Natural
Horsemanship Training Principle #4
THINK AND FEEL
Remember you’re working with a mind,
so cause
your ideas to become their ideas.
Part 1
“In the boldest print
of all, remember the word THINK. Be
aware and alert, visualize what you want. Realize you’re working with a mind. A
lot of people think it’s just a horse, but there’s a mind operating that
horse”
Ray Hunt
“Think
Harmony With Horses”
page 6
But what is FEEL? The answer to that is about as varied as the answers you would receive if you asked the multitude the question “Who and where is God?”.
While FEEL may be mostly intangible and abstract, it is most certianly a concept. I can tell you this…whatever else FEEL may be to a human, to the horse it is their true and only language.
That being said, I am going to vent a little bit here. My problem with natural horse trainers is their ability to just spout off nonchalantly that horsemanship is nothing more that “Feel, Timing, and Balance”. That may be well and good to those who have worked with horses for years or who have studied natural principles for years, but to the majority of backyard horse owners, it means absolutely nothing. It is as if the clinician is speaking some mystical and foreign jargon that only he and the horse understand. Somehow having attained this “Feel, Timing and Balance” has magically transformed them into a true-to-life ‘horse whisperer’. This tends to lead to a lot of disappointment with backyard horse owners who truly want to have a better relationship with their horses. Modern clinicians speak so flippantly about ‘Feel, Timing and Balance’ that the first time horse owner tends to think that it is almost unattainable. Something very much like having to graduate from medical school or having to pass the bar exam.
Let me offer these words of encouragement…FEEL is very attainable and everyone can experience it and work with it…IF…they can understand what it is in its simplest form…and IF…they have the desire to have an open and willing mind to try something different…and IF…they are willing to invest the TIME in letting their horse help them experience what working with FEEL is all about.
I believe that no one can teach FEEL. Tom Dorrance couldn’t do it. Bill Dorrance couldn’t do it. No human can truly teach what FEEL is. What they CAN teach is the proper mechanics of making requests to the horse. How to help the horse respond to those requests. Assist the rider in knowing when the horse is responding and how to reward that response. Request. Response. Release. There are certain intricacies involved that someone may be able to teach that will eventually lead you to find and develop your own FEEL. Now THAT, I believe can be taught. And I believe that the Dorrance brothers were probably the best at teaching others to develop their own FEEL. I also believe that they were the best at figuring out, and following, each individual horse’s FEEL.
See, my FEEL will be different than your FEEL. The way I present a FEEL to a horse will be different than the way you would present something through FEEL to the same horse…even if we were using the same technique. That same horse would respond back with a different FEEL to each of our requests.
FEEL is truly as individual to the human as it is to the horse.
During one of my first clinics that I ever taught, I was asked just what is FEEL. I had to come up with a quick explanation to best suit the masses as best that I could given that I was put on the spot. Something that would seem tangible to those watching and yet still explain it well enough and not lose what it was really about.
This is how I explained it. First off, the most basic of all component’s of FEEL is pressure…and the release of that pressure. This is the standard line of communication within the horse’s world. Now, there are different types of pressure…physical pressure…mental pressure…and emotional pressure. While each overlaps somewhat into the others, each form of pressure is very individual. I will cover more on this elsewhere in this book. But FEEL is not just about pressure and release. If it were that simple than any person yanking on the reins and jerking on a horse’s mouth would be considered to have used FEEL. This is absolutely incorrect.
I tend to look at FEEL by examining two people learning to dance. Not just any dance. For the sake of this explanation let’s use the waltz. A waltz is a ¾ time signature dance which glides along with a rising and lowering ebb of rhythm to this time signature. Each partner remains within a certain framework of space and regardless of change of direction, that single space is always occupied by both partners moving together in harmony.
Now these two students, one male and one female, go into the local dance studio to learn to waltz. So the instructor talks to them a little bit and explains what the waltz is about and then gives a brief demonstration as to what the movements are. Now the instructor takes each individual and separately teaches each one the initial postures and foot work involved from their perspective within the dance. The students then join together and are instructed in proper positioning of their bodies in relation to each other. Where to place the feet, how to hold the partner’s hand. How high to hold the elbow. Back straight, chest out, shoulders back, etc., etc..
