Before you add more gear or gadgets to your horse…
A human unwanted behaviour from your horse is most likely your horse trying to communicate to you that something isn’t quite right!
If your horse is showing you, trying to communicate with you through his or her behaviour, muscle development or lack thereof, or posture when being asked to carry out a task, that you are asking them to do, or even when standing still, you need to pay attention.
Horse owners, riders, and handlers do not have the right or privilege to rule out pain, discomfort or weakness in horses.
We have no right to assume that horses are not in pain or discomfort or have a weakness that makes it harder, if not impossible for them to perform a task, movement or jump.
It would be similar to me telling another person they aren’t in pain or should find a task easy and pain-free. My experience of the task or how my body feels could be completely different to another person's experience.
Maybe I have blocked out how painful it was or I have forgotten how much I struggled with learning or completing a task in the beginning.
I have no right to assume that their experience will be the same as mine. I don’t live in their body just like we don’t live in our horse’s body. We do not know what our horses have to endure to achieve what we want them to do for us.
Horses are masters of compensatory patterns to hide their pain, discomfort, or weakness it is how they survive!
Horses are masters at disguising their pain, discomfort or weakness, if you choose to mask your horse’s behaviour with gadgets and gear, well-fitted or not, you could be forcing your horse into a frame that he is not able to maintain at this stage, if ever.
You could be creating your next problem, your horse’s next injury or even your own next injury!
We cannot categorically dismiss pain, discomfort or weakness in our horses.
Your horse’s behaviour is your horse trying to communicate with you.
Are you prepared to create your next horse behaviour problem? That could be the consequence of you not listening to your horse’s initial signs that something is amiss.
Do you want to be the reason for the horse’s next injury or your next injury? Your horse may have to escalate his or her behaviour in an attempt to get you to listen!
What gear are you prepared to use to mask what is going on with your horse?
Improve your knowledge, research has been carried out on the effect of certain gear and gadgets on the horse’s ability to perform. Bear in mind not all research is good research.
Take a step back and look at your horse’s muscles, compare the tone and symmetry between the two sides of your horse. How your horse’s muscles are developing or not is a sign, a form of communication.
How your horse is put together (conformation) could be hindering your horse’s ability to carry out what you are asking them to do.
What are your horse’s facial expressions trying to communicate to you?
How many times and when does your horse pin its ears back or swish his or her tail (and not in an attempt to shoo a fly away)?
Get more familiar with the signs of pain in horses, it has been researched and there are books on the subject for example - “Harmonious Horsemanship by Dr Sue Dyson and Sue Palmer”
I have experience with horses whose performance has improved when the gear or gadget has been removed.
There are more things you should take into consideration…
Your horse’s vision, and how they see the world is different to how we do. What if your horse is sight impaired? What if he or she needs to adjust their neck and head position coming into a jump but can’t because there is a gadget or gear restraining them?
And then there is the possibility of emotional discomfort as opposed to physical discomfort.
Yes, it is complicated and mostly there are no quick fixes, only time and patience to assist your horse to get to the place of functional movement that is as pain-free as possible.
If you’ve found value in my rambling today, feel free to leave me a message and maybe contribute to my next coffee.
Custodians. Resilience. Humans and Horses
A custodian is defined as a person who has taken on full responsibility for the well-being, protection, and guarding of someone, an animal or something.
This is the start of a conversation, a conversation that may spark other deep and meaningful conversations.
This conversation is about how we as horse owners, riders, handlers might do better by our horses, it is not intended to be a conversation about not riding or not competing.
However if you decide that you don’t want to ride any more or don’t want to compete that is a choice you can make because it feels right for you and your horse or your horse has indicated physically or mentally that riding is not the best option.
What would it look like if every rider, owner, or handler were to see themselves as custodians of horses?
Horse’s needs would be prioritised, before our own human needs, wants and desires.
The human need to jump higher, go up the levels for the ribbons and accolades would be put aside.
The human need to be better than the other riders, to win at all costs, would not be the driver behind competition.
Humans would speak out, defend, and advocate for their horse and maybe even speak up for the welfare of a horse that isn’t theirs.
Don’t get me wrong I love riding and competing, I love building a confident competent relationship where we trust each other.
I enjoy the process of preparing both myself and the horse for riding physically and mentally, remember horse’s aren’t designed to be ridden like the bicycle was, we have to prepare our horses to be ridden.
