In life’s travels you can choose to be an a strong mighty Oak Tree that is hard, inflexible and will not bend or You can also choose to be a flimsy flowing Willow Tree that is not rigid at all, it bends and flows in the wind so it is not snapped off or up-rooted. The Oak can be compared to a strong willed person that is solid, or a proud strong horse, the Oak means what he says and stands where it stands without changing places just to be popular or flexible, sticking to your guns, so to speak. The Willow can be compared to a wise person who avoids all conflict, or a horse that has been broken and has his sole stolen, they never really takes a stand, will go with the flow, will not take a position and move with whatever way the wind is blowing. Neither way is best all the time. A combination of the two works well in life and with horses. Knowing when to be which one is the hard part.

There are times you should be an Oak, do not bend, do not compromise and do not allow the horse any slack until he knows you are the leader. And there are times when you need to be a flexible and allow yourself to bend and change your focus and allow the horse some slack to try and make a mistake to earn his trust and show him you can be a good leader. The big challenge is knowing when to be the Oak and when to be the Willow. No right answer here, no book, no checklist, no video, just experience, knowledge, hard lessons and sometime, just good luck.

If more people thought about this, maybe the next time they catch themselves being a strong mighty Oak, they would evaluate the situation, look at it from the horse’s point of view and maybe think it may be a good time to change and to become a flexible Willow, cut the horse some slack and let the pressure situation calm down and let the rough winds blow by and give yourself and the horse some time to relax, so the horse can become a Willow as well. Too many horses are turned in to Oaks by other Oaks. Remember, a horse is a reflection of you.

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I get a lot of questions about fear. Every horse person wants to know how to get fast results with little or no effort and they won’t take no for an answer. In fact many will spend 10 years or more looking for shortcuts rather than investing a year or two in good learning and education. The following statement is what interferes with people and prevents progress with horses. Fast never works out good for the horse, the slow way is the fast way.

”In life Greed and Wants has to be balanced by fear………” Not controlled by fear.

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The below statement is sadly very true in the horse world and in life.

”A belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness”

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A Horse can’t learn to have YOU in his space, feel safe and know how to act in your space, if you never allow them to get in your space and if you are always pushing them out of your space. If you trust your horse - your horse will trust you.

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I can always tell how comfortable someone is with a horse by the way they lead a horse or take a picture with a horse. Look at most horse pictures of horses and people, you will see the handler/owner hanging on the lead rope or chain and making the horse keep his head looking at the camera. Taking pictures with you holding a lead rope or snap or chain so you can get your horse to stand still shows a lack of horsemanship and lack of understand. You should be able to get your horse's head where you want it - without a rope or a chain - by using feel and communication.

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There is a book by Ponyboy and in it, I was told, he makes the statement: "Horses move men physically and they move women emotionally". I think he states his book is to women for women. Funny women love this stereotype since it sounds pleasant, loving and sweet. However, if I point out negative stereotypes they don’t like it, I am a sexist. I guess it is all what you want to see and hear. One thing is for sure, if you want women to buy your stuff, make it in pink and make it sound nice and lovey dovey, you may be an idiot and not know a damn thing about what you are selling or what you teaching, but you will sell a lot of product. Too bad women can't see people that play to their sense of color and words may be worse for them than someone who does not sweet talk or BS them. I think it is better if someone tells you what you need to hear, rather than what you want to hear. I know that is what a horse wants.

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Find a horseman and NOT a trainer. Do you know the difference? Trainers may say they have accreditation, awards, certificates, dress the part and will tell you they know many great well-known horsemen and studied from the best, but what really counts is how they handle a horse. What is a good process on how to find a good trainer? Too many variables. How do you know if he knows or what do you look for? You don't go by what others say since they may not know the difference anymore than you do. Does s/he get results, style, you don’t know what too aggressive is or what too nice is. There is No pass or fail test, no professional standards in horse training, no oversight or review of methods, no safety records, no certification process, no license or stamp of approval, nothing, just word of mouth and BS words coming from mouths. What is a professional? By definition, anyone paid money for a job is considered a professional? Really, so if one dummy can find another dummy to pay them, they are a professional horse trainer? If you don't know the difference from a horseman and horse trainer, then you are cannot effectively pick either one. Who is the best person to listen to about this, it is not a person at all, it is the Horse.

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"Confucius states that a good man must know evil and not only strive Not to bring evil into the world, he must be willing to stop evil when he finds it. For evil to exist all that is required is for good men to do nothing." Far too often people look the other way when a horse is neglected or abused. Allowing this evil is not good for the horse or yourself.

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Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

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If you have never seen the movie “The Last Samurai”, this may not make sense. A line from the movie is “too many minds”. Meaning you cannot focus on too many things or you will fail at all of them. One mind on one thing will give you a better chance at success. Yet in horses, I see too many minds in new people. They “try” and focus on others, on clinics they attended, on what they read, on what someone told them, on what their trainer is saying, on who is watching, on what others are thinking and many other things. Too many minds on too many things. One mind on one thing - “The horse”. That is the first step to learning and being successful with horses. Too many forget to listen to their horse, for the horse is the best teacher of the horse.

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Clean Water

Such a simple thing that is so important to horses yet is so often ignored or over-looked. This is so vital to the health and well-being of a horse and so many people have nothing but excuses on why they don’t clean their horse’s water. Here is link to my site where I talk about this in more detail.

Why Clean Water is so Important to Horses

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In life and in horses it is - Dangerous to come to conclusions without any facts

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Horsemanship is a strange art. It takes Consistency and Variety. There are lots of contradictory advice and information out there. Some is valid and accurate, most is BS and used to make you scared or confuse you, some is to make you think horsemanship is too difficult for you to know so you need someone else to teach you. How do you know the difference? With horses you start with consistency to make something routine and to teach the horse a habit. Then after you build the horse up and give him confidence, you then break up and change things. Remember, prior learning makes later learning easier. Once a horse learns to learn, then learning becomes easier. When you get a horse comfortable with change, he expects change and change becomes routine. So habits can modified or changed and the horse expects it and accepts it.

