Can't stand still

Photo credit goes to Sarah K. Andrew

Well it's a return of the problem-horse (or rather, problem-people, hehe) scenarios. I chose the above photo, because it's the ultimate horse who can't stand still - he can't stand still so bad that, since his forward movement has been restricted, he's decided up is the best route!

We've all had the horse, or at the very least, seen the horse, who just can't seem to keep his feet still, either under-saddle or on the ground. On the ground the horse usually crowds his handler's space and darts about like a fly on a wall, nostrils flared and eyes bugged out. Under-saddle, this horse is usually ancy to go, prancing, and jigging. It's frustrating!! All you want is for your horse to stand still and relax a moment, but they just can't seem to do so. So let's take a look at what's going on.

The horse is a prey animal and they do one of three things when threatened: flight, fight, or freeze. When they are anxious about something, most horses will pick flight. Sometimes freeze comes first, but usually flight follows. Fight will not typically occur unless the horse feels extremely threatened, or trapped with no flight option. We usually tend to envision flight as a horse bolting away, but flight can also manifest as a horse who just can't seem to stand still. On the ground, this is usually the result of a horse in a strange place or who spots something alarming, or who just has a lot of energy at the time and doesn't know where to put it all! Under-saddle, it can also be the result of a horse with a lot of energy and nowhere to put it, or it can also be the result of anxiety.

Starting horses, I find their first actual ride under-saddle, many horses might not want to halt and stand still. It takes a bit of time for the horse to halt and relax without moving her feet. Sometimes we can do it within one session (optimal, obviously), sometimes it takes a number of sessions. I'm working with one colt at the moment - Hard Twist (check him out at my other blog), who just couldn't keep his feet still really for the first couple of weeks under-saddle. He wasn't comfortable yet under-saddle and so he was constantly in a little bit of that flight mode. This is a horse who really has not been handled much throughout his life except for some (albeit limited) bad experiences and thus has a deep-seated fear of the unknown, including humans. He is doing excellent and becomes more confident day by day, but it has taken time. Today was the first time he stood still and actually relaxed on me, without trying to walk off again.

So, what do you do with a horse that won't stand still?

Well first off, it partially depends on why the horse will not stand still. If it's fear-based, you want to ultimately work on the reason they feel the need to flee. This might mean developing a stronger partnership so that they can better trust your leadership, or it might mean simply more hours spent together (say for Twist, it means more groundwork in addition to more time under-saddle). Either way though, you want to get your horse thinking again. When a horse is in full-out flight mode, they stop thinking. They are reacting purely on instinct. A horse who cannot stand still is not typically in full-blown flight mode, but they are obviously reacting a little, and thus fleeing. Obviously you want them back to thinking - relaxed and calm, so you need to put them on a track that gets them thinking - put them to work! If it's a horse under-saddle, get him turning on the forehand (best, because he's disengaging his hindquarters, which means no forward movement with his legs crossed!), turning on the hind, doing leg yields, doing patterns (circles, serpentines, figure-8's). Do not allow him to move forward in a straight line - rather, get his mind busy doing something specific. Allowing him to move forward on a straight line requires no thought and predisposes him to going into flight mode. If you are doing circles, do plenty of changes in direction rather than a pile of circles (he still may be moving forward too much). If you've got a horse on the ground, same deal - get him working. Have him do half-circles in front of you, changing in direction constantly. Back him up, have him move his front and hind ends around, whatever it may be, just keep him busy. You can also apply reverse psychology - the more he wants to move his feet, have him move his feet! Pretty soon he can't wait to stand still. Also, when he does stand still, don't expect him to then stand quietly for 10 minutes. Start off small. Allow him to stand for a brief moment (maybe even just one second in length), then ask him to move off again, before he makes it his idea to move off. If you ask him before he thinks of it, then it becomes your idea. Pretty soon it also becomes his idea to stop. Each time he stands, ask him to stand longer and longer, until you eventually get the time length you desire.

