GroundWork

[Miranda Florin]

Miranda listened to Ms. Chevalier's introduction, keeping Cray from moving too far towards the fence as the class filled up, knowing that if the mare got the chance, she'd be crowding the fence, if not already over it. Cray was still far too nervous around most other people, one of the main reasons that she had signed the mare up for the clinics, in the hopes that the actual activities would get her to relax around the other students in the class.

She bit her lip upon hearing that she would have to exchange the mare's lead for the cotton one that she had picked up, but honestly, couldn't even tell herself that she had expected anything different. After all, it was a lead, in a natural horsemanship class. With a few murmured reassurances to the mare, she made the switch, glancing around for a moment to see what the other students were doing with their leads before shrugging and draping the lead over her shoulders. The names that the woman mentioned were nothing new to her, as she had heard and even tried a few of them, although doing so with the teacher's eyes on their work would hopefully help her if things went wrong.

Taking her grip a few feet from the snap, as the woman had instructed them, Miranda pulled a smile onto her face, then started rubbing the mare on her neck, near the withers, knowing that she would have to worry about the mare's dock and chin, separate as they were. She didn't know the story behind the mare's worries about the spots, but still, that was as they stood. As she worked her way up the mare's neck, towards the cross-breed's head, she decided that she would use the mare's poll as a reward. As she reached the mare's chin, she could feel Cray sidling away, turning her head away. Miranda switched to scratching the mare's poll, then slowly worked down past the mare's cheek again, down towards her chin. This time, she managed to get closer, although she was forced to 'retreat' to the mare's poll again before quite reaching the spot. Switching position, she started working back down the mare's neck, ready to let it rest for the moment.

[Deleted]

Olivia followed the woman's instructions, switching the pony's turquoise lead for the mottled green one, which didn't fit her halter, but of course, that didn't really matter. Her objective for the day was about to be realized, though, she realized, since they would be working with the mare's legs, although the exercise wasn't specifically geared at them, it was funny that the woman had taken the same direction that Olivia had been hoping for.

Keeping the carrot stick at hand, so that she could make use of it, she started rubbing the mare's back, slowly moving down on the side that she had started on, reaching under the mare's barrel and rubbing between her front legs, an odd spot where the mare seemed to enjoy being petted, despite the fact that Olivia was close to her legs in any case. However, as soon as the girl moved her hand half a foot down and to the left, down the mare's front leg, Bar shifted her weight, cocking a hoof. Olivia moved her hand back up, "That's alright, then, girl." She switched to the carrot stick, rubbing it along the mare's barrel before approaching her legs, rubbing it along until Barcinka showed discomfort, then moving back up to the 'safe' areas again.

[Deleted]

Luka switched the lead ropes as they were bid, not anticipating any big trouble with Quiz. The gelding might not know his own strength, but he was rather happy with any kind of handling, as long as it didn't include his sheath. That would be the part that they needed to work on, Luka knew, although he was glad that they would be allowed to use the carrot stick to 'extend' their arm. He decided to start with it, just so that they could keep returning to the area over time. He started by holding the carrot stick out to the gelding, for Quiz to sniff, before the real work began.

He rubbed the lash of the carrot stick along the gelding's barrel, retreating as soon as the gelding showed discomfort, returning to the gelding's favourite spots before trying again. They covered the rest of the gelding's body before Quiz was willing to allow the stick to reach anywhere near his sheath, and even then, Luka could see that the gelding wasn't quite as 'friendly' as he should be. His smile slipped as he switched sides with the gelding, starting the procedure over again. They would get there in the end, or at least, that was what Luka hoped would happen.

[Deleted]

Spider was eyeing the carrot stick, which looked suspiciously like a whip to the mare. She wasn't afraid of whips, but would give out warning kicks when touched with them. Deanna rubbed her behind the ears, under her halter strap where she knew the nylon halter made the mare itchy. The mare lowered her head slightly while Deanna  listened attentively to Ms. Chevalier.

Deanna picked up the long cotton lead and held on to the cheek piece of the hot pink halter while she unsnapped her lead rope and fastened the long cotton lead. Ms. Chevalier and her horse seemed to speak their own language, where with a slight nod and eyebrow raise asked the horse to move closer. Deanna was impressed, and lengthened the lead as she was instructed. Spider took advantage of the extra three feet of length and lowered her head to nibble at the already cropped grass in the field. Deanna knew that Spider probably wouldn't cause a fuss over the rubbing and patting that was being instructed, since she was always and angel on the ground. Hopefully the connection that they created easily on the ground might be transferred into the saddle as well.

She continued to rub behind her ears while Spider cocked her head in pleasure at being itched. She kept rubbing and moved along her jaw and down between her nostrils on her muzzle, another favourite spot. Trying out new places, she moved her hand along the mare's barrel and girth area, which got a slight pin of the ears. Spider assumed that anything around the girth area meant saddling up. Deanna moved back to behind her ears for a few moments and started running her hands down each leg, trying to find a difficult area. Spider started dozing in the bright sun until Deanna lifted the carrot stick to rub along her barrel. Spider scooted her hind legs over so she was facing her, so Deanna tried the stick on a less threatening area, trying to get the mare used to the whiplike object.

