Our Journey

Here, I am going to tell the story of how I found myself.  Or… well really the one who found me. There are ups and downs, twists and turns, but in my opinion, it is one of the most magical of things that can happen to a person. 

Having the friendship and the love of a horse.

I have been in love with horses, and pretty much all animals, ever since I can remember. My parents tell me my love for them began when I was only two years old. I dreamt of running with wild horses, galloping down the beach with them, and sharing ultimate love with them. I had tons of horse toys, and watched horse movies (preferably ‘Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron’, I watched that one over twice a day) endlessly. 

When I was three years old, my parents took my brother, Keoni, my sister, Ashley, along with my grandparents and I to my first riding lesson. My brother and sister rode in it too, but I was (and still am) the only one who stuck to it. 

The woman, named Eileen, (who is now our very close family friend) already had a horse, Menehune, caught and tied up for me. She brought out a tack box with a few brushes, a hoof pick, and a mane and tail brush. She taught me how to walk around horses, and how their minds and instincts work. Then she showed me how to brush him. I took the body brush in my hand and glided it along the beautiful chestnut geldings side. Then Eileen brought out a saddle pad, a western saddle and a bridle. She tacked him up for me and brought me a helmet. Off we went to the arena! I could not have been more excited. I was lifted up onto the horses back, and I felt amazing. It was the best experience ever (well… at the time!). 

Eileen led Menehune and I around the arena. I probably had the biggest smile that my parents had ever seen.

I kept doing riding lessons for years, switched ranches a couple of times, and at the new ranch, I rode a gorgeous black mare named Iluna. A few months after doing lots of riding lessons with her, she was put down because of cancer. It was a horrible experience, for I had fell completely in love with her, and I had grown to be so attached to her. 

I then started riding a new horse, Candy. The first time I fell off of a horse was with Candy. She was spooked by the smell of a dead pig in the bushes, and she bolted forward, and I fell straight out of the saddle and onto the soft sand. I stood up and got right back on, but I was terrified. 

After that lesson, I didn’t want to ride ever again. My confidence was gone. My mom forced me to go to the next one, and I tried to hide in the car to avoid going. But my trainer convinced me that it would be okay, and that I wouldn’t fall off this time. She asked me if I wanted to lead Candy around a grassy area. I accepted and I took the lead rope in my shaking hands. Everything turned out perfectly fine though, and my confidence was back.

I switched back to my first trainer, and I started riding at a new ranch (still with her, though) called Princeville Ranch. I rode a few horses there. First, a small, scrawny palomino gelding named Duncan. Then, in the summer before seventh grade I think it was, a big brown and white Paint horse named Sarge. 

Then, my trainer introduced me to a gorgeous bay gelding named Lilo. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. He had the sweetest temperament and was the most amazing horse I’d ever ridden. Little did I know, that this was the horse that would change my life forever.

In the fall of 2012 (the beginning of seventh grade) I volunteered at the ranch I rode at with Iluna & Candy, with a few of my best friends, and in return for the work that we did we got to go on lots of trail rides with the horses. My favorite horse was a grey pony named Kolohe. I rode him, brushed him, and bathed him all the time. My friends and I did photo shoots with the horses, and went on long trail rides down to the waterfall where we would slide down the rocks and swim in the pond. We found these secret trails that we would go galloping down in. I didn’t know if life could get any better than that. 

In the summer of 2013, I talked to my mom about how badly I wanted a horse, and how I knew I was ready to handle the responsibility. She looked around on Craigslist and Equine Now. She then found a horse that she thought was perfect. He was an eight year-old sorrel gelding, and he was beautiful. We went to visit him, and we watched a lady take him for a test drive, and then the current owner. He was still extremely skittish with people, and was very wild. He fought everything that they asked him to do. I thought he was amazing, but my mom didn’t even blink an eye before making her decision. It was a no. For this horse, anyway. 

