I learned the 12 Steps from Richard Shrake 10 years ago and have been doing them ever since. They are the basis for all lateral movements. Anybody, even my dog can chase a horse around a pen, that's not training him. But when you can communicate to your horse that you want him to move a specific foot or part of his body on command, now you are somebody that a horse thinks is respectable. And if you can do it without a special stick or rope then you have saved yourself some money too.
The 12 steps are a series of maneuvers we do with our horses to teach them how to respond to our aids. These steps can be done with horses of any age to improve communication and obedience, improve the rider's timing and rhythm and improve the horse's responsiveness. Starting on the ground we use our hand where our leg would be when we are riding. Button 1 is a little forward of the girth, button 2 is at the girth and button 3 is a little behind the girth.
Read over the written explanation of the 12 steps while you watch Fancy do the 12 steps on the ground. She was a 3 year old thoroughbred filly in this video. She was doing some of the 12 steps the very first time I rode her.
After your horse has learned the 12 steps on the ground then you can start to teach him under saddle. Read over the written explanation of the 12 steps under saddle while you watch Nicholas. Nicholas was an 8 year old quarter horse gelding in this video and had been doing the 12 steps for 5 years.
The steps are progressive. If your horse has trouble with steps 5 and 6 then go back and do 1-4 a little longer. It is very important that your horse wait for your aid and not anticipate before you actually touch them. Take your time and be patient. Training horses takes time but the rewards are well worth it.
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Since you get exactly what you think about, let's think about what we want and how we want our horses to act. Think about your ride, visualize it perfectly. Seriously! Have you ever imagined that your horse is going to spook at that boogie man in the bushes? Or do you believe that he has a phobia about that corner that causes him to lean in? Be honest. And then doesn't he spook at the first butterfly that goes by or lean in at that corner every time?
Let's imagine our horses being calm, responsive & obedient. Then picture yourself sitting on him, focused on your job, enjoying the ride. Imagine how good it will feel to be hacking around the ring or riding down the trail, feel that warm and fussy feeling in your stomach that only your horse can give you. Then go do it. I KNOW IT IS NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS. My job is to help you stay focused on your job.
Being a confident rider takes a lot of time, self discipline, hard work, study and practice. Your success will be determined by your level of commitment. Think about the rider you want to be.
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When I was a kid, I used to get up on Saturday mornings and watch cartons. Back then it was the only time you could see cartons on TV. There were only a couple channels on TV back then, no VCR's, DVD's or VDV's or whatever's. Actually, it was even in black and white. Saturday morning until almost noon was carton/TV time for kids. Most of the cartons involved animals that spoke and acted like humans. So, I like most grew up thinking that I could talk to animals and treat them like humans and they would somehow understand. And yes of course, one of my favorite movies was Dr. Doolittle.
They lied to us! Animals can't talk or think like humans. And horses don't understand it when we treat them like humans either. If you are experiencing unwanted behaviors or training issues with your horse then I recommend you learn to speak "horse." Your horse didn't wake up this morning and say to himself "today I am going to really try to understand what my human is trying to tell me." Nope, I guarantee he didn't wake up this morning and think that. So, it's up to you to learn his language and try to understand him.
The first thing you want to remember is that a horse is a herd animal so when you are with your horse, he thinks of you and him and others around as a herd. Every herd has a leader and the rest follow. It's not a democracy in his world. It's a dictatorship. We don't like it as Americans, we think that system is horrible but to the horse, it is calming and comforting to know that someone else is in charge. That is why they say the kindest thing you can do for your horse is be a firm leader.
The leader has all the responsibilities. The leader decides where we go, when we go, how fast we go there, when we eat and when we don't (that one is very important). The leader of the herd gets first choice of the food he wants to eat and the ground that he wants to stand on. After you take the sex stuff away horses really only care about 2 things, eating or being eaten.
1. Eating
In the herd, the leader controls the food. In the pasture the leader chooses the pile of hay he wants and he takes it. He walks towards the other horse, and the other horse moves away (you should NEVER move away from a horse, always have the horse move away from you). If the food is shared that's like saying we are equal, pals, friends ect. That's a human thing, eating together as equals. We are not equal with our horses! They are 1,000 lbs we are 150 lbs. That doesn't mean we can't love on them because we can and we should.
Our horses need to know that we control the food or when they get to eat. I would recommend leading the horse into the stall and releasing him to eat. Every feeding is a training opportunity. I have seen many times over the years that the horses that really don't understand that the human is the leader have their meals magically appear through a hole in the wall.
2. Being Eaten
It is the herd leaders job to keep the herd safe. It is his job to watch or be on the look out for predators. That is why it is so important to look where you are going when you are leading a horse because if you look back at him or down at the ground then who is the leader? Who is looking for the predators? If not you, then his herd instinct tells him that it's his job. A lot of horses become stressed and anxious with that responsibility especially when they go to a strange place. At home, they will just head for the barn where they know there is a leader or they feel safe. Humans call it barn sour, I call it lack of leadership.
