stand still for the salute – beginning and end. I see the lateralized walk that is no longer a walk. The jiggy trot. I see a horse who is shut down and just going through the motions, much like a puppet at the mercy of it’s puppeteer.

Even when Andie first arrived she could be made to piaffe, passage, terre a terre and even do a passable pesade. She offered them all up in place of a simple walk step. She could do poor (though visually exciting to the layperson) lateral work but couldn’t take one straight step forward with energy.

She has the breeding to be a great jumper. She has the breeding to do great Dressage. But neither of those talents can be realized to their potential because it has been cut short with the shortcut of Rollkur.

When I look at her son, I can’t help but to feel disheartened knowing that Andie wasn’t given the opportunity to learn at her own pace in an environment that nurtured calmness over a rider’s personal goals. I almost feel jealous of him for her, when I think of the anxious rushed training sessions and the started-then-ended-much-too-soon show career that he will miss out on but were very much a daily reality for Andie. He is now 5 and has barely begun as a riding horse, meanwhile Andie’s riding career had already been retired due to her ‘sensitivity‘.

Andie is enjoying semi-retirement from everything right now, her only “job” is to mingle with the herd. She is fluffy with winter hair and occasionally sassy with the younger members of the herd. She has come a long ways since she first stepped off the trailer at my farm, but no matter how far she will progress she still carries one permanent physical reminder of her past. The tell-tale “bump” at the 3rd cervical vertebrae. I feel it, agonizingly, when I rub her down at each feeding – the only place I don’t linger at with my attention.

Questions to Inspire

Introduction

What is the purpose behind teaching? Is it to merely convey one’s superior knowledge over their student? To boost their own self-esteem and worth? Or is it to help guide the student along a path in which they never stumble or fall? Would the student prefer that teaching? A sort of leadership to the blind? But aren’t the blind in this case really just without a compass and hiking boots?

Should the place of teacher be guide, mentor perhaps? A source for discussion, one to point the student in the proper direction until they have formed enough depth and understanding of the subject to form their own questions, challenge their own knowledge and that of others in search of the right path for themselves? Is this preferable?

What if all a teacher is truly meant to be is an aid in the self discovery of a chosen path? A person who does not give all of the answers, but shows you how to find them? A partner in crime, so to speak?

So where then is the line drawn between friend and professional? Guide and study buddy? How do the interactions change between teacher and student? When does it become assumed that one person holds greater understanding over another?

Every Idea Must Have Reason Behind It.

If you have no method to your ‘madness’, what then is the purpose of pursuit? When asked ‘why’, do you have an answer that settles all doubt? Or rather do you brush it off as a question of no consequence, belittling the person who posed it – in an attempt to save face? Or better yet, does your answer spark more questions to follow, giving way to a treasure hunt of sorts? What of the answer that just confuses to the point of no interest in further question?

What harm comes of saying ‘I don’t know’ to a question? As a teacher, perhaps the concept of not knowing all, seems to be fatal, yet doesn’t it give us the opportunity to lead by example – being honest in our abilities and trusting ourselves enough to show who we truly are?

Does an instructor have the ability to truly control their students? How do we define control? Is it the following of orders, or is it of a physical form? Is the goal of the instructor to have control over their students? If so, to what extent should this control reach? Can the instructor control an outcome by giving up their control? Could it be like a dance – controlling the next step by letting go of your partner? Can the loss of control become predictable? Is it then truly a loss of control, or is it merely less guided? Do we seek control? Why? What is it about having control that appeals to our senses as instructors? Does it make us feel as though we know more? Do we feel powerful over others? What would it matter if we admitted when we lacked control? Would others think less of us as teachers?

But we then come back to the question of – should we not lead by example? Is the job of teacher actually actor, salesman, gambler? Do we bluff our way through the lessons, pitch dramatic sales to those around us so that they don’t know how to refuse us? Do we throw it all out on the table, hoping and praying that no one notices our faults? How would it feel instead to embrace ourselves as teachers, as human? Would we project a different energy about our abilities? What kind of effect would this have on our students? Would this sell ourselves, or push away potential clients? Honesty leading the way to success – is this at all possible?

Looking at other teachers, who has made the biggest impact in your education? Has it been those who pretend to know all and maintaining an attitude of being better than their students, or is it the instructor who takes a more humble view point on their abilities and has no qualms about telling you when they don’t know? Who do you look up to as a person – what qualities do they hold? Should a teacher not also have these qualities, or strive to have them?

AN EXERCISE: Tell one person each day about something that you don’t know. Start a conversation that creates ideas and theory about this knowledge in question. Note how you feel afterwards.

