Wednesday, April 19, 2006
The Secret That Keeps Horses Trainable
The Secret That Keeps Horses Trainable!
By Andy Curry
As you likely know already, horses have at least 10 times our strength. If they also had our intelligence, they would probably be riding us humans. Fortunately, horses cannot reason like human beings and therefore will never have superior intelligence.
Since they don't have reasoning abilities, horse training becomes a challenge because you now have to understand how their intelligence works. You have to know what works and why to really be effective.
The biggest secret that makes it so we can train a horse is the fear of pain and/or punishment that our creator instilled in their mind. We can use that built-in fear to our advantage and teach the horse what we want him to do.
The trick is to not push the horse too far with his built-in fear. We must never abuse this knowledge because it will backfire. Once it backfires then we will have problems with the horse we're training.
How does it backfire? Let's take a novice horse owner who fulfills his dream to have horses and train them. Unless he's studied a horse's nature he will probably get into big trouble with his horse because of the delicate balance of the horse's built-in fear.
For instance, the very first lesson you must teach your horse is to have confidence in you. If your horse doesn't have confidence in you, he will neither trust you. Both are enormously important to horse training.
Think of confidence in this way. If you're a child who's just seen a scary movie on TV you probably want to sleep with Mom and Dad for the night. They'll protect you. You'll be safe with them. Hopefully, you know these things to be true because you have experienced it with your own parents.
But if you didn't feel like they'd keep you safe you wouldn't have confidence in them, would you?
A horse's thinking is similar to that. He must have confidence in you when you're working with him.
A horse can be taught confidence in different ways. I prefer to the Jesse Beery confidence lesson.
Jesse Beery, a famous horse trainer from the 1800's, uses his confidence lesson as the beginning place of training his horses. He said, "This is the most important lesson of all." To learn more about Jesse Beery go to:
http://www.horsetrainingandtips.com/Jesse_Beery_etips.htm
Interestingly, it's also the easiest.
How nice it is that the most important lesson is the easiest to do.
Essentially, the confidence lesson takes advantage of (but never abused) the horse's built-in fear. In a way, the fear is harnessed and carefully used to get the horse's confidence in you. It's akin to getting a child to watch a scary movie and being there to protect him or her when they get scared.
When the horse experiences the fear, you're there to save the day. You make it so he depends on you to be his superhero.
When the horse gets fearful, you have to be there to tell him everything is okay. You do that through petting him. Talking to him in a soothing manner. Using a pleasant tone of voice.
I have a friend, Gene, who loves his horses but when they don't do certain things he think they should do, he punishes them. (By punishing, I don't mean he hits or whips. A horse can feel punished just by a threatening tone of voice for example)
Anyway, I rode with a group of people one day and Gene was in our group. We came upon running water. You could call it a small river or a big creek. It was about 30 feet wide and varied in depth from a foot to three feet.
Every horse crossed the water but Gene's. Gene got so upset that his horse wouldn't cross that he began booting his horse in the ribs. That poor horse wanted to comply with Gene's request but the running water scared him. The horse was spooking.
The horse paced back and forth, occasionally sniffing the water but never crossed it. The whole time Gene's legs were wildly kicking the horse trying to get him to cross - yet the horse remained spooky.
What Gene didn't realize is the horse was fearful and needed his help. Anytime a horse is fearful of a place or a thing he should be reassured with pleasant, soothing voice sounds and/or petting him.
If you do what Gene did, you just gave your horse another thing to fear. Not only does that horse fear crossing running water, now he fears he's going to be punished for it. And it's likely that anytime the horse comes upon running water both fears will crop up and Gene will have a horse that would like to comply but his instincts are so powerful that he probably won't (unless Gene figures out what to do)
Think of it from the horse's point of view.
You're a horse that cannot reason and you're instincts are self-preservation. What keeps your self-preservation in check is the built-in fear. Fear makes you run from danger. Fear is what keeps you alive. If you don't understand something you fear it even more.
Now knowing all that, imagine you're the horse and you're standing at the edge of the river. You won't cross it because you think there's danger in it somehow. On top of that, someone is on your back, pissed off and kicking you in the ribs because you won't go forward.