[Anastasie Chevalier]

Just a note before we start, as I warned everyone would happen for missing two
consecutive posts, Chase and Rhea have both been dropped from the clinic.

Anastasie watched the students as they worked with their horses, she listened to the chatter from the students. Sure, this clinic was all about getting the students to communicate with their horses without speaking, but she also wasn't going to have them work in silence. She watched the partnership between Deanna and Spider, noticing that the carrot stick really wasn't working for the mare. The woman stepped over and placed her hand on the stick, giving the girl a warm smile. "Today is all about getting your friends comfortable with you, and this is doing the opposite. I would like to make a time though where I can work with the two of you and help you teach her the difference between this and the item of her unease." She smiled again as she stepped back to her place in the centre of the field and addressed the class once more.

"You have all worked really hard with listening to your friends, and rewarded for standing still by returning to the places they love having rubbed. Now we are going to up the stakes and you are going to learn how to impress your horse with your press, as I teach you the benefits of The Porcupine Game.

"Have you ever seen a person who just got stepped on, try to push a horse off his foot… and the horse leans even more?

"Horses naturally push into steady pressure, moving against it or barging through it. It’s part of their programming for survival. Mother Nature tells them to break loose of a predator’s hold or crash through an obstacle that’s in the way of escape.

"In order to develop a partnership with your horse, you need to help him overcome his fearful, defensive reactions to pressure and learn how to yield and move away from it.

"The most important thing to remember is that all pressure is not the same

"There are two types of pressure: Steady, physical pressure and Rhythmic, non-physical pressure

"A horse will move away from rhythmic pressure more easily than from steady pressure. His flighty nature makes him more inclined to move away from things like a swinging rope or waving hands. But he will tend to lean into your leg, your hands or the halter.

"That’s why the Porcupine Game can be somewhat difficult. In fact, many people avoid it or do very little of it when they are learning the Seven Games. Instead they do great Driving Games, which we will look at next, and think their horses are really yielding well. But they’re not touching their horses. When they do, they find their horses push back or barely respond.

"Real porcupines are very effective. They teach any animal to yield – in a hurry! They give some early, subtle warnings about what they intend to do, then if the warning isn’t heeded, the porcupine steadily and progressively increases the pressure until he fires out quills.
Why Yielding is Important

"In the process of developing communication with a horse, yielding from physical pressure is a major factor. Think of it. The halter, the bit, the leg, the rein and the seat all involve physical pressure. If a horse doesn’t understand how to yield from pressure he’ll most likely push on the bit, pull at the reins and be dull to leg and seat aides. You only have to move a horse around on the ground by your fingers to know what he might be like to ride.

"The better your horse yields from pressure, the easier he will be, to handle on the ground and when ridden. Every time you make contact with the halter, lead rope, bit, your leg, seat or hand, your horse should respond respectfully and willingly. It should feel like pushing a toy boat around in the bathtub – no resistance.

"There are four principles to this Game:

"Principle 1 -Intention
This shows up as a determined look and where many people have trouble. Your look conveys your intention. It orchestrates the right body language and the amount of life you need in your body. For example, if you had to move a sofa you’d get a determined look on your face and muster up the right amount of energy, then you would push or lift. You wouldn’t have on your television-watching face and relaxed body energy.

"You’re not going to give your horse an almighty push, but I do want you to get this concept very clear. Your look, your life and your forward body language will help you clearly convey your intention: “Move away from my oncoming pressure.”

"In the Friendly Game, your look is very soft. You’re relaxed, you’re smiling and non-demanding. If you don’t differentiate your look from a “Friendly” look to a “Porcupine” look, you will confuse your horse and be giving him conflicting aids. Lots of people don’t differentiate and then wonder why their horse can’t understand them. You need to be clear.

"Principle 2 – Steady Pressure
This means the pressure is applied smoothly and steadily, not intermittently. Rhythmic pressure up close, like tapping with your fingers, can be confronting and aggravating. That’s why the Porcupine Game uses only steady pressure.

"When asking a living, thinking, feeling being to move over using your hands, you wouldn’t do the sofa thing and give it a big shove. You’d start with a soft suggestion of pressure and then gradually build it until you got a response. But how soft is soft? And how strong is strong?

"Principle 3 – Four Phases of Friendly Firmness and Instant Release
Phases mean increments, and there are four phases to applying pressure. The first is the lightest possible and the fourth is whatever it takes to be effective. Phases two and three are in between.

"This may help you understand what they feel like: Phase 1 – Press the hair (almost like a fly),
Phase 2 – Press the skin, Phase 3 – Press the muscle and Phase 4 – Press the bone

"Each phase becomes progressively and smoothly more insistent, pushing a little harder and making it increasingly uncomfortable for the horse if he doesn’t move. The INSTANT the horse responds by moving away, or even tries to respond, immediately release all the pressure! It’s not the pressure that teaches. It’s the release from pressure that tells the horse he did the right thing.

