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- Questions and Answers
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A:
- Q: What exactly do your services consist of?
- This does include trailering, water desensitization, and more.
2. Q: What does the horse expect of you every time you go to work with them?
Don't they know your going to make them work and run?
A: No, everything we do with our horses is based on trust and leadership. In a herd of horses they have a primary leader, if you ask a horse to do something instead of demand it, they are more willing to appease their handler. The horse may not be accustomed to the request or like it at first, but if you become the horses leader; when you gain a horses trust; they will be willing to do most anything for you as soon as they are asked. You can see this with any of our horses here at Free Lancing. Our horses expect only what we expect of them. Confidence and trust is key. If you are confident so is your horse. Trust your horse and they will trust you, they expect nothing more.
We are always certain to leave on a good note however, so if the horse is too flustered or stressed, it will not be open minded to learning anything. At this point, we let the horse settle and come back to the training at a later time. Having a horse associate bad feelings such as stress and anxiety with a task would be counter productive and will make a horse resentful the next time you ask it to complete the task. Positive reinforcement is needed and sometimes that is just simply letting the horse relax.
*We would like to add that with changing times we DO NOT use treating at a method of positive enforcement. It has become overly insinuated and assumed that positive reinforcement is solely giving horses treats. THIS METHOD IS NOT ONLY LARGELY INEFFECTIVE BUT ALSO BREEDS OTHER PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS. Positive reinforcement is the reward of good behaviors, reward does not necessarily mean treats. We use +R by release of pressure, rubbing the fore head, acknowledging good behavior.
3. Q: How do you know when you've pushed your horse too far?
A: We never push our horses. We ask them to perform commands and they tell us when they can not perform the task. This is where we process a method of moving forward in training by coming to an understanding with the horse of what s expected of it. It is nothing short of a understanding between you and the horse. When a a horse has TRUST and DISCIPLINE it will also have motivation to appease its handler.
4. Q: How do you read a horse?
A: We look for the eyes, ears, focus of attention, general body language, and behaviors. The body language will tell you everything you need to know about a horse. Anytime we examine a horse, no matter what the cause, we look for what the horse is telling us. The whites in the eyes show fear. Droopiness in the eyelids show a broken spirit. Softness of the eyes shows calm. Brightness of the eyes shows alert focus. We also look for connection in the ears. Forward motion in the ears shoes alertness, pulled back ears shows agitation. Forward/backward motion of the ears shows a horse that is listening to is handler and or surroundings. Stature in the horse; how the horse has positioned itself. This could be a head held high, head held low, feet square, hind leg cocked, leg shuffling. All are different cues for what the horse is feeling. The horses reactions and reaction time with a command, person, or object in its surrounds such as head tossing, feet stomping, tail swishing, sharp movements of its rear, pawing, striking, kicking out, kicking, bucking, walking with its body in the lead versus its head. Everything comes into account when working with a horse. Know what you're looking for, and when to look for it will be the most crucial part of handling a horse and won't be a step to miss.
5. Q: What steps do you take, knowing what steps to take and implementing those steps into your program?
* This question is revised from its original edition.*
A: Each new thing we teach a horse is a process, implementing the process depends on the horse. We never do the exact same thing with every single horse as every horse is different. The steps are generally the same, but the way we present the steps to the horse are more designed for the horse and owners ability to come to a mutual understanding of what is being asked of each and coming to a middle ground.
As important as it is for a horse to understand what I am teaching it, it is equally important that the owner/handler of the horse understand the process and have the ability to ask the horse the same commands in the same way that I have taught it.
My Purpose:
Training horses by teaching them to obey commands, perform skills of expectation, and perform in a desired way. With my Gentle Hands Gentle Hearts training methods, I do not believe in breaking a horse; but rather training it. Breaking= saddle training. I believe in a long lasting trust foundation to build on; training not only the horse but the owner. It is essential in the training process to know how to work with your horse(s) the same way I have trained them. Horses respond to certain cues, changing these cues results in a confused horse that could under dire circumstances become dangerous.
Starting from the ground up you can build a solid relationship with your horse. I can and would love to assist you in doing just that. I am a traveling and stationary trainer with reputable experience with horses of different back ground levels, skill sets, and training. Anywhere from wild, domestic wild, never been under the saddle before, old pony needs new tricks, to just kicking some bad habits and behavior problems. Some of these skill sets include trailering, spooking, and tying issues.
No whips, no spurs all natural horsemanship with methods of pressure and release.
I specialize in training horses for special needs children and giving riding lessons to such youth; but hold no limitations to any age, nor training for any horse. We train fresh colts and fillies all the way up to 30 year old's that have never had a hand laid on them before. We specialize in the feral and the traumatized and turn them into outstanding members of the equestrian community.
Not all horses or people can learn with the same methods, everything I do is tailored to you and your horses needs. Every horse I teach is provided with 3 combined riding methods using leg pressures, neck reining, and vocal commands so that there are no limitations under any circumstance. It is an all western or all natural facility with a very relaxed aura.
I also train for riding in all natural horsemanship such as bareback eventing.
My training methods first to last steps:
* First I evaluate horses by determining temperament, ability, and aptitude for training. Seeing what they do and do not already know, which gives me a ground up basis on where your horse will be starting is in its training and how to best suit my training to them.
During this process I already begin working to gain discipline and trust. The very base of our ground up foundation. This helps me to be respected by the horse and that the horse begins to recognize order out of its herd like mentality and desire to be at peace with its leader.
* After the evaluation and sometimes during the evaluation I will address any unwanted bad habits and develop a working order of desired behaviors by conducting targeted training and correction programs.
This is the same as a dominant mare/stallion would when one of its herd gets out of line. Maintaining the respect and trust the horse has warranted me, rather than making it fear me. Demanding its behaviors cease and respect given. This is the same method I use during all phases of training.
* Desensitizing and sensitizing the horse to its new equipment, environment, objects, or actions.
* Enhancing skill sets such as trailering and unloading, noise and spook control.
* Depending on the horse and how I feel best fit for its training I may begin with a saddle or simply work naturally and mount bareback. I usually mount bareback when I feel the horse still has some trust issues that needs to be addressed and a saddle would hinder and reverse the progress already made.
* Enhancing training knowledge by advancing the the difficulty and complexity of commands.
* Reward using release with accomplishing new and different requests. Exploring opportunities to change scenery or adding additional distractions to test the horses reliability in all situations, continuing to build a trusting relationships between myself, the owner, and the horse collectively.
* When the horse has an all around understanding of the expectations I have for it I work with its rider so they know how to work their horse using the training I have equipped the horse with.
I have been training horses of MANY types of backgrounds from wild mustangs, feral, abused, traumatized, ex-racehorses, Amish retaining, colt starting, from the saddle to the barrels for many years.
It is my dream is to share my knowledge with others so that less beautiful horses end up at auctions, kill shelters, meat factories, an abuse situations.
I came from a small town community and know the financial struggle of some who struggle with finding a quality trainer at an affordable rate. It is my commitment to the horses and their owners to create a plan that finds both your needs and your budget. I expect nothing more of anyone than what can be expected of me.
*More questions/concerns can be presented in comments as they apply for approval.*