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Horses are NOT mean, they don’t do things with intent to hurt or teach you a lesson. A horse will NOT do something to you. If you think a horse is doing something to YOU, then you make it personal and emotional, both are bad when working with horses. But Rick, remember what Ponyboy said, “girls are emotional”. He said it in his book for you women, I did not say it, so save the hate mail. If you try and make horses emotional you will confuse the horse and teach bad lessons. They are a horse and that is all they know how to be. Ego, pride, wanting to impress or not wanting to be embarrassed are all bad things when dealing with horses. The sooner you get this, the better. A horse will teach you to become better, if you stop and take the time to listen.

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DO NOT HELP OTHERS WITH HORSES. This is such an important lesson. The only thing more confusing and fear producing to a horse, other than one person trying to train or tell the horse what to do, is two or more predators doing different things trying to tell and confuse the horse even more. This never turns out well and experienced horse people know to Stay Out of the Way. If you try and help, you will cause the horse to react more, become more fearful and trapped, the horse will not know who to listen to and will feel more anxiety and pressure and will will never get release. All of this will STOP LEARING and invoke the Opposition Reflex.. Of course all the life-long horse owners and barn managers will always show their lack of knowledge and lack of understanding by always jumping in with advice and help. For the sake of the horse, Do Not Help others with horses. Show your knowledge and understanding by Staying Out of the Way and Minding Your Own Business.

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I often see new horse owners being made fearful of horses. This is caused by others telling and teaching people to keep their horse out of their space. This is the most harmful thing I see done to horses. People want a trusting relationship with their horse and then want to be scared of being close to their horse. This is a foolish theory; this is a thing being sold as safety. It promotes fear and is bad for the horse and horsemanship. I wish more people would hear and learn this message. Every time you push your horse away or out of your space you show fear, insecurity and tell your horse you do not trust them and do not feel safe or comfortable close to them. I am working on a page about fear, where I will address this topic in more detail. A horse knows if you trust him and knows if you fear him. A horse does not know how to be safely in your space if he is never allowed to be there?

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Horse training and horsemanship should always be looking for better ways and never being satisfied with the old ways, even if you think what you are doing is working. IE: Bits and Spurs; many still use them and neither are needed and both show a lack of abilities in your horsemanship. It is like looking for a black cat in a dark room, it is not easy to find, especially if you believe there is no cat. Admitting that there is better ways for the horse is the first step, too many in the horse world want to defend what they do, since it is all that they know. When you questions someone's belief system, expect a strong and often angry resistance. Stupid humans hate being told they are wrong.

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Horse advice is one of those things that can't be forced. There are too many that either don’t want to know, don’t care to know or think they already know it all. If someone is not open to learning, they will remain a fool and only a fool will argue and try to force change. It reminds me of the old saying: When a wise man points at the moon to explain it, the imbecile examines the finger.

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I like Confucius. I think he was a true statesman and gentleman that was very wise. I use a lot of his words when making horse points. I added some of him wise quotes on the cowboy wisdom page. Here are a few of my favorites that should make you think. Many can be applied to life as well as horsemanship.

- Those whose paths are not the same do not consult one another.

- Study without thinking, and you are blind; think without studying, and you are in danger.

- Cultivated people are ashamed to say more than they can do.

- Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

- It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.

- Exemplary people concern themselves with virtue, small people concern themselves with territory.

Click here for More Confucius Quotes .

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Admitting that a horse is a reflection of you, Never blaming the horse and understanding a horse is a much needed step to progress in your horsemanship. As Confucius would say, "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance".

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Many may not know who Charlton Heston is, he was long ago a big movie star, he read this passage from a book called The World will Survive. . This does not have a lot to do with horse training, but it makes you aware of how small and insignificant we are in the Universe and what time really means. If you have a minute, listen to it (click on the above link) and think about how important it really is, to have a prefect horse that never makes a mistake? Is that really so important in the big picture?

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Too many want too much too fast. Horsemanship takes years of trial and error, experience, learning, study and many many horses. Yet many want it and look for it in a book, video or clinic. Learning that Horsemanship is process and not a event, will help start you on your journey. If you cannot admit that you don't know it all, you cannot begin to learn new things.

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If someone tells you something, you will hear it and may remember some of it. If someone shows you something, you will remember some of it. If you do something, you will remember more, learn more and understand more. Just another reason hiring trainers or having someone else work or train your horse never works out well for you or your horse. Remember:

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

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Action is always faster and better than reaction. Think about it, if you have to wait for a horse to do something and then decide if the action is right or wrong, and then you have decide how to correct or give direction for the right response, all of that decision making takes much more time than being proactive. If you are proactive, if you are giving direction and already know what you want the horse to do, then there is no time wasted on the reaction process. Being an active driver is much better than being a inactive rider. One gives the horse confidence and security, the other builds insecurity, confusion and guessing on the horse's part.

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If you watch and do nothing, some may think you are a fool and you do not know. That is better than getting involved and proving you are a fool. This goes back to not helping others with horses. Watch, learn, listen and understand. It is better for you, better for the horse and better for the other horse person.

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Don’t wish for speed; don’t see small advantages. If you wish for speed, you won’t succeed; If you see small advantages, great things will never be accomplished.

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Good horsemen consider problems and prevent them. By anticipating potential problems or issues, you are prepared to handle things much better, able to prevent things and you have a plan if needed. Too many people with horses get comfortable, get relaxed and ignore all the signs that problems could be near, so when something happens, they are not prepared, they panic, they try and react and they make the situation worse rather than being ready to help the horse in a difficult situation. Pay attention and look for problems so you can be ready to help with good direction. Remember:

Direction is always better than correction.

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Good horsemanship is a commitment to better yourself, in turn you are dedicated to the welfare and care of your horses. Never stop learning, never think you know it all and always be willing to listen and learn from your horse.

