Ride Every Stride | Horsemanship and Personal Growth with Van Hargis

If you’ve been around a while you know I love it when we get listener questions in. Recently, I got a few of the same question back to back—which I how I know it’s time to talk about it on the show. The question that’s been coming in is “Do you use snaps on reins?” What they mean is the small metal snap loops to attach the reins to a bit. The short answer to their question is this: no. The main reason for this is that I’m not a fan of metal on metal contact on anything having to do with equipment on horses. The reason for this is that it is distracting, the snap sliding over the bit is a harsh point of contact. I get why some people use snaps—it makes it easier to swap out reins. But the barrier of metal on metal is something that I find gets in the way of communicating what you want to the horse.

Key Takeaways

So what are some alternatives? Many people use nylon reins. These can come in all sorts of colors to match the rest of your equipment, and can be looped right on the bit. The thing about nylon is that it doesn’t have any give at all to it. There isn’t any elasticity there.

Leather is by far my preferred rein type. The water loop on the reins attaches directly to the bit, and it has just a little bit of stretch to it. I find that it makes for a slower, smoother way of communicating my thoughts through the reins to the horse. It just feels right to me, a little more natural and stylish in my opinion as well.

It’s of my mind that you want to keep safety and comfort for the horse at the forefront of your thoughts when thinking about materials you’re using to ride. For example, I see some people using nylon off billets to cinch their rigging. But as we said before, nylon has no give. If you don’t use any type of material that has give in it on your cinches, then you can make it harder for your horse’s lungs to expand and breathe. That’s the opposite of what we want to do.

If you’re interested in more ideas and alternatives go stop by a local riding competition. Take a peek at other people’s tack, specifically riders and competitors that are highly successful. They do things a certain way and use certain materials for a reason.

I want to give a very heartfelt shout out to SnodGrass Equipment—I had my arena drag stolen a while back and not being able to keep my arenas even and fluffy was driving me crazy. I emailed Randy Snodgrass, telling him how bummed out I was, and Randy took care of me—he just sent me another one. Talk about commitment to your customers there. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate Randy’s kindness and the quality of SnodGrass Equipment’s wares.

We also want to give a big thanks to Equi-racks who’ve been helping us out with the podcast and we’ve been using all their products on our new facilities on the ranch.

Also, if you’re a fan of the show please take time to head over and leave us an Itunes Review to give Laura and myself a glimpse of how we’ve helped you or what we could do better to help you ride every stride.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in negative thinking, even if it doesn’t seem like that big a deal. We might complain about the weather, it being too hot or too cold. We might say, “Well my mare is in heat right now and you know how that goes.” We find it so easy to fall into negative thinking, and I think a lot of it has to do with the media we take in. There’s always bad news in the paper and people arguing online, over the radio, and on T.V. Being positive is a practice, one where you take a negative and see the bright side of it. When we do that we’re able to visualize a better road forward for ourselves and our horses.

Key Takeaways

Positivity is ultimately a conscious choice we have to make. It may come easier to some than others, but all of us have to work at it in order to find the positive in every situation. Not just in life, but directly with our horses as well.

When our horses do something we don’t want, like buck or turn the wrong way or won’t load on the trailer—it’s easy to get wrapped up in the negative side of the situation. But if you take a moment and step back, you can see that both you and the horse are learning. Learning what triggers the horse to buck, and the horse is on its way to learning that bucking is a waste of energy—it will be easier in the long run for them not to.

Another key is that our thoughts control our actions. I like to do an exercise at my clinics where I give all the riders a task, and then bring in a large cone to the arena without saying anything. Riders will start gravitating towards it without knowing why. Even after I tell them to leave the cone alone riders will still drift to it—it’s occupying so much of their mind that their body is telling the horse to wander that way. Use your thoughts to focus on the positive, and your body and actions will follow.

Committing to better thoughts can be difficult. We can’t forget about all the bad things that have happened to us, but we can choose to acknowledge that we’ve grown from them and move forward. We can choose to learn how to cope and be happy. And if you can’t find a way to think positive all the time, learn to not think negatively. Let other things occupy your mind and learn to accept that things are perfect for now—that everything in this particular stride is okay, and just a step on a journey to something better.

