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Every rider IS a trainer -- every time you interact with a horse

70K views 139 replies 99 participants last post by  QtrBel 
#1 ·
EVERY RIDER IS A TRAINER! I tried to figure out what thread I wanted to post this under, and there were half a dozen that needed it so I thought I would give it is own thread and everyone can discuss it at will. Crucify me if you like, but these observations have come from more than 50 years of effective and very successful training of all kinds of pleasure and performance horses AND THEIR OWNERS from many breeds (including Arabians and mules) along with retraining literally hundreds of badly spoiled horses -- mostly spoiled by novice owners with good intentions.

I am afraid most backyard horse owners and more than a few people that claim to be 'trainers' actually understand what constitutes 'effective' horse riding and training. Few understand how horse behavior actually works.

An effective trainer (or rider) looks at EVERY ride as a training session. An effective rider goes into every ride with a plan and fully expects the horse to be doing something 'better' at the end of that ride than it did at the end of the last ride, even a relaxing trail ride. To expect less will result in less. Horses seldom exceed our expectations. To get a better outcome than you anticipated is a 'gift' and you shouldn't expect one very often.

I frequently hear people say "But I don't want to learn how to train a horse. I just want to have a pleasant trail ride when I take my horse out."

Well, that is not how a horse thinks. If you are not teaching that horse to do something better than it did before, then it is learning to do something worse. It is a steady down-hill drag until the owner HAS to address the horse's training, has to have someone qualified fix it, turns it into a pasture pet, trades it off or sells the spoiled beast -- frequently to the kill pen. YOU ARE A TRAINER WHETHER YOU WANT TO BE ONE OR NOT!!!

Another mistake that novice owners and 'would-be' ineffective trainers make is thinking that trainers have to be harsh and 'mean'. If a person effectively trains a horse from the beginning, most horses can be trained without anyone ever having to get after them. But, it is NOT always possible to retrain a spoiled horse and get it to stop really bad behavior without getting a lot rougher on them it. It depends on the individual horse, but bad behavior -- particularly dangerous aggressive behavior - has to be stopped and the horse has to know that such behavior has serious consequences. This is a lot different than never letting a horse do bad things to begin with. Again, some owner / rider somewhere is responsible for letting the horse become spoiled. Training a green horse is MUCH different than retraining a spoiled one. It is SOOOO much better to never let them learn bad behavior.

That brings me to some of the questions I read here:

"Why did my horse bite me?"
"Why does my horse try to turn around?"
"Why does my horse stop and refuse to go?"
"Why does my horse lay its ears back at me?"
"Why does my horse put its head down and pulls the reins through my hands?"
"Why does my horse throw its head up?"
"Why is my horse threatening to rear?"
"Why won't my horse back up?" (Substitute trailer load, cross water, stand tied, let me pick up his feet -- the list is endless.)

Horses do (or don't do) all of these things because someone has let them do it before or has let them do little things that led up to doing this bigger thing. They simply do it because they can and have.

The difference between these horse owners and an effective trainer is that trainers notice and interrupt the little things before they become big problems. If a horse pushes against a bit, ever so slightly, the rider should interrupt that push, over-correct it and demand that the horse back off the bit.

If a horse pushes a shoulder out and 'drifts' out even a stride or two, (like toward a gate), that should be instantly countered by demanding a leg yield the opposite direction. If a horse is to be taught to stay between the rider's hands and between the rider's legs, the tiniest deviation has to be corrected, long before the horse runs shoulder first to the gate or a friend or the barn or ????

If a horse tries to turn around, that should be interrupted immediately and the horse should always be turned back the direction it turned from -- never brought all the way around even though that would get it headed back the right direction. That is a 'win' for the horse. To turn back is a win for the rider and an effective correction. To turn back abruptly and rather roughly with a heel or a spur in the ribs would be an even more effective response, especially if this is not the first time the horse has tried this stunt. You want the horse to know that it is unacceptable for it to initiate any move you did not ask for. It is MOST effective to interrupt a behavior as it first begins. This means you 'meet' the horse and fix the problem before most observers can even see what the horse tried to do. A good rider can 'feel' a problem before an observer can see it. This is what is called 'timing and feel'. Good riders and trainers have good timing and feel like having a sixth sense.

Every rider needs to remember that anything you allow a horse to do is what you are training that horse to do -- as surely as though it was the intended training goal.

As for rearing -- that is almost 100% the fault of the rider -- either past or present. Horses rear because they lack forward motion or have a fearful rider that is pulling too much on the reins. Fearful riders cause most rearing. They either lack the skill or nerve to ride a horse confidently forward or they are so fearful that they 'trap' the horse between their pull on the reins and the horse's desire to go forward. A trapped and frequently nervous horse feels that they can only escape by going 'up'. Once they rear and the rider gets off or takes them back to the barn, they have been effectively 'trained' to rear to get out of uncomfortable situations. It quickly begins a spoiled horse's often fatal descent to the killer pen or to permanent turn-out.

