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Putting a Stop to the Dead Runaway
It is every rider's worst fear: you are
riding your horse and suddenly he bolts and runs away with you.
Sometimes its triggered by something the human does (opening a can of
soda, taking a jacket off) and sometimes its an unfamiliar noise (a
snapping twig) or object (a fallen tree) that scares him into taking
off with you. Some of my most "memorable" experiences have been riding
horses that panicked into running away: their eyes would roll back in
their heads, and they were quite literally running blind. When I was
younger, I would do an "emergency dismount" by bailing off: when I was
a teenager it was easier to recover from the physical trauma of hitting
the ground at full speed.
But as I've gotten older (and wiser) I've learned how to prepare a
horse, before getting on board, to give myself at least a 50/50 chance
of not getting run away with. As a problem horse trainer and behavioral
specialist, working with a runaway horse (and it's rider) is one of my
favorite challenges. These clients allow me to use every tool and
technique in my repertoire in order to overcome this negative behavior.
It is not so difficult to "cure" the runaway, but it is a time
consuming and arduous task to teach the horse to ride with me and not
away from me. In this, the first of a 2-part article on dealing with
the runaway and putting in a "whoa", I will discuss what causes this
terrifying experience, how we can stop it when it's happening, and how
we can prevent it from happening in the future.
In previous Trailblazer articles, I have talked about the difference
between predator and prey. Human beings are predators: our eyes are
close together in the front of our heads, and we move in straight lines
toward our prey. When human beings get afraid, we have a tendency to
use our hands as a means of regaining control. For example, if you've
ever been in a car and had to act quickly to avoid an accident, you
probably automatically gripped the steering wheel in an effort to brace
yourself for impact.
Horses are prey animals: their eyes are far apart to have a wide view
of their surroundings, and they move in an approach and retreat
fashion. When horses get afraid they tend to run away from the
frightening object. When a horse impulsively bolts, both horse and
rider are terrified, and the way each of them is behaviorally
predisposed to react only increases the danger: the more the horse
runs, the more the rider panics, and the more the rider panics, the
more the horse will flee.
I've discussed the fact that like humans, horses have a right-brain and
a left-brain. The right side/brain in the horse is their "instinctual"
side: it is the side that is responsible for the adrenaline fueled
fight or flight reaction. The right-brain automatically goes to this
behavior as a prey animal adaptation to staying alive. The horse's
left-brain is their "thinking" side, responsible for processing
information, and responding rather than reacting. Because the two
halves of their brains are not connected, it is imperative to train a
horse on both the left and the right sides, or out of both the left and
right eyes.
Most horse trainers and owners strive to keep their horses in
left-brain so that they don't cause the horse (or the human) to go into
adrenaline. This is one of the reasons why so many horse facilities
have such stringent rules about how many horses can be in the arena at
a given time, not allowing horses to stand without being in crossties,
not having loose horses on the property, etc. To some degree, most
horse owners are somewhat afraid of their horses, so they try to keep
them "calm and quiet". As I mentioned earlier, human fear only feeds a
horse's fear, and vice versa.
But adrenaline is one of the key components of competition: without it,
horses have no pizzazz and humans lose their desire to win. Coupled
with this is the fact that horses have an inherently playful nature.
When owners suppress this natural adrenaline and inquisitiveness, they
either end up dulling the horse's spirit or their play drive goes
underground, where it can come out in more dangerous behavior. Examples
of this are horses that jig, or bite, or who run away with their
owners. We need to be able to move our horses from right-brain, fear
driven adrenaline into left-brain, harnessed adrenaline.
There are a multitude of reasons why horses run away, depending on
their temperament. I'll describe some of the different kinds of
runaways, and the techniques I have used to change their behavior and
make them safer, saner, and easier to ride.
THE PRE-FLIGHT CHECK:
Before I mount any horse, even one of my own, a do a series of
pre-flight checks to gauge which side of the barn the horse woke up on
in terms of his attitude and temperament that day. After saddling the
horse, I put him on line while I'm on the ground. I then have him
move in all of the 6 directions: up, down, left, right, forward and
backwards. I ask him to change gaits at the walk, trot, and canter. I
send him over jumps, ask him to move sideways along a fence, have him
move towards and away from me. I make sure that I ask him to complete
these tasks on both the left and right sides. Doing this allows me to
get a feel for my horse, and it lets him get the bucks and the rears
out before I'm on his back. I make it a habit to do this each and every
time I get on a horse, which creates a routine that allows my horse to
feel safe and to know what to expect. It also can help ensure that I
will be safer on board, and it gives me the opportunity to address any
behavioral issues that might cause difficulties on the trail.
