Versatile

Equines
Issue 1 Be the best you can be for your horse Nov 2013
Get your horse
RELAXED
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Versatile
Contents
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the
rst ever issue of The Versatile Equines Horsemanship
magazine!
We welcome more submissions for our next one!
Contact:
Cheryl Gray
021 027 07512
versatile.equinesnz@gmail.com
www.versatileequines.com
Facebook: Versatile Equines
About
-Editors Note
-About VE: Cheryls Profile
Interesting
-Quotes
-Clinic summaries
-My thoughts on Horsemanship
-Book Review
Education
-Scary Objects: on the ground
-Float Loading
-Float Loading: Case Study
-Successful Mounting
Key Concepts
-GROW
-Relaxing
Fun
-Cute Horse Shot
Inspiration
-Reader Story
In this Issue you will nd...
We want your stories!!
Visit us on Facebook to see the list of items we
would love for you to share, to be included in
our next issue!
Disclaimer: Everything Ive written in this magazine is only
MY interpretation of what I know so far. Please be the
creator of your own knowledge & consider whether my
philosophies align with your own. I am not implying my
way is the best. The intention of this magazine is simply to
cause you to think about your Horsemanship in a
dierent way & support those who agree :)
Thank you to all people who have
taken the time to browse this magazine.
This is the first one and I hope there will be many more. The intention
is to begin with two per year, building up to four when time allows.
I am on a learning journey for life and I hope you all are too;
I look forward to watching this magazine grow as we all do.
This issue mainly includes past articles I have written for FaceBook, but look out for
Issue 2 which will contain some new material. It will also be jam packed full of articles
written by likeminded people, on the path to being the best they can be for their horses!
Feedback encouraged. Enjoy!
Cheryl
Editors Note
About VE:
AL 22, l was wanung more ln my
horsemanshlp, so l researched
furLher and l found Lhe arelll's
meLhod, whlch aL Lhe ume blew my
mlnd. l began Lo Lhlnk abouL horses
ln a whole dlerenL way!
AL 23, l saw 8uck 8rannman for Lhe
rsL ume and heard of Mark 8ashld.
Aer dlscoverlng Lhese amazlng
horsemen l knew l had Lo know
more and l 8LALL? reallsed how
much more ls ouL Lhere. lL was Lhen
LhaL l Lruly hopped on Lhe Lraln for
my [ourney, Lhe [ourney l am calllng
Lhe paLh Lo versaule Porsemanshlp.
l am now 23 and have sLepped away
from solely worklng wlLh horses and
am delvlng lnLo Lhe world of
educaung people, ln whaL l currenLly
belleve Lo be a good way of Lhlnklng
abouL horses.
!"# %&#' (% '#) )*+, %- (./'0/'12
lf people come Lo me for lnsLrucuon,
l see myself as CnL avenue on a
person's paLh Lo belng Lhe besL Lhey
can be wlLh horses. l encourage
people Lo do Lhelr own research,
crlucally analyse phllosophles and
expose Lhemselves Lo as many
dlerenL ways of Lhlnklng abouL
horses as posslble. 1oo oen l hear
people say, "oh no l cannoL do LhaL
wlLh my horse because 'anonymous'
sald so", or, "'anonymous' has all l
wlll ever need ln a meLhod". All
power Lo Lhese people, l hope LhaL
way of Lhlnklng honesLly does
provlde Lhem wlLh every opporLunlLy
Lhey could posslbly lmaglne.
As a learner myself l have dlscovered
LhaL l llke Lo be open Lo as much as l
can, Lhen Lake from Lhere Lhe parLs
LhaL are relevanL Lo my horses and l.
So when wlLh my horses l Lry noL Lo
do someLhlng Lo my horse because
someone sald so, or l have seen lL
done before. lnsLead l !"# Lo look aL
Lhe slLuauon from many dlerenL
angles and choose Lhe opuon LhaL ls
besL for ML and for my PC8SL, aL
LhaL A81lCuLA8 momenL ln ume.
lL mlghL noL be Lhe way a horseman
beuer Lhan l may do lL, or Lhe way l
do lL Lomorrow, buL l knCW LhaL l
have glven Lhe concepL Lhoughuul
conslderauon, whlch ln my eyes wlll
always be rlghL for my horse. lf on
reecuon down Lhe llne lL wasn'L, l
wlll log lL ln my memory Lo draw on
nexL ume l have a slmllar slLuauon.
l feel l have Lhls awareness because l
!"# noL Lo [usL 'accepL Lheory', l
$%&'(! Lo research wldely, waLch
and assess many dlerenL Lralners
and llsLen Lo whaL my horse ls Lelllng
me, an encourage oLhers Lo do Lhe
same. l am fasclnaLed ln Lhe way
horses and people Lhlnk and learn.
l can remember always lovlng horses.
We had Lwo race horse broodmares
Lurned ouL on our farm when l was a
chlld, buL from memory only saL on
one once.
When l was 11 years of age, Llsa
Carrod moved lnLo our area wlLh 30
horses. 8elng Lhe local school
Leacher, l soon goL Lhe opporLunlLy
Lo go Lo her place and properly rlde a
pony, ee Wee, for Lhe rsL ume,
from Lhls momenL on l was PCCkLu!
She LaughL me much abouL rldlng
and mosL lmporLanLly LhaL horses,
'are nC1 machlnes'.
AL 16, l worked for 8oss and Lynley
8olL, malnly ln Lhe area of auempung
Lo sLarL and handle her young horses
(Warmbloods aL Lhe ume). Lynley
lnLroduced me Lo Lhe world of arelll
and naLural Porsemanshlp.
AL 17, l moved Lo AusLralla and
worked for Susan Lock, of uynamlc
erformance Porses. 1here l goL Lo
learn aloL more abouL Porsemanshlp
naLurally. She also played olo and
olocrosse whlch l was unaware of.
She also sLood SLar klng and CounLry
aL sLud, Lhus l was lnLroduced Lo Lhe
world of purposeful breedlng.
AL 20, l came back Lo nZ and found
CllnLon Anderson's meLhod. !ordan
and l followed Lhls sLrlngenLly for 18
monLhs, Lhrough hls home sLudy
programme and no Worrles Club. l
loved Lhe quallLy lL added Lo Lhe
ways ln whlch l dld Lasks.
In Issue 2 read all about my partner Jordan and his approach to horses!
Part 1- Cheryl
Quotes
C
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m
a
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y

