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HERD INTERACTION - It's Vital for your horse's mental health by Cynthia Cooper.

Have you ever seen a horse flatten its ears at the approach of other horses, constantly threatening to kick or acting scared when it gets close to another horse?
Often people think the horse is being aggressive and anti-social, which it is, but that's not always because it’s a dominant horse.

Many horses display this behaviour because they are fearful of the proximity of other horses, and our usual reaction is to punish them for it.
Instead, we should be reassuring, acting as the 'alpha' for our horse and trying to solve the problem at its roots.
That way, we can help the horse to become calm and confident, particularly amongst other horses, which is where we would like to be seen with our 'partner' displaying good manners.

Unfortunately, many horses are kept in a far from ideal environment, and far from a natural one.
To start with, we tend to keep them in small areas, sometimes confined to stables and yards, rather than in the wide open spaces and herd situation that nature provides for them.
When a horse is isolated from his own species, he can become perverse in his behaviour when re-united with them.
For instance, young colts are almost always separated from the herd as they come up to yearling age when their behaviour gets precocious. They then get a distorted opinion of themselves, especially when they can push people around too.
This results in injury when they are put back in a herd situation as they push the boundaries and get put back in their place.
If people separate horses "in case they injure each other", they are more or less sentencing that horse to solitary confinement for the rest of their lives until their show/performance career is over.

Young horses especially need herd interaction to develop a comfortable relationship with other horses. Without that, they can be very fearful of the approach of another horse, which they show by threatening to bite or kick in order to clear their personal space.
This can be a real problem when you ride amongst others and is a danger to others that is your responsibility.
Sometimes its not enough to run a young horse with only its mother for company and discipline. Most mares are too easy on their offspring which is why some breeders have an old retired horse to be the 'nanny' for a group of youngsters. That way they have the best of both worlds - discipline and others to play with.

When Pat Parelli ran the first 'Difficult Horse' course at "Braidwood" for Level 4 students last year, the first thing they did was turn all the horses (about 30) into a huge pasture together for a week. This alone helped many horses on the road to becoming compliant creatures.

So, if you're feeling guilty and want to do something about providing your horses with herd interaction, don't just let them loose together unless its in a huge area (50+ acres) with no places a horse can corner another.
If you only have small areas, get the horses to respect electric fencing then divide the pasture in half or fence off a smaller section to place the new horse into until it's being accepted by the others over the fence.
Then, watch which horse seems to enjoy being nearest to the new one and put them together for a while before introducing them both back into the herd.
Of course, ensure that all areas that could trap a horse are fenced off and even round off corners as two horses may trap a less alpha animal.

To help your horse gain confidence when you are amongst others, play the seven games in an active way to keep their focus on you. By using some approach and retreat, you can get your horse to accept others in his/her personal zone.
When you're riding be aware of your horse's comfort zone and be prepared to move your horse in such a way that you are in control when another horse comes in your direction. Sideways and backwards or using an indirect rein to cause your horse to face another, is safer than turning tail.
Ask your friends to help you by setting up situations where you use approach and retreat and lots of friendly game with each other's horses. This may take time and many repetitions but its worth the effort to have a brave and sociable partner.

If you're not sure that your horse is being fearful or just aggressive, seek the assistance of your instructor who can also help you plan the rehabilitation process.

Introducing my horse to a new herd.

“I'm about to move my horse to different pasture, where other horses are agisted and was curious if there are any particulars I should know about introducing him to the new herd? He's in his own paddock at the moment but will be sharing his paddock with probably 10 or so other horses. Also, I'm just a little worried he may get herd bound, any advice or is it just a 'need more savvy' thing to overcome him wanting to be with the herd more than me. He's very affectionate, loves company, very curious and playful and Idon't really want him to lose that towards me. I'm currently studying level I PNH-going really well.”

The Parelli.com website has an article written by Linda Parelli on Introducing Horses to a herd but basically, its best to first run your horse in a paddock or yard beside the herd and take notice of who he seems to like talking to or who hangs out with him. This horse would then be the best to put in the paddock with him as a buddy for a week or, until they have formed a bond, and then introduce both horses into the herd in a large, safe paddock which means no tight areas where anyone can get cornered and where there’s good safe fencing and nothing they can hurt themselves on if they all go for a gallop.

