Mark Rashid-Life Lessons From A Ranch Horse
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I've read this and really enjoyed it. It is as much about life lessons than horsemanship but has definitely made an impact on my thinking. If Rosie says NO I trust her!
I was on my way to this lesson but MR just cemented it for me. There has been times Rosie has been adamant about not going a certain way and I have insisted and been sorry. If she is adamant it's been for a good reason - really thick mud, wound up dogs, herd of wary ponies with babies, blocked pathway. I think I know, she just knows! He has a lovely, modest, inclusive, relaxed attitude to others regardless of their species. I think he makes you want to be a better, calmer person and that has to be a good thing 
Hmm, I have all of Mark Rashid's books and find them an amazing read.
And yes, for some horses, I would certainly take no - but beware - the horse he is telling the tale about is not your everyday horse.
Whilst we would all like it to be our horse - personally I would say that horse was one in a million - if Tobes says no, having done the whole Life Lessons thing, not in Tobes case! He actually needs me to say actually get on with it, or he has a melt down. I would say in nearly every case - its actually me that is right - once I stopped thinking he was Buck, we actually got on a whole lot better and he is a whole lot more secure!
And yes, for some horses, I would certainly take no - but beware - the horse he is telling the tale about is not your everyday horse.
Whilst we would all like it to be our horse - personally I would say that horse was one in a million - if Tobes says no, having done the whole Life Lessons thing, not in Tobes case! He actually needs me to say actually get on with it, or he has a melt down. I would say in nearly every case - its actually me that is right - once I stopped thinking he was Buck, we actually got on a whole lot better and he is a whole lot more secure!
They also know a lot of stuff that it would be better if they didn't know - like the alligator in the puddle, the predatory plastic bag in the hedge, and the horse-eating bluebell on the path ...
It is a long time since I read that book - But I seem to remember that Mark and his horse had had years together. This was a horse he knew inside out. So when the horse was alert to an unseen and unusual danger, this was a departure from the usual behaviour.
Mark acknowledged that he ought to have trusted the horse's instinct. One can never speak for Mark Rashid - he is often annoyed that folk , particularly in the UK, misunderstand what he has said.
But I guess that when we are very very well acquainted with a particular horse, we can judge when we should concur with the horse. One good example is the day I was being told to canter the mare but I really knew she wasnt up to it. I dutifully asked her for about ten strides which she dutifully gave and after those ten strides I transitioned her down and walked her home.
That doesnt mean, as Linda fears, that on a normal day with a horse in good health, one will allow any spook, or be satisfied with a horse that wont respond to a light aid for upward transitions.
Mark acknowledged that he ought to have trusted the horse's instinct. One can never speak for Mark Rashid - he is often annoyed that folk , particularly in the UK, misunderstand what he has said.
But I guess that when we are very very well acquainted with a particular horse, we can judge when we should concur with the horse. One good example is the day I was being told to canter the mare but I really knew she wasnt up to it. I dutifully asked her for about ten strides which she dutifully gave and after those ten strides I transitioned her down and walked her home.
That doesnt mean, as Linda fears, that on a normal day with a horse in good health, one will allow any spook, or be satisfied with a horse that wont respond to a light aid for upward transitions.
I think this sounds lovely - it is the view you get in Black Beauty.
But I dont think it is true.
Because of the way horses have been bred by humans for particular uses.
Often to specialise.
If a breeder has bred for athleticism, the temperament may not be wonderful?
If a breeder has bred for looks ditto. Horses vary a lot and some are innately more demanding than others.
Most of Rashid's stories centre on things an owner has done wrong, because he offers solutions. Change your human behaviour, he teaches, and the horse will change too. But like all trainers who hold clinics, he does encounter horses with individual physical and mental problems - just like in people. When a batch of potential new Police horses comes over from Ireland, some will prove suitable for the work and some not.
All these NH trainers, some of whom invite problem horses to clinics, sometimes encounter a horse that cant be handled quietly, with whom they need to get strong. Horses so difficult that they cant be sorted out in one clinic by a professional or by the average rider. Some never.