m
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o
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F
a
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V
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E
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s
)*+*,-
-LaLeral exlon, exlng Lhe head le and rlghL. uL your hand ln Lhe mlddle of Lhe relns, sllde Lhe oLher hand down
Lhe reln, pull Lhe reln up Lo your hlp. Pold unul Lhey sLop movlng Lhelr feeL and soen (Lo soen means LhaL Lhey ex
more and do noL pull on Lhe relns so much). Make sure Lhey fully sLop Lhelr feeL before you leL go.
-verucal exlon, geL Lhem Lo up Lhelr nose down, sllde hand down relns, Lo Lhelr neck Lo nd mlddle of Lhe relns,
make sure Lhey're even, as soon as Lhey up, drop Lhe relns and rub. Pave your hands ouL wlde lf Lhey are noL dolng lL
-Cne reln sLop, rlde around aL walk and LroL and bend your horse Lo a sLop, preLend lL ls an emergency. 1o geL Lhem
llsLenlng Lo your body slL deep ln Lhe saddle and counL Lo 3, Lhen bend Lhelr head around lf Lhey haven'L sLopped
-8ldlng wlLhouL sLeerlng and malnLaln galL (sLay aL Lhe same speed). lf Lhey go Loo fasL, one reln sLop Lhem, geL Lhem
calm, Lhen ask Lhem agaln, keep repeaung Lhls unul Lhey geL Lhe message. lf Lhey go Loo slow, leL Lhem break galL,
Lhen be 8LALL? bossy and geL Lhem back up Lo galL. 8emember uCn'1 sLeer!
-SLopplng on Lhe spoL, rlde Lo a polnL and ask Lhem Lo sLop, lf Lhey don'L sLop exacLly where you asked Lhem Lo, geL
Lhem Lo back up Lo where you asked Lhem Lo sLop ln Lhe rsL place
-8ack up, remember you do nC1 pull Lo go back, you seL Lhelr head wlLh your relns, Lhen you do nC1 move your
hands. SlL up Lall ln Lhe saddle (noL backwards) and Lhen lf Lhey are sull noL golng, move your legs ln and ouL (so
and slow Lo begln, Lhen fasLer lf Lhey do noL llsLen). 8emember uC nC1 uLL
-!umplng, do noL [usL run and [ump. Make sure you change up whaL you do so Lhe ponles do noL geL bored and
naughLy! An ldea, you could sLop Lhem beLween [umps, Lhen back up or noL Lurn Lhe corner aL Lhe end, [usL go
sLralghL
."/0,+1/"2
-Leadlng up soly, Lhe ponles should puL a loop ln Lhe lead rope
and never leL lL go ughL. ?ou should be able Lo keep Lhls whlle
runnlng and golng over obsLacles. lf Lhey do noL lead up enough,
pull on Lhe lead rope Lo geL Lhem Lo come forward, Lhen lf Lhey
are sull noL comlng, lck behlnd you wlLh Lhe suck and sLrlng
-Cemng our horses Lo sLop as soon as we sLop and noL run passed
us, lf Lhey do geL passed [usL clrcle Lhem around and Lry agaln. lf
you can, geL your suck ouL ln fronL Lo sLop Lhem runnlng ahead
-8acklng up, when you back up, make sure you don'L ask Loo fasL
-Lowerlng Lhe head from Lhe halLer and poll. Ask genLle rsL, Lhen
pull/push harder lf Lhey don'L llsLen. As soon as Lhey Lry or lower
lL a blL, Lake your hand away and Lell Lhem Lhey were good
-8acklng over obsLacles, Lhls ls greaL Lo LesL how condenL Lhey
are and how good your leadershlp ls
-8ubblng your horse over and noL havlng Lhem geL snooLy- lf Lhey
do, keep rubblng unul Lhey geL relaxed
-llexlng Lhe head Lo Lhe slde. Cne hand on Lhe lead rope on
wlLhers and Lhe oLher hand slldes down and does Lhe exlng. lf
Lhe pony moves, keep movlng wlLh lL unul sLops and soens lLs
head, make sure he ls fully sLopped, Lhen release lAS1
-ulsengaglng Lhe hlnd end, ex Lhelr head around and push on
Lhelr belly. 8ub before you push and once Lhey move, rub Lo a
sLop. lf Lhey walk forward and do noL move Lhelr bum around, up
Lhelr nose more lnLo you
lor all of Lhe ground work and rldlng
you do, raLe yourself ouL of 10, lf lL ls
noL a 10, how can you make lL a 10
and lf lL was a 10, why?
Te Horo
Kid Clinic
Summary
Ask softly first
Key points from the day
*Establish your personal space. Dont send
them away all the time, or punish them for
wanting to come back, simply bring them in,
give them a pat, then send them out again.
*Backing up from halter, get the feet moving
rst, then focus on softness on the halter,