"To sensitize a horse, you need to be ready to release at any phase as soon as he tries to move. If you keep pressing after the horse has responded, you will desensitize him and he’ll become dull. He will lose incentive to do what you want and it will take more pressure to get him to respond at all. Comfort is a major motivational factor for a horse, and you need to show him how he can attain comfort by yielding to pressure.

"Apart from releasing too slow, the most common mistake in the Porcupine Game is skipping phase 1 and never really getting to phase 4. People tend to stay at phase 2 and 3. By coming on too strong without enough feel for the horse or not following through and being effective, the horse can become dull and disrespectful.

"Try phase 1 on your own arm. Press just the hair. Can you feel how light that is? Watch horses flicking flies from their skin to see how incredibly sensitive they are. Once your horse understands what to do, he’ll be glad to respond to the lightest touch every time you offer it.

"On the other end of the scale, phase 4 has to be effective. If your horse can stand there while you are pushing for all you’re worth, you’ve not found Phase 4.

"If you are not effective, you are just nagging. You will have to use too much pressure to get anything done and the horse will just wind up aggravated.

"Horses are effective with each other. They always use phases, but the untrained eye often misses them. That’s how people get bitten, kicked and struck all the time. One horse invades another horse’s space. The second horse lays back his ears (Phase 1), tosses his head (Phase 2), snakes his neck (Phase 3), then bites a chunk of flesh out of the other horse’s neck (Phase 4). The invading horse either did not notice or believe the other horse’s signals of intent, so he got bitten. Do you think the horse will respond a little sooner next time?

"Principle 4 – Rub-Press-Rub
Every time you prepare to impress a horse with your press, you need to rub him first. After you’ve pressed and he responds, you need to rub that spot again. This is especially important in the teaching stages.

"If you just go to prodding and pressing and never rub before or after, your horse is going to become pretty defensive. When you approach him or put your hand out toward him, he’ll start to move away. This is called escape. It demonstrates a lack of confidence, defensiveness and even some fear. This is especially common with sensitive horses.

"The same horse is apt to panic and lunge through the bit when he feels too much pressure, or stop you from using your legs because he takes off as soon as he feels them. Escape is not good. This horse does not understand how to respond to physical pressure.

"Rubbing is a form of the Friendly Game and is important in the horse-human relationship. If you rub first, then apply steady pressure in mounting increments, release the instant he moves and rub again, you’ll be well on your way to developing a good physical communication with your horse." She demonstrated what she was talking about on Cedar as she spoke. She wished that there was a way to ask the horse not to respond so willingly, as he responded to phase one, if he hadn't already responded to the intention, as a simple nod of her head would get the gelding to back up. However, she was sure that with her descriptions of the phases would give them some idea. "Begin your work with the knowledge that you will most likely need to use phase four pressure to get your horse to move, but with the understanding that you are working towards getting your friend to yield to an impression. With your horses, be no gentler than you would with a baby and no tougher than another horse would be to them."

Calling and posting order:
Othello Buskirk -- Harry
@rory -- Beau
Becca Walsh -- Frye
@daretodream -- Ratio
Miranda Florin -- Cray
@olivia-- Barčinka
@luka -- Quiz
@kyee -- Spider
@samanthal -- Des

[Othello Buskirk]

Othello worked over the gelding's body, happy that every time he went back to an area that the gelding had been unsure of a few minutes earlier, he was a little less unsure each time, and the boy knew that if he kept working at it, the gelding would be comfortable with him touching everywhere before too long.

He turned his attention to the instructor as she started speaking again. He watched closely as she demonstrated what she was talking about, and Leo wished that he had been smart enough to bring along a pen and notebook, but there again that would have been a waste of time as he wouldn't be able to write as well as pay attention to what the woman was doing. Once again he was astounded by the bond between the woman and her horse - who seemed to move to subtle signals given by the woman, whom he obviously adored. He looked back at Harry, who seemed to be dozing where he stood on such a loose rope.

Leo turned to his horse when Ms Chevalier had finished speaking. Walking up to the gelding's head, he rubbed the chestnut's nose. "Let's get started." He said. "The idea here is for you to move away when I press." He laughed at himself as he removed his cap and ran a hand over his shaved head before replacing the cap. The woman hadn't told them the best place to start with their horse, so he figured that getting the horse to move backward would be the best place to start. Putting his fingers on one side of the gelding's nose and his thumb on the other he flexed his hand slightly, and wasn't all that surprised when Harry only shook his head, as though shooing away a fly. Keeping his hand where it was, the boy squeezed this time, only very lightly, and smiled when the gelding's head came up as his ears flickered forward and back, and then the gelding took a step backward. "Good boy!" Leo exclaimed as he rubbed the horse's forehead. "Let's do that again." He repeated the exercise and this time the gelding stepped back at the very first flex of the boy's hand.

Feeling like he was on cloud nine, Leo decided that he would try getting the gelding to move to side. He walked around to the gelding's side, put his fingers on the girthline - where his foot rest as the woman had done when demonstrating - and his tumb where the top of his foot would be and flexed his hand. Again, Harry did no more than shiver. This time Leo had to go all the way to phase four before the gelding gave a yield of the forequarters and moved his front feet. To reward him, the boy rubbed the spot he had been squeezing and then went back to ask for another backward step before returning to the gelding's side.