Also, if you’re a fan of the show please take time to head over and leave us an Itunes Review to give Laura and myself a glimpse of how we’ve helped you or what we could do better to help you ride every stride.

The coming episodes are going to be tackling a trend I’ve seen lately from our listener questions and the clinics I’ve been hosting–and it has to do with the mental side of horsemanship. Often times our brain gets in the way of our ride more than the horse does. And one of the key parts of our brain to exercise is our imagination. When Laura first came to me she told me that she rode horses as a kid but fell out of it later on in life. She told me she was dreaming of riding horses, and that dream was incredibly important. We’re going to talk about those dreams and the imagination to make them happen.

Key Takeaways

We’ve all been caught in daydreams before—imagining riding down a beach, through pasture, or by a herd of mooing cows. Often times this can be seen as unproductive or a waste of time. We’re adults, right? We live in reality. But the only way to change that reality, move forward and grow, is to dream and then take action on those dreams.

As kids our imagination can get us in trouble. We might climb a tree and jump on a cow’s back just to see what happens. But there’s nothing wrong with that in a certain sense—visualizing new things, trying them out, and even when failing—learning how to grow and move forward. I think we all still need to dream like kids dream—big and bold. We can let our experience as adults help out with the logistics of that dream, but you have to imagine it first.

My grandma used to say “Yard by yard life is hard, but inch by inch it’s a cinch.” Take small steps to your dreams, because often times we have to overcome obstacles to get there. It takes a lot of time and effort, but taking it one step at a time makes the journey much easier and enjoyable.

Worrying about how you’ll get to your dream is creating obstacles that don’t exist yet. Worry about the why, then just take a step. The how is going to change all the time.

Let us know what your dream is over on our Facebook page—and just as important, what you’re gonna do to take a step towards it

Remember—dream big and dream like a kid.

*Also, if you’re a fan of the show please take time to head over and leave us an Itunes Review to give Laura and myself a glimpse of how we’ve helped you or what we could do better to help you ride every stride.

As you should know, we love getting listener questions and feedback on the show. This episode is centered around one of those questions, and it has to do with the “It” factor—meaning greatness. Can greatness in our horses be taught, or do they have to be born with it? I find this to be a fascinating question that clearly straddles the overlap between horsemanship and humanship.

Key Takeaways

First, let’s get my definition of a great horse that has the “It” factor. There are many aspects to what makes a great horse, I don’t think it’s just one thing.

Athleticism is important, because the things we tend to ask of our horses require them to be strong and swift. Eye appeal is important too, a horse that easily displays that strength and athleticism and stirs that thing inside you called beauty.

The biggest part of greatness in my opinion is trainability. If you can’t train your horse, they won’t do a single thing with that greatness. You can’t teach this quality to your horse—all you can do is take what is already there and maximize their potential for success.

So, how do we identify greatness? In short, it’s up to you to see it in a horse. I was once told that a horse across the way was an outlaw, had hurt multiple people, and was just overall nasty. In spending time with that horse, and eventually working with him, I found that the horse just didn’t have any confidence. He’d been reprimanded so much for the tiniest mistakes that I could feel it while working him. In building up his confidence, that greatness he already had begun to show.

Do more than trust your first instinct when looking for greatness. A beautiful, strong horse may not have all the brains there it needs to use that strength. A horse that doesn’t catch your eye as much may be the most adaptable, trainable horse on the planet. Take time to get to know these animals and see how you can polish their natural abilities to make them great in their own way.

This week we are talking about setting your horse up for success, but really offering them a decision to make and being prepared for the result—be it what we wanted or not. I’m talking about the Controlled Wreck. This is a training tool that works a bit like a pop quiz for your horse, and often times the rider and trainer too. The Controlled Wreck highlights what to do when you get a “wrong answer” from your horse and how to correct them.

Key Takeaways

An example of a Controlled Wreck would be to walk your horse around in a circle over and over again, stopping each time at the same spot. Then, on the next circle, keep walking past that spot and see how the horse reacts. Do they try and stop again out of anticipation, or do they keep moving?

You have to be extra prepared when seated on the horse as well. In case anything goes wrong you need to know how to regain control or take away their ability to buck. And along these lines, we need to know not have to telegraph what we are trying to test our horse. You need to be thinking “go right” without your body following through.

