Episode 222: Show environments, routines and insecure horses

Episode 222_ Show environments, routines and insecure horses.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Episode 222_ Show environments, routines and insecure horses.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Stacy Westfall:
So somebody might be listening to this podcast and they might be thinking, Oh no, I have an insecure horse and I took it to a show and none of that was my experience. Here's why. It might not look like what I'm saying is true.

Announcer:
Podcasting from a little cabin on a hill. This is the Stacy Westfall podcast. Stacy's goal is simple: to teach you to understand why horses do what they do, as well as the action steps for creating clear, confident communication with your horses.

Stacy Westfall:
Hi, I'm Stacy Westfall, and in this season of the podcast, I'm sharing lessons that I've learned through showing horses. If you're interested in starting to show your horse or if you're already showing, but you want to understand the experience on a deeper level, I'm going to give you some specific ideas to ponder. And if you're not interested in showing, it's still worth listening because of the lessons that showing offers. All of these lessons are available without showing, but they may be very subtle and easy to overlook in other places. In today's episode, I want to cover two topics, the benefit of the show environment and why insecure horses can learn to thrive at shows. But first, a quick review. Showing is an external evaluation against a set standard. That's what the judge is doing there, evaluating you against a set standard. Showing involves refining your skills and taking a test when you show. Both of you are being tested. You're being tested and the horse is being tested. Showing is a bit different than training. In training you are learning to understand the components and the communication and you are working on building the skills that you would then put together to show so you could break it down and compare it to learning to understand the alphabet and forming words and words forming sentences and sentences forming paragraphs. And then you could consider showing to be writing a paper and presenting it. So there are the components that make up the ability to communicate at the level that you would then go and show. Showing and training complement each other. Many elements that occur in showing like refining, for example, are things that people strive for with horses, even if they have no desire to show. So you may want to trail ride. I love trail riding, so when I use that as an example, it is not lesser than it is just different. And many people strive to ride in a refined way when they trail ride. And I'm saying that refinement in the show arena is much more obviously on the table than it is a lot of times when we're trail riding.

Stacy Westfall:
So let's talk about showing. When I think about the show environment and the show routine, it actually makes me go back through my own experiences. And I got thinking about what you might see if you first go to a show and you've never gone to a horse show before. And what came to my mind was the idea of controlled chaos. And the reason it struck me like this is because the first show that I really remember being struck with how different it was was the first time that I visited the Quarter Horse Congress. I was a senior in high school and I had never been to a horse show like that. And as I watched not even the show, but the warm-up arena, I just remember being struck with how can this many horses be riding this close together without any issues? That was my number one takeaway was how can that many horses be riding so close together in an arena? And they all appear to be doing different things. That one's walking, that one's jogging, and that one's loping and they're going different directions and there's nobody telling them what to do because it's a warm-up arena and they're kind of all doing their own thing. And there's not a single horse squealing, not a horse kicking, nothing. What is happening here? Because all my untrained eyes could see was wall-to-wall horses riding at different speeds with no issues. So part of it looked like chaos to me because I couldn't imagine how that many horses could be working that close to each other with no issue. I couldn't see how it worked. So because I couldn't see how it was working, it appeared to be chaotic to me, but at the same time it looked controlled because I'd only ever been to horse shows or groups of people getting together to trail ride, where you had to be really wary of each horse. You had to be like, Oh, that one over there might kick, and that one over there might shy away if you get too close. And that one over there might charge. See that one pinning its ears? See that one threatening to kick? See that one? The rider can't get them to move out of the way. You just don't you don't go anywhere near that. So seeing so many horses ridden together without any issue was a complete mystery to me. So because I couldn't see the routine or the rules that were making a huge horse show like the Quarter Horse Congress function. I realize now when I talk about it that if you can't see the routine, then you also can't see the hidden benefits.

