"If you are allowing the horse to choose the gait he wants to ride in,
how is the horse to understand all of a sudden that he can't choose
the gait and NOW he has to let you choose the gait! Of course he
is going to throw a fit.=20
"Horses are a creature of habit. If you allow the horse to choose his
own gait, he will want to do it all the time. Then when you want to
walk and the horse wants to run, he is going to fight you."
You did not listen carefully to what Linda said. She said it might=20
perhaps be better for the rider to "choose a speed & allow the horse to=20
choose the gait." This does not mean let the horse do whatever it=20
wants. According to my understanding, she was not advocating letting=20
the horse go fast when you want to go slow.
You also wrote:
"The rider should have the sense to know what is best for him or herself=20
and her horse. You don't leave such important decisions up to the=20
horse."
Why not? I leave the decision of where to put his feet up to my horse. =20
I would no more try to tell my horse where to put his feet on an=20
endurance ride than I would tell him when to breath (another decision I=20
leave up to him). Both of these things, where to put his feet and when=20
to breath are EXTREMELY important decisions, which I am perfectly=20
willing to bow to his greater understanding of the requirements.
I am not merely being facetious here. The choice of gait is directly=20
related to the question of where he puts his feet and when he=20
breaths...especially where he puts his feet. Different terrain is=20
suitable for different gaits for different horses depending upon their=20
condition, their length of stride, their disposition, etc.
Which is why (I think):
Linda wrote:. The horse is the best judge of how tired he is & what gait=20
is appropriate to the terrain. We need to encourage the horse to=20
develop the sense to choose appropriately.
Trainers in all disciplines (I am speaking English here, I know little=20
about training many of the western disciplines) will use ground poles to=20
teach their horses to be careful about where they put their feet. To=20
start out, these poles are put in such positions as to enable the horse=20
to move easily through them at working gaits. After they have learned=20
that they are not supposed to step on the poles, then distances between=20
them can be altered to teach the horse about extension and collection
However, in regards to western horses, cutting is a perfect example of=20
where the rider allow the horse to make many of the decisions for=20
himself, as the cow is just too quick for the rider to be giving cues to=20
the cutting horse. In fact, my understanding is that competitors lose=20
points if they are seen to be giving to much instruction to the horse. =20
A cutting horse is supposed to have "cow sense." In much the same way,=20
and endurance horse is supposed to have "trail sense.")
In addition you wrote:
"I am sorry, but WE are the best judge of what is best for our horse. A=20
HORSE DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH SENSE TO CHOOSE WHAT IS BEST FOR HIM."
All I can say to this, is I am sorry you have such a poor relationship=20
with and so little trust in your horse. My idea of a perfect=20
partnership with a horse is develop a bond of trust to the extent where=20
we are willing to trust each other to make decisions in both of our best=20
interest. Out on the trail there are many situations where, indeed, the=20
horse knows best. This is especially true if you are riding in the=20
dark. You mention doing 50=92s and a two day 100. Try doing a one day 100=
=20
where you and your horse are alone in the dark (as Elaine Dorton said=20
about riding Remington Steele in the Tevis cup, "when you've been in the=20
saddle for 16-17 hours and it is so dark you can't see the pure white=20
horse you are riding") and you will learn just how many important=20
decisions you must leave up to your horse.
I can remember being out re-marking a lost trail through the mustard=20
weed (which had grown so tall it was over the top of my head while I was=20
mounted on my horse), when my horse stopped and refused to go forward. =20
No matter how much I asked him he just said, "No...no...no." I stood up=20
on the top of the saddle so I could see over the top of the mustard and=20
realized that we had gotten a little off trail and were headed for a=20
rather substantial drop off (i.e. cliff). At which point I sat back=20
down in the saddle, patted my horse on the neck, and said, "Good call."