What not to do. As humans, as predators, when we become anxious, we tense up and clamp down. Riding, we'll clamp our legs against the sides of our horse, tighten our back, and clamp our hands down on the reins. All these signals tell the horse - run! Faster! The leader on your back is scared, you'd better damn well be scared too! We can check out whatever scared our leader later, after we've put some distance between us and whatever threat it is. Or, it tells the green horse - RUN! The predator on your back has latched on - get it off before it digs its claws in!! Or, better yet, the prey animal beneath us senses our tension and wants to take off (and perhaps wanted to do so prior to our tensing, but our anxiety has only added fuel to the fire), then we go and hold it back! Well horses, as prey animals, are claustrophobic. They do not exactly revel in being trapped. So of course the more you try and hold your horse back, the more he fights you to get loose so he can take flight. So, reverse psychology, let go. Do not, do not, try to hold your horse back. Instead, put his feet (and thus his mind), to work, on a loose rein (with corrections via rein and seat). This doesn't mean you have to have the reins drooping, but loose enough that there is no or little contact on the bit - you can still be prepared to take up the slack quickly, but just have a little looseness to the rein. Loosen your hold on the rein and soften your entire body, from your hands, to your seat, and your legs. Relax! If you absolutely need to correct your horse, bump him gently with one rein (or two, if necessary) as a sort of check, to get his mind back and to slow him up a little - but release immediately. On the ground, we tend to grip the horse right beneath the chin and try to muscle the horse into standing still. Well, last I checked, 1,200lbs weighs more than a measly 150lb human (or whatever it may be, your horse still outweighs you). It won't work. Instead, give your horse his head. Then get his feet moving and his mind thinking. I use 12' leads, and I'll hold the horse somewhere between the 2-6' mark. Our Thoroughbred needs to move his feet every once in awhile, and when he does so, he'll usually spurt around in front of me, nostrils flared, tail waving. Sometimes I need to get him doing something, but most of the time I simply continue walking, and he falls in behind me once again after his brief moment of alarm. Give your horse the room to do what he needs to. Make it his responsibility to walk with you, without trying to force him to do so.

When I worked at the track, I always led my horses on a loose lead. I cannot count how many times I was chastised (not by my boss and not when anything was ever occurring, but by random individuals and usually when the horse was quiet) for doing so, people telling me how unsafe it was to lead a racehorse on such a loose lead. He'll run over you! Was the usual comment. But their predictions never came true. First off, I never led a horse on a loose lead unless I could trust it wouldn't run over me. This meant acting in a manner deserving of respect and earning my spot as leader, earning the respect of the horse and thus ensuring it stayed out of my space. Once I could trust it would stay out of my space (and sometimes I had to reinforce this, many a time I had to back a horse up out of my space with body language or such), I could allow it on a loose lead. Some I kept on looser leads than others, but I never had constant, direct contact with the horse's chin. This allowed them to feel less claustrophobic, and thus panicky, and actually allowed them to remain calmer. It made being quiet and trusting in me their responsibility. It was incredibly how fast they could calm down when given their head. If necessary, I could give a short correction, a bump with the lead, but usually I could just use my body language. I never had problems with any of my horses, even the cantankerous ones. In fact the one horse, one we ended up buying and bringing home, I was able to remove the lip chain from that he usually wore when handled. He also never reared once with me in the paddock, when he had reared with everyone else. I didn't give him a reason to rear. I allowed him to keep his feet moving and I gave him his head so that he had no reason to go up. If I had to keep him still, I used pressure on his chest to back him up when necessary. There were several others I groomed who responded the same way to the aforementioned management, whereby I was able to remove the lip chain and have them actually behave better as I worked with them on a loose (or looser) lead. So, loose reins/leads, relax (take a deep breath), and get your horse busy thinking of something else!

Breeding halter horses

A near-constant stream of chatter on another blog regarding the faults of Cathy Atkinson's horse (author of Fugly Horse of the Day), Big Yellow Caddi, prompted me to finally write a post on QH breeding. This is of course just the tip of the iceberg, I could go on for hours, but voici the tip of said iceberg nonetheless. So this furor came about (or relit, rather) after Cathy wrote about bloodlines and such, including her own stallion in the mix. Many believe that the VLC, or Very Large Colt, as Cathy calls him, should be cut, that he's not of sufficient quality to stand at stud, particularly given the criticism Cathy often spouts and judgement she passes in regards to other individuals' breeding choices. So this is my take on the matter, and as it pertains to breeding halter horses:

This, the VLC, is an AQHA stallion (the photo is taken of him as a yearling).

