Leadership with horses
Feb 3rd, 2009 by Carolyn Resnick Method
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In their everyday need for survival, horses have created a communication system that is noteworthy. Wild horses are like a society of nomadic people who have leaders of leaders. Because nature’s habitat for horses is open rangeland, each horse has freedom to pick and choose a band of horses where he or she fits in and where his or her personality type is needed.
I have observed three major behaviors in horses: Leadership behavior, dominant behavior and submissive behavior. These behaviors are also the personality types as well. Herds are made up of the right balance of personalities, with each personality fitting perfectly in the chain of command. If the herd makeup is not harmonious, then this is when horses tend to move.
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cammacbusby
Karen,
I can not tell you what is happening with your horse. I would have to see the environment and get the feeling in the over all relationship the horses are sharing with one another.
So why is my little pony standing bum to the big 17h leaders chest kicking and squealing like mad and refusing to move off the spot? He wont let big one push him around, is it because he is just a rogue and playing or is he trying to take top spot? Maybe mine is the leader and that is why he refuses to move?
VERY good posts! Thank you Carolyn. Everything you said was proven to be correct tonight when I took him for a walk with another steady, calm horse. He was golden and only got impulsive once or twice and that was mostly play. Obviously I am still not the leader I need to be. Yes, everyone needs to read the book! I am on my second run-through and I think by the time I have read it about 10 times I may have a teeny bit of a clue! *grin*
Kathryn,
Do you have Panadero’s Journey? It sounds like you do not. It shows the quality of the connection I expect and leadership attitude I take. I think it would be helpful. All my material is an important step of learning my Method. Between the book and the DVDs and the blog, I bet you can get were you are going. After that I can support you with phone lessons and my private clinic.
Of course it is hard to tell from letters your concern at this point. I wish I could help you more.
When the energy is low in your horse, work on the last Ritual and Leading from Behind for the work ethic over a choice food in your territory. I do not keep treats on me in general. I keep them on the other side of the fence to begin with.
The thing I might suggest is to put your focus on what is working and not on when it falls apart. Start working your horse in a smaller area so you can have more control. He is now connected to you and you have learned not to press too much. He as been to kindergarten and knows the ropes and rules and you can be just a bit more persistant without disturbing the bond. Don’t be afraid to experiment. My life with horses has been one experiment after another and it has been the reason I know horses as I know them. I also worked from the standpoint to deepen the bond though the performance and deepen the performance from the bond and I never care too hoots for the outcome.
This information I am writing to you might do the trick for you. Hope this helps. Let me know.
Thanks Carolyn,
That’s how I’m approaching it. Yes at some point a separate area will be a good idea. I’m really liking what’s taking place in the herd situation for now, and learning a lot as I go. The outcome is still coming… but in the moment it all feels right… so I’ll stay with your advice….
Dear Stuart,
What is the outcome? I believe you may need to have a separate area to work the young ones so you do not get interrupted. But if you like the outcome, no matter who gives the lesson, then what you are doing is raising the young ones in the community you share with them. Don’t expect change in the lesson look for the change to come over a period of growth. Believe it and the camels will follow.
Thank you Carolyn,
Very helpful post. The several recent ones you’ve sent out have been really useful for me.
I’ve been observing something while interacting with the camels recently. It goes like this… I’m playing with the young ones (10 mths & 8 mths) within the herd situation out in the pasture. Sooner of later their energy starts getting big and boisterous, which I really enjoy… At a certain point, though, either the gelding or the bull, who closely watch our games, will come through and send the youngster away from me just when they feel she’s getting too out of hand. If the older camels don’t do this I can guide the calf through and bring her energy down, showing her what I allow and don’t allow. But more often than not the bull or gelding choose to do that for me before I get to it. Here is a question… do you think the same behavioural lesson is being taught to the calf whether I do it or the older camels “intercept”?
