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PUBLISHED ARTICLES
by Ruth Mazet

Regular features by Ruth Mazet have appeared in:

Your Horse

Horse and Rider

Horse magazine

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Here we have a horse standing, waiting.  She is relaxed but alert, ready and waiting for what we are about to do next.  In this state of mind, she will respond to a light touch of the heels, asking her to walk forward. 

Although I have a firm hold of the reins, there is no pressure or tension in the horse's mouth.  What we have here is communication.  I am telling the horse what to do and she is doing it.

Should I start pulling too hard on the reins, the horse starts resisting.  Now she's not so happy.  Tension is building in her neck and back.  Her mouth is starting to open and her ears are flicking backwards as a sign of her discomfort. 

Although still standing quietly, she is no longer alert.  She is worried about what's happening in her mouth, so that's where her attention is focused.  In this state of mind, she will walk forward if asked, but her attention will be on her mouth. 

Should I pull the reins even harder, one of two things will happen.  She might give in to the reins and drop her head to escape the pressure on her mouth.  Now she's annoyed.  Her tail is swishing angrily.  She is still doing what is wanted, but she's not at all happy about it.

In this state of mind, asking her to walk forward will cause confusion.  The reins are telling her to stay where she is, while the rider's legs are telling her to walk on.  Her response to this confusion may well be to go backwards.  It may also be to walk on as asked, but again, she won't be happy about it.

There is pressure in her mouth and her neck is unnaturally bent, both of which make her uncomfortable.  Additionally, as he neck is tense, so is her back and tension in the back ultimately leads to back problems.

Alternatively, what the horse might do is raise her head to escape the pressure in her mouth.  Again, her neck is stiff and tense and her back has tightened up too.  Her ears show confusion and her mouth, now open shows intense discomfort.  Although invisible, her tail is still swishing angrily.  She is not a happy horse.

It must be said that this horse had never been subjected to this treatment before, hence her strong reactions.  Should this way of riding become the norm, she would get used to it and might even be reasonably well behaved.  Horses are very adaptable.  They can used to almost anything.  However, she would become a nervous, excitable horse, constantly looking for a way to relieve the discomfort, pressure and tension.

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