"No Hype - Just
Horse sense"
Horse-Rider Education
Comfort Zones - what are they? By Cynthia Cooper
Horses have comfort zones as a survival mechanism.
If they aren’t familiar with something they become wary, putting them just outside their comfort zone into a ‘not too sure’ zone.
If they become truly afraid for their survival, they go into their ‘Oh no I’m dead’ zone where they act instinctively, without thinking.
This sort of reaction is what gets people and horses scared, hurt and unable to learn.
It is also described as the horse being ‘right brained’ and the following behaviors are some examples of a horse in it’s ‘oh no I’m dead’ zone: bucking, rearing, bolting, kicking, striking, charging, pulling back and shying.
So what is a comfort zone?
Essentially a comfort zone is something that is familiar enough to the horse to feel safe and secure, whether that is a physical, mental or emotional space.
An example of a physical comfort zone would be a space such as it’s yard or paddock.
If the horse has been taught to accept them, a halter, saddle or blanket can be a physical comfort zone.
A mental comfort zone would be a task the horse is familiar with such as lifting its legs for hoof cleaning, backing, circling (lunging) or any learned task it is comfortable doing in a relaxed manner.
An emotional comfort zone is something the horse feels good about like a foal nursing from its dam, a horse finding safety in the herd and eating.Photo: These horses indicate they are deep inside their comfort zone by their relaxed ears and half closed eyes as they happily munch their hay. They are father and daughter, Finn and Amy (left).
As a horse develops, so do its comfort zones.
Foals very quickly learn that their dam is the most important comfort zone, providing safety and food.
Then they learn that their immediate environment is a comfort zone as they become familiar with the area they’re in, whether that be a small paddock or a huge range to run wild in.
When they are introduced to people, they need to learn many more things that eventually become comfort zones, including the people themselves. That is why a foal or young horses will be comfortable around people it knows (its main handler) but be scared or worried when it meets new people.
Our role is to gradually expand a horse’s comfort zones so it can handle most things that it will encounter in its life with us, and be happy.
This starts with gaining the horse’s trust, then moves onto coping with restraint and progresses to tasks like leading, grooming, hoof trimming, being wormed, going on a trailer and eventually being ridden.
It also encompasses simple (to us) things like leaving its dam or mates, leaving its paddock, going into a stable, walking on different surfaces and through water.In educating our horses we are constantly working on expanding their comfort zones.
This should be done using approach and retreat, and by listening to the horse to find out where the edge of their comfort zone is.
They will generally tell you by showing fear or resistance, although if you look for more subtle signs that come beforehand you will see the head raise, muscles and mouth tighten, ears go back or flick forwards and backwards rapidly. Some horses will just freeze or hesitate to respond.
For example, a horse unfamiliar with going into a horse trailer will want to smell it and test it out by pawing first, then if that produces a loud noise, the horse may be fearful and back off the ramp very quickly.
But once it has done this a number of times (approach and retreat), it starts to accept the noise and the feel of the ramp, and can make progress towards going in the trailer – expanding its comfort zone.
We can help that process by not forcing the horse to stay in something it’s fearful of, whether that is a trailer, a stall or a even a part of the arena you ride in.
By allowing the horse to approach and retreat as many times as necessary for their trust to develop, you can stretch the comfort zone to include that originally fearful space. It can additionally help to reinforce that space as a comfort zone by feeding the horse there or doing something else pleasurable and relaxing like grooming, massaging or just resting.
After many repetitions the horse then accepts the space as a part of its comfort zone.Photo: A deep creek crossing could be out of the horse's comfort zone so if you don't make progress after many repititions of approach and retreat, then you may need to take a different route or come back another day after gaining trust over shallower creek crossings.
So when you are doing anything at all with your horse, ask yourself which comfort zones are you expanding?
If it is more than one, then you may find it harder to make progress.
