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CHAPTER 3

horse and Handler attitude and suitability

It’s likely that most of you will be handling a horse that was previously owned by someone other than you—one that already thinks he understands what humans want based on his past experiences. For example, when he is “pushy” or “stubborn,” he may well be offering behaviors that were acceptable in the past. In order to “expect better” of him, you need to show him how you want him to be. (Remember he is not a small child in disguise; he is a horse and will always react like one.) You need to appreciate that horses are not born “bad.” They are the “mirror” of their training—and therefore their handler. To be at all successful at Horse Agility you need to know what your horse is “saying.”

Is he refusing to do something you ask because he’s afraid, doesn’t understand you, or is just tired of the whole thing? Once you can “read” why a horse isn’t doing what you ask, you can start to change the question. In the pages ahead, I will outline the ground skills that will help you teach your horse what is acceptable, safe behavior (fig. 3.1).

Reading the Horse

Is the horse happy, tired or frightened? To be a responsible horse trainer, you need to know what your horse looks like when he’s in different moods. The best way to start to learn “horse language” is to watch horses over the course of a whole day. Then, you’ll see a range of signals, from sleeping to threatening behavior. It’s much better if the horses you are watching live as part of a herd—at least for part of the time (fig. 3.2). Horses kept alone do not behave naturally enough to help you learn the body language they use to interact with others.

When you want to learn a new language,

fig. 3.1

3.1 I have developed the ability to “read” my horse Secret—I work hard to understand why she does what she does, when she does it, so I can react appropriately. This is the basis of our happy partnership.

let’s say Japanese, where do you go to become fluent? You could go to a local college offering night courses and pick up enough simple phrases to get you around Japan, but you could never become fluent enough to blend into the customs and culture of Japanese life—even if taught by a Japanese tutor. The only way to get really good at Japanese is to go and live in Japan.

Wild horses or herds that live free speak pure “horse,” but domestic horses speak horse with a “human accent.” The domestic horse has learned to adjust his language to communicate with humans; sometimes this is successful and sometimes not. However, because the human being is so poor at communicating and understanding the horse there is often a complete breakdown of harmony between the two due to lack of communication.

If you are to be a real expert in the language of “horse,” you need to go and live in the country of “horse” for as long as you can—just as you would to be really good at

fig. 3.2

3.2 Watch horses and how they communicate with each other. This will help you gain an understanding of what your horse might be trying to say to you.

Japanese. This isn’t possible for most of us, but there are ways you can still learn to understand what your horse is trying to tell you and give a response that is appropriate for the situation.

Reading Specific Signals in the Horse

Horses rely mainly on body language to communicate with each other, but since this is such a vast subject, I will keep the list of signals you need to be familiar with simple and only relevant to the handling techniques needed for Horse Agility.

The Body

Because humans are such weak creatures in comparison, when the horse uses his body for control, the situation can become dangerous. When on a lead rope and the horse walks in front of his handler (for example), he is trying to take control of speed, direction and distance. The horse must learn that pushing (or pulling) a person around is unacceptable.

In chapter 5 (see p. 40) you will learn how you the handler can take control of speed, direction and distance—not by being a bully or a boss, but by taking control as any good leader should. It’s not called leading for nothing when you walk about with your horse on the end of a piece of rope!

The Shoulder Barge

Because the shoulder is such a big flat muscular area, horses get very good at using it to move horses (and people) around without injury to themselves. The “shoulder barge” happens when a horse wants to say “Get out of my way!” (fig. 3.3). Watch a group of horses in the field with each other: The older the horse, the less likely he is to use the shoulder barge because he’s been told in no uncertain manner that it is not acceptable, but younger horses and those that play a lot will often use gentle shoulder barges with each other (rarely with much real power behind them).

However, this signal doesn’t need much energy to squash a person in a doorway, and a horse in flight mode heading for a gap in which a human is standing will often use his shoulder so he can get through. Therefore, this signal is very important to recognize (and prevent) when working with a horse around agility obstacles. I will teach you how to deal with it later (see p. 92) so don’t panic! My aim is not to scare you but to make you aware that horses are not giant cuddly toys—they can hurt you if you don’t “read” them properly.

“Presenting” the Hind End

The other part of the horse that can seriously hurt you is his back end. When a horse presents his rear to you, he may either be saying “Scratch me,” or “Go away or I’ll kick you.” I never indulge a horse that backs up to me to have his rear end scratched. I’ve seen too many people either squashed against a wall or kicked because the scratch wasn’t forthcoming. However, in situations when you initiate the scratching and stay in control, it’s okay.

I also never accept a horse’s presenting his hind end to me when I go into the stall or paddock; I always expect him to face me. When I discuss catching you will see how easy it is to get a horse to do this—and it is paramount to becoming successful at Horse Agility (p. 33).