My mom called my first trainer and, when the words came out “I am seriously considering buying Kaitlyn a horse.” I felt like the happiest and luckiest girl in the world. 

She told my mom that the ranch she works for had two horses for sale. One named Rusty, a 21 year-old flea bitten grey, and Lilo, a 19 year-old bay. A few days later I went to take both of them for a test drive. I rode Rusty first, and he was incredible. He was so willing to do anything I asked, and he had lots of energy. Then I rode Lilo. Deep down in my heart I knew that he was the one. I had already had a connection with him and I knew him for a few years before. 

The next day, I confirmed that Lilo was the one. I was beyond ecstatic. My dream had come true; I was going to have a horse of my very own! Eileen came over so we could sign the bill of sale, and pay for him. I couldn’t stop smiling.

The day after that, I went up to the ranch to see Lilo for the first time since we got him. I caught him and brushed him off, and picked out his feet. I rode him very often as well. I even made an Instagram account for him and I, where I found an amazing account called @littlepistolannie (https://www.facebook.com/MosieTrewhittLibertyHorsemanship). 

It said she did Liberty Horsemanship. She rode her gorgeous mare without any tack. No saddle, no bridle. Nothing. She did amazing tricks with her. She played tag with her, and it was the most magical thing I’d ever seen a human do with a horse. It was pure love. Pure friendship. Right then and there, I knew that is what Lilo and I were meant to do. 

I stopped using bits, and for a while we only rode bareback. I stopped using utter force with him and I started to work out of positive reinforcement instead.

But at the time, I completely misunderstood Liberty. I thought that it was only about tricks and the horse following you, and riding without tack. I asked around the social media horse world for help and to get a better understanding of what Liberty was. Not only did I find the true definition of Liberty Horsemanship, but I also made a bunch of new friends from over the Internet. 

Once I knew where to start, Lilo and I began our journey. In the beginning, it was harder than I had ever imagined. He did come to me, but when he was set free in the arena, he chose not to be with me, and instead walked away. I felt unloved and undesired. We were lost.

In our spare time, I taught him a few tricks. He learned to stretch, the start of a classical bow, and to back up in sync with me. 

After about a month of being together, Lilo was put in a big pasture with lots of other horses. I hoped that being in there with him more would deepen the bond. But sadly, things got worse. 

He stopped walking to me, and for a while he wouldn’t even follow me out of the pasture with a halter on him. I lost motivation with him for a while, and I didn’t know where to go from there. I was just about ready to give up on us.

Lilo and the horses were all put into the pasture right next to the first one. This one was at least 12 acres. At one end of it, there were three big trees lined up beside each other. The line dividing the two pastures, and the trail riding areas was a big long fence with trees along every side of it. 

Lilo started to come with me out of the pasture more, but he rarely ever came to me, and our bond hadn’t improved.

But, he learned to disengage his hindquarters, and ‘look where we go.’

A little while after that, my parents informed me that he had a big abscess in his back right hoof. We treated it for days, and he was put back in a pen. After being with him for hours taking care of his hoof and spending more and more quality time with him, things slowly got better. He rarely ever followed me, but he started coming to me again, letting out a big whinny. And after a bit of time went by, we had our first tackless ride. 

It was amazing. We rode bareback and without a bridle, or a halter. Only a neckrope, which I barely even had to touch. I felt like the happiest I could ever be. 

He learned to give kisses on cue, and started following me around much more. He almost came trotting when he saw me. 

One day, my best friend, Zara, came with me to give Lilo a visit, and at first we just hung out with him, and I showed her the tricks that he knew. Then, she asked me if she could sit on him. I said yes, and gave her a leg up. I started to walk away to get a few pictures of them on my camera, and Lilo followed me. An idea sparked in my head. I turned around and ran to the other side of the pen. Lilo immediately came trotting after me. I was amazed. It was the first time that he actually wanted to run with me! I almost started to cry, I was so happy. I then got on him, and I asked for a walk. He walked just by a cluck, and turned by a thought in my head. Then I raised my energy up, asked him to walk to the end of the pen and turn around, and leaned forward and clucked, and he went straight into a beautiful canter, with Zara running forward and taking pictures as well. When she got on him again, he walked, trotted, and cantered with me. I was so incredibly happy! It was an amazing experience. 

