Post by Calaminty Jane on Jul 23, 2010 12:22:40 GMT -5
Fear vs. Trust: Overcoming Spooking with Trust
by Laura Scaletti
Reprint from www.southernstates.com
Posted: Friday, July 16, 2010
From horses that spook at a bird flying out of a tree on a trail ride, to horses that shy away from a jump in the show ring, most riders have had frustrating experiences with spooking. By design, horses are wired to respond to the world with fear and run away from anything they perceive as a threat. This flight instinct has enabled the horse to survive in the wild for centuries, however with the help of humans, horses can be taught to control their fear response.
Horseman, Kenny Harlow, from Cumberland, VA shares his insights to help uncover the secrets to desensitizing horses with spooking issues. Harlow is a certified John Lyons trainer known for his expertise in working with problem horses and starting unbroken horses. He proves that clear communication and patience is the key to solving some of the most difficult problems.
Through "Training with Trust," Harlow helps not only horses, but helps the horse owners themselves learn how to solve problems. This leads to a lasting relationship of trust between horse and owner. Creating this trust level is especially important when dealing with spooking issues.
A horse that is experiencing spooking issues must learn how to face its fear. So what is fear to a horse? Many years ago Harlow was asked this very question while talking to a farrier. When Harlow said he wasn't sure what fear was to a horse, the farrier looked at him and said "to a horse, fear is false evidence appearing real." Such a simple concept, but it makes so much sense.
How many times has your horse stopped and snorted at everyday items that suddenly appear to pose a threat to him? The puddle on the ground that suddenly looks like it will swallow him whole if he puts one hoof into it or the hose that looks like a snake in the grass. All of these everyday items have turned into false evidence appearing real to the horse. Harlow believes it's not fair to expect horses will never get scared, however he believes we must teach them to stop, not bolt off, face what they are scared of and take a breath.
In Harlow's experience, the most common spook reaction, bolting, is also the most dangerous. When a horse decides to bolt based on fear, it is no longer thinking about its rider, rather it is going back to its hardwired flight instincts and fleeing from the danger as quickly as possible. When Harlow receives as horse in training with a bolting issue, he teaches it to freeze in place so its rider doesn't fall off. Not only does freezing in place make the horse less dangerous for its rider, but it helps the horse learn to control their emotions and realize they don't have to run away from what frightens them. You teach the horse that even though he may be scared, everything will be okay as long as he doesn't move his feet.
In order to get the horse to face its fear, Kenny goes back to the "breaking" basics and returns to the round pen. The round pen is an ideal environment to take the horse back to as the horse is put into a "safe" environment where it can focus on gaining trust with either its owner or Kenny.
The first thing Harlow does when he puts the horse in the round pen is to remove its halter, this way any movement towards Kenny will be solely at the horse's discretion. Therefore any movement you receive is because they want to learn. According to Harlow, "Once the horse starts to trust me as we are together in the round pen, I can start approaching him and sacking out." "Sacking out" refers to getting the horse used to things being rubbed over and under it, placing things on and over its head and back. We "sack out" first with our hands and lariat, rubbing all over the horse until it no longer flinches anywhere," Harlow explained.
In addition to "sacking out," Harlow will also pick something that is a little spooky, for example a bag with cans, and shake the bag until the horse looks at it. Then he takes the bag away. He does this to teach the horse that if they turn and look at the scary item it goes away and doesn't follow them. By facing their fear, the scary item goes away. Harlow said this is especially true when on a trail ride. "Most of the time if a horse is spooked by a passing car or running deer, if they were to keep looking rather than bolting the scary item would pass on by and no longer be scary," notes Harlow.
The next step outside of the round pen is to take the now formerly spooking horse on a trail ride with a quiet well broke horse. By taking him out with a veteran partner, you are setting the horse up to not fail as the spooky horse will always follow the "brave" horse.
The key to this being a positive experience for the spooky horse is to ensure the lead horse is as "bombproof" as possible. As you are out on the trail ride, little by little, allow the horse with spooking issues to pass the veteran trail horse and be the leader for 5 minutes - then 10 minutes - and so on. This will empower the spooky horse and make him more courageous each time he is the leader.
Once you are on the trail you may encounter frightening obstacles. A common obstacle on a trail that gives horses problems is water crossings. Many times a horse will walk up to the creek and then shut down not wanting to move at all. This is not the same as teaching the horse to freeze in place to combat their fear. It is at this point that the rider often makes the mistake of trying to force the horse into crossing the creek, through either hitting it with a crop or kicking it forward. This type of reaction on the rider's part will turn into a battle of wills between himself and the horse and could turn into a potentially dangerous situation.
