Horse Training at The RiverFarm

Natural Horsemanship Training at the RiverFarm in Whatcom County- Near Bellingham, WA.

Monday found me on the ferry from Orcas Island on my way to the River Farm in Deming,WA to resume  training and teaching with the horses. It was cold but dry in the am, but the weather was supposed to turn later in the day. It's about 90 minutes of 'petal to the metal' to Deming once you get to Anacortes. I had a good ride over on the ferry, studying my Jin Shin and doing some treatments on my feet, which tend to get tired when I train horses and teach most of the day.

River Farm is a suistainable community east of Bellingham on the Nooksack River. The two horses are Sally and Sadie, who are progressing very nicely in their Natural Horsemanship Training. 

These Halflinger/QH cross mares are very sweet- just loook at those eyes! Holly and Rosie had done a good job keeping them tuned up over the winter, but now it was time to start making some progress again.

We reviewed the Seven Games, and worked on Compainion walking to get the horses really tuned in to me. It's like a dance and very relaxing for both trainer and horse. The horse gets really responsive and soft and the trainer/leader gets into the right  mind set. While working on this we wandered down to the River, where an eagle sat perched in a tree. I reflected on how lucky I was to be working out doors in such a beautiful place, with eagles and horses and such great folks.

I was so absorbed in my engagement with Sally, I did not see Holly and Sadie come up behind me. Sally was so tuned in to me, she did not even fuss with her pal catching up with us! Holly and I worked the horses on the River for a while, reviewing what we had done last summer and fall.

It was hard to believe that one day last summer Rosie led Sadie (pictured here) into the River and they swam together!
From the river, we went on to ground driving, as our goal is to get the horses pulling this summer..It was a good thing we started early in the day, as by 4 pm, the rains and then snow started. Burr.. it was cold!
Turns out all that Jin Shin really worked and I went home tired, but my feet did not hurt at all!

Dancing with My Horses

My Wild Boys!

 The quiet rainy months on Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest are such a contrast to the sunny long days in spring and summer. Now the days are short and the mists draw you inward.

Rascal give me horse kisses!

 I have taken to singing and dancing with my horses. I like for them to have a chance to work in a fun, relaxing way during what is a quiet time on Orcas Island. I want them to be 'in tune' with me.  I have found that the singing relaxes me and my horses and our play just flows. We do circles and changes of direction, changes of gait, lateral movements, frontwards and backwards - like a cha-cha. When I halt, it's their job to lift their shoulders and bring in their noses. Then they get a small slice of apple.

Ranger and Rascal love to Play!

 I want to be more relaxed and dance like in my riding, so I am working at being more fluid in my movements on the ground with my boys and it will be interesting to see if this carries over. I am betting it will..in the meantime, it's fun!

Black Elk - almost FREE from the BLM!

Walter Zettle says: 'do 1,000 transition -  and.. nothing beautiful can be forced'

I know that a  balanced horse is a horse that is fun to ride. I am sure a balanced person is more fun for the horse.

I'd love to hear what you think of my new webiste: Horsemanship on Orcas

Learned Helplessness in Horse Training

Black Elk, Shaman and Rascal Running Free!

The more I teach and train, the more I have come to question how we go about training and working with our horses. When I was young, I did as I saw people around me do with horses, althought I always was on the gentle end of the spectrum. Still there were plenty of times I was told: 'just kick 'em!' 'make him do it!' or 'show him who's boss!'.

Rascal

Taking a green horse down the road with no thought to how the horse might be experiencing all the new sounds and sights, as well as the genuine fear about being separated from the herd, was something that we all did casually. When the horse balked,  the mantra was 'just keep 'em going forward'! Don't let him stop!  Barking dogs, traffic, flapping laundry, all this I expected my horse to take in stride. When he didn't I was surprised, when he bolted or froze, I got mad. Not much of a friend to my horse was I?

Polly and Shaman - Relaxed and Confident!

The term 'breaking a horse' always sent a shiver down my spine. I tried to tell myself, it didn't really mean how it sounded...who would want to do that to a horse? That and so many other abusive terms are so ingrained in our language around horses. Recently I read a blog post where the horse was lunged in deep sand until the horse was dripping wet (with a photo to prove it) prior to being ridden. Then the horse bolted in the very small round pen due to a small change in her surrondings. It made my heart pound to read this, and it was hard to fall asleep that night with that image of that amount of  fear. I wonder why the rider and trainer thought the horse had learned something good from that?  The horse was terrified for her very life! Yet, all the comments were about how 'brave' the rider was, and what a good job she did!  When does brave cross the line to stupidity and cruelty?

