Book Updates and Insights

I am taking the opportunity presented to me on this rainy day to write an extremely long post regarding the things I have learned from Tom Widdicombe and Mark Rashid's writings. I will start with Mark Rashid's newest book, Whole Heart, Whole Horse.

This book was really a wonderful read and very easy to follow because of the story-telling style of writing he used. Here are some things I was reminded of or saw from a different perspective:
*Horses can't separate the way they feel from the way they act (meaning they act in a way indicative to how they feel). Therefore, we shouldn't consider any kind of behavior from the horse as bad because he is merely providing us with feedback or information.
*The problem with teaching your horse to maintain speed, gait, and direction while the human staying in a neutral position is that "too much leeway could easily build miscommunication between horse and human." When we send the horse out and fail to give him any more guidance, the horse will start making decisions to do something different (ex. stop, change direction, slow down, etc.). When he does this we have allowed not only the thought to form, but also allowed it to turn into a physical action, which we then tell him was the wrong action. This is not only very confusing to horses, but is also stressful for them, because we tell them whatever he chooses to do is okay (that is the message recieved by the horse in our "inactivity"), then tell him that he is wrong when he chooses to do something. I thought this was an extremely good explanation of this particular topic.
*The term lightness means that a horse responds to aids and cues quickly and responsively. However, the term softness means responding to aids responsively but RELAXED. Therefore, it is possible for a horse to be light, but not soft. My goal when riding and working with my horse is to develop softness physically, mentally, and emotionally.
*Softness must first come from inside the rider in order to eventually have it develop in the horse.
*"In the end, however, offering our whole heart to reach the whole horse is a path worth following. Because one the whole horse comes to the surface...that truly is something."
All in all, this book is a wonderful read and really has some good information in it. These were just a few of the highlights from the book that really jumped out at me. But to those of you who have not read it yet, I recommend it highly.

Now on to Be with Your Horse by Tom Widdicombe. This, too, was a very good book that really emphasized offering the softest feel possible to your horse because he will likely respond. Here are some interesting points he makes in this book:
*"If you can find out what it is that a horse needs and show him that you know about that, the behaviour of your horse will almost certainly change for the better."
*Tom makes a statement in the book that says that if we can show to our horse that we are with him (meaning present, in the moment, and very aware of his presence and the fact he "doesn't want to be on his own"), "taking care of him" (stepping up to the plate and being a good leader and "freeing" him from the leadership role so he can just sit back and relax), and "not letting him down" (meaning being consistent so he starts to rely and depend on you), then your horse will start to trust you.
*He also talks about how when your horse asks you a question, and you don't answer it (you do nothing), they take that as a 'yes.' He uses the example of personal space. If they ask if it's ok for them to approach, and you don't do anything, they take that as, "yes, that is fine." Next thing you know you have a horse who is all over you because you inadvertainly gave him permission to.
*"Most horses I've met are only too happy to hand over the responsibility of choice if they can find a good strong leader." This quote really spoke to me because I find myself questioning whether Woody wants me to lead becasue sometimes he seems all too happy to make his own decisions.
*"Whatever the response you are getting from your hordr, one thing remains the same: your horse wants and needs to know, in black and white, how things stand between you and him." A very good reminder that horses do not like or understand grey areas. We need to be as clear as possible!
*The main point that Tom makes in this book is that the way we are with our horse is the most important thing. If we are understanding, strong, loving, soft, and supportive leaders, we will provide our horses with something that no special piece of equipment or specific technique can provide. It is about HOW YOU ARE with your horse, not necessarily WHAT YOU DO.
*"Your horse is looking for sureness and strength, something he can really rely in for his well-being."
*The importance of clarity is extremely high. If you ask your horse to do something and he doesn't understand, and then begin to apply pressure to enforce your ask, all you have done is increase the urgency he feels to find a way out of pressure. This is stressful for the horse, especially if the pressure keeps building and building. Rather, we should make sure we are being clear in our body language and aids, and if he doesn't respond be more clear or do something to cause him to do the right thing to find the release. If he doesn't understand, why would we put more pressure on him?
*Tom's belief which is expressed in this book is that horse's do not like or need a lot of responsibility. However, "it is only if we proactively take up that responsibilty that the horse can relinquish it. He has to know that we will take care of the responsibilities he gives up about where his atention is and his movement (direction and speed).
*Tom also lists 5 characteristics and qualities that he says are useful. The big 5 are...
Clarity
Patience
Consistency
Fairness
Generosity
Again, this book is a really great read. Tom Widdecombe is thought to be a Brittish version of Harry Whitney. I do agree, they have many of the same ideals, an it was good to review some really important principles. I wold highly recommend this book to any horsepeople as well.

I hope these insights have helped, reminded, or taught some of you guys, because they sure did help me.

~Eden