There have been plenty of times while riding in the dark where I have=20
just dropped the reins and allowed my horse to choose not only the gait,=20
but the speed, and the path. There are some situations where this is=20
more than warranted. Endurance riders need to develop a relationship=20
with their horses that forges a bond of trust between them so that each=20
can understand when s/he needs to defer to the other. The way to=20
develop this bond is to allow the horse to make decisions for not only=20
himself, but for both of you.
In regards to remark: "None of the trainers I know of or any of the=20
books I have read would agree with letting the horse choose his own gait=20
when he is being ridden."
I am a trainer (and now that I have written this, maybe I qualify as=20
having written a book), and I can heartily agree with letting an=20
endurance horse (in many situations) choose his own gait, both at=20
endurance rides, and sometimes at home in training rides so he can=20
practice it...knowing that you trust him to do so. It is important to=20
develop your horse's confidence so that he is willing to be insistent=20
when necessary (e.g. my horse, when we were marking the trail had enough=20
self-confidence to quietly refuse to go on, despite my determination in=20
asking him to move forward).
You also said: "That is dangerous to start letting a horse have his own=20
way."
Perhaps it would help you to look at horsemanship from a slightly=20
different perspective. Rather than thinking about what you are letting=20
your horse do, think about what he is letting you do. As much as you=20
let your horse carry you, he lets you ride him. As much as you ask your=20
horse to trot, he lets you ask him to trot. When working with horses,=20
it is important to realize that it is much more of a case of him=20
"letting" you have your way than it is of you "letting" him have his. =20
IMO, true horsemen, never try to tell their horse to do anything. One=20
can only ask. True horsemanship is developing a relationship where the=20
horse is willing to do what you ask. Horse training does not entail=20
MAKING a horse do what you want, it entails teaching him to want what=20
you ask. Believe it or not, any time a 120-180 lb human works with a=20
800-1,200 lb horse, that horse is ALWAYS having his own way. No horse=20
ever does anything he doesn't want to do. They do things for us that=20
they wouldn't choose to do if left alone, because though they want to=20
stand around and graze all day, they want to please us more.
True partnership with a horse (like any other kind of partnership) is=20
understanding each others strengths and weaknesses. On long distance=20
trail rides, choice of gait is one of the horses strengths. LET him=20
break gait, understanding that this is your choice also. =20
Dressage is a completely different matter. Of course, no dressage=20
trainer would tell you to let your dressage horse choose his own gait in=20
a test. But a dressage test is quite different from and endurance=20
"test." Different disciplines are testing different things and require=20
different decisions to be made by different members of the horse/rider=20
team. =20
In jumping I will even go so far as to ask my horse where to put his=20
feet (occasionally this is also true at an endurance ride), but this=20
requires a knowledge of the course (I got to walk it before hand, he=20
didn't) which doesn't exist at an endurance ride, and a level of=20
concentration that is impossible to maintain over the hours required to=20
complete a 50 or 100 mile ride.
Endurance is a discipline where many more of the "executive decisions"=20
need to be made by the horse. We are, after all, for most of the ride=20
in his natural domain. As we move into my domain (e.g. paved roads,=20
crossing bridges, along side railroad tracks, past dams, water towers,=20
and culverts, etc.) I will make more of the decisions....and he will let=20
me.
One becomes a perfect horseman as one becomes more adept at discerning=20
which member of the team needs to make which decisions, when; and a=20
horse is truly "trained" when that horse is adept at this as well.
In closing you remarked: "It just does not make sense to me to let a=20
horse choose his own gait. I would like to hear from all endurance=20
riders. I would bet that the top endurance riders choose what is best=20
for their horses. If I am wrong, I would like to hear from you."
I wouldn't call myself a "top" endurance rider, but no top endurance=20
rider could convince me that I am wrong on this: A good endurance horse=20
is one that in many situations you can trust to calmly choose his own=20
gait through varied terrain, and a good endurance rider is one who can=20
calmly go along with his horse while he does this.
kat
Orange County, Calif.
p.s. I find it interesting to note that over the past 6 years that I=20
have been riding endurance more and more riders are willing to "let=20
their horse canter" rather than belligerently insisting that he trot the=20
whole way.