Black Elk having fun!

Don't get me wrong. We all make mistakes when training, well maybe Walter Zettle doesn't any more, but most of us are a work in progress. I look back at some of the things I did to and with horses in my youth and shudder. I am so ashamed, deeply ashamed. Yet, everyone around me did as much or more. Now, I am looking and exploring a different way of being with horses.

Rascal - Interested in Everything!

I think getting in a hurry gets us into more trouble than just about anything. Having a timeline dictate our 'success'. I am trying in my own way to change that. To put my horse's comfort and happiness in front of my ego. To teach my horses in a way that allows them a measure of choice. To use 'attraction' rather than force.  To judge my time with my horses with the measure of are they happier now than when I started, are they more relaxed?

Many of the ways of gentling a mustang and training horses in general, have to do with flooding the horse with sensations, pressure until the horse stops or gives up. With our first two mustangs, Ranger and Rascal we found that sharing space with them and allowing them to follow us and sniff our hair, graze on the lawn worked wonders. I discovered this when we put up electric fence across the driveway, so we had to walk through their space every time we went to the car or brought groceries home. They loved it! They were curious about us.. we were not focusing on them and they felt safe as a result. It was so easy! The gentling evolved at their pace. When I first went to back Rascal, he stood quietly as if to say: "wow, my girl is all over me now!"  He did not seem fearful and all I asked was that he stand, just stand, it was enough.

Black Elk, first week on Orcas

With Black Elk, it was winter and muddy, using the lawn and the driveway was not an option. So,  I tried Leslie Neuman's Bamboo Pole Method. (This involves putting a bamboo pole lightly on the horse's withers and removing it when he stops. It allows you to have contact with a wild horse) OH.... Black Elk was terrified and he was the calmest mustang I'd ever known! ( he ran in circles, obvously very frightened) It made me feel sick to try to conect with him this way, literally sick. I wrote pages and pages in my journal about it, and I only tried it for a few minutes!  So, instead I just hung out with him, feeding him handfuls of hay and eventually bites of apples. Then I started using the clicker and a language was created between us. He was completely at liberty to interact or to leave but he chose to stay almost always. If he left, then I left. If I left first, he'd often follow me around from the inside of his corral. It made me sad he had to be fenced in, and especialy in the corral that winter. But, I figured he'd trade running free for good grub, and he knew all about starvation in the mountains in the winter.

Ranger and Rascal making friends with Ina

There are lots of ways to flood or overwhelm your horse. Overwhelm means: " To be confronted with more than one can bear." 

Ranger greeting Ina

 This is a training method? Yes, this is a common training method. Look for it, and you will begin to see it many places in the training of horses. 

Ken asking Rascal to flex at the poll

What happens when the horse cannot bear what is happening? Well, they shut down, most of them go inside, they freeze. They may explode later, but for for right now they freeze, like when the know they cannot excape the lion and they are going to die. Is this how we want to train? Is this the relationship we are seeking with our horses? You know these horses.. you see them on Dude strings, Camp horses, you don't have to look far to find them, they look blank, shut down, depressed. They have lost what is the best in them. Their spirits. I realize that this method teaches the horse to be helpless. 

Niah and Kiatan teaching Ranger to drop his head

Learned Helplessness is what you see in abused children and women. It results in depression and a lack of ability to think and act proactively. It makes horses and people 'docile', and sad. It actually prevents learning.

Rascal is always interested and offering new ideas. He makes me laugh!

I think that's what many horse training techniques, including 'breaking a horse' rely on - learned helplessness. 

It's not how I want to teach or train.  I am after something completely different. How about you? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Trails at Liberty with Shaman

Shaman is our Kiger Mustang and he is full of brio! He has been a challange for me in some ways. First of all he was supposed to be my husband's horse, but Ken never found the time, so I started working with him. He was fiesty and full of it, but also very sweet. He is very light and attentive and loves the ground work. However, I have been frustrated because after two falls from him  (ride # 1 and ride #2 - both bareback) I have not wanted to risk a third. I have chosen to have a younger, more athletic rider who is adept at the emergency dismount to ride under my supervision. Now, she's gone, and Shaman and I are back to working it out. Riding Shaman is such a dream for me due to his natually collected movements and lightness.

I have been working on just building a good conection with him. He loves working at liberty, even when all 4 ouf the boys are out in the arena together, Shaman will come and play games with me; circling at a trot and canter, standing on the stump, side passing over barrels, backing up with his tail, or hand signals, coming to me at a canter.

