Dam...owning a horse is far more expensive than I thought it would be! But, that's OK. Today I called a swimming pool company to get a cost estimate on a pool big enough for a horse to tread water. Pool construction starts tomorrow. :0)
@@sherrywebster1675 The witches hat I can see, but what would a horse need with a psychology degree?? They don't have pockets to collect any fees. ROTFL!
When I was younger we children trained our own horses. Ofcourse they weren't at Olympic level but on their first trip we just let them follow the other horses. And they learned from there. Confidence repetition patiance and lots of miles. My uncle always said there are no stupid horses dogs or kids. Teach them to be willing and they learn from there.
This is a great "thinking person" lesson. It's really nice to see a principle illustrated without a horse even in the video. Thanks for helping to open that brain up to us .
#journeyon20 This video has really helped me with starting horses first rides in the most simplest way for the horse. Previously when it came to arena riding for the first times, I used a lot of steering or driving forward even when they weren’t too comfortable in the far end of the arena. Previously the horses were tense and nervous for their first rides. Now they are calm and my expectations of them are much less making for a better first arena ride experience for the horse and myself. This video (amongst many of your others) are a game changer. Your not only a great horse person but you have a natural knack of teaching too.
Hi Warwick. I love your videos and always learn something from them. Oh....by the way, your impersonation of the little rat swimming, swimming, swimming........lol 😂🤣.
Very nice. I love the Morris Maze example, too. Makes SO much sense. Kind of funny that we humans think we're so smart.... yet it's taken how many centuries to start to understand what horses have been telling us, if only we listen to them? Thrilled with the evolved horse training revolution going on. Great video, thank you.
I had mixed feelings about the rat trying not to die... but it did make sense for helping the horse look for comfort and realize that it was wherever we were going... Thanks Warwick, good demo as always
Haa. Right? But some horses really do think they are for sure gonna die....till they dont die. I first thought of the drowning rat having the same face as a rescue horse I had when hed look at a trailer. 😮
I love your approach! I appreciate all of your videos and how much information you can give in so little time. Thank you, I will be sharing this with people I know to hopefully help them too!
I used this to teach my OTTB to lunge long and low with no equipment like draw reins to make him do it. I basically asked him to slow down or stop every time he dropped his head from being sup in the air, then moved the level a bit lower, then a bit lower and he quickly got the idea relaxing and dropping his neck was the quickest way out of work. Once he had that down, I now try to only ask him to slow down/stop if his head below the vertical. Often the longer you lunge him for now, the lower his head stretches towards the ground.
It reminds me of the ending of Plague Dogs because if you give them hope of being saved they'd swim much longer searching for that hope of being saved.
Just found your vids your best quality is your ability to reflect on your practice/training. Listening instead of telling and changing your approach or way of doing things. Very brave and truthful considering you have many followers 👍
Interesting by-product of this, but including the 'horse-attunement', my horses look to me for the answer. When I ask or present something to them, they don't go to 'confusion', they quickly problem solve as though they know that if I'm there, there is the answer or solution. As a result, their willingness to try and override their fear is tremendous.
I wonder if this is similar to the method I used to use (when I rode) that when I got back from a trail ride, or got done riding, I would work them real hard by the barn, then walk them away and pointing away from the barn, would get off of them and walk them back.
This took me a bit to comprehend due to brain damage and the effort of listening VERY closely (deaf and no subtitles..😜) but the summary at the end finally sunk it in 😂👍🏼 duh...
Good for you for sticking with it! Have you used any homeopathic remedies to help you undo the brain damage? Arnica comes to mind first, just one pellet of 200c Arnica dissolved under the tongue and see how you do over the next few days or week. Arnica has helped reduce effects of concussions and strokes and surgeries and accidents. It has an affinity for reducing swelling, bleeding, bruising, and shock.
@@louisegogel7973 Thank you! I have been in love with Arnica for pain, externally and internally for years, but I had no idea that it actually helps with brain trauma. Thank you VERY much for sharing this with me! Gratitude 🕊🙏🏼 p.s. especially since I had a bad fall on black ice (more like clear ice..) Resurrection Sunday…😜
@@GodsSparrowSpeaks Glad you know about Arnica! Let me know how it does for helping heal your “rising” fall. If you search online, homeopathy for head injuries, you will find some good sites, such as British Homeopathic, which list other remedies that could be possible matches for your particular circumstance. Best yet, though, would be to consult an experienced classical homeopath.
thank you for this video. I have a young horse that has had just a few rides and this will be a great exercise. I am not a trainer and need suggestios like this.