The preparation comes in when something does go wrong. You have to be able to guide the situation from being negative, to positive. Things can escalate quickly. People often lost it when their horse goes from walking to bucking, but they don’t when they go from a walk to a trot—even though that is still showing you’re not in control. Make sure you correct the smallest behaviors before things get out of your control.

Like always, make sure you know what you’re asking of your horse. Giving a pop quiz without knowing the answer is a recipe for disaster. And when your horse passes the Controlled Wreck remember—where we release is what we teach.

Links

GreatOakEquine.com

Horses and humans have a lot in common. For instance, aging. Just like we get old, slow down, have back pain, dietary problems, and need to adjust to keep our minds and bodies active—horses do too. They have a specific set of needs and issues that may arise as they enter old age, and we’ll be covering exactly when, why, and what to do when our horses start getting up in years. They become members of our families and require all the attention and care we would give ourselves.

Key Takeaways

Age can be a relative term. A horse might be called “old” even if they are 5-6 but are competing in high-intensity competitions. But as some veterinarians have told me you can start thinking about a horse as “older” around the age of 12. This is when stresses can add up and start to lead to issues like arthritis or other dietary and joint issue.

Activity plays a huge key in a horse’s older years. Especially if they have been high performing and very active their whole lives. Retiring them full stop into a pasture full of grass is a surefire way to have their mental and physical health decline. In a sense, horses either use it or lose it.

Still, we have to be cautious and attentive as we ride our older horses. Pay attention to their soreness. Does it last for days after a ride? They may need a supplement or an easier riding regiment to help their joints and muscles recover.

It is still perfectly fine to ride your older horses though. The activity helps keep their minds busy as well, you don’t want them to just see the farm and pasture every day for the rest of their lives.

I’d like to give a shout out to my horse Scooter—who I lovingly say I bought on sight, even though it was with a bit of regret and apprehension at the time. He has been integral through my journey in horsemanship and even Laura’s, definitely a horse that only comes around once in a lifetime. He’s made it on up in years but is still riding every stride like it’s his first.

Welcome back to Ride Every Stride—Laura and I know that it has been a while since we stepped behind the microphone, but we’re glad to be back and at it. We’re coming back on this episode to talk about something that straddles the line between horsemanship and humanship. Are you a leader or an authority figure? What’s the difference? Well, for starters, we’ve all had a boss or two that seems to be more of a dictator than a leader. Sure, they give instructions and force you to carry them out—but the difference between a leader and this bad boss is in the why of why you, or your horse, are carrying out these orders.

Key Takeaways

I see some people raising their children in a way that they are more of their friend than a parent. The parent worries about being “liked” by their kids more than anything else. Well, when it comes time to put their foot down there is often resistance. The same goes for our horses. In being a leader we can’t just be a friend, we have to set our horses up for success and help them make the right decisions in our relationships with them.

Now the other extreme is the dictator approach. This is when we don’t care if the horse understands why it needs to perform an action. We just care about the result. But when we take this dictator approach the horse still performs differently—mainly out of fear or anxiety. And we don’t want that at all.

What we want to do is keep our promises to our horses. Let them know that if they do X, you’re going to ask them to do Y again. And setting them up so that doing Y is the easy thing helps them learn this. Being consistent and keeping that promise to the horse helps them feel secure—and when they feel secure, there isn’t any room left for them to be anxious.

Again, all of this requires us to make the active choice to be a leader. Or at least to make the choice to learn how to be a better leader. And as time goes on, our communication with the horse can become more subtle and understood.

Consistency and persistence is much more effective than dominance. That’s the key take away. And the results of that are commitment, trustworthiness, security, and confidence. The main ingredients for a leader on any stage, saddle, or workplace.

There comes a point in everyone’s life where they hit setbacks. Obstacles enter our path and sometimes they are easy to get around, and sometimes that can bring our lives to a halt. Likewise, some people seem to deal with obstacles better than others—somehow staying positive no matter the trauma or odds that stand against them. I was moved recently by a video I watched of Mandy Harvey – a contestant on America’s Got Talent. She lost all of her hearing when she was 18 years old. But being deaf wasn’t enough to stop her from reaching for her dreams. And in the video she sings beautifully, using her feet to sense vibrations through the stage to keep the beat.  So this brings me to the point of this episode, which is to try. Before you can do anything, even if it seems impossible, you first have to try, and try hard.

