TIME !!!

 

By Michael Gonzalez

 

 

“The one specialized tool most critical in communicating with your horse openly is time. Time is also the single most important tool when developing a oneness with our horse.”

GaWaNi Ponyboy

Horse; Follow Closely page 45

 

We begin our study of natural horsemanship training principles with THE single most important training principle in horsemanship. TIME.

It seems to be one of the few training principles that every good horseman, or horsewoman, will agree upon. For others, TIME is often the most neglected or abused training principle. Especially by new natural horsemanship students, or by the ‘old school' trainers versed in “breaking horses”. Students, new to the natural horsemanship style of training, are often greatly inspired, yet easily confused, by all the showmanship and rapid-fire colt starting success demonstrated in symposiums, clinics, and horse expos. All too often, horse owners leave these demonstrations under the impression that they can go home and get the very same results with their horses just by spouting off certain horsemanship vocabulary, putting a special halter on their horse's head, waving a four foot stick with a plastic sack on the end, or by running the horse in mindless circles in a round pen until the poor horse is at near exhaustion. What the big name trainers at these shows fail to drive home to their wide-eyed audience, is that this level of relationship is only created and cemented by spending vast amounts of TIME with their equine partners.

One of the greatest benefits of TIME, as a natural horsemanship training principle, is that it works on every single horse. TIME is infinite, and regardless of whether the horse is a high strung thoroughbred fresh off the track, the family quarter horse pet, prized Arabian stallion, Mongolian pony, or Paso Fino the principle of time is applicable and universal to every breed and discipline. Yet, TIME is the hardest principle for horse owners and students of horsemanship to grasp and fully utilize. Why? For one, we live in a fast food and microwaveable society. Our entire life in this modern era is comprised of doing, having, giving, and getting at a faster pace. That is part of our culture. We want immediate results, and, as the old saying goes, we wanted them yesterday. With that in mind, it is no wonder that we push our horses extremely fast as well. Much too fast most of the TIME. With 8-12 hours each day set at a sprinter's pace, we carry that pace over into our relationship with our horses. We hurriedly run through a training exercise accepting mediocre results because we refuse to invest in the TIME it takes. Our minds are already thinking of getting home, fixing dinner for the family, mowing the lawn, making the tonight's PTA meeting, paying bills, etc..

Perhaps that is why men like Tom and Bill Dorrance were legendary horsemen. Living in the early and mid parts of the last century they were unencumbered with the increasingly fast paced technological world that we live in today. It may be that we need to return back to a similar place in time to achieve that special relationship with horses. While we cannot go back in time physically, perhaps we can digress mentally and philosophically when it comes to our personal horsemanship.

Well known natural horse trainer, Mark Rashid, whose mentor was a contemporary of the Dorrance brothers explained to me through a personal email message…

“When I was a kid in the 50's and 60's I had the good fortune of learning from a horseman named Walter Pruitt. Walter was born in 1896 and was the finest hand with a horse I have ever known. He had great feel and timing, and always took as long as it took, that is exactly what I mean. It was not unusual for him to spend weeks, or even months with a truly troubled horse in stead of thirty minutes or an hour in a round pen like we see today. Starting a colt, for him, might take a few hours, or it may take a year, depending on the colt. But in the six years that I spent with Walter and the hundreds of colts we started, I don't ever recall seeing one of them come apart or go to bucking the first time he put a saddle on them or the first time someone got on their back. I think this, in and of itself, says a lot about the man, his ability and his philosophy.” 

If we abuse the training principle of TIME and push our horse too quickly, several undesirable outcomes may appear:

•  The horse acts excited and confused. The flight instinct begins to take over and his rational thinking side of his brain begins to shut down. Any progress that we may have achieved up to that point will be ruined.

•  We get a mediocre response which in TIME, will prove itself to be constant mediocre performance. If mediocrity is accepted, then that is what the horse will come to accept, and deliver, instead of striving for excellence or perfection.

•  While we might get the horse to respond quickly enough, constant and rapid pushing of the lessons will not let the learned acceptable behavior to sink in and become a true conditioned response.

•  Pushing too fast with a multitude of repetitions becomes a form of “drilling”. Constant drilling will cause a horse to become dull bored and mediocre in his responses.

 

Conversely, if we go slow and proceed as if we have a life TIME to spend training each horse, we will develop attributes in our horses that are solidly built into their foundation. Playing the clock in this fashion will:

•  Help to consistently keep the horse calm, relaxed and in a learning mode. The horse will be more content to be with you and spend less physical and mental energy in flight mode.

