To have rights is to gain obligations

After Ed has been and worked on our horses, Lena and I have had lively discussions around the topic ownership and control over someone else. Are we entitled to it? What considerations should we take? Do they have something to say? Do we have the right to demand what we want? Are there limitations of what we can ask?

These are questions with more than one answer. They are connected with how we as humans view ourselves as superior. It involves questions of ethics, moral and our own desires and hopes for our own life. It's about love, frustration, agony, sorrow and joy and it's mostly about us as individuals and our attitude toward the world and its beings - among them foremost the horse. And it is about money, I almost forgot that. There is always a penny or two in the picture.

For my own part, I have no problem with having a horse and keeping it within the boundaries that my location provides me with. I want to use the horse I have for both riding and driving. It is, if you want to see it that way, my right to choose what I want to do with the horses I have.

Several years ago there was a man on the radio that said "it is important to remember that my rights ends where my obligations begins".

It is my right to ask certain things of my horses but I also have responsibilities to live up to. I am obliged to ensure that they are trained with training methods that are based on as little coercion as possible. The question of constraint is interesting, just as there are degrees in hell, there are degrees of constraint. All handling of horses involves coercion. The only question is how much is needed and if there is the possibility to give moments of release within the constraint.

During the ISES conference Camie R Heleski talked about the importance of ethics in horse management. She showed photos of training methods similar to animal cruelty in the training of pleasure horses. She also talked about how some exhibitors rubbed the anus with ginger on Arabian horses. The perceived irritation lead to highly held horsetails - something that paid off in the show ring.

On the list of obligations relating to the outside around the horse there are; food, pastures, maintaining of the horse, and by that I mean access to skilled farrier, veterinarian, any other therapist, saddler. I have an obligation to be vigilant for my horse to be able to assess the horse's day to day state, build my knowledge of common diseases and their progress so that I can minimize any suffering. I should keep track of the environment that the horse is kept in to avoid injuries in the paddock or stall.

On the list belonging to the “inner areas” around the horse, our relationship, there is as much concern to the inner wishes in people and what it is we want the horse to manifest for us.

Here we have what Ed calls leadership. We want the horse to respect us and we want it to "cozy up" with us, show us that they like us simply. Do you know what the horse's signs of "love" is or do you want it to show it in a more human-like way, with his muzzle against your cheek, for example?

Does your horse meet your ambitions. If not, what can you ask of him? How do you know if your horse has the capacity or not? Do you ride him "into the wall" to see if it can take or make it or should you stop earlier?

And then, worst of all - death. Are you prepared to take your responsibility for the end? I once went with a friend to see an older horse that was for sale. It was just crazy, the owners should have brought an end to that horses life rather than to advertise it. It felt very much like they wanted make a "doublé", get some money for the old mare (26 year old, but as they said "she breeds nice" - as if breeding was an option?) and avoid the cost of putting her down.

My opinion on that issue is clear as day, really old horses should not be sold. They can possibly be given away, if they are healthy, with the condition that it can not be resold, and it must be agreed with the receiver if they are prepared to take the cost of it being put away or if you should share it. Otherwise, we have to personally take the decision to end life. For me it's a question of being decent, and it is also the last obligation, to make sure that my friend may have a good life or a good death when age makes itself present.

Now posts on Thursdays!

Since it fits better with the rhythm of our lives, posting will now be done on Thursdays.

Happy Trails
Lena & Maria

Side reins for riders – NOT a good idea

Most of us have understood that a good seat is worth striving for. Most of us also dream of having perfect and light communication with our horses. There are different ways to train the seat and develop communication. Some are good and some not so good. According to me the following falls in the latter category: a rubber band that is advertised to "help the rider to keep the shoulders, arms and back in the correct position when riding". (The page only in Swedish but I bet you get the picture.)

If you think about trying this one out my advice is – forget about it.

I see this stuff as side reins for the rider. The only good thing I can say about it is that humans are reduced to objects just like the horse. How does that make you feel? Side reins for horses, or these so called ”aids”, guarantee neither a correct seat nor better communication. The key to developing a balanced seat and light communication lies in your own posture and in the technique you use when you communicate with your horse.