Not only are you scared of the water, but now you're getting kicked in the ribs and feeling punished. You want to be obedient and go forward but your instinct is too powerful and tells you not to.
It would be like telling a scared child who just saw a scary movie that he had to sleep in his own damn room.
But what if Gene had understood his horse was scared? What if he helped his horse deal with his fear.
How would he do this?
When Gene and his horse approached the water he could have spoke to his horse in a pleasant, soothing manner. When the horse was getting scared Gene should have recognized it as fear and not as disobedience.
He could have petted his horse to reassure him all is okay. He could have talked to his horse in a pleasant manner. He could have let his horse sniff the water and check it out on his own.
Instead, the horse was now confused, scared, feeling punished, less trusting of his rider, and who knows what else.
But if Gene would've recognized the fear in his horse then he could have helped his horse overcome it. Gene lost the awesome opportunity to gain a significant amount of the horse's confidence and friendship in that river scene. Too bad too. That's a beautiful paint horse.
About The Author
Andy Curry is a nationally known horse trainer and author of several best selling horse training and horse care books. For information visit his website at http://www.horsetrainingandtips.com/. He is also the leading expert on Jesse Beery's horse training methods which can be seen at www.horsetrainingandtips.com/Jesse_Beerya.htm.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Curry
For more information on Horses - www.nowhorses.com
Monday, March 20, 2006
The Secret That Keeps Horses Trainable
The Secret That Keeps Horses Trainable!
By Andy Curry
As you likely know already, horses have at least 10 times our strength. If they also had our intelligence, they would probably be riding us humans. Fortunately, horses cannot reason like human beings and therefore will never have superior intelligence.
Since they don't have reasoning abilities, horse training becomes a challenge because you now have to understand how their intelligence works. You have to know what works and why to really be effective.
The biggest secret that makes it so we can train a horse is the fear of pain and/or punishment that our creator instilled in their mind. We can use that built-in fear to our advantage and teach the horse what we want him to do.
The trick is to not push the horse too far with his built-in fear. We must never abuse this knowledge because it will backfire. Once it backfires then we will have problems with the horse we're training.
How does it backfire? Let's take a novice horse owner who fulfills his dream to have horses and train them. Unless he's studied a horse's nature he will probably get into big trouble with his horse because of the delicate balance of the horse's built-in fear.
For instance, the very first lesson you must teach your horse is to have confidence in you. If your horse doesn't have confidence in you, he will neither trust you. Both are enormously important to horse training.
Think of confidence in this way. If you're a child who's just seen a scary movie on TV you probably want to sleep with Mom and Dad for the night. They'll protect you. You'll be safe with them. Hopefully, you know these things to be true because you have experienced it with your own parents.
But if you didn't feel like they'd keep you safe you wouldn't have confidence in them, would you?
A horse's thinking is similar to that. He must have confidence in you when you're working with him.
A horse can be taught confidence in different ways. I prefer to the Jesse Beery confidence lesson.
Jesse Beery, a famous horse trainer from the 1800's, uses his confidence lesson as the beginning place of training his horses. He said, "This is the most important lesson of all." To learn more about Jesse Beery go to:
http://www.horsetrainingandtips.com/Jesse_Beery_etips.htm
Interestingly, it's also the easiest.
How nice it is that the most important lesson is the easiest to do.
Essentially, the confidence lesson takes advantage of (but never abused) the horse's built-in fear. In a way, the fear is harnessed and carefully used to get the horse's confidence in you. It's akin to getting a child to watch a scary movie and being there to protect him or her when they get scared.
When the horse experiences the fear, you're there to save the day. You make it so he depends on you to be his superhero.
When the horse gets fearful, you have to be there to tell him everything is okay. You do that through petting him. Talking to him in a soothing manner. Using a pleasant tone of voice.
I have a friend, Gene, who loves his horses but when they don't do certain things he think they should do, he punishes them. (By punishing, I don't mean he hits or whips. A horse can feel punished just by a threatening tone of voice for example)
Anyway, I rode with a group of people one day and Gene was in our group. We came upon running water. You could call it a small river or a big creek. It was about 30 feet wide and varied in depth from a foot to three feet.
