The Art of Natural Dressage

Hello,

first I wanted to say thanks to all of you for sharing your experience.
When I startet to read the "Special Posts" Romy mentioned I thought: there is so much more to learn. And I love learning, especially about horses and how to deal with them in a kind, gentle and fair way.
I want them to have fun with me. I want that they like to spend time with me. I want that we have a good time together, that's the most important!

But for me it isn't always easy because I learned that horses have to do what I say everytime, otherwise they become dangerous. So from my first day with horses I learned to force them to do something instead of listening to them, instead of finding a way to turn my idea into their idea, instead of working with their own ideas, instead of communicate with them really and instead of just having fun.

I often came home from the horses with anger and the terrible feeling that everything went wrong. I didn't knew what I could change and what would give me, and the horses, a better feeling.
Then I found out about the clickertraining. It took some time, but then it totally changed my mind. There was a way to work with the horses without forcing them. I was one step further on my way with horses.

Now I feel like at this time, when I thought about positive reinforcement, dominance and everything I did with horses and how I did it. The last time I thought a lot about voluntariness (don't know if the word fits), about friendship and communication.
It feels like something will get better the next time and maybe it has something to do with this forum .

After reading the "Special Posts" I have a little question. Where should I go on reading? All of the topics seem to be so interesting. Could you please give me a tip? It would help me al lot !

Maybe I should add something about the horses:
I have no own horse, but I take care of four horses. We make groundwork with the clicker but not big things...just for fun and to do something together .
One of the horses is an 24 year old arabian mare. Two of the ponys are Shetlandponys and of one of them I don't know the race. The ponys are all between 13 and 17 years old. They all have very different personalitys, so it's very interesting to work with them.

And about me:
I'm a 16 year old girl from Germany. I started riding when I was eleven and when I was 13 or 14 I got my first "horse in care" (don't know how to say it in English ) and I still work with this horse. I ended riding at the riding school at the time I startet with clickertraining. In 2012 I got three ponys to take care of.

My whole thinking about horses changed at the last years, but I'm still making so many mistakes.
There is so much more to learn and I think here is a good place for it .

So, I should stop writing, otherwise no one will read it...

Greeting
Anni

...and sorry for my bad English .

What a lovely post Anni!
I think for me the happiness of sharing time with horses is feeling like I add value to their lives. I own my horse and also take care of my friends horse who lives with him. I try to understand what they would like and what I can do for them that they can't do for themselves. That way they look forward to seeing me and are eager to want to come and see me as they see me as something good. It may be to get their eyes washed, their ticks removed, a certain spot to scratch that they can't reach or something interesting to eat. Sometimes they want me to play with them. Sometimes they just like my company but don't want to be touched or bothered but will use me to keep guard while they snooze or graze somewhere a little further from their comfort spots.
When I play with the horses I try to work their bodies to improve their suppleness and to offer them some mental stimulation in using their bodies in ways they may not think they can. In the past I have used games to help them overcome fear of human things and to be more comfortable about things they have perhaps been forced to do in the past in a not so friendly way.
As you already know each horse is very different and each horse will tell you what they like and what they don't. As you spend time with them without asking anything from them you will be able to read them better and they will start to show you what they want from you.
If you are taking care of them every day then look for ways you can improve how you are seen by them. Little small changes that are immediate when they ask can really change the way they view you. Even just finding that special scratch spot can have that one horse running to come and find you for more.
Taking walks together to places they can't reach when you are not there or taking some interesting "toys" to play with can make it fun for you and the horses and trying to communicate a move or cue can teach you lots about how you can understand the communication better between the two of you.
You are very lucky to have 4 horses to interact with and if you do everything at liberty you will soon see what they like and what they don't and may have a better idea of going forward.
You don't say if the horses are "worked" or "used" in a traditional way by anyone else? This can make it more difficult but they really do know the difference between those humans that add value and those that take. So even if that is the case maybe you can be there to offer friendship in between and to make their lives more comfortable?
Perhaps if you read through the games you will be inspired to try and teach a new move and figuring out how can be lots of fun when you have no way to force or insist they do it.
I am happy you are here and hope you can get that joy of being with the horses back in your life as it is very rewarding.
Don't worry too much about you did in the past. We have all made mistakes and horses are very forgiving.

_________________
Annette O'Sullivan

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. - John Lennon

Welcome, Anni, so nice to have you here! And bad English... are you kidding? Your English is GREAT!



Good to read that the Special Posts thread was useful for you. We have something similar for whole discussions about the topics that often come up here: Links to threads. Especially if you are interested in the questions of how you want to interact with your horses, you might find a lot of food for thought in there. If instead you want more specific information on how to work on a certain exercise, you can check out the Groundwork Exercises subforum.

But there really isn't any "correct order" in which you should read here, because that differs so much between people. Some come here in search for a solution to a specific problem and are interested in practical information and instruction, whereas others feel they want to improve something in their relationship with their horse, so for them the more philosophical discussions about goals and interaction styles may be more interesting first. And still others prefer reading about the specifics of people's day-to-day interaction with their horses, so for them it's the diaries that are most useful. It really depends on what you want.

Looking forward to reading more about you and the ponies!

Best wishes,
Romy

Hi Anni,

welcome here!



I know that feeling too. And I also was in search of another way in dealing with horses. The Clickertraining for example is only one thing that help us for a better understanding. And since knowing Romy (we know each other since a short time ago) has become the relationship between my horse and me so much more intensive than before. Romy has showed me, how can I influence the motions from my horse only with my body-language, quite without pressure or other means. It's an amazing thing, again and again...

I look forward to reading from you soon.

P. S.: I still have a question: Are you "Fenja" from another forum? I have noticed a similarity to this person...

@Morgan
Thank you for your nice words. What you describe is exactly how I want to "work" with the horses.


Sometimes the horses are used or handled by other people in traditional ways, but I think the most time with humans they spend with me. So I try my best to add pleasure to their lives.


Thank you! That's good to hear, I didn't knew if it would be good enough .


Great, that's what I was looking for. Now I can spend the next time reading and reading and reading . Thanks a lot!


Thank you!


You're right, that's me .


Seems like we have similar experience.
Unfortunately I have no trainer here (only the horses), so I can just learn from reading and watching videos and try on my own.
Romy helped me a lot with her text about 'Encouraging politeness' and she made me curious what else I would find here, and since now I'm excited.

...now I will go to read something ...

Welcome Anni!

So nice that you found your way here - and reading your first post I think this could be the perfect place for you. There's so much to learn here - especially so many stories of people from all over the world approaching the same topic in so many different ways.
What I found the most interesting - and most challenging - thing to do with my horse was to find a common language. In a sort of "Tarzan & Jane" moment I asked little questions in body language and rewarded the answers. Bit by bit, we discovered a way to talk to each other that actually didn't need much of a guidance from outside at first, because it was just the most intuitive thing to do. And also something very intimate... For me that was the perfect way to start with a horse and that memory is very dear to me.

But if you came here via Romy's 'Encouraging politeness' then you have probably already done what I was talking about... That was also the entry point to AND for me. What I also found very interesting was the game 'Catch the Tiger', because it can show you a lively side of your horse that may remain undiscovered otherwise.

I'm sure you'll find some threads to your liking - just keep digging and keep asking

_________________
Volker

The horse owes us nothing.

Thank you Volker!

Yes, I've done what you described and it was wonderful to see how gentle the horses could be if I act gentle too.
I watched the 'Chase the Tiger'-Video and it seems to be great. I'll try it the next time when I've tinkered a 'Tiger' .