Post by Casper on Feb 20, 2007 21:50:34 GMT -5
Head Tossing
Whenever I'm asked a question like this, most people want some kind of direct answer. Usually they are looking for something that involves a technique or device to physically prevent it. What about if we changed the question to, "How could I better prepare my horse so that he does not need to throw and toss his head?"
Horses are very frank and truthful animals. They will tell you through their body language exactly how they are thinking and feeling. It is up to us to become knowledgeable and perceptive enough to know what it is they are trying to communicate.
A horse that tosses his head is exhibiting displaced behavior. For example, this tells you that your horse's mental attitude wants to go faster than what you are allowing his feet to go and there is a lack of mental unity with the rider.
Horses are prey animals. They are born cowards, claustrophobic and panic-aholics. What I teach people is how to help their horses become braver, less claustrophobic and less of a panic-aholic, while becoming more of a partner.
The solution lies in developing communication to build the partnership. The best way I know how is to begin on the ground. I play Seven Games (Level 1 Partnership Program), which I have developed from years of observing equine behavior. These are the same games that horses play with each other to establish leadership and respect from other horses.
Game #1 is a Friendly Game. I use this to prove that my intentions are not to hurt the horse, that I am his friend. There are several ways I can do this - rubbing him, tossing ropes around and over him, rubbing with a stick, exposing him to scary things and helping him live through the experience. I can help him get over all types of fears by passively and persistently exposing him to any worry he may have until he stops and realizes it's harmless.
Game #2 is a fingertip yielding Game I call the Porcupine Game. I teach the horse to yield from my fingertip pressure instead of leaning against it. I use my fingers to yield him forwards, backwards, right and left, up and down. I develop this until the horse understands what I want and it takes only 4 oz to get him to move.
Game #3 is a Driving Game. By using suggestions from my hands and body language, I cause the horse to move away from me, backwards, forward toward something, move the forehand, move the hindquarter and get him going sideways. Horses are often very reactive when you first do this, so I start softly and build the intensity and I repeat the game until the horse can respond without fear. Pretty soon it takes no more than the slightest suggestions. Just watch how horses do it to each other with the flick of a tail, the laying back of ears or a just a look.
Game #4 is the Yo-Yo Game. I ask a horse to come to me, then wiggle the lead rope to send him backward in a straight line away from me. Quite often backward does not equal forward in terms of ease and cooperation. You want a Yo-Yo not just a Yo!
Game #5 is a Circling Game. Have you seen how dominant horses run other horses around and around and don't let them stop? The principle here is the same. Some people think this lookslike lunging. The difference is that rather than send a horse around in endless and mindless circles, I'll do a 2-lap minimum and a 4 lap maximum. This is enough to get through to the horse's respect system but not so much that he becomes bored and his mind wanders.
I also make sure that the horse understands it is his responsibility to keep going around until I ask him to stop. I keep still and quiet in the center as long as he is doing as I asked. Only if he changes or quits doing his job do I come alive and do something about it.
Game #6 is a Sideways Game. I ask the horse to yield sideways, away from me and travel down a fence while at the end of the lead rope. If Games #3 and #5 are not solid then you'll have problems with this. The better horses go backwards and sideways, the better they'll do everything else. Sometimes it's clearer to say it this way - the worse your horse goes backwards and sideways, the worse he'll do everything else!
Game #7 is the Squeeze Game. I set up a narrow space, like between me and the fence and ask the horse to come through it to the other side. This really challenges their claustrophobic tendencies and sometimes you have to start with a fairly big space until he becomes more confident.
You are probably thinking, "what has all this got to do with stopping a horse from tossing his head?!" You are not working on his head, you are working on his attitude. You are also working on yourself to become a better leader for your horse and a better partner in terms of how well you teach him to understand, respect you and follow your suggestions.
Once you have your horse "in the mood" to become a partner with you, the next thing to understand is natural riding dynamics. Learn to use two reins for communication and only one rein for control. If you hold a horse back with two reins, I guarantee he'll toss his head or push on the bit because hebecomes more claustrophobic and it engages his hindquarters.
