Putting theory into practice

Norfolk Horse Training and Equitation Club’s resident trainer, Johanna Macarthur, answers your questions on horse behaviour.

Horse training that implements learning theory and error-free training principles using pressure and release, will provide ethical solutions that all riders can apply to all horses.

The method is simple. Everything comes from the four basic training steps: stop (also include back up), go, park/stand (also include head down) and turn/yield.

All elite dressage movements and all corrections for unwanted behaviour are achieved through the re-training of the four basic foundation steps – particularly in stop and go.

My 12-year-old gelding bucks in canter – how do I stop this? I have been told to ride him on, and this does work, but how do I stop it permanently?

Your horse seems to be bucking from exuberance, however, bucking is an undesired behaviour. Maybe your legs are on too hard and are giving a stronger go signal.

He could also be over reaching and thus altering his stride and relieving the pain by bucking. There may be other physical problems causing this reaction. It is common for saddle pinching to cause bucking, please check this with your vet.

To stop bucking you must instantly delete the buck by an immediate and downward transition to stop. Then resume go immediately and go through the transitions: walk, then trot, and finally, canter. If the horse bucks again, repeat this process.

Keep repeating this every single time your horse bucks, he will begin to realise that a buck is always followed by strong pressure on his head (he is looking for release) and that it is hard work stopping and starting.

Problem at a glance

This is a stop, go and yield problem – re-visit your training on pressure and release, in hand and in the saddle, and aim to obtain immediate response.

My 8-year-old gelding won’t lead in from the field without rearing or biting me – he has become so dangerous that we need at least two people to lead him. What can I do?

Your horse probably has a fearful memory of being led, however, now the problem is possibly also one of habituation. Your horse uses his photographic memory to re-enact this journey from the field because he has learnt to behave like this. He may well be fearful and he will certainly be tense.

You must control the horse’s legs, speed and direction to remove fear and tenseness. You will need to retrain stop, go, park and turn in-hand in a safe area. Your horse must be trained using pressure and release, and it is also a good idea to include back up as part of the stop.

When you come in from the field, apply the stop, go, park and back up consistently. Every time you get the slightest unwanted movement, remember to delete tenseness, which may present itself as faster leg movement, biting attempts, head tossing etc. The biting will disappear when you delete the rearing and vice versa.

Problem at a glance

This is a stop, back up, go, park and turn problem – all need to be worked on in-hand and aim to achieve an immediate and obedient response in all.

My 9-year-old mare wont stand still when I mount. This is so infuriating, especially if I have to get off on a hack – I can be an hour trying to get back on! What can I do to stop this?

Your horse has learnt or habituated to the mounting game. She knows her reward for not letting you get on is to keep moving her feet – so she does. You need to stop the legs from moving by retraining stop, backup, go and park in-hand, using pressure and release.

When she is obedient and light in her responses, then you can apply it to mounting. If she tries to move off, simply correct the movement by using first a light vibration of the rein, rapidly increasing the pressure. You may eventually have to use a single sharp pull on the reins to implement a stop or back. Then try again, do this consistently and calmly until she allows you to mount and remember to reward with a wither rub whilst parked and then walk off.

Problem at a glance

This is a stop, park, go obedience problem – work on it in-hand.

Understanding your horse

• Horses do not have the ability to reason. They do not work out scenarios to obtain a goal – they are never naughty, they are simply wired to react to pressure or what we refer to as stimuli.
  
• A horse’s brain can only respond to one stimulus at a time, that is one aid from us. When riding, if you apply leg and rein aids simultaneously, or voice, leg and seat etc, the request for a movement becomes confused or clouded to the horse. Multiple application of the aids will create confusion, tension and conflict in your horse, which will result in unwanted behaviour and/or reduced performance.
  
• Horses have photographic memories, they literally blink and store a finely-detailed memory picture of their situation/surroundings. This record is then stored in the brain ready to be used. This explains why horses spook in areas we have taken them 100’s of times before – because every time they visit, the surroundings or situation will be just slightly different, we don’t notice but they do.
  
• Because horses have a photographic memory, they live in the instant – you have four seconds to correct unwanted behaviour, after that you will be correcting or rewarding something entirely different.
  
• If you control the horse’s legs you will control his brain. The very instant a horse is alerted to a potentially fearful situation, part of the brain, called the hypothalamus, is simultaneously activated with the pituitary and adrenalin glands, which is known as the HPA axis. This mechanism tells the horse to move its legs fast. It is known as the flight response. If you stop the legs moving, you will break the HPA axis cycle and stop unwanted behaviour.
  
• Horses are herd animals, they must have the company and touch of their own species. They need to continually move for their mental and physical well being – remember, a horse is engineered to cover around 30 miles a day, not stand for hours in a stable/cage going stir crazy.
  
• Please remember to reward your horse when he does the right thing. This means taking the pressure off, release from pressure is the reward for the horse. Also try rubbing his withers, this is very pleasing to a horse and can also lower heart rate. Be consistent in your pressure and rewards and be correct in your timing.

Check with your vet

If you are having problems with your horse, we strongly recommend that you ask your veterinary surgeon to check if your horse is displaying out of context or dangerous behaviour, in case there is an underlying physical problem. Do also ensure that your trainer/therapist obtains your vets permission to undertake any behaviour training with your horse.

Your questions

If you have an equine behaviour question that you would like answered
in the next edition of Equestrian, please email the Norfolk Horse Training and Equitation Club (NHTEC) at sallyannweston@tiscali.co.uk.
Information on NHTEC can be found at www.Norfolkhorsetraining.org.