This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > about the instructor who thought your Fjord was stubborn. I had an > instructor who had the same breed bias. As a result, she got on and > pushed him very hard. She also had me pushing him hard in the belief > that he was just stubborn. Well, he became flighty, spooky and bolted > frequently. I put him into training with a different trainer who > perceived him as sensitive, willing and very smart. As a result of > that thinking, she rode him quietly and paid attention to what he was > saying to her. This has worked out beautifully! > > Karen
I was perhaps fortunate that my first equine was a donkey. Shadow taught me about the "freeze" response---when she gets uncertain or nervous, she goes more slowly, and if I try to "force" her forward, she stops altogether. If I really insist, when she is in fact fearful, then she blows up (bypasses "flight" and goes directly to "fight"). I find that Fjords have a large measure of that in their personality---different priorities as to when to use "freeze" vs "flight" vs "fight". Someone whose background is in the hotter horses sees this response as "stubborn" or baulky, because they're used to being able to "frighten" (bully) their horses into a behavior (taking advantage of the "flight" response). The other thing I've found is that Fjords (like donkeys) have much more subtle body language than do most horses. A rider not used to that can miss some of the messages the horse is sending out, and such a rider can inadvertently send "too strong" messages---sort of physically SHOUTING at the horse when they should be whispering. Unfortunately, such a person is usually so convinced that they know it all that trying to tell them about Fjord differences falls on deaf ears. In such cases, the only solution is to change instructors. Marsha Jo Hannah Murphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. -------
