Allan Wilson of IGH Natural Horsemanship helps horse owners on the southwest coast of Florida (Tampa to Ft. Myers) with issues related to desensitization and communication. On Saturday, February 26, 2011, he held a Problem Solving Symposium at North Port Feed in North Port, FL.
Mike Moore of Riverview, FL provided the demo horse, an 11 year old exquisitely marked registered Paint mare named Dreamer. The Moores had purchased Dreamer three years previous and were very happy with her. His wife has even shown her in dressage classes. But Dreamer has a couple of issues that have frustrated the Moores. The primary issue is that she doesn't like her ears touched which makes bridling and haltering stressful for all parties. The second issue, which is common among alpha mares, is a lack of respect towards humans.
Love, Trust and Respect
Allan Wilson began his Symposium by explaining his philosophy of love, trust and respect. Demonstrating love, he petted Dreamer all over her body except her ears which he already knew was an issue. He gently rubbed her eyes, explored her mouth and nostrils, and petted her with long smooth strokes explaining, "Many people pat horses like they are dogs. To a horse a pat can appear to be a strike. When petting horses pet, don't pat."
Those familiar with Wilson were not surprised by his dramatic display of trust. He sat cross legged in front of the mare and later he kneeled before her. Wilson cautioned the audience to be very careful when using this technique as there is always a potential for injury when working with horses. He explained that humans must trust their horses if they expect their horses to trust them. He asked, "Have you ever known someone whose spouse was always accusing them of infidelity only to later find out it was the accusing spouse who was cheating"? People who are untrustworthy cannot themselves trust others and you cannot trust untrustworthy people.
Respect is an issue that confounds many loving and trusting horse owners. How can one earn respect from a horse without using fear, intimidation, force or pain? Wilson demonstrated the Join Up technique popularized by world-famous natural horseman Monty Roberts. This technique proves that he who moves the other one's feet is the leader. And it can be accomplished with a relaxed attitude and a smile on your face.
Desensitization
Once Allan Wilson had shown the horse love and trust, and achieved a degree of respect throught the Join Up method, he demonstrated how to desensitize Dreamer to having her ears touched. He petted, stroked and loved on her. "Some people might think it's not a manly thing to do but I kiss horses," he said as he kissed Dreamer's face. He petted and stroked her all over and then quickly brushed his hand over her ears. "We don't want to make a big deal about it," Wilson said. "All horses love to have their ears scratched; some just don't know it yet."
The audience wondered what had happened to Dreamer to cause her to have a phobia about her ears. The family didn't know about her history and speculated her ear had been twisted as punishment or to force compliance. Wilson, however, said it doesn't really matter what caused her issue. "Don't put human excuses on a horse," he said. "We know there is an issue and it's our job to erase it."
He continued petting Dreamer and lightly brushing his hands over her ears. He showed the audience how to protect themselves when working with a horse's head. "A horse's head is very powerful and if you get hit with it it could break your jaw." He showed how you can hold the halter or use your hands to protect yourself from being hit. He also used his hands to encourage Dreamer to drop her head. Eventually Wilson was touching Dreamer's ears. Wilson explained to the owner and audience that this is an issue that cannot be resolved in a two-hour session.
Happy Ending
Mike Moore was delighted with the progress Wilson had made in just 1 1/2 hours and planned to continue working with Wilson and Dreamer. Dreamer ended the day calm and confident, and feeling less worried about having hands near her ears. Two lucky audience members won WellPride Omega-3 Fish Oil by AmboHealth, and Allan Wilson demonstrated the Dr. Cook's Bitless Bridle which by virtue of its humane, modern design enhances communication and increases trust, unlike bridles that are equipped with bits that hurt horses and cause fear.
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