Horsemanship
Horsemanship is the basic foundation for all that I do with the horse. I want to get this established on my horses just as soon as possible. I need to prepare my horse's position required for the correct transition for what ever job is at hand. I need my horse to be soft and supple both in mind and body. He may be required to back up, move laterally left or right, turn quickly left or right, go forward, or stop rather quickly. My horse is my partner, I must learn to help my horse with the physical training, understand how he operates mentally, and as Tom Dorrance talks about, understand the importance of the spiritual part of the horse and his need to survive in this realm.
The following article and diagram, written by my wife Betty King, illustrates how we build this foundation for the horse and rider.
A Way of Being
Are we at peace, or are we at war? I’ve been pondering that question and how it affects our relationship with other humans and our horses since I read a little gem of a book last summer entitled Anatomy of Peace. The premise of the book was that our way of seeing others either as people or as objects determines whether we are at peace or at war. If we see them as people, honoring their humanity as we would our own, and responding positively to their unspoken needs then we can be at peace. As soon as we betray our better selves by seeing them as objects and being resistant to their needs we have the need to justify our behavior by vilifying them, which leads to a state of emotional war. Whether we are at peace or at war is our way of being.
Furthermore, it seems that our way of being, more than our actions, determines the response we get. It determines the quality of our feel with the horse. I’ve thought about how often I’ve heard someone at one of Bob’s clinics say, “I do the same thing with my horse that you do, but my horse still doesn’t respond to me the way it does to you.” Of course the thought that comes to mind is that if they had done what Bob did, the way he did it, with the attitude that he had, they would have gotten the same response. That person has usually just demonstrated by their actions or words that they are at war with the horse.
No one enjoys being at war. It feels terrible, but often we attribute that feeling to something that a person, or a horse, has done to us. We believe that if they would just change some things about how they live or act, we would feel fine. We don’t realize that we are responsible for that feeling, that it comes from inside us, how we are seeing others, and not from anything external.
Think about that for a moment. When we see horses clearly, as horses (and not humans in horse clothing,) with all the wonderful, honest, forgiving qualities they possess, with their need to co-exist in safety and peace, do we want to use terms such as stupid, lazy, stubborn, cowardly, or vicious to describe them? On the other hand, when, we see them as objects to be used to gratify our egos, or satisfy our needs, or return a monetary investment, then we become resistant to their needs and think only of ours. At that point we have to use those negative concepts to justify our lack of response. Once we enter this state of mind we set up a situation in which the horse generally responds in a negative way to our actions and intentions, which gives us more justification for our blaming and accusing thoughts. We go to war with our horse.
Many years ago, when I first saw Ray Hunt working with a horse I recognized his ability to be at peace with that animal whether it was responding in a way that was useful for Ray or not. Because he saw the true worth of the animal and honored that he had no need to blame, criticize or accuse. I couldn’t have described that quality at the time; I just knew that watching him interact with a horse was about the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. There was a quality to the way he touched the horse that spoke volumes yet defied description. He often worked with troubled horses that needed quick, firm reminders that Ray was to be respected, sometimes his actions could be described as hard, even harsh, out of necessity, but he never went to war. His goal was always what was in the best interest of the horse. It was his way of being.
Last fall, in Sheridan Wyoming, I watched Buck Brannaman working a young horse that had no respect for the lead rope, and not much for the human. It was dangerous and on the thin edge of serious trouble. Buck seemed concerned that the horse was going to get a bad deal and so was the human, and he did what was necessary to help the horse work through the problem. His level of concentration was amazing and he didn’t quit working until the horse understood, let down and came through. Because he never betrayed himself or the horse he never went to war. His way of being was at peace, the horse was well aware of that and when he was finished the horse felt safe, was relaxed, happy and pleased to have found a new friend.
No amount of good intentions, will power or self control will stop us from becoming disappointed, frustrated, fearful, angry and going to war. What will change our way of being is learning to see the horse as a horse, perfect just the way that God created it. It helps to be able to stop before we ever approach the horse and try to think ourselves into its mind. If a person finds that they are almost always in a state of accusation, anger and frustration toward the horse, or sees the horse as vindictive or out to get them, it can help to seek out someone who seems to generally be at peace with the horse and visit with them about horses and how they operate. That opens the way for us to recognize the needs of the horse and respond to them in a way that is most appropriate. A word of caution here: treating the horse as a pet, hand feeding, lack of discipline and allowing it to become insecure and pushy is not in the best interest of the horse.
Another thing I hear expressed when Bob is working with someone’s troubled horse is the fear that the horse must want to get away from Bob and that it will be frightened of him when the work is done. Every time they are surprised at how calm, relaxed and happy the horse is at the end of the session. The horse will be following Bob around like a puppy, anxious to get closer and feel more of what is being offered. It will know that Bob was always at peace with it, which allows it feel safe and peaceful with him.
So it is our way of being at the time we do what we do, that will make our relationship with our horse better or worse. Are we at peace, or are we at war?
For the following Horse Sense Pyramid, and its explanation, I must give credit to the Arbinger Institute and their wonderful work on the Parenting Pyramid. As soon as I saw it the relevance that it had for our work with the horse jumped out at me.
1. Although Correction is a part of Horse Sense Horsemanship, it is the smallest part.
2. The Key to correction is effective teaching.
3. The key to effective teaching is a good horse/human relationship
4. The Key to good horse/human relationship is a good human/human relationship.
5. The Key to good human/human relationship is our personal way of being
Or we can turn this around this way:
Personal Way of being: Are we at peace or at War?
Human/Human Relationship: How do we see others? As objects—obstacles to our goals, vehicles to get us to our goals, irrelevancies because we don’t need them to reach our goals? Do we value and respect the individual? Is he/she a person to us? Are they as important as we are?
Human/Horse Relationship: Do we respect the horse as a horse or see it as a human in a horse suit? Do we see it as an object—an obstacle to our training plans, a vehicle to satisfy our ego or earn money for us, or irrelevant to our plans?
Teaching: Have we developed a solid relationship based on Mutual respect and trust? Have we spent the time to learn how the horse learns?
Correction: Have we taught the correct thing for the correct reason and in the correct way?
My attitude is such a determining factor in the results that I can achieve with my horse.