TIDBITS The people I work with have repeatedly asked me to write down the basic ideas we work on. This will take me some time to complete, if it is even possible to complete it. Putting all of this into writing takes time. So I will add new sections over time on rainy or off-weather days. Check back every once in a while to see any additions. There is nothing new and innovative here. This is just the way I generally explain these things to my students. If it sounds as if I am stating something similar to another horseman or clinician, please understand that I do not mean to plagiarize. There are only so many ways to say the same thing. There is no one way to do any of these maneuvers. Every person learns a little differently, and every person explains things just a little differently. These are my methods for doing maneuvers. They work for me, but I adjust them as needed. Every time I work with a horse or a person, I learn something. These methods are not set in stone and, hopefully, I continue to improve my techniques. I always strive to be better today than I was yesterday. Self improvement should never cease. »»»»»»»»»»»»»» The Basics «««««««««««««« Listen and Feel If you want to improve your skill as a horseman, you need to listen to your horse. If something does not feel right, or is just not working the way you expected it to work, do not punish the horse. Be willing to make adjustments. The horse is a living, breathing, emotional being – not a machine. Each horse has his own balance point, worries, injuries, conformation, natural abilities, etc. Each person has his/her own natural abilities, injuries, worries, etc. Think about and picture what it is that you want your horse to do. Keep that picture in your mind, and re-position anything that is out of position or not soft. Do not let the horse change your mind about what you are working on. Horses are great people-teachers, and they quickly and easily realize that they can get you to stop doing whatever it is that you are doing. Feel your horse. Don’t stare at a spot on him. If you look, you only see the spot you are staring at. If you get the feel of your horse, you can feel the whole horse. Have your body mimic the move you want. If you want the horse’s hip to move, shift your weight to your hip. Make your movement as light and inconspicuous as possible. Your horse will feel you if you give him the chance, and he will move with your suggestions and respond with energy that mirrors what you display. »»»»»»»»»»»»»»«««««««««««««« Control the Feet Remember that the reins are attached to the horse’s feet. They control the feet more than they control the mouth. In a way, reins work like strings on a marionette. Feel down to your horse. Do as little as possible; then do less. When you think you could not possibly be any lighter in your asking, get softer yet. It is essentially a thought, not an action. Work toward making cues invisible. Do what needs to be done to make a change, and then go back to asking with only a thought. »»»»»»»»»»»»»»«««««««««««««« Release You should not release your horse only for achieving perfection, but release for the try. Do not ever release to his bad attitude. The only bad attitude you should ever release to is your own. Do as little as possible, but get the job done, then go back and do even less. Don’t release until the horse is soft or really trying to be soft. Stay patient and focused. Don’t release to him pulling or pushing on you. You will only teach him to do so. I tell my clients all the time, “Don’t stop (properly and calmly) asking unless you are about to die.” Do not give in to little temper tantrums, or you will get one you cannot handle one day. If you need to correct, then correct as needed and the moment is over. Do as much as you need to do to get the job done, but not more. Do not linger over the correction. Do not pull your horse around. Give a push feel, a direction suggestion, and let him run into your body weight, a rein or your leg if he does other than what you are asking. Don’t lose your temper ; get him to be together with you. Have him carry himself. Past his first day of life, you cannot carry your horse, so do not try. »»»»»»»»»»»»»»«««««««««««««« All the Pieces If you are working on a maneuver and a piece of it is not correct, then do not just “let it go” and try to get to the end. Do not think things will work out over time when you always practice it incorrectly. Get each part, feel, balance, softness correct before you move on. Work it out slowly and in pieces. If the pieces are not correctly placed, don’t just use a sledge hammer to try to put them together at the end. Get the pieces smooth and understood, then put them together. »»»»»»»»»»»»»»«««««««««««««« Slow to Fast Add speed as the last piece. If you cannot do it well slowly, do you really think it will be good fast? It will just be sloppy. That doesn’t help you or the horse. In fact, in a lot of this, if it is sloppy, you can actually end up hurting your horse; maybe not today, but down the road. Muscles will not be developed properly; joints will be tweaked the wrong way. You cannot be a great athlete (or a great anything) if you are not in proper position or frame of mind. »»»»»»»»»»»»»»«««««««««««««« Be Kind None of what you do should scare your horse. You and your horse are willingly working together with you as the leader in the dance. Never be impatient or become emotional while working with your horse. Emotions must get put on the fence until they settle down. Be consistent, with very clear thoughts, and focus on the movement. You want your horse to respond, not to react to you or to your aids. He can have a hair trigger without it being attached to a bomb. »»»»»»»»»»»»»»«««««««««««««« How Much Sometimes though, a person does not want a hair trigger on his horse. He wants a horse that anyone can ride, even if the rider should sneeze, by chance. So when you work on things, adjust the horse’s response time with what you personally are looking for. The last thing you want is to be looking at a charging bull or an out of control semi-truck and then having to wait two seconds for your horse to wake up before he decides to think about what it is you might want to do next. On the other hand , you do not want your 90-year-old grandmother on the horse when she goes to scratch her leg and the horse goes into a fast spin with grandma’s false teeth flying through the air! »»»»»»»»»»»»»»«««««««««««««« Right or Wrong There is no one right or perfect answer to anything. Always be willing to adjust. Remember softness comes through both the body and the mind. It does not mean the horse’s chin is under his belly . You do not need to be Dr. Anatomy or anything, but take some time and learn how a horse works and how your body works. Learn how to distinguish between a pull and a hold. You want to master the hold, not the pull. You will be surprised how things can come together with a little bit of learning behind you. Learning never ends. »»»»»»»»»»»»»»«««««««««««««« New Environments Here is a thought that came to me the other day while I was listening to the news on the radio. They were discussing sports; I believe it was basketball, but I have heard this same thing said regarding every sport and other activities. They were talking about the “home” team having “home court or home field advantage.” It is often said that a team lost because they were at an away game. They never play as well on the road, yet they get paid the same hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars that they get for playing at home. People even cook better in their own kitchen or one they are accustomed to cooking in. I know that I find it easier to sleep in my own bed than in a hotel. So forth and so on. Then I will have people complain to me about how stupid their horse is because, when they go to a different arena or a different place, the horse acts differently or doesn’t perform as well. Should it matter where the horse is located? Should he be exactly the same anywhere he goes, no matter what? So tell me, does this give you a different perspective? It does not create an excuse for you; it is just something to think about. »»»»»»»»»»»»»»«««««««««««««« Encourage and Reward Remember to give your horse at least as much encouragement as correction, if not more. When you get to the point where you encourage more than blatantly correct, you are on the right path. You do not have to be over-reactive in your encouragement. Simply releasing the pressure or giving a little finger scratch by his mane will often be sufficient. Give your horse lots of thinking time. When the clinician is telling the same boring stories over and over again while the horse is just standing there, well, that is the clinician giving the horse time to learn. »»»»»»»»»»»»»»««««««««««««««

 

© 2016 Val Gilbert Horsemanship

valgilberthorsemanship@gmail.com

(909) 260-6206

Kingman, AZ