Welcome to this issue of the “Performance Through Partnership”™ Newsletter!

In this issue you’ll find:

My Exclusive Newsletter Tip: Stubbornness Vs. Fear

What's New at Maverick Horse & Cattle Co.!!

Information About my Next Internet Radio Program and New Blog!

Upcoming Clinics and Events

Answers to Your Questions about Horse Behavior and Training:
1. I'm Starting My 2 Year Old. What do I do Next?
2. I Just Got an Uneducated 5 Year Old Stud. Help!!

Do you have a question for me? Please, send it in! I'll choose at least two to answer in each issue. This is only available to newsletter subscribers like you, so ask away!! Go to the “ask questions” page at http://www.dale-rudin-horse-training.com/ask-questions.html and type in your password.

Also, newsletter back issues are posted on the archive page. You can find them at http://www.dale-rudin-horse-training.com/performance-through-partnership-newsletter.html and click on "newsletter back issues." Type in your password, and enjoy!

(If the above links don't work, please copy and paste them into your web browser.)

________________________________________________________________________

Today's Tip: Stubbornness Vs. Fear

We've all had a horse refuse to do something we've asked him to do. Being human, we tend to take our horse's resistance personally. I often hear people say, "Oh, he's just being difficult," as though their horse is deliberately disobeying. That certainly can happen. Horses are opportunistic. If "disobeying" gets them a reward, such as a bite of grass or a shorter workday, they will certainly seek out that behavior again and again.

However, a refusal can be based on fear or anxiety. If your horse takes his head away when you try to put the bit in his mouth, it might be because he knows it's going to hurt his mouth. A horse that won't step into the trailer might be feeling insecure and not be serving his own needs to rile up the humans who are so desperately trying to get him loaded.

If your horse is truly stubborn and has no reason to feel anxious about what you want him to do, then the underlying problem is with your leadership. Your horse is either disrespecting your authority or not trusting your ability to keep him safe and secure. Reestablishing your role as a calm and confident herd leader should immediately resolve the problem.

If his resistance is based on fear, he's going into mild or severe fight or flight mode. He needs reassurance (time and patience) and confidence building so that he can return to a calm and receptive state of mind. That way he'll be able to handle the situation without "losing it."

When your horse is resistant, think of it as an opportunity to do some detective work and practice your leadership skills. Try to figure out the cause of your horse's disobedience and then giving your horse the clear and compassionate direction and guidance that will set the stage for cooperation and compliance.

Be good to your horses and enjoy the ride!
Dale

What's New at Maverick Horse and Cattle Company?

If you were at Maverick Horse & Cattle Co. two weeks ago, you wouldn't recognize the place today! We have the footing in for the arena. It's a spacious 200x125ft. The footing is custom and is like riding on a cloud. It's going to be fantastic for the reiners, not too deep for the pleasure horses, and provide plenty of cushion for the dressage horses.

I have also been enjoying working with horses in our brand new and absolutely fabulous 60ft round pen. I chose 60ft because it gives the horses plenty of room to move away and it puts much less torque on their legs while they are traveling around and around. The footing is fantastic. It's nice and sandy, drains well, and the horses LOVE to roll in it!

If you feel like hitting the trails, you have 100s of acres to enjoy! We've built an alley that will take you all the way to the trails without ever having to open a gate. You'll have easy access to a beautiful ride through the woods and pastures.

We also have put up 3 board fencing around the front pasture in the back of the property. No more wire. All our pastures are either in board fence or surrounded by hot rope. We want the horses to live comfortably and safely.

Maverick Horse & Cattle Co. offers a safe and natural environment for your horses and a relaxed and comfortable environment for you to enjoy. We are committed to providing the best possible care for your horse. All breeds and disciplines ae welcome at our facility.

This is my home base from which I'll regularly hold horsemanship, behavior, and performance training clinics. Visit http://www.dale-rudin-horse-training.com/horse-clinics.html for the latest info.

