“The most important part of any piece of equipment is the hands that hold it” Monty Roberts

Walk into any tack room and you will undoubtedly see a dizzying array of tools. Mentally, now, make a list of all the ones you may own. Can you count ten? Fifteen? Over fifty! Then contemplate why you bought them, under whose advice and for what purpose? How often do you question their affects or effectiveness?

Many of you, I imagine, may have a large array of what might be termed classical or traditional tools; a simple head collar, a lead-rope, perhaps a range of bits, lunge cavessons, some side reins, a saddle or two, a bridle of course, and a collection of whips. Perhaps some of these are assigned to the cupboard and you have been experimenting with tools from the natural horsemanship camp; a variety of rope and/or pressure halters, some long lines, perhaps the odd Sainsbury’s shopping bag or stuffed glove on a stick, a plastic bottle with dried peas in, an old tarpaulin, a colourful umbrella and a ‘Carrot stick’ (aka a whip of course!). You may even have branched out into the reams of the more scientific approaches to horsemanship; having some ‘wraps’ (elasticated bandages used for TTouch & TTEAM techniques), a clicker and target along with food used for positive reinforcement training. With the vast array of tools available to the modern horseman today, plus the strong views and opinions attached to them it is no surprise that it is a difficult and potentially contentious topic to talk about.

Many of these tools will seem innocent enough to most (especially if they just stay in the cupboard!) and some might be described as a ‘must have’ or the best thing since sliced bread! Yet others may be perceived as potential tools of torture that are only used for the infliction of pain and suffering! Herein lies the problem of perception, as it is in my opinion and experience that ALL of these tools can be misused or abused, causing potential pain, stress and anxiety to our horses, especially when used without the appropriate knowledge, compassion and understanding.

Many tools have become synonymous with certain training methods or techniques like the double bridle and spurs with the higher levels of competitive dressage, the Round Pen and Dually Halter with Monty Roberts’ techniques, the rope halter and carrot stick with Parelli Natural Horsemanship, and the clicker and food treats with clicker training. As such they are often judged and criticized due to this relationship with a trainers approach or equine discipline rather than the possible advantages and disadvantages of the tools themselves.

Exploring bridge and target training with Shawa Karrasch, creating a whole new emotional state through the use of an appetitve stimulus.
Photo by Natalie Bourchier photography.

Over the past 2 years I have been in a unique and privileged position as the founder and chairperson of the Understanding Equus ‘Meeting of Minds’ program (MOM). Its aim is to explore horse / human partnerships with a wide variety of highly skilled, experienced and well renowned trainers. Of course such trainers advocate the use of many different tools. Yet at the heart of the MOM approach is a non-judgmental stance where participants and trainers alike have the opportunity to examine and question in detail cutting edge techniques and explore these different tools, advances and philosophies, always with the aim to identify the underlying keys and foundations to good horsemanship, irrespective of the tools themselves.

No Pain no Gain?

Many researchers have started to look at a variety of tools and their affects on horses physically and mentally as well as on performance. One would hope that these could shed some light or clarity on the situation, yet we are presented with some fascinating, but at times conflicting, results. For example researchers from the University of Sydney urged people to rethink the use of Round Pen training by Monty Roberts, suggesting that some of his techniques applied emotional pressure to horses as their responses were based on fear and safety. Alternatively research done in the UK found that horses trained using these same methods and tools had significantly lower maximum heart rates when taking their first saddle and rider when compared to a British conventional training method.

Other research done by the innovative and controversial Alexander Nevzorov demonstrate the potentially damaging effects of the bit and the saddle and as such he is calling for a revolution suggesting a complete ban of all competitive equine sports that use such tools. These demonstrate some of the conflicting advice and the wide range of views and opinions in the horse world today.

As a horse trainer experienced in working with young and remedial horses, initially with the more traditional approaches, then later adopting a more holistic one, I have certainly used and experienced a wide variety of tools and techniques. Whilst listening to the horses themselves, this experience has led me to believe that there is no ‘one way’ or all encompassing tool, and what works for one horse or horse-human partnership does not mean it will work for all. In fact I believe these judgments help no one, as we (and the horses) are each on our own unique spiral of learning, with different past experiences and learnt behaviours and as such we will react and respond differently to each method or tool.

Over recent years my eyes have been opened to the possibilities and intricacies of liberty play being taken to a whole new level by some of the more cutting edge trainers like Carolyn Resnick and Klaus Hempfling. Along with the art and subtleties of classical riding, these are techniques that are achieving balance and collection with nothing more than a simple cordeo (neck rope). And this is where we start to see the importance of our minds and attitudes along with the power of our energy and intention. It now seems to me that the greatest and most powerful tool we have at our disposal is OURSELVES!! Our own bodies, our senses and most importantly our minds and attitudes.

