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Building That Vital Connection with Your Horse
As a student of equine communication and behavior, I believe there is a vital ingredient missing in today’s equestrian world. I think that the foundation of any relationship with a horse not based on a deep connection can, and indeed does, lead to problems. To add this vital ingredient, I recommend that before you even start to train a horse with traditional methods, you take the time to bond with him and shape his character and attitude to fit in harmony with you. My focus is on developing a personal bond and demonstrating appropriate leadership to build a “magical” connection between horse and rider.
The magic between the two happens when the horse instantaneously understands your intentions and there are no delays or discrepancies in the interaction. The team moves in unity, like horses move in a free running herd. A relationship with this kind of connection brings well-being to both human and horse.
Also, when a horse is not enthusiastic about what he is doing, it is very rare to get an exceptional performance out of him whether on the ground or under saddle, in competition or otherwise. However, enthusiasm can be easily built long before the introduction of tack and round penning. Setting rules of behavior not only cause a horse to become responsible for his own proper conduct but also make him eager to learn. All of this will become clear to you if you go to the roots of these principles and understand how horses operate.
In nature, horses are herd animals. From birth it is the mother and then later it is the herd, through social interactions, that shape the character of each individual within the herd. This process, necessary for the complete development and well-being of a horse, makes it possible for him to fit in the social order that exists in the community of horses. Because our domestic horses don’t live in a natural herd, they cannot receive this essential education. Often then, the horses that don’t experience this kind of social interaction develop an extreme personality, either dominant or shy, and struggle to fit in. Since it is we who domesticated the horse, it is our responsibility to shape his character.
By observing horse herds in the wild, I successfully identified the interactions that are relevant for this shaping and coded them in the Carolyn Resnick Method. The first part of this code is based on the interactions I observed between wild horses at the waterhole and are aptly called the Waterhole Rituals. So the rituals that take place in the herd environment can now be used by humans to the same potent effect.
Following the principles of my Method, we have the ability to influence the horse’s character in a natural way, shaping it to be able to live in friendship and harmony with us. In other words, we have a horse that loves being with us and has a desire to interact as well as to learn new behaviors and accept training readily.
To be continued….
Carolyn Resnick
Natural Horsemanship from the Ground Up
The magic between the two happens when the horse instantaneously understands your intentions and there are no delays or discrepancies in the interaction. The team moves in unity, like horses move in a free running herd. A relationship with this kind of connection brings well-being to both human and horse.
Also, when a horse is not enthusiastic about what he is doing, it is very rare to get an exceptional performance out of him whether on the ground or under saddle, in competition or otherwise. However, enthusiasm can be easily built long before the introduction of tack and round penning. Setting rules of behavior not only cause a horse to become responsible for his own proper conduct but also make him eager to learn. All of this will become clear to you if you go to the roots of these principles and understand how horses operate.
In nature, horses are herd animals. From birth it is the mother and then later it is the herd, through social interactions, that shape the character of each individual within the herd. This process, necessary for the complete development and well-being of a horse, makes it possible for him to fit in the social order that exists in the community of horses. Because our domestic horses don’t live in a natural herd, they cannot receive this essential education. Often then, the horses that don’t experience this kind of social interaction develop an extreme personality, either dominant or shy, and struggle to fit in. Since it is we who domesticated the horse, it is our responsibility to shape his character.
By observing horse herds in the wild, I successfully identified the interactions that are relevant for this shaping and coded them in the Carolyn Resnick Method. The first part of this code is based on the interactions I observed between wild horses at the waterhole and are aptly called the Waterhole Rituals. So the rituals that take place in the herd environment can now be used by humans to the same potent effect.
Following the principles of my Method, we have the ability to influence the horse’s character in a natural way, shaping it to be able to live in friendship and harmony with us. In other words, we have a horse that loves being with us and has a desire to interact as well as to learn new behaviors and accept training readily.
To be continued….
Carolyn Resnick
Natural Horsemanship from the Ground Up
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Comment
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Comment by Jennifer Lamm on January 14, 2010 at 11:49am
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Hi Carolyn, thanks for posting. I hope I come across the waterhole rituals to see if I've done them with my orphaned mustang, oliver.... his "issues" made him semi-dominant with me, but he easily settles with some character building exercises, as you call them, lol.... it has been quite a challenge to teach this young man manners. I've had the help of a professional but we rescued him when he was 8 weeks old... he really has no idea of social behavior... I can't wait to read your findings and look forward to the education. thank you for posting here.
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