there are rules... then there are rules
By Karen Brown © 2010 People have a lot
of problems with their horses because of one simple reason. They don’t know the rules of engagement between humans and horses. Humans think like humans; it’s only natural. Hors- es think like horses; that too, is only natural. But the two modes of thinking seldom overlap and therein lies the source of battles between the species. I want to introduce
the concept of Rules of Engage- ment for horse/human contact. These rules encompass the basic protocols for behavior of both parties. Contrary to the thought processes of many horse owners, the human has as many or more responsibilities to uphold than the horse does. Before I define the
basic rules of engagement, let’s start with the rules about the rules.
A. All rules must be
absolutely clear. They must not be able to be misinterpreted by either party or redefined by one party alone. They must be communicated in a way that both parties understand them. That means you cannot teach your horse a rule by using hu- man based communications; you must utilize a communi- cation method that is innately understood by equus. You can’t talk to a horse if you don’t how to speak horse. B. All rules must be
enforced consistently. That means 100% compliance 100% of the time. If you fail to con- sistently enforce rules, don’t be mad at your horse for con- sistently ignoring your rules. You are the cause of his poor behavior. Don’t get lazy about rule enforcement and you won’t have to fight with your horse
about doing what you ask. The second, but more
important reason you must be 100% consistent is that if you are not consistent your horse will not trust you. Rules that are haphazardly enforced only serve to confuse the horse. When a horse gets confused, he gets difficult, anxious, and frac- tious. No horse can trust a hu- man that displays inconsistent behavior. Indeed, consistency is more important than the rule itself.
C. Respect is a two
way street. You will never gain respect from your horse if you cannot first give it. Bullies don’t elicit respect, they only engender fear. Acknowledge your horse as an intelligent, independent being. Treat him the same as you would a friend whom you are visiting. Wait to be invited in. We don’t barge into the space of other humans; don’t do it to your horse. Give respect by learn-
ing the body language of equus. Horses don’t speak English; they speak horse—with their bodies. Horses are constantly emitting signals that clearly tell us what they are thinking and how they feel. The more you pay attention to those communications, the more you can help your horse through difficult situations, thus curtail- ing any escalation to dangerous behavior on his part or abusive behavior on your part. D. Establish a con-
tract. Huh? I know it sounds strange, but it’s really the same type of agreement you make with another person. Before you get in the car and go to the grocery with a friend, you first ask the friend to go, and the friend then agrees to go, to do
what you said you were going to do. Now let’s pretend you change your mind en route and, without asking your friend if it’s OK, you stop at a restaurant, the dry cleaners, the hardware store, a bookstore, ---how does your friend react to these plan changes?
Now let’s apply this
idea to your horse. If you want your horse to trot across the pasture, then ask him to do exactly that. Acknowledge his agreement by releasing any cues when he begins to trot straight across the pasture. Then do exactly what you agreed upon—no more, no less. When that task is done, thank your horse for doing a good job.
Then make a new
contract. Precise requests combined with precise fol- low through convince your horse that you are a leader with a plan. Horses like to fol- low leaders who know where they’re going. Ground work or riding then becomes a series of mini contracts between you and your horse. This process will also force you to clarity your intentions to such a degree that your cues will be more precise. The horse is then better able to give you precisely what you wanted.
Some readers will
need time to think about these rules, so we’ll talk about the Rules of Engagement in Part Two next month. Karen Brown is a
freelance writer and a horse trainer. Karen trains all breeds of horses, restarts problem horses, and provides instruction in natural horsemanship. Go to
www.karenbrownonhorses.com for more information about this author.
501 Bastrop Highway - Austin, Texas
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THE HORSE GAZETTE Part 1 of 2
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