Your horse will be better accepted with his buddy who was previously a herd member but be prepared for some hierarchy battles anyway. Its safest if all the horses are un-shod so injury from kicks are minimised. If this isn’t possible, then dividing the paddock with electric tape and making the herd smaller by dividing in half (keep obvious friends together and it usually works better to have mares and geldings separate) minimises the risks of bullying.

When you release your horse into the herd, do it while they are well away from you otherwise, you risk being caught in the middle of the first introductions. Also, have another person or two on stand by in case there is a problem with a dominant horse being too aggressive towards the newcomer who may need to be rescued and removed until he is accepted over the fence a bit longer.

As for becoming herd bound – yes, your level of savvy definitely helps your horse have confidence in you and your decision to leave the herd.
Keep in mind that the herd will be a comfort zone and your horse will be happier staying close to that comfort zone and gradually being asked to go further away in approach and retreat steps rather than expecting him to just cope with leaving.

If you take your horse out from the herd to feed him, then you and the feeding area will become a comfort zone that your horse won’t mind going to. Try not to be too demanding when you first start asking him to leave the herd, as he will then think that all you do is provide discomfort. With small, gradual steps, you will be able to keep his affectionate, curious and playful attitude towards you by making it fun and comfortable for him to be with you in more demanding situations like going for a trail ride.

REFUSING TO GO FORWARDS

Liz asked: Why is my horse refusing to go forwards when she gets tired of being out on a trail ride on her own? She even starts backing up which can be quite dangerous and she normally doesn't do this. What can I do to stop her doing this?

Firstly, if we look at this situation from the horse's point of view she is not really wanting to leave her herd of buddies, especially after she has been with them for such a long time and maybe you haven't ridden her in a while. There's not a lot of incentive for her to want to go with you in preference to staying with her herd and in her comfort zone, so there are several things you can do to cause her to feel more comfortable and happier to leave with you.
Secondly, if you haven't ridden her in a while (a week ago or a month ago is much the same) then you need to re-establish the relationship of trust and alpha status between you.
By playing the Seven Games at home as you're saddling up and tasking her with some new challenges like more active and different squeeze games interspersed with lots of friendly game you are establishing the trust and your alpha status again. Remember to give her some time to 'soak' after achieving a new task and just be comfortable being with you.
Once you're on her back, it would pay to check basics like lateral flexion, indirect rein and impulsion. If you can't safely walk, trot and canter and stop from all these gaits then it's probably not a good time to head off on a trail ride.
If all is going well here, then when you start to head out, play a game of "oops, I forgot something" and after getting a little way down the road, turn around and ride back to her comfort zone then head off again. If you can do this before she chooses to get tired of going or upset about leaving her friends, you are rewarding her for being brave about leaving with you.
You could even do this a few of times and before you know it, your horse is probably going to think "when are we going to go somewhere?"
So, you're out on the ride and all goes well until she decides to stop and back up - what can you do?
There are a couple of options, firstly, you could get off to stay safe but so that she doesn't see this as rewarding her for her choice, you would need to play some fairly active games with her on line. Maybe backing her up more than she wants to, squeeze game as you're moving along the trail or sideways on the trail in the direction you wanted to go.

Alternatively, if you're a confident rider and know you have a good indirect rein, us it as soon as she chooses to back up and ignores your requests to go forward. You can even use your savvy string to stimulate zone 4 a little so you get a snappy response. Then use your phases to ask her forward again, going to phase 4 (the string touching behind the saddle) if you need to.
Continue to do this sequence of indirect then asking to go (make sure you have a strong forwards focus), until she finds that its easier to go forwards than backwards.
Most importantly, don't give up until you achieve forwards, then reward her by relaxing and enjoying the ride.

If she still needs more incentive to keep her going on the trail, you could take her around the trail on line one day and hide some small sealed containers of treats at various intervals, perhaps just before places she's wanted to stop at, so that when you ride around, you can stop and reward her for going so far with you.
This would be an enlarged game of point to point so it may even pay to get her used to the idea at home before venturing out. If you practice riding to various places in your pasture with a strong focus to find a treat for her, she'll pretty soon think that following your focus is a great idea.

SEPARATION ANXIETY

I have a problem that I would like your advice on - you may remember that I talked to you a couple of months ago about the two horses that I have and them not wanting to be separated? Well this situation has become much worse since I haven't been able to work with them over the last couple of months.
The young gelding, is just terrible when he is away from the mare, it used to be the other way around. The last couple of weeks when I've been working with him, he just keeps turning to me and rearing up all the time - even if I'm not asking him to do anything! I kept thinking he'd get used to it and persevered, but if anything he's getting worse, so the only way I can work with him is if I go into the paddock where they both are as I can't tie up the mare as she gets very agitated and always has done. What do you suggest?