Stacy Westfall:
So this is another example of what I talked about back in Episode 220 when I was talking about developing your eye. When I was talking about in Episode 220, I was talking about developing your eye to be able to see the way that a particular horse is moving. The example I used was Can you see a horse being on its left lead? Can you see that it's on its left lead in the front and the back? Can you see the lead change when it happens, when you see the lead change? Can you tell if it happened in the front end first and then the hind end or the hind end first and then the front end, or how did that go? So when you're thinking about developing your eye, in 220 I was talking about very specific to the horse's body, but this is another example of developing your eye, as in, I couldn't see the routine that held this massive show together. Now, when I go to shows, I can see that not all shows are the same. And what I mean by that is that shows themselves, horse shows on themselves, you could kind of put them on a spectrum. I always make this arc with my hand, like a rainbow like–like you can see me. And so there's this arc or this line, however it works in your brain. But I want to give you a few examples so you can understand what I mean. So some shows are going to be very structured and that would be on one end of the–the rainbow or one–one side of that line and others are going to be a lot less structured. So for example, reining shows are all reining horses and because of that, it's pretty easy to get everybody to agree to how the warm-up arena is going to work and how the flow of the show is going to go. So you start to see that there's a lot of structure when you're inside of it. You can see it. Now you might show up to a reining show where I am and it might look like chaos to you because you might be back in that stage that I was at when I first saw the Congress. But when I went to dressage shows, even though I didn't understand what the rules of the warm-up arena were, because I had experience of being at a very structured show like reining shows before that, I could see that there was a structure. I just couldn't quite understand it at first, so I had to learn it. So some shows are really structured and others are going to be less structured. So a good example of kind of middle-of-the-road ones would be more like if you go to an open show that has a lot of different events or maybe a 4H show that has different events. And a lot of quarter horse shows will actually be like that also, meaning you're going to have their structure, but you also, because you have a mix of disciplines, there's going to be more variation in the warm-up style. So a reining horse warming up is going to look different than a Western pleasure, horse warming up. And at a giant quarter horse show like the Quarter Horse Congress, they actually kind of separate the–the days of the week or even the weeks are into different events. So you might have reining for a week. So there's not a lot of crossover with sharing the warm-up arena with different disciplines. So not only can we have a different mix of disciplines, so a lot of times open shows, quarter horse shows, 4H shows, you're going to get a variation of disciplines, you will also begin to see when you look at shows that there are shows that may cater to like the person who's just beginning to show. And what's going to happen at these even smaller or maybe we could call them even less prestigious shows, so they're maybe targeting more beginners. So some of the entry-level 4H shows, what's going to happen there is not only do you have a little bit less structure because of the mix of disciplines, but you will also have overall a less experienced group of riders.

Stacy Westfall:
So let's contrast a 4H show where 80% of the riders have very little horse experience versus the Quarter Horse Congress, where 80% of the riders have a lot of horse experience. What's going to happen in there is that not only are the riders going to be at different experience levels, but a lot of times the horses are going to be at different experience levels. And the reason this matters is because if you go to a show where it's I'm just going to call it like smaller because a lot of times it's they'll, they'll be real local. Like a lot of times around where I live right now, you can find shows that happen every Wednesday night and they cater to people who are just trying to get their horses like started in showing. And so you'll get a group of less experienced riders and less experienced horses. And that becomes a completely different show experience than if you go to an event where it's 80% experienced show horses and show people. Because what happens is when you have a lot of elementary level horses with a lot of elementary level riders, then the horses have a tendency in that situation to feel the need to take over a little bit to be like, things aren't working. If I am, fill in the blank. You know a horse that takes control. Maybe I'm going to take control in X, Y, Z, kind of way. Or if I'm a horse that has a high flight, then I'm out of here. And a lot of times, less experienced riders also don't tend to offer as much support to that horse. So you can see where at some of those like shows where you might have a high ratio of less experienced horses and less experienced riders, you're going to have a completely different energy level than if you go to a show where there are a lot of experienced riders and horses around. So just to be clear, I still see a huge value in all the different levels of shows. I just want to put it on the table that there are different issues that happen because of the ratio of experienced to inexperienced horses and riders. Let me try saying it this way. One of the differences you'll have if you have a lot of horses that have experience and then a few newcomers versus a show that has a lot of newcomers and very few horses and people with experience is that the energy level will change. And years ago I remember being in a hotel and watching Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, and he was talking about having a balanced pack of dogs and how if he had this balanced pack of dogs at home, he could bring in this dog that was really struggling. And that balanced pack would influence the new dog's behavior. And that new dog could actually settle in and figure himself out because of that balance pack. I would describe it a similar way. When you go to a horse show and there's a predominantly large group of horses that been there, done that, it's another weekend and another horse show it's going to have a different energy around it than if you go to the show where there is a very large number of inexperienced horses and inexperienced people, because then you're going to have a big pack of unbalanced energy there. I just want to put that idea on the table. So the next time you go to a show, you actually have that idea in mind, like what is the predominant energy level at this show?

