|
|
Frank Bell's Gentle Solution Revolution™ Natural horsemanship clinics, horse training techniques and unique horse training products using Horsewhisperer Frank Bell's acclaimed Gentle Solutions. Frank's Safe and Simple techniques for training horses can achieve instant results - even with problem horses! Making it Simple! Making It Safe! Get There Now! |  |
|
Site Menu |
|
|
|
||||
|
|
In the wild, animals exhibit an interesting behavior while protecting themselves and their immediate companions. It is one that allows the bulk of the herd to relax, graze, lie down and more or less unwind. Be it a flock of geese or a herd of horses, there is always a sentry keeping an eye on the perimeter while his companions indulge themselves. The act of eating and having the head close to the ground, just like laying down, both require a degree of trust in that sentry. It just would not happen otherwise. And here is where the logic of helping a horse lay down has significant value. Unequivocally, the horse is most vulnerable while lying down. Imagine a horse that can quietly lay still, relaxed and accepting while all kinds of stimuli are going on around him? How far has that trust issue progressed? What then can you ask of your horse? Last winter Emmett Ross's Magnifico went down to Arizona to race at Turf Paradise. He broke the track record in his first race, but then something went seriously awry. He started losing it in the paddock while being saddled and barely held it together in the gate. But it was too late by then, because he'd already run his race and had nothing to give. He'd stressed out completely. In the racing industry it's called " washing out" 3 He came to me in February and clearly did not like humans. We got that fixed in a couple of sessions of bonding. It was a time of complete giving for me. Reestablishing that trust had to be first. No riding. Head to the ground and to the side. Nose, ears, eyes, mouth, tail. What feels good? Find it. Melting, letting go, releasing. And finally trusting in me to take him and show him the way back to being okay with the human, and maybe even, if I'm lucky, have him like and trust me. And he did. It worked! Through a program of building that trust and confidence, he went back to the track and confidently went into the paddock and the gate, and then went on to place respectably in his first race, and win his second race against fierce competition. Magnifico laid down many times. He got so good at it that it only took picking up one foot and he'd lay down happily, taking a bite of grass en route and with a deep groan almost say, " Sounds good to me." He lay down in the round pen, in the arena, and out in the middle of the plateau on the way up our Turner's mountain while I watched from afar, hidden. And he lay down next to an old rickety starting gate at a private facility while I rattled that old metal and wooden unit beyond belief. Heck I'd have laid him down in the paddock at the track if tradition hadn't frowned. Long before I learned of this technique to help gentle horses, I found myself always attempting to get close to the animals I was working with while they were down. Sometimes I'd even get on all fours and creep in while trying not to threaten them. Once there, lots of stroking and rubbing and just being together, then creeping off while the horse was still down. What have I gained? Days? Months? Hard to say exactly what was accomplished, but clearly we attained a higher level of trust than before. For those horses that seldom find their way down on their own, a little help can speed the trust and self-confidence issues dramatically. Once down, the first step is one of bonding and reassurance that everything is okay, then the horse is asked to tolerate more, like a plastic bag rubbed all over his body. Gradually the heat is turned up until he is laying there quietly while a string of aluminum cans is tossed all over him or that plastic bag is cracking loudly around his head. Keenly observing how he reacts to these stimuli determines how far to push him. Frequent reassurance is necessary. But when it's over, the horse is better equipped to handle life as a riding horse. So when that car backfires while out riding or a plastic bag blows by, it's not flip-out time, but rather process time. The horse in essence has learned to think, not react and forget about the rider. The horses I've laid down are too numerous to list, but the outcome the same, a dramatically more relaxed, trusting, confident animal that looks to me for help when bothered. I like that.
Frank Bell and his accredited instructors have been helping horses with their people problems for several decades. He writes interesting and educational stories about these horses and their challenges. He also helps people better understand how to communicate with these magnificent creatures by answering their vexing questions on his website. Frank has designed a logical set of exercises that immediately places both parties on higher ground . . . without the need for a round pen. Suddenly both parties are riding in confidence instead of fear. Frank Bell's 7-Step Safety System (7-SSS) has been featured in horse magazines and e-zines throughout the world including a three-part series in Western Horseman magazine. Frank's video " Discover the Horse You Never Knew" fully outlines " the system" and is available in the audio/video library that includes thirteen works.
Join Frank Bell's Gentle Solution Revolution and breakthrough your training barriers now!
800-871-7635 |
||||||
|
Copyright © 2000-2005 by Dances With Horses, Inc., P.O. Box 819, Rexburg, ID 83440, Ph: (800) 871-7635, Fax: (208) 356-7817, E-Mail: frankbell@horsewhisperer.com |
Home
