Wake Up Call

Among my goals for August, I listed mastering a correct turn on the HQ from the ground. What I mean by that is teaching Finn to pivot consistently on the outside hind leg, while the inside hind backs a small circle around it. This causes the horse to bear more weight over the hind end than the alternative of pivoting on the inside hind and stepping forward in a small circle with the outside hind.

Now, I'd like to point out that "correct" here is a relative thing, because there is a different correct for different disciplines. In a reining spin or rollback, the horse is supposed to pivot on the inside hind. In dressage, the horse should not pivot at all in a turn on the HQ, instead maintaining a regular walk pattern of footfalls, lifting and placing the hind feet almost in place.

In any case, what was coming naturally to Finn was pivoting on the inside hind, so I decided to try and "re-program" that from the ground. How, you might ask? Simply, releasing for that instead.

I asked for the turn on the HQ (which, incidentally, I had never really "developed" more than a few steps at a time) and watched what was happening to figure out where we were starting from. I diagnosed the fact that in order to pivot on the outside hind, Finn needed to feel more "backwards" in the movement. So, if he took a step forward (or out) with the outside hind, I asked for a few steps backwards, then continued asking for the turn on the HQ. Initially, I released anytime he made one step back with the inside hind while planting the outside hind.

Within just a couple of sessions, though, I started asking for (and getting) more steps. I started to really look for the moment he struggled -- where it was difficult to hold on that outside hind and Finn made the effort to find a way to do it -- and released for that. I admit, though, there was part of me that wondered: is this really working? Is a horse really aware enough of what he's doing with his feet to figure out what's going on here?

Well, after returning to this after four days of being away braiding, the answer is a resounding, "Yes!" When I asked for the turn yesterday, it could not have been more apparent that Finn has processed and understood this new request. I could feel his commitment to the task, and he was easily and consistently making 3/4 turns without any reminder from me. His steps with the front feet aren't uniform or correct yet, but I can only imagine that will come with more accurate practice. Once his hind feet are really committed and comfortable making the turn correctly, they will provide a stable base for the front feet to develop more coordination and consistency.

But the thought I really wanted to share is, don't underestimate the horse! This is just another reminder for me to give Finn credit for his smarts, willingness and awareness. My whole journey of studying natural horsemanship began with understanding the horse as a mental being instead of just a physical body and interacting with it as such. Instead of just controlling the horses body, I learned to engage its mind. And when the mind is committed, the body follows, trust me.

I don't know why I doubted... I guess because this is something so detailed, I wondered if Finn would pick up on it. Well, I suppose this is a wake-up call to me to realize that the horse is far more aware of his own feet than I am. He knows what they're doing... and if I knew what they were doing more accurately from the saddle, we would probably have developed this correctly in the first place. It's not like Finn was making the turn incorrectly because he didn't know what he was doing - he was making it incorrectly because I didn't know what he was doing, so I wasn't being clear on what I wanted him to do.

Striving for greater awareness of Finn's feet has been a huge part of what I've picked up from studying with Buck Brannaman... and I have such a LONG way to go. It is so easy to neglect this skill because it is so difficult to grasp in the beginning, and that's still where I am. But I am committed and I will persevere.