One rein disengages the hindquarters. Teach your horse to bend his nose to your leg at a halt, then progress up to the walk, trot and canter and see that you can get it soft. Ride around the arena rail and use the rein nearest to the rail only. This way the rail will help keep him going straight. You'll find that as you run your hand down the rein and start to bend him, he'll make smooth downward transitions to the halt. Ultimately this becomes quite refined. You'll be able to hold two reins and just activate one rein to make smooth transitions while keeping the horse straight.
Also, be conscious about your style of riding, is it casual or concentrated? 90% of what you do with a horse should be with a casual rein, long. To ask too much of a horse on concentrated reins is like holding your dance partner in a formal dance position for too long! Be sensitive about what you are asking and use the principle of "approach and retreat" to give your horse relief.
Another suggestion is to watch what you put in your horse's mouth. When you are teaching your horse, a snaffle is the best bit because it is designed for teaching lateral flexion. If you find yourself going to a shank bit for more control, you are going the wrong way. You need better lateral flexion and more respect first, so check it out through the Seven Games. Shank bits need to be used only for greater refinement, NOT control! They are designed to improve vertical flexion and engagement, which you'll only want from a partner that has learned to use his strength in a positive way with you.
There is one other reason that the horse might toss his head when you ride with loose reins. That is if it has become a negative conditioned response. It's important to understand the psychology of what is going on and that it is a mental glitch you will have to help the horse get through.
If I were to use tie-downs and martingales, it would be artificial solutions rather than Natural Horsemanship that I would be teaching! This is the bigger brain approach not the bigger bit approach. My goal is to help people become more knowledgeable around horses so they don't have to resort to mechanical gadgets. Instead, they can learn how develop harmony and achieve true unity through understanding, communication, and psychology.
Terms of Use | email: pnhusa@parelli.com | Intellectual Property Notice
Copyright © 2006 Parelli Natural Horsemanship, Inc All Rights Reserved | Photography Copyright © 2006 Coco All Rights Reserved
Whenever I'm asked a question like this, most people want some kind of direct answer. Usually they are looking for something that involves a technique or device to physically prevent it. What about if we changed the question to, "How could I better prepare my horse so that he does not need to throw and toss his head?"
Horses are very frank and truthful animals. They will tell you through their body language exactly how they are thinking and feeling. It is up to us to become knowledgeable and perceptive enough to know what it is they are trying to communicate.
A horse that tosses his head is exhibiting displaced behavior. For example, this tells you that your horse's mental attitude wants to go faster than what you are allowing his feet to go and there is a lack of mental unity with the rider.
Horses are prey animals. They are born cowards, claustrophobic and panic-aholics. What I teach people is how to help their horses become braver, less claustrophobic and less of a panic-aholic, while becoming more of a partner.
The solution lies in developing communication to build the partnership. The best way I know how is to begin on the ground. I play Seven Games (Level 1 Partnership Program), which I have developed from years of observing equine behavior. These are the same games that horses play with each other to establish leadership and respect from other horses.
Game #1 is a Friendly Game. I use this to prove that my intentions are not to hurt the horse, that I am his friend. There are several ways I can do this - rubbing him, tossing ropes around and over him, rubbing with a stick, exposing him to scary things and helping him live through the experience. I can help him get over all types of fears by passively and persistently exposing him to any worry he may have until he stops and realizes it's harmless.
Game #2 is a fingertip yielding Game I call the Porcupine Game. I teach the horse to yield from my fingertip pressure instead of leaning against it. I use my fingers to yield him forwards, backwards, right and left, up and down. I develop this until the horse understands what I want and it takes only 4 oz to get him to move.
Game #3 is a Driving Game. By using suggestions from my hands and body language, I cause the horse to move away from me, backwards, forward toward something, move the forehand, move the hindquarter and get him going sideways. Horses are often very reactive when you first do this, so I start softly and build the intensity and I repeat the game until the horse can respond without fear. Pretty soon it takes no more than the slightest suggestions. Just watch how horses do it to each other with the flick of a tail, the laying back of ears or a just a look.