I monitor our progress and plan the next steps in our preparation for our sessions and competition day. Ensuring we are prepared and resilient enough for the task and the environment ahead of us.
However, I am also mindful, observant and prepared to be flexible and abandon my desires and aspirations for the well-being of the horse.
Definition of resilience: the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties, the ability to spring back into shape, elasticity.
Neuroplasticity is another great superpower we humans have and I suspect horses do too. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt due to experience. It is the capacity of neurons and neural networks in the brain to change their connections and behaviour in response to new information, sensory stimulation, and development.
Going out to competitions, clinics, a lesson or anywhere new for your horse, would be a very different experience for the horse if the rider/handler/owner, the custodians, were to ensure that their horses are prepared for new environments and situations.
Remember it’s not the horse reading through the season's competition, clinic or lesson schedule, phoning his buddies to find out which ones they are going to, no it is us humans that are doing that!
Keep in mind, even if you have been to a venue before, in your horse’s eyes it could be a completely different experience, maybe you parked in a different place this time, changes that are easy for us to adapt to, possibly even invisible to us, could be overwhelming for some horses.
What would it look like if, when going on an outing (competition, clinic, lesson, hack), all, if not the majority of horses and humans were resilient and prepared enough for the event?
Humans and their horses would be more relaxed, with relaxation comes improved movement, along with improved brain and emotional regulation which would lead to improved performance of both horse and human.
If you have ever forgotten your jumping course or part way through your dressage test you forgot where to go next, your subconscious tension and anxiety or maybe you are aware of the tension and anxiety, could be the reason. Similar to your horse, your subconscious is trying to keep you alive and safe!
Horses wouldn’t be seen hauling their Custodians back to the yards or parking, because they would never be separated from their buddies or the horse would have the confidence, and resilience to be out on his or her own or their buddy would be coming along with them.
In some situations, your horse may have formed a temporary bond as a substitute for the herd back home or it could be that he is with a home herd buddy but that horse is still in the yard or gone off to compete.
Some horses are resilient enough not to need an equine buddy when away from home, they are comfortable and confident in themselves and their human custodian.
Why shouldn’t a less resilient horse have an “emotional support buddy”?
Custodians wouldn’t be seen getting angry or frustrated with their equines because they would have prepared themselves and their horses to cope.
Humans would notice the small signs that their horse is showing them that they are starting to feel stressed or anxious allowing the human to help their horse to de-escalate before the horse becomes too overwhelmed and feels the need to yell at their human!
Horses wouldn’t be washed in cold water on a chilly day, humans yelling at their horses to stand still! Have to say I would be moving around and showing my unhappiness if I had to have a cold shower!
Horses wouldn’t be consistently, frantically calling out, fence walking or bashing against yard gates trying to get out and back to another horse that will make them feel secure and safe, less vulnerable.
Definition of vulnerable: exposed to the possibility of being attacked, remember a horse is just trying to stay safe and survive.
Maybe we could work towards…
Horses that are well-prepared for the tasks that we are expecting them to carry out, physically and emotionally.
Custodians that are sufficiently prepared and skilled enough, physically and emotionally.
Custodians that have the skills to cope with the environment.
Custodians that have the appropriate useful in-hand skills.
Custodians that have the ability to help their horses regulate from the ground, assisting their horses to walk with the handler quietly, confidently for the safety of themselves their horses and everyone around them.
Are some horses more resilient than others? Yes I believe they are.
Are all horses capable of doing the tasks (within reason) that we are asking of them? I believe that mostly yes but we humans need to go at the speed required for the horse to process and build the skills and resilience, physical and mental ability.
Breaking down the steps into bite-size chunks, for human and horse.
Expanding our knowledge and understanding of ourselves and our horses.
We are all perfectly imperfect, unique and individual.
No two horses or humans are the same, there will be similarities but there are more differences.
Keep experimenting and exploring until you find what works for you and your horse, keep evolving and learning.
If you’ve found value in my rambling today, feel free to leave me a message and maybe contribute to my next rambling by buying me a “coffee”, every dollar counts.
Competition Contemplation
If you love competing, why do you love competing?
If you hate competing, why do you hate competing?
(Feel free to replace the words love and hate with words that resonate with you as well as the word competition, maybe you have concerns about going to a clinic or a lesson or riding out with others)
What is your attitude, your mindset when you compete?
Love Competing? Hate Competing?
When it comes to competing, I strongly believe that your attitude, your mindset is either your best friend or your worst enemy!