Stacy Westfall:
For the rest of the podcast, I'm going to be mostly referring to a show that's a little more structured, like a reining show, a dressage show, a breed show somewhere that you're going to find a concentration of professionals coaching amateurs. And overall you're going to notice that the horses are well behaved. And yes, there are going to be a few younger horses and a few people that are new to showing, but more of the group is stable. What I notice at these shows is routine, routine, routine. There is a rhythm to the entire show. There is energy at the show. It's not a place like a quiet spot in a pasture with no energy and a quiet breeze. There's energy and there's movement from dawn to dusk. There's horses coming, horses going, people feeding, people riding, people lunging, people moving. There's a loud speaker. There's lots of energy. And what's really interesting at these shows is that there's relaxation inside of the energy because of the known routine. So when you do have a show that has a high ratio of regular attendees and a lower ratio of new people coming in, and then it doesn't take very long, but for those new people become regular attendees and they fall into that, whether it's the people or the horses. What happened is you can actually feel how the whole show pulses with energy. And when I see the new people come into the show, a lot of times new people come in with excess excitement and they're unsure what's happening. Not surprising when new horses come in. Even if I take a new horse, they often come in with excess excitement and unsure of what's happening. What's nice about going to a show where there's a lot of seasoned people and horses is a seasoned person at the show knows how to conserve and spend their energy appropriately. A lot of the shows I go to, we move in and then show for three days and then move home, or we move in and show for four days and then go home. And what happens when you do that once a month for four or five months in a row for summer after summer, is the the seasoned person and the seasoned horse begin to understand how to conserve and spend the energy appropriately. They both understand what's happening. So with guidance, the newcomer, whether that's a new rider or a new horse, can begin to see the routine. And as they see the routine, they begin to relax and they breathe and they find a rhythm inside of the energy that is the horse show. Now it's worth going a little bit deeper. I've already covered the idea that the type of show might be influenced by how many elementary level horses there are versus more seasoned horses. What makes up the majority of horses that will influence the type of energy at that show?