[Deleted]

Aurora was enjoying the time that she was spending with her mare, she loved the way that Beau stood in her own space without either overcrowding or distancing herself from the girl, and she loved how gently the mare told her when she was over-stepping the mare's comfort zone. It seemed that Beau had been well handled in the past, even though there were areas that the mare wouldn't handle being touched by such an uncertain handler.

When the instructor started speaking again, Rory walked up to the mare's head and curled her hand around the horse's nose as she listened. She hoped that she wouldn't have any issues with this Game, as they had learned how to get their horses to yield to a touch in class during the year, only she had done those classes with Globe, so she would be teaching Beau all over again. The mare was said to be well trained under the saddle though, so Rory hoped the mare's training under saddle would help her respond easily to pressure.

Keeping her attention on the mare, she wondered where to start. She remembered how to ask for a yield of the forequarters more than anything else, so she walked around to the mare's side and holding her hand the way she had seen Ms Chevalier do, and she remembered from class, and tickled Beau's skin. The mare didn't do anything other than flicker her skin as though responding to a fly landing on her skin. With a little frown, Rory tried again, and then again until the mare made a hint of a movement on phase three. "Good girl." She whispered as she rubbed the mare's girth. She asked again in the same place and the mare gave a full yield on phase two.

Feeling inspired, Rory moved to stand in front of the mare, knowing that she could ask the mare to yield her forequarters for the rest of the time they had, but she wouldn't be teaching the mare anything more than that. She reached her hand up to place her fingers on the mare's nose, but as soon as her hand got close, Beau's head shot up. "Easy girl." She whispered, a frown creasing her young face as she was sure that she had just worked out that she could touch the mare everywhere. Tickling the mare's chin, she smiled as the bay lowered her head again. "Good girl." She said softly as she lifted her hand again toward the mare's face and her smile grew as Beau kept her head down and allowed the girl to run her hands down her face, but as soon as she went to ask the mare to move backward, Beau's head flew up again. "Ok, that will wait till later." She said as she moved around to the mare's other side, she would go back to working on a yield of the forequarters on the other side.

[Becca Walsh]

Becca, having felt only fairly successful with the first game, was not entirely willing to move on to the next one quite yet, but knew that she must stop and listen when Ms. Chevalier said that it was time to move on. Listening to the rather long explanation, Becca tried to process and store the information in her mind. When it came to the four principles, she counted them off on the fingers of her right hand, and then the phases on her left hand, knowing that it would help her remember later when it came to doing it with Frye. When the woman finally came to talking about horses that tried to escape, she immediately thought of Frye, wondering if this could be his issue. Perhaps this could help them quite a bit.

When it came time for her to try it with Frye, Becca prepared herself mentally. She knew that her issue would not be getting Frye to move. Though the horse could be aggressive and set on getting his way, he was flighty and always moving. He moved at the slightest suggestion, and she'd always thought that it was because he just wanted to be away from anyone's touch. The thoroughbred was extremely sensitive, and Becca couldn't even brush him without his moving away as far as he could. She doubted that she would have to get past phase one or two with him.

Starting with the first principle, Becca put on her determined face and spread the feeling to the rest of her body. It wasn't difficult, as this was a rather common feeling to her. Becca was stiff and sharp in nature, and her body motions were already assertive and firm. Having readied herself, she stepped closer to Frye, who had moved to stand at the end of the lead ad was watching her warily.

She started at his shoulder, figuring that she would start by trying to have him move sideways. She would have started with moving back, but considering that Frye hated having his head touched, she thought that it may not go very well. Moving next to him, she rubbed a spot on his barrel, near his shoulder, and then pressed lightly. She was barely at the second phase when the gelding moved quickly away, and Becca pulled her hand back as quickly as possible. His motion had almost been like a skitter, and she could tell that he was getting very defensive again. Rubbing the spot again, she pulled away and decided to try again, this time lighter. Rubbing and then giving the lightest touch, she was happy when the horse moved away, but this time he was much calmer. Smiling, she decided to try the other side as well.

Frye was fine on the other side as long as Becca just barely touched him, but she wondered whether it was good or not for his to be so extremely responsive to her. It almost seemed to her as if it may be more of an escape, rather than what she was trying to do. On the other hand, he had moved rather nicely as long as she was patient and didn't press hard. 

[Deleted]

Nina worked with Ratio some more as the mare started to progressively start to let the girl touch where ever she needs to without having it turn into a frisky problem. She can't get over how glad she was to have signed up for this clinic, since after all, she has nothing else to do over summer. She grinned towards the horse as she finished off with rubbing one of the mare's favorite spots before stopping and turning her attention towards Ms. Chevalier in explaining the Porcupine Game.

