Horse Sense

[MAC66]

A few years my OH and I did a course on a ranch in Arizona called Harmony with Horses. This was sort of like natural horsemanship but not based on any particular system, much more about understanding why a horse does what it does, how it hears and sees and learning how the way it hears and sees affects its behaviour, plus how to do join up.

I've just found some notes called Horse Sense we were given and wondered what others might think of them :

1. Prey Animals Perceive People as Predators - any horse will kick or buck under certain conditions

What about bite and run away as well?

2. A Horse is Not a Machine - a horse is by nature, predictably unpredictable

I would add that it's also not a toy, or can be played with like a dog as I saw some children doing with their 3 year old pony yesterday.

3. Fear plus Experience = Respect - your horse can only be as confident as you are

I agree that a confident experienced rider can boost the confidence of a nervous horse, but equally a confident horse will help a nervous inexperienced rider

4. Less is Better - correct what happens before what happens, happens

True, for instance it's far better to prevent the wrong behaviour becoming a permanent bad habit

5. The Ears are the Window to Intent - the rider communicates with his hands, the horse uses his ears

The rider doesn't only use his hands, (my RI would be very cross if I did) there's seat, legs and voice as well. The horse also communicates with his posture.

6. Horse Sense is what Horses have that prevents them from betting on People - learn to think like a horse!


Does anyone have any thoughts on these ?

(I hope I've posted this in the right place - I almost put it on Natural Horsemanship but thought it applied more to keeping and riding horses generally)

[Riley Roo]

A few years my OH and I did a course on a ranch in Arizona called Harmony with Horses. This was sort of like natural horsemanship but not based on any particular system, much more about understanding why a horse does what it does, how it hears and sees and learning how the way it hears and sees affects its behaviour, plus how to do join up.

I've just found some notes called Horse Sense we were given and wondered what others might think of them :

1. Prey Animals Perceive People as Predators - any horse will kick or buck under certain conditions

What about bite and run away as well?

My OH is convinced that because he is vegetarian he has a better relationship with horses than people who eat meat because he doesn't smell like a predator - i am inclined to agree as he has very good relationships with all the horses we know even the difficult ones. I would therefore agree with perception of predators comment and the reaction of buck, kick, rear, bite etc ...

2. A Horse is Not a Machine - a horse is by nature, predictably unpredictable

I would add that it's also not a toy, or can be played with like a dog as I saw some children doing with their 3 year old pony yesterday.

Totally agree - even a top BD/BE horse can spook at a crisp packet :D

3. Fear plus Experience = Respect - your horse can only be as confident as you are

I agree that a confident experienced rider can boost the confidence of a nervous horse, but equally a confident horse will help a nervous inexperienced rider

Definitely - Riley is a nervous horse and responds well to positive riding - i am a nervous rider whilst hacking so he is spookier when i hack him than he is when OH hacks him.

4. Less is Better - correct what happens before what happens, happens

True, for instance it's far better to prevent the wrong behaviour becoming a permanent bad habit

Common sense really - also how aids should be given - the least pressure the better

5. The Ears are the Window to Intent - the rider communicates with his hands, the horse uses his ears

The rider doesn't only use his hands, (my RI would be very cross if I did) there's seat, legs and voice as well. The horse also communicates with his posture.

Ears are the first signal - miss the ears and expect a hoof mark or bite mark somewhere on your body PDQ :)

6. Horse Sense is what Horses have that prevents them from betting on People - learn to think like a horse!

Very true - i have seen many a poor man after he bet on a horse! :)

Does anyone have any thoughts on these ?

(I hope I've posted this in the right place - I almost put it on Natural Horsemanship but thought it applied more to keeping and riding horses generally)

Horse sense is what we all aspire to have and few of us ever reach :)

[lobeliaoverhill]

2. A Horse is Not a Machine - a horse is by nature, predictably unpredictable


Oh I'm getting that printed on a t-shirt!! I'm sick to the back teeth of people who think that because the horse is tacked up and has a rider on board that it's not going to do anything 'odd' ever ... :rolleyes:

[greymare]

A few years my OH and I did a course on a ranch in Arizona called Harmony with Horses. This was sort of like natural horsemanship but not based on any particular system, much more about understanding why a horse does what it does, how it hears and sees and learning how the way it hears and sees affects its behaviour, plus how to do join up.

I've just found some notes called Horse Sense we were given and wondered what others might think of them :

1. Prey Animals Perceive People as Predators - any horse will kick or buck under certain conditions

What about bite and run away as well?

2. A Horse is Not a Machine - a horse is by nature, predictably unpredictable

I would add that it's also not a toy, or can be played with like a dog as I saw some children doing with their 3 year old pony yesterday.

3. Fear plus Experience = Respect - your horse can only be as confident as you are

I agree that a confident experienced rider can boost the confidence of a nervous horse, but equally a confident horse will help a nervous inexperienced rider

4. Less is Better - correct what happens before what happens, happens

True, for instance it's far better to prevent the wrong behaviour becoming a permanent bad habit

5. The Ears are the Window to Intent - the rider communicates with his hands, the horse uses his ears

The rider doesn't only use his hands, (my RI would be very cross if I did) there's seat, legs and voice as well. The horse also communicates with his posture.

6. Horse Sense is what Horses have that prevents them from betting on People - learn to think like a horse!


Does anyone have any thoughts on these ?

(I hope I've posted this in the right place - I almost put it on Natural Horsemanship but thought it applied more to keeping and riding horses generally)

I agree with this.

I don't like to hear about who people who treat their horses like robots and if they even look in the wrong direction they reprimand the horse for it.

I know that many would say we have to be sure that the horse is safe, and we have to be in charge, but I am not totally in agreement with that theory. Horses have a mind of their own and if we dont allow them to express it you end up with an animal that is like an automated machine, which is a very sad existance. There is a balance which must be achieved.

By understanding the horses nautral behaviour we are in a better position to understand why they react the way they do and thus become better at helping them get through the un-natural tasks that we ask of them.

In saying that, they way Tyler struts his stuff in front of some mares, I woudl rather not know what is going through his head !!! :rolleyes::o