Emotion

Does one need an understanding of the emotional response to fully react properly to their students? How do the emotions drive us in learning? Can we learn effectively when we are afraid? What of being sad or angry during instruction? Do emotions cloud our ability to see and think critically? If they do, how then do they compromise our ability to retain the details of the lesson?

As instructors, are we ever tempted out of an emotion of fear, to create ‘facts’ to teach our students? Is this the fear of ‘unknown’ coming to fruition? Perhaps the ‘unknown’ being not knowing, not understanding? What other ‘unknowns’ could make the swell of fear so great as to make us lie to ourselves even? What do we fear in our professional lives as teachers? Where does the want of respect play a role in our interactions with our students?

AN EXERCISE: Learn about something that makes you nervous – it doesn’t have to be anything grand or so terrifying that you go into shock. Be honest with yourself about your feelings. Find a small level of discomfort in some activity, accomplish it, and honestly reflect on how you feel afterwards.

Sadness & Compassion

The emotion of sadness, where does it play a role in teaching? Can we be sad about a condition of life, and teach all the better for this? Or are we misplacing sadness with compassion? Do the two emotions intermingle ever? What of the perpetual sadness that sometimes follows teachers about? What is the cause of sadness? Is it considered the human condition, a perpetual search to find the cure to sadness? Is there a predictable pattern to our sadness? Where does our own health come into play with the level of sadness we feel?

Perhaps we are compassionate to all but ourselves? A selflessness that eventually affects others around us? What lesson do we teach our students when we fail to take care of ourselves? Should we send a message that we value ourselves so little that we don’t take notice of our own needs until we’re teetering on the cliff’s edge? How can our students wish to learn from a teacher who fails to acknowledge their own value? Should our first priority be to learn how to care for ourselves, so we may better care for our students education?

AN EXERCISE: Plan to sleep one to three hours longer than normal for a period of four days in a row. Help your body out by doing light exercise before bed, and wake up with enough time to get ready for your day relatively unrushed. Take note of your emotions each day and compare with your average emotional ranges.

If you have no trust in the method you are trying to work in, what then is the value in practicing it? There is no passion, and passionless work is without value.

Is there one sense over another that is preferred when teaching students? One route to travel that applies to every one person? Can the answer be both yes and no?

Referencing the three senses of learning – visual, audio and kinesthetic – is there a way that we can apply our teaching to each person’s strength of learning? Is it possible, or reasonable, to have three different approach to teaching the same subject? How would this expand our own knowledge of the subject? Would we be more well rounded as instructors, to know a topic three ways around?

How then does the teacher go about assessing the student’s strengths and weaknesses? Would it make a difference if we did assess the student’s learning habits, than if we were to merely teach all three ways to every student? Would the latter teaching create a better student, even if taking longer to teach the same lesson? What then of the student who does not wish that lesson? Are we at a greater advantage to observe the strength of our students immediately, over the teacher who lacks this ability? How is this observation skill learned? How does critical thinking interact? Would the thought of any of this matter, or can we continue on teaching without adjusting to our student needs? Would we want to? If so, why?

AN EXERCISE: Write down one of the hardest lessons you had to learn, then find three different ways to describe how to find understanding of this lesson – a visual description, an audio description, and a kinesthetic description. Afterwards observe whether it has expanded your own understanding or not.

The Motivation of Teaching

Disgust – the driving force of true teaching? Do we teach because we are disgusted by the lack of knowledge in someone? Are we disgusted by what the world would be like without education? Without understanding? How does disgust move us towards teaching? Does it? Or does disgust play no role in teaching? What can be generalized as disgust in a person’s manner that must be educated to be otherwise? Does that possibility even exist? What of a harmony, between students, teachers, the world we live in? Is harmony the opposite of disgust? Does it cancel out the force that causes us to want to educate? Do those with harmony, require teaching? Do they not require teaching? What then of those with natural ‘talent’ in the form of harmony – they seem wise and knowing, though they have never had a lesson? Should lesson be defined? Do we learn in life’s lessons enough? How then do teachers come to have learned more of life’s lessons than another and be able to teach it? Again, coming back to guide – teachers tend to be older than their students? Is there a purpose in this that is not readily acknowledged? Do we have to learn how to learn? Learn how to educate ourselves out of disharmony, out of disgusting habits?

AN EXERCISE: Create a dance with your hands – letting your fingers become involved as well if you so desire. Make the rhythm flow smoothly, practice until there are no rough patches, where it seems as though your hands flow like water. Don’t laugh this off, take your time with this and dedicate your passion to it for one week. In that week’s time, note your improvements, lack of improvement, difficulties, easy areas, etc. At the end of the week, ask a good friend if you can show them what you have been working on, and start a conversation on how it affected you.