Every single thing a horse does that is not exactly what the rider wants or has asked for, should be immediately countered by some action on the rider's part that interrupts or corrects the behavior.

On the other hand, every rider has to be fair. Riders and trainers should only ask a horse to do what it is ready and able to do. Expectations should not exceed the horse's mental or physical ability. If a rider wants reasonable responses, they have to make reasonable requests and have to be ready and able to get the job done.

The rider should not accept less than full and reasonable compliance from the horse. In other words, do not ask a horse to do something that you have not prepared him for and have the time, ability and the full intention of getting done. To fail, tells the horse that it does not have a strong leader that it can trust and that obedience is optional. This is where most trailer loading, water crossing, bathing, spraying, bridling etc problems begin. The more times you fail to accomplish a goal, the less likely the horse is to do anything else you want, either. Pretty darn quickly you have a spoiled horse that only does just what it pleases and could care less what a handler / rider wants it to do.
 
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#2 ·
Cherie, I just want to say :clap: and :thumbsup:

I've read a lot of your posts and I appreciate seeing common sense horsemanship in your answers. There seems to be a lack of that with a lot of the fad training I've seen come and go over the years. Kudos!
 
#5 ·
Cherie: I have tried many times to say the very same thing you just did but you said it much better. So many horse owners want some kind of mystical bond with thier horse and think that if they just get that then all the other problems will go away. For some reason down-to-earth, reasonable people lose all sense of reality when they interact with thier horse.
 
#8 ·
Cherie, this gets my vote as one of the top posts ever to make an appearance on this forum! I completely agree, every rider is a trainer and every rider has a responsibility to learn what that means. It is only fair to the horse and is unsafe for them as a rider otherwise.
 
#10 ·
Excellent Post.
Riders need to understand that each time they hop on a horse, they teach it something. Good or bad. Our horses need to respect us and be disciplined.

One thing that I see a lot is riders/owners allowing their horses to rub on them because it is "bonding" or "cute". 600-700kg of horse, I'm sorry but this is plain disrespect. Riders need to be continuously aware of their horses behavior. An effective rider can feel a horse and prevent -most- issues before they happen and not allow the horse to have bad/dangerous behavior.
 
#15 ·
I was thinking about this post yesterday while I was riding and had to think that not only is, "every rider a trainer" but also that "every rider is being trained" every time you interact with a horse. I think it is important that people are in a learning and teaching mode when riding horses. But it also takes time and experience to know what you should be learning. Horse trainers are invaluable for the horse, and for the rider. Too often people think that horse trainers are only for horses, when in reality the rider is the one who needs to be trained.
 
#16 ·
perfectly put! This should come attached to every horse's halter when someone new gets them!
 
#17 ·
This is exactly what im trying to achieve with my pony but i just dont feel like im getting anywhere.. Perhaps you could help me? I just posted the 'spooky naughty pony' thing and i think half of the problem is the fact that his owner just lets him get away with everything.. I've heard from others that when they take him out for a hack most of the time they come back leading him. I feel like what im trying to do is getting him and me nowhere :( Take a read and tell me what you think? I dont know whether to just give up and find a different horse :(
 
#18 ·
I hope all of our young and/or new members read this. It just may help a rider understand what our interaction with a horse can or can't do. I'm going to stick this thread.
 
#19 ·
Loved your post Cherie! Absolutely agree 100%. I have definitely been guilty of blaming my horse for behaviours which in hindsight have been created by me. As I get older I am learning that when I know better, I do better.
 
#20 ·
Perfect Post

Thank you for this post. I read it twice and have now decided to print it out and place it on my saddle to be read before each ride. These words need to be memorized and be a part of every rider's thinking before, during, and after each ride. I appreciate every word. Thank you again!
 
#22 ·
Excellant thread!

I've been trying very hard to get this across to my 2 Little Riding Buddies that I mentor. One 12, one 14 - and whenever they are riding their horses, they don't make a plan. They don't have a game plan to follow, they just ride around free willy nilly, same thing day in, day out, no working on anything particular, no trying to improve their quality of ride - nothing.

I try to emphasize to them that when they go home from this particular days ride, to sit down with a piece of paper and write down their goals on one side and what they feel they need to fix on the other side. When they do that, to pick 1 thing out of that list they made, to work on the next day.

It hasn't quite sunk in yet. Work in progress, lol.

I hear from them, while we ride, how they blame their horses for this incident or that incident, etc, etc - and I try my best to correct their train of thought - from them blaming their horses, to having them take a step back and try to see how they played a big role in the drama that incurred.

I too hope that the young riders read this :)
 
#23 ·
I agree with all that. But for the plan... I have tried many many times. But when I come to my horse, finally, I can only decide on short-terms plan in so far as what we do depends on his spirit at the moment. I know what general idea I have for the day, I know if we are in the arena I want this and that, and if we take a walk this and that. But I mostly "follow" what he seems to need, what I seem to need. Sometimes I come and want to work on good transitions, and he just does them perfectly at once... so I try to come out with another idea, and if I can't think of something I will be able to teach and learn properly, we just go out, he loves that and there the goals are: keeping showing him I'm a deserving leader and efficient protector, keeping helping him manage his fears, and enjoying ourselves together as a team. I also take advantage of his energy on the straight roads to improve leg-yielding and see that it is done even with birds or dogs all around, shoulder-in too we had our first ones while walking on a road...

