I read that horses have marginal vision by their hips and a blind spot behind their tail. It is important to turn and face your horse to a moving object. Maybe Zum would not have bucked me off if I had faced the girl trotting away on her horse. What I did was to turn him away from the scary moving object. I can only wonder.
B. F. Skinner was a leading authority in behavioral research. He found that punishment is less effective in behavioral control than rewarding reinforcement. He experimented with many species of animals and found that positive reinforcement is the fastest way animals learn. There are many horse trainers that believe in punishing a horse. I have met more than a few of these trainers. They like to yell at, ridicule and boss around the horse owners also. These trainers want to be obeyed. I have met my share of men with this attitude. They want women to obey men. Skinner is my hero.
I have learned that true love is connection, feeling my identity with another. And I didn’t learn this from a man I ever dated… I learned this from Zum.
Thank you, Zum. for letting me put your halter on with my left hand! Desire plus energy equals fulfillment.
It is not easy for me to put Zum’s halter on with only my left hand. Zum is very helpful when he stands still to allow me to attempt this feat. He and I are definitely bonded.
Huszar gives me peace of mind. I can enjoy a couple of hours with him with no worries. Problems disappear. My mind is filled with the happiness that nature provides in the form of my beautiful Arabian horse.
My hope is that Zum’s new confidence will come from relearning to depend on my guidance. He seems ready and willing to perform tasks for me. I want to give him lots of fresh experience that tells him that I am leading him away from harm and towards security.
Motivation is what makes a horse move and do things. Positive motivation produces slower, calmer movement. Negative motivation produces violent, fast movement. When Zum is frightened, he reacts quickly, bolting away at top speed from the thing that frightens him. So I need to ask Zum to do simple things, rewarding him as he does them. Eventually I can ask him to do something more difficult and he will accept it.
I still need help putting the saddle on Huszar and I still need a lift to get on Huszar’s back. It has been almost six weeks since my accident. I realize that the most important thing for me to remember as I heal my broken bones is to know where I want to be. I want to be riding my horses! I need to dare as what I know takes daring. I need to do what I love. And I need to accomplish my dreams. My dream is to ride Zum after he has been retrained not to buck and run away….
Horses with a naturally high head, like Arabians, normally have very little tendency to resort to bucking to solve their problems. To deal with Zum’s bucking, I need to raise his head. A horse cannot buck as long as his head is up. In order to buck, a horse needs to arch his backbone and that is mechanically impossible when his head is elevated. It makes sense. But Zum uses bucking as a means to escape from a situation. He gives no warning that he is going to buck.