We are up and running and now accepting horses for pasture, paddock, and stall boarding! We have beautiful oversized stalls in a brand new barn as well as brand new 12x12 stalls in the lovely rustic wood barn. All stalls have mats and are bedded with low-dust shavings. You also have to check out our special horse "condos." They provide the best of all worlds, a 12x12 stall in a large dry lot with an adjacent private grass paddock. We provide free-choice natural salt/minerals to every horse, as well as high-quality and nutritious low-carbohydrate feed.

Check out the Maverick Horse & Cattle Co. page on my website for more information. http://www.dale-rudin-horse-training.com/maverick-horse-and-cattle-company.html

You can find information about rates and services here: http://www.dale-rudin-horse-training.com/maverick-horse-and-cattle-company-rates-and-services.html

You are invited to come out and visit anytime. Contact the ranch owner and manager, Brian Driggers, at 615-636-3046. His email is brianmdriggers@yahoo.com. Or, send me an email.


Training with Dale Rudin on Internet Radio

We're setting the date for the next radio program. The topic is saddle suitability and fit. Please go to Natural Horse Network Talk Radio. for more information. I will post the date on the News and Events page as soon as it's scheduled. If you have a question, you can call in during the show or send it in by email. You can also register to join us via live chat.

If you missed any of my previous shows, Trailer Loading, Catching a Horse that Doesn't Want to be Caught, or Choosing the Right Bit, click here to listen to my archived programs.

This Sunday, November 1st at 1:00 pm I'm doing something new at Natural Horse Network. We are going to have a live blogging session that you can join. A NHN member will submit a video that I will evaluate and comment on. Go to the Natural Horse Network and scroll to the middle of the page to find the event. I hope you'll join us for the live online training session! Also, check out the Natural Horse Network. It's a terrific community of like-minded horsemen and horsewoman. I hope you'll join us!


Upcoming Clinics

November 8th - Round Pen Training for Connection and Balance

I Want Your Problem Horse!!

I am looking for 5 horses to work with that would benefit from being more confident, relaxed, and trusting. Bring your horse that's hard to catch, aggressive, spooky, timid, nervous, or disrespectful and I will show you low-stress confidence building (for both you and your horse) round pen techniques that will change your relationship with your horse forever.

November 15th & 16th - Reining Horse Clinic

If you're new to reining or want to learn more about this exciting equine sport, you need to come to this clinic. It is all about building on the basics of balance, softness, and responsiveness. teaching you how to gain precision control of your horse's body and develop his balance and responsiveness to your cues. Of course, you will also learn how to do this while keeping him in a relaxed and receptive state of mind!

December 6th & 7th - Leadership and Connection

This clinic is at the heart of my "Performance Through Partnership" program. Learn how compassion, connection, calmness, and communication can create an incredible horse-human partnership. This clinic is a must if your horse is anything other than respectful, relaxed, or confident in any situation. You will build your confidence as a leader, too. Being a calm and confident leader that your horse trusts and is willing to follow anywhere is what successful horsemanship is all about!

Go to my my clinic's page to learn more about these clinics. You can also contact me by email to ask questions, make a reservation, or learn how to sponsor a clinic in your area so that you and your horse can attend for free!



Events

October 1st 9:00-10:30

I have been invited to present at the Certified Horseman's Association Convention at Kentucky Horse Park. My presentation is titled: Western Riding Exercises on a Loose Rein. The convention is Friday through Sunday and is open to the public. What's better than spending the weekend learning about training, teaching, and horses! Hope to see you there.


Horse Training and Behavior Questions and Answers

I have a two-year old that I want to start myself. He’s had a saddle and bridle on him, and I’ve gotten on his back a couple of times. I’ve never started a horse before. Can you tell me where to go from here?

I look at training a young horse to accept the saddle and rider as the foundation on which the rest of his life will be supported. I've worked with many horses that had human caused issues, but if they'd had a solid start they were able to recover really well and be confident performers. Those that didn't had an uphill struggle when it came to reaching their potential.

