Now some predator is trying to stuff you into a small, dark cave with who knows what inside it, with a floor that sounds suspiciously hollow underneath, that you can’t see into and sure as heck will be hard to run away from if he succeeds in getting you in it. Worse still, it rattles and makes scary noises plus you suspect that it actually moves!
Thankfully … and luckily for many of us … the horse has immense heart and desire and an innate willingness to try for us humans; a quality that is hard enough to understand let alone explain.
One of the really fun things that we like to do during our annual Quantum Savvy Experience Camps, is pile all of the human participants into a horse float and take them for a drive. They can lean on the walls but they are not allowed to hang on with their hands in any way. We set off at a nice leisurely pace at first, with a few turns and stops and then we start driving like so many people do when towing a float. Boy! … is this an eye opener for most people.
Early on in the Quantum Savvy programme, we look at loading horses onto horse-floats and the importance of understanding and utilizing comfort and discomfort. When we see things from the horse’s perspective, is it any wonder that some people find it difficult to load their horse onto a float? Float-loading is the one single situation that at any horse related gathering, can be guaranteed to bring out the predator in any human being. Brooms, sticks, ropes, whips all come out. Every helpful person who has ever had trouble loading a horse onto a float and just can’t wait to show you how to have your horse not go on the float either, is just busting to help you shove that poor unsuspecting prey animal into his perceived certain death trap. We’ve even met people who have a boat winch fixed permanently into the front of their float to load their animals.
Next time you need to take your equine friend with you somewhere, make sure you are prepared. If you suspect you may have trouble, start preparing him with plenty of time to spare. Weeks if you have to. If he has trouble going into the float, understand why and be prepared to be patient and help him over come his fears. Understand that you need to be a great leader for him, so work on your horsemanship skills. Don’t be a wimp … he needs a leader not a cuddle, but try not to be a bully either. Take the time it takes, reward the slightest try and pretty soon you’ll have a willing fellow traveller.
*See Lesson Pack Four for chapter on Vision.
The Road To Horsemanship Lesson Videos
Lesson 4, Chapter 1:
Read More Road To Horsemanship articles.
- By Meredith Ransley, Quantum Savvy.