A Few Things

 

We’ve had some crazy weather here.  Everything from thunderstorms, to snow a few days ago, to 70+ today.  Needless to say, the riding and the footing have been variable, but I’m averaging 3-5 rides a week with groundwork pretty much every day.  A few insights have come up since I subscribed to JOSH NICHOLS RELATIONAL HORSEMANSHIP that I thought I’d share.

Honestly, the form of what you do under this program is very similar to a lot of other natural horsemanship systems.  The yields and footwork are very similar to the TRT Method, Dressage Naturally, or even Warwick Schiller.  The difference is in the feel.  In this program the horse needs to be in a receiving energy ideally, so all the yields flow.  Think moving an empty box versus a box of rocks with your finger.  There is also a lot more emphasis on having the horse turn to you/draw when under pressure or when their mind is away from their body.  You want to be able to put pressure on the horse and then draw him and get a soft release or get smooth yields from just your energy.  I think this is probably what a lot of really good NH trainers do, I just find JN explains it and breaks it down a bit better.

Also, the groundwork patterns flow seamlessly into the riding patterns.  After you figure out if your horse is a pressure, space, or mind horse primarily and you meet that need, the work builds on the pattern of a weight shift to the outside shoulder, poll flexion to the inside, and an activated inside hind leg.  The basic riding pattern is the same with the rider’s slightly lifted inside shoulder/weight on the outside seat bone to shift the horse onto the outside shoulder which allows the poll to flex to the inside, and the inside hind to engage.  This is the basic position that all more advanced movements flow from.  Horse’s weight slightly shifted to the outside shoulder, which allows the poll to rotate inside, and the inside hind to engage.

Between getting Cruise in a receiving energy in the ground work, getting him slightly shifted to the outside shoulder, getting his poll rotated to the inside, and getting his hind engaged, the magic seems to be happening.  He’s now stepping into canter the first step I ask.  The canter is balanced and light.  He’s mentally much more with me, even with the high winds and variable temperatures.  He’s just much more relaxed in general.  It’s early days but I’m finding this is another layer of the onion that is super helpful.

What new online learning tools have you been finding useful lately?

Mind Horse and Pressure Horse

 

Last post I talked about some of the characteristics of space horses.  According to Josh Nichol’s Relational Horsemanship there are two other needs or types of horses, mind and pressure. 

Pressure horses respond to pressure primarily by running away.  They are very sensitive and easily startled.  The exercises for pressure horses revolve around bringing their focus to the rider/handler first when under pressure and then adding a soft release from the lead rope or rein.  Obviously starting without pressure and then gradually building up to harder things.  Jet is totally a pressure horse and has responded fabulously to the JN ground work.  It’s like I could hear him sigh and think-FINALLY she can speak my language.

Mind horses are always distracted and gazing in the distance.  Basically, their mind and body are separate and that causes them anxiety.  They have trouble being present.  The exercises for mind horses focus a lot on bringing their mind back to the handler/rider and to their own body.  A little video explains it HERE.

I highly recommend the NOËLLE FLOYD 7 day free trial if you’re interested in Josh Nichol’s program.  The videos cover each type of horse, are concise and show the exercises.  It’s easy to cover everything in the 7 days, probably twice.  Then if you’re hooked, I recommend Joshnichol.com and the Masterclass for much more in depth information and much more content.  Enjoy!

Space Horse

 

In Josh Nichol’s Relational Horsemanship horses have three needs, mind, space, and pressure.  Mind referring to keeping their mind present with their body instead of gazing off into the distance.  Space being the horse’s relationship to the energetic space around the rider/handler.  Pressure referencing the horse’s overreaction to any kind of pressure.  Most horses are easily identifiable as primarily one of the three and the training emphasis is slightly different for each kind of horse.

Cruise is definitely a space horse.  Quick VIDEO here.  Always barging onto me, head up in my grill, kind of unresponsive.  Space horses also tend to be slow to the leg and aids in general.  Through a series of exercises in hand all that has changed.  By having a strong energy field around myself and getting Cruise to receive that energy and yield slightly he has become a different horse.  Respectful with his head unless I draw him. Yielding all parts of his body just from my energy field.  Much calmer and connected in general because he knows where I am and also receives my energy willingly.

Interestingly, all of the sudden we have an easy walk to trot in hand for the first time with no bracing.  And even though the JN work has all been in hand, Cruise has become much more responsive under saddle.  I’m obviously oversimplifying things a bit, but this work is kind of amazing.

Josh Nichol

 

 

I know, I know, I promised no more rainbow chasing and to stick with one program.  Then my farm became a frozen tundra for months.  I was pretty much limited to ground work and the occasional ride in my teeny tiny indoor in very cold weather.  I don’t remember how, but I came across a NOËLLE FLOYD PODCAST with Josh Nichol and I was intrigued.  So far, I’ve done the 7 day free trial with Noelle Floyd’s JN content and I’m currently subscribed to Joshnichol.com’s MASTERCLASS.

I finally have an answer for why Cruise won’t willingly go forward, why Jet has completely different challenges, and why neither horse seems to trust my leadership.  Relational Horsemanship feels really familiar to me after the TRT Method, Dressage Naturally, Warwick Schiller, and Patrick King BUT with some huge differences and a methodology that really clarifies things for me.

Cruise is willingly going forward in hand and under saddle.  He is finally out of my space.  I’m finding it much easier to get his mind back with me.  His balance in hand and under saddle is much improved.  Bliss.

I think I’ll do a few posts with YouTube links soon to share the magic!