SEPTEMBER 1997 BACK ISSUE

Part of Horse Previews Magazine website. Posted on 9/1/97; 10:00:00 AM.

Swedish Horsemanship, Notes from Stefan Forsman

To Lead and Hold The Horse

Stefan Forsman communicates with Horse Previews Magazine via the Internet. He can be reached that circuit at Stefan Forsman <slaila@sn.no>. Here are further notes from a Swedish clinic with the trainer.

A horse dominates other horses by controlling their movements. At the very moment you attach the lead rope to the halter, the horse has read your body language. If you allow the horse to push past you or you step to one side to let it go by, you communicate that you are number two in the hierarchy. The horse must always - in all circumstances and without exception - give way to you! The head mare in the wild herd will never under any circumstances allow a lower-placed horse to gallop past her or block her way. Nor will she give way for a horse placed lower than herself.

If you want a horse to become your equal or at best be indifferent to you or at worst take the initiative and become the leader, then lead it from the side. Personally I want a horse who sees me as its leader. Although strong, I am no match for a horse who weighs around five times more than me. It is therefore, very important that I am able to figure out how I am to become the leader and then remain so. When the horse has learned how to follow me - this takes at the most five minutes - it is never again allowed to go past me.

Whilst you stand in front of the horse, calmly attach a 5m, about 16-1/2 feet, lead rope to the halter. Stroke the horse (do not pat - the horse wants to be stroked!). As soon as the horse indicates in any way that it will go past you, shake the lead rope until it takes a step backwards. As soon as you see he is about to reverse, stop shaking immediately. In the first instance, on less sensitive horses it may be necessary to shake the lead rope quite hard, but always begin gently, increasing the intensity until the horse takes a step backwards. As soon as the horse attempts to take a step forward again, begin shaking, and stop in the same split second that he takes a step back. You must be 100% consistent and within a few minutes, at the most, the horse will be standing calmly, with lowered head and will begin to relax. If the horse should again attempt to move forward then repeat the procedure. Without exception you must always correct the horse. Never use more force than is absolutely necessary and never a fraction of a second too long. Leadership, Consistency and Comfort zone - the key words - you have by now communicated to the horse both your and its place in the hierarchy. When walking with the horse it should now follow you and never be allowed to enter your private space/atmosphere - just as if you were the lead horse. If the horse will not follow you, pull gently on the rope, and as soon as the horse makes the slightest indication to move forward, slacken the rope in the same split second. If you must pull harder, then do so, but again as soon as the horse begins to move, slacken the rope, thereby creating the comfort zone. The 5m rope becomes useful if the horse wants to back away from you. Never slacken the rope as long as the horse pulls backwards. As soon as he makes a move in the correct direction reward this by slackening the rope completely.

As soon as you stop the horse should stop. Should you walk backwards then so should he. If the horse shows signs that he is about to go past you, stop at once. At this time, if you consider him to be too close, give the lead rope a good hard shake. You can shout at him simultaneously to gain his attention. In the same split second as the horse complies, stop. As soon as the horse keeps the required distance, then you leave him in peace. No kissing and no pulling on the rope - just a quiet walk. Once again you have told the horse that you are its leader - the horse's position is behind you and it is you who decides when to walk and when to stand still.

THE ROUND PADDOCK

As mentioned earlier one horse will dominate another by controlling the movements of the other. To the horse, movement is synonymous with survival. The dominant horse can make the other horse move, even though it doesn't really want to. By the same token, the dominant horse can get the other horse to stop moving even if it doesn't really want to. If as the lead mare you can control your horse's movements then you can control his mind. From this you can control and form his behavior and thus gain control over his body. The horse should learn to always give way to man.

The horse will acknowledge your leadership by relaxing and lowering his head. A lowered head to a horse is synonymous with a dog who lies on its back and bares its throat for another dog, or a man who bows to his master. When the horse lowers its head, as if it is going to eat, he is vulnerable, since he does not have full control over his surroundings. The horse is a creature of flight, prey for others and a herd animal who always seeks a leader. This is a very important part of the work in the round paddock. When the horse communicates to me that I am accepted as its leader it will follow me anywhere without halter or lead rope!

The formative step is to "park" the horse in the middle of the paddock. He is then made immune to various stimuli which would normally result in a negative and undesirable reaction. I achieve this by massaging/stroking the horse, all over its body. This includes the most sensitive parts e.g. his genitals. The horse must accept being touched everywhere without any form of protest. When this is achieved I place my hand on the horse's left or right-hand side, (about the middle of the back), and begin waving my free hand slowly up and down. The waving becomes faster and more aggressive. I change hands and repeat. When the horse accepts the moving hands I move to the other side, the hind quarters, and the front, where I stand directly ahead of the horse's head, repeating the exercise. The next step is to stand at the horse's side again with both hands on his back. I begin stamping with one foot and then the other. I progress until I am stamping with both feet. At this point I introduce first one waving arm then the other. This procedure is carried out on all sides.

The next part of the training sees me running around the horse in large circles, waving my arms about. Without warning I run towards the horse - first from the one side, then the other, from the rear and finally from the front. Often, I am joined by willing helpers who run towards the horse from all possible directions but stopping short of touching him. I ask them to imagine they are wild animals - a grizzly bear seems to fire the imagination most! (Thought from me - Its amazing what he can get adults to do - there is no sitting on the side lines watching when you attend these clinics!). When the horse is standing still and you can see that he is comfortable with all that is going on around him, I introduce a plastic sheet. I fold the plastic sheet as small as possible and stroke the horse all over with it. Undoing one fold at a time, I introduce to the horse's body an ever growing piece of plastic. After a short time it is possible for me to run the fully opened sheet over the horse's body, without him making the slightest protest. This includes taking it through the horse's legs in all directions, making as much noise as possible with it over the horse's head or body and in general run around with it like a lunatic! The horse stands perfectly still, usually on three legs, having a rest on the fourth, yawning. Thereafter, other, once frightening stimuli are introduced such as self-erecting umbrellas; tarpaulins, which the horse will go both under and over - even allowing itself to pack in as a parcel; empty oil barrels are pulled around it on string, shot-guns are fired, etc. The horse is perhaps afraid at this time but trusts me as its leader not to hurt or let it be hurt by these things. It does not become fearless but learns to control its fear. At this point I could introduce a lion to the scene and the horse will stand where parked.

The most important thing to remember is not to stop the activity as long as the horse resists/reacts - (e.g. if I want to stroke the horse's head and it moves away when I touch it I do not take my hand away. I follow until the horse stands still and relaxes.) The horse is very quick to learn what is and what is not dangerous, otherwise he would spend most of his life in flight. The horse has to learn quickly and is therefore probably the easiest of all our domestic animals to train. After the horse has been through the work in the round paddock we come to the stage where it follows me without a halter or a lead rope. I can "park" the horse unbound anywhere and it will wait for me to return. Twenty people could surround the horse, jump up and down, wave plastic sheets, etc. and the horse will stand quietly unaffected. It has quite simply put a new outlook on life, realizing that this is not dangerous at all. The horse now trusts me 100%. I can now, for example, make the horse lie down without it becoming in the least afraid even if it wonders what on earth I am doing!

Remember the three elements in the basic training of the horse: Leadership, Consistency, and Comfort Zone. Next month we will continue with notes on training your horse for correct behavior.

Stefan Forsman