Nerves that fire together wire together

"Nerves that fire together wire together"

This is a comment from a physio podcast I was recently listening to, and it's a phrase that really got me thinking. There is plenty of science available now demonstrating the plasticity of the brain, it's ability to adapt over time. Monty Roberts has often mentioned what he calls 'muscle memory', in particular in relation to loading - where the more times the horse goes up the ramp successfully the more his muscles will remember that pattern. 

In the podcast they were discussing chronic pain, and how in some cases the brain still signals pain even though the original injury is long healed. The interviewee explained that if you spent a couple of years intensely learning to speak French, for example, you couldn't just 'unlearn' it. I felt that was a great way of explaining how some people continue to suffer long after it seems they should have recovered.

How does this apply to horses though? I'm not sure. I think that in far too many cases, a horses attempts to communicate pain or discomfort are dismissed as being 'remembered pain'. The classic is the horse whose saddle didn't fit, and once the saddle has been adjusted he continues to grump about the saddle being put on. Is that because the pain from the old saddle hasn't resolved, does the new saddle not fit as well as it should, is he displaying 'remembered pain', or was the original problem actually not about the saddle?

It's a really tough one, because we can only pick practitioners we trust and respect and go by what they say. Personally I believe that in the huge majority of cases, the horse is genuinely trying to communicate. Sadly this doesn't necessarily make it any easier to decipher what he's trying to say! 

"Expectation is the root of all heartache"

"Expectation is the root of all heartache"is a quote that has been attributed to William Shakespeare (but this is not confirmed as no one has been able to find a reference in Shakespeare's works to these words).  As I listened to the quote on a recent Physio Matters podcast however, it struck me how strongly it relates to our relationship with our horses, both in behavioural work, performance / competition work, and in health matters (including physio assessment and treatment).

Monty Roberts talks about having plan A, plan B, plan C, etc.  To me this indicates that I shouldn't have fixed ideas about how I'm going to achieve a certain goal with my horse.  My work, schooling, or treatment, should be 'horse led', i.e. it should follow a route that is appropriate for my horse as well as for me.

He also mentions that I should break my goals down into bite size pieces.  It's all too easy to see the end goal but not know how to get there, leading to frustration for both me and my horse.  If I can look at my end goal and break this down into 3 or 4 smaller goals, then break each of these down into 3 or 4 smaller goals, and so on, then in no time at all I will have a goal that I can work towards right now that I know puts me in good stead of eventually reaching my end goal.  Of course, taking note of the aforementioned and being willing to adjust my plan if necessary means that my end goal might change as time goes on!

Expecting my horse to behave in a certain way, or to perform to a certain level, or to reach a certain level of rehabilitation, can lead to disappointment.  Asking my horse to give me his best is reasonable, but no one can give their best all of the time.  Being realistic with what we can achieve together will help me to set appropriate, achievable goals, leading to contentment for both myself and my horse.

The Million Dollar Question

If you were given a million pounds to finish today something that you are meant to finish, could you do it? If not, any reason you give for not finishing it is just an excuse. Which is fine of course, as long as you realise that.

I think the same could apply to working with horses. If you were given a million pounds to find a way of teaching your horse to stand still without using violence, could you do it? I bet most of us could. So often in behavioural work, the solution is for the owner to spend more time with their horse which in turn leads to better understanding and communication (which includes listening to him). And I don't mean a few more minutes each day, or visit him 6 times a week rather than 4 times. I mean spend hours with him every day. Spend time hanging out in the field, do some groundwork in the school, lead him out on a 'hack', groom or massage him, ride him in the school or out hacking or both, ride him bareback, bath him, check his feet, take a good look at his saddle fit, do some stretches with him, ride him again, and so on... all in one day, then again the next day and the next. I don't mean gallop or jump him until he's tired, but slow and steady just be with him. My initial learning was through conventional pony club and riding club - we were lucky enough to keep our horses at home so I got lots of time with them. Then a huge proportion of my learning came from my time living for 5 years with a gipsy horse dealer. We lived on a small holding in a caravan amongst the horses, and I was with them every daylight hour. The horses were my teachers, and if you could spare the time, your horse would be your teacher.

Sadly, of course, very few of us are lucky enough to have that opportunity. The realities of life get in the way - working to pay the bills mostly, or running around after the children. But if you could find the time, just imagine how much you could learn...