We started playing and experimenting with objects like tarps and bags. And one day I rinsed him off, and put him back in the pen, and he rolled. I walked over to him and petted him while he was lying down, and he let me sit with him for a little while. It was always a dream of mine to lie down with him, and it was a beautiful and magical thing! I couldn’t believe what was happening at that moment. Our long, beautiful friendship had finally, truly begun.

Lilo and I's first day together!

Our first time laying down together

Trick Training (continued)

In this week's post, I will be continuing the previous trick training post. 

Some more tricks that you can teach your horse include:

Hugging, spanish walking, sitting, and kneeling. 

Hugging - this trick can be taught by standing in front of the horses shoulder (beside his neck) and taking a few treats in your hand. Then, you ask the horse to bring his head around you. Once he does this, reward a ton! Eventually you will be able to add a cue and you will no longer need to use treats as an aid.

Spanish walking - this trick can be taught from the paw, or jambette. Once the horse knows how to paw, you can ask for the cue while walking beside them, and soon enough, they'll figure out that you want them to step instead of scraping the ground. 

Sitting - this trick can be taught from the lay down. When the horse goes to get up, you ask them to stop. Eventually, they'll learn that you want them to sit with their legs in front of them. This trick takes lots and lots of trust!

Kneeling - this trick can be taught from the lay down as well. When the horse goes to lay down, you ask them to stop. They will eventually realize that you want them to kneel down, but not lay down completely.

Credits:

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/rondlarg/4950720464/ (sitting photo)

How to Bond with Your Horse

There are many ways to bond with a horse, from spending quality time together to doing fun activities - they all contribute to a loving and trusting bond with your equine companion.

One of Lilo and I's favorite things to do is sit together in the pasture and enjoy each other's company. I will either read a book to him, sing to him, or give him lots of scratches. This is a great way to bond because you are not asking anything of your horse, you are just being together, in the moment!

Another way to bond is by finding what your horse likes to do the most. For example, Lilo loves to play with the yoga ball and the tarp. He likes to paw at them, chase the ball around, and bite at the tarp. These activities are also great for desensitizing, and this builds lots of trust. 

Lilo having fun playing with the yoga ball!

The base of any relationship, for me, is trust and understanding. Once your horse knows that he can trust you, and you treat him like you would any best friend, the both of you will share an everlasting friendship! 

Websites: http://royalgrovestables.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-to-bond-deeply-with-your-horse.html

http://www.womenandhorses.com/newsletter-august2005.html

Horse Care in Hawaii

As we know, Hawaii is very wet! This makes the horses more likely to develop skin funguses such as rain rot, or hoof problems such as thrush. For Lilo, I like to dry his feet out when we come out of the pasture with thrush buster or durasole, this also helps harden his feet as he is barefoot. Lilo has once gotten Whitelines Disease (a hoof disease) and part of his hoof had to be carved out and treated for about a week! 

Because we get a substantial amount of rain, our grass flourishes all year around! But this also gives the horses a higher chance of obesity or founder. If your horse is at risk for these, it is best to put them on a feed that is low in sugar, and easily digestible. Or you can use a grazing muzzle/pen rotation to keep their weight normal. Because our grass is so high in sugar, I feed Lilo pellets that are low in sugar and protein called Timothy. 

Because our weather doesn't change much throughout the year, except that we get more rain in the winter and more sun in the summer, we do not need to use heavy blankets to keep them warm, except when it rains for a while without stopping. This prevents rain rot and hypothermia (although it is rare!).

