Relationship based training works to encourage communication between ourselves and someone or something else. Conceptually in order to communicate with other animals we use pressure of some sort. With horses and dogs we often use halters, lead lines, harnesses, or food reward in order to achieve our end goal of having the animal do what we want. If on the other hand we use relationship based communication, what we achieve is a partnership with our animal based not on pressure to keep them with us but a desire to be with us because we have a relationship. Cats are masters of this type of communication. In trying to understand how we communicate with cats we can begin to see how this type of connection works.
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Staying Fit Away From The Barn
Not being able to come to the barn and ride is a stressor for many people. I am often asked how they can keep their riding skills from becoming rusty. I often tell my clients that the best thing they can do is walk their dog in the woods, or borrow their friends dogs. The act of walking in the woods, the uneven ground, the rocky sections, ducking under branches, pulling invasive weeds, all engage our core musculature in dynamic motion.
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Lateral Positions
Lateral positions are often quite challenging for students to grasp. The marker points to view are the horse’s head, their shoulders, and their hips. The ground line is flat, and thus the differences in width of those three markers is simpler to see. Shoulders are narrower than hips, and the barrel flairs wider from just behind the shoulders before narrowing again just before the hindquarters.
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Dogs and Horses
A departure for a few thoughts on dogs and horses. I have always had dogs and they have always been free to interact with horses, clients, and other dogs etc. However, I have also attempted minimize problems in these interactions by teaching my dogs appropriate behavior in greeting others. Around the grooming area, with the exception of farrier or vet working, the dogs are allowed to be nearby. Because they are always around and polite to the horses there are rarely any issues. New horses to the farm adjust easily even if they have never dealt with dogs due to the relaxed atmosphere.The arena is also open range for the dogs and despite their occasional high energy play, the horses rarely react except with curiosity. Again, being calmly accepting of that play as humans in the vicinity, the horses take behavior clues from this.
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