Jenny was an avid rider in her teens and early twenties. Then, she met ‘Mr. Wonderful’ and put her horse out to pasture. After a couple of decades filled with husband, children and career, Jenny decided to get back into horses. Excited to be back in the saddle, Jenny fell in love with the first horse she met Ranger, a five-year old, green-broke gelding. Ranger’s age and skill level were of no concern to Jenny, because all she wanted to do was ride. After all, she’d been quite a rider in her day … wow, had that really been twenty years ago?!
Jenny was thinking riding now would be just like it was when she was a kid. Wrong! As a kid, Jenny used to jump up on her horse and take off. Now, at 40 (something) and out of shape, even jumping up onto the back of a small pony wasn’t an option – let alone jumping up onto Ranger’s 16-hand high back. Unknowingly, Jenny had assembled all the ingredients for disaster: a green-broke horse, an inexperienced, out of shape rider, and a healthy dose of misguided over-enthusiasm.
Jenny was about to figure out that with the passing of time, things change. We have aches and pains that weren’t there before, we’ve lost the muscle tone that we took for granted at 19, our balance is not what it used to be – and don’t forget about that nagging voice in the back of your head (the one that was never there before), but is now coming through loud and clear saying things like, “You’re not as young as you used to be. You don’t bounce very good anymore. You’re going to orphan your children. You have a job and other responsibilities, so you better not break anything…”, and so on.
Jenny’s wake-up call came one afternoon when she decided to escape the stresses of her day on horseback. As she rested her bottom in the saddle, Ranger began to prance around and throw his head. With a death grip on the reins, Jenny headed out. She had long forgotten about riding off into the sunset. Come to think of it, this was how most of her rides had gone lately and it wasn’t much fun anymore.
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind whipped the picnic table umbrella across the yard into a frenzy. Ranger perceived the flapping umbrella as a monster, sure to eat him alive. He braced, ready for the blow. Jenny, unable to read her horses cues, decided to teach Ranger a thing (or two) about who was boss. She gave him a good kick to get his attention. That was all the encouragement Ranger needed. He interpreted the kick from his rider as confirmation that he was right to be afraid, and took off like a shot. Jenny pulled as hard as she could on the reins, but nothing happened. The brakes weren’t working.
Panic stricken, she dropped the reins. This was only a technicality, however, because she didn’t have control of her horse to begin with. Arms flying Jenny screamed, “Whoa! Whoa! The louder she yelled, the faster her horse ran. As Ranger made a sharp left, Jenny flew off. She was mad, her body ached and her pride was wounded. How could this horse she loved so much, and who she though loved her in return, hurt her like this. She felt betrayed.
Jenny’s relationship with Ranger was based on love and nurturing, rather than on love and leadership. What has Jenny learned, besides the fact that she doesn’t own Flicka, is that horseback riding is not as Hollywood often portrays it, and that love will not conquer all where horses are concerned? No, she hasn’t learned it’s time to sell that ‘blankety-blank’ horse. If Jenny is smart (which she is because we are the storytellers), she’s figured out it’s time to get serious about horsemanship.
A horse weighs upwards of 1,200 pounds. On his back you sit five to six feet off the ground. Communication between horse and rider is imperative. Lack of control of your horse is not an option, and neither is overpowering him. You must form a partnership with your horse by gaining his respect. Only then will your horse respond with faith and willingness to your requests and rely upon you to keep him safe when the going gets tough.
Forming a willing partnership with your horse starts by considering how your skills (or lack thereof) as a rider, factor into your horse’s behavior. Here’s a clue there’s probably nothing wrong with your horse: you send Bucky to a trainer and he learns all kinds of new things. If he can learn from the trainer, he can learn from you. In fact, that’s part of the problem – he has been learning from you. The horse seeks the level of the rider whether good or bad. The horse got better, but the rider didn’t. Maybe your horse should send you off to a trainer! It’s a simple formula: in order to improve the horse you have to improve the rider, so they become one.
How does a rider improve and form a relationship with her horse based on mutual respect? She finds a skilled trainer to work with and goes back to the basics. By the time a rider is willing to find a trainer, her horse has probably already taught her how much she doesn’t know. Horses are masters at this. They have to be. They are prey animals and must be able to rely on you, their leader, for survival – their lives depend on it. If you do not possess appropriate leadership skills, they will rely on their instincts (often to the rider’s detriment).
The relationship between horse and rider must be built on a strong foundation. This will take a lot of time, patience and trust. If you stop and think about it though, aren’t those the only types of relationships worth having? Certainly, that is the kind of relationship you will want with your horse when you get in a storm. There will come a time (usually in the midst of a blow-up), when the rider realizes how powerful, fast, and dangerous their horse can be. It is at that moment you better have a strong foundation to fall back on. Your safety will depend on it.
You don’t have to wait to get hurt to get smart. Instead, start smart – from the ground up. A strong relationship with your horse – just like with friends, spouse, co-workers, etc., – must be built on a solid foundation. When working with a horse, this means starting with groundwork. Groundwork allows riders to develop communication and gain control from the ground. When groundwork is learned and practiced, horses begin to look to their human for support and direction. This is your goal considering everything learned (and practiced) on the ground, will translate to the saddle.
Horses are learning all the time, and they don’t know the difference between good teaching and bad. In the same way, bad riding can quickly undo the best of training. This is not a reflection on the trainer (unless you didn’t do your homework in choosing a trainer, in which case you own that too). The trainer’s job is to train the horse. The horse’s job is to learn and respond willingly. The rider’s job is to work with the trainer to learn proper cues and make time to practice. Riders must be willing to do their part, or they undermine the training process.
No trainer can guarantee you won’t get hurt when riding your horse. However, a knowledgeable horse teacher will empower you with the skills necessary to ride ahead of the wreck. The more you learn and the more wet saddle blankets you come home with (i.e. practice), the less chance you will have of getting hurt. That is what Horse Power is all about; not how big and powerful your horse is, but rather about empowering the human to develop a relationship between horse and rider based on love and leadership.
Steve Rother has been using natural horsemanship techniques to help horses and riders form willing partnerships for nearly two decades. If you’re searching for results you never thought possible with your horse, attend a Rother clinic. Visit Steve’s website for more information and clinic schedules (www.horseteacher.com).
Jaymi Trimble is a freelance writer who has been crazy about horses since she was a little girl. Trimble spends half the year on Maui and the other half on her farm in Washington State.
Copyright © 2009 The NW Horse Source, LLC
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