Now under the guidance of the instructor, the students step through the paces. Both students stare down at the floor watching their feet as they count aloud, one, two, three…one, two three…
After a few days or weeks of practice, they no longer look down at their feet, but their steps are still stiff and a little awkward, but they are moving to the beat; one, two, three…one, two, three…
After some time passes they no longer have that stiff movement. They have learned to glide there feet smoother and easier than before. They are looking directly at their partner and they are dancing. However, they are still dancing in the choreographed pattern that the instructor taught them. They are getting close to achieving FEEL, but just aren’t there yet. They haven’t learned to let go and flow…to just FEEL.
Finally the moment arrives where their FEEL, Timing, Balance and Rhythm all seem to fall into place. Both partners join hands and assume proper position and as the music begins, they start to move …but now…the male is leading his partner in a free style waltz not governed by a choreographed pattern. They glide back and forth and twirl about in 90 degree and 180 degree turns effortlessly.
He no longer has to ‘pull’ her his way as he steps backwards. He no longer runs into her as he steps forward. His every step is met with an equal reactive step. As he closes the distance by stepping into her space, she willingly yields that space and maintains the proper positioning, timing, and balance. As he starts to pivot she reacts in the equal way opening the door for his proper foot placement and then as he retreats to a new position within the circle, she follows and fills that void constantly maintaining the rhythm, timing and balance of this dance.
How is this accomplished? By the male physically pushing her body around with his hands? By yanking her and pulling her to him as he steps back? No. This is accomplished by FEEL.
At its basic component it is about pressure and release. That pressure is not so much about pushing and pulling through direct physical contact. It is more about indirect or implied contact. Indirect and implied pressure. This, in its simplest form is what FEEL is and how FEEL operates.
Horsemanship is very much like this waltz. The concept of FEEL, the Timing, Rhythm, and Balance. It is all part of the harmony and unity of the dance.
“Feel It! A feel following a feel – There’s no pressure mentally or physically.”
Ray Hunt
“Think Harmony With Horses” page 23
During the clinic, I was able to take a young lady who was auditing the clinic and bring her into the arena with me. I was able to demonstrate the steps described above as we went through the motions of the waltz. This visual aid made it a little easier for everyone attending to understand the elements and concept of FEEL. Pressure and release. Request, Response. Reward. Timing, Rhythm and Balance.
Even though the participants had something to go on, each one interpreted and translated that concept of FEEL differently. Again, this goes back to what I stated earlier, that FEEL cannot be taught by humans. It can only be conceptualized. So as the participants began working through their groundwork exercises, each struggled to find their own FEEL. Some discovered a FEEL early on and all of a sudden they were interacting with their horse quite smoothly and effortlessly. Others took a little longer and some just never seemed to find it. They struggled the entire day with their horses wishing they could perform groundwork or ride like the other participants. Some even stating that they would never bring that particular horse to another clinic or stated they were seriously considering selling their horse. What they don’t understand is that fate would eventually repeat itself until they invested the TIME (training principle #1) in developing FEEL.
FEEL cannot be bought from a catalog or over the internet. It cant be slapped on before a trail ride like a piece of well worn tack. It isn’t about posting the trot or half-passes using only leg pressure. It is not about the horse’s headset or some exaggerated gait. You can’t learn about it from the latest video or DVD, and anyone telling you that they can teach you FEEL is …well…let me put it this way…just hold on to your wallet as you run as fast as you can.
“…theories, techniques, mechanics are all just dead inanimate topics for discussion….the FEEL is what riding any discipline is about. Yes, there are certain seats and certain reins, etc., that will help us to achieve feel, but until we actually “do” feel the movement, it’s all just head knowledge. Nothing more. Once we get the “feel” of the executed movement, the horse also is moving as one with us. The horse feels it too.”
Gwenyth Browning Jones Santagate
The Horse: A Collection of Essays On The Natural Horse”
The only teacher who can effectively teach a human about FEEL is the horse.
