 | Copies of this journal are no longer available for sale, but our other two journals, Society & Animals and the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, are available and subscriptions are quite affordable. They can be ordered online via our secure order page. |
The authors describe the Tellington-Touch Equine Awareness Method to start a horse under saddle, step-by-step, with photographs accompanying each step. The techniques stress continuous communication with the horse in training.
For a person who likes horses, the method we present below will feel right. Many people become involved with horses because they like horses. When this is the case, why should these people allow a training technique or apply a method that doesn't feel right to them?
Linda Tellington-Jones, founder of the Tellington-Touch Equine Awareness Method (TTEAM), believes the ways we relate with animals is a reflection of how we treat other "two-leggeds." It is a good idea to learn about all methods of training so you can make your own decisions about what to do or what to allow. "How does it feel in your heart?" Linda, who wants to raise awareness, would say. If we have a lack of connection with the animals, then we can permit techniques of soring, of shutting off impulses or responses, of violence, or of treating horses without respect or compassion. But Linda strongly feels that there are ways of achieving partnership with the animal so the best is brought forth from horse and human.
Not long ago I heard Linda tell clinic participants, "I don't want to judge because the people I judge might not know any better. Besides, I've been there. I want to offer alternatives. That's what interests me . . . TTEAM offers some tools to achieve partnership with animals."
TTEAM offers another way to start a horse under saddle. Rather than break the horse so she gives her will to us, TTEAM aims to educate the horse so she knows what we want. We want to develop her capacity to learn. These are the dynamics involved with the many "tools" of TTEAM. The "TTouch," the learning exercises from the ground, and the "joy of riding."
As we describe the way TTEAM people start their horses under saddle, we will use names that will be unfamiliar to the reader. We have coined names to make remembering easier and more fun. TTEAM uses names of animals to describe the TTouches, for example the Raccoon Touch, and for the activities, for example, Taming the Tiger.
Before riding a young horse, TTEAM recommends the horse and handler go through the TTEAM learning exercises using ground poles and obstacles and that both handler and horse move, halt, and stand quietly and confidently and in balance. The turns of the "Labyrinth," the "Pick-Up Sticks," and the "Star" help the horse learn to keep his or her body in balance when asked to move forward or sideways or around corners.
Because we want a horse to be able to cope with various kinds of situations calmly, and because a young horse carrying a rider requires a new sense of balance, TTEAM presents a variety of activities that teach this. We have the horse walk between walls of plastic, walk over plastic, walk between people standing above his eye level, and under plastic (or wands or pvc pipe) held by people standing above eye level.
We also want the horse to clearly understand signals to move forward at the walk and trot, and to halt. TTEAM uses the "Dingo" and the "Cuing the Camel" to accomplish this.
Both of these exercises can be transferred to under-saddle work.As we teach the horse in increments,we form building blocks of knowledge the handler can use in many ways.It also allows us to reverse the process and chunk down lessons if we reach a point where the horse does not understand what we are asking.Many times, lack of understanding is labelled as resistance or uncooperativeness, but it is more likely to be poor communication by the trainer.
At this time we can also teach the horse to walk and trot on the lunge line and to free-lunge at the walk, trot, and canter. For this exercise to be really useful, the horse cannot be chased so that s/he responds quietly and with understanding to the signal for each gait. Lungeing can be more than exercise. When a horse moves at the end of a lunge line in ovals and squares as well as circles, s/he demonstrates a partnership with the handler not shown by a horse running aimlessly or tugging the handler out of balance.
Ground driving is another particularly effective tool before riding.TTEAM attaches the driving lines to the halter and initially enlists the aid of a leader at the horse's head to help the horse transfer focus from the signals of a handler to signals from a driver/rider. In this way, ground driving allows the horse to achieve more independence and space while accustoming him or her to activities behind, and to more signals for "whoa" and "go."
