Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Well, if you look at it as "easy" verses the "hard" way, I would say, that you usually can convince them in only one, EASY lesson.  I don't call that hard.  They do Bend their wills to meet your request.  But they are giving in to you, because you have convienced them that you will be in control. Again, not thru violence.  You ARE asking them to do something, and then, if they don't, you show them you can MAKE them, without hurting or scaring them.  And yes, they do get a Thank you.  Those Thank you's may be grain in the trailer for getting in, or just a pat on the neck and nice words. 

If you want to get technical, I doubt that there has ever been a horse/mule that wanted to go out and plow all day in the hot sun.  It would be their herd instinct to just eat grass with all the others in the herd while standing in the shade.  But, they had to learn that they may have to work, therefore do something against their herd instinct will.  If they do things because it is the way to safety, food and water, then why can't we just let our 'trained' herd members teach the young ones how to load, clip, tie, shoe, be ridden.  Just bring them in the barn and lett'm watch.  It's the Herd thing...right?  I'm sorry, I don't buy it.  They learn out of a behavior, one that we teach them.  Not thru force.  It is not a forceful exprience.  

Similiar thought:  A food trained dog will work for you only because he is looking for the next treat, not because he wants to please you.

 

Jody

Lif Strand <lif@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> At 09:00 AM 8/23/2004, Jody Rogers-Buttram wrote:
> >being able to dominate them. When I say that, I mean that you can control 
> >their MIND. You must let them know you are the boss.
>
> What ever happened to respect, please and thank you? Controlling a horse's 
> mind is a lot of work. Getting voluntary compliance is easier. Why work 
> so hard?
>
> >They learn that you 1) are not there to hurt them. 2) That you will ask 
> >certain things and they will give to YOUR will. and 3) that just because 
> >you do ask them to go against their will, you are their friend and buddy.
>
> This presumes a horse's will is being gone against! I doubt a horse will 
> do anything *against it's will* without physical force. When a horse 
> complies with your request, his will has changed! His will then is 
> *parallel* with your will, and you have not asked them to go
>  against their 
> will.
>
> Good horse training involves the human discovering how to get a horse to 
> *change* it's will, not go against it.
>
> As I said above, why work so hard? Why spend the energy thinking about and 
> coming at an issue as if it was antagonistic when it really isn't? Why 
> define something in a way that just thinking about it is 
> adversarial? Horses are *herd* animals. They do things because the herd 
> is doing them and for a herd member, doing what the herd does is the path 
> to safety, food and water. They don't do most things because a dominant 
> animal in the herd forces them to. A human can decide which path to take - 
> the hard one, involving more energy (dominance) or the easy one, involving 
> asking a horse to change it's will. I go for easy every day.
>
> ________________________________
> Lif Strand fasterhorses.com
> Quemado NM USA

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