The Rib Swing

The last body movement that’s worth knowing about is the “rib swing.” When you watch a horse (or any quadruped) walk, you will see that as each hind leg comes forward, the ribs swing away to provide a space for the leg to move into. When a horse wants to kick out, he swings his ribs towards the offending object first so that he can lift his leg high up for maximum efficiency.

fig. 3.3

3.3 Ricky is pushing into me with his shoulder as he attempts to move away from the flags. It is easy for a handler to get run over or squashed in a narrow space when horses do this.

fig. 3.4

3.4 Ricky is stiff throughout his body, braced to run if he could. Note how he is completely rigid in the poll.

The easiest way to learn to see this is to watch a dog cock his leg at a lamp post! It actually allows you to see the dynamics of a horse kicking, but in slow motion. The dog, after inspecting the post, stands beside it, rolls his ribs towards it, and lifts his leg high up so that he doesn’t wet the inside of his leg. If he swung his ribs the other way away from the post, he’d be in danger of wetting his inside leg.

You can try it yourself: Stand up and roll your rib cage out to the right. Now try and cock your left leg out sideways. Pretty difficult, isn’t it? Now roll your ribs to the left and lift your left leg again. See how much higher you can get it? If you were a horse it would make for a much more efficient kick.

So before a horse kicks at you, he will roll his rib cage towards you; it may happen too quickly for you to see in the beginning, but that’s what he does!

Bear in mind that a horse can also do something else commonly called a “cow kick.” With the ribs bent away from you, he makes a low circular movement of the hind leg forward. However, a horse only resorts to kicking when all else fails, so watch for other signs that he’s not happy that might lead to it.

Head Position

Stiff in the Poll

The horse’s head hinges at the vertebrae behind the ears, an area called the poll. This area should be loose and free-moving. It is often where the horse gets stiff and sore, just as humans get a stiff neck. (I’ll talk more about freeing up the horse’s poll on p. 61.) If this area looks stiff when the horse is working, it means he is unhappy with what is going on, which can be caused by pain, fear or overwork (fig. 3.4).

When moving horses around on a lead rope you often put a lot of pressure on the poll area—be aware from the moment you put the halter on your horse that the weight of the rope swinging on his head can contribute to this pressure and results in stiffness.

Looking Back Over the Shoulder

When you ask a horse to do something, and he looks away from you and back over his shoulder, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is watching some distraction. He could be losing confidence in the work and checking out his escape route—prior to leaving (fig. 3.5).

fig. 3.5

3.5 Ricky’s ear and eye tell me he’s thinking of turning his head over his right shoulder—and then “leaving” me and what we are doing.

fig. 3.6

3.6 Fudge drops his head, not only to look at the downward slant of the ramp, but to help balance himself.

Lowering and Turning Sideways

Because of the position of the eyes on the horse’s head, the horse cannot see clearly directly in front of or behind him. A horse naturally lowers his head to see the ground properly when the footing is uneven or there are obstacles on it that he must negotiate (fig. 3.6). A jumping horse may turn his head slightly sideways so that he can judge the distance and height of the jump. Horses can also see better when they stand still and adjust their head carriage to inspect a strange object, so don’t worry if the horse stops to look at a new obstacle. He’s not necessarily refusing to negotiate it, he’s trying to work out how to do it. He may look at you and the obstacles you present to him in all sorts of funny ways as he lifts, drops and twists his head, but as long as he looks soft and interested, you are okay. (When I discuss catching horses as well as working them completely free, you will see that the position of the head is important in ascertaining whether the horse is thinking of leaving you or ready to be with you—see pp. 32 and 82.)

Ear Signals

The horse’s ears are an obvious indicator of mood. There are many ear positions; just watch the horse, and view them alongside other signals, to learn what they mean.

Ideally, when you interact with the horse he should give you his full attention, but when you are moving through an obstacle course he may split his attention between you and the obstacle in question, with one ear pointing at you and the other on the obstacle. In many of the pictures in this book you will see that the horse has one ear on

fig. 3.7

3.7 Secret has one ear on me while the other points straight ahead.

fig. 3.8

3.8 Kelston’s ears are softly back, and his head is low in a relaxed, accepting posture.

the handler and the other pointing straight ahead (fig. 3.7).

In any case, “soft” ears indicate a relaxed horse. For example, don’t confuse ears that are flat back (the horse looks like a mole!) with ears that are softly back. The first means, “Get away, I’m going to defend myself,” while the second shows an acceptance of the situation that some call “submissive” (fig. 3.8).

Watching the Eyes

When studying a horse’s eyes, be sure you don’t “glare” into them—until they get used to it, most horses find it very threatening (it’s what a predator does). There are many states that the eye can be in that denote the way a horse is feeling, but I am only listing a few here that are easy to see.