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Confucius said “never give a sword to a man who can't dance.” This is about balance, good and bad, ability to fight and ability to love. It is also true that you should not own a horse if you don’t have balance in yourself, in the ability to be firm and fair and or loving and stern. If you do not have balance in yourself and you are only nice and loving or only tough and hard, then you will never get the full pleasure of being with horses.

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I often say that horses tend to attract people with issues? This always offends people since most believe they don't have issues or baggage. The Adamus Complex or The Napoleon Complex. is another thing I see around horses. Many people tend to want to prove something with horses. Since the horse is so strong, secure, peaceful and powerful, somehow controlling a horse gives people's ego a boost. Too often it becomes more about proving you are right, rather than having a good and loving relationship with your horse. Don't be a "right-fighter" with your horse. It is not about you, it is about the horse. First you are probably not right in the horse world and second, if you make a horse show you that he is stronger and if you make him fight, he will, you may not like the results. This link on Women and Relationships. point out many factors that can affect a positive relationship. The article applies to men and women relationships, but I think it equally applies to women and horse relationships. At least with men and women they both speak English or the same language so at least they can talk clearly and communicate in a known language. With horses, most people do not speak horse or understand horses so this huge communication gap only increases the frustration, fears and confusion, which usually results in the horse getting blamed.

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The above picture is called yin and yang (also Ying & Yang). , an old Chinese example of how things work. The outer circle is everything and the back and white are opposites, both colors are energy or force and they both need each other to become whole and balanced. So you can have positive and negative or good and bad, but it illustrates an important message in the harmony of life and horses. In this picture if you look closely you will notice two horse heads. The point to get from this is in all good there is some bad and in all bad there is some good. Balance in all things makes it whole. Just has no one should only be judged by their worst deed, a horse should never be judged by his past or his worst moments. All things need from other things, like a child needs a dad and mom, both give different things in different things in different ways. Horses need a mom and lead stallion to pass on things that they both have.

Time and time again, in species where the males and females are separated the young develop behavior issues. Keeping horses isolated and alone or boxed in stalls/cells is bad for their development. A horse needs horses, young, old, male and female. Horses need horses to teach them how to be horses. People CANNOT teach a horse how to be a horse

In your horsemanship if you look at you and the horse as yin and yang, you will know and understand how both are fluid and feed off each other. Both can make the other one better or worse. Both have good and bad and when put together you become one, being more balanced and more whole. Seeing a horse as part of you and you as part of the horse will help you develop more feel and will help develop your rhythm and timing. You will be able to notice how you affect the horse and how the horse affects you. Both, you and the horse, can either help the other or hurt the other. The decision is yours. A horse is not your slave – a horse should be your partner = part of you. Meet the horse - Meet the person / A horse is only a reflection of the person / Fear promotes fear / You get what you give.

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"Luck is NOT a Strategy with horses."

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Too many people have two speeds with horses, fast and faster. This is like fire and gasoline, it does not work well with horses. The Slow way is the fast way with horses. If you take the time it takes, it will take less time. Now with that said, some, mostly I see this in women, they tend to make so many excuses and claim to be going slow and caring, when in reality they are not progressing at all and actually teaching bad lessons and they are only going nowhere slowly. Going slow does not mean doing the same thing over and over and getting the same results. Fear keeps people from progressing or challenging the horse and then use the excuse they are going slow for the horse. Don't be a cheater and don't use the horse to hide or cover your weaknesses. Others will know it and the horse will know it.

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In war there is a saying that goes: “I would rather fight an army of Lions led by Sheep - than fight an army of Sheep led by a Lion.” This focuses on the importance of a strong leader and how having a strong leader can be much more powerful than having strong followers. Horses are strong followers, but they will not follow the weak and must have and require a strong leader. And the title of strong leader is not given lightly by the Horse, it must be proven and earned. The title is also not given indefinitely, it must be continuously proven and maintained or the title will be revoked by the Horse. Another saying in war is: Sometime the best way to win a fight is not to fight at all. Even if you win a fight with a horse, you do not win in the horse’s eyes. In their world, they do not live in terms of wins and ego. Their view is about avoiding conflict, seeking comfort, the herd security and their own protection and survival. To a horse, they only win if they stay alive and instinct tell them to stay alive is to be spooky, not trusting and be ready to run.

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Why is horsemanship a lost art?

Horsemen were common back in the days when horses were valued, needed and a way of life. Most people lived in the country and owned land and horses. People needed horses for their transportation and to plow their fields, so people respected horses and needed to understand them in order to get maximum benefit from them. Since horses were so common, it was the opposite of now, it was really hard to find someone that did not know anything about a horse. When horses lost their use, value and benefit - horsemanship became useless and un-needed. There may always be people that own horses or use horses, but true horsemanship is definitely a disappearing art and that is sad for The Horse.

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I get a lot of questions from lots of people and they always tell me how much they love me and how good they think I am with horses. Then they ask questions that can't be answered. Then when I tell them the problem is not a horse problem it is a people problem and it is their fault and not the horse's fault, they hate me and make blogs about how mean I am. This phrase often comes to mind after these cases:

People often kiss you before they screw you.

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Beware of horse owners that do not own horse trailers. The signs are clear, people that buy a horse with no trailer do not think or plan ahead. They enter horse ownership as a hobby or part time or just to try it out so no need to invest in a trailer yet. They probable cannot afford a trailer which really means they cannot afford a horse. In my experience, the people without trailers are the same people that do not provide good care to their horses. Not getting things like worming medicine, shots, quality hay and other things, and they are always looking to borrow a trailer when they need it. This is not responsible and normally causes the horse to suffer.