For instance, taking the horse away from its mates (when its not used to that) and trying to teach it a new task such as being hosed in the wash bay, is actually working on the emotional (leaving its mates), the physical (going into the wash bay) and the mental (coping with a new sensation of water being hosed on it).
It would be easier for the horse to learn about each one of those things individually first before putting all three together.
So, it would be best to introduce the hosing in a less confined space and if possible in the area the horse lives, while it has a friend for company.
Then you could take it to the wash bay and walk it in and out several times before feeding it there while the friend is nearby, followed by introducing the hose while in the wash bay.
Then you would work on having the horse cope with leaving the herd to eat its food in areas approaching the wash bay and finally being in the wash bay alone, before trying the hosing again.
It may take hours or weeks depending on the horse and its past experiences – and its up to us to let the horse tell us when it reaches the edge of any one of its comfort zones so we can retreat and gain trust, before approaching the fearful situation again.One of the quickest ways of destroying a horse’s confidence in you, and getting into a physical battle with your horse, is to take it out of its comfort zone and try to keep it there.
This is like throwing a child in the deep end of the swimming pool and expecting it to swim – it’s called a ‘sink or swim situation’.
Most often the horse ‘sinks’ and then you have just programmed in a fearful response to whatever you were doing – something that will take many more attempts at gaining trust to overcome.
Horses never forget – they will store that experience in their memory forever to surface again when a similar situation occurs, like when a horse has a bad experience with being wormed or with a particular farrier.
It will always show fear and resistance when that situation occurs again.Its far better to program (teach) positive responses in the horse, which means being very aware of comfort zones, listening to the horse telling you when its approaching the edge and backing off rather than entering a fight.
This means we need to let go of our ego as it’s a natural instinct for humans to make progress by entering a fight and coming out the victor at all costs.
“Don’t let the horse beat you” is a common saying that would ideally be replaced by “use your brains, not your muscle” for a much happier outcome.To read more about applying the use of comfort zones to your horsemanship, read the excellent E-Book, 'Bobby's Diaries' by Jenny Pearce, available from the Natural Horse World Shop for just $33.90.
Treats for Horses - Why Use Them? by Cynthia Cooper
To horses, a treat is not a bribe unless you use it as one. I see it as a reward, or payment for a job well done. It offers incentive for the horse to earn more and they look forward to their work when payment is forthcoming.
Giving a horse a treat just as that – you’re thanking them for giving their time to join in with your games or a job that needs doing.
How many times would we turn up for work
if we didn’t get paid?
Some of us do voluntary work and enjoy praise and recognition as a reward
– something common to predators such as humans and dogs.
Horse however, are prey animals and for them reward is release of pressure or being left alone altogether, along with being able to eat. When a horse satisfies its basic requirements of safety, comfort and play then it wants to eat, so rewarding a horse with food shows us the horse is relaxed and comfortable about what we’ve been asking. A tense uptight horse will refuse to eat, even special treats, when its mind is focusing on survival.
Giving your horse a treat for a job well
done, is a bit like taking your friend out for lunch because you just
love their company or when you want to thank them for something.
We don’t see someone paying for our lunch as a bribe, unless there’s
something seriously wrong with the relationship.
Likewise, we couldn’t expect our
friend to keep turning up to help dig postholes, chop wood or cart hay
if we didn’t give them some sort of treat in return.
Sure, we’d thank them the first time, but unless we gave them
a treat (beers, money, help in return) would they keep coming back for
more hard work?
That’s what we’re asking
of our horses when we train or ride them, time after time.
Giving your horse a treat is a bit like inviting your friend to lunch,
or to stay for a beer and BBQ, or offering your help in return for theirs.
And so it should be with our horses if we want a fair and equitable
relationship.
When horses are fed treats as a reward,
even randomly, they will line up to see who gets to play with their
‘leader’ today. They will offer behaviours they’ve
learned to see if that will earn them some pay, and are keen to learn
new ones to get more pay. 
Some people see giving a horse treats
as dangerous and inviting pushy behaviour.
