May Trainers Tip “Does your horse think that he knows more than you do?”
Have you ever been caught up in a situation with your horse where it seems like he or she always wants to get ahead of you? Is it like your horse is doing this on purpose? This situation happens to all of us more often than we would care to admit. A horse in this situation could be said to be "running through the bridle". A common mistake made in an effort to correct the problem, is to simply take a hold of the reins to slow the horse down. The problem with this solution is that the horse will just speed up again as soon as the rider lets go of the reins. Additionally, the horse is likely to become more and more non-responsive to the bridle. So, what is the solution? The first part of the solution is to think of the problem in a different way.
Horses are pattern animals. They behave in patterns and they pick up on patterns of stimulus quite easily. One of the easiest patterns for horses to learn is that they can take away our ability to control them by rushing, or trying to get ahead of us. They quickly learn from experience that when they rush, or try to do things faster than the rider wants, the rider will usually back off and quit pushing on them. What the rider does next is to pull back on the horse's mouth. You would think that this would be more irritating to a horse than being pushed. Apparently from the number of horses that develop this behavior, not so! What's the cure?
When a horse is "rushing" you, his actions are already so quick that it will seem as if the last thing that you would want to do is to push him forward. If you want to regain control, however, you will have to start pushing by "getting your legs on him" to direct his body in some manner. The reason for this is because when your horse is "rushy", and pulling on your hands, he is already so out of balance that, short of just stopping him and starting over, he can't get back in balance without your help. In order to get back in balance he must reposition his rear quarters more underneath himself so that he can "carry himself" and you as well. The easiest and quickest way for the rider to switch this pattern is to simply turn the horse and go a new direction. In turning your horse correctly so that a weight shift happens, it is important that some (or ideally, most) of the turn be accomplished because the rider used his/her legs, and that the horse turned because he respected them, and moved away from pressure. For stubborn cases, try turning your horse quickly, and repeatedly, in different directions, with 10-12 steps in between turns. It is easy for a horse to get ahead of the rider if the horse thinks that he knows exactly what will happen next, and where. Take your horse's predictive ability away from him by confusing him. If your horse is convinced that he does not know what will happen next, or where he will be going, I guarantee you that he will slow down and start to pay attention to you. Additionally, through the use of abrupt turns, your horse will naturally slow down, and naturally have to reposition his rear end under himself. (Besides the fact that you are helping him by actually telling him where to put himself through the touches of your legs.)
Most horses resist this pattern for a short time by trying to "bull their way" through the turns. Be patient, and don't expect the first five to ten turns to be perfect. They don't have to be perfect, because in your own patient, persistent way, you will "catch up" to your horse, and he will be turning much better by the time that you quit. By the time that you have gained control, your horse will have softened, both mentally and physically. By "softened mentally" I mean that he will have quit trying to second guess you, and will be much slower and more careful in his thought patterns. The "mental" rush will be gone. By softer physically, I mean that he will be softer in his entire body. Rather than being tight and bound up like he is when he is "rushy" and trying to constantly anticipate you, he will be relaxed, tired, and waiting for you to tell him what to do next. He will not want to waste the effort on guessing wrong and making a mistake because you will have proven to him that it takes to much energy. He will also be more balanced, because he has slowed down and is "working with you, and under you." You'll know that you have gained balance with your horse when you position him through the use of leg aids, and rein pressure, and he readily complies to your request. Further, as you release the pressure of the reins to "pay him" for his correct response, his head will stay relatively still , instead of immediately snapping back to a straight, stiff position, as if his neck were "spring loaded". (Any of the Accel students that have completed a seminar will probably recognize this exercise, as it is one of my very favorite things to work on with a horse that thinks he "has it all figured out")
Enjoy it, and be patient!
Ray
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