Stacy Westfall:
Another thing that's going to influence the show is if this is a haul-in show or a stable-at show. Or it could be a show that you could stable at, but you choose to haul in. So that's another thing to consider, is that say it's a one day show where you haul-in in the morning and you show and your horse is tied to the side of the trailer and then when you're done, you put your horse on the trailer and you go home. That's going to have a different rhythm than a three or four-day show where you haul in and stable there. I like to teach my horses how to do both. Right now, I just want you to know that they have a different rhythm. Another thing to consider is the overall routine that happens at a show. So this is the monotony of the day and this will be where you can hear there's going to be a little difference between that haul-in and versus staying there the whole time. So you've got the loudspeaker, you've got the coming and going of the horses, you've got the general busyness, you have the shared arena or the warm-up, and you've got the training routine. And this is going to be different if you're at a reining show versus a dressage show. But there's kind of an overall routine that's going to happen at that one-day show or that two-day show or that four-day show. And that's going to be a piece of that overall experience. So the last thing I want to bring up is your individual routine at the show. This is different than the routine that is set by the show, which would be, you know, it starts at 8 a.m., the loudspeaker comes on, they're doing announcements all day. The warm-up arena runs a certain way. All of those things are dictated by the show. But when I think about where my home routine meets my show routine, it is my individual routine that I develop at home and then I take to the show. For an in-depth look at this. I actually have a video on YouTube and I'll go ahead and put it on my website with the show notes for this podcast. So just go to stacywestfall.com and go to this podcast episode and you can watch that video. And the video I made a few years ago was teaching a horse to handle stress, and it was episode four of a video series I did called The Trail to the World Show. And in this is where I really outline my individual routine that I do at home that I then can transfer to the show so that I can help my horse understand the routine of a horse show. So in that video, what you'll see is that I use training cycles, and in the video I show that at this particular show on the first day, I did three work cycles with Willow. Keep in mind, when I say work cycle, they're not for physical exhaustion. When I say I did three work cycles, sometimes people think, Oh, you overworked your horse. But no, they were shorter. And instead of one long cycle, what I actually did was it was more work for me. But it adds a lot of starting and stopping. It's a cycle that is meant to train the horse's mind. So again, when I think about showing and refining, when I think about communicating and understanding what I'm doing with my horse at all times, whether it's for showing or not showing, is I'm wanting to communicate with their brain better and better. So the cycles that I use, I do them at home, but you can really see the benefit of them illustrated very well in the show environment because you can begin to see, oh, I can see why taking the horse up, showing them the arena, doing a light work cycle, taking them back, unpacking them, letting them relax, and then after a period of time, tacking them back up, taking them back up, taking them through another work cycle, cooling them down, taking them back, untacking them. You can begin to see how that cycle, that behavior pattern that I'm establishing, you can begin to see how it's a physical cycle, but it would influence the horse mentally.

Stacy Westfall:
And so when I show you like that video and you see, you'll see Willow whinnying and you'll see her because it was–it was very raw. It was her at one of her very first shows. And so she's very out of place. And what you'll see is that, yes, I'm training the horse's body because I'm communicating with the body, but ultimately I'm influencing the horse's mind or the emotions. I'm always training for that horse's mind and emotions, even though I'm using the physical to get there. And what's really interesting, if you watch that video, that's just me showing you the three days in a row, all in one video. If you watch it, remember to think. I'm reviewing and evaluating. I'm doing my own evaluation process of Willow in each cycle that I do with her. But I'm doing that evaluation not just physically, like, could this go win the class? But I'm definitely you'll hear in the video I'm doing that from a mental standpoint, too. I'm thinking, okay, this is how she was acting when we went up on cycle number one. This is what I observed in her behavior. This is how it compares to when I do this at home. This is how she returned. This is how she was when we came up in cycle two. And that's a physical and mental evaluation of that. And this starts to really help you see how that ability to evaluate helps me in that ability to refine, which is what I'm ultimately doing when I'm wanting to have a more clear communication with my horse. And that really shows up when I'm showing. So pause for just a moment and ask yourself this question. Do you believe in routines? Do you believe in work cycles as a way to train a horse? And if you're not sure about the answer to that, do you believe in routines or cycles for training yourself? So think of two or three skills that you have right now. Something like driving a car. Or typing. Or maybe something you do at your job that you're really good at. Can you see how the rhythm of a routine helped you establish that skill? To me, that's the amazing thing that shows will teach you how to do because the shows will teach you how to see the rhythm of the routine. Again, you can learn this without the show. I'm just saying. Put on the glasses. Look at it through the lens of going to a horse show. And it might be like, Oh, I can totally see that because the more clear you can see it in one area, the better chance you have of transferring it to another. So, for example, if I tell you and you watch that video of me taking Willow through three cycles one day and two cycles the next day and one cycle the next day, if you see me doing that in the show environment, then turn around and think, Oh, am I willing to do that on a weekend at home where Friday I'm going to do three work cycles, Saturday I'm going to do two, and Sunday I'm going to do one? Am I willing to do that? To me, that's the benefit of looking at what the show has to offer me and how I can actually bring that into my home environment, because that way I can benefit from it in my home environment. But it will also help prepare my horse for the show environment.

