Lessons from the Herd

Lessons from the Herd: Applicable Language Skills

By Christa Miremadi

Bojangles was a stunning buckskin gelding. He’d been bred, born and raised to be a Western Performance Horse. He was both athletic and attractive, a perfect combination for succeeding as a competitive horse (which he did).

This is another performance horse I was working with who was being asked to do something outside of her "programming." This is the kind of response that is typical when first trying to interrupt the patterning and when inspiring new thought pathways and stimulating conversational interactions with a highly "programmed" performance horse.

Like so many performance horses, he was started young, trained through repetition, patterning and drilling and ridden in such a way as to produce submission and predictability. Unwanted behaviours were met with discomfort and consequence while desired responses were met with release, creating a reliable performance horse.

Over time, Bojangles learned to become more of a flesh and blood robot than a partner and after years of ‘performance’ it became clear that his physical body wouldn’t be able to keep up with this level of training forever. His owner, Carla, decided they needed a change. She began " looking for an alternative discipline, another way of being with her horse. She wanted him to last a long time and to enjoy his experiences and she wanted to find something they could enjoy together. She searched a long time for something that felt right, before finally discovering the art of the bridled stock horse and the incredible partnership that could be developed through the old Californio Bridle Horse system. This was just what she was looking for. They began to attend clinics and changed their old ways but Carla quickly realized how difficult it would be. You see, it was next to impossible for her to know if Bojangles was actually listening, feeling and responding to her or if he was just repeating programmed behaviours. Without a point of reference, Carla wasn’t even aware that there was a difference. In fact, it wasn’t until they began leaving the arena to practice their new skills out in the pasture that she became aware of this phenomenon.

You see, up until now, it was easy for Bojangles to get the answers right, they were all pre-programmed into his automatic responses. But outside the arena, when the herd began to move or there were hills to navigate or the wind picked up or a calf did something he wasn’t expecting, Bojangles not only had no pre-programmed answers for the unpredictable stimulus but he had no working understanding of checking in with his rider, no applicable “language skills” with which to communicate with her. Carla was equally as surprised and anxious to find herself aboard a horse who had suddenly come to life and didn’t seem to be responsive to the aids that she was using to attempt to guide him.

As you can imagine, this was not a comfortable experience for either Carla or Bojangles so she began to search for an understanding of where the breakdown in their communication was happening and how to rebuild their relationship through developing communication and feel.

That’s where I came into their story. I was initially hired to help chip the rust off Bojangles after a winter of standing around the feeder but as we chatted about goals, challenges and expectations, it became clear that they were in need of more than just a leg-up. It didn’t take long for me to crack through the patterned responses and trigger some honest feedback from Bojangles and, just like in so many of these cases, when the routine that he had become so reliant on was disrupted, he came to life, in all directions! It was fascinating to watch his eyes, body language and posture as he’d come in and out of programmed responses, and to see the simultaneous looks of both relief and anxiety as he realized he didn’t know what he was supposed to do next. At first he became anxious and flighty, running around the round pen with It’s not easy to no thought of me as a possible source of help. It wasn’t “un-program” a horse once too long though (after working with him the way I have with so many others), before he began to look to and for me, seeking guidance, suggestions and feedback. they’ve been At least from the ground. “programmed.” THIS is what I need from any horse that I can consider a partner. If I’m going to expect situationally versatile

"cooperation from my horse I’m going to need to develop a language with which we can communicate. Without this, without an open line of communication, a back and forth, a checking in and a way to give and receive feedback, how can a human or a horse feel safe with one another when faced with an unpredictable experience? Unless you can predict and reproduce the outcome of a situation 100% it is impossible to use a “programming” style of training to develop a partnership. In fact, I’m quite confident in saying that you can’t use “programming” to develop partnership. Period. In my opinion, any training style that uses “programming” to produce results is developing “performance.” For some, this may actually be the desired result but not for me. I’m looking for a working partner. A horse I can rely on when things go sideways. A horse who can recognize that if they’re lost, confused or worried, they can look for me, ask for guidance and trust my ability to keep us both safe and a horse who if I find myself in a sticky situation with, I can ask for their help and rely on their ability to think their way through things, wait for me and use their problem solving skills to help us both.

A group of riders during a Bridled Stockhorse workshop, heading out to gather the herd. Some of these horses are used to this kind of thing and some are performance horses, learning to do new things. Photo by Susan Dahlstedt. This picture shows the kind of stimulation and terrain navigation that is required of a horse, outside the arena when developing a Bridled Stockhorse. It's a much bigger "ask" of the horse; navigating uneven ground, trees, wildlife and the energy of the other horses and riders, not to mention the unpredictable nature of a herd of cattle, rather than just a few cows in a sorting pen or arena.

Partners.

It’s not easy to “un-program” a horse once they’ve been “programmed.” Those neuro pathways run deep and may never truly go away, but you can develop new neuro pathways and new methods of communication. You can teach your horse to check in and promote thought processes that will lead to developing problem solving skills, empowering your horse and helping to boost their confidence, both in themselves and in you. You create a new partnership. Christa and Pinto Miremadi own and manage The Rock'n Star Ranch in Pritchard BC. They offer Natural Care Boarding, horsemanship lessons, training and clinics focused on building relationships, strengthening partnerships and developing confidence between horses and humans. Through compassionate communication and sharing the horse's point of view, Christa shares her passion for horsemanship, hackamore/bridle horse development and the art of developing a working equine partner. www. therocknstarranch.com

(See their listing in our Business Services section under TRAINERS)