Blog video 7

This is the first of four of the musical freestyle and liberty

demonstrations that Caroline gave at the HorseWorld Expo

in Timonium, MD this January.

Caroline narrates some of the subtle communication between she,

Smokey, and Sundance, and how she chooses to solve some of the

problems they encountered each day.

We will be showing all four of her musical freestyle and liberty

presentations over the coming weeks, with comments from

Caroline. This is Thursday's performance.

On another note - we wanted to thank Katarina for a beautiful

email she just sent us.

I am on a journey to finding the way with horses that is most suitable

for me... I have been studying a lot of what is out there, and find that

many clinicians either aren't able to explain their method in an

understandable way, or don't have accessible materials for studying them.

Most people that I have looked into are either too "mechanical"

or too "spiritual" and when I recently happened to come across

one of Caroline's Youtube-clip I was completely blown away

because it's just what I'm looking for: BOTH spiritual and practical :)

I'm looking forward to getting the DVD (and in time purchase

more of her DVD's) and have a "new beginning" with my two

lovely horses Silva and Ciwanne! :)

-Katarina, Finland

Thank you Katarina, so much for your beautiful words!

I am so happy that this way of being with horses strikes a chord
with you!

Session 2, Part 2 with Dulche.

We are putting up our blog video up a little early this week! Caroline

is going to be doing a private apprenticeship in MA on Monday,

and I'll be there doing video for them. So we wanted to get this posted

before we left. :)

Here is part two of the second time Caroline worked with Dulche.

We don't know much of this mare's history, but she has a lot of mistrust

with people, and has shown aggressive tendencies both with people and

other horses. We are starting to see that underneath that exterior is a

very soft and sweet heart!

So please watch to see how beautifully she halters and works with

Caroline doing some of her online exercises.

Have a great week with your horse(s)!

Until next week!

Creating healthy boundaries - how to handle biting and playfulness with your horse.

                     We would like to share this great question and answer with you this week!

Hi Caroline - 

I love the blog.  Especially the last two installments with Dulce.  Perfect for reinforcing my round pen techniques.  I just started round pen training with Stormy and Sandman (he is our pony).  I wanted to watch the DVDs a few times before I gave it a try.  Things are going pretty well.  

Here is a question for you....  everyday before I put Stormy's halter on, I go in his stall and pet him on the face and neck and ask him to put his head down.  He licks and chews, which I know is good.  However, every now and then, while his head is low... the look in his eye will change suddenly and he will go after my shins with his teeth.  I always have my dressage whip with me and I shoo him away from my legs without hitting him or going after him aggressively. I just stand my ground and  get him out of my space.  Do I keep on keeping on?  Or is there something else I should try? 

My round pen question also has to do with teeth.... but a different energy behind them.  It seems that he really wants to play!  When I go in his paddock with him and call him over, he approaches with his ears up, I pet him on the face and neck.  He is constantly nipping and nibbling at me, like I am another horse and he is trying to play halter-tag.  I use my fingers to shoo him out of my space and tell him that teeth are not appropriate no matter what.  I am happy that it is not angry energy, but teeth=me getting hurt.  How do I cross this hurdle?  I don't know how to safely 'play' with him yet and I have a feeling that the 'friendly nibbling' is still a dominant behavior so I have to establish me as the leader before we try to 'play'.  What do you suggest?

Talk to you soon,

-Karen

Hi Karen;

That's great, so glad it is helping you:)

Firstly, I never go into my (or any) horse's stall. Out of respect (it's always about space) I wait.  I will wait and if they don't greet me, I will ask them over to the door to partner up for the haltering. This is so important as it allows you to gauge, immediately, where your horse is emotionally/mentally - where your join up is or isn't. This becomes part of your (my) pre-flight system to safety too (as it's all about connection and partnership). The round penning approach was created to help you achieve this level of "initiation" where the horse has time to accept and trust you.

Secondly, everything we do is about positive reinforcement. We never address a challenge, issue, head on or directly. Rather we go about identifying the issue at hand and indirectly presenting solutions. Example; my horse won't come to me. Going after him or bribing him with grain/treats AND, a passive side of myself doesn't work (ex: "it's ok sweetie....I'm not going to hurt you"....as you walk timidly and softly....next thing you know, your run over). Before I know it, I've created a "cookie" monster and a horse that doesn't respect me as I am a push over. 

Solution: work on the ritual of the relationship, meaning create (like in our round penning) the environment, space that will support your endeavors to make you the "sweet" spot BALANCED with a little TLC. Through my rpenning dvd I talk about what horse's need - love and companionship and leadership. The first two come before the latter. And, the latter is just as important as you won't be able to go anywhere or achieve anything if you, as a leader, do not have clear and direct action/direction. Bottom line, work on asking him into you, like I do with Dulce, allowing him to find joy and comfort when he joins up with you - while calmly, clearly identifying your space.