How I Introduce Tackless Riding

The way that I introduce tackless riding to horses is by learning every cue from the ground first. I will ask the horse to walk beside me by clucking and walking forward (when riding, I would shift my weight forward), ask for a stop by saying "woah" and putting my hands up, turn by walking a certain direction (when riding, I would shift my weight in that direction) and motioning my arm in that direction, and for backing up, I would say "back" and back up (when riding, I would shift my weight backward). 

To learn more complex maneuvers, such as trotting and cantering, I would simply raise my energy and say the word. Horses can feel everything that you feel, so if you were to raise your energy, they would as well.

While learning to ride tackless, I always use positive reinforcement! This makes it fun for the horse, and they will be more willing to learn.

Picture credits: 

Zara Allen (second picture)

My Opinion on Punishment

Everything that a horse does is either what they think they are supposed to do, or what they feel that they need to do (instinct). If a horse does something "bad", in my experiences, it is almost always because they were scared. They felt threatened, or they were worried that they'll get hurt. So, instead of punishment or pain, the horse that I am working with and I work together to find what the problem was, and fix it. I never ever hit horses, yell at them, or do anything to cause them pain. 

Lilo lives in a pasture with 8 other geldings, and he is very scared of a few of them! When we are walking back to the pasture, many times he'll stop and he won't move, because he is afraid of the horses hurting him. So, I show him that he is safe with me, and that the horses won't hurt him. I calm him down and nicely ask him to follow me (NEVER demand!!), or we take a different route. Because he puts so much trust in me, he knows that I will lead him to a safe place.

Punishing a horse for being scared creates the opposite of trust. It usually also causes resentment! Trust is the base of any relationship, so to do something to take that away can often break the relationship. And in all of my time with Lilo, it has been the most effective problem fixer!

             

                         Lilo leaving his herd to come and play!

For more information, here is a website: http://theperfecthorse.blogspot.com/2010/02/punishment-why-not-to-use-it.html

Our Rights With Horses

We do not own the rights to a horses body. We never have, and we never will. We do not own the right to push them around, control them, or bully them. We do not have the right to hop on them whenever we please. Horses are free, wild spirits that we will never have the right to break. They are not robots, they are living beings with feelings. They have the right to object and say no to us.

Lilo is nothing less than my best friend and my protector. I did not earn this amazing honor of friendship by pushing or hitting him, or controlling his every move. I earned this honor by treating him as nothing less than what he is to me, a best friend. I have put my whole heart and all of my effort into creating the relationship that we share now. I have done everything that I can to make him feel at his best. To make him feel safe, happy, and healthy. A best friend wouldn't push another best friend around or use forcefulness and coercions to accomplish a selfish task. No, best friends love each other will all of their hearts, they protect each other, and they put each other first, always. Acceptance and understanding are huge keys to a relationship of harmony with a horse. You must see the world from their point of view -- once you can do that, you begin to understand them in ways that you never thought you could.

My Opinion on Breaking Horses

I do not believe in "training" horses. I do not believe in "breaking" horses. I do not believe in these things because horses do not need to be trained or broken. What do we "train" horses to do? Have a person on their back? That does not take training, that takes trust. Do we train them to trot, canter, back up, collect, switch leads, turn left or right? No, we do not. Everything that we try to teach horses, they already know how to do. Horses know how to jump a 3 foot fence. They know how to do a flying lead change. They know how to do a sliding stop. Sure, we teach them the cues for these actions, and we show the horses when we want them to perform them. But, I can hardly call this training. It does not take training to jump onto a horses back and ask for them to gallop, and it does not take training to get them to stop bucking or rearing. 

When you hear the word "horse", what comes to your mind? For me, I think of freedom, strength, and spirit. We all know that horses are naturally wild and free animals, so why would we ever want to break that beautiful spirit? It is just like a slave giving into another human's power because they know that they'll never be able to fight back and win. No horse should ever be treated like a slave, or feel like one!