Besides or instead of the lines to the halter, we also ground-drive a horse with a set of lines tied together and woven around the breast collar. This way of driving the horse from the chest gives him another sense of his own body and encourages him to rock onto his hindquarters, and use his "engine" more effectively, rather than to lean into the driver/rider's hands. Pictures 6a and 6b about here Another reason ground-driving is effective has to do with the preparation for driving, which requires a horse to become used to a surcingle or saddle. TTEAM uses "Belly Lifts," the "Boa Constrictor," and the "Body Rope" to prepare a horse for saddle.
A preliminary step to riding is to arrange for the rider-to-be and the horse to get acquainted. A comfortable grooming session, incorporating various TTOUCHES can be an effective part of this process as it helps give the handler an understanding of the individual horse's body and attitude and gives the horse a sense of how much he can trust the handler. The horse needs to experience the handler as someone he can trust. TTEAM teaches the horse to stand quietly for grooming without being tied as well as to accept being tied.
Now that the horse and handler are in tune, the saddling can be accomplished. Because of the previous activities, the horse is accustomed to something across the back and girth around the chest, to listen to signals not only at her head, but also from a driver 5-10 feet behind her, to things over her head and at her sides. She has been stimulated by multiple things and been worked with by one,two,or several people during sessions. In this way she has learned to adapt and probably can handle this new experience because it will be presented without pain or discomfort or force.
The saddle is placed on the horse's back, belly lifts are done with the girth before buckling the girth only tight enough to keep the saddle from slipping. A breast collar, from the surcingle or a piece of cotton rope is attached to the front of the saddle to prevent it from sliding back. If the horse seemed to work better with a body rope, another rope could be attached to the back of the saddle at this time. At this time, we advise: take the time to saddle the horse from both sides. Move the stirrups around on the sides of the horse to let her feel the swing of the leathers. For the next step, run English stirrups up the saddle, and secure.
Now the horse is walked and trotted while wearing the saddle.The bulk and weight of the saddle during movement requires a new sense of balance. Working through the obstacles while being led or ground-driven at a walk and trot will help the horse learn how to adjust before he also has to cope with the weight and the mind of a rider. At this point, we advise: Before the rider mounts,attach a set of reins to the halter or put on a Lindel side-pull with the leader's lead attached.
(Another effective tool at this time is the TTEAM Balance Rein.See pictures 17 and 17a.) Then stand the horse between bales of straw (or something similar).Have the rider and, if possible, a helper stand on the bales and do the TTouch on the horse or stroke him with the wands while alternately moving the stirrups, and rocking the saddle gently from each side. At this time it may be very helpful to feed a carrot or a handful of grain to make the experience pleasant, relaxed, and help the horse breathe naturally. Horses cannot chew and swallow without breathing. The person standing on a bale asks the horse to turn his head and take the food. The handler allows the horse to turn his head while keeping her own body straight and quiet. If the individual horse's personality permits, leading from bales and people, and led back through bales again could help complete the exercise. After adjusting the tightness of the girth, the rider begins mounting. First pressure is put into the stirrup, and then the rider lifts herself quietly over the saddle, pauses, then steps down onto the bale again. A helper on the offside, holding the stirrup close to the saddle will ensure that the saddle will not slip.
Picture 12 about here
The bale, or mounting block, is used to prevent the rider from pulling the saddle across the horse's back. Having the rider above the horse's eye level is also advantageous because green horses are often spooked by a rider reaching into a pocket, adjusting a hat, or blowing her nose. More or less time is spent with these steps depending upon the individual horse.
When the rider feels that the horse is ready, after stepping up into the stirrup and pausing, she lifts her other leg over the saddle without bumping the horse or saddle and gently eases her weight into the saddle. The rider should also mount the horse from the other side. It is very important that the rider sit lightly in the saddle,and avoid gripping the horse with her legs. While the horse is becoming accustomed to the weight of the rider, she can do the TTouch on the horse's neck and the top of the croup.
Picture 13 about here All this time,the leader is standing at the horse's head. Because a leader has instilled confidence in him, the horse can transfer his pervious experiences to this new one more easily. Sometimes (this is especially needed for horses who need re-educating in the mounting process) the horse can be fed handfuls of grain spread in a flat, shallow pan to encourage him to breathe, to stay relaxed and calm, and to keep his head in a comfortable position and out of the flight posture. (See pictures 12,13, & 15.)