At first the explanation was somewhat long, but once the girl processed everything that was given, she seemed to understand it all. She especially understood why they do these kinds of games with your horses as it's important to bond and communicate with your horses correctly and effectively. Ms. Chevalier didn't have an requirements of a direction to start moving their horses, so she decided to have the mare start with moving backwards. She took a small step closer to Ratio as the mare didn't seem to mind. She ran her fingers gently across the horse's elegant face as she placed her fingers on the mare's nose in the correct position and went through the phases in her head to perform the press correctly. As she ever so lightly pressed and started on phase 3, the mare shook her head away. The girl released the pressure through her hand away as quickly as she could as she ran her hand through the horse's nose once more. Trying again, she gave a light squeeze and saw how this time the horse moved away, backwards, at phase 2.

She gave a grin as she rubbed the mare's nose where she applied some pressure. She then tried to move Ratio in the sideways direction. Moving over to the mare's side, she went over to her shoulder and a part in her barrel as she started rubbing the area. Going over the excercise in her head again, she pressed gently and watched as the horse cooperated and made a yield at phase 3 this time. She rubbed the area again after the mare moved as she was happy with the results so far. It was just good to know they were making some progress. She went tried the routine again as she asked the horse to move sideways one more step. At first the mare didn't seem to respond at all, but as she tried again the mare responded at phase 2. One less phase than the last. She gave a light smile as she rubbed the horse in reward at the the spot she pressed at.

[Deleted]

Deanna started as she felt the teacher walk up beside her, and lowered the stick when Ms. Chevalier placed her hand on it. She blushed as she was corrected and nodded when Ms. Chevalier suggested that they set aside time for just the two of them to work on Spider's aversion to whips. "Thank you, that would be nice. She used to be a racer, but she didn't move.. I suppose they may have used it too much on her." Keeping the stick at her side, Deanna went back to rubbing various acceptable spots on the mares body until she was brought back to reality by Ms. Chevalier speaking.

Listening to the explanation for what was called the 'porcupine game', she moved to Spider's left side, just beside her barrel. Watching the other students, she slowly rubbed where her foot would be if she were mounted. Just barely touching the sleek grey coat, she started to apply slight pressure. With no response to phase one of the porcupine game, Deanna applied a little more, getting only a ripple of the mares skin, as if a fly was on her. Trying to look determined, more pressure was steadily applied until the mare shifted her weight away slightly at phase 3. Smiling, Deanna released the pressure as instructed and rubbed her mare. "Good girl sweets, good!" Deanna murmured under her breath and started to apply pressure.

Spider picked up on this game quickly and stepped aside with the pressure much easier. Giving her another rub, Deanna worked on the other side for a few minutes, not sure how to go about trying to move her backwards like the other students were doing with they're horses. She pet the mares muzzle and started to apply pressure, but she just quivered her nose and shook it, giving her a look. Sighing, Deanna rubbed her nose and kept trying.

[Anastasie Chevalier]

Anastasie watched as the students interacted with their four-legged friend, she saw that some of them were grasping the Game faster than others, but that was to be expected, as just like humans, horses were individuals and all took things at their own pace.

She saw that some of them were managing to get their horses to move in any direction they wanted, where others were still struggling in some areas, but she knew she needed to move the lesson on. "I'm sorry to interrupt you all, but my I draw your attention again." When they were all looking at her she smiled warmly. "I'm going to talk you through the next game and then that will be it until after lunch. Those of you who are struggling to get your horses to go in a direction you want, I beg that you continue with the Porcupine Game until you can get your horse to move in every direction."

She tilted her head subtly and Cedar approached her. "Good boy." She whispered as she rubbed his forehead. "The Driving Game is the third of the Seven Games. It teaches your horse to yield from a “suggestion” with no physical touching involved.

In the beginning, the driving is done at a reasonably close range, but as you progress, you can actually drive (or suggest) from quite a distance away. This is the game that develops into such subtle communication, people will think your horse is reading your mind. This is very similar to using hand signals with dogs.

The ability to communicate this way becomes especially useful when you need to direct your horse away from you, as in manoeuvring him around obstacles or moving him out of your space.

As with the Porcupine Game, you need to be able to get the horse to yield backwards, yield the front end, the hind end… and last of all, develop the forward “draw.”

A lot of people find the Driving Game comes easily because horses spook at movement—This game is learning how to use rhythmic pressure and becomes a kind of “constructive” spooking.

The horse is naturally inclined to move quickly away from moving objects or rhythmic pressure (Driving Game) whereas they tend to lean into steady pressure (Porcupine Game). Because this game is relatively easy to teach to your horse, you will need to be careful not to use it instead of the Porcupine Game. You and your horse need to become adept at all Seven Games. It’s like learning the alphabet. Once you have every letter mastered, you can build complete sentences and have intelligent conversations. Each game is a vital part of your alphabet, so don’t cut corners.

When you first begin the Driving Game, you might find your horse a little reactive to rhythmic pressure (driving). He may scoot out, trying to escape, rather than just moving calmly away from you. Stay with him until he is calm and thinking. Be careful not to be too critical or ask for too much too soon and incorporate plenty of friendly game by rubbing your horse when he stops. He will quickly learn not to be scared and start to confidently understand that you are asking him to move away from you, not run off.

Horses play the Driving Game with each other all the time. The Alpha horse only has to give a meaningful ‘look’ or a swish of the tail to drive another horse away. With enough understanding and practice, you will be able to move your horse just as easily.

