Equestrian Network Magazine

Where Do We Start?

Every year, about 200 days each year, I conduct horsemanship clinics throughout California. When someone attends a clinic, it shows me they are interested and have the desire to "be better". Often, they attend due to a specific reason; to fix a specific problem they are experiencing. Frequently, the "problem" is not what needs to be worked on. It is the weakness in the foundation of the animal and the human that exhibits itself in the "problem".

It is not this article that is going to change the situation; it is the progressive educational program with the horse or mule (that I offer) which is going to make the difference.

A person cannot do anything with a program, until the human understands mechanically what is going on or until he understands emotionally what he is dealing with. The horse or mule, and the human, must be evaluated. This is the human's responsibility. He needs to say, "I can't guess about this specific thing that is happening. I can't assume my actions are going to work. I want to go through a progressive (stepped) program that gives me effective communication, and then I can start putting things together for a better result.”

Most of the people who attend a clinic for the first time, do not realize the importance of evaluating their animal and themselves daily, while doing the small steps to get the larger changes in the long run. Some people don't know what to do to create a change, large or small. And some people do not even know that a problem exists, until there is a wreck of some kind!

For example, every time I approach an animal, whether in a pen or a pasture, or tied to a hitching rail, I am always aware of their demeanor. I see their posture, their head, their eyes, and their ears. How are their feet placed? Are they attentive, turned off or overly fearful? If they are moving freely in a pen or pasture, I am aware of the sound of their hooves; the posture of their body; their reaction to my approach. In this way, I evaluate the animal.

The human must also evaluate himself. How is he feeling today? Is he focused on working with his horse or mule? Does he feel confident about working and teaching this animal in a correct and effective manner?

What are the desired behaviors I am striving to achieve? What are the positive influences that make a difference?

I teach my students to evaluate their animals every day, every time they are together.

It takes DESIRE. It takes a person's willingness to pay attention to detail, to pay attention to slow moving subtleties. These animals are so keen and clever on feel and awareness; the average handler I see today is killing that "feel". He is destroying that natural feel and natural ability to survive or to be attentive that exists within these animals. He is putting the horse or mule in a world that is nonproductive, it is non-effective; therefore the animal has lost his interest in it!

Then, I see the other side of the situation: I see a human who thinks, "Hey, my horse is gentle!" While in reality, the horse is either shutting down because he doesn't know what to do or he's too afraid to do it? Or, he is moving without direction to evade the request.

So, there are two ends to the spectrum, we have one animal who is overly sensitive and super fast, or we have one that is sluggish with no movement. Both have the potential of having an unsafe ride or scary situation. The human has to realize there are some basic things that he has to study. He has to learn to calm and slow down the fast horse. He has to speed up and build confidence in the slow one.

The slow ones, once you start making requests and the animal starts searching for the answers, and they succeed, then they wake up, they become alive! You look out on a herd of wild horses; you will not find one lounging around, sitting down on his butt, with sunglasses on, thinking the world is beautiful. They do not live that way. They can be forced to live that way, but it is not natural and it is not healthy. It sacrifices some of the animal. It's like taking a person away from the one thing they've known their whole life and throwing them into a situation they don't feel comfortable with. Then, over a period of time, expect them to change their behavior. We continue to ask for a change and if the horse or mule doesn't find an outlet, they become depressed; they sometimes, lose interest in life.

What is a progressive (stepped) program?

A program is a philosophy. It is a tradition. It is awareness. What is a horse or what is a mule? What is naturally going to stimulate them and how are they going to respond? Then, you've got to ask the human, “What is your responsibility here? What are you comfortable doing to help this animal be better? Do you have one that's going to move fast and move away from you, or do you have one that's going to crowd you? Do you know how to respond to these different conditions?”

At my clinics, I don't get a lot of questions like, "Can you get my horse or mule to be better?" It is always: Can you get him to stop doing "that"? And "that's" not where I can help them. I don't try to get them to stop doing something after they are already doing it. I go back to the foundation; the basic behaviors taught to the animal (because that is were the problem exists!) Often the horse or mule is only following the direction given to them by the human. But, unfortunately, the human doesn't understand what he has been requesting!

For example, why does a horse run over a human? There are two reasons: He has nowhere to go but up the rope where the human is dragging him (where the human has always dragged him because he wants him to be with him , so he is always holding him), then the horse says: "When I do run over you and knock you down, I get release!” So "holding" him really teaches the animal bad behavior because the human thinks he can't control him WITHOUT HOLDING HIM.

A horse in the wild doesn't behave that way to the lead horse, but maybe once, and then it gets fixed and doesn't happen again. They realize there are consequences when that happens. A human today, does not know how to hold his ground, how to use his energy to get "big" so a horse moves away. He does not understand how to use his energy to cause the horse to identify him as a leader. The animal is going to say, "Not only do I not trust you and you can't lead me, but I don't respect you either."

My job is to help the human understand (to read) his horse or mule. I assist him in properly evaluating the current "condition" of his animal. He must also evaluate himself, daily, before moving forward in trying to build the foundation required for a safe, secure, and supportive experience with his horse or mule.

It is there for all of us, we just have to work to identify and create the proper responses!

Meet Jerry Tindell, Teacher and Trainer of Horses, Mules and Humans :

Through JERRY TINDELL HORSEMANSHIP CLINICS, hundreds of horsemen and women have significantly improved their skills. A comprehensive knowledge of equine behavior and the human skills for top performance make Jerry Tindell a one-of-a-kind clinician.

Jerry has a unique ability - and willingness - to effectively teach people of all skill levels and disciplines. He seems to know just exactly what a student is ready to learn at any given time. His timing, commitment, and plain old-fashioned good manners make his clinics successful, educational, and fun – for everyone, whether the rank beginner or accomplished veteran. He is dedicated to the success of his students and his progressive training program.