Either way, do you think the outcome will be the same, or does it mean something significantly different coming from me than it does from the older camels…? I hope I’m being clear enough here….
Thank you,
Stuart
Carolyn,
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I have read your book and viewed your DVD repeatedly. For me, the problem isn’t knowing how to conduct the rituals. I can understand how to do them and why they matter. You explain that very well. But what I lack is a “what ritual for what situation” understanding.
My gelding is very bonded to me when we are just hanging out. And sometimes he will dance with me when he feels like it. But there are times when I ask for a walk or a turn together and he’ll break off and go to the other end of the ring and do what looks like pouting. I respect his right to say no, but is there a boundary point? Is there a point where I can say, hey pay attention. I am sure there are horses out there happy to do nothing forever. Also if I have treats, he gets irritated with me and pins his ears. He won’t bite or be physically rude. I tell him to go away when he is like that.
I guess how do I inspire him?
I do the leading from behind, I do taking space, we do eye contact, we doing spending time. Do I just keep doing them over and over until…….what?
I appreciate your patience in explaining.
Kathryn
Dennis – bravery can be developed from the Eye Contact Ritual and Leading From Behind and from reciprocal movements that Ray Hackworth did with his stallion in my book. Bravery is also built from not pushing your horse to do something he does not want to do. Bravery can come to your horse when the leadership connection is wanted by your horse in the moment he feels fear and also knows that you will protect him.
Bravery can be built from sharing companionship reading a book in your horses company.
Robyn – you cannot discipline a horse from shying if you took him somewhere he did not want to go and the horse does not see you in that moment as his point of safety. Usually my horses do not shy because I am so slow to nurture and build the partnership. The well-being that I build removes their interest to shy. My horses are optimistic because I spend my time to build this attitude in my horses.
Many times shying is caused from not enough building a connection daily before you start out. Every day when I reconnect with my horses I stay in the moment in sharing space and feeling an appreciation and affection. I wait till I feel a shift in the horse and that I can feel a strong sense of trust and well-being in the moment and that shying is not in his energy field . If I feel him get nervous I take him to a spot that he feels safe and this way his knows I will always serve his best interest and safety. In this process you will learn when you can reprimand him for being silly and when you need to take him to safety.
Kathryn and other readers,
Please read my book. It is all about pecking order and relationship. Lead horses are easy to lead they have an natural desire to follow your lead. Dominant horses take more training. Submissive horses my not pay attention like you would like that is why they get picked upon. Fix this behavior with the Eye Contact Ritual and Leading From Behind only in the moment the bond and trust is strongly felt between you.
I work with all my horses following the same laws. It does not make a difference where the ranking lies. If a horse enters my personal space, I am in essence his leader and expect him to follow my direction through kind authority. If he does not like my leadership, he can go away or I will send the horse away. I am not worried about hurting his feelings because it is only temporary and the result will bring well-being to the horse quickly even if it feels hurt from being sent away.
Do not surprise your horse when you send it way. Just send as slowly as possible but get the job done. If I enters a horses space, I play by his rules and never my own. I must respect his authority.
My focus is to make a dominent horse polite and respectful and leave him with his big ego intact. I take a submissive horse and raise its rank with the same Rituals I spoke of earlier to help a shy horse become brave. I make friends with a lead horse and try not to change a hair on him. If a lead horse gives you a problem I know it comes from not a deep enough friendship. I develop the friendship further by reading a book and reminding the lead horse about the rules of personal space.
If your horse approaches, you are the leader in the moment and it must play by your rules. If the horse cops an attitude, you ask it to leave your space as nicely as you can but get the job done. If you approach your horse you must bend to your horses wishes. Let’s say, if your horse approaches you and he is kind and considerate you would be kind back. If you walked up to him and he said to you “Do not put that halter on me”, you would respect his rights, leave and wait until he enters your space. At that point, you could suggest the halter once more and work on the job until it gets done. But if the horse leaves, you must stop and wait for the horse to return. I get my horses to return to me by the food I have in my territory. It is very important to have a horse come back to you so you can put the halter on him because he understands you have the authority because he is in your territory.
