Brandy: SuperPony the Caped Crusader

Brandy trots through the ribbon curtain off-lead.

My parents are not horse people but when they visit, Mom often watches the horses in the pasture. One cold, windy afternoon she said suddenly, “Something’s wrong with Brandy’s blanket. It’s flying out behind her like a cape.” I could guess what happened. I had read an article by a veterinarian who said leg straps often cause rubs, and should be removed unless needed to prevent a blanket from slipping sideways. What I didn’t think of, and the article failed to mention, was that if the belly straps come undone as the horse rolls, runs, or plays, the blanket is just hanging around the horse’s neck. Ready to twist around or be lifted by a gust of wind, it’s an accident in the making. As I threw on boots and coat, Mom reported, “Now she’s stopped, and her front feet are on the blanket.” I dashed to the barn for halter and lead, then made my way to the pasture as quickly as I dared. When I reached her, Brandy still had both front feet planted on her blanket. She was tense and concerned, but not ready to panic. I slipped her halter on, then reached up to her withers and unclipped the chest straps of her blanket. As I led her off the fallen blanket, her tension evaporated. Mom observed that from the moment Brandy’s front feet landed on the blanket, she did not move until I asked her to. The only casualty was the blanket, lining ripped and stuffing exposed. I think three things contributed to that happy outcome. First, Brandy had been taught to yield to pressure, so when the blanket “trapped” her, she stopped and stood still instead of fighting it. Second, Brandy trusted me to rescue her, so she waited. I know two horses who became entangled in fence wires overnight, and were rescued unharmed in the morning because they waited for their trusted caretakers. Finally, Brandy’s education involved Confidence Building exercises that included flags, big flags, waving over her back and head, draping right down over her face. She also learned to walk, trot, and back up calmly through a ribbon curtain even when the wind blew the ribbons out horizontally. Something flapping around her was not a new experience. De-spooking, spook-busting, desensitizing, or bomb-proofing generally focus on conditioning a horse, through repetition, not to react to something. That involves limited learning, and is contrary to a horse’s natural instincts which say, “When in doubt, do something.” That “something” might be investigate or flee, but from their perspective ignoring something suspicious makes no sense. Confidence Building, in contrast, is a learning process that works with horses’ natural instincts and intelligence. Horses are encouraged to use their innate curiosity and check out new things to satisfy themselves they are not dangerous. This might be as simple as observing from a distance, or it might involve a close-up inspection using all their senses including taste. Since horses remember and generalize information well, everything they learn is applied to similar situations in the future. Thus, each subsequent encounter involves more curiosity, more confidence and less fear. Supportive leadership is a key element of Confidence Building. Any pressure would turn us into another source of anxiety. Instead, we offer patient guidance, letting the horse “teach himself” and show us when he’s comfortable. My older horse Bronzz’s Confidence Building program was completely adlib. I just let him inspect whatever we happened to encounter, and tell me when he felt safe proceeding. For instance, I introduced ponchos by leaving mine on one rainy day as I groomed him, letting him inspect it and get used to the sight, sound, and feel of it as I modeled my comfort with it. Then, I hung it over his saddle horn and let him move around till he stopped reacting to it. Years later when I introduced flags, Bronzz accepted them quickly. Poncho on a stick, no big deal. Many people use the same casual approach to Confidence Building very successfully, resulting in unflappable trail horses, reliable jumpers, and all-around sensible, steady horses. When Brandy came along, I discovered Horse Agility, a systematic Confidence Building approach that is especially good for preparing in advance before new things are encountered. What’s learned in lessons is generalized to the rest of life, as Brandy generalized her flag and curtain experience when her blanket turned into a flying cape. Taking a systematic approach, most scary situations fit one of these categories:
Over: logs, rails, or jumps; different surfaces like mud or bridges
Under: low branches, flags, balloons, umbrellas, doorways
Around or through: trees, posts, cones, underbrush, narrow gaps
Unusual sights and sounds: balloons, flags, balls, bells, whistles, children Some “obstacles” fit multiple categories. We might go under or past flags, which move and make noise when they flap. Trailers incorporate all 4 categories in one before they even move. Horses are introduced to a few obstacles in each category, allowed to inspect and play with them until they are completely comfortable. Brandy once grabbed a little flag in her teeth and ran around with it. Each session must end with a horse who is proud of her own courage and accomplishments. In the long run this can change a horse’s world view from, “That looks scary, better run,” to, “That looks suspicious, but it will probably be ok, maybe even fun!” See SuperPony Part II for Brandy’s perspective on Confidence Building and her SuperPony adventure.
Resources: These 2 books by Vanessa Bee describe Confidence Building programs in the context of supportive leadership and clear communication.
Over, Under, Through: Obstacle Training for Horses 50 Effective, Step-by-Step Exercises for Every Rider.– especially for riding
The Horse Agility Handbook .– obstacles, liberty, and the sport of Horse Agility