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference” – Winston Churchill

If we can start to look beyond the tools themselves and start to focus on ourselves, developing our knowledge, understanding and skills then we will start to truly understand such concepts as ‘less is more’ or ‘slow is fast’. Confusing and contradictory terms in themselves but once you develop a good understanding of equine & human behaviour, learning theories, anatomy and biomechanics and equine science it all starts to make sense and the tools themselves can become irrelevant.

“It’s not what you use, it’s how you use what you use” – Monty Roberts.

Always working on ‘ourselves’ to create balance and lightness with Amanda Barton. Photo by Natalie Bourchier photography.

For example the recent article in Equine Science entitled; Does whip use improve show jumping performance? found that “Those who used the whip were statistically less likely to achieve a clear round…elite riders were statistically more likely to achieve faults if the whip was used.” So what does this say about the effectiveness of the tools that so many of us feel so reliant on?

In fact I would go so far as to suggest that most of the tools we use are in fact just glorified comfort blankets, things that we feel we need to remain safe and secure. Many give us the illusion of control over our horses or give us confidence in ourselves when used as a ‘communication tool’ or ‘extension of ourselves’….

I believe good horsemanship understands the horse physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, bringing all these aspects together to encourage balance in mind and body. A good understanding of equine communication & behaviour is essential to staying safe, not one specific tool. Self-awareness and an understanding of how we can influence our horses through our energy and intention will create softness and improve our feel, timing and balance. The
ability to be present & focused in the moment to truly observe and ‘read your horse’, to attune ourselves to our horses and communicate with understanding and empathy, to step back and adapt what you are doing with sensitivity & creativity are just a few of the vital keys to optimizing our partnerships.

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used to create them.” – Albert Einstein

I believe we can learn something from everyone even if it is how or what we don’t want to do. So for the sake of the horses, I encourage you to keep an open mind, a non-judgemental manner and strive to add to your toolbox by increasing your knowledge, understanding and skills, always listening to the horses and working on the improvement of ourselves. You may then just find that in fact ‘Less IS More’ and no pain is required!!

“Be curious, not judgmental” – Walt Whitman.

Research Articles
Australian research on Round pen techniques: http://phys.org/news/2012-07-urge-rethink-monty-roberts-horse.html

UK research with Monty Roberts – http://horsetalk.co.nz/2012/07/24/monty-roberts-fights-science-with-science/#axzz2gCLQX2Va

Alexander Nevzorov – The effects of the bit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkxOp_xfVEg

Does whip use improve showjumping performance: www.equinescienceupdate.com/

More learning & laughter with founder member Carolyn Bourchier at MOM’s

As a teenager with dreams of ‘Champion the Wonder Horse’ and ‘The Black Stallion’ filling my consciousness, I felt conflicted within the competitive horse world and came to reject ‘Dressage’ & most formal training methods. Instead, I went searching for what I thought was a more humane approach that considered and understood the horses more. This meant that when I was introduced to some top class dressage & classical trainers like Charles De Kunffy & Arthur Kottas from the Training The Teachers of Tomorrow team my mind was closed and lessons were missed. However, with our guest trainers in this last series, Cathy Sirett and Patty Burrows both having trained with top class Classical Training Instructors, my mind has now been re-opened to something I had completely missed before!! This is my spiral of learning!

Like others I’m sure, I was so caught up and upset by the seemingly restrictive nature of ‘Dressage’ and the sometimes brutal techniques used by some competitive and professional riders, the likes of which we sadly still see today; Rollkur, the inappropriate use of whips and spurs and the restrictive tools like flash nose bands, draw reins etc. All I could see was the mental and physical pain caused within this discipline and didn’t want to be part of using such training methods and techniques. This is ultimately what sent me down the road to ‘natural horsemanship’, training to become a ‘Monty Roberts’ Instructor back in the late 1990’s and founding the ‘Understanding Equus’ approach to horsemanship.

MOM’s Founder & life-long student of the horse, Debbie Reilly

As time has moved on, my experience and levels of understanding have increased with the help of the horses themselves and such trainers like Patty and Cathy, and I now realize that there was an important element that I was missing. When I was an RGN in the NHS dealing with human patients I first came to believe that we cannot treat the mental, physical and emotional bodies in isolation and the key to optimum health and wellbeing is a truly holistic approach. I also noticed the limitations of traditional methods of modern medicine and moved into more holistic therapies that understood the links between the mind & body, training in massage, acupressure and more recently Chirokinetic therapy. Now, with horses I can see the importance of the classical approaches to training the horse’s body, from the ground into the saddle using gymnastic exercises. Preparing them physically for riding, as well as working with the emotional, behavioural & mental aspects of our partnerships.