Of course it will result in that if you haven’t set boundaries
and if your timing is off when giving the treat.
Clicker trainers are the ones to learn
from here – they know how to stop horses mugging them by waiting
for the appropriate behaviour before the food is given.
That behaviour could be backing or turning their head away, or just
staying out of your personal space before the treat is delivered.
Learning how to deliver the treat (and when to wait), is as important as recognising the behaviour you want to reward. That’s why clicker people use an audible ‘click’ signal to mark the behaviour – “it says yes that’s what I want” – and then delivering the small food reward such as few grains of oats or sunflower seeds or pellets, or tiny cubes of carrot or apple.
The behaviour the horse does when it
receives the reward is as important as the one it got the click for.
If you allow the horse to thrust its nose into your space and demand
the treat, it will very soon realise this gets it the treat quicker.
That’s when mugging starts. 
All you have to do is wait until the horse turns its head away, backs up a bit, or lowers it’s head (whatever behaviour you deem as safe) before giving the treat. Your horse will then remain respectful of your space and not demand the treat.
In the beginning, especially if you’re
correcting already learned mugging behaviour, its best to position yourself
on the other side of the fence or stall door so you can move out of
reach if the horse persists with mugging. Then just wait – most
likely the horse will quit trying and move away to do something else
or get distracted and look elsewhere, and this is when you can safely
deliver the treat.
They very quickly link their behaviour with food deliverance and will
then offer that readily, to get he treat quicker after you have signalled
a ‘yes’.
All my horses have had some basic ‘clicker
training’ to help with their respect around food and treats.
As they receive these randomly, but reasonably often, they remain keen
and interested in coming when called, being haltered or going to do
something.
They are happy to be rewarded for hoof trimming at liberty, going on
the horse float or at the end of a ride.
I believe it’s important to ask “What’s in it for them” – and to enhance the release of pressure with a reward (food or itching them) so your relationship is one of love and fun for both of you.
PS - Feed treats from your horse's regular grain ration (so you don't overfeed) but if your horse is overweight or prone to laminitis, the safest treat is sunflower seeds which are low in sugar. Carrots are very high in sugar so only use them as 'jackpot' treats every once in a while.
GIVING HORSES CHOICES- The beautiful Boronia.
Yesterday
at my Young Horse Day workshop I met a wonderful soul in Boronia, a
young shire mare. I was asked to work with her because she wouldn’t
be caught, especially in the paddock with the other horses.
She would give up in the yard as she knew she was unable to get away,
and her owner saw her as a ‘problem child’, especially when
she kicked out at her when the pressure was on.
I haven’t had that much to do with the larger draught breeds but when I was a youngster, I remember being in total awe of the brewery teams of Clydesdales, struck by their stoic no nonsense natures and work ethic, as well as their hugeness.
The feeling I got when I
looked at Boronia was of a gentle ‘old’ soul – her
beautiful eyes hid behind a long dark forelock like a shy little girl,
and that’s what she turned out to be.
When I stepped into the yard with her she moved away, so I talked to
the workshop group while I wandered around without looking at her directly
but taking notice of her responses. Without a direct line approach or
thoughts of ‘I’m going to catch you’, she didn’t
feel the need to move far or fast, so with some approach and retreat
I was able to almost get within touching distance – in fact I
was able to stoke her shoulder at one stage but she shied away from
my touch.
I had a bag of treats with
me as her owner admitted to using food to try and ‘bribe’
her into being caught but Boronia became good at snatching a mouthful
from the bucket and moving quickly away. I intended to use the food
as a reward, so to let her know I had some I put a few pellets in my
hand and encouraged her to allow my hand in her space.
She wasn’t that interested in the food – or in touching
my hand, even after tolerating my hand coming in and out of her space,
which alarmed her at first.
So I just kept my body turned slightly away from her and tried making
myself small to see if that attracted her attention. It did and she
dropped her head to my level and relaxed a bit more, content to just
be close to me as long as I didn’t try to touch her.