Never lend your horse trailer out. This is one of those lessons that normally has to be learned the hard way since most people want to help and be nice. I have seen time and time again when trailers are borrowed they are broke. People that don’t own trailers do not normally pull trailers, so the odds of them messing up or having an accident is high. Things like cutting short on a turn can pinch a tire and weaken the sidewall so it may not go flat now but can blow out later. Hitting a curb can bend an axle or cause misalignment with will make your tires wear bad and will make the ride rougher. Many things to go wrong and I assure you if the people don’t own a trailer and are borrow yours, you can bet they will not buy you a new trailer if they wreck yours and won't have the money to fix yours. “Neither a borrower or a lender” is very wise advice with most things and especially with horse people.

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Just another reason I am anti-bit and don’t like them.

This is a good video on The Effects of a Bit.

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If you pick a fight with a horse, corner that horse and give the horse no other option, other than to fight, you will get a fast lesson in just how little you know about horses. You would rather drink gas and piss on a fire than fight with a horse that has no other option but to fight.

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Don’t be a Taker. Someone who only takes and does not give back or who takes more then they give is called a taker. Good horsemen should always give more than they take and leave a place better than how they found it. Horses have given a lot to mankind over the centuries and continue to give a lot. Good horsemanship is about giving back to the horse, making it better for the horse and passing on good horsemanship to others. This helps horses get better care and good horsemanship is passed on to future generations, all in an effort to make it better for the horse.

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Listening to the Horse

Of all the things I have done wrong over the years, it was this that was the hardest to learn. As predators, we are in control, always teaching, training, correcting, telling and believing we know best. I still catch myself not listening to my horse now and then. This has to be worked at constantly and must not be forgotten. The horse tells us so much about so many things, but as stupid humans we are always too busy, too smart and too stupid to step back, look and listen to our horse. This is such a critical error in horsemanship. A horse will tell you to slow down, that he is confused, that he is trying, that he is not understanding, that he needs help, that he is not ready and many other things, if only the stupid human would slow down and take the time to listen.

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"It is a poor craftsman’s that blames his tools"

Horsemanship is an art, understanding and communicating with horses takes time, skills and knowledge. Since the horse is a reflection of you, much like a sculpture is a reflection of the artist and a student is a reflection of the teacher. A Horseman will not blame a horse for his failures or inabilities to be successful with the horse. It is the Horseman that is responsible for a good or bad horse. A bad horse was never born, they were made.

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It is sad thing that more people think a Mustang is a car or a plane - than know it is a wonderful equine species that defies extinction.

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Beware of horse breeders, they know enough to be dangerous. They may impress you with their knowledge of bloodlines, tales of confirmation and be able to explain why their horses are best, show you grand registration papers but their knowledge and eye is very superficial. Getting two horses to mate is not a difficult task and needs no human assistance. The long history of humans is clear – when humans get involved or try to control "Mother Nature" or make it better they tend to mess up more than they fix.

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People tend to see what they want to see or what they think they see. What do you see in the picture below, Good or Evil? (Both words are present)

When people describe their horse or other horses they see what they want to see. If you see only good and peace in horses, you will notice that you put off a different emotional field than if you only see bad or dangerous. If you look for things, you will find them. Finding good in a horse is easy, but finding bad in yourself is very difficult.

A horse knows if you know.

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I was asked what bit I would recommend for showing if the rules require a bit is used. Here is my response:

Sorry, I am a Horseman not a showman. My rules are to try and do nothing to the horse that I would not want done to me, cause no pain and cause no harm. The most important thing to me is “The Horse”, not the rules or winning. Rules are made by people with egos and agendas for people, show rules are not developed with the best interest of the horse in mind. In fact most shows do not even considered the care and well-being of the horse for any points, awards and they never enforce rules that protect the horse from abuse or mistreatment. Which is why I am not a fan of horse shows or any sports where money, winning or speed of horses are involved.

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The Devils Workshop (AKA: Barns)

Barns, barn witches and drama will sour you and will feed over to your horse. Avoid and ignore barn drama. Try and stay away from others that want to spend time talking, sitting around and giving advice to others. When at a barn you should have one purpose, taking care of and spending time with your horse. All time at barns should be spent with your horse. You should be cleaning water, picking feet, grooming the horse, cleaning hay area, cleaning trailer, repairing fencing or gates or just watching your horse. The people sitting around and talking and just hanging out in the “devil's den” or “devil's workshop” (barn hallways or other barn gathering points) are the people normally scared of their horses and are not there for their horse, they are there for themselves. Another problem area at barns are white boards or black boards. These boards are for women (I have never seen a guy use these) to make petty and snippy comments about others, to quote foolish rules and to create conflict and problems and to bully publicly. No one cares what you think, "Mind Your Own Business", move on and spend time, effort and energy with your horse.

"Great Minds talk about Ideas, Average minds talk about events and Small minds talk about people"

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To go to war with untrained people is tantamount to abandoning them.
To try and train a horse before training yourself is leading a horse to failure.

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FEAR - HORSES ARE DANGEROUS - A HORSE WILL KILL YOU - NEVER - ALWAYS

So much fear in the horse world, don't do this, don't do that, be aware, respect my space, don't touch me, stay out of my bubble, keep your mouth off me and many other fears that people project onto their horse. FEAR is POWER; fear has been used since the beginning of time to control things. The Government uses it all the time to get people to follow the rules or obey their authority. Make someone scared and then tell them how you can make them safe and you can rule the world. Horse trainers, horse traders, breeders and people out to make money in the horse world has learned this lesson well. Make a horse owner scared, then tell them you can make them safe by buying you gear or buying your video and watch the ignorant fearful flock to you. You can read more about fear on my Horse and Rider Fear page.

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I often say this a lot in Horsemanship - doing the opposite of what you think is right. Our training, life experiences, knowledge, understanding and learned skills may tell us to do things a certain way. These things can be right sometime and may be wrong sometime. Others may see what we are doing as odd or not making sense. Since we are predators and a horse is prey, we are opposite in many ways, so some time doing the opposite of we think is right, works out better for the horse.