Is your mind set or does it have neuroplasticity, the ability to change its responses to what is going on either inside or outside your head?
Are you able to support yourself and your horse or are your thoughts and possibly your actions a hindrance?
How do you perceive competitions?
What is your goal for the competition?
What are you trying to achieve when you go out to compete?
How connected are you with yourself when you are out competing?
How connected are you to your horse when you are out competing? And this starts at the barn/yard! Probably the night before, for some of you it might even be days before the competition!
Do you have a mindset of competing against yourself, or other riders and horses?
Are you focusing on the process or the competition?
What is within your control and out of your control when you are out competing?
How many factors do you believe are in your control when you are out competing?
Are you being realistic about what you can and can’t influence? Other horses and humans’ behaviour in the warmup or around the floats/trucks/horseboxes - is mostly out of your control but how you respond is in your control!
Horse riding is not just about you, your competition companion is your horse, who has his or her own thoughts, feelings and insecurities!
If you were doing a solo sport ie marathon running (although even then there are factors that are out of your control) however for this contemplation, you can push yourself, train yourself, and notice if you are tired or sore or damaged, you have a brain that can regulate and process the information and rationalise and make adjustments, reframe. You are competing on your own steam, your power. But in riding it is not just about you!
Your horse has his or her own set of needs and wants - their survival patterns.
There is a part of your brain that is referred to as your reptilian or primal brain, it is the older part of your brain, and its main purpose is to keep your body functioning and keep you alive!
If when you go out competing you are leaving decisions to the unconscious mind then you might come unstuck, especially if you are in your stretch or even worse in your panic zone! This is where you will need to get your conscious brain to step in with some more useful thoughts or actions to convince your unconscious brain that jumping or going out to compete is “safe” and you will survive!
Let’s look at an example of an event that is out of your control, you are doing your jumping round, at a clinic or doing a dressage test, and you notice a horse and rider in the warm-up arena, having an exponential crisis!
Are you able to refocus? You and your horse.
Are you able to reframe the situation in the moment?
Are you able to identify whether your abilities can match the situation? Or should you retire or hop off your horse?
Do you have the tools in your toolbox to cope with the situation? Does your horse?
Is today just not the day? Do you need to revisit your or your horse’s training?
Remember whatever happens it is not failure it is just feedback!
Another perspective worth pondering is whether you are competing for the rosette or ribbon.
If you are, you are probably more likely to be disappointed, as it is something else that is out of your control. Getting a ribbon or rosette could be seen as the “cherry on the cake”, it means that your training and preparation has possibly paid off today.
If you are disappointed/disheartened when competing, ask yourself why. What is your intention behind competing? Could it be that the “Competition Monster” has drawn you in?
Resilience of you and your horse
Is your horse resilient enough for competition? Is your horse able to cope with the environment? Do you need to take a step back, and break it down into more bite-size chunks for your horse?
Taking a step back, regrouping isn’t failure, it just means there is a part of the foundation training that isn’t solid, it is just a bit fragile and requires some nurturing. Take some time to focus on the training of body and mind! Horse and human.
Are you resilient enough for competition? Are you the one getting all excited and spooky? Is your heart rate going up? Are you so disconnected from your body that you don’t notice?
It could be your horse that starts the fight, flight or freeze response and then you fall into the same pattern or do you start the process?
You and your horse are wearing heart rate monitors what would the recordings look like? Whose would beep the highest first?
Is your horse fine in the warm-up but tense when you enter the arena for your judged round? Why? Environment change? Are you getting your game face on?
Do you get a bit sparky when the bell goes?
What could you do differently?
Could you go out to compete, aiming to be 1% better than last time? Because you have been focusing on the training process of improving yourself and your horse, your thoughts and physically, since the last competition?
Can you go to compete and be the best version of yourself today? Can you take what happens on the day in your stride?
Does that mean you get it right all the time? Not necessarily but can you be quicker to forgive yourself or your horse and move on? Be more mindful and connected to what you and your horse are trying to communicate to each other.
Can you accept and reframe or pivot depending on what your horse or outside factors come your way?
Can you observe and be aware of what is happening unemotionally? Refrain from writing an epic drama around a situation that doesn’t warrant it.
Can you see that competition is just another element in your training process?
If this resonates with you and you are ready to make some changes send me an email sue@suepequestrian.co.nz let’s see how we can do together!
If you’ve found value in my rambling today, feel free to leave me a message and maybe contribute to my next coffee.