I explain all these rules in my DVDs and book. I hope this is of help.
Karen,
I do not know if I can answer you because I would have to see the interactions myself. Something that would help you is to do my Rituals with your horse. Your horse wanting to dominate you will go away because you are in charge of him before he gets out of line. Lead horses practise the Rituals to keep their position. You hve a ongoing responsibility to shape your horses position with your. You are not doing this and your horse has some much fun with his friends he feels that he can control you as well. Do not try to fix your horse when he wants to control you. Wait and start controling him with Leading For Behind when he has no agenda or preference.
I have a very submissive and timid gelding. Is it possible to have him become brave.
You said above that horses often use “aggressive body language at the moment a horse would naturally run in terror”. I think it was in your book also where you said that lead horses will discipline younger horses who spook at something they shouldn’t be afraid of. I have a very impulsive and sometimes spooky horse, although the spooking is acgtually often just high spirits and impulsiveness more than fear. It is dangerous though. In this case should my leadership role be to discipline/be more aggressive in order to tell him that this is not acceptable behavior? He is totally focused and with me in the pasture but outside is a different story, he just gets himself all worked up in excitement.
Hi, I am a new Carolyn fan, after finding myself uneasy with other NH systems. I have had my pony 7 years from an unbacked, semiferal, newly gelded 4yr old. We are very deeply bonded, but I find he tries to take my position with total regularity, every 2 months. When he lived with 17 horses and ponies, he was lead of the pony band and loved to play with the big 17handers in the other band. He is always playing with the leader where we are now. There are only 4. He will stand in front of him kicking and squealing like crazy but not moving away. Whenever the leader chases him and rears, mine holds on his neck and just hangs there while leader is squealing, then it usually just turns into play fighting. Is he trying to take top spot? or is he just doing rough play? I would classify him as dominant, but never nasty with anyone else in the herd. He always sets off the gallops, but prefers to graze alone. Of course my original question is why is he so regularly trying to knock me off top spot? Which personality is he now, as he was head of his herd before. Katies question of how they behave with us is the same as mine I suppose.
Karen
Your observations, Carolyn, are indeed very helpful and underscores the power of attentive observation – observation that seeks to see what is really going on, not what we wish to see. KarenF
I am curious, too , about the answer to Katie’s question.
I have witnessed cases where stallions steal mares from one anothers bands. How does that leave mares “free to choose” which herd they will be with?
My question is – what of lead horses? Submissive horses sound like they are “easy” to lead, dominant horses “easy” once they have been caught by surprise. What of lead horses? Because they are naturally leaders, is it hard for them to decide to follow? But identifying a lead horse is not necessarily one of my skills so I agree with Katie, I’d like to know how each interact with humans in case I’m reading it wrong. I’m also curious how you prove yourself to a lead horse that you are a better leader.
So how do the three different types act around people? How does a lead horse treat a human? A dominant horse? Can a lead horse “look like” a dominant horse when interacting with people? I guess I’m wondering if you can identify the lead horse based on his interactions with people.
Katie
Wow! This is enormously helpful Carloyn! It makes so much sense and gives me insightful clues about how to understand different personalities in horses. I have watched my own Romeo who is dominant. When he approaches a lead horse, his entire demeanor changes into one of curiosity and willingness rather than tuff guy. He continues to teach me how to be a good leader for him. I’ve learned the hard way that meeting his dominance with my own need to contol only escalates into more dominance!
Reading today’s post reinforces for me how important it is to stay emotionally quiet and focused on the greater outcome of harmony. I loved what you said about the lead horse catching someone off guard as a way to maintain harmony in the herd. It works! The times I do the eye contact Waterhole Ritual with Romeo always helps him. The look on his face when I catch him unaware is almost comical and very endearing!
Much love,
Debra