Training Horses through Evolution and Freedom of Choice
Dec 22nd, 2011 by Carolyn Resnick
When working with the nature of horses you do not need to “get it done” to advance your horse’s training. Evolution will do it for you. Nature is always working for us if we can be in tune with it.
Removing the Focus on Force
The celebrated method of horse training in this country is based on making the thing you want the horse to do easy and the thing you do not want him to do hard. This method does not taking advantage of the evolution of a symbiotic bond and connection between horses and humans in the training of the horse.
In this method, a horse cannot get out of the “bind” the trainer creates until the desired result is obtained. This approach does not take the time to shape the horse’s behavior to have a desire to do something, that at first, he would not what to do. If the horse is allowed to stop his lesson and guide his human partner towards a fair and equitable relationship, the horse is shown more respect and this is the way we would all want to be treated.
To persist and force that a horse must do what he is told, in the initial stages of training, the horse is being treated like a slave no matter how gentle the approach. This kind of approach continues the practice of over powering anything that is weaker to get what you want.
Child Rearing and Horse Training
It is so natural for us to approach a horse in this aggressive manner because in our culture, and all over the world, it is how many children are raised. For example, a parent may force a child clean their room no matter how much the child did not want to. Rather than making the task more inviting to the child by coming up with an idea that would cause the child to want to clean his room like, “Lets clean your room together so you can invite your best friend for a sleep over.” Maybe initially the child would do hardly any cleaning and you would do most of it. However when the child grows up they would have a positive feeling about jobs and their personal power would still be in tact. The lesson to the child is: “You have the power to make the things you do more enjoyable by how you approach your task”. As the child grows up, he or she will accept more responsibility and from this approach you will have created the foundation for a positive and creative adult. Again this boils down to allowing evolution to happen and approaching life with a focus on creative and responsible leadership.
What causes people to be too strong with horses is that the human believes if the horse realized he was stronger, he would no longer respect or listen to you. This is surely not the case. When I was a kid, horses were very aware that they were stronger than me and had a say when I asked them to perform. Yet I could train them for a willing and dependable performance through their daily relationship with me under saddle and on the ground.
A Different Approach
What disturbs me about the equine world of “Words” is how the equestrian world spins the idea that pressuring a horse is a gentle approach. It sounds good, but in no way is it a pleasing experience for the horse. I can tell you that training can be a pleasant and equitable approach through the horse having a freedom of choice. In that freedom we offer a time to pause and allow evolution to do its part. Horses also need an ability to influence the trainer’s understanding in how to better approach the lesson or to drop the lesson all together as a way to further develop the training of the horse.
More trust in the evolution of the learning process needs to be practiced in our relationships with our horses. Working with your horse over a short time without trying to get everything done in one session works. Training the horse on the things he does not want to accept needs to be avoided. You do not need to finish a lesson if you run into resistance you can move on. Trust that if you allow evolution to help you train, it will be more successful. But you’ve got to trust and try it to find out that it is truly so.
Timing and Focus
When educating a horse, the trainer should court the horse like you would court a potential marriage partner. The ultimate success comes from understanding the social nature of horses and then you can make the right decisions on how to go about training and communicating with them.
Understanding the Social Nature of Horses
I offer my online course as a new way to go about developing a magnetic connection that opens the door to understanding the nature of horses. You will learn how to let the evolution of the bond guide you in your horse training decisions and how to shape a horse to fit in harmony with you, without force, in way that is easy, enjoyable and safe for everyone.
Hello Ritual in Nature - Photo by Alethia Saladino (mystichorses.com), student of the Carolyn Resnick Method
You start Liberty Training™ through the Waterhole Rituals™ by first choosing a safe horse that has a willing nature and would be easy for you to train. Once you learn my method and can comfortably train an easy horse, you can move on to more challenging horses. My method requires you to understand that you will be shaping a horse’s behavior and not allowing your horse to do exactly as he pleases. If the horse doesn’t want to work on the lesson he can go off and leave his lesson. Horses have a pecking order in nature and from this point of view we need to be clear in teaching him how to behave in our company just as you are learning how to behave in his company. I hope you join me using a method of Liberty Training™ through the Waterhole Rituals™ that gives freedom to the horse by allowing him to choose to connect with their human partner and for you to learn to lead in a respectful manner.
Click here to learn more and register for the Spring 2012 Waterhole Rituals Online Program.
It is my hope to touch as many people as I can so you can see that working with evolution and by leading only in the moments of harmony, you can bring the magic to training your horse. We all have a natural ability to communicate leadership in harmony with horses when we allow evolution to take a part in the training of horses. When you stay in the moment, work with trial and error, and understand the nature of the horse, everything becomes a dance. It is my intention to grow your love of nature and your appreciation of a horse’s need for a deeper bond with us in a freedom that is natural to horses. This love of nature will help you develop your ability to train and dance with your horse. From this dance you will learn how to better approach all living things so you are able to bring a deeper understanding, trust, loyalty and a natural willingness in others to work with you in harmony. In short you will be develop a philosophy that will guide your decisions in how to connect will all living things.