Remember we have to think like the horse. If you can lead your horse, stop your horse, release him to eat or not, trot him fast or slow, have him stand still or not then I would say your horse understands you are his leader. In fact, why don't you try it with a white tee shirt on. If you can do all these things without getting the shirt dirty then I would say your horse understands that you are the leader and you are now ready to move on to riding. If your horse does not trust you as a worthy leader, then you are probably not to safe on his back.
Take this white tee shirt challenge:
1. Lead your horse from both sides at the walk and trot
2. Stop your horse and have him stand still for 30 seconds
3. Have your horse stand for 30 seconds in the grass without eating
4. Then do it all in a strange place or at home without holding onto the rope
When I hear someone say "my horse needs to learn better ground manners" I think to myself, I need to teach you to speak "horse." Learning a new language is hard, it takes time. Learning to speak horse will take time, but the personal satisfaction and sense of accomplishment will make it so worth it. Your success will be determined by your level of commitment.
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Why were the riders at Wilson College beating their horses?
Last year I had an opportunity to work with the OPRC, also known as the Equestrians of Fine Vintage at their annual riding camp at Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA.
Riders were split up into several small group sessions. We worked on a variety of exercises including warm up stretches, our 12 step program, preparatory commands, transitions and lateral movements. Time after time I was excited to celebrate the horses' willingness to try and their improvements. But when I would yell “praise him” the horses were slapped on their necks. Of course, not one single rider meant any harm to the horse; in their minds, they were praising the horse for a job well done.
Horses would much rather be rubbed then slapped or scratched. If you want to say, "Good Job, I'm proud of you, trust me, relax, you are Ok," then rub the horse in front of his withers or on his face in the direction the hair goes very slowly. Then watch his eye soften, his head drop and his mouth lick and chew. When a horse is slapped, he is startled, the head comes up, he muscles up and the eyes get big. Most horses get used to it and become desensitized, but they still don't hear what we meant to say, which is, "Good job buddy, thank you so much for your efforts."
One very large handsome gelding literally gave an award winning performance over some very large fences, but when he was finished, he was slapped. His expression immediately went from "Look what I did Mom?" to a very startled "What did I do wrong?" Fortunately for him and for me watching, he was quickly relieved to hear his Mom's kind words of reassurance and praise.
Horses are very sensitive not only to our touch but also our body language. We've all heard that a horse can tell when you are afraid. Of course, they can also tell when they are with a confident, trustworthy and respectable leader. They can sense it through our body language. A confident leader stands tall, eyes up and forward and knows exactly when, where and what they want to do. A trustworthy leader is consistent and always uses the preparatory commands. A respectable leader is always honest and communicates to the horses in a language he can understand, like rubbing him instead of slapping.
Horses that spook, are barn or buddy sour, or won't load on a trailer are lacking good leadership. A horse is a herd animal. In the herd someone is in charge and everyone else follows. You see this a lot on trail rides. The leader is in front and all the other horses follow not knowing or caring where they are going. They know that it is the leader's responsibility to pick the path and keep them safe. The leader tells the herd where they are going, when they are going and how fast they are going there. Most horses are content to be the follower and let someone else be in charge. Those are the horses that are considered to be easy to train. Others are more of the army general type or think they are the boss. These are the horses that are more difficult to train.
So, why were the riders at Wilson College beating their horses? Well, actually they weren't. I just said that to get your attention, so hopefully more horses will actually hear "good job" today. Next question: How many times do we mean to say one thing but the horse actually hears something totally different?
Terry Peiper
Since I wrote this article I have noticed that some other people also agree with my theory.
Temple Grandin wrote in her book, Animals in Translation "people don't realize that you have to stroke animals, not pet them. They don't like to be petted. You have to stroke them the way the mother's tongue licks them.
On The Horse Show with Rick Lamb, Rick says "Horses are not big dogs. They don't like to be patted or slapped, even though most will tolerate a certain amount of that. The best way to pet a horse is to stroke, rub, or gently scratch him, and until you get to know him, it's best to first pet him on his neck."
Cherry Hill wrote in her book, How To Think Like A Horse "In general, horses like to be rubbed, not tickled or slapped. They enjoy being rubbed on their forehead, neck, withers, back, croup, and chest."
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Click here for my Get Ready Get Set Show checklist. I always hated that feeling of thinking I forgot something when I pulled out of the driveway. So, when I saw this list in a magazine one day I copied it and tweaked it and now I don't worry. Go ahead copy it and tweak it for yourself.
Terry Peiper is available for lessons Monday-Friday 9am-7pm. The indoor and outdoor arenas provide year round opportunity for training. Terry Peiper is dedicated to her mission of "Helping Horses with Their People" She welcomes visitors by appointment to meet her students, horses and to watch training lessons. To submit a question for Terry click here.
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