Hi,
I recently watched as a very experiences horse trainer attempted to get my mare to yield her fore quarters. In order to encourage her to move the trainer began tapping her on the side of her face... My instincts told me to ask the trainer to stop but as I felt less experienced I inquired as to why she was doing that. She said that it was as an 'annoyance' to the horse so she would move and that there is a hollow bone in that area of the face which makes contact in that area effective....
Although it might not be intentionally aggressive my feeling is that hitting/tapping a horse in the face is more likely to be counter productive and I am sure there are equally effective and less aggressive techniques to achieve the same goal...
I not sure how to handle the situation as I do not wish to offend but at the same time I do not want my horses handled in any way that I personally wouldn't want to be handled myself. Quite frankly if someone persisted in tapping me on the face until I finally figured out what they wanted Id get pretty peeved!
I would love to hear other peoples thoughts on this technique.
Warm Wishes
Victoria
PS. My mare was not too distressed as she is a pretty tolerant and hardy horse... shes the type that likes to be scratched REALLY hard absolutely everywhere so is not in any way body-shy.
PPS. Apologies for typos etc - I left my glasses at home today!
Hi Townley,
I'm thinking this falls under the category "it all depends". ;)
I would never attempt this on a horse that is head shy or had other issues around the head, but I see no harm in a gentle tapping. After all, I use that method on other parts of the body to create a response ("move that leg one step, please!")and a Dually halter also works in a similar way. And when we start using our leg aids (or a lounge whip to show the way forward or for turning) that is a sort of tapping too that the horse needs to figure out as well.
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That said, I am a bit hesitant as to why tapping the *head* would initiate moving her *quarters*?
I would sooner tap the quarters in this case, and tap the head if I wanted the horse to move the head, or possibly back away from me, or move its shoulders for that matter.
Not that the horse wouldn't be able to figure it out - it's a response/reward kind of thing. You can - in theory - make your horse move anything by pulling it's tail as long as you stop pulling at the right moment. ;)
But is it a practical way of doing it?
When you're in the saddle it will be awkward to tap the the head (will look very strange too at a dressage test for instance! LOL).
But good for you for asking! Now ask again, and ask with curiosity (not to critize!) to get an explanation in detail on HOW this works. If they are proffessionals I am sure they would love to give a lengthy explanation to any one who is genuinely interested to know!
Hi Townlley. It is true that the 'right' way to train any horse/pony is the way that works for the animal you are working with. However, it is almost impossible for us to be that flexible because each one of us has our own ideas of what is right & wrong. Monty provides us with his fantastic roadmap but he is adamant that he is still learning & has only scratched the surface. Your trainer did not cause your horse pain. However, my personal view would is that tapping the face is something I would not do. There is too much scope for accidentally causing distress & that leading to problems. I have the same scepticism about 'carrot sticks'. For example, I use raspberry blowing on the nostrils to counter colts nipping rather than shin bumping with my foot. Ultimately, each & every one of us has to decide how we want to communicate with our world, whether it is our work colleagues, family or pets. My herd are my pets as much as Zak, my golden retriever but both dog & equines are my partners too. They are all family - sadly we lost Bella last month & I was strong for her best interests but totally wrecked by her loss. She was a fantastic mother & wonderful mare. I am so lucky to have Kirk, colt born 2013 & Holy Moley, filly born 2014 - against the odds! Bella hobbled around on a fractured knee for almost a year (with the best vetinary care) to bring little Moley into the world & give her a really good start in life. She is a little miracle, hence the name. My view is this - if it's wrong & unacceptable to beat or hit children then it is equally wrong & unacceptable to do that to anything. Cheers, Jo.
Hi Townley
The difficulty with anything that involves "tapping" is that one persons tap is another persons whallop! :-)If someone is getting frustrated they can decide to inflict more severe 'tapping' and this becomes the norm. It's a popular technique in the "use of a stick" world.
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I went to a NH demo recently and the instructor was wiggling and waggling carrot stick and rope and then becuase the horse moved wrongly (not surprising as I couldn't work out what the poor horse was supposed to do either)it got a severe "tap" with the end of the rope - it would have stung! Once across it's face and once across its back. I remarked to the person next to me "That's not Natural horsemanship...that's inflicting fright and pain..." . I then left.
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The other thing I get sick of hearing is "that's what another horse would do/it's nowhere near as severe as a horse would do it". This excuse is NOT valid. Horses know that we are not horses!! They do not stand there thinking "Oh well it wasn't as bad as my stable mate would have kicked me!!" (Ok rant over :-)
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My final point, and maybe the most important Townley. This is YOUR horse. If you do not want someone doing anything in particular to YOUR horse then tell them to stop. If they object, get a different trainer. You clearly love your horse and want the best for it. The trainer may not be inflicting pain but you are clearly uncomfortable with the method and have every right to say "No thank you". Good luck, keep us updated.
Hi Vicci. Many years ago I needed to use an alternative farrier. My usual farrier described Apollo thus "If he was any easier I could give him the hammer & nails & he'd do it himself". Needless to say when the alternative farrier bashed him across his ribs with the rasp he was unceremoniously dismissed immediately! Better to be partly shod than abused!! My colt Kirk, when about 4 months old last year, dabbed me on the jaw with his foot. I'm sure it was play as it was too gentle to describe as a kick but not something to encourage. I kept my cool, stayed silent & used my hip to move his feet with a gentle shove. The 5th time I moved his feet in this way he looked at me as if to say "You're really not happy with me are you"? He's almost 21 months now & has never lifted a foot to me since that 30 second, gentle schooling session. He's cheeky & totally wonderful. I am really looking forward to our future together. We are going to have so much fun. Cheers, Jo.
Hi everybody.
Vicci I agree one persons tap is another's wallop, Townley you must really decide if this is an acceptable way for your horse to be taught. Im afraid I wouldn't allow it with mine (although my big man would do something about it himself) at all.
Jo, himself used to lash out with a front leg as a baby when I was leading him, I used to bump him with the end of the lead rope. Yes it had a knot,but I'd position it so if he did it again he'd bump his own knee he learnt not to do it without any trouble. Now he only paws with a leg if he's standing at a show.. Awkward git..