I did a short quip on breeding earlier, and mentioned that a horse should have decent bloodlines (keep in mind though you can't ride bloodlines), and above all - good conformation and some type of performance record. Obviously if say it's a Cleveland Bay, an endangered breed, you can almost simply breed on conformation alone; that and a good temperament and such. Performance isn't such a key factor when you are trying to keep a breed alive, but it is still something to keep in mind, and one should be breeding for a horse (even a Cleveland Bay or other endangered breed) with the goal of creating a foal that at least could have ability at performance. The Golden Rule: breed the best to the best with the goal of creating a foal better than it's parents.

There are thousands, no, tens of thousands, of QH's out there. If you are going to keep a QH colt a stallion (and judge others on their breeding practices), he'd better be pretty darn good! He'd better have a stunning performance record and the conformation to match. Since QH's, and QH stallions, are a dime a dozen, chances are there is another AQHA stallion who easily outshines yours. I could go into more detail, but won't. I am not here to pass judgement on Cathy (even if she does so to others so easily), I just wanted to make a few points, because this type of thinking (this halter-horse breeding) is rampant, and it's what got me really going on the following track: halter horses. Why keep this particular stallion, a QH, a stallion, if he is never going to be capable of performing at any high level of anything (substantial)? I looked up the Big Yellow Caddi's breeders, Yellow Horses Inc, curious as to where this colt came from, what kind of background info there was on him. So many are criticizing Cathy that I wanted to see what this was all about. And I found halter horses. Oh, and the following, from the website:

"Latest news: At age 14, we have started Floyd under saddle."

It is in regards to a stallion who has, as per the website, 62 registered foals on the ground. 62. Yet he's never done anything. Oh, except look "pretty" in a show ring, of course. Someone pointed out to me today that the AQH is the only breed to have so many distinct categories. She was right. There are trail horses, halter horses, cutting horses, roping horses, reining horses, western pleasure horses - the judges in each category are looking for something specific, something that that specific horse was bred for. The cutting horse won't excel at WP because his nose doesn't drag on the ground (and since when is a horse's nose dragging on the ground a prerequisite to a pleasurable ride??). My pleasure-to-ride, amazing-on-the-trail horse will never excel at a WP class because he doesn't drop his nose to the ground or shuffle along as if he were about to keel over at any moment. He won't excel at halter either, not because he lacks quality conformation, but because he's not bulldog-built with stick legs and tiny hooves. Yet that horse is a pleasure to ride and is excellent with his feet, plus he's got fabulous conformation to boot. More than once I've had to rocket down some trail he'd never seen before and as rough as that trail may have been, he dropped his head and galloped true without one misstep. He's also never had any conformation-related injury over his fourteen years.

Seems like today we have horses to specialize in each category. To what end? What use is a horse who can do only one thing in the show ring? Why can't a cutting horse also win at a WP class? Why is it so much about trends and fashions? Over the years, we've gone through so many different styles of gait, so many headsets. It's become more about what the judges want than about the horse or about the real world. It seems to not matter anymore that the horse is a pleasure to ride, it's about whether or not that horse carries itself in such a way that it suits today's fashion. On that note, what is with the halter horse? What good is a horse that looks "pretty" if he cannot actually do anything?? The horse above spent fourteen years breeding mares on the premise of creating "pretty" foals, without proving himself capable of any real task - and remaining sound at that task - whatsoever (other than standing square). Pretty foals foaled out of halter mares that seem to have no accomplishments either. Horses whose bodies are much too large and bulky for their legs, let alone their tiny feet! Aren't we past this yet? We have NO idea if this Floyd stallion could actually hold up under any real work, whether he has any ability in anything. Yet we're breeding him.