Student awareness is reflective of teacher awareness. Start the path with yourself and your students will tread it one day as well.

How is the level of our awareness increased or decreased as teachers? Do we find ourselves muting out what would normally cause us to speak out, or instead are we driven to the brink of insanity over things we feel we cannot change? Is awareness only applicable to the outside world? Can awareness also be of ourselves? Are there parts of ourselves as teachers we would rather not be aware of? Where do we feel we need more awareness? Does awareness always stir certain emotions? Anger, discontent, sadness, happiness?

How are we affected as instructors, by the witnessing of gross misuse and overuse? What makes someone react by turning inwards, over the person who reacts by taking action outwardly? How does this affect our students? Do we compromise their learning by our level of awareness? Is it okay to accept in ourselves as teachers a level of ignorance, or perhaps a lack of awareness? Why do we want to avoid feeling an emotion over an action we witness? How can we as teachers take this experience to teach our students? Should we then embrace a level of sensitivity, in order to learn from and come to the ability to teach from that?

Inspiration

How do we as teachers inspire our students to want to learn? Surely they come to us for an education, but do they always come with enthusiasm and dedication? Do we want them working out of fear? Do we want them working only out of respect for us? Or do we prefer that they learn out of their own motivations? Is there any benefit to them learning out of fear or respect for the instructor, other than stroking our own ego? What would keep a student learning under an instructor who makes them feel bad about themselves? Or what about the teacher who yells frequently, or by the tone in their words makes the student feel inadequate? Is our job to make our students feel better or worse about their abilities than their reality, or to reflect an honest assessment?

AN EXERCISE: Get one of your students to tell you a story that has absolutely nothing to do with the lesson you are giving, find ways to incorporate the basic lesson tasks while listening to the story. Note whether there is any change in the students attitude.

Ethics

What of integrity in the example shown by the teacher? If the teacher leads by their own example, then where do morals, personal beliefs and integrity fit in? Can a teacher be spectacular and still hold little moral values? What of the teacher who has no regard towards their students own worth? Can a teacher succeed and be popular, when they value only their own advancement? Is not the very definition of teaching, to be that of giving something of yourself to someone else? To give? Not to sell, but offering something to others to help better themselves?

Would an instructor burn themselves out working in a manner that is to support their students, or would this be the fuel for their fire – feeding their passion? What then of the instructor who puts greed above giving? Are they able to burn themselves out? Or do they merely burn the friendships and relationships they build in an effort to be wealthy in  possessions? Is it possible to teach, make money, maintain integrity and the passion for what you do?

Jealousy, how does it affect teachers and instructors? Can a teacher be jealous of their student’s abilities? Can they want for themselves those talents that their student finds so easily, but which the teacher had to struggle long and hard for? Would it cross their mind to sabotage their student in the name of jealousy? Not wanting to look bad, keeping their students below themselves? Is jealousy driven solely by this lack, or is it a combination of other emotions? What of fear’s involvement? Fear of not being as good, looking bad, not having enough education? Fear of failing? Should we also look at anger? Anger at their past, or present, of their level of knowledge and how they have come to teach? Anger at not becoming more?

How does an instructor avoid feelings of jealousy? Will we all come to a point of feeling jealous over another person’s abilities? What is the solution? Do we ignore it, trying to move on? Act on it as though it was meant to be and an opportunity? Or do we acknowledge our feelings and try to sort through what the real driving force behind the jealousy is?

From a business perspective – what of jealousy towards our competition? Do we attempt to downplay the abilities of others in order to boost ourselves? Or perhaps chase after the very things they have that we feel are lacking in ourselves? Why are we not content in ourselves – what we have, what we know, and the process we need to travel as individuals? What of accepting that we may come to a place far above anyone else, but the time to be there is not at the moment? Does that soften the feelings, or enrage them further? Do we brood over the feelings, letting them simmer below the surface until it boils over?

Dance Like No One Is Watching, And You Will Be Authentic.