We recently had some fires in my area and it reminded me of a story. There were two men that found themselves trapped on a hillside and surrounding by a raging fire rapidly catching up with them. They were running and running but the fire was gaining on them and it looked as if they were not going to make it and would be burned alive. The older of two suddenly stopped running, pulled out his lighter, kneeled down and started lighting the grass on fire. The younger of the two could not understand what this guy was doing and left him and kept running. The older guy lived and younger guy died? Why? You see if you had any fire training and were older and wiser, you would know that when a fire is coming it needs fuel to burn. By lighting the grass around him he burnt up the fuel and gave himself a place to lay down, that was already burnt, with no fuel, so when the fire caught up to him, it would not have fuel and would burn the fuel around him and pass over him. Which is what happened in this case. The man laid down and covered up with a fire blanket over the burnt area with no fuel and the fire passed him. His younger friend was not so lucky, he was over come by exhaustion, fell in the grass, in the fuel and the fire burnt him and the fuel he laid on.

So from the outside many would say only a fool would stop and light a fire when running from and trying to escape a wild fire. When in fact, doing the opposite of what seemed dumb, is what saved his life.

In many areas with horses, when you, as a predator, think you should pull, you should actually release. When you think you should rush over and help, you should stay out of it and not interfere or add pressure to the horse. When your instinct tells you to pull on the reins to try and stop a running horse, you should actually relax the reins and just ride. When your emotion tells you that your poor horse has been abused and you think you should be extra nice, you should actually be extra clear and strong with your leadership. When a horse pulls or rears and your instinct is to pull back, you should actually not pull and move to horse’s butt. When a horse tries to run off you will want to grab the rope tighter and think you can stop him, that will get you a nice deep rub burn. An experienced horseman will not squeeze the rope and will let it run through his hands, knowing he cannot stop the horse by grabbing tighter. Many things in horses is learning NOT to follow your predator instinctive reactions and to know how and what the horse is seeing and feeling and to react like a higher horse would and NOT like a human predator would.

Learning this can take many years, time, effort and listening to many horses. It is easy to see when someone knows this since the horse appears to understand and connect and cooperate with the handler. Of course many will see this understanding and communication as a gift or special sense or some secret horse whisperer wisdom, when in fact it is nothing more that someone who understands horses and has trained his reactions to work with and understand the horse with timing and feel, rather than to blame the horse for his failures.

So when you see someone making a mistake with a horse, think, what would have happened if the person had done the opposite of what they did? If you take care of and learn your horsemanship, your horsemanship will take care of you and your horse. When you get better – Your horse gets better.

This is perhaps the biggest inhibitor to human and horse relationship. Both feel fear, both know fear, both react to fear but both fears are very different. A human is scared to be out of control, scared to get hurt or scared of what might happen will hurt them. This is no where near the high level fear of what a horse feels. A horse’s fear is about life or death. A horse wants to live and all their fear is to survive. This is why their response to fear is much stronger than humans. A horse is born to live and survive and run. They do not care about what might happen, they don’t care if they may get hurt, they instinctively run from fear to stay alive.

So when humans react to fear with aggression or retreat or confusion or frustration, the horse only reacts to fear to flee and stay alive. This is so misunderstood and it creates so many problems for most horse people. It amazes me that people want and expect a horse to deal and control their fear of dying, yet most humans cannot control their fear of getting hurt. Unfair and unreasonable, but only the human has choices, the horse never gets a choice. They are stuck with the person they are with and they have no choice for any situation they are forced into by a scared or unknowing human.

Cut your horse some slack. They get scared, they react, they want to stay alive, (stupid horse) until you can control your fear 100 percent, don’t expect or ask your horse to do it. Stop and think like a horse, stop and see things from a horse’s perspective not a human perspective. Understand what strong instinctual forces drive the horse’s fear and help him work through it, learn to control it and don’t contribute to it or make it worse. The best gift you can give to your horse is understanding of the horse.

The next time you get upset or frustrated with your horse’s fear, just think if your horse treated you the same you treat him when you get scared. You get what you give, would you like your horse to cause pain, pull your hair, pull on a pain bit, hit you or scream at you every time you got scared? I doubt it. If you understand the horse then you can treat the horse the way you would want to be treated, if you were a horse.

Let me count the ways. A horse shows fear is so many ways, some very subtle and some not so subtle or a combination of both.

Horse fear = ear position, head position, head high, tense body, bracing, balking, stalling, tail position, tense tail, flashy tail, eyes open wide, nostrils flaring, breathing increase, chewing stops, ignores other things, stares, hyper vigilant, blows hard, snorts, calls out, backs up, tries to flee or run, rears, moves his feet, fights being restrained, feels trapped, attempts to move to open areas, tail activity increases, shows resistance, stops listening due to focusing on fear and many other things. Yet people still say, how do you know when you horse is scared. If you do not know how to listen or read your horse, then you will always be guessing. Some time you will guess right some time you will guess wrong, that will only show the horse you do not know what you are doing and he should not trust you and you are not a good confident leader and that will only increase the horse’s fear and anxiety, which will increase his reactions to fear and will increase your fear and the cycle continues and escalates. Only you have the power to make it worse or make it better.

Don’t forget when a horse imagines fear, to the horse it is the same as real fear. No difference to the horse, they don’t know the difference. If a horse perceives a plastic bag is a wolf that wants to eat him, to the horse it is a wolf, it does not matter that YOU know it is only a plastic bag. It then becomes your job to help the horse learn and understand it is not a wolf and only a plastic bag. You cannot lower a horse’s fear with pain or force. Remember that, PAIN never lowers a horse’s fear, it increases it. A little fact that most people can’t seem to get. Far too often stupid humans forget the push pull polarization of a predator and a prey. Humans must learn to think and be like a prey, it is impossible for a prey to understand and become or be like a predator. The smarter of the two must come down to the lower of the two. Too often it is hard to tell who is really smarter.