Stacy Westfall:
Now, I also want to spend a little time discussing how fearful or insecure horses can benefit from shows. And the first thing I want you to separate out there in your mind is education level versus natural temperament. This will even go back to what I was talking about a little bit when I brought up the idea of going to a show where there are a lot of elementary level horses that would be talking about the education level. And if you have a lot of elementary level horses in one area, then a lot of times what you're going to see is because they're not educated to a high level, you're going to see their natural temperaments show even more meaning. If they naturally want to kick to defend themselves, they're going to do that because they don't assume that the people are in control. They assume that they need to be protecting themselves. So that's a whole separate discussion on–on education levels. But it's definitely one of the things that you see when you start bringing large groups of horses together. So I find it fascinating that over the years I have noticed that insecure horses can often really thrive in show environments. And one of the first distinctions to understand is a fearful horse is different than an insecure horse. They can be fearful and insecure, so fearful. To me, the untrained horse, the horse that doesn't understand is going to be fearful, even if it's a more naturally secure horse. Basically, when I talk about fear, to me, when I picture a horse that's fearful, something is happening that's making them feel unsafe and you're seeing some of the natural flight or fight or freeze kind of instincts showing up. So that is a different thing than when I talk about a horse being secure or insecure. So, for example, my horse, Gabby, is naturally a more secure horse. She's more naturally a leader. You watch her out in a group of horses. She's just got leadership kind of energy. She's more secure. That doesn't mean that she can't become frightened and have like a flight or fight or freeze instinct thing kick in. Like last summer when my neighbors bought one of those robotic lawn mowing machines, the lawn mowers that go out and mow on their own. That triggered a natural, What the heck is that? kind of experience for Gabby? But her reaction to it was completely different than Willow, who is more naturally insecure. She's more naturally a follower. And so both of them can have that flight or fight or freeze instinct kick in. But then their response after it becomes a little bit different. So when I talk about horses that are insecure, a lot of those horses would be followers in the herd. They're not going to be like your top-tier leaders. And what I find fascinating is that a lot of times these horses really thrive in show environments, the show environments that have structure. And it makes sense to me because if you have horses that are a little more insecure, naturally they are looking for leadership. When my neighbor's lawnmower that's a little robot machine out there mowing, when the horses caught sight of that, they both bolted. But Gabby turned around and went back towards it to face it and see what it was. And Willow stuck to Gabby. And so what's interesting is that Gabby is a leader and Willow is looking for a leader. And so when you have these horses that are looking for leadership, if you take them to the type of show that I talked about that has that more stable routine, you have a possibility to tap into that overall energy of that show. And what that means is the horses can actually learn to settle into that energy that's coming from all of the other horses that understand what the show environment is about.