After a while my knees got sore from squatting so I slowly stood and rested against the yard rails, explaining my methods to the people, and with the attention off her Boronia became curious. We were talking about her past where she was raised in a large herd on a big property without much attention to anything more than the basics of handling, and had come to her present owner very undernourished after a drought sale. Once she was caught she would allow you to do anything with her and I immediately got the feeling that she was ‘shutting down’ to cope with the handling she’d endured – not that it may necessarily have been harsh, but in her eyes, she was scared and shutting down became her way of coping. This made her appear to be very quiet but she showed definite signs of withdrawing when too much pressure was put on her.
I discovered that perhaps
for the first time in her life, Boronia was being allowed to interact
with a person on her terms – she started to sniff me, brushing
her long whiskers against my shirt, then my hand.
She eyed the bale of hay in the next yard, to tell me she’d rather
eat that, so I grabbed a handful and she tucked into it then followed
me around the yard to get more as I moved away from her, and allowed
her to ‘catch me’ – perhaps another first.
Then she got tired of the
hay and was happy just standing near me as I talked some more about
how we could reward horses in different ways, such as being like another
horse, just hanging out or giving them a good scratch.
I reached out to her neck and chest to see if she’d like to be
itched and sure enough, that was her favourite spot. When I stopped,
she carefully moved her big hooves closer and asked for more, inching
forward each time I stopped.
When I decided to finish
the session with her, she was chewing contentedly, with a soft eye and
a smile on her lovely big Shire horse lips.
I invited her owner in to experience Boronia’s acceptance of people
because I knew she’d overcome a big issue – she had never
been given the choice of interacting with a human – it had always
been the human’s idea and forced upon her which was why she didn’t
enjoy being caught.
It was very special to see her owner amazed that she could walk right
up to her ‘Bronnie’ and give her a big friendly rub –
she took off her halter after some encouragement and vowed to spend
more time ‘making deposits into her account’ with her, to
make up for all the ‘withdrawals’ of the past.
The next horse I worked
with was a lovely seven year old paint broodmare who hadn’t yet
been ridden. She was a bit touchy about picking up her hooves and the
workshop participants were keen to see some ‘join up’ and
liberty work.
After explaining that I don’t do the traditional type of ‘join
up’ where you deliberately send the horse away until it asks to
be allowed back in, I introduced myself to the mare and started rubbing
her body to find her favourite itchy spots.
After
a little while she decided eating grass was better and moved off, so
I gently encouraged her to keep moving and waited for her first sign
of aknowledgement which was an eye and an ear focused on me –
I turned away, taking the pressure off her and she willingly came right
into me.
She then stood for more scratching and I worked my way down to her front
leg – but as soon as I’d lifted it a little she hurried
off – she had that choice being at liberty and it’s a wonderful
way to find out what a horse can truly cope with.
Again, I encouraged her to move with the soft swing of the string I
carry and after one trotting circle, she decided she’d rather
be with me.
After that, she didn’t
try to run off again – just moved a little when things got worrying
for her. I was able to pick up all four feet at liberty then taught
her to yield her hindquarters from both a suggestion (looking at them)
and the touch of my hand.
She had some difficulty accepting the yield from her left eye and kept
wanting to turn away and put me in the other eye, but after a few goes
and having the choice to move her feet whenever she was worried, she
could do beautiful yields with my hand on her side, where my leg would
go.
Throughout this interaction with her I used my ‘clicker’ (my tongue) and treats to reward her, as food was her favourite motivation. She’d never had any experience with ‘clicker training’ but caught on right away without being pushy. This helped her enjoy her interaction with me and see that playing at liberty can be fun and fruitful.
So I too learned something
from my Young Horse Day – we all have choices and by allowing
the horses theirs, they will show us what’s best for them, so
the more 'tools' (or different ways) for doing things we have, the better.
The students learned from observing that patience can be our greatest
virtue, to take small steps and to consider the horse’s point
of view. There’s always more to learn….
