Just when I thought........

jackspark · Just when I thought........

I think Bit's little pep talk might have made me slightly more receptive to my horses. I think my green mare just asked me to ride her

I have been envious of those of you that say your horses ask or even beg to go out for a ride. Never have I had a horse slide up to me and say "get on board"

I offered to groom my little mare's withers and she moved back putting me at her head. She waited a few seconds and moved up putting me back at girth site. "Ok, I said. I'll groom ya" NOPE, she moved up and waited before once again putting me at girth.

I'm a little slow so I thought OK, you don't want to be groomed and you don't want me at your head. I'll just stand by you if that's what you want. Well she turned her head around and tapped me on the thigh. Oh ok I'll scratch your face........ she turned her head away. NOPE, once again she turned her head around and looked at me. OMG I whispered, do you want to go out? Is this what the girls are talkin about?

I told her I was sorry and we couldn't go out tonight but I'd take her tomorrow and that if she followed me to the barn I'd give her a cookie.
She did and I did.

Is this what you all are talkin about? Do ya guess that is what she wanted?

Clarissa

I think she was learning how to tell you where she wants you to scratch her. She’s training you & working out your language so she can communicate successfully first time, every time. If it was my horses doing that I would know they wanted their belly scratched where the girth sits. It’s a place they can’t get to, right inbetween & behind their front legs. Then my horses would slowly work their way forward which would cause my hands to move back along their body & I would end up scratching the back of the belly region, again a place hard to get to & where insects bite a lot.

The other thing is changing sides. NH teaches us not to let the horse change eyes unless we ask them but when we are mutual grooming with them it is normal for them to want to change sides after a while. But they know they shouldn’t. She might be working out whether she can ask to change sides. The dominant horse will put it’s head over the top of the subordinate horse to change sides. She would know she is not to do that. You can facilitate that by running the back of your right hand down the right side of her face & neck indicating a passive eye change. Do same move with left hand when you want to change to her left.

There have been times when Sonny was sick of ground work & wanted to get on with the ride knowing he was going straight out the gate due to an established pattern I created. But that was rare. I don’t really think a horse wants you to ride them unless there is a really big reward in it like going out for a ride to new places which the horse has learnt your pattern of behavior of. Those places would most likely involve some excellent grazing or very interesting happenings that the horse like watching.

jackspark

Interesting C! She could be asking to go out; she knows that she'll get some pretty good buffet items out there. She did pause when I hit the behind the front leg area! I'll experiment with this again this evening and see if I can figure out what she is asking for.

whudson

You might be overthinking Nancy

I had to read twice to figure out what exactly happened. I can only tell you that with that behaviour Kitt would be asking for a scratch, perhaps between the legs.

Cause if your horse was asking you to go for a ride, I'd be soooo jealous.

I don't really believe that horses love for us to ride them either. They may put up with it but given the real choice I just don't think it is their favourite activity. Now, I could just be talking about Kitt here, cause I know given the choice, eat or ride, what he would choose

The other thing to remember is that we need to go with what feels right in our hearts....usually if something feels right ( as in peaceful easy feeling) then we are on the right track, so myabe you are right...

Could be right, could be wrong. Now that was helpful wasn' t it

becdubie

Bubba asks me to get on him....but I think he only really wants the treat I give him after I'm on.

I cut way back on the treat giving on the ground and since I've been riding more, he gets treats when I'm up top! He gets a cookie right after I get on every time, then sportically throughout the ride after he accomplishes something I ask. He does ask me to get on...sidles up to the block and looks back as if to say...get on already.

It's probably more about the cookies than him wanting me to ride, but he does associate the two.

jackspark

Over-thinking and analyzing is the name of my game! I so need to learn to play Deb's game

whudson

No don't play anybody's game Nancy..you need to go with what you feel. Your heart is always right...go with your feelings or what we always say is ...go with the "gut". If you go with the gut you are on the right track...always...no exceptions period..

jackspark

4theloveofjake

Learning to tune in has been key in finding that "peaceful easy feeling" for me with my horses. Not alway easy with all of life's "stuff" going on. When I can tune in it happens without thinking about it and it is strong. If I go out with the intention of tuning in, it usually doesn't happen. For me anyway, it cannot be forced. When I am fully present and tune in to them, they all notice and become attracted to me. They stand near me and interact thru their eyes and thru touch.
Nancy, when you go out, quiet your mind and "feel" thru your heart. And then listen......

jackspark

I read people. I have never taken on animals, and have a hard time seeing the subtilties of body language with them; in fact I'll have to admit I didn't think they had any

I was soooo wrong and now I am trying to learn to LOOK for them. I AM seeing some of them but don't know what they mean. I credit CR with the introduction!

bit

Nancy, I think this takes some time and a lot of observation. I'm lucky to have a herd to watch, and the time to spend with them. I've learned a lot, and cr's observations have helped me key in on certain behaviors.
When I drive my old, familiar car, I can tell when it's running different, braking different, anything different. After watching my horses, and spending time with them, I am starting to be able to tell when their behavior changes, their gait, their posture...It's something I'm familiar with, seeing the difference in "normal". By watching them, I know when someone is off, or starting to colic, or is unhappy. Hawk and Eclipse have their grazing muzzles on right now. If I sent you a picture, you'd say "unhappy horses". Reading horses takes time, getting familiar, reading a lot of books by people that do know how to read them, and getting in touch with your inner horse. The more you learn to act like a horse, the more you see when you are with them. I know more now, but I don't know if I'll ever have the feel that Brent Graef does. Or how bout Tom Dorrance, sitting in the audience, concentrating his mind to reach out and help a horse, and actually doing it? Lots of levels to this one. At least you know, now. There's no "there" to get, just a desire to be better every day, like life.
Here's one to ponder. In general chat, Cokey's horse has been bucking when she puts the saddle on him. It's treeless, so it's not the saddle. He bucked before she sold him, he had kissing spine, had the surgery, and she just bought him back. He was supposedly fine, and first time sadding him, he's bucking. Not normal, according to previous owner. So what's going on? This one's bugging me. I just don't get the feeling that he's a dishonest horse, or he's bucking because this is what he did with her before. My flags are up.

merle

I've had my mule do that - sideways over and give the 'get on' impression. The time that I remember the best was when she was 3 years old. We were playing in this HUGE (100+ acre) pasture. The pasture was beautiful, hills, trees, open areas .... My mule had been being mischievous and very playful. She was in just the halter and 12' line. I was standing on a stump while playing with her. She quickly came over to me and gave me the 'get on' impression. I said thanks, but no thanks - she was too playful for me to get on at that point - I was not interested in learning the antics she was interested in trying out!

She also does the scratch me thing, but it is very different from the 'get on' thing.

thelmanelle

If I go to the pasture to get a horse, Jesse runs to me for a ride. He is the one who does the "Pick me"! Now, the others are willing, but he is eager. He is, also, the most dominant. He loves a ride. To go places and especially if we are going to see other horses.

jackspark

Right now I'm not certain if it is the get on thing or the scratch thing. Gonna try and find out this weekend.

thelmanelle

K. Jesse is definitely a pick me.

bit

Just got daily Parelli and posted her article on bucking, and her interview with Temple Gradin. I like how she spoke about how horses store information, and how to help your horse see the info you are teaching him as positive. With some thought, I think it might be possible to make getting on and riding a very positive experience for a horse.