•  By slowing down, we can recognize the slightest try and the smallest changes the horse makes and build upon every effort in a positive manner. We will also be able to detect incorrect, or mediocre responses and set the horse up to succeed rather than fail.

•  We ensure that the horse will in fact, learn each lesson and retain the knowledge gained.

•  Taking the time it takes, and spreading the training lessons out over a longer period of TIME keeps the training fresh and the horse will respond in a willing fashion every time we approach them.

 

 

“Consequently, it's important that you give the horse the TIME and mental space to learn.”

Diane Longanecker

“Responsibility: It's A Two Way Street”

The Trail Less Traveled Magazine / June 1999

 

 

“One of the most important parts of this for the horse is for him to find out that you are willing to wait on him. You'll allow him to learn. This is giving your horse the opportunity to think and realize that you're not going to get after him as if you wanted him to hurry up. He has all the TIME he needs while I am waiting on his feet. Some might want to rush him when he starts getting close. Doesn't matter to me how long he needs, I'll be here until breakfast if that's what it takes.”

Buck Brannaman

“Learning To Separate A Feel”

The Trail Less Traveled / Feb. 1999

 

 

“It may seem like you will never get anything accomplished, but sometimes going slow in the quickest way to get there.”

Tom Dorrance

“True Unity”

 

 

“TIME is, for me, the most important factor in being with horses. TIME to listen, TIME to truly understand the nature of the horse, and time to learn from them"

Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling

“Dances With Horses” page 18

 

 

“There is no formula for figuring the amount of TIME it takes to build a strong foundation – it takes as long as necessary and usually longer than desired.”

Rebekah Ferran Witter

“Living With Horsepower” page 163

 

 

 

“You've got to stop thinking in people TIME and start thinking in horse time”.

Dennis Reis

Natural Horse Trainer

 

 

“If the human can learn to stay on this side of trouble and throw away the TIME clock that we put on ourselves when we are working with the horse, the human and the horse will be the better from it.”

Jerry Munns

Natural Horse Trainer, Indiana

 

 

“Like I spoke about before, it's real important to invest TIME in these horses. Give yourself and your horse the TIME that it takes to get it right.”

Bill Dorrance (and Leslie Desmond)

“True Horsemanship Through Feel” page 14

 

 

“This approach has to be taught going real slow from the start, and staying slow enough to where that slowness has some actual value.”

Bill Dorrance (and Leslie Desmond)

“True Horsemanship Through Feel” page 276

 

 

Most people set unreasonable timetables for themselves and their horses for what they want to teach them. Thus, they become discouraged and believe they are not good trainers. In getting into the habit of wanting to solve problems quickly we sometimes work too fast. If we get excited and put pressure on the horse, we are limiting ourselves, and, at the same TIME, the horse may start developing unwanted behavior. We need to relax and take our TIME. Most problems don't need to be solved in a day, or three days.

John Lyons

“Lyons On Horses” pages 22-23

 

 

“Tomorrow, tomorrow, there's always tomorrow.”

Alan Bell,

Greenville , Texas

 

 

“But if you could only pick two things, definitely pick patience and TIME. Those are the things that would get you the farthest.”

Cheryl Kimball

“Mindful Horsemanship”

 

 

“When working with a colt or any horse for that matter, always give them lots of TIME to figure out what it is you are presenting to them. If you take a little extra TIME at the beginning of all of this you will not have to take TIME later to fix what you have messed up.”

Jerry Munns,

Natural Horse Trainer, Indiana

 

 

“In your journey as a horseman, patience becomes something of an art. If you're too much in a hurry to get a result, chances are it will be at the expense of the horse or of your relationship with the horse. Slow down so you can hurry up! Giving a horse that moment to think will pay big dividends.”

Pat Parelli

“Give ‘Em Time To Think”

Savvy Up Magazine / Vol. 2 Issue 4

 

 

“There is a Zen philosophy that employs the practice of slowing down to go faster. There is no better TIME to use that philosophy than when you are working with horses. “

Sam Powell

“Almost A Whisper” page 121

 

 

“The horse owns all the TIME that we spend with it. It is his life that we are imposing on.”

Michael A. Gonzalez, (Barebackrider/PNH) Author

“12 Training Principles of Natural Horsemanship”

 

 

'Nuff Said ?