Harlow has two techniques for dealing with this issue, put the horse into work and take it one step at a time. The key to both techniques is to be patient and let the process take as much time as it needs to in order to make the horse comfortable.
When using the "put the horse into work method," Harlow suggests you start at the point where the horse refused to move forward anymore. The next step is to make the horse trot to the left (parallel to the stream in this example) for 10 to 20 feet then turn the horse towards the stream and go the same 10 to 20 feet to the right. You will then approach the stream and see if the horse is ready to cross, again without forcing him. If he is still not willing, rather than pushing the horse to go forward and go across the stream, you will continue to work on this figure eight pattern. "Eventually the horse will learn that it is a whole lot easier to just cross the stream rather than be put into work," explains Harlow.
In addition to putting the horse into work when it doesn't want to move forward, Harlow now favors another technique. When the horse gets to an object it doesn't want to cross Harlow slows everything down and takes the horse through its fear one step at a time. Harlow will allow the horse to take one step, relax, take another step and relax. "The key to this method is to encourage movement on the horse's part. Even if the horse moves backwards, it's okay because the horse still responded with motion," explained Harlow.
He continues, "Horses were created with four legs to move, that movement doesn't always have to be in a forward manner, as long as it is controlled one step at a time." Although this method may take longer, it reduces the chance the horse will be spooky and potentially jump the stream or obstacle it is scared of. Harlow also believes that by investing the hours to patiently teach the horse there is nothing to be scared of the rider will reap the rewards on the next outing as the horse will most likely have no aversion to crossing the scary obstacle.
As demonstrated through Harlow's techniques, all riders can work to desensitize their horses to potentially spooky situations. However, one important thing to remember is there is no such thing as a completely bombproof horse. Remember you cannot expect a horse to not spook 100% of the time.
At the end of the day, it's all about building a relationship based on trust. As Harlow has demonstrated with his horses, if the horse trusts its rider it will do anything for them. You can have the same relationship with your horse, if you have the patience and desire to train with trust.
-----------------------------------------
To learn more about Kenny Harlow visit www.kennyharlow.com.
by Laura Scaletti
Reprint from www.southernstates.com
Posted: Friday, July 16, 2010
From horses that spook at a bird flying out of a tree on a trail ride, to horses that shy away from a jump in the show ring, most riders have had frustrating experiences with spooking. By design, horses are wired to respond to the world with fear and run away from anything they perceive as a threat. This flight instinct has enabled the horse to survive in the wild for centuries, however with the help of humans, horses can be taught to control their fear response.
Horseman, Kenny Harlow, from Cumberland, VA shares his insights to help uncover the secrets to desensitizing horses with spooking issues. Harlow is a certified John Lyons trainer known for his expertise in working with problem horses and starting unbroken horses. He proves that clear communication and patience is the key to solving some of the most difficult problems.
Through "Training with Trust," Harlow helps not only horses, but helps the horse owners themselves learn how to solve problems. This leads to a lasting relationship of trust between horse and owner. Creating this trust level is especially important when dealing with spooking issues.
A horse that is experiencing spooking issues must learn how to face its fear. So what is fear to a horse? Many years ago Harlow was asked this very question while talking to a farrier. When Harlow said he wasn't sure what fear was to a horse, the farrier looked at him and said "to a horse, fear is false evidence appearing real." Such a simple concept, but it makes so much sense.
How many times has your horse stopped and snorted at everyday items that suddenly appear to pose a threat to him? The puddle on the ground that suddenly looks like it will swallow him whole if he puts one hoof into it or the hose that looks like a snake in the grass. All of these everyday items have turned into false evidence appearing real to the horse. Harlow believes it's not fair to expect horses will never get scared, however he believes we must teach them to stop, not bolt off, face what they are scared of and take a breath.
In Harlow's experience, the most common spook reaction, bolting, is also the most dangerous. When a horse decides to bolt based on fear, it is no longer thinking about its rider, rather it is going back to its hardwired flight instincts and fleeing from the danger as quickly as possible. When Harlow receives as horse in training with a bolting issue, he teaches it to freeze in place so its rider doesn't fall off. Not only does freezing in place make the horse less dangerous for its rider, but it helps the horse learn to control their emotions and realize they don't have to run away from what frightens them. You teach the horse that even though he may be scared, everything will be okay as long as he doesn't move his feet.