Every horse crossed the water but Gene's. Gene got so upset that his horse wouldn't cross that he began booting his horse in the ribs. That poor horse wanted to comply with Gene's request but the running water scared him. The horse was spooking.
The horse paced back and forth, occasionally sniffing the water but never crossed it. The whole time Gene's legs were wildly kicking the horse trying to get him to cross - yet the horse remained spooky.
What Gene didn't realize is the horse was fearful and needed his help. Anytime a horse is fearful of a place or a thing he should be reassured with pleasant, soothing voice sounds and/or petting him.
If you do what Gene did, you just gave your horse another thing to fear. Not only does that horse fear crossing running water, now he fears he's going to be punished for it. And it's likely that anytime the horse comes upon running water both fears will crop up and Gene will have a horse that would like to comply but his instincts are so powerful that he probably won't (unless Gene figures out what to do)
Think of it from the horse's point of view.
You're a horse that cannot reason and you're instincts are self-preservation. What keeps your self-preservation in check is the built-in fear. Fear makes you run from danger. Fear is what keeps you alive. If you don't understand something you fear it even more.
Now knowing all that, imagine you're the horse and you're standing at the edge of the river. You won't cross it because you think there's danger in it somehow. On top of that, someone is on your back, pissed off and kicking you in the ribs because you won't go forward.
Not only are you scared of the water, but now you're getting kicked in the ribs and feeling punished. You want to be obedient and go forward but your instinct is too powerful and tells you not to.
It would be like telling a scared child who just saw a scary movie that he had to sleep in his own damn room.
But what if Gene had understood his horse was scared? What if he helped his horse deal with his fear.
How would he do this?
When Gene and his horse approached the water he could have spoke to his horse in a pleasant, soothing manner. When the horse was getting scared Gene should have recognized it as fear and not as disobedience.
He could have petted his horse to reassure him all is okay. He could have talked to his horse in a pleasant manner. He could have let his horse sniff the water and check it out on his own.
Instead, the horse was now confused, scared, feeling punished, less trusting of his rider, and who knows what else.
But if Gene would've recognized the fear in his horse then he could have helped his horse overcome it. Gene lost the awesome opportunity to gain a significant amount of the horse's confidence and friendship in that river scene. Too bad too. That's a beautiful paint horse.
About The Author
Andy Curry is a nationally known horse trainer and author of several best selling horse training and horse care books. For information visit his website at http://www.horsetrainingandtips.com/. He is also the leading expert on Jesse Beery's horse training methods which can be seen at www.horsetrainingandtips.com/Jesse_Beerya.htm.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Curry
For more information on Horses see: www.nowhorses.com
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Equine Art Reins in Collectors
Equine art is galloping into the hearts of collectors at a record pace. For centuries, horses have been a beloved subject for artists and have since found a place on the walls of myriad art lovers. Though a spotlight has recently been shone on the majestic animals, courtesy of this year's exciting Triple Crown bid by Funny Cide and the hit book and movie "Seas-biscuit" most experts say equine art remains a favorite among collectors and artists due to the timeless appeal of the horse.
"The horse is an exquisite animal," explained Sarah Crampton, publisher of Equine Vision Magazine, a quarterly publication with the mission of presenting fine art inspired by the horse to the art lovers who admire it. "Its intrinsic beauty, its lines, form and colors are appealing in itself. Then you add the movement--graceful yet powerful, strength mixed with gentleness--and who can resist? Many people make an emotional connection to the image of the horse on many levels. Perhaps they once owned a horse or dreamed of owning one or just admire the horse from afar." She added that horses appeal to all ages and to men as well as women.
"We have a long history together, yet unlike other domestic animals, horses are still very much a part of the wild," said photographer Sarah Prall, who is represented by Ellis & Lord Editions in Tucson, Ariz. "I believe that ultimately it is this experience that makes them so compelling to artists and collectors."