then be more critical about the nose tip and
diagonal pairs of feet, then put all together!
*Disengaging the hindquarters using direct
touch, remember to rub to a start and rub to
a stop. If they do not want to move think
why- is it condence or snootiness?
*Using obstacles to give the things we teach
a reason, eg foot on mat, backing onto mat.
Do on ground and while riding.
*Lower head=lessen adrenaline = relaxation.
*Slap the ground with stick and string- keep
your feet still, look for a sign of relaxing, then
release. This simulates SCARY situations, so
helps the horse nd relaxed himself.
*Put the think back in the horse :)
*Riding exercises: Back Up: tip nose, lift body,
set reins, but do not pull, use legs to
encourage back if necessary.
*Disengage hind end, hand up (not like
exing for one rein stop), slide leg back, if
they walk forward pull up on the inside rein.
*One rein stop at walk and trot- simulate the
emergency before it happens!
*Backing up and stepping them out one step,
the beginning of backing circles.
Horsewyse
Adult Clinic
October
2013
There are
no rules
!"#$ &"'()*'+)#
For example, a person may watch a clip about 'join up' or 'hooking on'. Then they
go out with these ideas and subject their horses to it. They may do this with no
understanding of the horse psychology behind that concept, no concept of the
steps that may be involved before that point and what to do at the end- e.g. was it
successful, if not.what next or why? "Everything you do with a horse ought to be a
dance" (Buck Brannaman,), there is often nothing elegant about the mosh pit that
occurs when people take one idea in isolation, and 'do it' to their horse.
I by no means exclude myself here, I make errors. You dont know what you dont
know. I am a why person; I make it my business to learn as much as I can and try
to work with my horses in a holistic* way- encompassing what the horse needs at
the time, with my current practical experience and theoretical knowledge.
Im feeling like a concern with the
Natural Horsemanship movement is
that people see SOOO much stu! out
of context. With the wide variety of
trainers, methods, and clinicians
around, its easy to acquire knowledge
and ideas in isolation without getting
the full story.
My
Thoughts
Try not to just reason
what your horses need
from something you
read or hear, as you r
background knowledge
or understanding may
be too limited, thus you
may be unable to adapt
all things to your
specic horse. By all
means experiment, that
is often when the best
learning happens, but
do not become straight
line thinking in your
ideas. If something is
not working, do not get
mad or upset; just
simply ask why.
You will nd at the
most random times
answers will pop into
your head.
So next time you are with your horses
consider this idea and ask WHY?
,-.*'#/01 2+2*3#'+& 2 45.*) #3#$)6 .7 8)*')7# 2+(9.:
0.+#'():'+& 2** 720$.:# 45)+ 4'$5 2 5.:#);
VE Reader Review
I found this book very enlightening. It made me realise
that there are so many people out there, that have
prejudice against different breeds and colours of horses
and wont even take on a horse if it is a certain breed.
They have maybe had a bad experience before or have
heard rumours from other people and this book really
opens your eyes how, if you listen to the horse,
understand the horse, you can do anything with the
horse. It takes patience and time but Mark has shown this
to people, but also learnt this through his trainer the old
man. I found this old man very enlightening and have
read all of the books by Mark and they all link up well
and are based on really good experiences and bad ones. I
highly recommend all his books and you can read them
more than once and still learn something.
- Kerre, Manawatu
A
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e
s
o
m
e
B
o
o
k
A
l
e
r
t
34/0! 6$"2
Mark 8ashld (pronounced 8ASP-ld) ls an lnLernauonally acclalmed
horse Lralner known for hls ablllLy Lo undersLand Lhe horse's polnL
of vlew and solve dlmculL problems wlLh communlcauon raLher