The saying “Don’t Look gift horse in mouth” came from being rude. It was considered bad manners to check the teeth of a horse that was a gift, since everyone knew that checking the teeth was a way to see how old the horse was. If a person was given a horse as a gift, it was impolite to check the teeth. Hence, don't look a Gift Horse in the mouth. It would be like asking how much a gift cost so you know it’s value. So the saying is still around but many do not know where it came from or the true meaning.

Critical Eye Reminder:

Always remember to use your critical eye. Look at things deeper, from different angles, be suspicious and more suspect when dealing with horse people. This picture was in a tack store. Notice the chain on the halter, notice it says Sweet Disposition and then has NOT underlined a child's horse, needs intermediate rider? ? What is really being said? I don't know the horse or owner but I would say, this horse is not handled well, not exposed to much, kept away from kids or maybe teased by kids and the owners could be either worried or scared of this horse.

KEY words should raise red flags to those who pay attention. Unfortunately, most people buying this horse will only see how well groomed it is, how pretty it is and will hear "Sweet Disposition" so it must be loving. Most people think they are better riders than they are, so no one considers themselves a beginner rider so they are either intermediate or advanced, so this horse would be perfect??? So the horse will be sold to someone who can't handle it, won't know what to expect and then will be labeled wild, dangerous or out of control and then re-sold to someone who is an inexperienced buyer only to be taught more bad lessons by more stupid humans and will told by the horse that they are not as good as they think they are, but the horse will get blamed and will likely be destined to be re-sold several times. Could this add just be a perfect add for a great horse owned by great and honest owners? It could be, but in my experience, not likely. If you are critical and do more research, ask more questions, verify what is being said and prove your suspicions wrong, then you are being smarter and better prepared. Or you can just think everyone is nice and good, no would every lie and buy the this horse after reading the add? Either way, the horse has no options and no control over his future.

I posted this on my FaceBook Think Like a Horse page and got comments saying the chain was just wrapped around the halter and was not hurting the horse. Here was my response to that uneducated eye: I don't care if the chain is lined with pink feathers, chains and horses are bad, chains cause pain, chains are used to intimidate or create fear to the horse, if you think that chain is just looped and is not used to pop, control or make sure the horse knows the chain is there and can be used, then you are missing the point and living in lala land. You are the blind man searching for the man with one eye. Grab the first blind man you see and ask him to lead you out of the burning building. Stop making excuses for people's ignorance, cruel techniques, dumb gimmicks and pain devices.

Pretty horses are cursed to be owned by people that think looks equals good well-trained horse. Too bad for the pretty horses and pretty ponies, they are set up to fail for their beauty. This horse is very nice looking, that is all you can tell from a picture, but the words are warning you if you want to see it or hear it.

I talk about a movie called Instinct, where Anthony Hopkins lives with Gorillas and he is accepted into their herd and he talks about some very interesting concepts. A group of Gorillas are known as a band or troop, I think it is similar to horse herds, they have a hierarchy and pecking order, the males leave and the females tend to stay, they move together and take leadership from the Silverback (lead male), herd leader. In this movie the three things I think mirror or apply to horses are as follows -

1) The lead Gorilla watches over his troop. He decides where to go for food and water and he controls the band. Anthony Hopkins is accepted into the herd, after the Silverback makes it clear that he is submissive to his leadership and authority and then watches over him. At one point in the movie Anthony said, It is an amazing feeling to be watched over. Unless you spend time in a herd and get accepted as part of or leader of a horse herd, you may not understand this, but once you have been accepted into a herd of horses, you can fully understand the impact of this statement about being watched over or protected.

2) At another point he talks about "Takers". This is explained in the movie, but the short answer is those humans that take from everything they touch and never give back. Basically taking whatever they want regardless of the harm or negative consequences. The horse world has far too many "Takers". And since there is so much ignorance in the horse world, it makes it that much easier to take from the scared or fearful.

3) And finally, in one part of the movie the concept of "Illusion of control" is discussed or is taught. This is how stupid humans think they are smarter and always in control, when in reality, they are never really in control, but they convince themselves that they are in control. This happens with many horse people. They think a bit stops a horse. "Illusion of control". They think they are smarter than horses. "Illusion of control". They think they can treat a horse however they want and it won’t fight back or they think they can control a horse with force, fear and pain, both beliefs are dangerous "Illusions of control".

The movie makes the topics clear and if you get a chance, take a look, it is a good movie with a good message and it just might teach you something about yourself, stupid humans and give you something you can apply to your horsemanship.

What is a Red Ribbon on a Horse's tail for?

The cartoon is funny, but not knowing some things can get you hurt or killed around horses. Like knowing how a horse's vision works and where its blind spots are. Knowing that different horses are different learning experiences, so not all horses are the same and not all horses react the same. Knowing that being around a horse can be dangerous or safe, it is up to you. It is your responsibility to know what might happen before you blindly go around a strange horse. Helping, getting involved or handling unknown horses can get you hurt pretty damn fast and normally when that happens, the horse is blamed. Developing that critical eye and ear, never accepting anything for fact unless you prove it yourself, always understanding that horse are make to act bad or dangerous so never treat or approach a horse like YOU know what you are doing so nothing can wrong.

This cartoon plays on the ignorance of the little girl, but it does not show the seriousness of this topic. It still amazes me how many people want to warn people, hey that horse will kick, hey be careful that horse will bite, watch out that horse will rear. Really, you feel the need to warn people of these things. Anyone around a horse that does not know this is a fool. Why don't people warn people, hey watch out that horse will eat and poop or watch out that can run???? The people warning foolish things are just as foolish as the people needing to be warned.

I am a big "Mind your own business". Let people be responsible for their actions. If you run over and try and warn or get involved, you may end up spooking the horse or causing what you are trying to prevent. So if you feel the need to get involved, you better be ready to get blamed and be responsible for what happens since you have a greater chance of causing problems then preventing them.

So when do you get involved? The short answer is never. The long answer is "almost never."

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Here is my take on this article and how it relates to understanding horses and understanding that what we do causes our horse to do what they do.

An article that I found interesting was posted in the Wall Street Journal. Below are quotes from article about nagging.

