“Don’t get off! Then he’s won”
One of the saddest but most commonly heard statements in the equestrian world.
The horse has no interest in battling us. All the horse knows is he has a problem and that problem needs addressing.
I’ve seen it mainly while hacking, We will reach a certain landmark such as a gate, field ect. The horse refuses to walk past this point. Napping, circling, mini rears, walking backwards generally refusing to walk forwards.
Now if the rider dismounts, the horse will happily walk past this land mark without a great deal of fuss but for some unknown reason this means we are losing the battle! We’re told that the horse will “Learn exactly what he needs to do to make us get off his back”
So out comes the whipping, the shouting and ferocious kicking for a good 3-5 minutes, Which happens every time we ride this particular route.
Give it maybe 6 weeks or so of this behaviour, (in fact, less than that. I’d say even 2 weeks.) and this has become a learned behaviour. The horse has probably forgotten their original reason for not wanting to pass this certain point but what they do know is that this point is associated with being shouted at, kicked and beaten with a whip.
Think of a child having a nightmare. They cry for your help. Is the child crying just to annoy you to interrupt the film you’re watching, or are they wanting you to help them feel safe and secure? In the same way the horse doesn't want to ruin your afternoon ride to get on your nerves he is telling you he is scared/nervous and wanting your help. I will repeat myself one more time. A horses brain does not have the capacity to maliciously want to get on your nerves. That is not how they think.
The solution? Dismount before the horse has chance to stress out about the scary land mark, reassure the horse and talk gently, pass the ‘scary’ point and remount. Repeat this several times. Your horse will learn they are safe, and have no need to feel threatened and also learn that if they are scared they can count on you and trust you to reassure them. A trusting horse is a less spooky horse.
You have not lost any battle by dismounting. You have defused a battle. You’ve created an alliance and work together instead of starting an unnecessary battle against each other.
Remember how quickly a habit can be formed. Would you prefer a good habit or a bad one?