12 Myths and Misconceptions of Horsemanship

Barbara Burkhardt

Description

In order to form a partnership with your horse, you need to dedicate yourself to learning about the horse. In this text I hope to add to your knowledge of the horse’s physical and mental capabilities and his “natural” responses and physical boundaries. What I intend to do is clear up some of the myths and misconceptions that persist in the world of horsemanship.
Oh sure, people have been riding horses for thousands of years – but there are concepts that have sometimes “slipped through the cracks” of equestrian literature. A basic premise is: The more you knowledge you have, the less frustration you will have. Whether you are a weekend rider and want a horse that can take you safely down the trail, or you’re a highly competitive show or event rider, or somewhere in between, I want to help you have a better relationship with your horse.

Sujets

• Sport
• Autres sports
• Self-help
• Equestrianism

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 22 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669863939
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

12 Myths and Misconceptions of Horsemanship
 
That Can Prevent You from Becoming the Horseman (or Woman) You Want to Be
 
 
 
 
Barbara Burkhardt
 
 
Copyright © 2023 by Barbara Burkhardt.
 

Library of Congress Control Number:
2023901580
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-6698-6395-3

Softcover
978-1-6698-6394-6

eBook
978-1-6698-6393-9
 
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
Disclaimer of Liability:
The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. While the book is as accurate as the author can make it, there may be errors, omissions, and inaccuracies.
 
 
 
Front Cover. Pegasus, the original flying horse, by Sandy Rabinowitz.
The author on the Quarter Horse: Zippin to Gold,
a.k.a. “Hughie.” (Photo by Charlene Strickland)
 
Rev. date: 03/22/2023
 
 
 
Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
843363
CONTENTS
Author’s Note
Introduction
Myth 1     You Need to Be the Boss
Myth 2     Once Trained, the Horse Should Stay Trained
Myth 3     The “Natural” Rider
Myth 4     Men Are Better Riders Than Women—or Vice Versa?
Myth 5     No Pain, No Gain
Myth 6     The Importance of Grip and Balance
Myth 7     How to “Sit” on a Horse
Myth 8     Relax!
Myth 9     You Need to Sit Still
Myth 10   The Truth about Whips and Spurs
Myth 11   Bigger Bits
Myth 12   Why Won’t He Follow His Nose?
Conclusion
AUTHOR’S NOTE
W HEN I STARTED this text, I very much wanted to be “politically correct” and use he/she whenever referring to the human participants. I soon realized this was very cumbersome and was consequently persuaded to use “she” as the rider and “he” for the horse. I certainly do not want to imply that all riders, judges, trainers, etc., are female, nor that only male horses are suitable for riding; it is for convenience only. I therefore beg the reader’s indulgence (whatever his/her gender) for this treatment and hope that the clarity gained justifies the imprecision.
INTRODUCTION
A Horse with Wings
E VERY LITTLE BOY and every little girl that has been bitten by the “horse bug” dreams of riding “a horse with wings.” The ancients called this horse Pegasus, perhaps to symbolize the horse was “as fast as the wind.” To this theme, the esteemed Muhammad said,
Allah made the horse from the four winds: spirit from the North, strength from the South, speed from the East, and intelligence from the West. While doing so, he proclaimed, I create thee, Oh horse . . . as one of the Glories of the earth. (Wikipedia, January 16, 2011)
A renowned trainer once told me, “God gave us the horse—but he gave the horse us .” I think what he meant was we are the stewards of the horse—and we should treat him as a precious gift. To that I would like to add: the horse knows how to be a horse; we must learn how to be a horseman (or woman) . That said, let me offer some definitions:
What Is an Equestrian/Hors eman
Equitation is defined as “the act or art of riding horseback.” A horseman (or woman ) is “a rider on horseback, a person skilled in managing horses” ( Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictio nary ).
“Managing” a horse means mastering all the required health and handling routines. Furthermore, equitation is more than merely sitting on a horse—it is communicating and interacting with the horse. The rider endeavors to form a partnership with her horse. A horseman/woman must be the “leader” of the partnership. For this the horse “person” is constantly in tune with her horse’s every move. She relies on feel and intuition. She knows what the horse is thinking and what he is going to do before he doe s it.
In order to form this partnership, you need to dedicate yourself to learning about the horse. In this text, I hope to add to your knowledge of the horse’s physical and mental capabilities and his “natural” responses and physical boundaries. I do not intend to suggest that this book should replace your riding instructor—nor should you refrain from reading, observing, and learning from every source you can find. What I intend to do is clear up some of the myths and misconceptions that persist in the world of horsemanship.
Oh sure, people have been riding horses for thousands of years—but there are concepts that have sometimes “slipped through the cracks” of equestrian literature. A basic premise is the more knowledge you have, the less frustration you will have. Whether you are a weekend rider and want a horse that can take you safely down the trail, or you’re a highly competitive show or event rider, or somewhere in between, I want to help you have a better relationship with your horse.
Always remember: the horse has instincts, personalities, and past histories all his own. There must be Rules of Behavior, for you and your horse.
To put it another way: as people, we can pretty much do what we want to. A horse does not have this option. Therefore, we are obligated to the horse to handle and train him in the way that best suits his nature.
A horse’s general well-being is the basis of his performance capability. As riders in any discipline, we require performance from our horse. To perform, the horse must enjoy what he’s doing!
It’s with this core belief in mind that the rider can best understand my training advice. In each of the following chapters, I have tried to provide training tips that originate from the horse’s nature and point of view. My goal is to impart to the rider more understanding and “feel” for the horse. Riders can only respond to their horse correctly when they are able to understand his reactions. Therefore, the rider must learn to communicate with her horse. It is her responsibility to become familiar with her horse’s nonverbal language.
Horses must understand their riders— and that is especially important when problem-solving. Most of the time, problems occur because the horse has not understood the rider. Therefore, we riders must carefully “explain” our aids to our horse and give these aids consistently, that is, always the same way.
In order to communicate harmoniously with our horse, we riders must invest a lot of time in our own education so we can influence our horse with aids that are understood and are also effective. Horses require clear “instruction,” and only then can they execute our wishes. We must also be able to ride with balance and correct movement. These things will be discussed in the following chapters.
Whenever I provide riders with advice to help with various challenges, I am always guided by the tenets of classical horsemanship. These are tried-and-true methods of communicating and influencing the horse. You may recognize these methods as “dressage” oriented—or “Natural Horsemanship” to Western riders. If you’re unfamiliar with dressage methods, there are many good books on the subject.
I want to caution my readers about one more thing: while learning strictly from books and watching others is not ideal, you cannot learn strictly from experience either, so-called “trial and error.” Believe me, you will have more errors than need be. You need to learn from what is already known. You need to learn from other persons’ experiences.
Granted, acquiring that knowledge can take a lifetime and more, but the reward is in the journey. You should enjoy the little advances, enjoy each other’s company. Revel in the partnership with your horse.
I believe the suggestions and theories in these pages will increase your expertise and enjoyment of your partnership with your horse. I wish you many “aha” moments as you read this book. It will bring me great pleasure if the advice that I give is useful to you in your own riding and training.
To start, let me give you some more advice I think will be helpful.
A Different Kind of An imal
One of the first myths I want to dispel is that horses think or act like cats or dogs. (Actually cats are very different from dogs.) Almost all of my “horsey” friends are also dog lovers—along with almost every other kind of animal you can think of! But we do know the horse is a “different” kind of animal. Horses are prey animals. Dogs, cats, and humans are predators by nature; and predators react and think very different from prey animals. We must treat the horse on his terms in order to form a partnership with him. The “gift” of the so-called “horse whisperer” is he or she can get into the horse’s mind.
Never stop learning. Every time I thought, “I know all about this,” I got in trouble. Every horse is different, mentally as well as physically. You don’t know what you don’t know. So always keep an open mind.
You Can’t Learn Horsemanship A lone
Something we must realize is that horseback riding is a team sport . This “team” consists of at least two individuals who are (or should be) intensely focused on each other, each of whom makes an essential contribution. These partners—rider and horse—must like and understand each other if they are to work as a “team.”
Along the same lines, never forget that the horse is