Lhan force. Pe began worklng wlLh horses aL age Len, when he
meL Lhe old man," who LaughL hlm Lo work 4'$5 horses, noL
agalnsL Lhem, and Lo llsLen Lo whaL Lhe horse ls Lrylng Lo say.
Mark's cllnlcs cenLer on one-on-one work wlLh horse 2+( rlder
and are lmmensely popular wlLh people around Lhe world.
When Mark declded Lo sLudy Lhe marual arL of alkldo as a way Lo
lmprove hls horsemanshlp, he broughL Lhe same quleL
deLermlnauon as he exhlblLs ln hls work wlLh horses. Aer years
of pracuce, he has earned a second degree black belL ln
?oshlnkan alkldo and now Leaches Lhe way of harmony" ln Lhe
local do[o.
Mark has also wrluen many oLher greaL books, as
well as produced uvus, check Lhem ouL aL:
hup://markrashld.com/
Book Review
ln Lhls follow-up Lo hls rsL
book, "Conslderlng Lhe Porse,"
Mark 8ashld conunues Lo share
hls gl for uslng communlcauon,
noL force, ln worklng wlLh
horses. 8ashl d uses hearL-
warmlng and humorous sLorles
Lo share hls Lechnlques of
L e a c h l n g h o r s e s b y
undersLandlng Lhelr vlew of Lhe
world. 1hese Lales deal wlLh
many faceLs of buylng, ownlng,
and Lralnlng horses. SLorles of
Arabs, appaloosas, and palnLs-
ml sLrusLed and ml sLreaLed
because of Lhelr breed-wlll glve
you a new perspecuve on Lhese
breeds and oLhers. 8ashld's
accounLs of horses bound for
slaughLer because Lhey couldn'L
be Lralned wlll lnsplre you Lo glve
your own problem horse anoLher
look. And when Wll, Lhe ugllesL
horse you can lmaglne, Lurns ouL
Lo be Lhe besL on Lhe ranch,
you'll undersLand why a good
horse ls never a bad color.
<52$ = 6)2+ 83 $5'# '#;;;
?ou wlll nouce Lhe acronym spells
C8CW, so C8CW your horsemanshlp
and be aware of Lhe process LhaL's
needed Lo achleve your goals. lf your goal
ls seemlngly ouL of reach or
unachlevable, go back Lhrough your
C8CW process Lo nd ouL whaL's mlsslng.
So wlLh my C8CW demonsLrauon of
gemng !azzy Lo puL all feeL on Lhe
mounung block, l have Lrled Lo
demonsLraLe SCML of Lhe ldeas LhaL may
be runnlng Lhrough my head- eg Lhe
process l may be uslng.
l wlll seL a 8LALlS1lC Where 1o nexL from
Lhe 'CpporLunlues', Lhen once LhaL ls
achleved l wlll choose anoLher
'CpporLunlLy' Lo work on. LvenLually all of
Lhese Lhlngs wlll come LogeLher and she
wlll [usL puL all four feeL on and sLand
condenLly!
l encourage you Lo do Lhls wlLh your
currenL goal. 1hls C8CW ls a work ln
progress also and wlll change and adapL
as you and your horse do. So do noL see
Lhls as a rule or a seL prescrlpuon, see Lhls
as a way of organlslng LhoughLs.
Your
Horse
Man
Ship
./$7: CeL !azzy Lo puL 4 feeL on Lhe pedesLal
)&$7*8&9: Pas never done lL before, can be
uncondenL aL Lrylng new Lhlngs, ls a rlghL-
bralned lnLroverL by naLure, horses have poor
depLh percepuon
:((/"!0,*8&9: Make sure she can puL her fronL
feeL on condenLly, use a pauern Lo make pumng
her feeL on Lhe mounung block Lhe comforL zone,
have her walk over Lhe whole Lhlng noL asklng
her Lo sLop, sLand wlLh her back feeL on buL fronL
feeL o, do lL aL dlerenL lengLhs of lead rope,
use a lower pedesLal, use a blgger/wlder pedesLal
;<&"& !/ ,&=!: geL her Lo wanL Lo puL her fronL
feeL on a low pedesLal.
GROW
Some signs include:
Its important to note there
is a difference between
relaxing and relaxed.
Relaxing: become less
tense or anxious
Rel axed: f r e e f r om
tension and anxiety
A horse in a relaxed state
is far more positive, than
one who is simply
relaxing. On the same
token though, relaxing
can turn into relaxed,
so is a necessary
starting point.
Signs of Relaxing
To l e arn
n e w t h i n g s
horses must be
r e l a x e d
in mind and
body and Spirit
*Cocking a hind leg
*Lowering head
*Blinking
*Yawning
*Licking and chewing
*Sighing
*Blowing snot out nose
*Being able to stand still
*Shaking head and neck
*Whole body shake
*Loosening of lips
Conditioning to
scary objects:
from the ground
uesenslusauon can be LaughL Lo Lhe horse Lhrough a
meLhod called 'pressure and release'. lL ls lmporLanL Lo
noLe durlng desenslusauon, LhaL Lhe horse learns from
