Cristiana Messina Equi Training Coach

24/10/2024

Something to read – not a fun post, but something to think about...

I asked a friend in the hunter-jumper world why he thought there was so much reliance on draw reins, restrictive rigs, strong bits, and he had a one word answer---“FEAR.”

“Fear of what?” I asked.

“Mainly fear of loss of control,” was his answer. He went on to say that many of the riders that he watched were basically either unfit, or green, or over-mounted, and that they didn’t want a very high level of risk, and that one way to lower risk was to have sort of “automaton” horses.

Horses can be gotten to a state, he said, of what we call “learned helplessness.”
I Googled “learned helplessness” and here’s what I read---

“What is learned helplessness in simple terms?
In psychology, learned helplessness is a state that occurs after a person has experienced a stressful situation repeatedly. They believe that they are unable to control or change the situation, so they do not try, even when opportunities for change are available.”

While this definition pertains to humans, we can see how it can also apply to a horse which has been repeatedly forced into submission.

So there’s that, and we see it too often.

23/10/2024

People love to get easy answers. I’m guilty of wanting them too. It would be so nice sometimes to believe I didn’t have to improve my riding, to improve my feel, to improve my mental awareness and emotional control. Sometimes it’s really tempting to displace the blame - the horse is not responding because of their own deficiency - which is always a possibility of course - but when you witness a masterful hand work the same horse as you, and see it transform immediately into something more balanced, more beautiful, more calm- then you know where your work truly lies.

Everyone wants a teacher to really deliver - but this comes with accepting uncomfortable truths. And to really receive the gifts of this kind of teacher, you have to stop looking for easy outs. Stop looking for cheaper, quicker, nicer, easier. Stop looking for protection emotionally from your skill deficiencies - it’s not an insult to hear you have them , it’s a gift from someone who wants your success. Reprogram your thinking to realize this is not an attack on you but the source of your elevation.

Of course the horse needs training, exposure, and skills. Sometimes the horse’s deficiencies are why they can’t respond correctly.

But unless you work on yourself religiously - your balance, your timing, your mindset, your awareness - how are you going to sort out the difference between you blocking them and the horse not having the skills?

Easy answers are nice to hear. But there are some universal truths- and in texts dating back to Xenophon, we know that the rider is the key to unlocking a horses brilliance, or blocking it. And we know that, throughout time, no shortcut has ever worked or taken hold - we know that there is no escaping self development for the true horseman.

22/10/2024

Ray Hunt, a great horseman, once said, “I'm here for the horse - to help him get a better deal.” His approach to horsemanship emphasised understanding the horse, building trust, and creating a true partnership. If you're passionate about working with horses, his wisdom is a must-read!

"We don't expect the child to write his name the first day or two in school. As soon as he learns to sit down in class and listen to the teacher, he is not immediately expected to write his name.....but we expect immediate learning from a horse. We expect the horse to go from kindergarten to the eighth grade, to high school, to college without enough time, preparation, or consideration for his thoughts and feelings. We often don't even get him into a learning frame-of-mind before we begin to train him. We don't even have him relaxed and confident, where he can sit down in class and just listen. We skip all that preparation because we are so superior, or neglectful, or lazy. Because we haven't prepared ourselves to recognize the horse's feelings." - Ray Hunt

Photo of Ray by Eclectic Horseman Magazine.

18/09/2024

Horse welfare demands a 50/50 relationship, where the horse is actively listened to and respected.

09/08/2024

Something to think about 👇

08/12/2023

Something to follow ✨

Horse Sense & Soldiers with Monty Roberts (59:00)
Monty Roberts welcomes a group of combat veterans to his ranch for a weekend of his renowned program Horse Sense & Healing. The film follows three veterans as they experience their first Join-Up® with a horse and begin to build back a sense of trust and a reduction in anxiety. Watch now https://tinyurl.com/4vyaupp9
Monty Roberts