Yesterday, I asked him to jump the barrels, and even  with the other guys horsin' around, he willing jumped over several times.

Today when we played, we upped the anty. First we played our games in the arena, and he was very enthusiastic!  Then we went out of the arena. I took him up past the rabbits, with those guys scrambling around and all the construction stuff there, this is the horses' least favorite place. But, I felt we had such a good conection going that Shaman would be OK, and, he was! Quietly he watched me for cues and quietly he walked along. Once on the trail, I took his lead rope and put it over his back. He was free to do as he chose. Now it would be interesting to see what happend. He is not generally confident on the trail, so it was going to be a challange. The other horses were calling for him, he could chose to go to them, or come with me. At first I had to encourage him a lot. Just a few steps at a time. Then further and further, I was armed with tiny bites of apples. Then, I made a shift, and let go of all expectations. After all what could happen? He'd run home is all!

But, with the other horses calling he still chose to come with me! Then I made a second shift, I began to whistle and to not worry how 'close' he was. I relaxed and he relaxed. ( Ha, just like I tell my students!) We walked and trotted down the trail together, I never picked up his rope, never needed to.  Part of the time he walked beside me proud and relaxed. His expression was eager, alert and totally happy. Sometimes he followed me nibbling on grass when he found some. When  he got far behind, I'd 'trot' and he'd trot to catch up. This is a huge breakthrough for both of us. This is where I want to go with my horses - I want them to feel free and happy, enjoying adventures together.  ( photos not from today)

Fear Issues with Horses

Note how fearful Shaman it, and how Abby is reassuring him.

FEAR - it raises it's scary face with most of us with horses at some time or another. I know all about fear and horses. My fear became deep seated when my 8 year old daughter fell from my sweetest and safest horse ever, lost her helmet and sustained a traumatic brain injury. Two weeks in a coma after neurosurgery, two weeks when she could neither talk or walk or swallow. A long path to recovery and still she struggles every single day with things most of us take for granted.

Shaman still is frightened, Abby is relaxed and reassuring.

First, the experts did not expect her to live, then they did not expect she would be capable of much, then they suggested  long term rehab center, then it was 'special classes'. A nightmare for a little girl.

I had different opinions. Good nutrition and being at home with her family, and therapy, hours and hours of therapy. We started with the basics: crawling. Up and down the hall, we crawled together. I followed many of the ideas of an independent thinker, Glen Dolman who wrote "Your Brain Injured Child". He believed in pattering and rebuilding the neural pathways or making new ones if necessary. It was a long road. She went swimming, jumped on a trampoline, when to a chiropractor, had PT and OT every day, and I made sure she had time with children her age to regain her social skills. It was a long hard road. She still is recovering almost 30 years later. We both are.

My Sweet Girl all grown up!

My sweet girl, Felicity graduated high school with her class, she got scholarships to the U. of Miami and graduated in 4 years with a double major. She lived in her own apartment from the time she was 19, as she was not into wasting her time with the party atmosphere at college. She's a hard worker and smart as a whip!

Felicity in Mexico

As for me, my lifetime passion with horses came to a screeching halt. Once my solace and happiness, they became my biggest fear. Eventually, I put aside horses as they brought up the pain and fear and the guilt.

Ken picking bales out of the field in Crow Valley

My husband, dear man felt that I needed to reclaim that part of myself, and over time began by quietly bringing horse magazines home. ..then we went and looked at some horses..  Well, here I am riding my mustangs - but, don't think for a minute that I am done with the FEAR. I have to deal with it all the time. I have tools to deal with it, gentle tools like EFT, and Stephanie Burns : 'move closer stay longer' , and most importantly learning how to read the horse. We, as the leader need to learn to help the horse with his fear issues. For it is when the horse is afraid that we get hurt.

I don't believe that 'just make him do it' works for the horse, or for the person! I believe if we take our time you and the horse will become more confident and competent. Learning how to handle a horse with expertise on the ground will give you more skills than you can imagine once you begin to ride. Understanding how to move the horse's body while standing next to a horse is a logical step to understanding how to move the horse's body while riding. So, lunging, ground driving, games with your horse, trail walks - all these things are building blocks for your future together. Every time you handle your horse, you are training your horse, that is why I feel it's so important to learn all the foundation steps. The payoffs are great. A safer and happier horse, a more confident and relaxed rider and much less fear!

When I met my student Betty, she said she didn't know if she ever would ride again.. but, here she is on Rascal - looking happy and relaxed. When I asked was she afraid, she said: "oh, no, not at all!"