Patty Burrows and Cathy Sirett

As our spiral of learning and development continues I invite all horse lovers, owners, trainers and specialists to join me in keeping an open mind and non-judgmental manner, as we strive to share knowledge & skills with a multitude of professionals all working together for the good of the horses. Like most of us who love and try to develop mutually beneficial relationships with our horses through understanding and gentle communication, we hope you agree that no healthy partnership is built through the use of discomfort alone. So as we continue to explore the different methods, techniques and philosophies available in the horse-world today, from classical to natural techniques, from reward based training to negative reinforcement let’s remember that all methods and approaches are open to misuse and abuse. So come and help us to identify the keys to good horsemanship and promote the importance of a holistic approach in the care, management and training of our horses.

In the meantime, please ‘like’, share and comment on the Understanding Equus Facebook page. Ask questions, join the discussions and feel free to post content that shares our philosophy of ‘care, communication & compassion’ for our equine friends. Let’s open more minds to the wonderful possibilities. You may see the odd ‘tool’, philosophy or method you disagree with and you will not resonate with all the approaches available but our aim is not to attack and isolate those that are just starting on their journey to understanding but to encourage questioning and the idea that there may be a better way…

Photograph by Carolyn J Seager

During this time there has been an explosion of horse behaviour specialists, confidence coaches, natural horsemanship instructors, training systems and professionals throughout the world, giving people access to an exciting range of help with understanding, managing and training their equine friend(s). Yet at the same time there is no easy way to know which approach is going to suit you and your horse’s individual needs…

I was fortunate to be introduced to horses and riding at the age of 5yrs and as many may relate, so started a love affair that took me on a life changing journey. This journey of discovery, about myself and what these wonderful animals can teach us, became my personal ‘Spiral of learning’. In the early days it was tough learning, with a traditional approach and little consideration for the horses, I spent a lot of time gaining some impressive bruises and learning lessons the hard way!!

With access to the Pony Club I worked through the exams increasing my knowledge where I could and as I became more proficient I was often asked to ride some of the more difficult or ‘problem’ ponies with varied results. As a teenager I started to ‘listen’ to the horses and understand their needs more. Using my intuition I adapted my approach for each horse and was soon successfully rehabilitating horses.

During this time I also had access to learning from some of the better known trainers like Jane Holderness-Roddam, Pat Burgess, Lars Sederholm and Lucinda Green where I learnt invaluable lessons that I still rely on today to develop good partnerships…

My journey then took a different turn and when I met Monty Roberts in 1996 I became inspired to study the language of the horse and learn what I could about equine behaviour. During this time I began to study and work with other ‘horsemanship’ trainers, including John Lyons, Michael Peace, Richard Maxwell, Kelly Marks, and many more. I went on to become an Instructor in Monty’s methods, from 2000 – 2004, helping Monty and his team set up the International Learning Centre in the USA and the training programs that now run worldwide. It was around this time that I really started to open my eyes and learn from the horses themselves, accelerating my understanding and building on my previous knowledge and skills. This is when my true path and journey to ‘Understanding Equus’ really began…

Now, with over 20yrs experience as a professional horse trainer, I continue to remain open to learning and listening to my horses. By 2004, with many success stories under my belt, it was easy to become complacent and confident that I had all the tools I needed… BUT as is the way of horses, I was soon to be reminded that no one way is the only way!!

Since then, I have developed my skills as a ‘horsemanship coach’, recognising that each individual horse/human partnership is unique and therefore responds to a different approach… Having first hand experience of the importance of a holistic and multi faceted approach to managing our equine relationships, I continue to strive to learn and share knowledge, working with other equine professionals to increase my levels of understanding and my ability to help each new partnership. Sowing the seeds for the Understanding Equus ‘Meeting of Minds’ program…

Carolyn Bourchier

My passion and dream has been to get professionals with different approaches to work together in a non judgemental manner, coming together to share knowledge and skills for the good of the horses. All working together to identify the keys to optimising our relationships, whilst enabling people to get a taste of what help is available and to openly question different techniques and methods, to find what works for them and their unique partners. So finally, in association with my friend and colleague, Carolyn Bourchier, who has trained with a variety of other professionals including Franklin Levinson, Carolyn Resnick, Farah DeJohnette and Rupert Issacson, we started the Understanding Equus ‘Meeting of Minds’ program.

Wanting to share our experiences, review our learning and openly question our own techniques we started to explore the real foundations of good horsemanship.

So if you have an open mind, I’d love to meet you. Whether you’re a horse owner or horse lover, a trainer, coach or any other equine professional, let’s come together to share knowledge and skills, helping us all to optimise our relationships with horses and one other.