An Artistic Appeal
The bond between man and horse is one with deep historic ties dating back at least 15,000 years to the cave paintings in Lascaux, France. "For centuries, the horse and humankind have been partnered in many of man's endeavors, and this partnership was always reflected in the art of the day," said Sheri Gordon, director of the Equine Art Guild (EAG), a group that boasts a membership of nearly 200 artists worldwide.
Even today's horses hold a place in the hearts of many. From books and films such as "The Black Stallion," "National Velvet" and "The Horse Whisperer" to racing greats such as Secretariat, Seattle Slew and countless others, horses have a firm place in recent history.
Robin Caspari, an artist who is represented by Durango International Fine Arts Gallery in Durango, Colo., said the prominence of the horse throughout history is understandable because horses are a "universal symbol that represents everything from strength and freedom to hope and devotion for mankind."
This symbolism is just one of the reasons horses are so appealing as a subject for artists. "It's the soul and the image of the horse that is so exciting to us--we can't help ourselves" said Gordon. "They are at the same time both delicate and powerful; docile yet wild, and somehow unconquerable?"
Crampton said artists are drawn to horses "like a magnet." She said several aspects of the animal, including its form, lines, shapes, movement and color are a "delight and a challenge to portray and attempt to capture on canvas."
Also a delight for artists is the incredible diversity in the species. Equine art has an extensive range because the horse is utilized in a variety of ways in the form of thousands of different breeds. From the herding ponies and wild stallions of the West to racing thoroughbreds, rodeo, polo and show horses, every horse has amazing individuality. And that diversity gives artists an almost endless supply of subjects.
A Cavalry of Collectors
The appeal of equine art to collectors is equally as great and equally diverse, ranging from horse owners who flock to their particular niche, like racing or jumping, to simple horse lovers who have never owned one yet still admire the animal's beauty.
"There is no animal or object on this planet that has shared experiences with the human race as the horse has," said Caspari. "We were clearly put on this earth to share this partnership, and even non-horse enthusiasts are aware of this internal bond."
"We have found the collectors of equine art to be eclectic, having an appreciative eye and an interest in the animal and the sport," explained James Borynack, chairman and chief executive officer of Wally Findlay Galleries, a multi-chain company with galleries throughout the country.
The gallery's East Hampton, N.Y., location recently hosted a show called "The Painted Horse," which featured the equine paintings of Louis Heyrault, John Leone and Marine Oussedik. Borynack said the company has sold horse paintings successfully for more than 133 years, yet another testament to the wide appeal of the genre.
"Most collectors either own, have owned or just love horses," said Gordon. "Some don't necessarily like or love horses but want to hang large paintings of horses on their walls for status reasons. Having horses or being connected to them--in some circles--represents status, money and power."
Popular Styles
The range in style for equine art is vast. However, many experts say collectors seem drawn to more realistic styles.
"Even though there is a market for all styles of art in the world of equine art, just as in the world of art as a whole, there is a tendency for a preference of the realistic portrayal of the horse, especially among horse owners," said Crampton.
"The most popular works are the close-ups, or what I call detail shots," said Prall. "I think it's because people want to experience being close to the horse. It's where the viewer feels that sense of presence the most."
"We have found that classic, realistic and somewhat stylized form always seems to be most desirable, simply because it is representational," said Borynack.
Creating realistic horse paintings require artists to invest extensive time and research into the subject, which can be an excellent selling point for collectors and a possible stumbling block for galleries.
"The horse is an extremely challenging subject," said Crampton. "It's not easy to portray horses without knowing them."
Aside from knowing the intricacies of different horse breeds, artists must also be educated in properly portraying the horse's activity and correct equipment required for each activity.
"Since many collectors of equine art are breeders or owners, it is critical that the correct bit, saddle, boots or wraps be shown," explained Gordon. "Even a small error in detail could be enough to make a critical potential purchaser walk away from a sale. There can also be regional differences and 'fashion of the day' differences that can have an effect on the artwork, as what is perceived to be the correct presentation of the horse evolves over time."