I believe that to become a true team, and to be in harmony with a horse, all that it takes is love, trust, freedom, acceptance, and the willingness to listen. 

Now that I listen to Lilo and give him a voice in what we do, he is confident, and has never been happier.

Types of Riding

There are many disciplines in the horse world, as well as many types of riding within those disciplines. A few examples of disciplines are: western riding, english riding, vaulting, and saddleseat. Some examples of types of riding are: western pleasure, show jumping, dressage, and reining. 

Reining - reining is a type of western riding in which the rider has the horse perform patterns of spinning, stopping, and circling. The whole performance is at a steady canter. 

An example of reining.

Show jumping - show jumping is a type of english riding (competition) in which the rider guides the horse over various jumps that are set up in a certain way. 

An example of show jumping.

Dressage - dressage is an equestrian sport or an "art" in which the horse is trained and ridden and develops balance, flexibility and obedience. 

An example of dressage.

Almost every equestrian discipline has competitions involved, unless it is for pleasure or the type of riding is for other peoples enjoyment, such as trail riding. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this weeks blog post :)

Body Language

On today's post, I will be explaining different types of body signs from horses, and what they mean. 

Body language is how horses communicate. It is their main language. Another language that they use is energy, but today I will focus more on body language. 

In everything a horse does, there will be body language. Whether they are eating, sleeping, running, or being ridden, you will always be able to see what they are saying. 

Different body signs include: pinned ears, flared nostrils, swishing tail, ears forward, showing of white in the eye, body direction, etc. 

Pinned ears - when a horse pins his ears, he is most likely telling another horse to "back off". It is very likely that you will see this behavior at feeding time. The most dominant horse will get the first choice of food, and will push around the others for more. Other behaviors associated with this include kicking and biting.

Here is an example of a horse pinning his/her  ears.

Forward ears - a horse with his ears forward is most likely alert, aware, or interested in something. It is like a human staring at something that is scary or weird with wide eyes. 

Here is an example of a horse with his/her ears forward. 

Yawning - many people make the mistake of saying that when a horse yawns, he is tired. This is not the case! When a horse yawns, it usually means that they are content and relaxed in a situation, or they are releasing stress, therefore, they would be stressed. If you are brushing a horse, and he yawns, he is most likely relaxed, and if you and the horse face a stressful situation, and he yawns, he is most likely stressed. 

Here is an example of a horse that is yawning.

Ears to the side - when a horse has his ears to the side, he is most likely relaxed. This ear position can easily be mistaken for pinned ears, but it really is the exact opposite. This ear position is a relaxed, content, or "happy" position. 

Here is an example of a relaxed horse with his/her ears to the side.

For more information on body language, here are a few websites:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/how-to-read-your-horses-body-language-8577
http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-keeping/horse-body-language.aspx
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/10866/translating-equine-body-language

I will write more posts on body language in the future, but for now, this is it! Thanks for reading!

My Opinion on the Use of Bits

I do not believe in the use of bits on horses. In my opinion, no horse needs a thick bar of metal sitting in their mouth! The bit sits directly on a very sensitive bone in the horses mouth, with a nerve called the trigemenal nerve. Janene Clemence says, on her blog called "To Bit or not to Bit" 
(http://www.naturalhorseworld.com/Downloads/ToBitorNottoBit.pdf), "The Trigemenal Nerve sits directly below the bit. The trigeminal nerve is directly enervated to the brain. Anyone who has had a toothache knows what nerve pain is! Trigemenal Nerve pain (Tic Douloureux) is one of the most severe pains known to mankind. Humans suffering from it begged to be killed as it is so unbearable"
"It is truly only a matter of choosing NOT to cause pain to the horse; bits are not necessary for control whether on the ground, up in the saddle, or when being driven...and a bit is not necessary at the ‘advanced’ level of dressage (or other sports) for ‘micro control’. There are ways to develop the horse correctly bitless for any discipline, and there are people to turn to that can help those who decide that the bit truly does not have a place in the mouth of a horse."