My mom owned an absolutely gorgeous blood bay QH gelding a good 25 years or so ago. She absolutely loved that horse and he was a great gelding she'd raised from a yearling. She learned the hard way what happens to a horse with a whole lot of bulk and small feet bearing all that weight. Navicular. He was put down in his prime, at a healthy 12 or so. Since then, the horses we bred on our ranch (for our own purposes) were proportionate, were well put together, and could physically withstand serving a purpose.

I understand that some individuals are perfectly content keeping a horse simply because it is pretty. Good on them. But why breed specifically for that? That, I cannot understand. Paging through the website, I was ambushed by mare after mare, all alike and most of which foaled out foals that are apparently successful at a high level in the halter ring:

It's like they were cut from cookie-cutters. All possible cousins of some Belgian Blue bull, with the heavy heavy muscling that serves no purpose (on a QH anyways, obviously on the bull it serves a purpose at least). Heavily muscled horses on pencil-thin legs with no stifle to speak of, paired with tiny hooves. Well no wonder the VLC had stifle problems! ANY horse would have stifle problems if he didn't have the stifle to suffice his build!! That's what happens!! It's just simple logic!

So my problem is this: what is with the halter horse? Obviously some of these horses are competing at the National level even (and winning), and are being bred...yet are serving no real purpose, are not proving themselves beyond the halter pen. Heck, they're not even proving themselves at home! Personally, I believe we should be breeding based on the horse itself. Not solely on its parentage (of course bloodlines can help a little, but they play a relatively very small part), nor its looks. What can that particular horse do, and does it have the ability to pass on its traits?? I struggle though too with freedom. If we can breed a horse specifically for jumping, or dressage, or cutting, then why can't we breed a horse to just look pretty? I feel the problem then is that people buy these "pretty" (I keep using the " " because I personally do not find these horses pretty whatsoever) horses and expect them to perform successfully! Like the VLC. I mean, most of us want to ride our horses - perhaps compete, even. You can't tell me all of the foals from that ranch are being used as halter horses. I'm willing to bet that the majority of them are out there doing something. Yet the conformation they are being bred to posess puts them at great physical risk when they are asked to perform. Also, should we be breeding horses to simply "look pretty" in this world? We've already got so many horses out there, why not give the foal the best chance you can give it and breed it to have the ability to do something, to perform, to excel at a specific (or preferably, a variety of) discipline? Breed something that has the conformation to kill and the ability to go far, an ability that will ensure it has a home forever. What do you do with a halter horse after it has finished its show career?

So that's my take on the situation. Remember too, it's just my current opinion. I don't understand it, and I really feel that the halter horse breeders are just as bad as the backyard breeders breeding their ugly mare just to get a cute foal (even with the BYB there's always another side to the story, where do you draw the line?), a foal who is completely useless to the industry because it doesn't have the conformation to excel at anything.

Update: I just wanted to add, after re-reading this post - I want to be clear here that I am not trashing Yellow Horses Inc by any means. The breeders could, for all I know, be fantastic people. My problem is with the halter horse industry in general, not with the individuals who own the above horses. I simply used Yellow Horses Inc as an example because I stumbled upon it and felt it was a classic example of the halter horse industry. My bone to pick is with the halter horse industry and not with Yellow Horses Inc ;) My apologies if there is any past/present/future confusion!

Trainers

Once exams are finito, I'll get to blogging here more regularly, but for now, you'll have to check out the progress of the individual horses I am working with at my Through The Eye of Equus blog for equine-related fodder. So for now, just a few quick tips on trainers, since it's that season!

How to choose one:
WOM WOM WOM. Word-of mouth is huge. It's how I get a lot of my work, and that's how it should be. Ask people around you who they used, who they've heard of, or who they recommend. Next, do your homework - check out these trainers' backgrounds. Get references, read testimonials, spectate at their clinics or go check out their demo's. See what they're all about (albeit if it is only the side they are willing to show you). Talk to them, visit their facilities. Take a peek at their horses (look them over for bit or spur marks or surface behavioural issues), their tack room (look at the pieces of equipment they use), watch them work with a horse and evaluate that horse's response and level of relaxation with said rider, and, above all, ask questions! Ask what they do, how they do it, what they use to accomplish said goal, etc. If you can, get on a few of their horses. "Show me your horse and I'll tell you who you are" - the horse tells all, so you can gauge a lot about a person just by riding their horse(s). Give us young trainers a chance, we sometimes know what we're doing ;) I've met some fabulous 15 year-old trainers I'd send a horse to, and some horrendous 40+ year-old trainers. Evaluate the person themselves for that they bring to the table.

