I went for another lesson on Monday with great intrepediation after the diaster on Saturday. I spent a lot of the weekend trying to figure out why I am having such a time getting along with Harley. I came to a few conclusions on my own and then some more when I arrived at the barn on Monday with the help of Corey. First, I realized I had never made such a committment to ride correctly and learn so many complex and sublte ques for reining manuevers. Second, I have never had a horse a sensitive as little Harley. Most of my horses that I have ridden were well broke and I did not have to train on them, with the exception of Sierra whom I started. I had a long discussion with Corey before I rode on Monday and his observation was much simpler, like a man he summed it up in one sentence. "This horse does not respect you."
Gee, I never thought of it that way. He proceeded to watch me do manuevers and stops then told me to watch him ride the horse. WOW! he was right. Harley did not even TRY to avoid him or give him any of the trash he hands me. I know Corey has been riding and training horses his whole life and is much better than me but it was not just his riding abilities, Harley showed him respect. I then proceeded to get a two hour lesson on the art of gaining respect. It was not pretty and although I did not necessarily agree on the degree of agressiveness I had to show Harley . I must say by the end of it he was much more responsive and respectful. My hands are raw and my body hurts all over. It required lots of stops and pulling Harley into the ground. Sounds cruel I know but you should see how he runs off with me and avoids the bit by overflexing. I am heading down there shortly to see if indeed we have a new found respect for each other. I know I have a new respect for why finished reiners cost so much! I also know I will NOT quit!
Happy trails.....
2 comments:
I wonder if Harley is just a little bit mad at you - He was sent away from his safe, happy playground with Tank and you - and you're not there to feed him or do all the things that he's used to you doing. I know when Siete went to a place for training, she got really pissed off. It all comes back to the question I keep asking which is, What can you do so the horse enjoys being trained? I wrestle with it every day - some days are easy and others, the horse just doesn't want anyone else to be in charge. Don't be hard on yourself, but put yourself in Harley's shoes and listen to what he's telling you.
I think training is hard on a horse. They are worked almost every day, and trainers are all business. Drill after drill after drill. They often get sore from the hard work, which can make them cranky. I think balancing training with an occasional trail ride or just groundwork can be beneficial, too. As for respect, that is a topic I'd like to learn more about. I imagine there are different approaches to earning a horse's respect. I probably wouldn't agree with a lot of them. I don't think you have to be overly aggressive. I think it has a lot to do with confidence (which I need to work on!) and giving them clear signals and cues, and appropriate pressure and release so they know what you want. Then they aren't confused and can feel successful, too! I'm probably not making sense so I'll stop there. ;) But good luck and I'm glad you are sticking with it....
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