It's important to remember that it is communication we are building, not tricks and any kind of cue can soon cause an almost Pavlovian response. Using your body language will give you a communication that can be continuously built upon and refined….cues and their responses tend to be limited to teaching tricks.
Watch the body language of someone who is working with a horse and using voice cues and you will generally find that simultaneously with the verbal cue, will come a shift in focus, body energy or direction from the human that was more likely the cause of the horses change of task rather than the sound.
Rather than using voice cues in these early foundation levels and therefore desensitising your horse to them, save them for later on when they can be used as a further refinement of the communication that you have created.
There is some valid use of auditory cues in the foundation levels however, especially in the advancing of Basic Skill One; the ‘No Yield’. In Level 1 we looked at being able to touch our horses all over and in all sections, plus being able to have them accept the horseman’s stick, string and lead rope and whatever else we could think of, being thrown across their backs, swung around their legs and over their heads. This we did fairly gently and with rhythm using approach and retreat, the idea being to teach our horses to be less reactionary, to trust us in all sections and to desensitise them.
In Level 2 we need to progress on from this, by building our horses acceptance and confidence levels and preparing them for any eventuality. To do this we will get a little more bold. Build the level of energy in your ‘No Yield’ and allow your rope or your string to start to make some noise. Practise swinging your rope and string around, without your horse at first and listen to the nice assertive noise they make. See if you can build the volume up gradually and turn it off quickly.
Eventually you will be able to do this at liberty and your horse will just stand there calmly and quietly, but for now, practise with your halter and lead rope on. You might like to experiment with plastic bags, plastic bottles filled with pebbles or even clippers. Remember to build a little at a time, using approach and retreat and help your horse become more calm and brave.
Read More Road To Horsemanship articles.
- By Meredith Ransley, Quantum Savvy.