Learning is a never-ending
journey so why not let the journey be the reward – it certainly
is for me, especially when I discover little gems of wisdom from the
horses.
(Photos by Ruth Tanner.)
STARTING YOUNG HORSES UNDER SADDLE
How to give your young
horse the best start to riding.
by Cynthia Cooper
‘Starting’ a young horse
is a more positive than ‘breaking’ so I will use this term
rather than the traditional ‘breaking-in’ that has become
common language for training a horse to be ridden.
After all, who wants to end up with a ‘broken’ horse? Sadly
many do have their spirit, and sometimes their bodies broken during
a process that has been universally accepted for a very long time.
What I’d like to propose with the
trend now towards more compassion for the horse, that this can include
a totally different approach to ‘starting’ them under saddle.
To begin with, lets forget about the ‘correct age’ for a
horse to be started – traditionally this has been at around 2-3
years although in the racing industry it can be as young as 18 months.
Physically, young horses’ bones and muscles are not strong enough
to carry any weight for any length of time until they are 3-4 years
old, and then they should be carefully built up with short periods of
slow exercise. Harder work and competition shouldn’t be considered
until they are least 4-5 years old and for some slow maturing breeds
like Arabians and warmbloods, 5-6 years is a better time to start.
Realistically, horses can be started under saddle at an older age, although
there is perhaps an optimum time when they can be easily developed mentally
and emotionally and that is usually under the age of maturity (7-8 years).
Ideally,
a young horse is being ‘started’ right from birth and during
the daily handling/checking they should receive, especially for the
first few months of their lives. This will give you a trusting, trainable
and confident young horse who knows how to do all the basics for survival
in a domestic situation such as be easily haltered, led, have hooves
trimmed, be wormed, load /travel on a float/trailer and begin to tie
up for short periods under supervision.
It doesn’t hurt for them to be ‘turned out’ occasionally and have periods of little human contact providing they are checked and maintained properly, and that the often negative events of worming, gelding and medical treatment are not the only contact they have with people – this will definitely erode any trust you have developed.
So as yearlings and two year olds, it
is possible to prepare them for being ridden by exposing them to all
types of situations, especially if you are not going to be doing the
starting yourself.
Weaning from their dam, especially if done gradually, will help them
learn about separation from their bonded pair or group. But this needs
to be extended for short periods (with company to begin with) so the
youngster learns they can leave the comfort of their own herd and pasture.
This can be done for pleasurable events such as feeding, grooming and
playing, then extended to more challenging things such as going for
walks (led by a person or from another horse), loading and travelling.
Young horses who are taken to shows get
a good education in all these things but even if you don’t show,
you can take your youngster out to visit a friend, to a play day, or
to look around at a small show or event without competing – something
I’d recommend before you do actually compete. Of course, you would
take them with an older calm companion who can help give them confidence
and show them the way.
Then it’s a gradual process to ask them to leave the herd on their
own, beginning as mentioned above and gradually increasing the time
and distance they are comfortable being away from their herd or friend.
If
you’re starting your own young horse, this is still an ideal preparation
so that when it comes time to ride out alone, your horse has confidence
in you and the situations you’re asking them to cope with.
Starting your own horse to be ridden is the ideal situation. You have
a relationship going already – your horse will trust you more
than anyone else so why would you want to send them off to learn new
things from someone they don’t even know?
I think many people lack the confidence to start their own horse, and
that really just indicates they need more horsemanship education themselves.
There are so many good horsemanship programs and clinicians running
‘colt starting’ courses plus easy access to information,
that we can increase our skills for being able to start a young horse.
After all, that’s what you’re going to be doing when the
horse comes back from being started by someone else anyway. If you don’t
have the skills to carry on their work, then you will face problems
and that will most likely instigate either selling the horse or if you
love them enough, learning more yourself anyway.