Learning the Driving Game on the ground becomes very useful while riding once you progress to riding with Carrot Sticks. The more your horse knows and understands the Driving Game on the ground, the better and more effective it will be from his back. The carrot sticks are used just the same in the saddle as they are used on the ground. This helps your horse understand exactly what you are asking for while he learns to follow your body. This type of Freestyle riding not only improves your horse’s self carriage and your independent seat, it teaches you how to direct your horse from the outside to turn him and sets you up for effortless flying lead changes and spins.
Principles of the Game

There are three things you need in order to play this game well: firstly; the Schwiegermutter look (this means ‘mother-in-law’ in German!), then Rhythm and lastly Release

The Schwiegermutter look: Watch horses interacting with each other. When the more dominant horse drives another horse out of his space, he brings up his energy, puts his ears back and “tells” that other horse to move away.

His body language, expression and intention are very clear—move out of my space before l bite or kick you!

This is usually enough to get the other horse to move. If not, the dominant horse will steadily go to progressively higher phases. He’ll move his feet to approach with greater threat. If necessary, he’ll go the next step and make contact on the other horse with his teeth or heels.

In people terms, we call these “phases.” Following through with the last phase is what makes the first phase most effective. Asking for something in phases and following through with certainty convinces the horse he needs to respond with less sooner rather than get more later!

Rhythm: When first teaching your horse to understand the human version of playing the Driving Game, you will need to use rhythm in your hands. The beat should be much like that of Indian drums in “B” grade western movies!

It goes in little groups of four, with the first beat being emphasized: “BOOM boom boom boom… BOOM boom boom boom….” This rhythm is something your horse will learn to recognize and understand without fearing it.

Release: As you probably already know, it’s when you quit or release that the horse knows he did the right thing. By this I mean that you stop (quit) the driving action with your hands and just relax (release the horse from pressure) as soon as he even tries to do what you want. You could release him by stroking the horse in the same area that you were just driving (incorporating the Friendly Game as a reward).

Note: sometimes, just doing nothing is even better than trying to pet your horse. You can always stroke him later and some horses actually feel more comfort by not being touched at all.

The Four Phases of the Driving Game: (Phases are the key to being firm, fair and friendly, while being really polite, clear and effective in your communication. For the Driving Game, here is what your Four Phases might look like for backing your horse up):

Phase 1: Softly beat the air with your hands (not touching the horse, stay about 12 to 24 inches away from him). Pretend there are a couple of little bongo drums in the air between you and your horse’s nose. Softly beat them in unison.

Phase 2: Increase the intensity of the rhythm but do not move closer to your horse.

Phase 3: Start moving closer to your horse, slowly and meaningfully. Give him a hard look.

Phase 4: Tap your horse’s nose (on either side of the bridge of the nose) using the same rhythm until he backs up just a step. Your feet should get planted in place once you start making contact with your horse.

If anything, this contact can get progressively more intense but keep your feet still the whole time. This way, the moment the horse takes a step back he gains instant comfort and release from the physical pressure. He’ll learn that if he moves, the discomfort stops.

Here are a few key tips to using phases: Throughout the phases, your rhythm should not stop or change beat. The only thing that should change is the intensity.

Any time your horse moves backwards a step, release (quit, relax, and smile).

Allow your horse to think for a moment when he does the right thing. You could even wait for him to lick his lips. Then, start again.

Always begin at Phase 1. In the teaching stages, give each phase about three seconds but stay with the fourth phase until you get the horse to move.

The secret of phases is to use them! I see a lot of people who start at Phase 2 and never go to Phase 4. Their horses are bracey, resistant, dull and can get progressively more ill tempered.

To get your horse truly light and respectful, first you have to be light. Phase 1 is really important for building that sensitivity and Phase 4 is important to keep your horse from getting dull. If you do it right, you’ll find after using Phase 4 only a few times, you will rarely have to use it again. Your horse will want to move well before you ever get there. If phase 4 just becomes a way to get forceful, it will work in exactly the opposite way you want. Instead of teaching the horse to yield, you will only end up scaring him, actually causing him to engage his hindquarters and run away! When you get to phase 4, just doggedly persist until your horse finds that moving backwards is what will get him release. Pretty soon, he will see what happens before what happens happens, and he’ll start backing up well before Phase 4!" She gave them a smile, apologising for the wordiness of her explanation without actually telling them how to actually drive their horse.

"Now, The system to teaching your horse the Driving Game: Start with the back up. Play with this until you are able to easily drive your horse backwards at least five or six steps consistently. This can be achieved in just a few minutes.

Once backwards is comfortable, you can start to drive the front end. Position yourself even with the front part of the neck. Stretch out your hands so one is level with the bridge of the nose and the other with the middle of the horse’s neck. This will put you in a good position to move just the front end around. Get to where you can drive the forequarters around in a full circle (360˚). Of course, begin by asking for just for a step or two. Use the same system of phases to build up to 2 or more steps, then more and more steps until he can go all the way around.