Sculpture is another popular extension of equine art. Many experts say collectors are drawn to the detail and grace of the horse's body as depicted through sculpture. "Sculpture is an important part of the equine art world," said Crampton. "It is a medium that is coming into its own in a big way," said Gordon. "We see more and more three-dimensional work exhibited and sold than ever before."
And though realism in equine art is popular, some artists say they have found great success in more abstract styles. "It doesn't matter what creative position the artist places the horse in, it is the content of the art itself that is important," said Caspari, who paints in both realistic and abstract styles. "If a painting transports the viewer so that [he has] an uplifting and personal experience with that piece of art, then it is effective."
Jumping In
It is the mass appeal of equine art that makes it a marketable option for galleries. "Equine art has very broad and instant appeal, so it's an easy art to deal with," said Luis De Jesus, co-founder of Ellis & Lord Editions. "It really doesn't require any more or any less effort than other genres."
"Galleries should consider carrying equine art. There is rarely a person alive who has not stopped to look at a beautiful horse," advised Caspari. "The horse is a symbol of power, beauty and strength, and, instinctively, all of us want to be able to appreciate and experience the raw power and beauty that the horse has."
There are a variety of ways for galleries to make the leap into equine art. The first and probably most important step is research. The Equine Art Guild recommends galleries get in touch with local, state or national horse councils to request area demographics about horse population, breeders and types of horse activities. "This will give them an idea of the type of audience they can target specifically for the horse community," said Gordon.
Another possibility is to plan an art event around a local horse event. "The Painted Horse" is an annual show at Wally Findlay Gallery that coincides with the Hampton Classic horse race held nearby. According to Borynack, the race attracts more than 100,000 spectators and equestrians from around the world. "Our marketing goal was to take advantage of the enormous potential of the Hampton Classic and the mind set it creates," he said.
Bomb Proofing the Horses
Leftover 4th of July Fireworks are Great for Bomb Proofing the Horses
By Todd Mera
The Goal
I was working with Vego and Gemini today. I have been working on desensitizing them to loud noises. The final goal is 1) to be able to shoot a gun while sitting on their backs and 2) to be able to ride them down a street filled with people, flying streamers, loud noises, fireworks, etc. Basically, I am trying to bomb proof my horses.
Look What I Found
4th of July had just passed and I still had fireworks. When I was younger I would have never had any firework left over. That would be a sin. I guess I have slowed down a bit and it is not so important to light every firework off or see how many I could light at a time before I had to run away from the eruption of flames, sparks and explosions I had initiated at ground zero. Because of my new found self control, we had some Black Cats left over. These are the little fireworks that just explode and make a big bang. I had 2 packs left with 100 firecrackers in each. So, what should I do with these firecrackers? I could save them till next year. No way! I recalled reading many forum entries were people had posted topics about the 4th of July and how the fireworks scared their horses. I would reply and tell them that they should desensitize their horse to these noises. So, that is just what I decided to do with my horses.
4th of July All Over Again for Vego and Gemini
I decided to start my lesson with Vego. Gemini was in a holding stall next to the arena where I was working with Vego so she could hear and see everything going on. I had a rope halter and lead rope on Vego. I then started to walk Vego around the outside of the arena. While doing this my 11 year old son was in the center of the arena. He started to light the firecrackers one by one. Bang! The horse was a little bit startled but we just kept walking. Again the firecracker went off and Vego jumped but we just kept walking. My son continued to light firecrackers one by one and I continued to walk around the arena circling in closer to the center. When we eventually circled to the center of the arena we stopped. One by one my son threw firecrackers all around the horse. He did not throw them so close that it could hurt the horse but rather out in front of the horse or behind the horse 6-10 feet away on either side. Near the end of the lesson, in the center of the arena, Vego was not bothered by the firecrackers. He would not even flinch as they exploded.
I repeated the same procedure with Gemini. She did equally as well. As a grand finally we lit off a string of about 20 Black Cats while walking the horses around the arena. They had no problem with noise and continued to walk at a relaxed pace.
Conclusion
This was not the first desensitizing exercise that I had done these horses. The results I had during the firecracker session went very smooth because I have at least one desensitizing exercises every time we have a training session.
