Once the horse is mentally focused on us, we can guide him in a willing partnership.
Article by Diana Thompson

Even in the most beautiful, spontaneous performance by a pair of dancers, there is a leader and a follower. One dancer initiates the action while the other receives the signals, harmoniously joins the movement, and contributes to it.

A graceful "dance" of horse and human is similarly constructed - one participant chooses and suggests the directions, the other receives that information and molds his or her body to follow the lead.

But how do you get a horse to dance? How does a person take the role of leader ad entice a horse in a way which results in both obedience and his happy, willing participation?

In the last issue of The Whole Horse Journal, I asked trainer Harry Whitney of Ottawa, Kansas, to discuss the importance of communication between horse and handler (Harmonious Horsemanship, TWHJ November/December 1996). Whitney explained that in order for a person to direct the horse's movements and engage his willing participation, the horse must be mentally focused on the human (and vice versa).

What caught my interest in Whitney's approach is his ability to help the horse totally focus on his handler, accept direction, and stay relaxed - all at the same time. I have not seen this type of willing, happy, relaxed partnership result from other practitioners of this style of training.

Using gentle training and massage, I am able to befriend and relax horses so that they accept my guidance and become my willing partners, so to speak. I have also seen similarly positive results from use of the TTEAM massage and ground obstacle exercises.

Whitney's work, including the basic methods he described below, seems to be another way horse owners can establish a non-violent, effective and fun working partnership with their horses. In this article, I interview Whitney on his concept of pressure and how to use it judiciously to secure a horse's mental focus and begin to direct him in a clear, concise manner.

Harry, review for us the importance of gaining our horse's mental focus.

A lot of people fail to realize that if a horse's thoughts are not with you, he can't "hear" your request, and therefore, he can't possibly respond to your cue with a correct response. For instance, if he is worried about his horse friends he left back at the barn, he will try to go back to the barn. His feet will try to go wherever his mind is. He won't be willing to go where you are trying to direct him.

So, whether you are riding a horse or handling him on the ground, in order to ask him to go in a specific direction, what I call "directing his feet", you have to communicate with his brain. The horse's brain must hear your suggestion for action, and then organize his body to go where you ask him to go.

Considering all of the things which get a horse's attention besides the human in his life - his horse friends, noises, spooky things on the trail - how do we get him to focus on us and do what we want?

People say horses, especially young ones, have short attention spans. But you'll notice when a horse finds something which really intrigues him, say, another horse across the pasture, he can focus for extended periods of time.

I say that you can't make a horse do anything - and that includes making him pay attention to you. Rather, you allow him the opportunity to make a choice, and you construct the situation in such a way that his "choice" will be to do what you wanted him to.

See, horses will almost always choose the path of least resistance, to be under the least amount of pressure possible. The ultimate example of a horse with no pressure in his life is the horse standing under a shade tree with one hind foot relaxed and cocked. He has chosen that spot and relaxed there because that is where there is the least amount of pressure.

Are there any predators within his sight or hearing? If there were, that would definitely be enough pressure to convince the horse to do something other than stand under the tree relaxed. Is this horse part of a herd? If so, the whole herd is probably under the tree. Horses want to be with other horses; there is security in numbers. If the herd left, our horse would probably leave as well.

Our horse probably has a full belly, too. If you've ever been hungry or thirsty, you know that hunger and thirst are forms of pressure which make you seek food and water.

The hot sun outside is another pressure that keeps the horse under the shade tree. If the horse walks out into the sun, he's going to get hot, but he learns he can relieve that pressure be returning to the shade. He learns which of his actions create pressure in his life and which relieve it - and, most of the time, he will choose to act in a way which relieves pressure.

See, it's not just enjoyable for the horse to be in a place without pressure, it's key to his survival. The only reason that horses are still with us is because they survived not being eaten by predators over thousands of years. The horses who were the quickest to flee from any pressure - predators, being alone, hunger, thirst - were the ones who survived.That instinct is called self-preservation - and it's important for riders to understand that it's still with our horses today. Continually moving to a place without pressure is how the horse survives.

How does this relate to our training the horse?