Lhe 8LLLASL Cl 8LSSu8L, ,/! Lhe pressure lLself. 1hls ls
because horses seek comforL, so when Lhe pressure ls
Laken away Lhey feel comforL (release). As such, '+ 6.#$
02#)#, lL ls C8uClAL LhaL you release Lhe pressure CnL?
when Lhe horse has shown you a slgn of relaxlng Anu
Lhey have Lhelr feeL S1lLL (and have commlued Lo
sLandlng sull). lf you qulL Lhe pressure before he has
relaxed, ?Cu are ln eecL Leachlng hlm LhaL lf he freaks
ouL, he makes Lhe scary Lhlng go away.
Stages of Conditioning:
Exposure
Condence
Relaxation
Curiosity
Trust
;<$! #/0 ,&&+ !/ 2,/1
4&>/"& 4&-*,,*,-
When your horse ls 'freaklng ouL', he's noL belng
sllly or dolng lL on purpose. Pe's dolng whaL
horses are SuCSLu Lo do. lL's an lnsuncL LhaL's kepL
Lhelr specles allve for cenLurles. lf Lhey sense danger,
Lhelr lnnaLe responses klck ln and Lell Lhem Lo geL Lo
safeLy- even lf ln our eyes we know a plasuc bag wlll
noL klll Lhem! 1hankfully horses can be LaughL noL Lo
rely so heavlly on Lhls lnsuncL. lL's done Lhrough a
process LhaL has aloL of names, such as lrlendly Came,
Condence Came, uesenslusauon, PablLuauon eLc. lf
your horse ls afrald of someLhlng, lL's your [ob as hls
leader Lo help hlm over come hls fears and feel
condenL.
unforLunaLely Loo many umes l see people
unlSPlnC Lhelr horses for Lhls, Lhey whack Lhem, yell
aL Lhem and haul on Lhelr mouLhs, when ln reallLy lL ls
Lhe persons responslblllLy Lo beuer prepare Lhelr
horses for Lhe many slLuauons we sub[ecL Lhem Lo.
rlme example, a rlder ls warmlng up ln Lhe pracuce
rlng for a show, ALL of a sudden a bag les pasL.. Lhe
horse l8LAkS ouL, splns around Lo geL Lo safeLy and
dumps hls rlder accldenLally ln Lhe process. 1he rlder
hops up angry, embarrassed and dlsappolnLed. ln Lhelr
frusLrauon Lhey forgeL Lhe horses emouons and yank
Lhe horse ln Lhe mouLh and yell aL hlm llke he should
have known beuer. My quesuon Lo Lhese people ls.
"whaL have you done prlor Lo Lhls day Lo help your
horse become more condenL wlLh spooky ob[ecLs?"
!"#$%&'( *+%,-.#/
.//+? A person ls rubblng Lhelr horse over wlLh a plasuc bag (pressure). Aer abouL 7 seconds Lhe horse shows a
slgn of relaxlng whlle sLandlng sull, so Lhe handler Lakes Lhe bag o Lhe horse and sLands sull and relaxes (release
of pressure). ln Lhls slLuauon Lhe horse has been relnforced for learnlng Lo deal posluvely wlLh Lhe plasuc bag.
@$+? A person ls nervously rubblng Lhelr horse over wlLh a plasuc bag (pressure), Lhe horse conunues Lo move
around and cannoL sLand sull, so Lhe person Lakes Lhe bag o anyway (release of pressure). ln Lhls slLuauon Lhe
release of Lhe pressure has furLher relnforced Lo Lhe horse, LhaL freaklng ouL ls Lhe besL Lhlng Lo do.
0'-/ 1( #2#"34#.5 1#%"67
-?ou may noL be able Lo Louch your horse rlghL away
so [usL desensluse Lhe alr around hlm
-CeL hlm condenL wlLh one spooky ob[ecL, Lhen use
Lhe same meLhod for oLher spooky ob[ecLs
-SLay calm yourself
-8e CCnSlS1Ln1 and do lL regularly
-Make sure hls feeL are denlLely sull
-uo noL release Lhe pressure when Lhe horse has noL
calmed down aL all!
-1he same prlnclple can be applled ln Lhe saddle
!"##"$ &'""()
"*+,-.& /$-012,3
-Saddle blankeL
-PalLer
-8rldle
-Suck and sLrlng
-lasuc bag
-1arpaulln
-8opes
-8alls
-Coloured poles
-Porse oaL
-8arrels
-Car wash
-uddles
-Whlp
-llags
-oles dragglng
-8anglng
To successfully understand the concept of
oat loading, you rst need to understand
some horse psychology. They are by nature
claustrophobic. There is nothing more
unnatural and foreign to a horse than being
shoved in a oat and being driven around!
Key concepts the handler ideally
would be knowledgable in:
-E"ective pressure and release
-Active/passive body language
-Rope handling skills
-Predator/Prey Psychology
-Managing emotions
End goal for oating: You open the oat and
the horse runs in there un-haltered by
themselves.
Reality: This does not happen instantly,
break the process of oat loading down into
manageable chunks for the horse.
Here are a few tips to help you think about
oat loading in a di!erent light:

Leave oat in their paddock for further

exposure after you have worked with it

Use a long lead

Use a stick and string if necessary

Its NOT a rule that you must send your

horse in from outside the oat. Think about
it from your horses point of view. "Hmmm,
my human is too scared to go in there and
they are my leader, so I am denitely not
going in if they arent". Just because you
teach them to go into the oat by walking in
rst, doesn't mean it will be that way forever,
but get their condence before expecting
them to walk straight in alone.

Dont make the oat a nasty place by

suddenly enforcing a WHOLE new set of
rules! Eg, to go in the horse needs to know
how to lead by, much of the time people
never do this with their horses away from
the oat. Then when they get to the oat to
do it, the horses are saying 'I don't even
know how to do that without the oat, now
you expect me to do that NEW thing (lead by)
and GO IN the new thing (oat)!?!

Teach your horse to be condent and

comfortable going over, through, around
and under di"erent things, BEFORE
expecting him to load.

Get them leading around in front of you and

backing up softly on the ground AWAY from
the oat.

Teach them to back up BEFORE you need to

get them to back out!

Have LOTS of time.

Do not tie them until they are 100%

mentally, physically and emotionally in the
Float Loading
Y
o
u
o
n
ly g
et a few
sh
o
ts at
g
ettin
g
it rig
h
t b
efo
re yo
u

create a p
ro
b
lem
, so
set it u
p

fo
r su
ccess!!!
It can be one of the most frustrating things ...
oat AND tie condently away from the oat
in scary situations.

Don't try to HOLD them in, if they are pulling,

you have already lost them! Yes you want
them to understand they are supposed to go
in and stay, but there is no way you can
physically hold them in. Often all that
happens is the horse gets worried and
nervous and people get hurt. You need to
nd a balance between having enough
tension on the lead to encourage them to
stay in, but not so much it makes them want
to ght and pull back.

Practice oat loading for DAYS at a time, not

just every now and then for greatest success.

Teach the horse small bits at a time- eg:

Day 1- smell the oat
Day 2- front feet on the ramp and back o"
Day 3- all feet on ramp and back o"
Day 4- front feet in oat, back feet on ramp
Basically do as much as the horse can handle,
but no more, keep him feeling condent and
curious about the oat.

Do not be in a rush to SHUT him in as soon

as all feet are in the oat.

If he will not stand in the oat by himself

without backing out- DO NOT shut the back
up, take the time until he is sure he is safe.

Dont expect to teach them to load on the

day you need to transport them somewhere.

Seek professional help if you are unsure or

are having trouble.

Allow your horse to explore the oat

without being forced.

Do not growl them for pawing at the

ramp- this is them testing it and
reassuring themselves.
There is much information here. All of
which is only a guide. Each horse and
owner/handler is di"erent, as well as each
situation. These are also not the only ways
to consider oat loading.
I hope in reading this you have found a few
gems, which you can now apply to your
current understandings of oat loading.
Jewels 2nd truck loading session in 2010
!
"
#
$
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'
(

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'
*

)
+

,
-
$
#
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)
)
%
Beany has had some very
negative oat training in the
past (before Allie got her),
such as being separated from
mother before weaning and
forced on a oat, and having
a rope tied around her neck
while she was pretty much
winched in. She has learnt to
pull back, thrash around, rear
and run circles around the
oat.
Apart from a short video, I
had not seen any of the
above mentioned torture and
I am pleased to say that we
didn't see any of that during
the session either. There
were times when I could tell
she was expecting to be hit,
growled, pulled on or forced
from behind; it is amazing
what they remember. What I
did, was give her no reason
to need to go there. If she felt
too much pressure being in
the oat I allowed her to back
out, she doesn't know it is
'wrong' and the worst thing I
could do was try to force her!
For example she went to back
out of the oat for the rst
time and I allowed her. I
could see that she was
already thinking, "if you pull
on me I am going to rear and
y out backwards". It was
great to see that by about the
3rd time she would back out,
but keep all feet on the ramp.
We started o" really slow, just
asking her to walk up on the
ramp with her front feet,
rubbing her with the stick as
release and then backing her
o" and going for a walk. It
didn't take long for her to
realise that she was not going
to be forced or punished and
that we would stay with her
level of condence. It all paid
o", by the end she was
rushing IN to the oat, then
she would back out and put
herself back in.
To change up the pattern, at
the end of the session when
she was fully in the oat
(physically and mentally) I
gave her some pony nuts-
boy did that blow her brain-
not only did she feel
condent, she felt motivated!
It was really awesome to
watch Beany pretty much
teach herself to load.
In this situation I stood inside
the oat. With an uncondent
horse you can often create
many issues by making them
go in alone. There will come
a time when Beany is
condent enough to walk in
while the human stays out,
but today wasn't that day.
The way I look at it is that
there is no 'right' or 'wrong'
about this, you just adapt
what you do, to meet the
needs of the horse.
Thanks to Beanys owner for
allowing me to be part of this
magical experience.
Please see a timeline of photos
below, showing our sequence.
Videos can also be viewed on
our Versatile Equines FaceBook
page.
Case Study: Beany
Beany
15 year old
16.1hh
TB X QH
Mare
Float
Loading
1
Letting her explore
4
Relaxed with all
feet on the oat
6
Rubbing her for
making an effort to
come right in
5
Allowing her out when
she wanted to
8
Having down time at
the end of the session
Reinforcing
learning with treats
7
TRAINING
SEQUENCE
2
Backing her front
feet off
Walking her away from
oat- release of pressure
3
C
u
t
e
s
t
Horse