Doesn’t teaching also apply to the rider’s interactions with the horse? Is happiness the only emotion that belongs in riding? Does what one feel towards themselves transfer to how they feel about their horse? Whether conscious of your own self-image or not, is this an overstatement or does it hold weight? Can you transfer your fear of failure to anxiety in the horse? What about our own confidence and joy? How does our perception of reaction show our interpretation of the horse’s actions? Why do we react the way we do – what emotion drives us? Do we realize, truly, what emotion drives us? Do we resist thinking about it? If so, why? What harm would come to us if we gave up the protection of resistance? Isn’t this what we ask of our horses daily, and yet refuse to even admit we do ourselves? Should we lead by example – be a whole, confident person to expect a whole, confident horse? Perhaps the key to solving the mistakes our horses show, is to look at ourselves and work out our own hurdles first? Looking within rather than without? Do horses ever truly disobey us? Or do we mix the signals up between us and the horse? What language do we speak with our horses? Should we approach the horse as an innocent? Is there any harm or use for giving them the benefit of any doubt?

AN EXERCISE: Work for one week with one specific horse – looking at their actions as though they are a foreigner to your language. Be clear and precise, and if they do not respond, try another method to help them to understand. Remember – the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If something isn’t working – don’t assume that it “ought” to work and therefore you don’t need to change but rather the horse does, try something else instead. Step out of your comfort zone of having one method to deal with each problem, expand your range and see what you learn from this exercise. Look at each hurdle the horse presents as an opportunity instead of a speed bump.

Assumptions

Where do assumptions come into play in teaching? Can the interactions we make daily be stifled by assumptions? Assuming the horse is doing something on purpose to displease us? Assuming the horse ‘knows what we want’, rather than giving the benefit of the doubt and giving up all assumptions towards the horse? Where do assumptions lead, but to expectation? Expecting results from the horse, can this lead to frustration – even anger? Questioning why the horse won’t perform as you expect, do we not all have our moments, days, weeks even… that are less than expected of us? Why then can we be so unforgiving towards the horse? Has he not a mind – a balance of emotional, mental and physical well being, that needs to be nurtured like our own? Is it then our own lack of self-awareness that transfers upon the horse – because we are so desensitized to our own body’s health, have we become incapable of being sensitive to another’s? Or do some of us become hyper-sensitive to the needs of others so that we don’t have to work on our own? Is the horse still viewed today as merely a vehicle, a toy, a hobby… and therefore not capable of having needs similar to our own? Do they breathe and blink like us?

How then does this affect our relationship with the horse? How do we feel when we spend time with a person who constantly tells us about our faults, or who complains about our state of awareness all day? Can we also ‘assume’ that the same may apply for the horse? How does a child react to being told how poorly he does or behaves, all day? Do some respond by changing to be more positive? In comparison, how many respond by acting out and rebelling? Can horses become like a child in our minds? Do we then nurture, or criticize from there? Positive or negative?

AN EXERCISE: For one week, give up all assumptions and expectations – of horses and people. If you don’t understand or are unsure of what someone thinks, wants or expects, ask for clarification. Treat others in the same way – giving them clarification without emotion if they are unsure. Work with your horse in the same way, if he doesn’t get the question you give him, avoid becoming frustrated and assuming he wants to give you a hard time, instead give him clarification. Do not expect any specifics when working with your horse, rather just play. Reflect upon how this affected your stress level and work with your horses.

Development

Does the teaching element require only strict instruction of the student to produce results? Or the instruction of the horse? Where does the element of play come to the education plan? Can play be an element that is taught? What is the value in teaching play? Is play not a necessity to be taught to complete the education? Do we have to learn how to play when we are young, or does it come naturally? If we were started to work at a young age, would we ever indulge naturally in play, or would it seem a silly and unnecessary chore? Would we yearn for it, unknowingly?

Is play about rules and strategy, or is it without regulation, without boundary? Can it lie somewhere in the middle? What would happen if the boundaries changed – regularly patterned change? Can change occur consistently in a sporadic manner? Would the horse follow such rules? Would there be any reason not to? Would there be any reason to?

Do we have any reason not to play? What keeps us from allowing play into our work? Guilt? Rigidity? How has play and work been so distanced from one another that one cannot exist in the presence of the other? Do we then envy those who have carried play into their work? Why does play frighten us? Do we fear appearing childish, immature even? Where do we learn to fear being ‘immature’?

AN EXERCISE: The next time you ride or work your horse, work to laugh at difficult times. It will seem like a chore at first, observe whether that changes over time. Does laughter and smiling become easier? Verbally play with the horse, get excited and let emotion into your voice – happiness, excitement, joy and passion. Try to remember how you played when you were a child and bring that element into your play now with your horse. Observe how your work changes, if it does, and whether the horse changed his interaction with you as well.

Where does trust bring us in the end? Is this where we sum up our work with our students, our horses… ourselves? The proof is in the trust we develop? How do we learn to trust in our own thoughts, ideas, conclusions? How do we trust in time that has no benefit?