Because we know that the horse will seek the path of least resistance, we can set up the situation so that being focused on us and following our guidance is the easiest thing - the thing which creates the least amount of pressure - for the horse to do. We don't have to "make" him move there. If given a fair opportunity, he will seek it out and be very content once he gets there. This is what creates a willing partner who is secure and relaxed, just like our horse under the shade tree.

It's foreign to me to think of my domestic horse from this evolutionary, herd perspective. I know a horse doesn't like pressure. But why is this understanding of how a horse views pressure so important?

If you are not aware of this concept and you are not consistent with how and when you apply and release pressure (training cues, aids) you end up confusing your horse. When he can't regularly find a place without pressure, he's going to feel threatened. When he can't figure out what caused the pressure and how to avoid it, his anxiety level increases. A horse who feels threatened and anxious will seek to take his brain and body away from the confusion, away from the pressure. He may become resentful, violent, or just start ignoring everything you do.

How do you know a horse is confused?

A confused, resentful, or anxious horse may pin his ears, brace his neck, tense his back and his topline, and swish his tail. Those emotions may also manifest themselves in something as subtle as a peaked eyebrow, distorted nostril, or a flattened chin.

A horse who is feeling those emotions will also show mental symptoms. He'll take his thoughts elsewhere so he doesn't have to deal with the question that he has not been able to answer right no matter what response he gave. Some horses will escape their lack of understanding by pretending that the question was never asked; they do nothing. Other horses make extremely large escapes. They run off, or buck, do whatever it takes to get the person asking the questions to shut up!

I've always felt it was important to be consistent when giving training cues to my horses because I, myself, learn through consistency. You are emphasizing the role of pressure and clear-cut cues as seen from the horse's point of view. This puts what I would call unclear, annoying cues into a life-threatening category.

Right, pressure of any kind - inconsistent cues included - is viewed by the horse as a threat to his life. Just remember the self-preservation instinct. When a horse encounters pressure, he seeks to do something to relieve it, and he thinks by doing that he will save his life.

Let me give you an example of a cue - a pressure - which all horses understand almost instantly: an electric fence. Most horses quickly learn that if they walk into an electric fence, they are going to get shocked. After they get over their initial surprise, they figure out that the shock results from their behavior - touching the fence. They learn where the pressure (the fence) is located and they choose to stay away from it.

An electric fence presents a consistent, clear option between pressure and no pressure; this is black and white to the horse. Because the fence is so precise and consistent, our horses learn where the fine line is and they, in turn, operate consistently around it. They are also able to relax since they know just exactly where the pressure is and how to avoid it.

If the fence was only on now and then, however, the horse wouldn't know for sure whether or not he could push on the fence to eat the green grass or whether he was going to get shocked. The horse would be living in what I call a gray area. Since the fence - the pressure - is not consistent, there will likewise be no consistency in the horse's response. He would be just as likely to try to push right through the fence as he would be to yield to it.

When our handling cues are inconsistent, a similar thing happens. The horse does now know what it will take to get rid of pressure and so he tries out a range of options. In our eyes, his responses become inconsistent. But actually, he can't trust us and we can't trust him. In this case, the two-way street is negative.

So Harry, how do we put these ideas into practice successfully?

There are two effective ways to use pressure to get the horse focused on you and working with you. One way is to ask for his undivided attention; the other is to direct his feet. I like to ask for his attention first.

Most horses have been taught to ignore human actions. So whatever you choose to do to get his attention, it has to present a bigger motivation than the rest of the world. You accomplish this by doing something to get his attention. I tell my students an analogy about an exploding box to illustrate how this works.

If you put a box into the arena with your horse, chances are he will go sniff it. Now, let's pretend there is a little bomb in that box, one you can set off by remote control. The second the horse takes his eyes off that box - moving his attention to something else - you explode the box.

Now, that exploding box presents the horse with a tremendous amount of pressure and he's going to move his feet in a pretty rapid way to get away. But since he is in an enclosed area, he will undoubtedly turn around and stare at the disintegrated box. That got his attention! Then you set out a second box. The horse watches it for a while, wondering what is going to happen. He finally gets distracted and takes his attention off the box to look at something else. Again, the instant he looks away, the instant he mentally "leaves" the box, you set off the bomb. The horse runs off again, and this time when he turns around he is really going to stare at that box for a while.