BARN SWEET: This horse is "barn sour", which we call "barn sweet" because more than anything he wants to be at home, in his paddock, usually with other horses or with food. He's fine as long as you don't ask him to leave home: when pushed, he will run away, even in an arena. One of the horses at my ranch is just such a bolter. For the first two years of his training, he was only ponied behind his mother, so he never developed the confidence required to go away from the herd on his own. A good technique to use with a balky runaway is keeping him in a straight line, and drive his hindquarters (with a crop or rommel) to cause him to keep moving out. This horse needs to be kept in an unmovable channel, directly between your legs and your hands, even when he starts to back up. Maintain your eye focus looking forward, and reward his slightest movement forward with release from pressure. It is best to start slowly, at first asking him only to move slightly beyond his comfort zone, and gradually increasing the distance and time he is away from the herd. Using an incentive, such as grain, at various places and distances from home, can also be strong motivation for the balky horse.
THE FEARFUL
HORSE:
Skittish on the trail, hyper reactive to unknown objects and sounds,
this horse spooks easily. Spooking quickly turns into running away when
this horse senses danger, whether it is real or not. The best way to
deal with such a horse is to expose him to things that might scare him,
before you get on board. This is a process of desensitization, and
timing is critical. We want to stimulate the horse to respond, and stop
stimulating only when he can calmly accomplish what we have asked from
him. Have your horse on line or in a round pen, anywhere where he can't
run away from you. Instead of leading him, drive him over bridges and
water by stimulating the drive line (located approximately where the
cinch is). Tie a plastic bag to the end of a lunge whip and flog it
back and forth until he gets used to it. At my ranch, we open umbrellas
and roll beach balls towards spooky horses, which, after much
repetition, makes what is frightening seem mundane. It takes a lot of
imagination to come up with ideas to make a spooky horse less
sensitive, and it also takes bravery on the part of the human. We are
so used to not wanting to upset our horse that dealing with their
reactions can be scary. Again, the main idea is to "flood" them with
the stimulus until they stop reacting to it, so be prepared to handle
their initial reaction and stay with the process until you've achieved
your desired result.
THE DOMINO EFFECT: I'm sure you've noticed that when riding in a group, horses don't like being separated from each other, and even the slowest horse will always try to stay in the group regardless of the pace. Because horses are herd animals, they seek safety in numbers. If you're in a group and one horse starts running, the rest will follow, sometimes resulting in bolting en masse. This can be fun in a controlled environment (such as at the beach) or it can be disastrous (witness what happens when racehorses get entangled in each other). To prepare a group of horses to ride together, I like to do a trotting task in an open area, such as a fenced pasture or large paddock. Put all the horses in a line, each head to hindquarters in front of them, and ask them to stay together and maintain gait. Begin by walking and then move into the trot, allowing the horses to express their exuberance while keeping them with the group. As you trot, each horse takes a turn moving to the front of the line. This causes each horse to take a turn being the leader, and makes each rider responsible for the well being of the group. When all the horses in the line can do this on a casual rein (not collected or being held) you can move up to the canter. Follow the same instructions, to maintain the same pace and rhythm while staying in line with your fellow riders. This task allows horses to express their natural herd based adrenaline while keeping riders safe from catastrophe.
THE
EMERGENCY BRAKE:
In any run away situation, you can always use this technique. When you
feel your horse bolting, run your hand down the rein, grab it firmly
and pull your hand (fingernails up) toward your abdomen. This
disengages the horse's hindquarters, effectively taking away his power.
Once the disengagement has happened, let go. It may take 5 or 10
disengagements for you to succeed, so be persistent. It is important to
actually run your hand down the rein and not simply bend your arm, as
the lengthening of your arm as it moves down the rein causes the horse
to release his neck muscles, which have usually tightened with
adrenaline. By running your hand down, you gain leverage to pull the
horse around and stop him more effectively.
When working with a runaway (or any other difficult horse, for that
matter) I use methods such as these, striving for a mix of play and
work, which makes a horse more willing to listen and more open to
learning. Repetition, consistency and behavioral patterning are the
keys to a horse becoming confident and believing in his rider. It is
the responsibility of the human to have a variety of skills, and enough
tools in their bag, to cause the horse to respond in a positive manner.
We want our horses to choose to stay with us, even when they are under
pressure, and to go where we want them to go without an argument. The
more you know your horse, the more you learn to pay attention to their
nuances and stress points. No horse is "bomb proof": they are living,
breathing animals who have developed keen senses and instantaneous
reactions over thousands of years of evolution.
If you are dealing with a horse that has scared you because of their
behavior, consider seeking the help of a qualified trainer. Once you
have found someone you'd like to work with, it is important to watch
them train your horse, and to be an active participant in the teaching
experience. Whether we would like to admit it or not, much of the
difficulty we encounter with horses is human caused. A good trainer
will recognize that both the horse and the rider are equal partners in
facilitating communication, respect and learning. A good trainer will
also teach the horse as much as he teaches the rider, and will help
them both to overcome their fears.
Riding horses is more than kicking to go and pulling to stop: its about
developing a true partnership built on trust and respect. In Part 2 of
this series, I will discuss the importance of having a solid "whoa" in
a horse, a skill that is essential for whatever equine sport or
avocation you choose to pursue.