Stacy Westfall:
I think another benefit that shows have for insecure horses is that the overall routine there is a monotony to being at a horse show. There is a loudspeaker that is announcing. Oftentimes there's music playing. There's lots of horses coming and going. And when I think about horses that go and–and they're insecure at first. They're a little bit like, whoa, this is a lot. But it's always amazing to me how many of those horses, when they see the routine, they settle into that monotony of the day, the coming, the going And the general busyness almost is like a constant desensitizing type of an energy. So they begin to see that the overall energy level is high, but there is a rhythm to it, and that is what a lot of these horses can settle into. The other thing that I've already mentioned is especially if you have an individual routine that you've practiced at home that you can then transfer to the show, this will help that horse transfer even faster. So there's a lot of this routine that is monotonous in a good, predictable way that can really help some of these insecure horses settle in and see the routine as something they can relax into because it's predictable. Obviously, a lot of the things I'm saying will also hold true for the more naturally secure horse. But I actually want to bring up the fearful or the insecure horse because I think sometimes people think, oh, that environment is going to be too much for them. And I just want to offer you the idea that I actually have seen lots of horses benefit from it because the show environment offers a lot of routine. Now you can, without a show environment, offer an insecure horse, a lot of routine. It just takes the purposeful thinking that I'm talking about here in this episode. Now I want to swing the other direction and talk about why it might not look like what I'm saying is true. So let me talk about the other side of it. So somebody might be listening to this podcast and they might be thinking, Oh, no, I have an insecure horse and I took it to a show, and none of that was my experience. Here's why it might not look like what I'm saying is true. One idea, if there's no routine established at home then it won't be easy for your horse to see the routine that is now being mirrored at the show. So it is important to establish a routine at home that the horse can then see the routine, the similar routine when they go to the show. Another common mistake I see is that people will take a horse to a show and the show environment is the most emotional work they've ever done. So at home, they've never done the same level of emotional control work. What that means is if the horse escalates up to a level eight of like, aaah, energy. Have you ever done anything at home? Maybe that would be lunging them over a tarp or maybe that would be setting up some different obstacles, and maybe that would be having somebody lunging a horse while you're at the other end of the arena doing something different. Are you playing around with the level of emotional control work that you do at home? Or was the show environment the first dose of high energy they ever had? Same thing goes for the level of physical effort. If the physical effort level is low at home and then you go to a show and the physical effort level is high, then the horse is going to be a little bit shocked by that. So for us, when we're prepping horses, I want my level of work that I do at home to be just a touch higher than what I'm actually going to do when I go to the show. So if I'm going to take the horse to the show and I'm going to lunge them around and I'm going to ride them and I'm going to do three cycles, that means that I need to be doing a little bit higher level of that at home. So when I go to the show, it's actually a slight decrease in the level of effort. Basically what I'm saying is the show should not be the hardest thing they do all month. When I first start taking horses to shows, even though I might do three work cycles, they're not super hard. They're very mental and that's not the hardest my horses have ever been worked. I realized that's very vague when I say the hardest. I'm just saying in your mind, compare. And if the show that you take your horse to is the hardest thing they've done, that's your red flag.

Stacy Westfall:
Another thing that might look like shows aren't going to help an insecure horse would be if you've got a rider that really can't relax into the routine. So if you are a rider who can't see the routine, you're nervous at the show, you're not relaxing into it. That's not going to help the horse a lot. So we might need to just do some separate work with you and getting you relaxed into the routine. Another thing is if you take an insecure horse to an elementary level show where there's a lot of high, unpredictable energy because there's a lot of inexperienced horses there, that can be hard for them. And then especially if you end up in a situation where another rider doesn't have control and another horse takes a swipe at them, tries to kick them, tries to do something, you actually really want your horse to trust your judgment. And if your horse is going to trust your judgment, because one of the things that happens when you season an insecure horse, well, at a show is you're basically saying, hey, I've got you, I've got this. Let me show you. Let me help you. Let me guide you. But if they're going to trust your judgment, you need to make sure that you keep them safe. And that can be a much bigger challenge when you are in an environment that's full of elementary-level horses that might not be fully under control. So keep that in mind when you choose where to go to. My main point in this podcast is when you can see the routine that is offered by showing, you will then be able to see the hidden benefits and whether you choose to use that routine at a horse show or not. Routines are amazing. And remember to go over to my website and check out that video of Willow at one of her very first shows. You'll see her emotions. You'll see her whinnying. You'll see how I'm handling it. And if you've followed us over the years, you'll know that that insecure horse became very confident in the show arena. Thanks for listening and I'll talk to you again in the next episode.

Announcer:
If you enjoy listening to Stacy's podcast, please visit stacywestfall.com for articles, videos, and tips to help you and your horse succeed.

Sonix is the world’s most advanced automated transcription, translation, and subtitling platform. Fast, accurate, and affordable.

Automatically convert your mp3 files to text (txt file), Microsoft Word (docx file), and SubRip Subtitle (srt file) in minutes.

Sonix has many features that you’d love including collaboration tools, advanced search, automated translation, secure transcription and file storage, and easily transcribe your Zoom meetings. Try Sonix for free today.