If your timing is right, and I repeat, if your timing is right, by the time you have exploded four or so boxes, the horse will have realized that taking his eyes off the box causes it to explode. He'll come to feel that his actions created the explosion, the pressure.

When he looks at the box, however, everything is quiet, there is no pressure, no explosion. He finds out that staying mentally focused on the cardboard box gives him security. He will stand there mentally focused on that box, confident and secure because he knows what caused the pressure and what brought him safety. There is no gray area.

You've constructed this situation so that the horse thinks he creates pressure when he acts in a specific way. Once you have his attention in a big way like this, you don't have to use as much pressure. If the horse starts to drift a bit and take his eyes off the box, you could just wiggle the box a bit and the horse would come right back to focus.

Now imagine we set a box in the pen, but we exploded it at random times, not just when the horse looked away, but at any indiscriminate moment. It wouldn't take long to turn this horse into a mental wreck - he would live in fear, trying to figure out when the box might explode. With no way to determine what action of his causes the explosion, his anxiety will rise. He would probably think "I don't know why the box is exploding, or when it is going to happen again, but I have to get out of here." He would look to flee.

Now, how are horse owners going to create a bomb in a box?

Well, we can do an exercise that will duplicate the effects of the exploding box. I have people take a noisy object, a milk can with pebbles in it, a plastic bag, or a windbreaker type of coat which makes noise as you brush it against your body. Any time you see the horse's attention go somewhere besides on you, you create a stimulus that is impossible for him to ignore.

To start this exercise you don't even have to get in the stall or paddock with the horse. Slowly start flapping the coat or other noisemaker. Gradually increase the amount of noise and flapping until your horse looks at you.

The instant he looks at you, stop the noise completely and relax your body. The pressure has to go away when he looks at you. This is very important.

As long as he looks at you, you must stand still, very relaxed, and just wait. You must stay focused and looking at your horse. You cannot mentally leave and look elsewhere if you want him to stay with you. This is a two-way street you are establishing.

When you horse's attention leaves you and he looks somewhere else, start making your noise again very softly. Increase the volume until the horse refocuses on you, then instantly stop making the noise.

Continue doing this exercise until the horse stands quietly, mentally focused on you for 20 to 30 seconds at a time before he gets distracted. Once he does this, praise him and leave the area. This may take two or three trials or many, many more. The important thing is to not overdo it. If your horse is a very scattered individual, perhaps it's best to get his focus to stay with you for 15 seconds. Don't have unrealistic expectations.

Don't worry if, at first, he stays with you briefly and then leaves. As a horse, he has a right to keep track of the world around him. Don't punish the horse for taking his attention elsewhere, just see what it takes to bring it back. The more mental focus he develops, the calmer he will get and the more quickly he will respond by bringing his attention back to you.

Harry, what mistakes can people make when they first try this exercise?

One of the hardest things for people to understand when it comes to applying pressure is how much to apply. I say, use the least it takes, but all it takes. Each and every time you apply pressure, start at zero and increase the pressure gradually until you get the response you want.

Let's say you have a scale of pressure which is zero to 10. The first time I use the jacket I have to flap it around and make a huge amount of noise to get the horse to turn and look at me. I am going to call that an eight out of 10 on my scale.

Now, the next time I use the jacket to get his attention, I must start at zero again and work up gradually until I get a response. Just because it took an eight to get his attention the first time, I don't jump right up to eight. Start at zero, work up, and you may be surprised to see your horse refocus on you at a pressure of five. And the next time, if you give him a chance be starting at zero and working up, he may respond at three. Work with the lease amount of pressure you can, but do not stop increasing the pressure until you get a response.

Once your horse looks away, see what it takes to bring him back to focus on you. Sometimes, it will just take a light shake of the coat; other times you'll start lightly and continue to increase pressure until you turn into the exploding box. Use the least it takes, but all it takes.

If you are using pressure on a scale of zero to ten, you can feel confident that your horse is quite responsive when the responses start coming before the pressure reaches one. Don't settle for a five, shoot for a three or a one, something clear down at the bottom!

Now that we know how to get the horse to focus his attention on us, and wait quietly for our next direction, how do we use pressure to move him somewhere, to "direct his feet" when he is loose in a round pen or fenced-in area?