The best advice I can give you in regard to starting your two year old is to make sure that he's always in a calm and confident state of mind. Once you lose your horse's trust, respect, or confidence you will have problems that can range from mild anxiety, detachment, or aggression to severe blowups. Whenever your horse isn’t receptive, confident, and connected he’s limited in his ability to reach his full potential. You also need to be aware of your horse's physical state. You need to know if how much he can tolerate and make sure he's comfortable. Anything such as overwork or a poorly fitting saddle can create issues for your youngster. Also asking him to or allowing him to regularly work with his body in an unbalanced frame, unnatural gaits, or while carrying tension will create problems for him as well.

Starting a youngster is a process, one that I personally take very seriously. That’s why I have been continually refining my own approach over the past 25 years. It's not something that I can give you step-by-step instructions on how to do, because this would be one heck of a long newsletter! What I am saying is that it isn’t something to take lightly. I would highly recommend becoming more educated yourself or finding a competent and compassionate trainer to either work with your horse or to be there to help guide you through the process.

I just got a 5 year old unbroken stud horse. I can barely get halter on him. Where do I start?

Owning a stud always brings challenges, and it sounds like with this horse you've got your hands full and will need to start from square one. First ask yourself this question: does this horse need to be a stud?

If you plan on keeping this horse a stud, I recommend that you have several good reasons to do so. He should have impeccable conformation. I mean he should really contribute something special to his breed. There are tons of mediocre to lousy horses being bred out there. In my opinion a breeding animal should always be exceptional in order to be allowed to reproduce. Your horse should also be registered and have top-notch bloodlines. Since he hasn’t performed himself, his ancestry is all you have to go on as far as whether or not he will be a good producer or whether anyone will be interested in his get should you decide to market them. So, if this horse is a stud simply because no one has taken the time to geld him, then your first plan of action is to set up an appointment with your veterinarian.

As far as building a working relationship with this horse, house him in a small area. You want him to have enough room to move around and get exercise but not so large that you have to chase him down to get near him. A round pen would work and so would a small paddock.

For both your safety and for communication always carry something that allows you to make contact with your horse from a distance. I prefer my “throwing rope.” It’s about 30 feet long and made of cotton. It allows me to send a signal to a horse without getting near him, and I can do that from anywhere in the arena without taking more than a step or two. That allows me to be very influential without chasing the horse down or intimidating him with the sound or sting of a whip.

You’ll create respect by moving your horse out of your space. Ask him to move away from you by looking him in the eye and raising your hand, the one that’s in line with his hindquarters. So, if you want your horse to move to the left, raise your right hand. If he turns his head toward you, raise your left hand and hold it in front of you to “push” his head away. Basically you want to apply pressure, whether real or implied from a distance, to the part of your horse’s body that is coming into your space.

If you are facing your horse, he should move no part of his body toward you. That is how a horse shows that he respects a horse that is dominant over him. A dominant horse will also move a subordinate horse out of her way in order to enforce her authority. What you want to do is move your stud colt away from you until he accepts your authority. When you do this, keep your energy level low and move confidently and deliberately. He’ll show you that he’s accepting by lowering his head and neck and licking and chewing while moving at a forward and free moving gait. These behaviors reveal your horse’s state of mind: relaxed, confident, and receptive.

Once he’s reached a calm, relaxed, and confident (because he’s confident in your leadership) state of mind, turn away from him to invite him to come into your space. Hold your hand out to him, palm down with your fingers softly curled. If he comes over, keep your hand out until he makes contact with his nose. If he turns away from the rail but doesn’t approach, approach him from the side. You want to avoid walking right up to him. Respect his space. If he looks in your direction, turn away. If he looks away, move toward him. If he walks away, move him around the arena again in a very casual low-stress way. (If he becomes aggressive though, move him away aggressively and then immediately return to your own relaxed state-of-mind.)

Repeat this process until your horse is willing to make contact with you and remains in a calm confident state-of-mind. Once he’s there, you can start touching him, starting at his forehead and then working your way down his neck, etc. Anytime you put pressure on your horse that he relaxes to or is accepting of, take the pressure off. For example, if your horse allows you to touch his neck, step away from him instead of continuing on and touching his shoulder. That will reinforce in his mind that you are trustworthy and a source of comfort.

You definitely have your work cut out for you. If at any time you feel like you’re in over your head, seek the help of a qualified and compassionate professional.