This last exercise can also be used to re-train a horse who does not stand still for mounting, or who bolts off when the rider sits in the saddle. In answer to the argument that feeding a horse who moves off is rewarding bad behavior, TTEAM believes that the behavior is not planned or intentional, and offering this way of keeping the horse calm and breathing helps override and change the behavior.
Only a confident, experienced rider should mount a young or inexperienced horse or one that needs re-educating. A second caution is the need to be proficient in mounting from the right side on a trained horse before mounting a green horse from the right side. Special care must be taken to avoid grabbing the horse with the rider's legs. Even mounting a green horse from a mounting block or with a leg-up should be done only by an experienced person
TTEAM considers teaching a horse to stand quietly and comfortably while being mounted to be of the utmost importance. In this way the horse can accept the weight of the rider and listen for the next signals. At first the leader helps the rider give the signals and supports the horse.
The rider at this point can again offer a piece of carrot or a handful of grain so that the horse is comfortable turning his or her head.
Picture 14
The rider then strokes the horse all over his body with the TTEAM wand (a four foot dressage whip). Since the horse has been stroked on his neck, shoulder, and hindquarters by a leader on the ground, the wand movements by a rider are settling.
Then the leader and rider ask the horse to walk forward. The rider gently accompanies her leg signal with the tap-tap forward signal that the horse learned in the Dingo exercises. Stroking and tapping on the hindquarters followed by a shiver of the rider's leg teaches the horse to understand leg pressure.
The rider can use the wand on the horse's chest to signal "Stop" or "Back up" because the horse learned this from other exercises ("Elegant Elephant," "Cuing the Camel," and the "Grace of the Cheetah.")
The green horse should clearly understand the halt. Adding the signal of the "Balance Rein" to the headstall reins teaches the horse to halt through his body. After walking through the labyrinth and other obstacles and making transitions from walk to halt, the horse can be led at the trot.
When the rider feels the horse is in balance and confident in her signals,she
can ask the leader to take the lead from the halter or
side-pull,and to
walk along with them for a bit.(See picture 17a as well as 19.)
Picture 19 about here
Finally the leader leaves, and the rider and horse begin the next steps of their partnership that could lead them to country trails or show ring competition, always with enjoyment for human and horse. The joy of riding? Does it have to take all this time? Some horsepeople might question whether all these things are necessary before they get to riding. Many of the currently popular training methods start horses under saddle in a few hours. But what has the horse learned from that lesson? Can they safely and confidently proceed to the next step? What will the reaction of this individual horse be in the NEXT lesson? What will be retained and for how long? When will the horse be ready for the next step?
And do I need all this help from other people? Perhaps not. Experienced horsepeople can accomplish many of these activities by themselves. But the opportunity to work with others can be a time for learning comfortably, confidently, and even with a communal sense of humor.
The joy of riding is a major goal of TTEAM. Teamwork - between horse and rider and among people. The benefits of working with horses are enhanced by TTEAMWORK. The techniques work toward bringing out the best in performance and attitude in the person and the individual horse.
"The TTEAM method of training horses strikes a balance between humanism, a necessity in working with any animal if one is to achieve a stable personality and brilliant performance, and behaviorism, which focuses on an animal's ability to learn and unlearn . . .
All good, correct,effective methods wish for the same results: obedience blended with a horse's intrinsic desire - that will stamp his or her performance with brilliance."
Catherine also pointed out, "The classic methods have been used for centuries, and like the TTEAM method, considers both the humanistic as well has behavioral. The classic method focuses on communication between the rider's body and that of the horse." The classic book recommended by Catherine is one of which Carol Lang (author,above) highly approves:
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| Copies of this journal are no longer available for sale, but our other two journals, Society & Animals and the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, are available and subscriptions are quite affordable. They can be ordered online via our secure order page. |