“Feel is all the horse has to go on.”
Bill Dorrance
/ Leslie Desmond
“True Horsemanship Through Feel” page 3
This is an absolute truth. Feel IS all the horse has to go on. It is his true language and I have found that horses are forever waiting for the human to “get it”. To understand the concept of FEEL and the language of communication it offers.
“Above all, let us begin to “feel”! The ability to feel is a gift from God to each one of us. Let us begin to feel ourselves and understand our horses.
Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling
“Dancing
With Horses”
page 19
Once we find that small particle of FEEL and we begin to build on it, the horse begins to free up and we find that we are ‘suddenly’ getting along better and what once were obstacles in our training have now become learning experiences and accomplishments. In a lot of cases you will find that there is no brace where there once was one. Large horse problems have either disappeared or diminished into nothing more than an slight inconvenience. Again, once you start operating with FEEL, you will find everything to be a learning experience.
It almost becomes a game of “How can I use FEEL to get my horse to trailer load better?” or “ Let’s see if FEEL will help me in my transitions up and down through the gaits.”. With a lot of enthusiasm and zeal you start trying to find ways to apply the principles, concepts and theories of natural horsemanship through FEEL into everything you do.
I love to watch students hit this point in their search because they get this exuberance and this high energy excitement that translates and flows from their smiles on their faces right down their body and right through to the horse. The search for their FEEL may be slow but the transformation is quite rapid and very visible to those watching it transform.
So where do we begin learning about FEEL and operating through FEEL?
Well, the first step is to stop relying on old methods and techniques of horse training. Mentally forget about all the mechanical equipment you have strung all over your horse.
Sit back. Relax. THINK!
Part Two of this article will deal on the thinking component of this training principle.
Ray Hunt
“Think
Harmony With Horses”
“The horseman needs to
be awake, and alive and alert all the time.”
Ray Hunt
“Think
Harmony With Horses”
page 18
“Think! Feel! Don’t
forget the recesses; give your horse a break – reach out and rub his neck.”
Ray Hunt
“Think
Harmony With Horses”
page 23
“Think right down to the ground.”
Ray Hunt
“Think
Harmony With Horses”
page 85
“Let your idea become the horse’s idea.”
Ray Hunt
“Think
Harmony With Horses”
page 87
“Pretty soon it’s just a feel following a feel.”
Ray Hunt
“Think
Harmony With Horses”
page 5
“When we are considering training the horse, there are 3 aspects that we must consider; his physical, mental and emotional capabilities.”
John Lyons
“Lyons
On Horses”
page 13
“By that I mean be ready all the time to get with the him, and all the time be aware of when things start to change in the horse’s mental system.”
Bill Dorrance
/ Leslie Desmomd
“True
Horsemanship Through Feel”
page 57
“Since the horse is always learning, we need to be aware of what our actions are teaching him.”
John Lyons
“Lyons
On Horses”
page 11
“Natural Balance is the communication between two beings by the most subtle, almost invisible, signals, minute changes in the center of gravity and through pure thought and feeling.”
Klaus
Ferdinand Hempfling
“Dancing
With Horses”
page 14
“As we know, thinking
ahead is the key to good horsemanship. If the horse goes to move off and we
don’t feel it until he takes a step, we are generally creating a brace if we
take a square hold to stop him. Things can be much softer when we sense
movement and get there early.”
Jan Leitschuh
“Riding
Bareback”
The
Trail Less Traveled Magazine / April 2002
“A good horseman has the ability to think. He doesn’t want to use anything that takes that ability away from him. A horseman who can’t think doesn’t have the ability to get his horse to think either.”
Sam Powell
“Almost
A Whisper”
page 90
“The best thing that I try to do for myself is to try to listen to the horse. I don’t mean let him take over. I listen to how he’s operating; what he’s understanding or what he doesn’t understand; what’s bothering him and what isn’t bothering him. I try to feel what the horse is feeling and operate from where the horse is.”
