Even though it has been a cold January I have had many dedicated students eager to learn come out for private lessons and simulations classes. As I watched horses and people trying to perform in the bitter cold I noticed how sometimes people ask something of the horse when he is not paying any attention to them. Perhaps it is hard for them to concentrate because they are so cold and shivering. But no matter what the excuse, any effective communication begins with having the listener’s attention. When working with horses I have found many of them are not in the habit of giving their attention to a human. I believe this is often the cause of a lot of the difficulties people experience with their horse.
Being able to gain and hold a horse’s attention is the first step in building a safe, harmonious relationship between you and your horse. I have been pondering why we tend to skip this first step. Perhaps it is so basic and such a subtle step that we take it for granted. Since it is so important for good communication I think it is worth giving some thought and consideration to this topic which we seldom hear people talking about when they discuss horsemanship.
We all know and realize when explaining a task, in order to expect our directions to be followed well we need to have the learner's attention. Since I am an retired school teacher and many of you reading this may have children I can make the analogy of teaching children. For example, if we want to help a child learn a math concept or the meaning of a word, but they are staring out the window watching other kids play on the playground, they won't learn a thing until we get their attention. It is no different with horses, except that we also have fears to deal with. And if a horse is afraid, he is not paying attention to learning but to surviving the moment which usually means fleeing.
Every good horseman is aware at least subconsciously all the time of making sure he has the horse's attention before attempting to elicit a response. They achieve this by doing just enough to warrant the horse's attention. It could be something as simple as a shift of weight, a flick of a finger, or change in expression of the handler to distract the horse from whatever he is focusing on back to the handler. The key is to stop doing whatever you did to get his attention the moment you get it. Consistency will pay off. As soon as the horse's attention leaves again, the sooner you repeat a small distraction the less you will have to do to get his focus back. It usually takes very few repetitions for a horse to associate focusing on the handler with the release of the distraction. The horse soon realizes his attention on you is more comfortable and more important than away.
If you can do this without being over demanding and at the same time peek the horse's curiosity then the horse will start to stay with you mentally longer and longer. It takes a person who is acutely aware of when the horse's attention is about to leave in order to make your cues more and more subtle until they are nearly invisible to the untrained eye.
The reason you want to gain and hold the attention of a horse is so he will keep track of you in order to respect your space. You need to make sure your space matters to him and that the horse knows where you are. It is important we have a horse's attention on us even when doing everyday tasks like brushing, saddling, going through a gate or stall door, and feeding.
You can tell if his mind is on you by checking to see if his eye or ear are towards you. If his head goes up and he looks off in another direction to watch what is happening somewhere else then do what it takes to bring his attention back. Do this for safety, because when his attention leaves that is the moment you begin to loose influence over the situation. First his mind goes and then his feet, followed by ribs and hips. You had better watch out if you are in his tracks. If you will develop the habit of tipping a horse's mind back towards you early and as often as necessary you can avoid a lot of accidents and phrases like "he didn't even warn me", or "I don't know what happened, he just..."
If you cannot regain a horse's attention quickly and direct or disengage the hindquarters then I would not recommend leaving a confined area to ride your horse until you can. It is important you learn to read the indicators which tell you the horse's thoughts are going elsewhere. Some of these include: body tension, drifting a certain direction, ears and head coming up, and the direction he is looking. It is better to keep control over the situation before they are too far gone. By being aware, reading the signs and keeping the horse connected to you a lot of dangerous situations can be avoided. Try tipping his nose for a step or two at the first sign of discomfort, thus redirecting his mind back to your ideas. Then maybe ask for a lateral flexion checking to see if he is still with you. You have to get his attention first before you can be heard and thus he can follow your directions.
It is the habits you have developed in a controlled environment that will either ensure of impair your success of keeping a horse with you mentally and hopefully physically when you are in an unfamiliar or threatening situation. If you are in the habit of letting your horse's mind wander and tune you out, then don't be surprised when his concerns take him where they may instead of where you desire.
I have developed some simple exercises for my students to practice keeping their horse's attention. They are very easy to do even when the ground is frozen. You can do them while standing in one place and you don't even have to ride. They work wonderfully. But I am not going to give my secrets away in this newsletter, you will either have to join our yahoo chat group, or come to a clinic or lesson to learn these very effective exercises. I am having wonderful results with my own horses.
As with most things in horsemanship, you must first be able to gain and hold your own attention well, before you can expect your horse to do the same. Being diligently aware of your horse's attetion takes practice. It is not a habit that comes easy to some. It is not until it becomes second nature to you that you will be able to keep track of your horse's attention subconsciously. Consistently giving your attention to the horse is the start of gaining and holding your horse's attention on you.
Happy Trails,
Sherry Jarvis
"Horsemen share knowledge. Showmen hide it in a corner and go home." -- AQHA Judge Dale Livingston