Running Reins/Draw Reins and other gadgets
I know I shouldn’t be surprised!
We need to be more horse-focused! Prioritising the horse’s welfare above our own goals and desires!
Last week I was out on two separate occasions at two different local arenas working with clients and their horses.
I know I’m naive thinking that riders don't use running reins/draw reins any more, however, I was a little shocked that in the space of one week, I saw 2 different riders using this piece of equipment, which if fitted or used incorrectly can be detrimental to the horse, as well as being completely unnecessary when a correct training programme is followed.
Sadly, what didn’t surprise me was that the horse being ridden on the flat using draw reins was on the forehand. The other horse was being jumped in draw reins, making it impossible for the horse to use its neck and back biomechanical correctly to get a good shape/bascule over the jump. This horse would have had to come up with a compensatory pattern to help it get over the jumps, needless to say, the horse started taking rails.
I’m doubtful that for either of these horses, the purpose of why these riders were using running reins/draw reins was actually being achieved.
Professional Body Workers and Coaches if you are advising your clients to use running reins, if you have the horse’s best interest at heart, it would be time well spent making sure that your client knows how to fit and ride their horse in running reins or any other gadget you are asking them to use.
Ensure that your client has a good understanding of the purpose and desired outcome of using the running reins. Make sure they know what they are aiming to achieve. Assist them in recognising whether or not they are using the gadget correctly.
It would be hugely beneficial, not only for your client but definitely for the welfare of the horse if you were to watch your clients ride using these gadgets to make sure they completely understand how and when to use them. How often to use the gadget and for how long?
If your client doesn’t think they are using the gadget correctly, ask them to send you a video giving you the opportunity to advise them. Horses are excellent at creating compensatory movement patterns to avoid discomfort, your client could unintentionally be creating the next problem!
Riders, if your body worker or your coach recommends you use running reins or another gadget on your horse, make sure you fully understand how to use them and why.
Ensure for the welfare of your horse and longevity of your horse that you know what to look for when you are using them correctly and what to be aware of if you aren’t. How long should you use them for, and how do you help your horse adjust to this gadget, if you don’t your next problem is on the horizon, horses are extremely brilliant at developing compensatory movement patterns to avoid discomfort. Do your own research! You will be the one with the unsound horse if something goes wrong.
There are no quick fixes! The research is out there! Gadgets are not the answer. Horses are not designed to be ridden it is our responsibility to ensure that we have strengthened and prepared them correctly to carry a rider. To carry a rider your horse needs to learn how to engage its thoracic sling of muscles and engage it’s core and hind quarters.
If you are using running reins for control or to teach the horse to give to rein pressure or give the horse an idea about how they should feel contact and suppleness this is probably not addressing the underlying reason, there is a gap in the horse’s foundation training which needs to be resolved, possibly an unravelling of an old pattern and a building up of a new pattern. In the long term, this will have huge benefits for your horse.
The above is only skimming the surface of a much deeper conversation. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used gadgets in the past thinking it would help me achieve a desired outcome/outline of my horses but that was at least 15 years ago. As a continuous student of the horse and always trying to improve my understanding of how horses move and think, I know differently now and therefore train and ride differently. Whilst the above is just my opinion it is supported by research, my own personal experience and observations as a rider and coach with more than 30 years of experience.
If you’ve found value in my rambling today, feel free to leave me a message and maybe contribute to my next coffee.
Sue and Dale from DL Equine get together for a chat about Sue’s training, coaching and horsemanship methodology
Finding your tribe!
It isn’t always easy to find the perfect place to keep your horse, being surrounded by supportive people who either share your thoughts on training, riding and horsemanship or at least allow you to have the space to navigate your horse ownership journey.
Everyone has an opinion, making it tricky to filter through the information to find what is relevant and will work best for you and your horse.
I often wish I could have a huge barn and farm then all my clients could bring their horses to stay!
Currently, I have two wonderful clients that agist/stable/graze their horses at my property in Norwest Auckland, New Zealand. Both of them came to be here for different reasons.
Because each horse is different we change and tweak their living environments, feed and management to ensure that they are kept in a way that will benefit them the most long term. A couple of the horses require restricted access to grass, they are kept on a simple version of a track system.
One of the clients brought her horse to mine when she first purchased him. The intention was to support her through the transitional phase of the new partnership.
Buying a new horse can be an overwhelming experience in itself, let alone when you get your new horse home! I’m grateful that she allowed me to be part of the purchase process. Whilst there were concerns around this horse he did tick loads of the boxes and the ones that he didn’t were trainable with time and patience. They are hopefully heading out to their first competition soon!
