The Four RÂ’s
If you want to train your horse to do something
(anything), the Four RÂ’s are the natural horsemanship
method to get you there. I donÂ’t claim, in any way, to
be the originator of this methodology: itÂ’s basic
horsemanship that is advocated by so many natural
trainers but weÂ’ve just added the labels. Bruce
Almieda taught me the first three RÂ’s and I later
added the fourth. I would like to pass on to you what
has worked so well for so many and hopefully the label
of The Four RÂ’s will help you remember and readily use
them in working with your horses.
* REQUEST: Our first responsibility to our horse
is to be as clear and direct as we can when giving him
some kind of cue to "request" him to do something. For
instance if youÂ’re wanting him to change his head or
neck position, logic would tell us to give him some
kind of cue with the reins because they most directly
affect that portion of his body. If you wish him to
move his hindquarters, it would make the most sense to
use your leg in a position more toward this portion of
his anatomy. We should not be harsh: always start with
a whisper then slowly increase the "pressure" of your
cue toward the shout.
* RESPONSE: Needless to say, when we request
something we are looking for a desired "response" from
our horse. Be patient but very vigilant. He will
probably need to puzzle out what youÂ’re asking.
Remember that your horse "speaks" a different
language, so itÂ’s much like Charades sometimes for him
to put together exactly what we wish from him. He may
only give a very tentative "response" at first, but as
he becomes more confident that is what you wish, he
will become quicker and sharper with his "answers".
You should expect him to learn and become quicker
after the first half dozen or so attempts and
successes.
* RELEASE: This is the most important of the RÂ’s.
Why? Because this is where and when your horse
actually learns. He doesnÂ’t learn from the request and
his initial responses are more of a question back to
us like "Is this what you want?" But itÂ’s your
"release" that tells him "YES! ThatÂ’s itÂ… thatÂ’s what
I want!" If there is one portion of the Four RÂ’s that
I would ask you to etch in your mind, itÂ’s that the
quicker your release comes when your horse gives you a
correct response, the easier it is for him to realize
it was his response that got him the release. The
quicker we are with our release, the easier it is for
him to understand and associate the two: his response
to our release. That he did indeed give you the right
answer. If you wait too long (more than a second or
two), he may not remember what he did that got the
release.
* REPETITION: Once you get your correct response
and youÂ’ve given him his release, you should pause for
a few seconds to allow your horse to soak in that he
did well. Then you repeat the entire sequence. ItÂ’s
the repetition that will get the desired response to
become more automatic: quicker and sharper. It will
sear it into his brain, and the more often you repeat
a cue, the more automatic his response will become. So
for things like the one-rein stop, which is so
invaluable to those of us that use direct action
snaffle bits, you want his response to become so
ingrained that he will respond without having to think
it through. Because we all know when the scary spook
occurs, horses tend to panic and briefly lose that
ability to think. They become reacting creatures
instead of the thinking and acting creatures we wish
them to be. Also, once a response has become more
automatic, we can then build on that cue and let it
evolve into more complex requests and maneuvers.
Let me give you a couple of short examples of using
the Four RÂ’s. We should always try to break down the
more complex jobs into smaller and easier to manage
portions, for both our horse and us. Again, the
simpler and more direct we can be sets our horse up
for success rather than failure.
* Bit training is a basic necessity for any
equine/human pair to achieve. First we would work on
lateral flexion and give to the bit. Please note I use
a single, "roper" reins for training and simplicity
with bit work. I will run one hand about 12 inches
down the rein while the other maintains a center hold.
I grab and pull back toward my knee, hold and wait
patiently. I am actually waiting for two things from
the horse in this instance: for him to quit moving his
feet, and then "give" to the bit (move his nose in the
direction of the rein pressure which will create
slack). I often will place my wrist against my lower
thigh so I will be able to easily tell if and when the
horse comes that little extra that creates some slack:
then I "immediately" drop that rein loose when I
detect his effort. Pausing, IÂ’ll pet his neck, then do
it again. It does not take long for the horse to
become lighter and quicker in his responses as he
figures out "hey, I know the answer to this one!" My
goal is to get him "finger light", where I can pull
the rein with only a forefinger and thumb and he
immediately gives and follows. Eventually I will work
this same cue while at a walk and look for the horse
to step toward the pressure as well as give his nose.
* Lateral movement from leg pressure. Using the
same basic methodology: I apply pressure with my lower
leg and heel just behind the girth while using the
reins to both block forward movement and assist in
"asking" for a lateral step with the front feet. I cue
and hold Â…then wait for him to respond. Please note
that horse training is 100% patience coupled with 100%
persistence. It may take him a while and a few wrong
answers before I see even a slight shift in his weight
or feet in the direction IÂ’m asking. Again, I
immediately release the leg and rein pressure when I
see any kind of correct response. It usually doesnÂ’t
take long before the horse is moving his front around
in a complete 360.
So when you have something you want to train your
horse to do, give some thought as to the best,
clearest and most direct method to cue for it, then
use the Four RÂ’s to help your horse learn it. Good
Luck and enjoy the game.