The next area is the hindquarters. I strongly recommend using a Carrot Stick when you first teach your horse this maneuver. It’s a great extension of your arm and will keep you much safer.

Bend your horse’s neck a little toward you using the Halter and 12-foot Line. Just hold the rope steady. Don’t pull on it when you start to move. With your toes facing his tail, walk in a wide arc towards the hindquarters. Do not go straight down the side of the horse or he won’t understand what you want. You could also put yourself in a vulnerable position should he take offense, get frightened or decide to drive you away instead! Begin by tapping the ground with your Carrot Stick using the Driving Game rhythm like a blind man would tap with his cane. If your horse does not move don’t get in too close. Instead, go up your phases and keep your distance. If you need to, tap the horse on the rump with the Carrot Stick.

Be clear to the horse about what area you are driving. The most common pitfall is looking the horse in the eye while you are trying to move the hindquarter. This gives an inconsistent message. Look directly at the part of the horse you want to move. Focus on that point!

Opposition Reflex: In playing these games with horses—like horses do in their dominance games—you may come across a horse who resists you quite a bit or refuses to yield. He may even kick out or get aggressive. This is natural to horses but usually scary to people because they don’t know what’s going on.

A horse will do this for one of three reasons: he’s scared; he’s defensive; or, he’s trying to dominate you (he’s challenging you). The better you get at reading him and diagnosing the reason behind the reaction, the more effective you will be in dealing with it.

First of all, understand that getting tight or mad will not work at all. It will only further upset a scared horse or show a dominant horse that he’s got your number. Stay calm. Slow things down. Be deliberate in what you ask for and stay out of range. This is where you learn to be passively persistent in the proper position! Just keep asking until the horse realizes he doesn’t need to be scared, or if he’s trying to dominate you, until he realizes it’s him that needs to do the moving.

If you use the tools available to you (the 4’ Carrot Stick with the 6’ Savvy String tied to it and the full extent of the 12-foot Line) you should be able to keep yourself out of harms way. These tools are extensions of your arms. Once your horse is really good at the Driving Game, the tools you use are not as critical. It’s just during the teaching stages that I want to make sure you are equipped for success.

Consider the guy who just started his first few lessons in martial arts. Would you think he was very smart if he challenged Bruce Lee right away? Once he has studied and earned his black belt perhaps he is ready for such a great challenge. Maybe he will just get beat up and realize he has more to learn. Horses are born masters of horsemanship. It is their game we must learn to play.

Start On Line, progress to Liberty: The ultimate goal is to be able to do the Driving Games without a rope on your horse—at Liberty—and from greater and greater distances. To start this way, however, is setting you and your horse up for frustration. Imagine learning the trapeze without a net. If something went wrong, you might not be able to correct it.

The secret to working at Liberty with a horse is to pretend there is no rope when you have one and when you don’t have one, pretend like you do. Playing with your horse On Line until the rope is dragging on the ground prepares you for playing at Liberty. This means there is always slack in the rope so your horse doesn’t feel like you have one unless he tries to turn away.

For example, if you are driving your horse backwards and he turns his head away, then his body, you can use the rope to get “two eyes” looking at you again. Use three little rhythmic bumps to get his attention back and his eyes on you. If he ducks to your left, bump high and to your right (never pull downwards).

The better you get at this game, the more responsive your horse will become and the less you will use the rope. Pretty soon you can lay the “belly” of the rope on the ground and just hold on to the leather. Once you can do all your Driving Games like this, you are ready to try it without a rope.

Don’t be tempted to get rid of the rope before things are solid or you may find your horse escaping. You can always go back to the rope for a while, but the real secret is don’t take it off until you are more than ready to do without it.

Your Driving Game can become so good that all you need to do is look at a point and shake a finger to get your horse to yield. The better you get, the more he will give you a positive reflex by yielding politely, with a good attitude and a soft look in his eye.

If your horse puts his ears back, this tells you two things. One, that he is unhappy about you being dominant and probably still challenging it. Or; Two, that you are too hurried, too demanding, overdoing it, too critical about how well he does or too fast with your phases.

Slow down. Be happy with just a little and reward often. Don’t turn this into the driving job!

Remember to always play the Friendly Game in between tasks, as well as smile and visibly soften when you release.

The greatest challenge of all… the draw (which is what you see me doing with Cedar), but that we will talk about later." She gave them all an encouraging smile.

"Those of you who need to finish perfecting your Porcupine Game, I'll come around and give you a refresher when you are ready to start the Driving Game, both of which you will need to have down pat before we move on after lunch, we have four hours after lunch though, so we have all the time in the world. Also, if you didn't bring your lunch with you, I don't mind you leaving your horse at liberty, or ground tied while you go and get your lunch."

[Othello Buskirk]

Othello was very pleased with himself as he felt that he was mastering this Porcupine Game as he could get Harry to move in any direction he asked, even if some still took up to Phase four to get the gelding to even shift his weight - but Ms Chevalier had said that that was all they wanted.

Just as he'd got the gelding to lower his head, the boy's attention was required by the instructor. Rubbing the gelding's poll, he turned around to face the woman. He listened attentively as she spoke about the next Game. He bit down on his lower lip as a yawn tried to escape him. He shook his head, he had known that when he's signed up for the clinic that it require him being on his feet for most of the day.

