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9/27/06: I have a 36 year old horse and for three years I have had a problem with him. Every time I walk my stallion with a halter only to a venue to work with him, he just stands still on the road or in front of the door. I have the feeling he does not respect me. When my teacher, who has helped me learn to ride the horse, walks behinds the two of us, he just walks in the hall right away. But if my friend does the same and urges him to move, my horse only makes one step.

He does not only threaten to kick people, he does it! My friend has had an accident with this horse already. Could you please help?

9/20/06: When I attend a competition, my jumper is ok when she is with other horses. However, when she comes to the place where we have to perform, she will be fearful immediately and does not trust her self to jump.

A horse stressed by a competition, exaggerated by my tension, sounds logical to me. But I have never experienced such a reaction from other horses.

I can not punish her for this behaviour because it would make her more fearful. Would it be possible that this behaviour is caused by her being separated from the other horses?

At home she does not like to be alone, but she normally gets used to it and becomes quieter.

9/13/06: Do you still have Shy Boy or have you released him back in the wild? Your DVD was vague because you did all that work with him then let him go in the wild. That night when you went out with your other two horses you found out that he didn’t come back. When you went back with that lad Shy Boy came galloping down the mountains. When everyone praised him, you put a bridle and a saddle on him then you asked the lad if he wanted to ride him home. The DVD didn’t say at the end if you released him back in the wild.

9/06/06: Watching our horses as a group is an interesting bit of sociology. In particular I am struck how the former boss of the herd (an old mare by the name of Kitten) during my teenage years is no longer the boss. A younger, working roping horse, Deuce, is now clearly the head honcho. How does this transformation take place?

Answers to September 2006 Ask Monty Questions

Question: I have a 36 year old horse and for three years I have had a problem with him. Every time I walk my stallion with a halter only to a venue to work with him, he just stands still on the road or in front of the door. I have the feeling he does not respect me. When my teacher, who has helped me learn to ride the horse, walks behinds the two of us, he just walks in the hall right away. But if my friend does the same and urges him to move, my horse only makes one step.

He does not only threaten to kick people, he does it! My friend has had an accident with this horse already. Could you please help?

Monty's Answer: At 36 years of age, most scientists would agree the horse is well into his nineties by human standards. No matter how difficult “Great-grandfather” seems to be, the family generally doesn’t discuss ways to re-train him. There comes a time for every person and every horse that responsibilities are a thing of the past and retirement is well earned in our 90s. I will do this old horse no favour if I started discussing ways to improve his behaviour.

Green grass, fresh water and a loving person to groom and care for him is all this old fellow needs at this time and all I would recommend for him. When you have a similar problem with a horse of an age more reasonable for training then you will find me recommending my Dually Halter and the DVD that goes with it.

-Monty

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Question: When I attend a competition, my jumper is ok when she is with other horses. However, when she comes to the place where we have to perform, she will be fearful immediately and does not trust her self to jump.

A horse stressed by a competition, exaggerated by my tension, sounds logical to me. But I have never experienced such a reaction from other horses.

I can not punish her for this behaviour because it would make her more fearful. Would it be possible that this behaviour is caused by her being separated from the other horses?

At home she does not like to be alone, but she normally gets used to it and becomes quieter.

Monty's Answer: It may be that Separation Anxiety is exasperating this problem. I have covered this thoroughly in my book, From My Hands to Yours, chapter 10 on Imprinting Good Behavior.

If it is Performance Anxiety, it seems to me that you have a very clever horse. In fact, it almost seems as though he can read the newspaper, or the horse magazine that lists the upcoming horse events! Obviously, you know that this is not true, so let’s investigate how this phenomenon occurs.

‘Choking’ is reserved for human beings with performance anxiety. It is not within the make-up of a horse to view any special occasion as more important than another and perform badly.

The neocortex, the part of the brain that controls logical emotions such as planning, thinking, and imagining is half the size in the horse’s brain compared to the brain of the human. Horses simply do not have the mental capacity to be capable of experiencing these feelings of performance anxiety.

As we negotiate the calendar of events we plan for ourselves and our horses, we should be well aware of our own mental state working up to, and experiencing, performances away from home. Whether it is a trail ride or a high-level horse show, these are circumstances where we tend to get our own adrenalin up and our pulse rate higher than normal.

The one thing that horses can do far better than any human being is to read the psychological and physiological state of the individuals around them. Mother Nature has provided them with incredible skills to identify potentially dangerous predators in their environment.

Given these conditions, it becomes incumbent upon every horseperson to learn to control their own responses to the stress inherent in big shows, little shows, trail rides, and even a visit from someone they admire. Our horses will respond to our body conditions far more quickly than we ever dreamed possible.

Whether it is for your horse or yourself, it is good to take trips to large events primarily to expose you both rather than for competition, so you can change the environment both physical and psychological. This will assist the horseperson in the area of controlling themselves, and give the horse a chance to experience new territories without a request for high-level performance.

For more ideas regarding Creating a Willing Partner, see chapter 11 of my book From My Hands To Yours.

-Monty

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Question: Do you still have Shy Boy or have you released him back in the wild? Your DVD was vague because you did all that work with him then let him go in the wild. That night when you went out with your other two horses you found out that he didn’t come back. When you went back with that lad Shy Boy came galloping down the mountains. When everyone praised him, you put a bridle and a saddle on him then you asked the lad if he wanted to ride him home. The DVD didn’t say at the end if you released him back in the wild.

He is a wonderful little horse who loves people and especially children. Thank you for asking about him as it gives me a chance to let everyone know that he is happy and fine.

-Monty

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Question: Watching our horses as a group is an interesting bit of sociology. In particular I am struck how the former boss of the herd (an old mare by the name of Kitten) during my teenage years is no longer the boss. A younger, working roping horse, Deuce, is now clearly the head honcho. How does this transformation take place?

Monty's Answer: Most of my life has been devoted to a great interest in the behavior of social order within the family groups of herd animals. Obviously horses have been my main focus. I remember so well how surprised I was to find that the big stallion was not the primary decision maker within wild horse families. I like to tell my students that it isn’t so much different from people. We men tend to think that we run the show when in fact the smaller and less noisy woman usually does. And I think it’s quite valid that the important decisions made for the human family often rest on the shoulders of the mother.

I wrote in my first book about my experiences with wild deer. I explained how my first relationship with the deer was with one I call Grandma. She was a text book matriarch. Grandma spent about 10 months out of the year helping to raise the fawns and keeping social order within the family group. This toothless, old doe was still making the important decisions for the safety of this small herd well past the time when she had any offspring of her own. Grandma died of natural causes while still holding the position of “matriarchal leader”.

Where horses are concerned my experiences have shown me that the lead mare certainly shoulders the bulk of the duties regarding social order. It seems to me that very much like the deer; there is a great deal of respect shown the matriarch in the equine family. That respect seems to last well into the autumn of the life of the alpha mare. Unlike the deer however, I believe that the horse family tends to read the female leader and when she is no longer physically capable of staying up with the herd and assisting in its health and safety they will allow a younger mare to take the position.

Typically this is a peaceful exchange of power and often times it is passed from mother to daughter if circumstances allow for that transition. This is one of the areas that I feel needs to be addressed where mustang capturing is concerned as it is often done in a manner which disrupts the smooth flow of social order. The transition of male leadership is in my opinion, less important than the exchange of female leadership but certainly that is an important factor as well.

-Monty

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