Working with Tendencies
In my last post I talked about realizing that there are certain things that are just a part of who Gunny is, they are his tendencies, the way that he is likely to respond. And just like with a human, they are not likely to change.
One of these tendencies that I had noticed was during feeding time. I hold the feeders for our horses as they eat as a way to increase our bond and to incorporate mutual politeness and softness into each day. Some days the horses are more pushy with eating than other days. Because I am looking for softness, I then need to explain to them that being pushy will not work. I had noticed that when Gunny gets pushy, if I allow the pushiness to push my arms and the feeder down as if it is mounted on elastic, then Gunny will become softer and more careful very quickly. Now this response will cause most horses to become more pushy. And that is where the working-against-tendencies-instead-of-with-them thing came in for me. When I finally realized that it doesn't matter if the result is the opposite of what most horses do, but it is what works for him, then that is where the light bulb went on.
Another tendency is that Gunny responds defensively if he perceives that I am blocking him from his hay or that taking his hay away from him. But I can take him away from his hay. (I know, go figure!) So if I need to move him while he is eating hay, if I stand behind him and cluck, he will move politely and willingly. But if I stand near him and move him by asking his front end to move over, then I am likely to get a defensive (ears pinned) response as he moves over. I think that this is because in that instance he perceives me as taking that hay away from him. But in the prior instance he can see I am just asking him to move. The end result is the same, horse moves and human can do what they need to do.
In both of these examples, the response and feel are totally different. One is calm and harmonious and the other is defensive or resistant. In both examples I still get the behavior that I want. It is just that I am adjusting how I ask according to what makes sense for that individual.
I guess the moral of the story is that if your responds differently than horse training wisdom dictates, don't be afraid to find what will work for you and your horse together.
One of these tendencies that I had noticed was during feeding time. I hold the feeders for our horses as they eat as a way to increase our bond and to incorporate mutual politeness and softness into each day. Some days the horses are more pushy with eating than other days. Because I am looking for softness, I then need to explain to them that being pushy will not work. I had noticed that when Gunny gets pushy, if I allow the pushiness to push my arms and the feeder down as if it is mounted on elastic, then Gunny will become softer and more careful very quickly. Now this response will cause most horses to become more pushy. And that is where the working-against-tendencies-instead-of-with-them thing came in for me. When I finally realized that it doesn't matter if the result is the opposite of what most horses do, but it is what works for him, then that is where the light bulb went on.
Another tendency is that Gunny responds defensively if he perceives that I am blocking him from his hay or that taking his hay away from him. But I can take him away from his hay. (I know, go figure!) So if I need to move him while he is eating hay, if I stand behind him and cluck, he will move politely and willingly. But if I stand near him and move him by asking his front end to move over, then I am likely to get a defensive (ears pinned) response as he moves over. I think that this is because in that instance he perceives me as taking that hay away from him. But in the prior instance he can see I am just asking him to move. The end result is the same, horse moves and human can do what they need to do.
In both of these examples, the response and feel are totally different. One is calm and harmonious and the other is defensive or resistant. In both examples I still get the behavior that I want. It is just that I am adjusting how I ask according to what makes sense for that individual.
I guess the moral of the story is that if your responds differently than horse training wisdom dictates, don't be afraid to find what will work for you and your horse together.
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