Key Takeaways

You can expect to succeed right off the bat. That’s why, especially in the face of great difficulty, you have to reward yourself for trying. You have to habitually put in effort to keep trying, to keep opening up in order to see any improvement. Just don’t settle for it. Your performance can be perfect for now, but don’t take your eyes off the horizon.

9 times out of 10 the biggest obstacle to our own success rests right between our ears—it’s ourselves. So I encourage everyone to take a good, long look at your goals. At the dreams that seem impossible, and then muster up the guts to go for them with everything you have. 

97% of people involved with horses as of today are involved with them as a hobby. That means only 3% make their sole living off horsemanship. It’s something I wanted to touch on as I get asked all the time about recommendations for good trainers, or how to become a trainer. It often takes a lot longer to become a trainer than most aspiring professionals think—it’s not something you just go to school for, pass a test, and then start making a professional living. However, if you’ve ever accepted money for interacting with horses, or giving advice, then you are technically a professional. We’ll be keeping that in mind as we discuss the effort, time, and skill that goes into being a reputable horse professional.

Key Takeaways 

Setting boundaries is very important when it comes to practicing your horsemanship professionally. It’s real easy to take a call on a Sunday afternoon when you’re with your family and get whisked away to someone’s aid. But professionals, in any field, set working hours for themselves. Don’t be afraid to stick to those hours—and respect the time and availability of those you work with.

Personal time is important. I got to a point years ago where I realized I was simply providing for my family—I wasn’t actually present with them and enjoying any time with them. I was so set on pleasing my clients and convinced I had to make that priority number one, and that wasn’t the lesson I wanted to teach my kids. Make sure you respect your own needs and family, especially as an up and coming professional.

When interviewing a potential trainer, make sure you know exactly how much experience they have. Email them and see how long it takes them to respond and if they can communicate to you clearly. If they can’t tell you what they’ll be doing with your horse, they may not be a good trainer for you. Also, check out their facility. Are you okay with what conditions your horse will be housed in? Do the work before hand so you don’t become cross with your trainer during the process for something you didn’t look into.

So, when can you start calling yourself a professional trainer? Remember, if you take money for your services with a horse, then you are technically a professional. Well, I was always too afraid to put that label on myself of being a trainer. I thought it would be disrespecting other trainers I looked up to if I claimed that I was on their level. It wasn’t until those people started calling a trainer that I began to see myself as a true professional. Because if those I respected saw me in that light, I could step into that role more easily, and it pushed me to train harder and learn more.

Getting your horse back from a trainer, or bringing a new horse home for the first time is an incredibly important transition. If you listened to episode 064 you heard Laura and myself talk about bonding with your horse. This episode touches on very practical applications of that bonding. There are ways to set your horse up for success by being attentive during the training and afterwards as well.

Key Takeaways

The best way to set your horse up for homecoming success is to spend as much time as possible with the horse in the previous environment. Go see what the trainer is doing, know exactly how your horse is being handled. Being in the environment so the horse is comfortable with your presence will help when they’re introduced to their new home.  

Now, don’t go and absolutely copy what the trainer or previous owner did. If you are getting your horse home from me, go and do Van-like things as you transition into doing more you-like things.

One of the mistakes I see people make all the time in this process is being honest with themselves. Yeah, you may’ve hurt your back the week before and decided to send your horse away to a trainer – but the reality is you’re sending them off to someone who can train them better than you. Someone who knows how to do it a little bit better. We have to own up to what we don’t know so that we can ask and learn. Being a know-it-all gets you and your horse nowhere.

Be respectful of your trainers and where your horse is coming back from. Trainers are not babysitters watching your horse while you go off and do your “real” job. They are professionals who have spent years of their lives studying and working with these animals.

Horses don’t understand time. I can’t pull a magic number out of the air and tell you how long it will take for your horse to acclimate to their new environment. The point here is to be consistent with your interactions and training, and work on building confidence and trust with your horse.