The above statement describes so many horse trainers and horse owners. People continue to do the same thing over and over and never seem to realize that what they keep repeating is NOT working and that they need to change what they are doing. So the horse gets more confused, learns to accept the nagging and asking as something that they just need to ignore or resist. The horse learns to adjust and ignore. Then the horse gets label as mean, lazy, bad, stupid or does not listen.

The key to the above statements are nagging is a result of frustration, confusing and not getting what you want. How many horse owners does that apply to? Even if it does not work, the human continues to nag. Just like the horse when it is confused, scared, nervous, cornered or frustrated, the HORSE continues to resist, does not give the right answer and goes back to it’s instincts or flight, fear and fight. Neither grows or finds comfort, yet the majority of people continue to do what they do and horse continues to do what they do. Unless you can understand the horse has no choice and only knows how to be a horse, you will never develop a good trusting relationship with your horse.

The above statement again points to YOU the human. If you are going to be around horses you must be more aware, you must be alert and ready to engage, act and react. You must be ready to give direction or re-direct the horse so to defuse the horse’s natural instincts to run and flee. If you do this with timing, feel and rhythm then your horse will feel safe and comfortable and will look to you for guidance and assurance rather than see you as a fearful confused predator that hinders the horse rather than helps the horse. The horse is a mirror, it reflects back what it gets. If it gets good it gives good, if it gets bad, confusion, fear, or insecurity, then that is what it gives back.

In the above statement the language is so horse specific, it is funny. The woman above learns that nagging does not work and that when she changes what she does, she gets different and more desirable results. Amazing, when she changed and gave different messages, the answers also changed. Brilliant, that is exactly what horse owners need to realize. Every failure of your horse is your failure. Every wrong answer you get is a result of the wrong way to ask. Every bad thing your horse does is a result of YOU doing something in a bad or confusing way. A horse would always rather to avoid conflict and discomfort. But the horse has to be show the right way to avoid the pressure or discomfort. When people learn this, they will immediate progress in their horse. Which is why when you, the stupid human gets better, that is when your horse gets better.

Below if the full article and a link, if the link goes down, you can still read it here.

I found the photo below interesting.

To me this is a really good example of emotional perception and physical reality. Women that do not have a baby will relate to the top peaceful loving picture and women that have had children will understand the lower picture as realistic. Of course both pictures are correct and both may happen, but neither is absolute or will happen all the time.

Much like in horses, many see their horse relationship as calm, loving, peaceful and harmony, yet in reality they have no concept of what it takes to achieve that type of relationship. A person who thinks breeding is important will find beauty in a horse with papers. A person that loves Thoroughbreds will find good in them, just like a person who does not like Arabs will find fault with them.

A horse is a horse and that is all they know. Seeing things in them will not change them or make what you see true. Loving a horse will not create a bond or trust. Believing your horse loves you will not make the horse better or more trustworthy.

There are none so blind as those who are unwilling to see. Breaking down our belief system is very difficult and does not happen easily. There are many strong and perpetuated beliefs in the horse world. Most are very wrong and hurt the horse. But trying to undo this bombardment of ignorance is an uphill battle and many will fight to be right and refuse to hear another way. I say it often but it is still rare in the horse world, the best gift you can give to your horse - is understanding of the horse.

I get lots of questions on what I think about imprinting and how should it be done and when should you remove a foal from it's mom. I think I have made this clear in my videos but just so there is no confusion. Horse's are the best teachers of the horse. Humans cannot teach a horse how to be a horse. I don't like taking a baby from it's mom - a Mare knows when and how to kick a baby off, let them do it.

In the picture below is the only kind of imprinting I believe in and the only imprinting I am in favor of.

Here is a video I did on The Proper Way to Imprint a Horse.

You may have heard, and I say this as well, the slow way is the fast way with horses. But what does that really mean? Going slow with progression is good, but not so slow that learning is lost. A horse can be challenged or can be bored. A horse can learn that there is a right answer so it will look for it and try and find it or it can learn that I just get harassed and pushed and there is no right answer or I can't find the right answer so I will stop trying to find a right answer. Obviously you want the first and not the latter.

Speed of how fast a horse learns depends on many factors. Things like experience of the person, experience of the horse, knowledge of the person teaching, understanding of how to read a horse, how to talk to a horse, timing and when to give pressure and when to give release, smooth rhythm to work with the horse and not against the horse, understanding of how to know if the horse is confused, frustrated, bored, inattentive or if the horse is being disrespectful or resistant or if the horse is trying. All of these factors will either help the horse learn faster or prevent the horse from learning or will teach the horse the wrong lesson.

So how do you know all this? -- Time, experience, patience, understanding of the horse and pay attention and listen to the horse. Of course you may think you are paying attention and you may think you understand what the horse is saying and you may be wrong. This is why horsemanship is not as easy as it looks. Yet on every book shelf or every video for sale or every special training equipment for sale, you will be told there are shortcuts or special secrets to get all the answers quick and fast. No right answers, no special fix, no secret trick or gimmick.

So has this answered the question or made you think of more questions? Bottom line - Learn to understand the horse, learn to listen and learn from the horse, then all things become easier.

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I try and convey this but as they say, A picture is worth a 1000 words.

This seems to be the universal statement for credibility in the horse world. From trainers to life long horse owners, this statement somehow impresses those that are new to the horse world. The next time you hear this quoted by someone sharing advice, please remember, this is what it really means. A very cute picture, but any idiot can tell that these kids are not horsemen and this experience means absolutely nothing 20, 30 or 40 years later. Develop that "Critical Ear & Eye" so when you hear things, you can put it in perspective.

This is nice and it may not be the top ten things but it makes some very good points and hopefully when you read it you can look deeper and see what it really says. Like horse ownership is a long time commitment, horses need time and understanding, trust your horse (fear is NOT trust), a horse is completely dependant on you and it is your responsibility, a horse can fight back very good so you don't want to make it do that, horses can't tell you when they are in pain or don't feel well - Pay Attention, realize a horse gets old and things like sight, health, pain and abilities get old as well, and last but not least, anyone can buy or own a horse, but it takes a great deal of work and commitment to give a horse a good life.