S
h
o
t
K
i
m
b
e
r
l
e
y

&

R
u
b
y
eventually led her to ipping over on me while on a
walk down the road. Things weren't looking good for
our partnership, with everyone telling me she was
"unridable" "unsafe" and "a no hoper". They all told
me to sell her.
I have known Cheryl for a few years, and called on
her as my last attempt to 'x' Ruby. I know of her work
in Natural Horsemanship, and thought it was our last
chance. After a few months of ground work thanks to
Cheryl and Pat Parelli, Ruby and I now have the most
incredible bond. It turns out all she needed was a date
with the chiropractor, along with an open mind to her
fragile mind. I began riding her bareback, even
beginning to pop over some jumps. We did a few tiny
6 months ago, I bought Ruby as
a project to help get myself out
of a rut I had gotten myself into.
She was what many would call a
'troubled' or 'problem' horse, and
I thought getting her would give
me a sense of pride knowing
that she needed my help. It did
not occur to me that I was the
one who desperately needed
her. We started very rocky, only
being able to walk and trot.
There were constant issues with
bucking and rearing, which
canters, but as her habits were so ingrained, we had
a long road in gaining balance and looseness.
Our true moment of success was yesterday, when I
took her to the beach, the second time being under
saddle, and we were almost at full gallop down the
shore line. If any of you have experienced that, you
will know that there are no words. The wind in your
face and the beat of the hooves, along with the
sound of the sea - there is no better place. I cannot
express how liberating it was for Ruby and I to
achieve this. I will never sell her now. I couldn't.
She is my girl, and couldn't imagine my life
without her! I owe her my sanity.
something done, just for the sake of it and not
understanding it, or even if it did any good to a
relationship.
She very much came across as a, she does what she
wants, when she wants, because she wont be told
otherwise horse.
So when the day came that she arrived, I watched her in
the paddock exploring her new home. I was pretty
certain what was going to be happening for her in the
years to come and I and was fairly happy with the
decision. Until I started hearing of Natural
Horsemanship and how to form a better relationship
between owner and horse, regardless of the horse being
ridden or not.
What I had already picked up was that she was hard to
catch and pushy as anything. She seemed to really hate
being around people. At most she would see anyone
coming and disappear as fast as she could and that
really got to me. I thought, how can I have this horse
want to come see me in the paddock and be comfortable
with me.
Reader
Story
A New Road To
Travel
By Allie McCrae
When I was a lot younger, I thought horses and ponies
were just four legged animals that you got on and got
walked around with at fun days and carnivals. Little
did I know there was such a thing called Natural
Horsemanship.
When I hit my teens, I started going around Trekking
places and Riding Schools and I soon got to see how
different the horse world really was. After a few years I
got put into a way of being with horses and riding.
Never the leader, just the rider.
Fortunately for me, I did get the chance to ride in a
hackamore bridle, on an older mare bareback, which
was really cool, but I didnt look into that much at that
point.
Dont get me wrong, I learnt a great deal about
confidence from being on a horse regularly and just
riding with the purpose of getting something done at
the end of the day, whether I understood it or not. But
I used to see horses used as machines. There was
always another little part of me that thought different,
and thats where my true journey began, starting with
Versatile Equines.
I got my first proper horse, Beany, a while ago now, in
foal, whom had not had the best start. Being 15 years
old, I thought well, shes had a fairly interesting life
and that I would let her live out her days in comfort
and be with me until the rainbow bridge.
Beany is a black, QH X TB, mare with white points
and at the start had the typical misunderstood exterior.
She appeared naughty and disrespectful and didnt like
people. At the start, Im not afraid to admit, my mind
set of years ago came through of just getting
wrote the big blurb of a message about
Beany and I, but once I thought it
was explained clearly enough, I sent it
away.
I didnt know what to expect, but what
I got back was very positive. We
arranged a time to meet and have a
chat with Beany. (Literally).
What I got from that first meeting was
absolutely the biggest learning curve of
my life so far with horses. In the short
time we had spoken and worked Beany,
I learnt they actually have true
personalities or horsenalities, and are
completely individual.
I learnt that I had a reactive instinctual mare, that had
trust and respect issues. She loved to push, pressure
was her time to escape and people you may as well
forget it, she didnt really care. She was out to look
after number one only.
I am happy to say I have never looked back. I have
more knowledge on how to read her body language
and how to be with her no matter what day it is, good
or bad. She has got so much to give me and me to give
her. Her issues have now become a thing of the past
(most days anyway) ha-ha.
When I look back to when I first got her and how I
planned to put her into rest mode for the rest of her
days, I think its crazy. I look at Beany in a different
light and thrive to do much more for our relationship
and make her life as fun and carefree as possible.
Thanks for reading!
ALLIE
After a while of this I got thinking, there really must be