First, let’s look at what the word desensitize actually means -

de-sen-si-tize
-verb

1. to lessen the sensitiveness of.
2. to make someone less likely to feel shock or distress at scenes of cruelty, violence or suffering by overexposure to such images.

To me this brings to mind the movie “A Clockwork Orange” in which the guy sits in front of the movie screen being repeatedly exposed to various images. I also imagine preparing someone to go into battle/war or the development of a psychologically impaired individual who no longer recognizes the consequences of their actions.

I’ve used desensitization before, and I no longer use it in any form and haven’t for many years. I have seen it help to wreck fragile minds and be used as a crutch for riders who use desensitization in place of improving their own education and riding skills. It has been marketed coyly by many Natural Horsemanship clinicians which almost leads me off the beaten path into writing about my take on the entire Natural Horsemanship movement and its marketing scheme on a whole. Still, I digress and plan to stay on topic for now… perhaps later.

In desensitizing the horse various objects are used which are strange and potentially frightening to the horse, repeatedly exposing the horse to them in hopes that the horse will no longer react in what is viewed as a negative manner – such as spooking, running away, the famous blow/snort response and so on. Some horses react more violently than others and may even go into fits of bucking, rearing, striking, etc. Just what is used varies from person to person – commonly implemented are umbrellas, tarps, plastic bags of empty soda cans, bags filled with rocks, cans filled with rocks and giant balls.

I’m going to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that many of you who are reading this have seen at least one horse being ‘desensitized’ in some way shape or form. If you haven’t I encourage you to simply search for it on youtube and you’ll likely find a plethora of videos documenting the process.

Before I go any further, I will say that there is benefit in exposing horses to various strange objects and situations. My opposition to many of the ways in which desensitizing is under taken lies in all of the “other” that is missing in the equation. The lack of trust between horse and rider, the lack of training in general that exists, that desensitization is considered one of the starting processes in the training plan, and its taking the place of the rider’s skill development and education.

NH often markets the use of desensitization practices to riders who are in some sort of situation with their horse that is fear-based. Many of them are new to owning the horse they are presenting to desensitization or even to horse ownership altogether. The horse is often a sensitive or high-energy individual and lacking in training to some degree. This kind of mix is the perfect match for disaster. “Naturally” (pun may or may not be intended) you can look at the superficial situation and say that the horse is overreacting to its surroundings and needs desensitization in order to be safely handled by his owner.

I cannot agree with this, and believe it is purely a fear based reaction and puts all of the blame of the situation on the horse.

I also believe that it inappropriately puts blame on the horse’s owner/rider/handler as it assumes they ought to know how to train a horse when they may not yet have the education to be a skilled rider let alone trainer.

So, let’s look at the situation from another direction. I think anyone who has been around horses long enough can come to the conclusion that most problems work themselves out when the rider sorts their own issues out and it is rarely a true horse problem. There are cases where a horse has been abused or whatnot and genuinely does not respond in the same way other horses do, but these are rare cases and chances are good your horse does not fall into this category.

Now, if most horse problems are really people problems then the whole point of desensitizing the horse is a moot point – if overstimulation of the horse will solve his spooking then overstimulating his rider should make them so brave they no longer fear falling off, being stepped on, getting kicked in the face or rolled on… ahem. It is the same practice that is going on with treating children diagnosed as ADHD with Ritalin and other speed-based drugs – overstimulate the system in order to cause it to shut down and no longer over-react in their environment. But does that actually cure the problem or simply distract us from the real issue?

My thoughts exactly.

Does this look like an educated rider? No helmet, no way to communicate with the horse.

I rarely see Natural Horsemanship clinicians giving riding lessons – the kind in which aged and experienced horses are used for students to practice their communication skills with. To learn how to balance in the saddle, use their aids tactfully and without interfering with the horse. What I do see are beginner riders learning how to train young, spoiled and abused horses. I think of it like sending a person out to fly a commercial plane without ever having sat in the cockpit before or even flown as a passenger. They do not know the first thing and are not only being asked to perform but to also teach their horse.

Of course we then see certain actions crop up to deal with the backlash that will happen – namely the horses acting out and their riders not having an education or the practiced skills on how to overcome them without resorting to habits like desensitizing. Shaking plastic tarps at their horse in an effort to “train” them to be a quiet, reliable and trusting mount.

It is a tool that has been successfully sold to thousands (maybe millions?) around the country but it never addresses the root cause of the problem and cannot replace hard-earned trust that develops over time and experiences between horse and rider. Desensitizing is only a drug to overstimulate the horse into ignoring his surroundings. It dulls his mind and actions and can actually interfere with your ability to communicate and build a relationship.