If you read my opposition reflex page I talk about a horse finding comfort next to a wall in a corner when it can't be next to mom or when confined by stupid humans. This picture shows a foal in a small place feeling touched and confined, much like it was in the mom before it was born. The Indians (Feather not Dot) used to swaddle (search Youtude) a baby and it would quite the baby down and a new born appears to find comfort in this close secure wrapping in a soft blanket. I think that is what is going on here with this foal. Very cute picture and thought it would illustrate "Opposition Reflex".

Footnote Dot or Feather: For those not from America, the Feather or Dot relates to American Indians or People From India, American Indians wore feathers in their head and People from India have a dot on their head, so when the term Indian is used, I normally ask, Dot or Feather, so I know what people you are referring to. Here I am talking about American Indians.

The above picture not cute to and is very sad. A baby that can't be with it's mom and other horses. A new baby horse that is being kept in a tall walled structure so it can't even see other horses grazing and playing. The fact it has a halter on left in a cage (stall) tells me the owners are clueless about how to approach it, catch it or talk to it, so they cheat the horse out of learning from it's mother and other horses, so it easier on them to go out and play and pet and "Teach" the horse their stupid way instead of the horse way. People call me sexist, but I never Men stealing babies from moms so they can handle them, I only see Women doing this. What gets me is if this is so damn good for horses why don't people do it with their babies? This ignorance that makes horses suffer really gets me fired up.

To me it so clear and simple, let a baby be with it's mom so it can learn to be a horse, feel secure and safe in it's new world. But these damn breeders want to back breed and get there mare pregnant faster, so they can have another baby to make money - all at the expense of the mother and baby. These are the same dumbasses that will tell everyone "the Mom rejected the baby I had to save it". NEWS FLASH DUMMY: The mom rejected YOU butting in and messing up the baby, you are just too stupid to know it.

The above picture show a horse working on loose reins, no pain from bit and shows the rider staying straight in the saddle. I talk about this a lot, a good rider knows how to stay out of the way of the horse. In the next picture you will a person pulling on the reins and interfering with the horse.

The above picture shows a rider who is scared and is finding comfort in pulling on the reins, confusing this as control over the horse. In fact she is increasing the horse's fear, restricting his head, causing pain and making if more likely that the horse will fall. A horse's head helps them balance and transfer weight to stay balanced, causing pain and restricting the horse's head is the cause of most horse falls.

I saw this picture and think it is being used to sell coffee, but I found it very creative and well done. Thought others may enjoy it.

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Showing is about human ego, it is about winning, it is about the awards and ribbons and money. I think this picture demonstrates this perfectly. This horse could care less about a ribbon; it does what it is made to do.

A horse is a reflection of you. A horse gives what it gets. Horses mirror us. If a horse is crazy, meet the owner. It is said many ways, but has the same meaning.

This kid is proud of her awards and is learning to value them and showmanship. I only hope she is also learning how to care and understand a horse so she can appreciate good horsemanship. Kids learn what they are taught, much like horses.

I say it all the time, Do Not Leave Halters on Horses Unattended. There are many dangers that come with doing this. A horse can step on it or get a hoof caught in it, get it caught on a fence, caught on a tree or pole, it gives something for a predator to grad and capture the horse and as in this picture, other horses chew, bite and pull and then both horses are put in danger. Too often in the horse world "Cute" pictures misrepresent what is really going on and the uneducated eye, lacking that "critical eye" gets people to over look dangerous and bad things done to horses. Which is why the horse world is still like the old west, no controls, everyone is on their own and buyer beware. No controls on papers, breeding, ownership, certifications, licensing, sellers, buyers, traders, drugs, care; so horses are on their own and have little or no protections. In addition, even thou there are laws on the books, getting them enforced are near impossible. I think it is very tragic the way man as abandoned The Horse, especially after all the horse has done for mankind.

A society or nation can be judged on the basis of how it treats its animals and weakest members.

You will always here those life long horse owners telling "Never get the hind feet, the horse may kick you", this horse will not kick it's baby. This is what imprinting and weaning babies off mom steals from a foal. This baby is learning to be comfortable, to trust, to learn to feel pressure on different parts of it's body, to bend and push past pressure, learning it's place in the world. Somehow, stupid humans think they can teach this better so they steal these valuable life lessons from young horses. When humans try to teach horse to be horses it only teaches the horse bad and dangerous things, so the horse later becomes "a horse with a past and no future."

Just another example of why horses are better than humans. Selfless sharing and giving without expecting anything in return. Although I think both animals are giving here and both are receiving. Ying and Yang will keep things balanced. Horses are big, strong and powerful, yet they never use those things to take or to do harm. That makes them smarter and kinder than mankind in many ways.

A really nice example of Proper Imprinting = No Humans. These horses are not a threat to this foal. Horses know more than humans about horses. I know this is not popular in the horse world of Barn Witches, Barn Managers and Know-it-all horse owners, but it is true. I know I say it a lot but the message is still lost in the horse world. Somewhere, right now, there is a woman looking at this picture thinking she needs to clean this colt and help it stand up and keep the other horses away so they don't hurt it. She is wrong, but she will do her best to convince others she knows better than the horse. Pay attention, don't be fooled and always remember,
"The Horse is the Best Teacher of the Horse."

This was taken in June 2014 in Colorado. The fires were burning wild and destroyed many homes and lots of land. These horses were instinctively moving away from the fires. The horses that were locked up in barns or stalls died in the fire. Keeping horses in pasture is better and safer for you horses. When people try to protect horses they end up making it worse for the Horse.

This says it nicely. Many see a horse and see big, dumb, working creatures to be used in any way that man decides. Where ever you see Man's footprint, you will see hoof prints beside them.

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