Fantastic and genius explanation. You were surely put in this world with purpose. To teach people to communicate with their horses, and free equines from harsh training methods that are a symptom of miscommunication.
When you call a "traffic Cone" a witches hat, then you try and train a horse with that analogy it could be the horse is trying to figure out the human brain is his puzzle.........
All horse owners should watch your video! There are many barn/buddy sour horses over here, but that would change if people allowed the horse to discover for himself(like the rat).Ive sent the link to my friends.
Riders !! How heavy can a rider be before they should stop, and start using a cart.? Why should any animal want to carry another? I for one have a job carrying myself some days.
Excellent presentation of this concept. It's all about the mind of the horse, out of our own minds and into theirs. Less about what we're wanting and more about what they're wanting to get what we're wanting.
Funny thing, I was thinking this is a huge thing that gives people difficulty... We give kids a series of questions to train them how to look for answers (1+1=2, 1+2=3,1+3=...?) and then people fall apart when they get to questions like "What is the square root of negative 1?" or even worse, "Why is there unfairness in the world?" And we compound the problem by teaching with stories, which is a very effective way to teach, certainly, but people have a hard time figuring out 1) When the story is useful but not real... (Why do tigers have stripes? Because they want to blend in with the jungle... No, because the ones that didn't blend in were less able to have children.) And 2) Just like with answers, people start thinking that there's a story for everything... (Why is there unfairness in the world? Someone must have put it there...) And it seems like a lot of people really have a hard time getting past this.
A little off topic, but a healthy rat can tread water for 3 days. So when someone says something is wetter than a drowned rat, that means its REALLY wet.
I have been doing this for years and it works great for all kinds of things my young horses never have issues leaving other horses when we are out moving or checking cows because I have used this approach from the start of there training
When he says he uses that already in groundwork, are you doing that with the horse on a rope or in liberty? And does this work even when the horse is still really raw? I have a 3-year old who likes humans (because of treats) but other than that she likes to stick very close to her herd and I know her for a few days know. Should I try this already or do you think I have to establish our connection a bit more, so that she won't run me over?
@@MusiXificati0n I haven’t heard what Warwick says about feeding horses by hand, if that is what you mean by treat giving, but others have said most horses take getting treats as a sign of weakness in the giver. And they tend to take the dominance over because they want one of you to have the dominant lead role that protects the whole herd.
#journeyon20 This video made a big shift in the way I think about training. The other video that made a huge difference was when you first started talking about using the work of Elsa Sinclair (I cant remember exactly which one it was). I have been able to take all the things I learned from you and incorporate them into the work I have done with Elsa. The combination has created a beautiful relationship and transformation in both me and my 3 year old BLM mustang. Thank you so much Warwick!
This is one of the best explanations that’s applicable in so many situations but especially in working with green horses. Simply philosophy explained brilliantly. #journeyon
Got a trick for you, for everyone. Build the gate on the opposite end of the arena to "home". Home has no gate, and they won't lug for the gate at the other end. Helps create a balanced mind. I love your videos.
or you can just make being with you a good experience for your horse and give him a reason to not feel like he needs to get away from you to find relief. ;-)
Yes! I agree that the way Warwick is saying is fantastic… so respectful to the horse’s pace of learning. Step by step expanding on their comfort and understanding.
I’m curious about the rat experiment. Would a more positive approach have been to reward the rat for targeting the cone/step on the platform in a safe environment, then slowly introduce and increase the depth of the water? This would be analogous to us setting up yes questions and starting in low risk/low stimulus environments.
I can't imagine that the experiment was using an "unsafe" environment: the rat could easily have been pulled out if he hadn't found the tube to stand on - after all, it was a kid's paddling pool, not an olympic swimming pool! Nobody, I'm sure, would allow the rat to drown! That wasn't the point of the exercise at all ... The reward for a little bit of discomfort to begin with was huge.
