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Re: [RC] RE:Getting in the trailer - Doubledal

In a message dated 8/24/2004 11:28:28 AM Central Standard Time, lif@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:


My horses aren't afraid of whips, carrot sticks, or anything like
that.  They *don't* get hit with them, and in fact the whip, carrot stick
or regular stick or whatever, is there to extend my arm.  You might say
that my horses could still be afraid of them, but if you were here, I'd
show you that they can tell the difference in my intent - I can move a whip
towards them with the intention of touching them, and they don't move
away.  I can move a whip with the intention of asking the horse to move
away from the whip, and they will.

It's a matter of communication.  *Real* NH, apparently something you've
never seen, is about communication.  Whips, carrot sticks, ropes, are tools
of communication, and they can bring about a response from a horse that has
nothing whatsoever to do with fear, when used properly.

If you were driving down the road and someone along the way held up a stop
sign, would you stop because you were afraid of the sign?  Just so, horses
who are *being communicated with* are perfectly capable of responding
without fear.

Well said!  Whips, carrot sticks, ropes, whatever, are tools of communication, in the proper hands.  They should be used to convey a message in a stepwise manner, starting with the most subtle cue and systematically "turning up the volume" until you get a response.  The goal is to only need that subtlest aid, and fear is nowhere in the equation.  The part that most people miss is that the human has to be perceptive enough to pick up on the desired response the moment that it happens and give the corresponding reward/release of stimulus.  It takes timing that a lot of people don't naturally have, but CAN learn.  A lot of people trying to do natural horsemanship, or whatever you want to call it, just don't quite get what all is involved in the process, so you see them getting poor results, and having a real aversion to the perceived method.  When it's done right, it's fun to watch, and REALLY fun to do.

Karen
and Ranger (who loads like a champ)