Wishing you all a great Christmas Season with your families of four-legged and two. Watch out for more new horse and human sightings and may the horse be with you,
Warmly,
Carolyn
P.S. We have an opening for a working student for 3 months (or more), please email web@carolynresnick.com if you would like to work and study with me in California in 2012!
Related posts:
I love everything you do. I understand, I am only a person in need of a friend. I am so happy with my horse, and what he understands. You have helped me alot. I love your ways, of communication, with horses. I love before I do anything.” Animals have to Know that”. I have to feel what they need. I love what happens when I ask him to follow, he does follow, so sweet. My horse is very smart. He is always with me , but sometimes, he is very dominent. If he looks at a saddlle, he backs away. I am very old ; so I don’t like to play that game. It takes all I have, to get a saddle on him. I just want him to be happy. If I can ride him, I have to ride him bareback, He is very good. I have a hard time, with tacking him up. He backs up , from the saddle. He wants to be free. he just doesn’t like it. I’ll keep trying. Can you give me any ideas. He loves being wild and free. It’s hard for him to see. Dakota is very playful. Yet still afraid of lots of things.
Wishing everyone around the world a Very Happy and Wonderful New Year 2012. I truly hope that more people will get in touch with Carolyn’s method so that we have happier horses and happier horseowners.
I can truly say that my relationship with both of my horses has changed for the best. I now have the bond and their trust. I still need to work on the “leadership” but that may occur in 2012, who knows !! I believe once you have that, the rest should be easy.
Please stay safe and take good care of those in need: humans and animals.
Jocelyne
Québec Canada
Hi Carolyn:
My husband (with prompting) purchased your Introduction to the Waterhole Rituals DVD and Naked Liberty book and I have devoured them both. I have done natural horsemanship for over 20 years and have a good relationship with my horses, but I wanted to see what their response would be to me systematically following your rituals. Only two sessions so we are both new to this, but here is my report. I have spent undemanding time with them so I expected Sharing Territory to be a few minute exercise. Wrong. It took a good 20 minutes of me sitting and reading a book before Prince came up to say hello. I realize that I walk up to my horses all the time and say hello, but I don’t necessarily wait for them to make eye contact and reach their nose out to me. They don’t overtly object, but I’m wondering if they are thinking “How rude.” I also don’t consistently leave after saying hello, though I do when I feel the horse isn’t hooked up with me and doesn’t want to play. I am going to try to be more consistent there. The horses were startled when I did the Taking Territory ritual, and their interest in me jumped with that ritual. Lots of blinking and licking and chewing. When I did Leading From Behind, they pretty consistently suggested that we do Companion Walking instead by swinging around and joining me in the direction of travel. It made me laugh. That is all we have done so far, but I’m having fun and the horses seem intrigued by it all. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us.
Checking in, and still on the mountaintop of your clinic in Escondido. It was life-changing for me and my herd, and it’s spreading to the horse community around me. I’m nourished by your blog, which always seems to remind me of what I need.
Love,
Ruella
Checking in
I take your words to my heart and bring them with me through the year of 2012. Your words have given me strength to work with some children in my class as I have started work with them.
I hoped you had a Happy Christmas!
Anna-karin
Merry Christmas to Carolyn and all!
Warmly~Rohan
As always, good words to live by. Thank you Carolyn for the constant stream of wisdom. All good things to you in the new year and all year.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Laura
Dear Carolyn, thank you for the reminder to trust evolution!
Happy holidays,
Joanna
May the New Year bring you great things! Thanks for being you!
Teri
Thank you for this lovely article. Beautiful!
Happy Christmas to you all in Escondido. I hope you are feeling fully recovered. Thank you for everything.
Carolyn B
Checking in. Carolyn, thanks for all the wonderful gifts of learning and insight you have given and all the sharing over this year! Many warm and sparkly season’s greetings to you, and to all blog-sharers!
susan
(Italy)
Thank you and Merry Christmas Carolyn. Looking forward to more of your enlightening teachings in 2012.
Warm Regards,
Jackie
lovely and thought provoking as usual.
Joyous Christmas to everyone!
Laurinda
Hi Carolyn, still loving and learning from your blogs. May I wish you and your family, two legged and four legged, a peaceful Christmas and a joyful 2012.
Love and blessings
Ang xx
thank you carolyn for again pointing out the similarity between child rearing and horse training…creating, believing and letting evolution take place….it is so worthwhile…although we have 2 wonderful sons that have grown into 2 respectful, socially engaged, fespectable and polite adult citizens…although i still could have done a lot better perhaps regarding parenting skills……i wish i would have known about you and beyond the whr before….however that would mean that i would have had to meet you 40+ years ago…and in the past 40+ years you have become the beautiful inspiring horsewoman you are now……so all goes according to plan…..something is never too late or too soon….EVOLUTION ……..
warmly
geerteke
Hi Carolyn,
Checking in! I wish you a wonderful Christmas too!
