Break It Down: Crossing Bridges

Relationship Based Horsemanship in Action

Maverick and I ride the beach with its many challenges. The wind and the foam coming off the water concerned him, so we moved to and from the waves lapping in to get him more comfortable with it. Riding bareback reminds me to take his concerns seriously.

Going over objects or unusual natural terrains can be daunting for horses and their riders. Here is an example of how you can help your horse in approaching and overcoming these challenges.

Maverick is a reserved/vigilant horse who is a powerful, 16-hand AQHA gelding. He can become explosively resistant when worried about his environment.

As you will see through this series of photos, I’ve learned that taking my time and presenting him with the space to think is far more effective than force or intimidation.

This session took us about 40 minutes to complete.

The strategy of breaking down a task into doable pieces is part of getting through the stage of conscious incompetence. As a team, we graduated bridge crossing to the level of conscious competence. Click here to discover more about the stages of learning and how to work through them to follow your dreams and goals.

My husband, Steve Hugus, has been working diligently to create a variety of obstacles along with a dressage court for us to play in on our farm. This has given me the amazing opportunity to expose our horses to those tests so we can consistently improve our skills and abilities.

Mav steps unto the 8 foot side of this small bridge, but isn’t ready to commit to crossing it.

Going across the short 5 foot side takes a smaller commitment, so Mav goes across it willingly.

Once Mav gains confidence by crossing the short side, he becomes confident enough to take the additional strides to go across the long side.

Now, we take on the elevated, 14-foot bridge. Mav hesitates, despite light encouragement from me to which he normally is willing to respond. You can see that his hind legs are nowhere near where they need to be to cross over.

Instead of becoming more forceful, I get off to further aid him in gaining confidence.

Knowing the relationship we have, I show Mav he can trust the bridge because I do. He is hesitant and careful, but willing.

I go in both directions because the bridge looks very different relative to the sun. I can feel his strides lengthen as his confidence grows.

When I remount and ask again, Mav steps across. Initially, he moves slowly, cautiously.

With each successive crossing, Mav gets more confident, and, again, his strides lengthen.

Would all horses need me to get off at any given point? No, many wouldn’t, but where it’s appropriate, I don’t let my ego get in the way of doing the right thing for my horse and our relationship.

For more information about the amazing horses that have been and are being bred on the HAAP farm, go to www.arabpinto.com

If you have questions for me about any of my posts, please feel free to contact me at isabellefarmer@gmail.com or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/arabpintos