Basically, you use the same principle to get the horse to move as you did to get his attention. Only now move toward the horse, starting at zero with the pressure by moving your arms or a jacket in a way that is going to make him turn and move away from you.

The closer you get to the horse the more you increase the pressure until the first indication that the horse might move away from the pressure. Then, remove the pressure instantly by stopping your movement and lowering your hands. Wait until the horse is relaxed, settled, and focused on you before you ask him to think about moving again.

It's very important to take this step very slowly. Apply pressure, look for a small response, and then drop the pressure. Accept the slightest try. This might be a shift in the horse's eyes, or the position of his head or ears. A horse might begin to shift his weight from foot to foot or actually begin to pick up his foot. That's enough. He is responding to your pressure.

Depending on how secure your horse is with you, when you first start directing, he may simply look to move, prepare to move, or he may flee the scene. If your horse flees, you may have presented too much pressure.

If the horse flees instead of moving off quietly, drop the pressure - since you got him to respond by moving his feet - wait until he gets settled, and then start over with a much lower level of pressure and see if he can move off more quietly.

As you and I discussed in our first interview for The Whole Horse Journal (Round pen: Straight Talk, May/June 1996), you are very specific about not letting the horse run endlessly in the round pen or arena. What do our readers do if their horse starts running around?

Unfortunately, some horses are going to flee, no matter how quiet you are at the beginning. In these cases, stopping the pressure and leaving them alone until they re-settle will not work. These horses just keep running around the pen or arena, tuning you out mentally and physically.

I've found that if I allow a fleeing horse to move, but I direct his movement by asking him for rapid transitions, turning him, and asking him to increase or decrease the speed of his gait, I can regain his focus. Eventually he will slow, stop, and look to me for guidance. In order for this to happen, when I apply pressure to get him to change direction and he responds by changing direction, it is very important that I instantly drop the pressure. I verbally praise him, physically back up, and relax my body. Then, after a brief pause, I will direct him again, either to increase gait or turn.

Pretty soon, the horse gets secure and confident that following my direction gives him a decrease in pressure. As I direct him, he will sense the reduction in pressure and then turn and look at me for direction. He will mentally focus on me. With a horse which tends to flee, you might also benefit from going back to the focus lesson with the horse on a lead rope. As he becomes able to focus and stay with you on a lead rope, he should be more mentally focused on you when he is loose in the pen.

How does this apply to other horse-handling tasks?

People should keep this principle in mind whenever they are working with their horses. You need to be conscious of how you apply pressure. You must make sure you give the horse a way to reduce the pressure and that the easiest, most obvious way for him to do that is exactly what you want him to do.

Are there any things people should avoid doing when they first start out using these principles?

Most importantly, they need to remember not to ask for too much. Let's say I asked my horse for a transition from trot to canter. Whether I am riding the horse or working him in a pen, I apply pressure until he canters and then I immediately back off, praise him, and allow him to break back down to the trot if he wants to. I apply pressure, I get the desired response, I drop the pressure. Let the horse learn that he found the path of least resistance. He has to receive a reduction in the pressure in his life when he responds to your pressure if he is going to learn.

If I use pressure to ask my horse to move from the trot to the canter, and then keep the pressure up so he has to canter for several laps, well, that is punishment. I was not specific. The pressure did not go away immediately when the horse responded. This is when you will see resentment.

I call the correct way to apply pressure "CPRR", or Cue, Pressure, Response, and Release. I apply a cue and let the horse know something is expected of him. This is translated as pressure by the horse. His response is to hunt up the path of least resistance. My response is to drop the cue, drop the pressure.

You are very clear in allowing the horse to make a choice. You don't just pick one option and make him do it; you work with him until he looks to you for guidance. Just like a good lead dancer, your cue and the horse's happy response become very harmonious. I appreciate the quality of your interactions with the horses.

It doesn't matter whether it is a human, horse, dog, whatever - any time a living being is forced to do anything beyond its will there is no security, contentment, or willingness, and there will be resentment. If we can present the horse an opportunity to test his range of options, only one of which reduces the pressure in his life, he will seek that option. He will always choose the path of least resistance. If he tried every option he sees available and he, in his mind, eliminates the options that do not work, he will be content with the one which does work.