Look at that bod! Building muscles is a rewarding game.
So far in my life, I’ve experienced two kinds of “naughty” horses: 1) the horse that is naughty because he is a little arrogant and thinks he’s too smart or 2) the horse that is naughty because underneath it all, he has very little self confidence, and does not believe in himself in any way. Leo, it seems, falls into the second category, but I’m happy to report that after diligent work and long hours spent doing rather mundane tasks, I’ve suddenly seen a huge upswing in his self confidence. As a result of that, he’s becoming a different horse, and I’m liking it.
Last time I updated you on the progress of my gigantic new beast was about a month ago, and the going was slow and dull. I wasn’t really accomplishing anything exciting with him, and his learning curve was about two degrees above a horizontal line. However, since then he has mastered the following: ground tying, standing to be mounted from a variety of objects, cantering on both leads, cantering jumps (!!), the occasional flying change, walking and trotting down hills, crossing different rivers and creeks, walking through muddy footing without freaking out, jumping little logs, trotting with consistent contact in the open, and running through fields of cows (also included: getting licked by cows). Thats a lot of things to figure out in a month!
His sudden burst of new skills is not due to something magical that I’ve implemented recently, but rather that Leo has learned to learn. What do I mean when I say this? I mean that in the past, Leo has primarily responded to new situations with fear and then flight. If he got to throw a few bucks, spins or a little rear in there, all the better because it meant he would convince you to stop presenting scary new things to him, and he wouldn’t have to think. Every new situation is a puzzle for your horse, but they don’t believe they can solve, they blankly hit the flight button and don’t engage their brain. I want all my horses to view everything new or “scary” as an opportunity to learn, to build confidence by conquering the scary thing, and as a way to receive praise.
True story: Leo got licked by a cow....several times
Let’s take, for example, a situation I had a few weeks ago when I was out hacking on the road and there was a giant trash can filled with garbage and accompanied by some fluttering paper. “A horse eating monster!!” thought Leo. His response was to rear up a little and whip around, presumably to take off back to the safe barn. I pulled him up, and firmly popped him on the shoulder once. I faced him back towards the trash bin, and once he was standing, slackened the reins and sat like a sack of potatoes, like I had no cares in the world. I waited until he was more relaxed at this distance from the monster can, and then politely asked him to take a few steps forward. As soon as he responded with a forward motion, I praised him like he was the smartest horse in the world! I was firm, and yet understanding in my insistence that he use his brain and approach the can. I repeated this until we were able to touch the garbage can from multiple different points, and petted him so many times he probably thought I was barking mad.
After 3 months of doing this procedure with every single thing that Leo was “scared” of, or responded naughtily to, he’s started to think differently. Instead of immediately saying “Hell no!!”, he stops now, and considers that it might not be such a bad idea to approach and use his cognitive skills. The bonus of this is that he’s learned that solving problems is actually fun! It helps his confidence because he is starting to believe that he has the mental and physical aptitude to conquer life. He’s feeling pretty good about himself, and he’s more likely to try something new each day.
I can’t possibly expect to have an event horse without starting with a confident horse, and that is why I’ve begun his training with this first, instead of technical skills like being able to execute a perfect dressage test or jumping higher jumps. I did, on a whim, take him to his first combined test last weekend with very small expectations. I had never cantered a jump on him, and he hadn’t really jumped off the farm except once, much less scary decorated show jumps. I figured it would be a perfect opportunity to figure out what his reactions were in a safe environment (read: if I stop at every single fence, nobody cares and I can just re-do my round until I’m happy).
He was a very good boy and tried very hard! He does get a little humpy-backed when warming up for dressage, and I think it’s a sign of being a little nervous when he’s in a new place, but he’s started to control his bucks a little, resorting to only two or three instead of 25 galloping ones. I got a friend to capture some of my SJ round, after my phone died, and as you can see, he’s still very green but very willing and will be super when he has the strength for bigger jumps. These are, in fact, beginner novice height, despite the fact that they look 18″….my horse is huge.
For now, I’m thrilled that he’s starting to build muscles in the right places, and started to “play the game” with me. I firmly believe that more than any other horse, Event horses have to have their mental capacities engaged in order to be successful in this challenging sport. I want him to come to believe that he is the king of the world, but also follow me when I give directions or encouragement. I hope that, a few months from now, our relationship and his confidence will take us to all new heights, and I’m very excited to see what we can accomplish next!