In regards to being more playful, nipping...in a herd of horses, the lead or more dominant horse will not tolerate another nipping, unless he initiates it and engages in it. You need to be clear at identifying what is acceptable behavior and what isn't. Biting humans is not as we are much weaker and we need to maintain a status where we balance both partnership and leadership. This is how they relate naturally. In regards to understanding horse behavior, the more we understand what is innate, and natural to our equine friends - where we have the "right" to take charge and control, and where we belong in this relationship, the easier, safer and more enjoyable our friendship becomes and the more confident we are about reading and understanding the dynamic we share with them.

Again, it's all about sharing and taking space and when you have a dominant/alpha personality like Stormy's he is going to want to engage with you on his terms and this can be dangerous. This is where you can stay mentally and physically engaged with him but remind him where he belongs and all that means is that you are in charge of your space...use a carriage whip to help or lead line to reinforce your boundaries. Watching, listening to him and keeping the lines of communication open are key here as you are walking a fine line between bringing out both confident and un-confident behavior. Too much or too little can make or break it.

Have fun playing! And, please keep me posted!

- Caroline

Blog Video 5

Hello!

I know we promised you a new video each Monday - but the Youtube

servers were down last night... so here it is!

This is Session 2 with Dulche - the second time Caroline has worked

with her. We show you 10 consecutive minutes of this training

session, and will show you more next week.

For those of you learning Caroline's Round Penning Approach,

there are so many subtle nuances to this way of being and working

with horses. We hope you enjoy!

Don't forget to comment on our blog, and ask your questions for

Caroline's answers and future blog videos!

Have a great day with your horse,

from all of us at Rider Horsemanship!

Blog Video 4

In this video, Caroline works with a horse that has had minimal handling

for the last 6 months. Caroline works with her for the first time in this

video, demonstrating her round penning approach.

For those of you who have her Round Penning DVDs, this may fill in some

gaps, and answer some of your questions.

You can ask Caroline your questions here by leaving a comment to this blog
post, or send questions to us at info@RiderHorsemanship.com.

Leading and The Send - How to inspire a "stubborn" horse

This video continues the discussion about leading. This week's

question is about how to inspire movement in a "stubborn" horse.

Leading Part 2

This video is part 2, in the discussion about leading. We hope you enjoy it!

........................................................................................................................

Below is a related question that Caroline received, and her answer:

You guys haven't met the newest addition, Dusty. She is the polar opposite of Kala. She's bold, dominate, in-your-face, food oriented and stubborn! These type of horses have always been a real challenge for me. This question is related to the last blog of Leading Part I. When I use rhythmic driving (twirling the end of the rope for her to step back), she takes it as me challenging her. She'll begin to hold her head high, kick out and stand her ground instead of stepping back or not coming into my space as I originally intended. It becomes ego vs. ego at that point. What can I do so her and I are working together instead of against each other?

Hope all is well!

Amber

Hi Amber,

Happy New Year!

Great question!

This is typical behavior for more dominant horses. Asking them to respect your space puts you in the "driver's" seat or position of power. Naturally, they will challenge that. I'd like to start off with my round penning (rp) approach first for acceptance and trust before I get into specific techniques that will help. The round penning allows you to establish both partnership and leadership. This is most important to our way of training as we want the horse to want to be with us, choosing to partner while accepting our leadership. In the end, the answer is "intention." You will learn the power of it through our rp approach. The power comes with careful observation, identifying and reading our horses so that we can "match" intention. Matching intention follows the mind, heart and body of a horse. Example, some horses may be moving quickly but their mind is soft and relaxed. Some may not move, with their feet planted, not scared of anything yet difficult to motivate.

This is most challenging as everyone's perspective is unique to themselves. I don't feel comfortable asking you to come on stronger as I don't know the dynamic between you. She may feel misunderstood, confused and if so, that is how she is going to respond and let you know. You would be surprised how much a horse can "change" when understood. Stronger personalities just can't take too much either. They are very assertive. That is why I don't like to label horses, dominant, passive.

As I mention briefly in Leading, Part I, you can get stronger with your rhythmic energy and move into your horse if necessary. Don't get stuck trying to achieve the desired goal of backing your horse up right now. I would practice moving the shoulder. Accept the slightest try and reward. I would love to show how we would match our horse's intent but we don't have any horses here that will challenge us that way.

Thanks and I hope to see you again in the New Year!

Caroline