This is a question that has been asked about humans too. If we take a tiny foal or child and raise him perfectly, will we then get a perfect horse or perfect person? Probably not, according to Rashid. Because Rashid explains that it is in the herd (not from humans) that a young horse will learn manners and compliance. Good social behaviour among horses. And the herd composition will vary for each young horse - there is no such thing as a blank sheet.
You probably don't want to know this, but I just bought it for £1.69 for my Kindle!
I'll review once I've had a chance to read it - thanks for the recommendations.
I'll review once I've had a chance to read it - thanks for the recommendations.
I would agree with this - and I think with horses as with children, some are inherently agreeable and intuitive and some (like my Tobes!) are different.
Tobes - if he were a person - would have a form of ADHT - nothing wrong with that, but he would not be the horse that Buck was. A leader who gently pushed his human in the right direction, stoically putting up with all the wrong messages and wrong information. Tobes stands up for himself and if won't put up with much that he feels is wrong. Equally, allowed to be the 'top dog' in a human horse relationship, he will take advantage. Not because he is a bad horse, but because he is a horse who needs leadership - not always passive - and encouragement. He is not the type to stand on his own four feet and lead you the right way.
Nothing wrong with that - I think Mark Rashid has an amazing capacity to think outside the box, but I think it is dangerous to expect all horses to have the same genetic makeup as his own particular horse.
Beautifully written skib
Again, my horses do not fit the pattern.
Silver is consistantly bad to handle, and intermittently awful. She bites and kicks if things aren't done "her way". Her way is a simple request for things to be done quickly, quietly and by touching her as little as possible - and this is all related to her skin issues. Now I have grasped this, she has become the most phenomenally loyal and brave pony - she is not brain dead, and does not march through everything but is selective about what to worry about and how to protect me from her concern. She will follow me everywhere and is very obedient... But only now I have listened, understood and incorporate her simple request.
Piggy on the other hand, is not spooky but lacks confidence. He can't be taught things fast - he goes in to melt down. I wouldn't take heed of his warnings of worry when out and about - simply because mostly he worries about what I am asking him to do - not about the environment. He is brain dead with respect to spooky things and had no sense of danger in any shape or form!
I have only had the cob two years so too early to say whether she is more likely right or not. What i have discovered is when she has refused to go forwards, it turned out to be a disused quarry that wouldn't have been safe for us to venture.
The bit i have got to is where he says he doesn't know everything and even as a trainer of many horses, one comes along that makes you think differently and look at yourself.
That i think is something some of us haven't done much of, because we always feel we are right and the horse is doing wrong.
"being awkward, playing up"
Its nice to be able to look at a horse as the trainer, as in what will you learn from this horse. What can you teach them.
The bit i have got to is where he says he doesn't know everything and even as a trainer of many horses, one comes along that makes you think differently and look at yourself.
That i think is something some of us haven't done much of, because we always feel we are right and the horse is doing wrong.
"being awkward, playing up"
Its nice to be able to look at a horse as the trainer, as in what will you learn from this horse. What can you teach them.
I absolutely love this book. Though it really is a bit 'out there' for some I think!
I agree with Skib - Mark uses horses in his books to illustrate a point. But he is not sentimental! He had a horse once he truly disliked. He tried the 'develop a relationship' approach but the horse wasn't interested. Remained aggressive and belligerent. He decided to sell it on. His wife wanted him to reconsider so on the day the trailer arrived she was stroking the horse saying just soften an inch and he'll keep you. He went for her and Mark had no hesitation in letting the horse go. He has also said it costs as much to feed a bad horse as a good one. So why waste time on a bad one?
I think the difference is that he can see -at least partially - into the heart/mind of a horse. So he does not confuse fear or confusion or lack of training with a basically negative temperament. But he says some horses are just 'mean'. Not many, but some.
I also agree with whoever said Buck was a horse in a million. Even Mark would agree he was no ordinary horse. We don;t all have a wise zen master grazing in our backyards!