more to this horse. She does not seem to be enjoying
life and what does she think about me, the person who
goes and looks after her. Because to be fair shes got to
be around me a lot!
After a few months with her and after feeling I was not
getting through to her on a more personal level by just
basic cares. I desperately wanted to change it.
I jumped on the trusty internet, and started searching
and came across Versatile Equines. Then found out
they had a Facebook page, even better! After reading
through what they had to offer, I decided to take the
plunge and see where it took me. As far as I was
concerned I had nothing left to lose except this idea of
a better, more rewarding relationship with my horse.
I did not know where to start in asking for help and
once I had clicked the message icon, to be honest I felt
a bit silly. I cannot say how many times I wrote and re
Allie, I really enjoyed reading about your journey It is
great to read your recount of, and feelings about things.
Even though I have known you for a while now and we
talk alot about horses, this article gave me further
insight into your thoughts about Horsemanship.
I have not met anyone to date that thinks about things
as deeply as you do! I have loved our conversations
about Horsemanship and the challenging and
sometimes hard to understand, questions you pose.
You are making such fast progress on your journey to
date and this is inspiring. I am so pleased that you
have taken the time to share this, as hopefully it will
inspire others to analyse the approach they currently
have with horses.
Beany is in such great hands, she is very lucky to have
some one who cares so much about not only her
physical welfare, but her mental and emotional welfare
too!
I cannot wait for progress updates along the same lines
as what you have written above. People have alot to
learn from you!!
Thanks for your share!
Cheryl
Natural Horsemansihp
Its also not a method or a discipline. Despite what some will lead you to believe,
Horsemanship is for ALL horses. It is just a common sense way of approaching them using
their psychology. It is given many other names, unfortunately some people perceive Natural
Horsemanship as bad or ineffective, because of some of the people who pooly represent it.
As wlLh any horse behavlour problems people deem
negauve, do noL focus solely on lL belng because Lhe
horse ls 'bad'. Cen Lhere are many oLher underlylng
facLors LhaL can brlng abouL supposed bad hablLs. lf
you are havlng 'problems', geL your horse checked ouL
by a professlonal rsL, Lo assess Lhlngs such as hoof
Lrlm, LeeLh, saddle mng, Lenslon eLc.
Assumlng your horse ln perfecL healLh and has a
pleasanL experlence every ume you rlde hlm, here are
some ldeas Lo help you Lrouble shooL, 'mounung
lssues'.
lf your horse moves away when you go Lo geL on, puL
hlm back ln Lhe orlglnal posluon as qulckly as you can
and Lry agaln. Lssenual polnL Lo noLe: do noL geL on
unul he ls sLandlng sull, oLherwlse you are ln eecL
condluonlng hlm LhaL when he moves away, he has
Lhe rlghL answer. lL Lhen becomes unfalr of us Lo
punlsh hlm for dolng Lhls, as he ls acLually dolng
exacLly whaL we LaughL hlm, by never pulllng hlm up
for lL.
lL can Lake some ume aL Lhe sLarL, buL once your horse
recognlses whaL you wanL, he wlll puL more eorL lnLo
gemng lL rlghL. Cn Lhe oLher slde of Lhe coln, once he
reallses he wlll use more energy Lrylng Lo move away
and noL sLand for you, he wlll be more lncllned Lo
remaln sLandlng sull Lo conserve energy.
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6(&/# "(&&#"1.5 ;#'$9 ,(8$1#:7
SLep 1: SLand on a mounung block, or slmllar ob[ecL.
SLep 2: Ask your horse Lo sLand nexL Lo lL, as soon as
he does rub hlm, leL hlm know he ls good!
SLep 3: Co Lo hop on (prepared Lo geL down half way)
SLep 4: lf he moves away, ask hlm back Lo Lhe correcL
spoL lnS1An1L?, any way you can, even lf you have
Mounting
Lo Lemporarlly geL o Lhe mounung block.
SLep 3: 1hen rub hlm agaln Lo reward hlm for
belng ln Lhe correcL spoL.
SLep 6: conunue Lhls process unul you can mounL
wlLh hlm sLandlng sull
LvenLually he wlll plck rubs and relaxlng over
movlng away. lL ls very lmporLanL he ls noL
' punl s hed' , r aL her you can make hl m
uncomforLable for maklng Lhe wrong declslon of
movlng away. ?ou could do Lhls by maklng hlm do
fasL ughL clrcles, backlng up or dlsengaglng hls
hlnd quarLers.
>"00)## ?'@#1
-Make sure your body language ls clear- when you
wanL hlm Lo move for noL sLandlng you should
have llfe and energy ln your body. As SCCn as he
sLands ln Lhe rlghL spoL, you should Lake Lhe llfe
Cu1 of your body and relax, Lhls wlll help hlm
relax Loo and know LhaL he dld lL rlghL.
-?ou may have Lo ask hlm up Lo Lhe mounung
block ln small lncremenLs, such as one sLep, rub,
one more sLep, rub and Lhen when he ls ln Lhe
perfecL posluon, glve hlm a 8lC rub.
-SeL Lhe bar and expecL Lhls behavlour LvL8? ume
you mounL- be conslsLenL.
-lf he walks o as soon as you geL ln Lhe saddle,
sLop hlm, hop o and repeaL Lhe process.
-1ry Lo sLay on Lhe mounung block, he should be
dolng much more movlng LhaL you.
Trouble Shooting
* * * CONSISTENCY is the KEY * * *
Coming
Soon....
In the
next
Issue
you
will
find
Getting horses used to spooky objects under saddle
Homeopathy and Horses
Ask a budding Vet student
Lateral and vertical exion demystied
Strategies for jigging horses
How to safely ride on the buckle
Pressure/Release- what this means
What is the Predator/Prey theory
Clinic review from past participant
Sold VE Pony- Where are they now?
And MUCH, MUCH MORE
I
s
s
u
e

T
w
o
Some ideas of what I would love
are:
*clinic summaries from VE clinics
*Photos welcomed for a brag page
T
H
E
E
N
D
P
a
s
t

V
e
r
s
a
t
i
l
e

E
q
u
i
n
e