All I know for sure is that I want to have a horse that is calm, energetic, willing to answer to all my suggestions, and I want us to be comfortable and improve our relationship each time we see each other, even when it is just to take him to his pasture, or to give him a good grooming and massage. But then, when we work, the moves I ask him to do are not foretold, I prepare things, I ask simple things and then more complicated things, and so on, but there is no real plan... But I do keep a diary/journal in which I write every tiny detail of the hours spent with him, any glance, any impression is written down and I reread it before I go to see my horse, to see what we did last times, and how I can improve us, and keep him interested in me.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I 100% agree and that is constantly on my mind. Now of course some days are a lot simpler in training than others, but I still train. I have a friend who is very much the "I just want to ride, not train" and he now is FORCED to train on the ground every time he comes out because he bought a horse that has a bolting problem. When he first got the gelding (who was owned by timid handlers and riders!) he worked with him and we had the bolting under control as long as we trained on it several days a week. Even if it was simply 5min before a ride, he had a refresher on respect every day. After a couple months of just riding, then most of the winter off, the horse is WORSE than before due to lack of owner wanting to deal with the issues because hed rather just ride a pleasant trail horse. Now his horse bolts in hand and under saddle as well as kicks and bucks AT YOU in the round pen. After many many arguments and months of convincing him to work with his horse he is finally coming out and letting me guide him through the terrible training he was so afraid of. its a work in progress, but atleast hes working now! I do have to constantly point out to him though that he is always training his horse, even when hes just going out to feed him a treat and give him a pat! Most people are able to go out pat and give a carrot and not worry, but with this pushy disrespectful gelding even giving a treat his training simply because he wants to plow into you with his shoulder and push you around. the owner would let him push into him, then hed step aside, and the gelding would keep doing it. The owner couldnt understand for the longest time that things such as that, as small as it may seem, are disrespectful and dominating and that the owner is in fact teaching him that these actions are ok and are, in fact, REWARDED by the person giving in. I truly wish people would get out of this mentality that they want to just ride. If thats the case buy a golf cart, not a horse. Im not saying every horse needs every single second to be training...but in order to get to that respectful and polite easy mount a lot of training needs to happen, and then small corrections are made each ride to keep from bad behaviors developing. If only if only..... :) This way of thinking is one of the reasons why I like Clinton Anderson, because he asks nice, then tells, then demands....doesnt nag nag nag until he gets the response or until he just decides hell try something else. Also, when a horse misbehaves he corrects it QUICK and with as much force as necessary. I love that you pointed out that when I horse turns you dont circle them that way to get them back on track, you pull them back the opposite way they just turned. Its a HUGE pet peeve of mine that others do that and I see it constantly. When I point it out Im often told that I am too nit-picky about what the horse is doing and that its not a big deal theyll get back on track one way or another. It truly is those 'small' things such as that that lead to the REALLY big things! Im sure my friends gelding probably starting out just turning away, but now has developed such a quick bolt no one can stop him. When I started training with him he had a saddle put on and the longe line went from the bit to under the girth back to my hand. that way when he bolted and I pulled he got his head yanked straight back to his barrel. He tried it twice and never tried it again until the training for bolting stopped for 5 months and then one day the instinct to bolt came back. yes the method may seem harsh, but this horse bolted if you simply asked him to step forward and more than once he ran through a fence.
 
#25 ·
Wonderful post! I started riding very late in life and at first all I wanted to do was "go for a nice ride." It took awhile but eventually I understood that my horse, who wasn't terribly well-trained when I got him, was getting more and more out of control - and it was my fault.

Then I had to think long and hard about whether I was truly willing to put in the time required before I could just "go for a nice ride", because I knew that if I wasn't, I should just give up horses altogether.

Eventually I traded that horse for one that was extremely well-trained, and now I'm learning how to KEEP her well-trained. And it's a joy, an absolute joy, when my horse acknowledges my leadership.
 
#26 ·
So what is a new rider to do ?

Great post! The problem that I am faced with is... What is a new rider to do? I don't possess the skills to know exactly when the horse is "testing" me. I take lessons on a really great horse but when I ride a horse that I have been wanting to purchase that doesn't listen to me , I really don't know how to respond. I feel like I should be taking lessons on a less trained horse to get the feel. I leave my lessons very confident and feel really stupid when I get on a prospect that I take a test ride on and it doesn't do what I ask of it. The owner can get on the horse and it does exactly what he asks it to do.

I'm just very frustrated and I don't even own a horse yet. Am I over thinking this and will it be something I just have to learn on my own?

Thanks
 
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