Any flaws in your seat and/or communication will not be resolved because you force your body into a certain position, quite the contrary. Perfect posture and a balanced seat on horseback have their origin in how well you can allow your skeleton to be aligned correctly so that your postural muscles are free to do their job efficiently. Any imposed straight jacket on the surface will just interfere and hamper these tasks.

Do you want to improve your posture? Take a lesson in the Alexander technique!

Do you want to improve your riding technique and your communication with your horse? Take a lesson in classical equitation!

Changing reflection to proaction

Since I have been busy sitting on stands this week I've had plenty of time to think about life, learning and coincidences.

In everyday life we often talk about thought and action, in that order - that thought precedes action. And then there is the concept of reflection, that usually comes after a performed action. Quite frequently the reflection is coloured by remorse.

Many of us are caught in the chain of action-reaction and reflection. We react to something with an action, which we on reflection later on, regret. The Alexander Technique is striving to change that pattern to a thought-proaction pattern instead. That is to say that we have thought through what we want to do and how we would do it before we take action (means where by).

To assist us in the process, we have the ability to say no (inhibition) and to give directions. Reflections is still present but instead of being coloured with remorse, self-loathing, devaluation of ourselves, we change it to the observation, analysis and ideas of improvement.

It is thought that gives us a plan for our action, reflection allows us to evaluate the outcome. This in turn leads to experience, it sharpens our intuition and suddenly we are in the viewer's (and even our own!) eyes "skilled".

What is required of you if you want to switch from a reactive pattern of behavior to proactive? Well, it requires curiosity, the courage to be be- or reginner, preparedness to practice and it is also beneficial to have easy access to a good laughter.

The answer to Ed's question is that two out of hundred horse owners have a functioning leadership in relation to their horse. Are you one of those two? I'm working towards that in "my group of one hundred" we shall be three ...

Train confidence and independence

Last week Maria wrote about her clinic experience with Ed Dabney. Last Saturday it was my turn to organise a demonstration and lesson day with Ed, this time in Vallentuna right outside of Stockholm. More than 30 people attended and they all went home with new inspiration and practical tools to achieve a better relationship and communication with their horses.

At dinner we discussed the difference between training the horse's confidence and its independence.

Train confidence
When you are training your horse's tolerance, it is simply to get him/her used to scary objects, sounds and so on. When you train the horse's confidence, you teach the horse to dare to stand still and not run away. To run away is of course the horse's first response when something frightens it. When the horse gets used to the saddle/plastic bags/wash rack/horse trailer etc. the flight response will no longer be triggered, instead the horse remains calm, and a calm horse is a horse that is safe to handle for us humans. Your horse will have gained self-confidence.

The horse's reaction decides
To train the confidence of your horse you gradually introduce a frightening object, like a plastic bag. At first you fold the bag in your hand and caress your horse with the bag. The important thing here is that it is the horse's reaction that determines when you remove the bag. When the horse stands still, you remove the bag. The behavior your horse displays when you remove the scary object, this is the behavior your horse will repeat. The learning for the horse is in the release. If you remove the bag when the horse steps away, this is what the horse learns to do. So it is the horse's reaction that determines what you do and when you do it. Gradually you unfold the bag and move it with more intensity until the horse is completely confident.

Train independence
You train your horse's independence when you teach the horse to leave his herd. Horses may react strongly when they are left alone inside the barn, or outside in the paddock, or when she/he is separated from other horses when you are out riding. Here it is the horse's need to belong to a herd that determines the horse's reaction. What your horse needs to learn is that his/her herd members will come back.

The clock decides
When you train your horse to have greater independence, that is to be without his/her herd, then it is not the horse's reaction to decide what to do, but the clock. A horse that has difficulties with, for example, being left alone inside the barn, you leave him/her alone inside the barn for a predetermined period of time. Whatever happens, you do not bring the horse's friend back until the deadline is up. You can start with 30 seconds, two minutes or 10 minutes. The important thing is that you do not bring the horse's friend back into the barn until the time is up. When your horse learns that his/her friend will come back your horse will learn to accept to be left alone. Gradually, you can then increase the time that your horse is alone.

New entry is coming - on Thursday!

Since the beginning of this week is very busy, the entry is coming but on Thursday. It will be worth the wait!