It is extremely rewarding for me to be part of all my client’s journeys with their horses! I love that they are all individuals and have similar but different needs.
In the webinar In the webinar I mentioned the Snowman exercise, it is a super, versatile exercise. Suitable for most levels of riding, it can also be done in-hand and poles could be added too!
If you would like to know more about how to ride the Snowman exercise and have additional support with your riding and horse training, I’m launching a monthly membership programme in the next couple of weeks.
Each month you will be emailed an exercise, with details on how the exercise can be utilised starting from a basic foundation level through to more advanced movements. It will also include additional info to improve rider and horse biomechanics!
Feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends who may find it useful.
If you have been forwarded this newsletter, click the “Original Post“ link below and enter your details at the bottom of the post to subscribe.
New Beginnings!
With the hope of starting the year as I mean to continue:
One step at a time, in the right direction.
Celebrating the small progressive steps.
And
Moving towards what I love!
Welcome to the first SPE newsletter!
I’ve been pondering or procrastinating, whichever way you want to see it, about doing a newsletter for ages, so I’m super happy to be sending this newsletter out!
2023 So Far :
Local in-person ridden lessons are back in full swing, along with in hand and float training sessions. When the weather permits of course, which can be a bit hit and miss at the moment in Auckland!
Looking ahead for 2023 :
I’m planning to get back out to travelling around NZ to do Rider and Horse Biomechanics clinics, let me know if you have any venues that you would be keen for me to come along to.
Based on the success of last year’s interactive demos and workshops, I will be adding them into the calendar along with some other themed workshops.
The famous monthly Pole Clinics will be back on the calendar this year. Will start them off at my arena in Woodhill, but will look at other venues going forward depending on demand.
I will also be hosting clinicians this year, as well as collaborating with other professionals, keep an eye out for dates and more information about who, what and when.
For those that need inspiration or a riding plan, keep an eye on your emails, I have some ideas in the pipeline.
Pennington Ponderings :
Today, now…if there was one action/behaviour/thought that you wanted to start or change,
it doesn’t have to be anything huge, just a small step that takes you closer to achieving your aspirations.
What would it be?
What do you think is holding you back from making this change?
Is the “thing” that is holding you back true or a previous belief or a not so useful story that you tell yourself?
Can you break it down into smaller chunks?
In the book the 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins one of the suggestions is to countdown from 5, when you get to 1 you stop what you are currently doing and move towards what you should or would like to be doing. I was amazed how well this worked.
Training Inspiration :
This exercise can be done in hand or ridden.
In walk, trot or canter.
With or without a pole.
In an arena or in the paddock.
Depending on the level of your horse or yourself, start in your comfort zone or your horse’s, keep it simple and then build up the complexity. When adding complexity it could be speed moving from walk to trot or to canter however it could be that you change the pattern that you are riding to add complexity, depending on the stage of you and your horse only change one thing at a time. If you lose quality then go back a step, slow down the speed (pace) or reduce the complexity, then try again.
Place the pole in the centre of your arena, in this example, 10m in from the side.
Pattern options :
Down the centre line ie. turn down the centre line off the left, then turn right at the other end or turn left again.
Loops
Change of rein across the diagonal
Combinations of the above
Flying changes, counter canter and lateral movements can also be added in.
If your horse has a loss of balance over the pole do a downward transition before the pole and then an upwards transition after the pole.
Quote :
One of the books that I am currently reading is Kate Sandel’s - Riding in Release : A practical guide to French Classical Equitation and Horsemanship.
Below is a quote from the book that resonated with me for different reasons and in different situations.
“You are responsible for yourself and your horse!”
This can be very pertinent when going to a different venue, clinic or lesson, a good idea is to have a mental checklist and a plan.
Is my horse in a space for learning?
Is my horse expressing his normal behaviour or is he or she anxious ? Normally stands to be groomed and tacked up - but not today. Normally stands at the mounting block - but not today. Normally is a relaxed horse - but today heading butting and trying to bite.
Am I in a good head space for absorbing the learnings?
Am I behaving as I normally do around my horse? Or am I feeling rushed and anxious?
Start with grounding yourself, take a moment to take stock of how you are feeling.
Start your horse with some ground work/in hand to help him or her ground themselves and become more present.
Accidents happen because we “push through” the warning signs!