He listened carefully to the instructions for the next Game, trying to get his head around what they were supposed to do. When he was sure that he had the right idea about it, he turned back to Harry and rubbed the gelding's forehead. He though about which area to Drive first and decided that the forequarters would be the best place to star, and decided that getting the horse to back up would be the easiest. Standing in front of Harry, rope in hand but with a large loop trailing on the ground between his hand and the snap. Holding the carrot-stick so that the top of it was just above the boy's nose. He then used his thumb to make the top of it flick toward the horse and back again. He wanted to sooth the horse as Harry's head shot up, but he kept up the rhythm and moved up to the next phase. Again the horse's head shot up, but he didn't move. Leo finally tapped the gelding on the nose with the stick and Harry took three quick steps backward.

Once he'd let the gelding settle down again, he decided to try again and grinned when he only needed to get to phase two before the gelding stepped backward. With this done, he decided to get the gelding to yield his forequarters next, he'd leave the hindquarters until last.

[Deleted]

Rory was getting upset when she couldn't get Beau to move backward with the Game she was currently playing, then suddenly as she closed her fingers ever so slightly against the mare's nose, the bay horse shifted her weight backwards. "Good girl!" Rory cheered as she rubbed the mare's nose. Gaining a boost of confidence from the mare's actions, she continued playing the Game on the mare fore and hindquarters and then asked her to move to the side and then the other.

The fourteen year old was all but bouncing on the spot when their attention as called  by the teacher again and she settled herself down enough to listen to the next instructions. The instructions for long and Rory was sure that most of what had been said had just gone straight over her head, but from watching what Ms Chevalier did, she got the idea of what she needed to do. She did frown a little when it was mentioned that moving their horse backward was normally the easiest.

Standing in front of the mare, with loads of loose lead rope between them, she held the carrotstick up and began to wiggle it. She smiled brightly and dropped the stick down as Beau's head flew up and the mare shot backward. "Good girl." She said softly, smiling as the mare's ears pricked forward at the girl once more. Rory stepped forward and repeated the process, frowning slightly as the mare shied backward once again, but she had a feeling that there was nothing she could do about it, so she moved on to get the mare to yield her forequarters.

[Becca Walsh]

Becca continued to play the Porcupine game with Frye, and she felt that they were doing fairly well, as she was accomplishing what she was supposed to, but Frye was still very sensitive about it. She was about ready to move on when Ms. Chevalier told them it was time to move on to the next game, so she stopped her work with Frye to direct her attention to the instructor.

Frye was antsy while Becca listened to the directions, and decided that he'd like to move around, which Becca let him do, but not too much. He'd moved to the end of his line, where he stayed, and she was grateful that he seemed content enough. The directions were long, and her head was a bit busy by the time they'd finished, though she was glad to hear that lunch was next. She was certainly ready for a break, and she was becoming very hungry.

When it came time to begin, she started by trying to back him up. Becca figured that it would be pretty simple since Frye didn't like attention near his head, and he'd like to get away from her movements, though she didn't want him to flee. Lengthening the rope so that he could move out easier, she stood before him and began to softly move her hands before him. Frye raised his head warily, but didn't move, so Becca increased the intensity of the rhythm to the second phase. Now, Frye took a couple steps back, and Becca continued until he took a couple more. Satisfied, she did the same with his forequarters, which he did as well, fairly easily.

The thoroughbred wasn't happy however, and frequently had his ears pinned. She figured that this was just his dominance, and he didn't like her moving him around. It was odd how dominant and aggressive he was, yet he moved so easily since he was spooky and nervous. She was sure that his hind end would be the hardest since he hated her being around it, and the carrot stick would definitely come in handy.

[Deleted]

Deanna applied more pressure, and as Spider took a step back, her concentration was broken by Mrs. Chevalier as she started speaking. Enjoying the small victory in being able to move Spider in all directions, she rubbed her neck and turned to listen to a very lengthy explanation about a new game. Deanna was not certain how Spider would react to the driving game, because the only thing that would gain a 'spook' from her was a whiplike object which she didn't want to use just yet.

After learning about the Driving game, Deanna was eager to try. Holding the rope loosely, she took her hands and softly beat the air like drums in front of Spider's muzzle. Spider watched her suspiciously but didn't understand, so Deanna upped her rhythm and intensity, trying to look determined and relaxed. Spider felt the air pushing at her, and snorted lightly, flicking her whiskers. Staying firm, Deanna took a small step towards the mare, and in turn was rewarded with a slight backwards movement. Smiling, she rubbed her muzzled. "Good girl! Good!" 

After managing to a coax a few more backwards steps, this time without having to take a step, she moved to the forehand of the horse, and reached her hands into position. Slowly beating the air beside and in front, she willed the mare to move. Staring intently at Spider's shoulder, after the third phase she saw a slight movement away from her and she immediately stopped, rubbing the mare's neck and shoulder. Deanna, after managing to get some movement on both sides, tried to figure out how to work on the hindend without using the carrot stick.