Elodie
Oh Carolyn
I wish I could have pressed the ‘like’ button 200 times! I’ve been reading every week, but usually not till Saturday or so.
So, I’ve got a couple of stories for you.
My stallion – Monkey – does not like to have the halter put on. His turn out area includes the barn, so when I’d go out to put everyone in, He has to go in first, so I’d go over with the halter, he’d pin his ears, much like a little kid, saying “I can do it myself, I don’t need a halter”, and I’d lead him from behind and into his stall he’d go. Suddenly, a couple of months ago, I went over to him with the halter, and he put his head right in. He’s done that ever since.
His son, Tuffy (who is gelded) and is about to turn 3 (actually Dec 29) is in another barn. The horses in this barn, after grain, I put the hay out in the pasture, and open all the stalls and they all go out to the pasture just like that. The other night, Tuffy, was going in every stall, I was following him, clucking, to move him along and then he went into a stall he’d already checked out, like he was going to go thru all the stalls again, so, I said “TUFFY, LET’S GET GOING”. and he trotted out of that stall, down the aisle (which is dirt) and across the yard and out into the pasture.
Kids.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
My stallion is 5 years old and he still suprises me with how much he likes to play and clown around. We played a gentle “tug of war” with a traffic cone for over 5 minutes the other morning! I never realized horses liked to play so much!
I am looking forward to dancing with my stallion! 
Happy Holidays everyone!
Carolyn and wonderful soul blog readers, I wish all a wonderful holiday with both your human and you critter families.
We are discovering ittle ways to make two way cooperation easier here with the inspiring help of Carolyn’s assistance. I have learned to ask one horse to wait, while another comes in with a request and when they stay back and don’t crowd, they get a special little treat. This has been quite encouraging when everyone is hungry to get their dinner and need to be sorted to a different location.
In asking True to stand back and politely wait for her meals when putting feed in the tub I give her a small taste when she has reached the “target spot” to wait. I don’t have to always do it but it really has assisted in improving her desire to cooperate and actually she seems so pleased at the routeen. Almost like she feels it is a dance of politeness both ways. There is a pleasantness in the cooperation encounter that doen’t seem to come with just rule inforcement. It works regardless of how hungry etc and is very smooth.
The other day I set her toy out and when I was waiting for the usual approach to touch my hand before giving the toy she wandered away and I was momentarily confused, but she went over to touch John at the stall gate who had put in the first part of her dinner and then quietly walked to me and did the touch/check in. This is not the first time a double touch has taken place, it just caught me off guard as to what was indeed happening. True is always aware of the fact if two have assisted in some happening and has done this several times showing indeed how much grace she can offer in return for loving thoughtful care, going out of her way to seek both individuals out with a soft nose touch. She has also run back from being let out in the field etc and offered a touch before heading off to eat or graze. Because she was difficult before we started learning from Carolyn ,I was in the beginning unsure what she was considering doing when she headed back in, but my concerns were based on past outdated history. Don’t get me wrong we have boundaries and part of that is how we have got here, just like her pasture buddies, but in the beginning she was rewarded for following them, even if it was asking her to leave. I actually had to set a way for her to fail and politely reenter the interaction. She never took advantage of that either, it made a pathway to cooperation possible.
I have come to realize that many horses are really exceptionally polite, if we treat them well and are present enough to notice that they are trying to connect and offering communication to us all the time. They have to learn that you motives are not to hurt them and that in my opinion opens the door to acceptance and willingness to allow you to introduce new things, or if necessary treat them medically if necessary with their cooperation.
Looking for ways to work together they do in fact, if we let them teach us new ways to better cooperate together(my take.) Carolyn, I think you are so right about how this can help children as well learn to live in “the herd” as happy willing participants.
Again happy holidays to all…
Thank you Carolyn for your wonderful blog!
I used do to do “the right thing easy…” for some time, but my horses didn´t agree, so I had to search deeper. I´m really thankful that I found you on the internet to guide me!
I wish you a Joyful and Peaceful Christmas!
/Helene
Merry Christmas Carolyn.
Thank you for the blog.
Anne-Marie
Thank you Carolyn for reminding us of letting evolution do its work, we can never hear this too often.
.
Have a merry Christmas and Happy New Year with all your beloved ones
I’m sending you a picture I took yesterday of some of my horses, having their Sharing Territory ritual at their own waterhole: http://www.mijnalbum.nl/GroteFoto-GTRAY4D8.jpg
Best wishes,
Marja
Dear Carolyn, your blog always is a present to unwrap, chew on, use and enjoy! Merry Christmas to you and all the Bloggers! Blessings~Lisa & Magnum
Merry Christmas! Love your writings!
Jill
It’s so easy to default to that mainstream approach of making the “right” thing easy and the “wrong” thing hard.
I did it myself only a few days ago!!
A great reminder to keep an open heart, to look for creative approaches, to trust instinct, and be willing to follow as well as lead!
Happy Holidays Carolyn!
Beautifully and refreshingly put Carolyn…
Happy Christmas to you and Paulina also.
Love,
Stuart