I love this ! There is always something I can glean from your videos which are so helpful in other circumstances. I'm now thinking that it could be applied to the whole shoeing process ? I have a young horse (rising 5) and he's always been uncomfortable standing on his left hind. It's been really problematic for the trimmers. The only person who didn't have a problem was the farrier. He fidgets a lot, loses balance and it makes it quite precarious for the trimmer. In the heat of the moment, it's so easy to fall into telling the horse to behave which I hate and don't think is effective longterm. So, I'm thinking of ways in which I can place the hoof stand so that he comes to believe that this is his safe place. Would love you to do a video on this.......
Warwick- I watch your videos frequently... and really enjoy the thought process you illustrate. My only problem is How much I wish I had a horse to work with now! I’m a returning adult rider, after owning and riding most of my youth ( until I had some terrible health issues over the past 20 years) I returned to riding last November, mostly motivated by watching inspiring horse videos on RU-vid... your channel is one of my absolute favorites, I learn so much about horses every video, thank you for your generosity and smart, humane training philosophy - I only wish that I had a horse to work with more than my measly hour a week lesson (honestly after the past 20 years I’m deeply grateful for any horse time) Anyhow, thanks. Plus, I’m happy to hear that someone else calls them witches hats! I thought I was the odd one out. Maybe I’m just a bit Aussie? 🤷🏼♀️
Poor rat was lied to to get the result.... but it worked ! How would u get him to do it all the time though? Not just the once???love the psychology though
8 minutes of rat analogies. Moral of the story = work your horse away from the gate. Barn sour horse = natural. They move toward areas of relaxation. Teach your horse to relax in other areas of the arena, and they will be happier in the arena.
If that's all you got out of this, no wonder you're depressed. lol The video is about creating an environment where there IS an answer, and teaching the horse to hunt for it...in ALL areas. Certainly not just gate sour...how about going from a trot to a lope without being asked, for instance...or teaching your horse to hunt the headset where you aren't bothering him....or...
Thankyou for sharing your eyes on the world of training horses with dignity,enabling them to retain their nobility and directing their amazing ability of perception into a positive direction where they feel both safe and spirited and aren’t beaten into submission and resigned to succumbing to domination through abuse and mental anguish.
Horses are within the top 10 smartest animals. But, they are prey, which adds a fear factor, thusly, trust in the handler, and confidence in knowing what is expected of him, fear becomes less of a problem. A fearful horse is over reactive. Secondly, his vision is not the same as ours, and we don't take into account, their lack of depth perception. And, the "push-factor," at the hip, when something suddenly appears into their line of sight. Hence a forward, sideways tail clamp. The rider grabs with their legs, pushing the horse forward, even more.. then the rider proceeds to pull back, on the reins, hard, while still squeezing, curling into the semi-fetal position. They fall off, and blame the horse. They took a little movement, on the horse' part, turned it into a disaster. Then call the horse stupid, for doing exactly what he was told to do.
Flooding a horse into submission by abusive measures destroys a horses natural and unique ability to make decisions based on instinctual flight response.. warps their confidence and teaches them to be unsure in all of its responses which only opens up the door enabling the horse to react or look for ways to avoid pain which manifests in negative behaviour responses to keep itself safe such as an autonomous reaction to a predator as in as a prey animal species. I get it.
Very educative video! Would it be possible to use this technique in a (narrow) hallway? I'm training a horse that freezes a lot when walking through the hallway away from his friends and I'm not sure how to deal with it.
If you truly understand this concept then it can be applied to any circumstance. It's not so much a technique as it is a true understanding of the horse's mind. Try to think it through and then be creative on your own to adapt it to your circumstances.
Yes! It will work. You could disengage your horse in the hallway using your hand. Antime they freeze, go to disengaging with your hand. It doesn't have to have a lot of energy behind it. Just asking them to do something that is more work than just walking calming straight down the hall. Then let them rest just outside or in the ring or whereever you are going. It might take awhile to get there, however, you will probably only need to do this once or twice. This has the added benefit of starting the disengaging with your leg when your on your horse. They already know the answer, pressure on their side means move my hind end over. :-)
The first thing they have to be able to do before you ever ask them to go forward, is stand still. They do it perfectly fine in the pasture. I’d say the reason you horse can’t stand still under saddle is anxiety, I’d go back through all the groundwork and the saddling process
So, whenever she picked up the trot when the horse went to the gate, the whole time she was keeping him at a trot, she was letting him pick the direction?? No steering cues at that point?
