How to safely put on fly spray

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How to safely put on fly spray

Summer heat, long days, and many flies and bugs. How do you protect your horse if they’re afraid of fly spray?

It’s all about teaching your horse the elements that are involved.

Step #1: Give your horse the right foundation

Before you approach with the spray, it’s important that your horse knows how to relax. I use the TRT forms to teach my horseshow to release tension in their body. 

Step #2: Train touch, approach and sound

Fly spray is challenging to horses because it’s a combination of three elements in our human environment that horses can find scary. With the tools, I can introduce each individually and teach my horse how to respond. The TRT forms will guide your horse back to relaxation. 

Step #3: Introduce the spray bottle

Practice the motion of stretching out and pointing the bottle towards your horse without actually spraying. This is also the moment where I touch my horses with the bottle, looking for sensitive and least sensitive spots.

Step #4: Simulate fly spray

Practice the motion of stretching out and pointing the bottle towards your horse without actually spraying. This is also the moment where I touch my horses with the bottle, looking for their most sensitive and least sensitive spots. In those, I simulate the spray by exaggerating the approach and the sound of spray.

Step #5: Spraying!

Repeat all the steps and guide your horse into the TRT forms to release any tension in their body. Soon you’ll be spraying your horse all over!

Watch the video to find out more:

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Applauding when the horse is still in the ring?

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Loud Music and Applause

Entertainment or Needless Anxiety?

I was at the Dutch Stallion Show watching the ‘VSN Cup’, a dressage test for stallions, where they had added quite a remarkable element to the judging of the test. 

At the end of each test, the audience got the opportunity to rate it by applauding. The organization recorded the decibels and the rider who had gotten the loudest applause would get another prize. 

As you can imagine, that resulted in a LOT of noise while the horses were still in the arena.  Want to know what I think of this? Then keep on reading.

''It's a human thing''

We love to show our enthusiasm when watching a competition, whether it’s at a local horse show or a big event. It’s our way of getting excited about something. 

It’s natural for us to get into the spirit of things. But we have to be aware that it’s a human thing.

The difficult part is that of course, the organizers and people that are trying to do the good thing for the sport, are doing their best to create a good vibe. And where the problem lies is people not understanding what it means to the horse. 

''It's a human thing''

We love to show our enthusiasm when watching a competition, whether it’s at a local horse show or a big event. It’s our way of getting excited about something. 

It’s natural for us to get into the spirit of things. But we have to be aware that it’s a human thing.

The difficult part is that of course, the organizers and people that are trying to do the good thing for the sport, are doing their best to create a good vibe. And where the problem lies is people not understanding what it means to the horse. 

''It's a human thing''

We love to show our enthusiasm when watching a competition, whether it’s at a local horse show or a big event. It’s our way of getting excited about something. 

It’s natural for us to get into the spirit of things. But we have to be aware that it’s a human thing.

The difficult part is that of course, the organizers and people that are trying to do the good thing for the sport, are doing their best to create a good vibe. And where the problem lies is people not understanding what it means to the horse. 

''What does it mean for the horse?''

While our entertainment can be pretty exciting for us as humans, what we may not realize is that our applause might cause immense panic for the horses. 

Horses are built with an instinctive fear of loud noises and bright lights. All those things are completely foreign to a horse and also incredibly threatening.

At a show of this nature, all of those things come together all at once.

''You're basically putting them in their own horror movie.''

And the other factor is, nobody is preparing their horses for those things. When your horse doesn’t have the knowledge and the information on how to handle situations like that, you’re basically putting them into their own horror movie.

The shows are getting bigger, the music is getting louder which is all the more exciting for us humans. But at the same time, the horses are not having more education about how to manage such environments. 

The horses these days are more expressive, more sensitive and more athletic. And what comes with that is a higher level of natural instict. 

While the development of technology rapidly increases and our shows naturally become more impressive in a way that to us humans seems normal, or horses are becoming all the more traumatised.