In order to get the horse to face its fear, Kenny goes back to the "breaking" basics and returns to the round pen. The round pen is an ideal environment to take the horse back to as the horse is put into a "safe" environment where it can focus on gaining trust with either its owner or Kenny.
The first thing Harlow does when he puts the horse in the round pen is to remove its halter, this way any movement towards Kenny will be solely at the horse's discretion. Therefore any movement you receive is because they want to learn. According to Harlow, "Once the horse starts to trust me as we are together in the round pen, I can start approaching him and sacking out." "Sacking out" refers to getting the horse used to things being rubbed over and under it, placing things on and over its head and back. We "sack out" first with our hands and lariat, rubbing all over the horse until it no longer flinches anywhere," Harlow explained.
In addition to "sacking out," Harlow will also pick something that is a little spooky, for example a bag with cans, and shake the bag until the horse looks at it. Then he takes the bag away. He does this to teach the horse that if they turn and look at the scary item it goes away and doesn't follow them. By facing their fear, the scary item goes away. Harlow said this is especially true when on a trail ride. "Most of the time if a horse is spooked by a passing car or running deer, if they were to keep looking rather than bolting the scary item would pass on by and no longer be scary," notes Harlow.
The next step outside of the round pen is to take the now formerly spooking horse on a trail ride with a quiet well broke horse. By taking him out with a veteran partner, you are setting the horse up to not fail as the spooky horse will always follow the "brave" horse.
The key to this being a positive experience for the spooky horse is to ensure the lead horse is as "bombproof" as possible. As you are out on the trail ride, little by little, allow the horse with spooking issues to pass the veteran trail horse and be the leader for 5 minutes - then 10 minutes - and so on. This will empower the spooky horse and make him more courageous each time he is the leader.
Once you are on the trail you may encounter frightening obstacles. A common obstacle on a trail that gives horses problems is water crossings. Many times a horse will walk up to the creek and then shut down not wanting to move at all. This is not the same as teaching the horse to freeze in place to combat their fear. It is at this point that the rider often makes the mistake of trying to force the horse into crossing the creek, through either hitting it with a crop or kicking it forward. This type of reaction on the rider's part will turn into a battle of wills between himself and the horse and could turn into a potentially dangerous situation.
Harlow has two techniques for dealing with this issue, put the horse into work and take it one step at a time. The key to both techniques is to be patient and let the process take as much time as it needs to in order to make the horse comfortable.
When using the "put the horse into work method," Harlow suggests you start at the point where the horse refused to move forward anymore. The next step is to make the horse trot to the left (parallel to the stream in this example) for 10 to 20 feet then turn the horse towards the stream and go the same 10 to 20 feet to the right. You will then approach the stream and see if the horse is ready to cross, again without forcing him. If he is still not willing, rather than pushing the horse to go forward and go across the stream, you will continue to work on this figure eight pattern. "Eventually the horse will learn that it is a whole lot easier to just cross the stream rather than be put into work," explains Harlow.
In addition to putting the horse into work when it doesn't want to move forward, Harlow now favors another technique. When the horse gets to an object it doesn't want to cross Harlow slows everything down and takes the horse through its fear one step at a time. Harlow will allow the horse to take one step, relax, take another step and relax. "The key to this method is to encourage movement on the horse's part. Even if the horse moves backwards, it's okay because the horse still responded with motion," explained Harlow.
He continues, "Horses were created with four legs to move, that movement doesn't always have to be in a forward manner, as long as it is controlled one step at a time." Although this method may take longer, it reduces the chance the horse will be spooky and potentially jump the stream or obstacle it is scared of. Harlow also believes that by investing the hours to patiently teach the horse there is nothing to be scared of the rider will reap the rewards on the next outing as the horse will most likely have no aversion to crossing the scary obstacle.
As demonstrated through Harlow's techniques, all riders can work to desensitize their horses to potentially spooky situations. However, one important thing to remember is there is no such thing as a completely bombproof horse. Remember you cannot expect a horse to not spook 100% of the time.
At the end of the day, it's all about building a relationship based on trust. As Harlow has demonstrated with his horses, if the horse trusts its rider it will do anything for them. You can have the same relationship with your horse, if you have the patience and desire to train with trust.
-----------------------------------------
To learn more about Kenny Harlow visit www.kennyharlow.com.