Tom Dorrance
“True
Unity” page 13
“Do what your horse does, and do in your body what you want your horse to do in his”
Linda Parelli
“Riding
With Fluidty” video
“The horse is much more perceptive to this lack of focus than you realize. It is the horse’s nature that when he detects a lack of leadership, he will fill that void and become the leader, which results in the horse taking advantage of the rider.”
Julie Goodnight / Jennifer
Barron
“Is
This Horse More Than You
Should Try To Handle?”
The Trail Less Traveled
Magazine / July 2002
“The more timing, rhythm and feel we use, the better we develop our awareness and the lighter and softer the horse becomes.”
Richard Shrake,
www.richardshrake.com
Online
Article
“A couple of things that I have learned over the years….one is that horsemanship, GOOD horsemanship, is built on a foundation of feeling combined with knowledge and wisdom. Any one of the three left by themselves, is like a butterfly without wings – can’t go anywhere, cannot take on ‘normal’ tasks and when trying to fly won’t ever get off the ground except for a few inches. Can do no more than squiggle around on the ground for awhile. Knowledge without wisdom is a dangerous, dangerous thing. Feeling without knowledge is a weak foundation, to say the least. And, wisdom simply does not exist without the other two.
Gwenyth Browning Jones Santagate
“The
Horse: A Collection of Essays On
The
Natural Horse”
“You have to remember that your horse is always saying something to you, an ongoing message, which you have to concentrate on and always answer him with signals based on positive information according to where both of you are in your program.”
Richard Shrake
online article
“So there’s feel and timing and when that feel and timing is right you can’t imagine how effective it is to the animal. And there’s a time when it will work. And there’s a time when you’re a little too late, or you’re too early. It’s the preparation. Being ready to fix things up.”
Ray Hunt
Tom
Dorrance Benefit Video
“Feel, timing and balance.”
Ray Hunt
Tom
Dorrance Benefit Video
“Feel your horse. How does he make that bend? Is he rigid? Is he tight? Is he mellow? Is he lazy? There’s a lot of things going on in there if you’ll listen to him.”
Ray Hunt
Tom
Dorrance Benefit Video
“When it comes to interacting with horses, awareness and feel are synonyms, I think…when you crank your awareness up a notch, you will begin to realize when the horse hasn’t actually moved but merely shifted her weight. What comes next may be the point where awareness and feel part ways – you can develop your awareness to the point where you can begin to know when the horse has just thought about leading ahead, then you release. At this level of refinement your request and release become something quite different, not a request and release at all but simply working together. This is where you begin to build toward an extremely sensitive animal.”
Cheryl
Kimball
“Mindful Horsemanship”
“So much can be learned from watching others – sometimes just by understanding a feeling, rather than just stiffly trying to do what you’re told, without even realizing why you should do it. “
Norman Dello Joio
Olympic
Show-Jumping Rider
“We don’t notice near enough of the good things he does, and while he’s doing those good things, we just take them for granted. We do way too much physically…”
Ray Hunt
“Get
Ready With Ray Hunt”
The
Trail Less Traveled Magazine / Dec. 1999
“Listen to the horse. Try to find out what the horse is trying to tell you.”
Tom Dorrance
“Greetings
From Tom Dorrance” Video
“Ride your horse as you feel him, provided you were born to, or over the years have learned to feel! It is the one thing no book can teach you, no teacher can give you, the one conquest of the laurels which will be entirely yours.”
Jean Froissand
“Classical
Horsemanship For Our Time”
“The sooner we let go of the idea that horses think like humans, the sooner we will start to make headway with our relationships with horses.”
Cheryl Kimball
“Mindful Horsemanship”
“Riding through feel, I think, comes from riding a lot and being able to feel when something is right or not right. Mechanics do of course come into play, they have to, and spending time working on your position is important. But always focusing on mechanics and thinking too hard about every one of your body parts will interfere with your riding – you can’t understand what your whole body is feeling while your brain is otherwise engaged keeping track of where each leg is and how you are holding your fingers.”
Cheryl Kimball
“Mindful Horsemanship”
Tom Smith to Red Pollard
‘Seabiscuit’ the movie