I have owned one gelding who was ruined through desensitizing. At the time I had no education to base my understanding from and so depended upon the ‘teachers’ around me to help guide our learning. Unfortunately he had to pay the price and it ruined him emotionally. His responses following I can only compare to someone suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Everything was there to hurt him, nothing could be trusted including people. For the last few years that I worked with him I had finally gained enough education and those were special years in which he settled into a sort of semi-calm but the damage that had been done with overstimulation could never be totally erased.

Take a look at the eyes of horses in Natural Horsemanship programs that employ desensitization, though they lack hard eyes there is instead a sense of empty sadness, almost as if they are not really involved in what is going on. They are reacting but not interacting and that is a huge difference.

Lastly, I will point out that desensitizing or “sacking out” as it is often referred to, does work. It does desensitize the animal in many cases and also changes the dynamic of the relationship that we can subsequently build with that horse. What is also does is help distract from the real underlying problem and is a tactic that is wholly unnecessary if training is approached correctly following the education of the rider himself (or herself..).

Usually the gears of my mind work best when they are greased with some sort of horse activity, and today was no different. Scout, Jobi and Ceylon all inspired three different tracks that I figured I would share.

The Half Halt… sometimes I wonder if it really is that complicated and confusing. If all of the articles written describing it in vague half-terms and hidden meanings could even come close to the actuality of the half halt. Then I get snapped back to reality and laugh it off a bit. At times I have taken the half halt for granted, the simplicity of it anyways. But it is never too far in the closet. The half halt, what is it, what does it do, and why is it important? Those three things have become sufficient fuel to incite endless ramblings.

1. What is it : posture correction or realignment – often referred to as re-balancing the horse. Think of it like correcting a sloucher in order to sit up or stand up straight.
2. What does it do : obviously the benefits of posture aligned to carry and maneuver most efficiently and without undue stress reduces wear and tear, potential injuries, and allows the horse freedom to communicate without being hindered/distracted by their imbalance or physical pains from moving in poor balance. Think about a person who has low back pain because of poor posture; they will have a difficult time concentrating fully on interacting with others in a physical way because the physical pain/discomfort/hindrance will constantly be distracting them away.
3. Why is it important : outside of what has already been mentioned… it is a natural process. When the horse is half halted and becomes balanced, their base of support becomes smaller – their hind legs move towards their front legs, and as a result also shorten the length of their stride. When a horse moves to transition upwards or downwards their hind legs will naturally shorten stride one or two steps before the gait change. Therefore, it can be surmised that by half halting the horse you are not only preparing in a similar fashion for the horse to naturally transition in their movement, but assisting in the horse’s muscular development in order to be prepared for transitions at any moment. Which is a large goal ultimately in dressage – that the horse is ready, able and willing to transition precisely and near-instantaneously upon request.

Outside of that, the next big question with the half halt is: how do you half halt the horse? The key to that answer is in a circle…

After having a splendid ride with Scout, I had more thoughts come to mind while playing with Jobi. In particular, that of horses who are heavy in the hand (pullers) and those who are dead to the leg. Jobi is hardly either of these, although if I had to give him such a label I guess I would say he could be both… if that makes any sense. If not, read it a few times more. :) What I’m getting at, is that any horse is capable of being heavy in the hand or dead to the leg, and any horse is capable of being light in the mouth or hyper-sensitive to the rider’s legs. I would almost be willing to say also, that any horse has been both of these extremes at some point, or will be. The key then, is finding the middle. But finding that is difficult and impossible without knowing both extremes to some mastership.

I cannot tell you how many times I have been nearly unable to walk after having to test ride a horse who is for sale for a student or client of mine. It is literally painful to experience the reality of how desensitized the overall horse population is to the rider’s legs. On the same note, I have also ridden too many horses to count who are either behind the bit, or who have become accustomed to forceful coercion in the mouth. See-sawing the reins is still a very popular means to ‘control’ the horse…

So how do we find this middle ground? In part, I believe through exploring both opposites. What I see with the majority of riders I work with, is that they have come to be afraid of one extreme or the other – particularly with the reins. They have either learned that touching the reins too much is bad, or that leaving too much slack in the reins will mean certain death. The first is often inspired by Natural Horsemanship mantras and methods, and the latter half in part reliance on the reins for balance combined with fear of losing control/having the horse run off or misbehave enough to dump the rider. As much as my students may hate me for it, I am a big proponent of encouraging exploring areas which you are not yet comfortable with in order to build skill and comfort.

