The Art of Natural Dressage

I like this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJhnETvMW8Y
If I had more grace, was a woman and had more sense for rhythm, maybe I could try something like that.

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Volker

The horse owes us nothing.

I also enjoyed the video, but either concentration or the tasks appeared to cause some stress for the young horse.
Have a look through this site, you need to scroll down through clicker videos, from dressage, camel training, trail riding etc.
http://relaxedhorsemanship.com/

I would be interested in what you see and how you feel the horses act or react? xx

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Susie xx
http://www.flickr.com/photos/piepony/

oh sure you can...even you think you are not gracefull The horse dont care

Susie, what do you want us to look at in particular?

I find that regardless of pressure, some horses get that concentrated look when following closely the body movement of the person (Tam is an example) and Tam will swish his tail when a movement is difficult. If it's too much for him he leaves.

What is it you are seeing as a stress response?

I'm always interested in this topic. Some people have surmised that Tam is harshly treated and some know that he's not. It's usually on a forum somewhere, with people who don't know me and don't know Tam who are guessing he's very angry or stressed. At the same time, some of those people who have never seen Tam in person, will guess that it's a look of concentration. I don't always get to hear from those people what it is they see that makes them think that Tam is angry or stressed - in fact I don't think I ever have. He's had that look from the beginning of our clicker training. It might be nicer if his ears were always forward, and in very low energy stuff (standing still or not having to exert himself much) they do tend to be more forward...but whether he's chasing me or he is doing a passage around me, the ears are most often back. Sometimes they flop, but mostly they are back.

In this video, the horse is very directed and the person is expecting a specific response to her movements...so maybe that is what you see...a lack of free flow and improvisation perhaps? Or is it something else?

I like this video. I'm not a dancer at all...and I think (I hope) that our interaction together evolves as much from input from Tam as input from me. Some of his responses to my movements has changed over time for a variety of reasons. As long as I note them, then I just go with the flow. If he chooses to react a new way to an old cue, then I just make a new cue for the old movement (I hope that makes sense!)

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"Ride reverently, as if each step is the axis on which the earth revolves"

Volker, you can already dance with your horse...you honestly have a lot of grace about you...and I don't mean that in a girly way...

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"Ride reverently, as if each step is the axis on which the earth revolves"

Thank you Karen! I don´t mind a bit of girly grace - better than manly blundering.

That´s a very interesting point. Lily can act like mad, especially when treats are involved. Her ears flip back, she takes up a fighting stance, she´s on the edge of rearing anytime (though she never really does rear), she´s kicking with her hindlegs and swishing her bushy tail. I think if a bystander sees her like that, he would think her a most aggressive pony and us mad and/or incompetent. She can get so agitated that she looks like she´s going to burst any second. She wants to respond as quick as lightning, which mostly results in her doing every possible response at the same time, sending her tumbling with her feet in knots.
If you know her, it´s touching to see her like that, but on the other hand I´d like to know a way to calm her down a bit. I always wondered if she´s under a bad kind of stress, or if it´s more like children waiting for their Christmas presents.
Of course she has her calmer days as well when she´s so pleasant to work with and I think it´s a bit exaggerated now that she´s confined to the comparably miniature winter paddock.

Karen, do you have any tips or techniques for calming Lily down, when she´s like that?

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Volker

The horse owes us nothing.

I really like the movie with the stairs-piano....
It shows realy that people doesn't be so different of animals...

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http://egeziezale.jimdo.com/

Concentration can look like stress. My arab pony who was a super show jumper always had his ears back when jumping. He was a willing partner and sj was something we also did without tack over bigger jumps at home than competition required. At local shows I did not need to walk a course because clever pony would watch and assess. Providing I tried not to interfere, he usually managed to do his own steering and went clear. Not sure he looked happy but he jumped by himself over pasture obstacles the other loose horses detoured, and still put ears back to do it.

I'm not sure I can be specific, the 1st minute was fine, but between 2 and 3 minutes I found watching more about how 'trained' the horse was and how clever the trainer, but felt no joy from the horse. Since I am nowhere near learning or teaching most of what the video accomplishes, and Dan and Arthur do sometimes look cross if they want my coat pockets, I just don't know why I feel sorry for the horse making such an effort to give his trainer her performance.

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Susie xx
http://www.flickr.com/photos/piepony/

Karen,


This reminds me of the video I watch often with Alexander Nevzorov "The Horse Crucified and Risen" his horses, Perst in particular, sometimes have their ears back sometimes forward. It has to be the intense focus if they could want to they could just run off...
Steph

I liked the video. Very similar to some of the canine freestyle moves I've taught to dogs. Sometimes I see horses that are extremely calm but I miss some energy and exuberance. I think that horses all have slightly different body language just like we do. I know when I see myself on video or even in photos sometimes I'm speechless, not because I'm not happy with my appearance, but because my non-verbal language looks different to me than I intended it.
I would think that horses really differ too in how they express themselves and have misunderstandings even among themselves.

Birgit

Being a young horse, we might also be seeing a lack of understanding of bend, which will make the horse look stiffer and uncertain. It takes time for a horse (and often the handler as well) to understand the mechanics of movement, relaxation, composure and how it's all interconnected for the horse. Once it all comes together you see harmony within the horse. Until it's there though, you will only see glimmers.

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"Ride reverently, as if each step is the axis on which the earth revolves"