''You're basically putting them in their own horror movie.''

And the other factor is, nobody is preparing their horses for those things. When your horse doesn’t have the knowledge and the information on how to handle situations like that, you’re basically putting them into their own horror movie.

The shows are getting bigger, the music is getting louder which is all the more exciting for us humans. But at the same time, the horses are not having more education about how to manage such environments. 

The horses these days are more expressive, more sensitive and more athletic. And what comes with that is a higher level of natural instict. 

 

While the development of technology rapidly increases and our shows naturally become more impressive in a way that to us humans seems normal, or horses are becoming all the more traumatised.

''The internal instincts are telling them to get the hell out of there''

These days you often hear: ”Oh yeah, the horse was running a bit, but the rider could get him under control, it was nothing.”

But I wonder if people realize that when a horse puts his head up and flees the scene, or is pumping out 5 laps of extended trot, or passaging like a cat on a hot tin roof, in reaction to the pressure in the environment, that there is an internal panic in that horse. His heart rate and physical reactions are relative to a natural last resort survival situation.

When a horse is going into a tension-contraction reflex through a moment of stress, the internal instincts are telling them to get the hell out of there.

''Now we're putthing them into environments where that is becoming a constant thing''

If they’re in an natural environment and a preditor came, and the brid flew up and the horse could freely run away and have a certain level of panic where his heart rate and his blood pressure is going up a little bit, that’s momentary. 

Now we’re putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant thing. 
Because we haven’t thaught them what to do with themselves, we’re not spending time on preparing them to go into these environments. 

We are preaching one thing about horse’s welfair and doing all the good things for the horse, but at the same time blindly putting our horses in situations where they are forced to be in a very stressful traumatic experience.
 
So I believe it’s better to not reward our horses with applause.

''Now we're putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant thing''

If they’re in an natural environment and a preditor came, and the horse could freely run away and have a certain level of panic where his heart rate and his blood pressure is going up a little bit, that’s only momentary.

Now we’re putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant state for long periods.

Because we haven’t thaught them what to do with themselves, we’re not spending time on preparing them to go into these environments.

We are preaching one thing about horse’s welfare and doing all the good things for the horse, but at the same time blindly putting our horses into situations where they are forced to endure a very stressful and traumatic experience.

So I believe if we are not spending the time to prepare and teach our horses how to manage them selves in such extreme environments, we should definitely rethink they way we run and the way we celebrate at the shows, that is in the best interests of the horse.

''Now we're putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant thing''

If they’re in an natural environment and a preditor came, and the horse could freely run away and have a certain level of panic where his heart rate and his blood pressure is going up a little bit, that’s only momentary. 

Now we’re putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant state for long periods. 

Because we haven’t thaught them what to do with themselves, we’re not spending time on preparing them to go into these environments. 

We are preaching one thing about horse’s welfare and doing all the good things for the horse, but at the same time blindly putting our horses into situations where they are forced to endure a very stressful and traumatic experience.

So I believe if we are not spending the time to prepare and teach our horses how to manage them selves in such extreme environments, we should definitely rethink they way we run and the way we celebrate  at the shows, that is in the best interests of the horse.

What do you think?

I am really curious about your perspective on this topic. How do you experience this? 

Let me know in the comments below! 

TRT Rescue – The Horse That Attacks You

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TRT Rescue #S1E1

The Horse That Attacks You

In this first episode, we meet a very talented horse that had found out how to scare people on the ground. The horse is attacking people and it is starting to get really dangerous.

Olympic dressage rider Antonia Ramel, has tried all kinds of things to change her horse’s behavior. This is not her first challenge when it comes to dealing with horses with behavioral problems, but this horse is a special case.

During this first episode of TRT Rescue, Tristan takes on the challenge of getting Antonia and her horse back on the right path together. 