Have I ever mentioned I hate the overuse of the phrase, “Ride Every Stride”? I’m officially saying it now! :) Do other rider’s mistake this for meaning giving a cue/signal/aid every moment, including with the legs (thumping the horse’s side every stride of the trot, etc)? I would like to gracefully propose a retraction or redefine said phrase. :) Really, it could more effectively read “Ride Every Stride With Awareness.” To be conscious of your actions, but not necessarily giving orders every moment.

Okay, now I’m getting lazy and ready to move to my last point. :) Yes, I know that I could stammer on for another couple of paragraphs and give away some great secrets, but instead I’m going to leave that part a bit vague and unfinished in order to mention…

That I had a wonderful evening with Ceylon. :) She has been sitting all winter without any work, I’ve started her back into lunge work over the last couple of weeks, and today I sat on her again after too many months. She is of course a sweetheart, but I always seem to reflect on the ease with which starting horses ought to come if the timing is right. If it is wrong, all sorts of horrors can result – bucking, rearing, bolting, balking, spinning, running backwards, etc. It made me remember too one of the first babies I started under saddle, Danny. I owned her several years back now, she found a home in Indianapolis with an older couple. But I remember the first time I rode her, I never ‘officially’ started her. I brought her up from the pasture, knew the moment was appropriate and sat up on her from a mounting block. Bareback with a halter and lead. She happily took to walking and even a bit of gaiting forward around the arena. Made me remember and miss her, and all the other babies I’ve started, and also appreciate the wonderful youngsters I still have to start.. :)

As I mentioned previously, she doesn’t yet have a noteworthy barn name so excuse me as I continue to refer to her in a way that seems nameless (and I’m too lazy to write out or copy and paste her registered name at every reference… that seems overboard). She arrived at her new barn on Friday after a long trailer ride from the coast. She marched onto the trailer with little effort and was a flawless traveler, impressing me and her previous owner as he remarked that she had been rearing and bucking when they last loaded her in a trailer just days ago. The key, I think, is that I wanted to avoid an argument at all costs with her and she seemed to take to that approach.

Stepping off the trailer she marched confidently to the arena where she got the chance to stretch her legs and wander around for a few hours taking in the sights and smells. She can now lay claim to her own stall at night and the chance to run around a pasture all day. A sociable horse she is keen to have her eye on everything at once, while at the same time having a sort of calm about her actions. Of course that was until she saw a lunge whip yesterday and decided she was back on the track… but more about that later.

I like to approach new horses without assuming they know anything, it seems to help in the process of training because any holes that are there seem to show up in a slightly ordered manner and can be dealt with right away. So now I know she trailers well, leads, yesterday she got groomed in cross-ties for the first time and had horses passing through the barn past her with no issues. She doesn’t really know to lower her head when asked – and believe me it is a tall head at times! She’s good with picking up her front feet and holding them for trimming (I already nipped a couple chipped flares off two days ago and plan to do a formal trim soon)… her hind hooves she still needs some work. She likes being groomed with one particular curry but not another and is decidedly sensitive at her flanks, stifles and the way back of her belly. Still she is very affectionate and loves having her face groomed, even if she does still believe that people make great scratching posts.

Overall she is a lovable mare, and I’ve been told that one of the barn owners has now ranked her as his favorite at the barn. If she attracts people to this degree when she is considerably thin, out of shape and still has that racetrack inattention… I can only imagine what sort of magnetism will ensue once she is fat, fit and on point.

Right now I am in the “messing” phase – the part where I am not really doing anything formal but rather just trying to get a feel for what she does and doesn’t know. Ground work at the moment. Not surprising she is better working to the left than to the right but I’ve dealt with far more difficult horses in this regard who weren’t track horses. Her concept of personal space is a little tight so that is a place we need to start at – teaching her to step away when I tap on the side of her shoulder and to step back when I tap on her chest. I know that this isn’t exactly classical – many promote using the chest as a cue for the horse to move forwards. In all practical sense however I want her to be safe and sane around people who aren’t classically trained.

I put her on the lunge for a short while, first without a lunge whip and later free lunged her with a lunge whip. She seemed to have flashbacks to track racing when the lunge whip came out and it was soon put away. Without knowing the exact history on a horse it can be surprising some of the triggers that they have. She has a beautiful trot and lovely canter on the lunge, nice forward gaits. I forgot my camera when I went out yesterday but will have to capture some pictures of her moving soon… and some video – she is quite vocal when she starts moving around at the canter and the noises are humorous. She reminds me of a half-Thoroughbred filly I had who was also quite vocal, considerably more so than any other horse I had encountered at the time.