Shape and Quality

All horses’ eyes are not the same. Some are large and round, while others are almond-shaped. The shape of the eye can actually change with the horse’s mood. As he relaxes and becomes sleepy, the eyelid may half close. When a horse is afraid, the eye can open very wide sometimes showing a white ring around the outside of the pupil. (Note: This is not a hard-and-fast rule. Many Appaloosas, for example, have a white-ringed eye and they are not always frightened.)

Observe your horse when he is relaxed and comfortable. What shape is the eye and what can you see in the eyeball? Is there a white ring, or does he have a “dreamy look” of contentment? When your horse is on guard or unsure of something, see how his eye changes. Does it get bigger and does the quality of the eyeball change? A very defensive horse may have an eyeball that looks almost solid in color—I call it a “rat’s eye.” When you do see a change in your horse’s eye, you can

then decide if it’s something you need to deal with. When in doubt, look at the rest of the horse—his ears, poll and body—and piece the whole picture together to decide what the horse is feeling.

Wrinkles Above the Eye

Look at wrinkles above the eye to gauge anxiety (fig. 3.9). All horses are different so make note of how many wrinkles your horse normally has above the eye when he is relaxed (if any). Again, look when he becomes anxious or fearful and see if there is any change.

What the Mouth and Lips Say

Just like people, the mouth and lips of the horse tell us a lot about his mood. Often you may not see any other signs to help you assess how he’s feeling, but when you look at his mouth, you can tell. A relaxed horse’s lips are soft, even droopy, while tight lips drawn up almost to expose the teeth show fear and tension (fig. 3.10).

Sometimes, when a horse has understood your request and is happily accepting you as a good handler, he will yawn, lick his lips and chew. When he does this, leave him alone for a moment—he’s digesting a thought!

As with other signals, every horse is different, so observe yours when he is happily out in the paddock with his friends or standing relaxed in the stable so that you can begin to see what’s “‘normal”’ for him.

Tail

Observe the horse’s tail to assess his mood. The soft, accepting horse has a tail that lies flat on his hind end, hanging down and swinging smoothly as he moves. A high tail denotes excitement, which means you may have difficulty keeping his attention on you. The opposite—the clamped tail—is often seen as the horse crouches his hind end down prior to kicking out. It’s normally a sign of fear. A swishing tail may or may not denote discomfort: A tail swishing flies rhythmically is quite safe but “angry” swishing from side to side is not—it means the horse is far from happy (fig. 3.11).

Posture: What It Says

about the Horse’s Mental State

The ideal posture for Horse Agility is when the horse is looking at you in an interested way with his ears forward and a relaxed body. It’s okay if he has a quick snooze while you arrange an obstacle or discuss tactics with a

fig. 3.9

3.9 It is normal for Kelston’s eyeball to have a white ring around it because he is half Appaloosa (it is a common breed trait), but his attention is not fully on me—he is looking at something in front of him. See how the wrinkles above his eye express a slight anxiety about whatever it is.

fig. 3.10

3.10 Ricky’s mouth is tight here, and he also shows fear in his eye shape and ear position.

fig. 3.11

3.11 A relaxed tail gently swishing at flies as shown here is very different from one that swishes “angrily” from side to side.

fig. 3.12

3.12 Kelston is “loose” and soft as I give him a cuddle at the end of an agility session.

friend. To wake him, just gently attract his attention by calling his name or vibrating the rope (if you’re still working with a lead). Note that if he feels he cannot rest on occasion because at any moment he could be rudely woken up, he will not relax completely. If you go clattering in he may jump into flight mode—your aim is to keep his adrenaline down and have a calm easy horse to handle.

Keep in mind that after a hard or stressful session, a horse may look as if he’s having a quick sleep with his head down, eyes half closed and one leg resting, but it’s possible the horse has “shut down” and is mentally exhausted. When the horse shows this behavior, it is sometimes referred to as “learned helplessness.” This happens because the horse has not been getting enough rewards (see p. 45 for more about rewards). A horse in this state needs very positive, short, fun sessions in which he actually achieves something so that he begins to believe there are things he can do that will be rewarded.

So what does a horse look like when he is happy in his work doing Horse Agility?

• His ears are forward pointing at you, or split between you and the obstacle.

• He looks at you or the obstacle.

• He has a “soft” body.

• He displays an interested expression—meaning that he wants to satisfy his curiosity and not that he’s on the edge of flight mode.

• His tail lies flat, softly relaxed.

• He has soft lips—perhaps licking and chewing.

• His jaw looks loose.

• His neck and head are low—not held high and tense.

• He has soft, round eyes.

In fact, the whole picture of the horse should be pleasing: not dramatic in any way but soft and ready to work (fig. 3.12).

