Tell me about horses
 

I love horses but I didn't get exposure to them growing up and I'm a bit scared of them - they're so big and powerful.

Tell me about horses. What's it like to own a horse and be in connection with them.

Hi

I didn't grow up with horses but I'm sure horse was one of my first words.

Fast forward to when I got a steady job and then I bought my first horse who I met in a dream. There was a saying in a movie where a character said you meet your first horse in a dream. I didn't really believe it but it did happen to me.

The physical part of caring for a horse can get expensive, especially if you don't have land for them which means paying a boarding stable to feed and use their facility. Horses need regular hoof care which means, at the least, to trim hooves. If you know what you're doing, you can do it yourself and if not hire a reputable farrier. Keep some extra money available for when trouble comes as this can mean a vet bill.

When I first rode a horse, it was like there were two parts to coordinate, myself and the horse. By constant riding, the two truly blended into one so the horse became a part of me and we moved as one. It's rather difficult to explain how the disconnect dissolved but it just did by constant riding and time.

Riding lessons helped me and the horse to improve which meant work. When I rode, I worked and exercised not only myself but the the horse too. If I didn't do those, then I and the horse weren't exercising. I had to slow down as you do things on the horse's time and on the horse's terms. There's no rushing around and is like a different world, away from the noise of civilization. Sure, there's some things that creep in like phones and music. If you don't wear a watch, then guess what time it is as there's no clocks. lol

Everything a horse can do, like stand tied up to a post, accept the saddle and bridle, pick the hooves up for cleaning, stand for grooming, lead the horse, etc is due to someone taking the time to train the horse if it was bought that way. If not, then either it's a DIY project or pay a trainer.

This is but a glimpse into the horse world.

Thank you so much Chrysalis for this beautiful and heart warming glimpse into your horse world! I had no idea how much training is involved - even the standing up part - all the care that goes into it. I can only imagine what a deep connection you must have with your horses. It sounds to me that you were born for this - you must love your work. I appreciate all this insider information, and learning a bit more about the horse's world view too, life with humans, and the possibilities. I might be over romanticizing it but I think horses have a lot to teach us on the spiritual path - humility, self-discipline, mutual trust and respect...and patience - probably lots of that.

Horses are a great equalizer. They don't care who you are. If you need to learn something, like humility, they'll find a way to teach you even if it's to the point of the old brush the human off my back trick when in the bush on a trail ride.

Yes, self-discipline is required because if you get angry at the horse, the horse will certainly pick up on that emotion and depending on the horse's temperament might mean the horse retaliates. I read in a horse magazine that horses can sense your emotions when you touch them. If a rider is nervous, that rider better be on a very calm horse. Matching a nervous rider with a nervous horse is a very bad combination. Such a rider will tense up making the horse more nervous and tense. Then the rider senses that and the tension increases which in turn increases the horse's tension. Such an escalation is an accident waiting to happen.

As for trust, it works both ways too. I remember one horse in a boarding stable who only trusted one human...the owner. The horse came from an abusive background and was smart. The people who worked at the stable couldn't catch the horse from the field to put him in a box stall. Instead, he was the last one out of the field and the people left the stall door open. The horse would walk by himself and go into his stall. I don't know what the owner did to gain that horse's trust but leaves me imagining all the work she put in plus all the patience she must've had.

haha how often does that happen?

I love Buck Brannaman's philosophy - I read his book, watched the documentary - he's the original "horse whisperer" for example https://youtu.be/ImpgXfwE4yQ

His way with a horse remind's me of Lao Tzu's wisdom about leadership:

What a wonderful thread and posts! Thank you Uma and Chrysalis!
:smile:

The brush the human off happened once so lesson learned.

A choppy ride happened once and I was so mad at her for such a rough ride. All because she got into a competition with the other horse on a trail ride. Like, oh watch the horse on the trail doing dressage moves because the rider is mad. I didn't know she could canter slower than her slowest walk until that competition set in. There were other moves she did on that ride. She was such a brat. Thank goodness I wasn't sore after the ride. I think the other rider had a rough ride too.

I thought Monty Roberts was the first horse whisperer. He came on the scene during the 80s. I haven't heard of Buck Brannaman and am wondering when he showed up on the horse scene. I remember watching a tv show on how Monty followed a herd of wild horses to learn what was natural to them. He took his observations and applied it to training horses. It's amazing to see how he turned an unruly horse into one that was cooperative and safe to ride.

I haven't heard of Monty Roberts. Buck Brannaman's mentor was Roy Hunt who taught him the special method - no whips no spurs.

I should look for that TV show about following wild horses - sounds interesting.

This is Monty Roberts training a horse that knows nothing. I couldn't watch the entire video as I'm having issue with a device.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYtTz9GtAT4

You can see the difference between training an uneducated horse to one that has more experience. After watching Bruce a couple of times (thank you device for working on that one), I have only one thing to say...the reins are too long so would be better if he shortened up on them. If he had an unruly horse, he'd be in a lot of trouble. A rider's arms should have elbows tucked in to the waist and the forearms out, forming an L. Hands should remain in that area, never moving up towards your chest. As long as a rider's arms are L, the hands can go out to the side but only if training a horse. In the show ring, judges like to see quiet hands which Bruce doesn't have on this video. They also want to see the least amount of movement from a rider, the cues should be barely noticeable. The only times cues should be exaggerated is when training a horse. Once the horse understands the obvious, then make the cues less and less obvious.

As for the legs, one controls the horse from the calves up. No kicking the horse on the side and toes pointed forward with heels down. It's that way for safety and making a longer leg for the person for best control of the horse.

So that's a mini lesson, lol

Thanks Chrysalis, I will watch it!

Just out of curiosity have you ever ridden bareback?