Savvy Club Answer

I found this answer on the Savvy Club Q & A (Level 3 Freestyle).

Interesting isn't it - oh the question was do do with a horse being aggressive and dominant and emotional when riding on a trail ride (towards other horses) but fine if she was on the ground (like he forgot she was riding him)....

The more challenging the horse, the more savvy you need. Are you working through the Harmony Pack step by step? If not, please do so, diligently. While you can have a good level of respect on the ground, once you get on his back there are certain things that can start to erode this...loss of balance, fear / unconfidence, rough handling of the reins, holding back on two reins, pulling, rough use of reins, lack of phases when using your legs or hands, lack of strong enough focus, etc. etc. Lots to think about!! Given that you are working on all of this and by your question you actually are showing a good degree of savvy (chasing / following, etc) there is still one other thing to think of while on a trail ride. Here's how it usually goes... You set off on the ride, everything starts off well because you've prepared your horse and yourself on the ground. Gradually, things start to get a little worse, mainly because you start chatting to your friends, looking at the scenery and you lose connection with your horse. Worse still, he loses connection with you because you're all he had! The loss of confidence translates into fractious behavior, jigging, increasing insecurity and as a result... shying, spooking... LOSING IT! The question therefore is... "how can you maintain your connection with your horse while on this fun ride with your friends?" Of course there's many ways and depending on your level of savvy, you'll have more strategies. First of all, use things that will engage left brain: backwards, sideways (for a mile or two if necessary!), turns involving disengagement, stopping and grazing, stepping over things, backing over things, getting the person in front of you to keep your horse off his tail (so you don't have to hold back on two reins.. very claustrophobic and seriously disturbing for horses!)... etc. If you are riding with people who would think you are stupid / a nuisance / a dummie / a weirdo for doing this, then STOP RIDING WITH PEOPLE WHO PUT EGO AND JUDGEMENT AND CRITICISM / HUMILIATION IN FRONT OF HORSEMANSHIP! When we do savvy trail rides, we commit to everyone being involved in the horsemanship process so we create rest stops (savvy stops) and little games along the way to keep people and horses connected, left brain and calm.

Ride and Saddle Fitting

Under the willow having lunch together.

After a quick burn in the Falco down to Whitianga for breakfast I took Garbo to Jool's place for a ride.

We played on the ground a bit as Critey didn't come because Bronwyn's leg is worse and she is on crutches! So he was a bit tense, but that didn't take long to sort out.

I have been thinking alot about how he was in the forest and I read a question in the Savvy Club Vault about it as well - it said to keep your horse busy like sideways or back up (for a mile if need be) and to only ride with Parelli understanding people. I think what I did today was what I need to be able to do in the saddle as well.

Anyway - I got on and he was not very motivated so we didn't do alot - and I got off again - his saddle is a bit tight and Abbie is coming tomorrow to fix - and it was really hot too!

We are going back on Sunday.

Next day Abbi came and she was awesome - she was so pleased to be taking the extra wool out of the front of the saddle finally and she couldn't believe how much bigger he was at the front end. I had not seen her since starting Parelli.

She complimented me on the work I had been doing with him, which she said was obviously doing him only good, and also on riding without contact - saying that many 'good' riders cannot do that - they just don't have the balance - and she wishes more of them would because then she wouldn't have to try and fix up horses/saddles that can't really be fixed (due to the way the rider rides).

So - she was really pleased with the outcome and it will be interesting to see how we go on Sunday...

Muriwai Beach

Today Cilla was going to ride Annie on Muriwai Beach but I didn't really feel ready to get on Garbo - when we arrived he was tense (mind you there were no other horses in sight and he had not been there for like three and a half years).... so we just walked around and went over some logs and through tree gaps in the tie up area. The tie up area is really really huge now - hitching rails everywhere - it's very cool.

We had about 30 minutes before anyone else arrived but I knew he was not ready to ride - and wouldn't be - it was all too new for him. At one point I thought - gosh the two times I came her he was ok - but that was pre-Parelli and I bet he wasn't - I would have just been blind to it. No wonder so many people fall off.

So finally the others arrived and Garbo and I headed off on the 22ft to the beach through the access (deep sand track) - it took about 15 minutes on foot and he was leading the way all the way till about 3/4 way - where suddenly he could hear the waves.

He stopped. I asked him forward and he backed up fast - so we headed back to a safe point and waited for the others - it seemed like an eternity but finally the appeared. Garbo then followed the others with me in tow over the rise and down the sand dune to the beach.

He was unconfident but he trusted me - that's all that mattered for me today. We stopped with the others briefly and then they headed towards the water and along the beach and we just walked along - quite away from them. He was a bit unsure about the black sand lines coming from the shells in the sand, the tire treads and sometimes just the lines in the sand the wind had made. But he didn't stop or spook - just looked. He had two nervous poos though!

We got to the Estuary and he wasn't even interested in playing in the water - so the others went on and we headed back (alone). He was very keen to show me which way home was! But he didn't go faster and always stopped when I asked him to - keep coming to me but not walking into me.

At one point we actually joined up with his hoof prints from the way 'to' the estuary and he recognised them as his. He hauled me up the sand dunes (I was quite knackered by now) and waited while I trudged through the deep sand - he would take two steps and wait, two steps nd wait.

Back on the track he was not confident enough to graze again until the float was in sniffing distance. I tied him up for a rest and a think and had some water, then we headed home (3 hours after setting off).

I was really pleased with him today - and with myself for not riding. But also how confident he was just with me - completely on our own - walking away from other horses.

And the loading was fab too. Maraschino apparently had some little run arounds.

Forest ride and BFO

Well we went to the forest with 5 other horses today!

I got there really early (because Garbo loaded like a dream) and Cilla went with Annie the horse she is borrowing from Julie. I don't think I have ever ridden Garbo in such a big group in the forest. We got there early so we had a nice walk around and investigated the forest and grasses on all sides of the carpark - and of course all the email (poo).

Finally the others arrived and soon after that we set off. Garbo seemed knackered quite soon into the ride - and he was sweating alot by about 15 minutes into it. After he had a poo (he drifted back until everyone else was ahead) he started his steady pace of passing, one by one, all the others. First I thought it was just he had a faster walk but soon realised he was vying for the front spot. Julie has said 'no one passes me and Kiwi" - well - Garbo had other ideas!

I tried lifting his rein and tried partial disengagement too but he was dead set on leaning on Kiwi and trying to pass him. After a while he got in a tizz and started bucking on the spot, I think from me lifting the rein to hold him off Kiwi all the time. I got off and backed him up... then got back on - he had a very 'sorry' look on his face and sidled up to the log for me to get on.

Then we set off again and 5 minutes later same thing.... well this time Julie said - just let him go in front. So we did and calmly and confidently lead the whole ride back (sometimes way out in front) back. That's a FIRST!

You know - till today I never thought that was a dominance issue but I realised today it was. He was dominating Kiwi and thought his rightful place was at the front.

Hmmmm.