I agree with Skib - Mark uses horses in his books to illustrate a point. But he is not sentimental! He had a horse once he truly disliked. He tried the 'develop a relationship' approach but the horse wasn't interested. Remained aggressive and belligerent. He decided to sell it on. His wife wanted him to reconsider so on the day the trailer arrived she was stroking the horse saying just soften an inch and he'll keep you. He went for her and Mark had no hesitation in letting the horse go. He has also said it costs as much to feed a bad horse as a good one. So why waste time on a bad one?
I think the difference is that he can see -at least partially - into the heart/mind of a horse. So he does not confuse fear or confusion or lack of training with a basically negative temperament. But he says some horses are just 'mean'. Not many, but some.
I also agree with whoever said Buck was a horse in a million. Even Mark would agree he was no ordinary horse. We don;t all have a wise zen master grazing in our backyards!
I agree that some horses cannot be helped and some do not bond with you.
A pony that came to my attention around the time the cob did was a no. I got told that all horses should be ridden and there was no reason for this particular pony to hate it. The more i looked into him, sadly i walked away because i am not about to make him let me get on and he was saying screw you! I told the person this as well.
This annoyed my instructor because she said i "should" take him on. No, the pony hated me, we had no connection, hey that's a fab start isn't it. Nh knowledge or not, i am not a give me any horse and i can tame it person!
Since then he has been advertised as a companion.
A pony that came to my attention around the time the cob did was a no. I got told that all horses should be ridden and there was no reason for this particular pony to hate it. The more i looked into him, sadly i walked away because i am not about to make him let me get on and he was saying screw you! I told the person this as well.
This annoyed my instructor because she said i "should" take him on. No, the pony hated me, we had no connection, hey that's a fab start isn't it. Nh knowledge or not, i am not a give me any horse and i can tame it person!
Since then he has been advertised as a companion.
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I loved "Life lessons from a ranch horse" particularly because Mark is so honest about the length of time it took him to understand and trust Buck. It gives me hope!
As for basic temperament, you can't beat it. That's why I still have Ziggy. He can be difficult, opinionated and stubborn, but his basic temperament is willing, cheerful and compliant, which makes him loveable. He's inherently a good pony who has (till now) been asked to do things in the wrong sort of way.
As for basic temperament, you can't beat it. That's why I still have Ziggy. He can be difficult, opinionated and stubborn, but his basic temperament is willing, cheerful and compliant, which makes him loveable. He's inherently a good pony who has (till now) been asked to do things in the wrong sort of way.
I am on page 45 where he talks about the time to back a horse getting shorter and shorter. So that at one point a horse was being ridden on the same day. Those had a lot of resistance and problems. Not surprising!
I do know of two people who will "break" your horse and are quite proud to have it on fun rides and jumping after only 4 weeks-that's not started with kindness. They haven't even developed muscles or balance, or understanding or anything else.
I know of people who would pull one out the field and be riding in a week. Again not for me. Surely that handling stays for life? Resentful.
Surely it takes about week or more to learn to lunge!
Actually, I very much think it depends on the horse.
When we were kids we used to 'break in' ponies.
This consisted of
1. Leaning over pony
2. Sitting on pony and gossiping with friend
3. Putting saddle and bridle on pony
4. Taking pony out on hack!!
And my two most favourite ponies - one 13.2 and one 14.2 just LOVED hacking out. Out in front, never a problem, and never upset with anything.
Just goes to show - is it the breeding or is it the attitude?
Personally, I would say breeding.
When we were kids we used to 'break in' ponies.
This consisted of
1. Leaning over pony
2. Sitting on pony and gossiping with friend
3. Putting saddle and bridle on pony
4. Taking pony out on hack!!
And my two most favourite ponies - one 13.2 and one 14.2 just LOVED hacking out. Out in front, never a problem, and never upset with anything.
Just goes to show - is it the breeding or is it the attitude?
Personally, I would say breeding.
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