A Work in Progress
Finding the balance between productivity and selfishness with my approach to a horse.
Since coming to Montana, I have taken a dive into a different form of horsemanship and riding than I grew up with. Almost everything done at this ranch is inspired by Buck Brannaman and the line of natural horsemanship he has carried on (primarily from Ray Hunt and Tom and Bill Dorrance). Although I have previously been exposed to natural horsemanship and some of the specific ways to approach horses within this practice, I have simply taken tools from the methods and have not wholeheartedly explored the practice.
My manager describes the differences in how people approach horses as a range of dialects. I appreciate this description, because everyone in the horse world is trying to communicate with an animal that will never fully understand the chatter we provide, nor will we be able to fully understand and relate to every attempt at communication the horse gives us. So, we integrate cues within our seat in the saddle, hands on the ropes and reins, and legs via stirrups and steps on the ground.
Humans have the privilege of researching other species, and we can give ourselves the benefit of knowing how horses communicate amongst each other, therefore enabling ourselves to mimic a horse’s cues as much as possible. For example, when we praise a horse, the feeling of a petting or scratching motion is reminiscent of a mother’s nuzzle or a friend’s grooming. However, a patting motion is satisfying to a person, but harder for a horse to recognize as a friendly gesture. Body language is the most important way to convey questions to a horse. If the horse isn’t giving my desired answer, maybe my hips are angled too far to the side as I approach the horse while asking for forward movement during groundwork (me on foot, next to the horse). Or, maybe my hand has an underhand grip rather than an overhand grip on the leadrope as I ask the horse to pass in front of me, and my pressure on the rope is inconsistent compared to when I’m riding and holding the reins overhand.
One of the wonderful things about horses is how honest they can be, and how hard they can try. With every change I make in my questions, in my posture, and in the pressure I give with my hands and legs, the horse’s response to my question adapts and improves.The harder I work to communicate well, the easier it is for the horse to answer my questions.
However, with each thing that I learn, I find a temptation of perfectionism. There are many specificities of natural horsemanship in the western world that I am trying to nail down. If I don’t ask my questions well, how is that fair to the horse? So I put my head down and focus, trying again and again to correct my posture and find the proper movements reciprocated by the horse. However, I need to remind myself to look up and recognize how much I am asking. Am I drilling the horse? Am I looking for perfection in a half hour session when the adjustments to my posture need more time to habituate?
In the first few days on the ranch, I realized I was trying to satisfy my perfectionism tendencies. As the weeks progress, I am much more aware of my tendencies and thinking about what the horse needs over the development of my skills. I will improve as long as I am working with these horses, but I ultimately want to become a team with the horse I have at any given time, and I need to think for both of us. After all, the horses here are wonderful!
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