Many people argue that it depends completely on how you use the bit. I, however, could not disagree more. Horses are extremely sensitive animals, and their mouth is the most sensitive part of their bodies. They can feel it when a fly lands on their skin, so how would they not be able to feel metal sitting on the bone of their mouth? If the reins are being used, and the bit is simply placed in the horses mouth, the horse experiences severe pain. 

Arguments such as "my horse needs a bit, he is too strong and he bolts", "horses need bits, otherwise we could get majorly injured", or the common, "my horse likes his bit" are invalid. If one experiences a problem with a horse, it was most likely caused by distrust, fear, pain, or frustration. Horses were not born with bits in their mouthes, thus, they do not need them. 

If the bit is used in a very harsh and cruel way, many injuries can be caused to the horse, such as bleeding of the lungs, tooth loss, ripping of the skin of the mouth, etc. 

So many people are afraid of loss of control. But, it has been proven that a bit offers no more control than a bitless bridle. Someone who is using the bit for control is, in fact, misusing it, for the bit is supposedly made for a "communication tool". If this is the case, why couldn't we communicate just as effectively without the bit? Horses communicate through body language and energy, not by yanking on each others mouthes! Many people also do not realize or accept that control is an illusion, and we will never be able to find a way to force the horses understanding, love, or willingness. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading!

Trick Training

On todays post, I will be explaining what trick training is and why people use it with horses. I will also show a few different tricks to cue your special equine friend on.

Trick training is when a horse (or animal) is taught to do a certain move on a cue. For example, you can cue behaviors such as: smile, paw, lay down, nod, pick up an object, and many more. This type of training, however, has nothing to do with Liberty Horsemanship. To trick train, you do not have to be at liberty, and to be at liberty, you do not have to trick train. For many, it is just another fun thing/way of bonding. It is also used as an aid for other types of training such as dressage or western riding. Many people do shows with horses in which they perform lots of unique movements. It is almost always used with positive reinforcement. Check out a few of these websites for more information:

http://www.trickhorse.com/training_n.htm http://www.trainyourtrickhorse.com

http://www.ivyshorses.com/trick-training.htm 

Tricks to cue for horses:

Paw/Jambette:

Side pass (cross-stepping) :

Smile:

Kisses:

Bow:

Lay down:

I hope you've enjoyed learning about trick training!

Credits:

Bow photo - My friend Jade Mckinven: @h0rsel0verr on Instagram, & YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC01ybfHSJvTX7hzcOfVZMYA?app=desktop

Side pass photo: http://www.carolynresnickblog.com/what-is-the-point-of-liberty/

Lay down photo: http://www.carolynresnickblog.com/have-i-got-a-new-horse-and-human-sighting-for-you-and-lesson-in-how-to-begin-the-lie-down-at-liberty/

Friendship Vs. Dominance

Many people in the horse world believe that horses are not our friends - but rather a possession for us to hop on to whenever we please, one who must obey every command in no more than a heartbeat. They believe that the only way to work with horses is to break their spirits, and make them 'get used' to every challenge that appears in their path. They don't have a choice in whether they want to accept the challenge, they are just forced into it instead. This, in my opinion, is exactly where these people go wrong.

These gracious beings are so much more than push button toys who are completely submissive to those that are 'above' them. It has been proven with so many people that when we are friends to  horses instead of using dominance, they experience incredible and magical results. 

I do not believe in dominance for a few big reasons. One reason is that horses are dominant about very few things - food, water, and shelter. These are the only times in which the pecking order is shown. As humans, we do not eat horse food, drink their water, or stand in shelters from the rain. So why do we show dominance toward them if we have no place to do so?

A horse named Bucky pinning his ears, about to run at the two horses so they will move away from his food.

Lilo pinning his ears to get another horse to move out of his way.