Human Behavior

Building a Partnership

But what about your mood? We are so busy assessing whether the horse is in the right frame of mind to do Horse Agility, we sometimes forget to look at our own. Before we blame the horse for everything that may go wrong, we need to look at how we, the handlers, may be influencing him with poor communication skills and an inappropriate attitude. I’m sure you know horses that you can do anything with—that is, until the day you go out to bring them in for the farrier or the vet, and you can’t catch them! This happens because your body language changes in some small way and the horse (an expert in reading you) perceives it, becomes suspicious and decides he’ll take the safer route and stay where he is.

Horses are not machines, Because they are herd animals, it is vital to their safety that they learn to read both the physical and the emotional signals sent out by other animals—including people. When you are with your horse you are very simply in a two-horse herd; you are reading your horse while your horse is reading you! There is an Arab proverb that states: “The horse is the mirror of your soul.” Later, when you start having a horse mirror your footsteps in the work you do together, you’ll begin to see this concept fall into place.

A Positive Attitude

Just as in human relationships, a positive attitude plays an enormous role in how the horse reacts to you. There are two sides to the deal: If you expect the horse to be polite and respectful, then you had better be polite and respectful towards him. Leave your emotional baggage at the door—your horse doesn’t want it! Think about the person who constantly calls you to moan about something in her private or work life. It gets pretty wearing after a while, and even the most caring friend stops answering the phone. But your poor horse can’t do that: He has to put up with whatever you throw at him every day whether positive or negative. So, make it positive!

Before you even go near a horse, you must look at your attitude. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I patient?

Patience is not something that is taught or encouraged in modern life, but it can be practiced and improved, and you don’t need to be near the horse to do it. Horses do not understand impatience: Punishing them or getting mad only frightens them. Standing in a line or queue, sitting at the third red stop light in a row, and getting behind the slowest

Clear Your Mind of Doom and Gloom

Many years ago I lost my confidence with a large, gray ex-racehorse called Stanley. If I didn’t ride him every day, he could get pretty spooky, and even when I did, he could be fairly challenging (when he took it into his head to be a racehorse again).

Every morning I would wake up and lie in bed listening to the noises outside to see what the weather was doing.

Is it windy? No.

Is it raining? I couldn’t possibly ride in the rain and get my saddle wet!

I would open my eyes and see a still, sunny day. That meant, I would have to ride, as the weather was no excuse. So, I would start to plan the most trouble-free ride I could.

Should I go through the village? No, it was Thursday, garbage-collection day, with black bags and bins everywhere!

Okay, so I’d go round by the pig farm. But every other Thursday, feed was delivered, so I probably shouldn’t go that way—just in case.

By the time my feet were out of bed and touching the floor, I had imagined causing a highway pile-up, running over a stroller complete with toddler and put myself into the hospital—just think how I would make the horse feel by the time I got down to the stables! Nowadays, of course, I would work with my horse on the ground until he was mentally fit enough to be ridden, but I just didn’t have access to that knowledge at that time.

Try not to run the worst-case scenarios over and over through your mind. It just doesn’t help. Plan Horse Agility sessions so that those nightmares just simply cannot happen.

driver on the road are all good situations for learning the art of patience. I call these scenarios “practicing my horsemanship.” Everyone can find many such moments in the day when, if you can learn to remain patient, you will get better and better at becoming a great horse handler.

• Am I fit?

Peak physical fitness is not that important for most levels of Horse Agility, though the handler needs a certain level of mobility to move along with the horse. Emotional fitness, on the other hand, is paramount. As I said earlier, horses need calm energy. Even when the horse is providing the histrionics, you need to remain cool and detached: Getting pulled into the emotion of the horse only feeds it and makes things worse.

A good horseman is emotionally “still,” whatever the situation. Some people find this aspect of being around horses a bit difficult, but I can assure you that when you do allow your heart, your mind and your spirit to be “still,” your horse will know. Why do you think so many great horse people practice meditation and the martial arts? You don’t need to make a big thing of it: Just be still inside when approaching and moving among horses, and their own actions will reflect your quiet state (fig. 3.13).

fig. 3.13

3.13 Even though Kelston is very active (jumping) and quite close to me, I am relaxed and allowing him to get on with his work. Note that his ears are softly back because he is relaxed and accepting of the work in hand.

Before you start to interact with your horse, follow these suggestions:

• Think about your breathing.

• Be smooth in your movements.

• Be without intention (in other words, imagine you have all the time in the world).

• Find the still, calm place within you.

This starts as soon as you wake in the morning—not just when you meet your horse. After understanding and practicing the skills in this book, you will be able to approach your horse in a positive, confident manner with knowledge that will help you get on with handling your horse safely. This in turn will give your horse confidence in you.

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