The most important factor in successfully starting your own horse is to forget time frames. This is one of the biggest problems with starting young horses – and why I don’t agree with short ‘colt starting’ workshops or spectator events such as ‘Way of the Horse’ where Horsemen are judged on their starting skills. It puts these often un-prepared young, frightened horses into overload and you see them ‘shut down’ emotionally just to be able to cope.
Does it really matter if it takes you
a year to start your horse under saddle? If you’re both progressing
and learning within your comfort zones, then enjoy the journey.
If you want a horse to take out for a ride or to a certain event by
a certain time, go and buy one that is ready for that.
Horses don’t forget what you did with them last – whether
it be a day, a week or a month ago. In fact some good trainers have
realised that giving a horse ‘soaking time’ which could
be for as long as 3 days after learning something new, is the ideal
way for faster progress.
However, I know there will always be people who want someone else to start their own horse. In that case, it’s your job to prepare your horse for the situation as I outlined above. This would include getting them used to being handled by different people (preferably those with the same philosophies on horses as you), taking them away for short stays at friend’s places where there’s no pressure, and having them cope with leaving their herd.
Then it’s a matter of finding the
best person to start your horse so ask around for what others have experienced
then go and see your prospective choices working with other people’s
horses. Some trainers will even travel to your place to work with your
horse, and that is ideal if your philosophies on horses are similar.
At least then you can watch and learn, and intervene on behalf of your
horse if you think its necessary.
Most good young horse starters will allow you or even invite you to
watch them work with your horse because they have yours and the horse’s
best interests at heart.
Listen
to your ‘gut’ or instinctive feelings about the person you
choose to work with. Just because they have a good name in the industry,
doesn’t mean they will align with your beliefs.
Go and watch prospective trainers working with other people’s
horses and get to know their philosophies on horsemanship. Make sure
they ‘walk their talk’! Ask other experienced and respected
horse people who they would get to start their young horse.
Once you have chosen your trainer, communicate
to them what you want – many think the process must be as fast
as possible, but if your horse’s confidence and spirit are important
to you, then you can let them know that time frames can be flexible.
Ask them to allow the horse to have at least a week to settle in to
their new surroundings before they have to cope with training.
Take the feed and hay your horse is used to eating so a gradual transition
can be made to the trainer’s feeds if that’s what will happen.
This will reduce the risk of digestive upsets or even colic. Ensure
your horse has been recently wormed, hooves trimmed and teeth checked.
Only send your horse to be started if they are in good physical health
– there’s no point in the trainer working with a horse that
has physical issues hampering their ability.
Visit your horse as often as you can, especially during training sessions
and to have some riding time under the trainer’s supervision once
your horse is going nicely.
When you get your horse home, its ok to give them some time off to ‘recover’ from the moving and adjust back to their home. If you are unsure where to start at home, then ask the trainer to come and give you some lessons at home on your horse, or go out for a short ride with you to help give you confidence that will then transfer to your horse.
If you’re afraid to ride your newly
started horse, then maybe a young horse is not for you. Remember, you
need to be the confident leader to show your young horse the way.
My final word of advice: Give your young horse the best start under
saddle by developing your horsemanship and leadership skills with an
older horse first.
I recommend Parelli level 3 minimum is ideal. To find out what that
involves, go to www.parellli.com and look into the Levels Pathway.
Here is an excellent article that outlines the negative repercussions that horses possibly suffer at a young age, or when they are in their teens from being started too young and too hard.
Why People Start Horses Too Hard, Too Young By: Laura Phelps-Bell
Zach
with Cynthia and Manny at the Young Horse Starting Course April 2004.
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Starting Young Horses Under Saddle - How to give your young horse the best start to riding.
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Disclaimer: The information contained within this website is soley the expressed views and opinions of the author, unless otherwise stated, and the author accepts no responsability for the way this information is used by viewers. The information is provided to help PREVENT problems, not to replace veterinary advice.
Contact:
Cynthia
Cooper -
Natural Horse World
46 Wattle Lea Lane, Golden Valley. Tasmania, 7304. Australia.
Ph.
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