The alpha horse is usually always off by himself, away from the herd, because the other horses do not want to be around him. I would not want to be the one that no one wants to be around! Being bossy to the horse and pushing him around does not solve problems - in many cases it makes the issue even worse. By being dominant, the horse may 'respect' you, but they will not trust you in the magical ways that they do with friendship. 

By using friendship, you and the horse will have a beautiful relationship based off of love and trust. I believe that the only way to experience something so magical is to treat the horse as nothing less than a treasured friend. 

For more information, here are a few websites:
http://goodhorsemanship.ca/the-dominant-horse/
http://www.training-horses-naturally.com/horse-behavior.html

Photo Credits: Me :)

Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a very effective way of training horses, or any animal, really! It has been scientifically proven that positive reinforcement is a more humane way of training animals and has much better results in comparison to pressure and release and punishment. 

A highly preferred method of positive reinforcement is clicker training. Clicker training is a way of rewarding behavior by showing the horse, or animal, exactly when they did something right. It is a much more accurate way of positively reinforcing the horse as opposed to just handing them a treat. It is more accurate because the click noise of the clicker marks the correct behavior right after it was shown. Clicker training was created by B.F Skinner, and the name was created by Karen Pryor. 

It is used with animals such as dolphins, dogs, leopards, wolves, giraffes, rhinos, and is now very popular with horses. This training method makes "aggressive" animals act in loving and kind ways toward humans, and scientists have proven that it is a much more effective way of training. It is slowly changing the way that we work with horses. Instead of sticking to the traditional methods, many people are transferring to clicker training because of the profound results that we have experienced.

I use clicker training with horses because it increases confidence, helps solve behavioral problems, keeps them engaged and willing to participate, and makes everything more fun.

These are box clickers. The box clicker's sound is extremely loud. 

There are many other types of clickers as well.

Using clicker training makes everything more fun for the horse because of the rewards. It makes the horse want to participate in activities instead of being forced to.

This is an example of a horse that is engaged and willing to participate. As you can see, the horse is very excited to follow the woman over the jump because he/she is being positively reinforced.

Clicker training also helps build a horses confidence. When I first got Lilo, he had very low confidence and he was completely broken (mentally). He would never touch an object or have fun because he was afraid that he would get reprimanded for it. But ever since we've began using clicker training, his confidence level went through the roof!

This is Lilo now. He has the confidence to play and have fun with objects, run and buck when he is excited, and to express his feelings all of the time.

The amazing thing about clicker training is that you can teach anything that you want to the horse! It makes the process of training go much smoother than using negative reinforcement because of the horses  willingness to complete the tasks. Negative reinforcement is never used. Instead of punishing the horse for actions that you do not want, you reward what you do want and ignore unwanted behavior. This makes the horse feel more comfortable, and it increases trust.

Clicker training helps solve behavioral problems by showing the horse what you want them to do instead of what you don't want. It is a way of shaping behavior. People now use clicker training for disciplines such as dressage, jumping, western riding, as well as many other fun things like trick training and groundwork. 

I believe that this huge change should be made with all animals that we work with. Positive reinforcement is such a powerful and amazing method of training, and it definitely beats negative reinforcement! Horses are loving and willing, but so many humans treat them with such disrespect and pain. The reason why these animals get labeled as dangerous and aggressive when working with them is because they are simply trying to defend themselves from the pain that they endure. Clicker training makes them want to do things that we ask, and the "danger" of the horses disappears, because they no longer feel the need for defense. I believe that this training method will soon have an incredibly huge impact in all of animal training. 

Sites: http://www.theclickercenter.com/index.html

http://www.clickertraining.com/all-animals

http://www.useyourclicker.com/clicker-training.html

The Compassionate Way I Relate with Horses

The way that I believe in working with horses, as stated in my first post, is much different from the 'norm' in the horse world. The way that I work with, and train horses is much like Carolyn Resnick (http://www.carolynresnickblog.com), 

Mosie Trewhitt (https://www.facebook.com/MosieTrewhittLibertyHorsemanship), and many more! In this type of horsemanship, the horse is approached with love and understanding, treated with equality, and given freedom. There is no force, pressure, pain, or fear used. This method of working with horses is fairly unknown in comparison to traditional or Natural Horsemanship, but the trend is starting to grow. I feel that this may be because many people in my generation are developing more compassion and thinking of horses less as possessions and investments, and more as companions and friends.