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Create flexion in your horse’s body from a distance

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When your horse pushes on you, it’s best to do the groundwork pattern from a distance. In this blog you’ll learn more about how to flex your horse’s neck from a distance.

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What to do when your horse jumps off the trailer ramp

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Does your horse jump off the ramp of the trailer and do you not know how to solve that problem? Follow me as I help a young horse overcome his fears of the ramp.

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Are you making or teaching the piaffe?

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The difference between making and teaching the piaffe is only one second. Do you know how to teach the piaffe to your horse?

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Leading any horse safely

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Leading your horse safely is vital when you have a hot horse or work with a lot of different horses. So I set out and recorded a video to show people how what I do to lead my horses anywhere safely and how to respond when your horse has a lot of energy and wants to run over you.

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Teaching your horse to stand relaxed in the cross ties

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There are many horses that feel tense and uncomfortable in the cross ties, who don’t want to enter the space, who struggle, who protest. The anxiety can also be disguised – impatient pawing on the floor, weaving or even whinnying.

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Does your horse really know the trailer?

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Does he really know the trailer?

It is a question I often ask myself.

‘He is just missing parts of information that he needs to know how to be relaxed about traveling.’

This is what I think when someone tells me of their trailer loading problem or horse.

Some of you may have seen the Brett Kidding’s trailer loading demonstration from the live TRT event. Where he showed some of the things we can all recognize, ways resorted to without training when we just try to get a horse on.

The simple idea of just thinking you’re going to ‘put’ or ‘make’ your horse go in the trailer is what often leads to failure or problems in loading or traveling later on.

Like everything with horses I like to teach to them before doing to them.

I try to begin with always having the thought of ‘how can I teach my horse everything he needs to know about the trailer?’ And how can I teach him to start to ask if he can please go in the trailer today so I can take him somewhere.

Trailer loading as a training session

Creating the right mindset in myself is easy. I just think that the trailer loading will be today’s lesson and something I will devote time to teach. Just as I would teach an exercise in the riding.

I always leave plenty of time to train so there are no time restraints. It is not necessary to have it perfect in one lesson, for some horses a number of sessions may be necessary to give all the information and to consolidate each stage with the appropriate break down for that horse.

Leaving the lesson until the time you have to really go somewhere with your horse, like a panic situation when he gets a bout of colic and you have to rush to the clinic. Or an already stressful morning before going to a competition, having not trained him before and just hoping he goes in, often sets you up for failure.

And sometimes a long painful loading time to come home, or even maybe a long walk home from the show.

These are all times where you will most often cause issues of anxiety with the trailer for you and your horse and future loading problems.

What does he have to learn?

So when you have planned your trailer loading session and you have enough time, what do you want your horse to know about the trailer?

The learning already begins five to six meters away from the trailer. If you’re approaching the trailer and your horse is already leaning back with his head in the air, looking everywhere except to the trailer, it’s not really a good start.

Your horse needs to know how to take the right confident posture in his body for the right confident approach to the trailer. A confident good approach to the trailer is really important, it creates a positive mindset for being able to think further about the next step.

When your horse has fear or resistance when approaching the trailer, you should solve the approach first before starting to teach your horse to go into the trailer.

Control each step

The next step is to have the horse take the first step on the ramp. It’s important that this step is not a made step, it should not be a step where the horse is pulled on.

The first step should be a step the horse takes for himself and that he takes full responsibility for. It sets the way for the rest of the steps and the lesson that the horse feels from the beginning it’s on his will not on our want.

The next thing I want to teach my horse is to take controlled steps from the beginning of the ramp to the front of the chest bar. I don’t want a horse to jump in or run in, Instead I want to be able to control each step he takes.

So I want to be able to let my horse take as many steps forward as I want to, stop when I want to and  be able to ask for as few or as many steps back as I want. So you have the feeling he waits for what the next step might be. For each step forward and back and the stop I use a voice cue, to again avoid the feeling that the horse is being made to make the movements.