For now it is a fine balance of beginning to initiate her ground work while at the same time not eating up too much of her energy. She has a ways to go with gaining weight and with winter coming the faster she puts it on the better. For now she is on a grass/alfalfa hay mix and senior feed with a generous helping of rice bran to top dress it. I need to make a run to the grocery store still and pick up a container of vegetable oil as well to help give her some extra fat calories. For the most part though I think she is taking quite well to her new digs and seems to enjoy the added attention from everyone.

On some of my youtube videos posted showing me longing Aligarh his very first time a couple years ago I receive a LOT of comments asking questions on how to fix various problems that show up for people when they attempt to longe their horse. Most of them come back to the fact that the proper walk has not been developed when the horse is being led, so of course it is more difficult to create it from scratch at a distance on the longe – and it is the walk which will correct most of the basic problems that show up. A vicious cycle.

Walking drives the horse’s attention back to you, helps to calm him and promote straightness… when done properly and that is the key. What is proper walking anyways? It isn’t just a lazy stroll through the pasture, it is walking with a purpose. Akin to speed walking but length of stride being more important than speed. It all goes back to the all important tracking.

A proper walk cures a horse of being spooky, distracted, hesitant or insecure, inconsistent, both dullness and being hyper-sensitive and I’ve found it also makes a great activity to bond over with a new horse. Essentially it is like an apple a day, helps keep the doctor away in regards to training problems… go ahead, take your horse out for a walk. I just got back from one!

Have you read the article by Jimmy Wofford, “Is It Art or Violence?” that was published in Practical Horseman? I found it posted online here and here. Excellent stuff, I highly recommend you read it.

What brought me about on my tangent today were several videos on YouTube that I found, or I should say were sent to me. Several people had posted questions asking why the rider was training the horses with their noses behind the vertical and such. When I followed the link on the video description where they were advertising more horses for sale, I was sad to see that it was the norm and not an exception.

What kills me about the use of hyperflexion – or even mild overflexion.. why stop there, weight in the reins altogether – is that is is completely unnecessary when you are communicating with the horse! When we stop communicating and begin dictating is when force becomes a factor of necessity in controlling, directing and ‘dancing’ with the horse. It is merely a more subtle form of shooting at someone’s feet to make them dance.

Every time I go out riding I think of the pure joy involved in finding not only relaxed ‘obedience’ (rather the willingness to say ‘yes’ to my questions and requests), but also collection on a loose rein, without any nosebands, on a simple snaffle, no spurs or the need of my whip. Still it is deemed necessary to remove any physical strength and comprehensive eyesight from these horses in order to dance with them. Do ballroom dancers find it likewise necessary to tie their partner’s hand behind their back and blindfold them in order to waltz?

*Sigh*  btw, working presently on some springtime videos talking about collection with release of the aids and more… so stay tuned. :)

And tomorrow is yet another radio broadcast in which I will be discussing Lazy and Sensitive horses, the nervous system response to stimulation and more. I will once again be joined by Cheryl Frei, who works with me through Awareness In Riding as an Equestrian Life Coach. You can tune in at 12 noon (cst) to our fully interactive online radio broadcast. :)

None of that equates to the rider having any care about the horse. They do not seem to care that they are yanking on the horse’s most sensitive mouth with a leverage bit. They do not seem to care that they are spurring the horse carelessly and excessively. They do not seem to care that the horse is willing to accept these abuses without striking out violently. These riders generally seem to care only about having their horse’s head flexed to the max, the sliding stop prim and perfect and that the horse feel subjugated at all times.

Craig Schmersal – More widely recognized as being a participant in the atrocities of the FEI reining warm-up ring in Malmo, Sweden.

Rieky Young-Van Osch – is it any surprise that she coaches Anky van Grunsven in her new-found love of reining?

Martin Muehlstaetter – Austrian born and worked under such reining “greats” as Lynda Adlof, Bob Avila, Todd Sommers, and Dell Hendericks.

Tom McCutcheon – NRHA $1 Million Dollar Rider.

Nico Hörmann – German based FEI Reining Competitor/Trainer.

Naturally I expect comments from pro-reiners to argue the fact that these reining horses are, in fact, being abused. Not just physically, but the mental abuse is evident in the horses’ expression and demeanor. They are simply waiting for the chance to get back to their stall and check out. To find reprieve from their rider’s unfair demands.

The point of these reining competitions can be only for the money. What other use is there in training a horse to perform a 20 foot sliding stop, to spin endless circles or lope around with their chin to the chest? There isn’t one, except for the lucrative profits to be made.

And for those who have wondered if Clinton Anderson uses Rollkur aka hyperflexion… I will just leave it at the fact that he has competed heavily in reining. Seems like there is something in the water.