Horse Behavior Specialist
Licensed 2 Star Parelli Professional
www.nancyslater.com
"Continuing Education"
I had another amazing week riding with Linda and Pat Parelli at the 2018 International Instructors Conference and Horsemanship Gallery in Ocala, Florida. I am blessed to be able to keep going back to the source, to the man who coined the term, Natural Horsemanship, for my continued education. My goal is to keep improving, to learn how to be the Horsewoman I want, and my horses and students need me, to be.
During the week, Pat and Linda had us work on many challenging exercises, with our main focus riding with precision. We worked on how to perform precise maneuvers while holding our horses accountable to their job. The horses needed to try to find out what we were asking of them, and do it by themselves through our feel and suggestion. Many of us were surprised at how often we told our horses what to do, instead of setting up a strong focus and intention for the horses to find. Many times Pat said, “It's just like trailer loading!“
With Natural Horsemanship we use horse psychology to cause the horse to load himself. You've probably heard words like ‘pressure and release’, ‘fix it and leave them alone’, ‘make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult’, ‘reward the slightest try’, ‘make it his idea’, ‘stay out of the horse's way’… horses are wanting harmony with us, to feel safe and right, to be left alone and not bothered. They read our body language and give us their interpretation of what we want. Horses will do whatever it takes to get safe and comfortable. Our job is to set up the situation, ourselves, and the horses, so we get the answer we're looking for.
Making a game of choices, the horse ends up wanting to go in a trailer. He discovers that safety and comfort is in the trailer and uncomfortable pressure is outside away from it. I do not make him go in, instead, I just suggest he approach, then relax and smile if he looks at the trailer. If he wants to leave, that's fine, we can do some groundwork away from the trailer. The trailer is the happy, safe, no work spot. Once he's in the trailer, all of my pressure goes away.
*What would you say to someone who is wondering if their horse showing displaced behavior is normal?
“So many horses have displaced behaviors it has become normal! For example, horses needing nosebands to stop their tongue coming out or mouth opening… frothing and foaming at the bit… swishing tails with the use of spurs… tie downs and martingales to stop the horse throwing and tossing its head. Many people see these as quite normal and expected behavior because it is so common. These are not the signs of a happy, relaxed horse in harmony with its rider or environment. We have to look at things from the horse’s point of view and know that we can TEACH them to do things rather than FORCE them.”
How horses live and cope with natural stressors in the wild is interesting to me. They graze most of the day, sleep a little, procreate- and feed predators! They are designed by nature to live in the moment, because any moment might be their last. They are meat on feet. Yet, living wild doesn't cause displaced behavior. A domestic life does!
As caring horse owners, we give our domestic horse everything we THINK he needs: A clean stall, a new slant load trailer, and 2 square meals a day... We train our horse ourselves, as best we can, or send him to a local trainer for 30 days, as finances allow. Since everything in our life is hurried, we hurry the horse. We put him in cross ties because he won't stand still for fly spray, saddling and baths. We micromanage the reins because he's not listening to us. He's arguing about leaving the barn and the other horses, so we get after him. We don't have time for nonsense, so he is forced. He gets angry, frightened, stressed. When a horse becomes stressed for long periods of time, displacement behavior is born.
Living in our fast paced world is stressful for both horses and humans. Day after day, we feel pressured by time, restricted by movement, and frustrated with our situation at work. Horses are stress relievers for us. We think we owe it to them to return the favor!
When we see a horse acting strangely, ask yourself what is bothering your horse. To extinguish the behavior, (or prevent it in the first place), we can work to make our horse feel successful, reward all good behavior, give him something fun and interesting to do. We can provide a more natural living environment, room for playful movement, free choice hay or grass, and social interaction. Horses need to live like horses as naturally as possible. Spending undemanding time with your horse will help sooth his nerves. Hand grazing, belly scratches, and hanging out quietly together under a big shade tree works wonders for calming nerves in both the horse and you!
Your awareness always comes first before your application. Listen to your horse when he is not lowering his head, licking and chewing, blowing out, or yawning in your presence. You will know when he is happy because he will be reaching out to you, looking you in the eye, and showing you his playful personality; interacting with you in a friendly way. Train your eye to recognize the difference between happy and stressed. Think how you might help your horse live a more happy, stress free life by educating yourself about their true needs. Your horse will be grateful!
oss between two individuals, and get a job done, whether you are a horse or a person! Horses and people who get confused can walk off thinking, “Don't know what the heck that fella was talking about, but I'm outta here!”
44 / Sport and Trail Magazine
Game of Choices
Making a game of choices, the horse ends up wanting to go in a trailer. He discovers that safety and comfort is in the trailer and uncomfortable pressure is outside away from it. I do not make him go in, instead, I just suggest he approach, then relax and smile if he looks at the trailer. If he wants to leave, that's fine, we can do some groundwork away from the trailer. The trailer is the happy, safe, no work spot. Once he's in the trailer, all of my pressure goes away.
So, what about obstacles, standing for saddling or clipping, hunting a jump, accepting fly spraying or doing flying lead changes? Yep, it's just like trailer loading! You set it up so the horse earns comfort once he relaxes and tries to do what you want. The horse will not feel threatened, and he'll think it's a great idea without feeling afraid or angry about it. Horse psychology is safe, humane, effective, and rewarding to horse and human.
We can help a horse find
comfort while riding by
making subtle
adjustments in our
bodies. Linda showed us
how the smallest
changes in our bodies
affect the horse. We
practiced simulations to
develop a better seat. I
worked on improving my
posture. I knew
Remington would
appreciate the feel. How
can I expect him to do
what I want if he's
uncomfortable?
Everything came
together when Pat gave
us a challenge out in the
pasture one morning: to
canter a 20 meter circle
with our reins down and
arms folded. Pat said to
allow our horses no more
than 3 steps off course.
We could lift the reins
and use a leg cue to put
them back on the circle.
When it was my turn, I
focused on the curvature
of the circle. First Remy
headed straight out off
the circle. Oops! I allowed
3 strides off course, then put him back on the circle, leaving him alone. Then he turned too much to the inside, so I corrected again, never losing my focus. I could feel him asking me, “which way?”, so I tweaked my posture a little. With a strong focus and my body set in the correct position, Bingo! A perfect circle without me telling him to stay on it. We both relaxed, and he blew out in relief, as we cantered beautifully in rhythm, reins swinging. It felt wonderful!
Nancy Slater is a Parelli Professional who has dedicated her life to making the world a better place for horses and the people who love them. Her self-less passion for educating kids as well as demonstrating how a real partnership with your horse can lead to competitive success is what makes Nancy stand out. We could not be more proud to be represented by Nancy as she helps us to teach horse riders, trainers and owners to use love, language and leadership to reach their goals with horses. Thank you Nancy!
Pat and Linda Parelli