Firstly, with your problem of separating the horses, you need to understand why they are doing this - it helps to know so we don't blame them or get frustrated.
The 2 of them depend on each other for their survival in their herd - that's how nature programs them.
The gelding is probably worse because the mare is his alpha horse and he feels unsafe when he leaves her.
The only way around this is for you to become is alpha horse so he feels safe when he's with you.
This will take savvy and time!
Think about the number of hours he spends with the mare - its a lot more than the hours he spends with you so therefore the programming to be with her is a lot stronger.
She's playing the games with him all the time and therefore he respects her and trusts her.
If you do the same, he will be the same with you.
The problem is compounded by the fact that you're also taking him outside of his comfort zone (the paddock he's used to) - areas he doesn't spend a lot of time in are scary and therefore he relies even more on his alpha horse for safety.
So, what I'd suggest you do is the following:
Only play with him in his paddock until you have all 7 games up to Level 1 standard.
Then start to take him just on the other side of the fence from the mare and play the games, gradually increasing the distance you can go from the fence. This may be only 10 metres in the first few days! Increase it very slowly and use approach and retreat to go further away but come back to this comfort zone before he gets stressed.
That way you're rewarding him for trusting you and increasing his comfort zone.
If you need to play with him in an area away from his paddock (like in a yard), bring the mare with him - put her in a yard next to where you want to play with him or if you don't have a yard, make one with electric tape.
If you wanted to play with him in a new large area (paddock) and have her there too, let them settle in that area together for a few hours before you try to do anything constructive.
I think once you have the Partnership Pack, you will find it a lot easier to make progress with him at home. It will give you a good guide for the games to play with him in his paddock and tell you when you're ready to progress further. I hope this helps, Cynthia.

INSURANCE ISSUES - are you covered when not using a bridle or wearing a helmet?
Insurance or lack of it is a big issue at the moment for many horse riding activities so if you're lucky enough to be covered, it may pay to check what activities you're covered for. You may also like to check if there are any exclusions such as no coverage when you don't use a bridle (most likely on public roads) or wear a currently approved safety helmet.
If you belong to an organisation such as ATHRA (Australian Trail Horse Riding Association), the EFA, The Driving Society or The Arabian Horse Society to name a few, your membership may cover you outside the events they organise but it would be wise to find out exactly what you are covered for before assuming you will be covered for everything or in every situation.
Some organisations will only cover you if you wear an approved safety helmet while riding, some may only cover for third party property damage and some may not cover you if you don't use a bridle when riding on a public road.
If you are required to wear a helmet, then it must have the current safety standard approval which is AS3535. These helmet ratings are usually updated every 2 or 3 years so it means replacing your old helmet for a new one. Remember also to replace your helmet if you do have a fall where your head hits something.
If your insurance policy specifies that your horse should wear a bridle and you mostly ride in a natural hackamore or halter, then you will need to teach your horse to accept a bridle and bit for this purpose. You can do this by starting to use a savvy string in his/her mouth until it is accepted (no chewing while doing all your usual riding), then ride with your bridle (without the reins) on over the hackamore until the bit is accepted.
Then add the reins and just use them every now and then for short periods and in conjunction with the hackamore rein until your horse is comfortable at all gaits and with all directions.
There's absolutely no reason why you can't ride on a public road or a trail ride with the bridle and hackamore together. In fact this would make it even safer as you have the option of controlling your horse (with the hackamore reins) without inflicting extra pressure, and therefore pain during a stressful moment by over-using the bit.
One day in the future (not too distant I hope) more people will understand that it is just as effective to control a horse using one rein and rope halter or natural hackamore (as opposed to a mechanical hackamore) so these 'bridle' rules will not need to be enforced. Until then, traditional riding has given the majority of people the impression that you need a bit to control a horse. As a natural rider, you need to be the best example you can and 'go with the flow'. By being a responsible 'natural' rider, you will provide a positive image that will hopefully inspire others to follow your path of horsemanship.
Those who closely follow the Parelli program (through studying the Savvy Packs, being assessed for their levels and attending courses/lessons) will obviously shine as good examples of horsemanship. I hope you are in the process of becoming an outstanding example of good horsemanship because we need so many more of you to help show there is another way.

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