This incredible story reminds me of an important horse training principle.
His name was Donald Morehouse.
While in combat in the Korean War, he was shot 7 times.
But 6 rounds never made it into his body due to a bullet proof vest.
But one bullet pierced him.
It went through his left shoulder and lodged in his right side.
Wounded, Morehouse hiked to a M.A.S.H. unit to get the bullet removed.
48 years later, Morehouse had heart bypass surgery. That was in 2001.
Doctors found a shocking discovery.
Calcified scars showed that the .29 caliber bullet removed from his side in 1953 actually…
“Passed through his heart!”
Doctors said most people would’ve died within minutes of the wound.
Morehouse walked 3 miles and lived.
The reason this has an important connection with horse training is because you often don’t know just how lucky you were.
Morehouse probably thought he was lucky to be alive back in 1953 – but I’ll bet after the heart surgery, the surprising news really hit home.
But with horses, we often don’t know how lucky we have it while working with them.
Why?
Because horses are typically very forgiving and can put up with a lot of nonsense.
But like us humans, they have their limit.
And it’s their limit you want to be careful of going past.
Trainer J.J. Rydberg has a great saying.
He says:
“If you’re mad, the horse is already mad!”
Why does this matter?
First, you can’t fight the horse.
You will not win.
And if you have a battle going, then you don’t want to lose it because you’ll teach your horse he can do what HE wants.
So the trick is, don’t get in a battle in the first place.
Thus, here’s some things to think about.
If you’re working with your horse be aware of signs that he’s getting unhappy.
Yes, unhappy.
Tail swishing.
Pawing.
Head bobbing up and down in a quick motion.
Tight lips.
Ears layin’ back.
Teeth grinding.
Tight body.
And so on.
Will your horse show all these signs?
No.
He’ll likely show some of them if he’s gettin’ unhappy.
As you work with him and you see one of the signs, just make a mental note to yourself.
You know that what you’re doing has started to irritate him.
Should you stop there?
Not necessarily.
You can keep trying, but be aware of his emotional state.
If you get the same signs and they’re more frequent and closer together, then do what J.J. recommends.
Back off.
Let him have control and feel good.
Walk him around.
If you’re riding him, ride with loose reins for a bit.
Why?
Cuz it doesn’t feel good to get tugged on all the time.
Would you like it?
Heck, he may just be a horse but he doesn’t like what’s going on.
https://www.horsetrainingresources.com/dvds/jjrydberg-problem-solving/
And if you’re working from the ground, just lead him around a little. Do some things he already knows and bring his confidence back.
Before you go back to trying what you were doing, check his emotional state. If he’s good, then try it again.
Remember that you may not get the response you want. You may only get a try. And you may have to live with that for the day.
And as I’ve said before, that’s okay.
There’s no reason to get in a hurry, right?
After all, if you do, it’ll put you way behind.
Just remember that.
Getting in a hurry will put you way behind.
But going slow will get you the fastest results.
And this is the wisdom of J.J. Rydberg.
J.J. teaches horse training at his local college – and I urge you to read more about him. He’s quite good.
You can see more about him by clicking the following:
And here’s another piece of golden wisdom J.J. will tell you.
It’s easy to get frustrated when teaching a horse something at first.
Why?
Because they don’t have a clue as to what you want.
But…
Keep messin’ with ’em and they will.
Ok… that’s it for today. Stay safe around your horses!
Charlie
P.S. Do you have your copy of the “most famous horse training course in history”? Jesse Beery’s methods have been used by tens of
thousands of horse owners.
He must have been doing something right!
Prof Jesse Beery School of Horsemanship. Pleasant Hill, OH
http://www.horsetrainingresources.com/beery/