Working in the Rain

So how many of you are willing to stand in the rain and work with your horses? I am not talking a little mist.. I am talking real rain, where you get cold and wet?

Do you think your kids would love to be with a horse this much?

Um.. warm fire and hot chocolate or rain and horses?? Even Shaman thinks he'd rather be cozy. (But I think it's good for a horse to learn sometimes he has to work in the rain!)

So, not to expect too much from Shaman, we got Black Elk out.. he's less concerned about discomfort.

Polly's working on having him listen to her by dropping his head.

 In case you think Polly would rather be somewhere else.. it was totally her choice..work in the rain or come back tomorrow.. this is what she wanted to do!

As usual, we had a blast! 

Teaching people and helping horses

It's been a great summer of teaching. New students, new challenges and lots of great feedback. I have a habit of trying to remember the good things.. Sure there is lots to gripe about, poor economy, my real estate career becoming bare bones, but life is short, so I try to focus on the good.

One of the highlights of my summer was my week long intensive with 9 year old Polly. She and my young Kiger really hit it off, and after a week, I saw a different horse.. He was more relaxed and much more accommodating. I see this as the power of love. Polly modeled firm and loving leadership with Shamen. Polly was a great student, but even more than that she was so much fun!  She is thoughtful and focused, and her focus grew with each day of working towards mastering her communication with Shaman.

This is what her Grandmother sent me, she told me to post it on my blog:

I would just like to say that it was truly a wonderful week for little Polly! I sensed that, it being summer and Orcas, that you had a  very busy week with many things besides "horse" lessons for Polly, but I must say it felt to me that when you were working with Polly you were so present with her each day, and clear and thoughtful about how each lesson would unfold.  Your enthusiasm and the love you have for what you are doing permeates the lessons. As you know, I was worried that Polly would be  disappointed not to be able to get up on a horse and ride this week. I feel that you  and you alone have taught her why it is important not to have done that and she was so happy with what you gave her, she hardly seemed to miss it. It seems that she really understands why. Your warmth and gentle, but firm and clear approach to Polly and what you are teaching is indeed a gift. In some ways I can see this work as therapy for these kids whose lives are so hectic and busy. I am glad we were able to make this available to Polly now when she is just 9 years old. It is a perfect age as she begins to see the world with a more global view.  These skills you have been teaching her I know will impact her relationships at school and at home. 

Even though I wish she could have been doing this ALL summer we are looking forward to another bit of time at the end of August!

Now Polly is back for a second week. She told me she was so upset she would not see Shaman or me again.. and was just told a few weeks ago, we had a plan for August. I was so tickled to see her, and we quickly picked up where we had left off.. a little review..and off we went.

Well, Shaman being the free thinking fellow he is, had to challenge her leadership. Small package does not mean small energy in Polly's case and Polly was up to the challange- using her core energy- her chi- to push Shaman out of her space to the outside of the round pen. Her grandmother, while watching, told me later.. 'whew.. that was really something!"

Mustangs are not the easiest of horses, they are bred for survival not mindless following of the rules. They like to make sure they are in good hands. Working with my students horses, I now see what good teachers they have been for me!

I often hear: "you make it look so easy'...

I have come to see that the trainer can step in and communicate with the horse and the horse often instantly responds, where as the student may have been struggling with this same issue for a long, long time. Often it's a little thing that stands in the way of communication. Like blocking the horses shoulder, or not positioning the horse correctly for the exercise, or just not standing your ground. I see 'problems' disappear during lessons.

The thing that I find so interesting is that although I can easily have the horse do as I bid, once the horse's person is taught the skills and master's those skills,  the quality of what the horse offers is so much greater. For example, I have a 15 year old student who has a Halflinger/Quarter Horse cross. Sadie, the mare is farily timid and was rather sluggish when asked to do anything. We worked her on a line for about a month and then in the round pen.

In the round pen, at liberty she came alive! She became much more engaged in the activity; was energetic and playful. Rosie had lots of draw with her mare. After a week with her open- hearted, loving owner, working in the round pen, she had given her heart. That week, Rosie rode her on a lunge line for the first time in a year,  and then we went downt to the River, just to see is we could work on getting Sadie's toes wet. To our surprise, the horse who had always been afraid of the water - happily followed her pal into the Nooksac River and they swam together.  I sat and watched in awe of this union!  We had worked on building a relationship, establishing leadership and respect, and here was the proof of the pudding. Love+Knowledge+Practice=Amazing Results!  WOW!!  And did I have a camera.. no!