What to expect:
Expect what the trainers says will occur to occur. On the other hand, understand that each horse is different. Some can be started under-saddle in a few days, others take weeks to be comfortable with the saddle alone, let alone a rider atop! Check on your horse - often. Look for marks, level of relaxation during and outside of a session, and for progress within the sessions. If you schedule for an appointment to see your horse worked, come early. Arriving early allows you to see a bit "behind the scenes", a bit of what the trainer had not originally anticipated you to see because he/she was expecting you on time, not early. Please, at the very least, arrive on time. Contrary to popular belief, we actually do not have all day to stand around your horse awaiting your arrival (lol). I will personally give you 10-15 minutes - at most - before I start working your horse whether you are there or not. I have to get your horse done within a specific time frame (with some flexibility of course - horses do not run on a clock) so that I can get on to the next horse.

Through the trainer's eyes:
- Trainers are not here to groom your horse. My eyes nearly bugged out when I heard someone comment that a trainer had not taken the time to trim a client's horse's whiskers. Whiskers are purely aesthetic. They do not affect your horse's trainability. And personally, I don't like to touch a horse's whiskers much anyways. They're there for a reason - because he needs them. Of course we like our horses looking trim, but anything besides a bridlepath, shiny coat and nice mane and tail? That's your job (or your groom's). We've got more important things to do. Like train your horse. Which might not always encompass a perfectly groomed tail, either.
- A trainer is not here to get your horse fit. Again, your job. Our job is to start or tune-up your horse, plain and simple. If that happens to include getting him fit or that was part of the deal, no problem. Most of my work however involves short and sweet sessions - horse is challenged, progresses, etc. Fitness is not our primary goal, that's something you can work on afterwards.
- Trainers like tired horses? Well sometimes it certainly works in our favour. But my goal each day is not to have to get your horse drop-dead tired before I can work with him. That sounds more akin to a facist government than a partnership (our goal) if you ask me. The trainers who are working their client horses into the ground - not the ones I'd be voting for.
- Please do not drop in unexpectedly, expecting us to be working your horse, or to drop everything to work your horse in front of you. That is what appointments are for. Surprisingly, we actually have other horses we work with. There is also a good chance we might not even be there! Stop in on your horse any day, by all means, but if you want to see him worked, give your trainer a shout first.
- This may come as a shock, so make sure you are sitting before you read any further, but we don't actually enjoy being bucked off. It hurts. You're not bringing your horse to me because you want someone else to ride out the bucks, you're bringing your horse to me so that I can work with it in such a way that it doesn't buck in the first place.
- You're paying us for our opinion. Don't expect us to follow your orders (within reason, of course). If I do an assessment on your horse and I allow him to play on the longe line, that is my prerogative. Don't tell me not to allow him to play on the longe line. (On a side note, if your horse has been cooped up for the last 24+ hours, don't expect him not to play on the longe line when he finally gets to stretch his legs!). If you want someone else's opinion, for sure, seek away. But don't try to fit your trainer into a mould into which they do not belong. Choose instead the trainer who best suits you and your horse's needs and wants.
- Please please please do your best to teach your horse some ground manners before he comes. Again, this may come as an absolute shock, but I do not particularly revel in being violently run over by your horse because she's never been taught to respect a person's space. I do not typically leap for joy when your horse bowls past me to get to his buddies. Yup, not on my priority list. Of course my job will encompass teaching your horse manners and earning his respect, but to a point.
- Training takes time. Sometimes it takes a lot of time. Please try to understand. Don't expect the essentially wild horse you just brought in to be w/t/c under-saddle and carrying a green rider within 30 days. Yup, proooobably not going to happen.

I am generally pretty understanding, but just thought I'd, perhaps a little sarcastically (lol), add in the above points for consideration. Please try to see things from our perspective sometimes! It's tough work - we do it for the love, not for the money. Or the bruises. Heck, I've got a constant stream of bruises that I never have any recollection of even. We don't do it for the bruises. Promise.