This control gives you the option to change your mind at any time to keep your horse safe and to stop your horse from learning to run or rush off.

Horses also need to learn how to move in the trailer. I like to be able to move left and right with the back open so they have the option to go out and don’t feel trapped. The moving left and right gives the horse the feel of the space in the trailer and creates stability and body awareness to be better balanced in the trailer while traveling. It also avoids ‘frozen feet’ and a fear to move.

Closing of the tail gate

The closing of the tail gate, the ramp, is also something I like to train. I like that I can open and close the back and the horse does not think or want to come out until I ask him to. So that he learns to wait and does not press up against the tail bar.

I also do the same with closing the top, if it is a tarp curtain or flap. I train this with the same process as I do with any of the tools in the ground work. The horse must know the sounds both the ramp and the flap makes when opening and closing and what it means. I don’t ever want the meaning to be that he goes in we close him in so he feels trapped and we drive away.

Meaning of the destination

Finally, I also like to train the meaning of a destination. After the loading training is done and he loves to be in the trailer, I take a small trip of maybe 3 minutes and come back to a different parking place but still at home.

I don’t ever go to a new, strange place that becomes a distraction to the meaning of the training the first time.

I open the trailer with still the feeling that he waits for me to ask him to step back. As I want my horse to step back one step at a time, he gets to realize he’s still at home. It is at that moment the horse sees, feels and knows the meaning of travelling in the trailer.

Happy travels!

Click here to learn more about my training method.

Create a willing mindset in our horses

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We all want our horses to enjoy their daily work. That each day they are enthusiastic and energetic in their attitude towards their training. We want to create a willing mindset in our horses, but how do we create this?

It of course starts with the right mind set of the rider, which begins with the right focus.

Traditionally riding or training horses for sport begins with a focus on studying or applying a technical aspect of riding, executing a sequence of steps and repeating them to form a certain movement.

I recently had a student come to me with a horse that he was having trouble doing sequence changes with.

The student said: “He starts with the first change okay and then he just ignores my leg. So then I made him really sharp on the leg so I hardly had to touch him for the change. But then he started running off with his head in the air after the second change. So I put the draw rein on him to hold him and now sometimes he’s just stopping and rearing.”

Me: “What is he thinking?”

Student: “He’s just running through the aids.”

Me: “No, I said what does HE think about it?”

Student: “What do mean? You mean him? The Horse? What is he thinking??”

Me: “Yeah”

Student: “Well, I don’t know??? I just want him to do it!”

If you ask yourself ‘what is he thinking‘ before you start the changes, you will know what the reaction will be before you enter the movement and you won’t have to force him to make the mistake.

When you know what he is thinking about it, it is only then you will know what you need to train first. You can then change the approach, go back and gain the missing ingredients to be able to be successful in the changes.

‘Who is my horse and what it he thinking’ is what I always try to remind myself of.

Changing the mindset of the rider to think not what is the horse doing but why is he doing it, alters the whole vibe of the training session. It opens the rider’s mind and shows what information the horse really needs at that time to progress easily towards the goal.

meaningful-words

Setting the right feeling through the training each day determines how your horse experiences his education. Does he feel it’s an education? Is it something that motivates him? Where he seeks the little rewards and the feeling of accomplishment and that it’s easy?

Or does he feel that it’s just hard work and that the time he spends with you is full of confusion, frustration and fear.

The horse becomes a direct reflection of the rider

Aside from a method of training or steps on how to archive the moments with your horse that seem effortless with a clear confident understanding of the exercise, it is the mindset of the rider to think what is my horse thinking and not what is he doing. And also why is he doing is?

The way the horse experiences his daily training determines the effort and motivation he will willingly put forward the next day, creating a patterned momentum of self-improvement in the horse that generates excitement and energy about his work.

Do you have problems with tension and spookiness? Check out this FREE video series to help you solve these issues!