Ridecamp: [RC] Being the leader! becoming the alpha horse! So, how do you get there?

Hi Charles,  I 'm an adult onset horse lover too.   I've read most of the books you mention.  Like them all.  You can learn something from all of them. Natural horsemanship is very old, so old its new again;-)   I think Parelli would agree that the Dorrance brothers are the original modern day natural horsemen, but I find the Dorrance/Desmond book a difficult read.  Too many references to that 'feller' ;-)   I study the parelli technique because its easier for me to break down into usable information.  Everyone is different.  I think the key is this, IMHO:  Show your horse you are boss but do it with love and dignity.  Horses don't respond to control or punishment.  They respect a good leader, who will occasionally have to put them in their place for stepping out of line.  Horses are hard wired to test the pecking order everyday.  People think that they establish their dominance once and that's it.  Its a lifestyle, baby.&nbs p; A fulltime job, so to speak.  This relationship with the horse takes months even years depending on what you are doing with them.  I find my horse thinks I'm a pretty good leader up to a certain point.  So when we are in a scarey situation, he questions my ability to be leader.  I either have to step up to the plate or I lose respect.  When people say:  well my horse is good most of the time, except he occasionally will have trouble with water or tying or leading or whatever, its simply a leadership issue.  The horse is simply checking your credentials.  People often mistake this for misbehaving or spitfulness, neither of which are qualities horses understand, and miss the perfect opportunity to build on their leadership skills and the relationship.  See, horses see all the little things.  They can read your emotions and your intent.  Ever go out to the field just to give your horse a carrot, he comes running over to you, right.  You go out to get him ready for some wor k, he runs the other way.  They read body language way better than we do, its their sole source of communication.  Go out and sit in your horses paddock for several hours a week.  They will teach you the language skill you need to be a good horse-man.  Good luck.  I think you're on the right track, but your horses will let you know.  Jennifer.

 Charles <cdy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Being new to horses (only hung out with my first one back in late 98, and didn't get started till spring 99 when my wife (then girlfriend) went to some event for a week (Pan Am in Canada?, She's asleep so I can't ask her) and I got stuck grooming and feeding for a week) I have been doing a lot of reading to "catch up" in my knowledge deficiency.  

 

Everyone agrees that it's important your horse sees you as "boss" or "alpha" or "leader" or whatever (so long it's #1).  This seems to be across the board whether it's an old book, or a recent book.  

 

My question is:  How did you establish this with your horse?  What has worked?  Do you use the 7 games of Pat Parelli?  Do you use a roundpen and run the horse around for a long time?  Do you use "passive leadership" as championed by Mark Rashid?  Do you try to do it by presenting a "good feel" to the horse like Bill Dorrance and Leslie Desmond write about?  Or do you use some combination or change as needed depending on the horse?

 

How did you become your horses "#1"?

 

Charles

PS: Personally, I found a lot of grooming worked for my mare Keepers, but then she's vain.  Jon on the other hand isn't vain and that hasn't worked for him.      

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Jennifer Judkins

To: Sullivan ; KathyZ1@xxxxxxx ; ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Monday, November 25, 2002 5:49 PM

Subject: Re: [RC] Making Dog Food!

Karen, I can tell you what Pat would say about this situation:  You'e right this is not a scared horse.  This is a respect issue.  A horse that has learned a behavior and simply refuses to do it is challenging your leadership.  They are hard wired to do this constantly.  Its your job to be a good leader, EVERY DAY.  Simply.

 Sullivan <greymare@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Kathy,

 

You will notice several omissions from that article.  Parelli does  NOT adress the horse that once HAD been trained to tie, but now uses it to get out of situations it plain does not want to do ( having mouth touched, etc).  And, at the end of the article, he makes no mention that this horse, with all this training....should be trained to be tied to a solid object!!  I am not talking about a truly panicked horse, but a spoiled one. 

 

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