Todd Mera is a Biochemist that has always had a love for horses. Todd started training horses in his 30s. He has worked with and trained many horse starting from birth and older problem horses. http://www.everythingequus.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Mera
For more information on Horses go to: www.nowhorses.com
Stress in Horses
Stress in Horses
By Stephen Ashdown
Just like us, our horses get stressed. Stress seems to be an inevitable part of modern life and we can even pass on such feelings and problems to our pets and animal companions. In the same way when our animals become stressed we know it and it affects our riding and enjoyment.
But how damaging really is tension and anxiety. How can we avoid it and why is it important for animals as well as people?
Stress is a natural response of the body to something that threatens it whether that threat is mental or a physical accident or a disease. When the body senses that something bad may happen to it, cells release chemicals that start to protect the body from what �might happen�. This threat to the body might be a sudden change in the weather, a new horse in the field that might cause a fight, some change to management regime or maybe the loss of a companion in the same field. Some of the chemicals that the body releases in such situations are natural steroids which calm damage in the body down whether that damage occurs in the mind or the muscles. Other chemicals start to prepare the body for taking evasive action i.e. running away quickly.
So we can see that stress is actually a natural state of the body. If we or our horses did not get worried or stressed about things to some degree we would be much more likely to get into trouble in difficult or dangerous situations. The trouble comes however when stress continues for long periods of time without us being able to get away from what is causing it. Then the natural chemicals in the body that are supposed to protect the body actually start having negative effects. The body steroid hormones start weakening the immune system, body chemicals make us �revved up� in order to escape the stress and cannot do so and by products of all this chemical activity called �free radicals� start damaging the cells and make us grow older more quickly. It is a bit like �revving up� an engine for a long period without going anywhere. Of course it is not good for the engine after a while. Recent studies show that short periods of stress are actually good for the body because the healing process of the body afterwards gives it a lift. If a person has no occasional challenge to make them think more acutely the brain degenerates and becomes less able to function well.
So what does all this mean for horses? It means that if your horse is locked up in a stable for prolonged periods and does not like this it can get stressed and this damages its health. It means that horses that loose their companions and are then left by themselves get ill eventually. It means that if a horse is constantly worried about a heavy competition schedule and non-stop traveling it is likely to get ill relatively easily.
How do we prevent the longer type of stress causing damage to our horses? The key is of course good management and an understanding of how a horses mind works. For many people this is not natural and it is worth reading up on how horses behave in the wild and in domestication and trying to fit in more with what a horse is happy with. For example most people are well aware that horses like to be fed at regular times during the day and get stressed out if regimes are upset. If a horse never knows when its feed is coming it is a constant state of anxiety.
When a horse has been stressed for prolonged periods of time sometimes extra help is needed. Bad experiences can affect a horse strongly for the rest of his or her life - just like a person. In the same way a period of one month�s stress because of an inability to get on with another horse in the same field may take several weeks to get over after normality has returned and this is where herbs can fit in nicely.
Many herbs are great at tackling stress and help animals adapt to stressful situations. The most important of these are called �Adaptogens� (help bodies adapt). Examples of such plants are Indian and chinese ginsengs, Astragalus and even tumeric. Other plants have strong antioxidant properties which help get rid of toxic free radicals which are releases at times of stress. Most people think of different types of food, vitamins and minerals as being the only sources of antioxidants but many herbs are specifically more powerful than anything else at providing this form of protection.
So when horses and people are stressed the strategic use of herbal mixes to reduce stress can make an enormous difference. Rather than reaching for the diazepam a quick drink of a suitable herbal drink can get you back on the right track in an hour or two when otherwise you might be uptight for days. In the same way for horses the careful use of a good herb blend can help your horse recover quickly from a difficult situation or cope with stress more easily until you are able to remove the underlying cause.
Stephen Ashdown MA, Msc BvetMed MRCVS, a veterinary herbalist and managing director of Global Herbs has conducted research these past 10 years into the use of herbs for horses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Ashdown
For more information on Horses go to: www.nowhorses.com
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