Washing

I have honestly watched frustrated people yell at their horse "why aren't you listening?? I told you to stand still!!" while washing their panic-striken horse. I wanted to walk up to them and point out that their horse is not listening to what they "told" him earlier because he does not understand english...but it was probably a bad time.

First off, just a little point: don't wash your horse if it is not absolutely necessary! A horse's coat has a lot of natural oils and dirt that are essential to his well-being, from keeping insects off to protecting him against the elements. Washing all those minerals and dirt off is like my taking away your coat in mosquito season while we're fishing on the lake. Or while we walking in the rain. Not exactly ideal. So if you do not absolutely have to wash your horse (such as for a show), don't do it. If your horse is sweated up and you feel he needs a rinse, at least skip the shampoos that can strip his coat of much-needed essentials. And allow him to roll afterwards - his coat needs it!

Okay, so back to the topic. Most horses hate having water sprayed over them. They fidget, they rear, they won't come within ten feet of the wash rack. Why? They're scared...it is not because they are stupid. The best thing you can do is to achieve a high level of trust* between you and your horse. A high level of trust in you = a high level of trust in your leadership = your horse follows your leadership. Just as an example, my flighty Quarab will be poking along when he spots the Velocoraptor (aka funny looking rock) hidden in the bush. If he's not following my leadership, if I have not earned my place as leader in his book, he's going to take leadership into his own hands and book it for the nearest spot he deems safe. However if I have earned a sufficiently high level of trust for him to trust my leadership abilities, he'll flick an ear back at me, ask if it's okay, I'll reply with an "yea no worries bud, I'll keep the Veloco at bay", and he'll relax and move on, no questions asked. Same follows for the washrack. If he can trust my leadership, he can trust whatever I throw at him. He might not particularly enjoy the water, but he can be relaxed being sprayed because he trusts that his leader - me, will keep him safe from the water dragons lurking in the hose. Our off-track Thoroughbred Link was extremely fidgety in the washrack to the point of rearing and kicking at us...sort of a problem because at the time we purchased him he had to be washed daily (ring worm...long story). As we worked quietly and patiently with him though he learned he could stand still no matter what we threw at him.

So, how do we earn that trust? By working quietly around our horses. Acting predictably (no slapping for "misbehaviour"...that's unpredictable in a horse's books), quietly, and patiently. Using approach and retreat rather than forcing them into some situation. Playing with them in such a way that they gain trust in us, where they can learn to read our body language, understand what we are asking, and thus trust us because they can read us. Just hanging out with them! Chilling with your grazing horse or just rubbing him quietly out in the pasture or in his stall is one of the biggest yet easiest trust-earning tasks you can do - spend un-demanding time together, time where you do nothing but enjoy one another's company. As a side note though, always make sure you are maintaining a balanced level of respect in your relationship with that trust. Establishing trust does not = no respect, allowing your horse to march all over you.

As far as the actual water issue (which resolves too as you earn that trust), start at the legs and work your way up so that the horse has a chance to acclimatize itself to the water. Use lukewarm water if possible, rather than bone-chilling teeth-clattering water. Use approach and retreat. Retreat when the horse seems uncomfortable (ie. remove the water from that particular area), approach when he is relaxed (ie. move the water back up to the "uncomfortable" area as he is calm)...and keep doing so, moving the water further and further over the horse's body each time. Take a break (even turn the water off, but at the least remove it completely from the horse) when the horse does particularly well and stands calm and relaxed. Above all, remain relaxed yourself! A yelling, negatively-charged and tense predator hanging at the end of the horse's leadrope does not exactly encourage relaxation in the horse. Look at it from the horse's perspective.


*Just as a quick aside, having trust in you and having trust in your leadership are not the same thing. A horse can trust that you are not going to hurt him, but a higher level of trust is necessary for the huge bunny rabbit to have trust that you can keep him safe from Velocoraptors (aka plastic bags, funny-shaped rocks, cars, grass poking at funny angles...etc) hurting (read: killing) him.