"My horse is stopping a lot. What should I do?"
Advice #1: You have to figure out if your horse is Whoa-type or Go-type and work on a way that is described on Parelli's "How to turn a living creature in to a machine, level 5"-manual.
Advice #2: Keep pushing, release when it moves. You cannot let it think it is in charge!
Advice #3: Lack of respect. Nothing that a few Join-ups in a round pen wouldn't fix!
Advice #4: Make it back up every time it stops. This should help because horses don't like backing up.
Advice #5: Yielding excercises.
This is from finnish forum called Toisinhevostelijat, it doesn't really translate but it's something like 'to be with horses, differently'.
No one is suggesting to listen what this horse has to say. Makes me a bit sad.
Images from January 2024
3 kuukautta sitten
Yes that is very sad. I think that is one of the dangers of following one particular technique, it can lead to just following the "rules". Sad too that nobody on the forum suggested checking the horse's tack.
VastaaPoistaReading the same topic made so sad too. Yes, working out with horses differently... from what?
VastaaPoistaThat IS sad....
VastaaPoistaEspecially since looking to the horse is the only place the person will find an honest answer.
Answer #2 is the most common one I hear...
Answer #4 made me laugh -- if horses hate backing up, then would someone please explain to me why MY horse will sometimes back up - ON HIS OWN - while we are playing? If he "hates" it so much, then why does he do it? (still laughing)....I think the horsey "experts" definitely got that one wrong...
There are many possible answers to such a question & interacting with the horse on HIS terms is the only way to find them. I'd love an opportunity to "play" with this horse. I think "we" would have great fun! :-)
There are many stages in doing things differently. I guess most of the participants on Toisinhevostelijat forum have taken "being" and "doing" with horses a few steps further than in "traditional" (which term also has many stages and differences between them) way. Many of them don't really know how to take more steps to the direction the horse tries to point at, and therefore might not feel any need for such thing. I will try to label it as an innocent ignorance.
VastaaPoistaWhat I try to say is that without taking the first steps one may never learn to listen to the horse and communicate with it in mutually respectful manner bit by bit. Very few of us are naturally very able to hear them (or ourselves!). As sad as those pieces of advice were, those who have given them have already tried to take the first steps.
It's true what "anonymous" says above - these "natural horsemanship" techniques are a step forward from what came before. What's missing still, though, is the idea that it's ok to give the horse a say - that the horse isn't just waiting to take advantage of you, that if you give an inch, tomorrow he won't take a mile, but might actually give back an inch, or even a mile!
VastaaPoista