For many equestrians, the love of horses began with a dream. For me, and many others, it began with the dream of running with wild horses. When I was only three years old, all that I wanted to do was be with horses. But I didn't just want to ride them, I wanted to love them with every piece of my soul. I wanted to become one with horses, a part of their herd, as nothing but a loving friend. What right do we have to come up to a horse that has no idea who or what we are, and boss them around and control them? The only thing this does is create distrust, resentment, and fear. I don't see why anyone would want to have an animal fear or resent them!

Liberty Horsemanship, or Compassionate Horsefriendship (my own type of horsemanship), focuses on making sure that the horse is healthy, happy, and safe. We focus on throwing the ego away and putting the horse first, instead of being selfish and choosing an activity that only benefits us. 

Being at liberty with a horse is not about taking off the ropes and the tack. It is so much more than the absence of ropes. Being at liberty with a horse is freeing the heart, the soul, the mind, AND the body from restrictions. It is letting the horses souls soar in complete freedom. Because, in reality, freedom for a horse is not a luxury. It is a right, it is a given. Every horse should have that right! When we are with our friends, we want to be able to express who we truly are. We want to be accepted for being ourselves. So, in order to create a loving bond with a horse, you must let them express themselves. You must let them tell you what they want and don't want, when they're feeling frustrated or scared,  and when they're feeling happy and playful.

Comparison of me riding Lilo with and without tack.

In both pictures, he looks relaxed, happy, and like he knows he is free!       

Listening is a huge part of these methods of horsemanship. When the horse tells us something, we always listen to them. For example, if my horse, Lilo, were to show me that he did not want to be ridden by moving away from me when I try to mount up, I will accept that and we will do something that he wants to do. Because of this, he is more willing to do things that I want to do, and he listens to me very well. 

Liberty Horsemanship and Compassionate Horsefriendship is creating a connection with these precious beings. The connection is the base and the starting place. It is where the love, understanding, and trust begin to flourish. Every connection must start with a want to be together out of free will. Once you build a connection with the horse, the magic will blossom, bringing the souls of human and horse together to ultimately grow as one!

Thank you for reading!

Introduction - About Us - Our Horsemanship

Hey there, readers :)

My name is Kaitlyn and I am 13 years old. 

"My" horse, Lilo, is a 20 year old bay Quarter Horse.
We have been together for one year and two months.

                                                 

                             Our Horsemanship

Our Horsemanship is called Compassionate Horsefriendship. The "goal" in Compassionate Horsefriendship, unlike most, is to have/build a pure, loving, selfless friendship with your equine companion. In many horsemanships, or disciplines, the goal is to have a fully trained (or as many call it broken) horse, doing every task for you exactly when you ask. For many people, it doesn't matter what it takes to get the horse to listen to you. Force, fear, pain, etc. Compassionate Horsefriendship is the exact opposite of this. Instead of the focus being on breaking a horse, it is on creating with them. The focus is love, trust, understanding, freedom,  and selflessness. I put all of my energy and effort into loving the horse with all of my heart, and making sure that they know they are completely free. They have a voice in everything that we do together. If they don't want to participate, they don't have to. If they want to show me that they are frustrated, I absolutely let them, always! Every horse that I work with is treated as nothing less than a best friend. I give them the freedom to be themselves, accept them for who they are, and give them all of my love - for every horse deserves exactly this.

For my future career, I would like to be a horse trainer and an animal rescuer/healer :) 

I look forward to making many more posts here! Thanks for reading :D