Game #4 is the Yo-Yo Game. I ask a horse to come to me, then wiggle the lead rope to send him backward in a straight line away from me. Quite often backward does not equal forward in terms of ease and cooperation. You want a Yo-Yo not just a Yo!
Game #5 is a Circling Game. Have you seen how dominant horses run other horses around and around and don't let them stop? The principle here is the same. Some people think this lookslike lunging. The difference is that rather than send a horse around in endless and mindless circles, I'll do a 2-lap minimum and a 4 lap maximum. This is enough to get through to the horse's respect system but not so much that he becomes bored and his mind wanders.
I also make sure that the horse understands it is his responsibility to keep going around until I ask him to stop. I keep still and quiet in the center as long as he is doing as I asked. Only if he changes or quits doing his job do I come alive and do something about it.
Game #6 is a Sideways Game. I ask the horse to yield sideways, away from me and travel down a fence while at the end of the lead rope. If Games #3 and #5 are not solid then you'll have problems with this. The better horses go backwards and sideways, the better they'll do everything else. Sometimes it's clearer to say it this way - the worse your horse goes backwards and sideways, the worse he'll do everything else!
Game #7 is the Squeeze Game. I set up a narrow space, like between me and the fence and ask the horse to come through it to the other side. This really challenges their claustrophobic tendencies and sometimes you have to start with a fairly big space until he becomes more confident.
You are probably thinking, "what has all this got to do with stopping a horse from tossing his head?!" You are not working on his head, you are working on his attitude. You are also working on yourself to become a better leader for your horse and a better partner in terms of how well you teach him to understand, respect you and follow your suggestions.
Once you have your horse "in the mood" to become a partner with you, the next thing to understand is natural riding dynamics. Learn to use two reins for communication and only one rein for control. If you hold a horse back with two reins, I guarantee he'll toss his head or push on the bit because hebecomes more claustrophobic and it engages his hindquarters.
One rein disengages the hindquarters. Teach your horse to bend his nose to your leg at a halt, then progress up to the walk, trot and canter and see that you can get it soft. Ride around the arena rail and use the rein nearest to the rail only. This way the rail will help keep him going straight. You'll find that as you run your hand down the rein and start to bend him, he'll make smooth downward transitions to the halt. Ultimately this becomes quite refined. You'll be able to hold two reins and just activate one rein to make smooth transitions while keeping the horse straight.
Also, be conscious about your style of riding, is it casual or concentrated? 90% of what you do with a horse should be with a casual rein, long. To ask too much of a horse on concentrated reins is like holding your dance partner in a formal dance position for too long! Be sensitive about what you are asking and use the principle of "approach and retreat" to give your horse relief.
Another suggestion is to watch what you put in your horse's mouth. When you are teaching your horse, a snaffle is the best bit because it is designed for teaching lateral flexion. If you find yourself going to a shank bit for more control, you are going the wrong way. You need better lateral flexion and more respect first, so check it out through the Seven Games. Shank bits need to be used only for greater refinement, NOT control! They are designed to improve vertical flexion and engagement, which you'll only want from a partner that has learned to use his strength in a positive way with you.
There is one other reason that the horse might toss his head when you ride with loose reins. That is if it has become a negative conditioned response. It's important to understand the psychology of what is going on and that it is a mental glitch you will have to help the horse get through.
If I were to use tie-downs and martingales, it would be artificial solutions rather than Natural Horsemanship that I would be teaching! This is the bigger brain approach not the bigger bit approach. My goal is to help people become more knowledgeable around horses so they don't have to resort to mechanical gadgets. Instead, they can learn how develop harmony and achieve true unity through understanding, communication, and psychology.
Terms of Use | email: pnhusa@parelli.com | Intellectual Property Notice
Copyright © 2006 Parelli Natural Horsemanship, Inc All Rights Reserved | Photography Copyright © 2006 Coco All Rights Reserved