Solving problems when riding
Dec 11th, 2008 by Carolyn Resnick Method
I deal with a loss of performance under saddle using the activities surrounding the Waterhole Rituals as we are doing fun stuff together at liberty. Like the game, “Look at me and eat all you want, or come with me and I will take you to the food.” I gain co-operation and respect over food issues rather than asking a horse to perform a self-serving act under saddle. The Waterhole Rituals prepares the horse to perform under saddle perfectly by priming him to be focused, willing, connected and having the right energy to perform at its best under saddle.
You will approach your horse much differently at liberty than when you are working with a horse under saddle because under saddle you are focused on the performance rather that the teamwork and quality of connection. At liberty, you will take the time and deal directly with issues of why the horse is not performing well under saddle with a kinder attitude. In this state of mind, you can put all of your attention on developing the connection instead of trying to get a horse to perform when the connection is not quite right.
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Hello all! I am SO glad that I stumbled onto this website, I have ordered the book and a CD and can’t wait for them to arrive. I have just moved from Montana back to my homeland of Australia after 22 years away and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my 8 year old Arab gelding who is stuck in quarantine in CA but should be here by the end of Jan. He is such a special horse and we already have a huge connection on the ground. I have already been playing with a lot of the things that it sounds like you talk about Carolyn, I just stumbled onto them by experimentation and picking and chosing from other peoples’ methods. However he is green (long story) to ride and gets very excited and impulsive when ridden outside of an arena in a large open area. The place I will be keeping him is ALL a large open area except for the round-pen so I have been nervously planning how to deal with this. But somewhere in reading your blogs it popped into my head that if I am nervous on him that means I don’t trust him and I have NO business being on a horse that I don’t trust because that is just a violation of the relationship and an insult to him, even if the fear is warranted. That has taken a huge load off me and I plan to take as long as it takes on the ground with your rituals out in the open before I ride him again, especially as he will have had 4 months off while I have been relocating. Thank You!
Dear Carolyn and Marja,
Carolyn, thanks for your wonderful response and praise! I’m looking forward to seeing your descriptive writing about our connection!
Marja, thanks for your feedback. I’m sure that you can develop a deeper trust and understanding with your Icelandic Mare. With Romeo, one of the things I practice with him is an open state of mind. No matter how difficult or resistant he may be about riding, I remind myself every day that the life he had before me was tremendously challenging. The attitudes he developed about humans and especially about what was expected of him when riding are a habit. In my heart, I know he doesn’t necessarily want to hang onto that habit. I have compassion for him because I know how easy it is to get lost in the mind-habits we create for ourselves! I think one of the reasons that Carolyn’s methods in working at liberty work so well for Romeo is because it allows him to have a say in how we relate. The minute I feel resistance from him, I back off and change the subject. He has begun to trust that when he is with me, he can express himself. He knows that the respect I am asking of him goes both ways.
I’d love to hear how you progress with your mare!
Debra
“I have slowly been able to help Romeo see that he is important to me because of who he is, not what he can do for me. It is a day to day process, but now I can see in him much more willingness, far more curiosity, delight and a sincere joy of living. When we ride in the arena, he still reverts back to that resistence sometimes, but as we continue to explore the connection at liberty (as Carolyn teaches), he’s beginning to realize that he can also be happy with riding too.”
That is wonderful Debra… I have a 15 yr old Icelandic mare whose attitude towards riding is the same as Romeo’s. When she came to me 7 yrs ago it was much, much worse and I contribute that to the way she was ridden before. She still loses confidence very quickly (and so do I sometimes…) but I’m going to try the liberty approach with her. Thanks for motivating me
!
Hi Debra,
In another week I will be working on your page on my blog. I know everyone will love to hear your story and our conntion to one another.
Debra is a wonderful animal psychic. I went to Mary’s Tack in Feed and saw her give a talk on our connection with our pet’s. She reminded me of some one that needs to have her own show. Her enrgy of infectious and compelling. A natually gudie to the real side of nature and the ture heart of animals.
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn and Tonnya,
Great post! I really liked what Carolyn had to say about resistence and how it relates to performance. My horse Romeo is a good example of what happens to a horse when he is asked only for performance without the presence of a true bond. He is a 16-year old, retired Western Pleasure Show Horse who feels resistence and resentment about riding in the arena. Before I purchased him about a year and a half ago, I don’t think he trusted that a relationship with humans could exist without the constant pressure of performance. By applying Carolyn’s methods, I have been able to show Romeo that our connection will always come first. Since so much of what Carolyn teaches is about establishing a bond of trust and respect with your horse and using that as the foundation for any training, I have slowly been able to help Romeo see that he is important to me because of who he is, not what he can do for me. It is a day to day process, but now I can see in him much more willingness, far more curiosity, delight and a sincere joy of living. When we ride in the arena, he still reverts back to that resistence sometimes, but as we continue to explore the connection at liberty (as Carolyn teaches), he’s beginning to realize that he can also be happy with riding too.
Debra
Dear Tonnya,
Thank you for your comment. You commets let me know that what I am sharing is of important and gives me energy to writing more on the subject in how to connect, communicte and support a horse in our leadership, relationship, training and riding.
Happy holidays,
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn,
)
Thank you so much for this post.
I think that it hits a nerve in the way horses are ridden (through resistance) – generally.
When I got my horse from Spain he was already ridden (in a double bridle !) even though he was only just 3 years old.
Being pushed way beyond his limits.
When I got him, I thouht that it might be a good idea to ride him once or twice a week for a short time. But I didnt like it because he is hypersensitive and I havent been riding for 2-3 years. Then I got your book and the DVD about waterhole rituals and of course I stopped riding immidiately and changed everything overnight.
I dont know when I will be riding again, but when I do I will surely remember what you have written about today.
Also Thank You to all the blog-horsy-people who contribute to the posts. Well worth reading !
Looking so much forward to the teleseminar. What a wonderful opportunity
Season Greating to everyone….
Tonnya