NEWS & ARTICLES : Your INTENT

Your INTENT – Is it good, bad or nonexistent? (originally published in PetFolio magazine)

The incredible power of your intent will always be reflected back to you in the "mirror" of your horse.

In an article entitled "Ground Manners for Humans" author Heidi Furseth, in the February 2005, issue of Practical Horseman, makes a good point about treating her horses with common courtesy equal to or better than how she would treat another human. Using phrases such as "Thank you", "Would you please", "I'm sorry" and so forth, has made her relationship with her horse much better. The article struck a chord with me because it is something near and dear to my heart.

Another article written by the legendary Hilda Gurney entitled "On Rewards, Punishment and Making Sense to the Horse", in the February, 2005 issue of Dressage Today, clearly reveals the viability of using positive rewards to encourage positive behavior and performance in our horses. This way of thinking is not always the way many folks interact with horses.

Whether you believe an animal should be treated with such due respect and courtesy or not, the bottom line is that our animals reflect us. So even if you don't say "pardon me" when you accidentally smack your horse with the brush instead of kindly touching him, the intent of your actions comes through loud and clear to the horse, and he will respond accordingly.

Bad intent shows through in the folks who treat their horses like they are the enemy. Using phrases such as "Hit him until he bleeds", "You have to MAKE him do it", or even just calling your horse an uncomplimentary name like "knucklehead" grows the relationship into an adversarial one. The intent is not very friendly and always distances you from your horse. Imagine how your best friend would feel if always addressed in a negative tone. The friendship wouldn't last long, I'll bet.

Good intent is clear in the way you speak to your horse and in the way you touch your horse. Those who try to find the itchy spots, groom the way the horse likes it, call a horse "Hey beautiful!" come across as friendly, considerate and polite to the horse. Horses treated this way generally respond with much more enthusiasm, and feel pretty good about the relationship. (Please note that this does not mean you must accept poor behavior from your horses.)

What about non-existent intent? This occurs when folks treat the horse as more of an inanimate object, rather than a live being. There is neither good nor bad intent. Usually the horse realizes that the human is unaware of his "being", so he may go about his "horse business". The end result is still a distancing from the human, and often a troubled relationship where the human starts to feel as if the horse is taking advantage.

Good manners and intent come through when you are riding your horse or doing groundwork with your horse. An immediate release of pressure equals "Thank you!" while continuous pressure can be extremely negative. When we are riding, we may say "Please walk now" by applying a gentle nudge with our calves on the horse's rib cage. A "Thank you" follows the instant the horse thinks about walking – we stop nudging. A person with good intent follows this release/reward creed. A person with bad intent usually uses excessive pressure to begin with, often with little or no release. People with bad intent also blame the horse, instead of looking for how to change and improve their skill in communication. Non-existent intent occurs by riding mostly as a passenger. The horse must constantly guess at the desired result, or simply does whatever he thinks he is supposed to do.

The very best equine athletes in the world are happy athletes, too. At last year's "Global Dressage Forum" held in the Netherlands, I was surprised and delighted to discover that one of the groups' primary discussions centered on the question of which, if any, of the top dressage horses in the world were truly happy. The unanimous opinion was that the two top-scoring horses in the world were also the happiest. Is it coincidence that a higher degree of happiness equates to a higher level of performance? I doubt it. Those horses considered to be happiest were noted to have more brilliance in their performances, as well.

I would agree that horses are horses, and should be treated as horses and not as humans. But I would be willing to place a bet on which horses are happiest in their human-dominated lives. It will be the horse whose owner treats him with highest regard, loving dedication and clearest communication. Even if you are not the most skilled horseperson in the world, you can score high points with your horse if your intent is on the right track.

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