January 2007 E-Newsletter
Contents:
• Dear Friends: About Goal Setting
• Q&A: "What is more important to horse training: Trust or Leadership?"
• Monty's Principles for People: Trust or Leadership
• Monty’s Challenge: NEW FEATURE to test your Join-Up “know how”
• Where in the world is Monty on tour next? Click here!
• Upcoming issues
• Behavior of Horses in the "Round Pen Technique" by Dr. Konstanze Krueger
• Please see: www.safefromthestart.org
• Monty hosts all new RFD TV episodes from around the world
Dear Friends
In recent years much of my life is spent working with young people. I am active in schools, youth detention centers and dysfunctional domestic settings. When working with children and young adults, I find that it is very helpful to cause them to set goals for themselves. Goal setting can often create inner competitive juices to flow, which can encourage people to exceed all expectations.
While working with horses, a good trainer will find it helpful to set goals for his four-legged students. One must be careful not to become obsessed with reaching all goals. They should be targets, but not absolute destinations. The key for people in all walks of life is to satisfy oneself that the maximum effort is being put into optimizing one’s potential.
Obviously, like snowflakes, we are unique individuals. With that in mind, we must realize that there are significant differences in the goals we choose. There are those of us who aspire to major notable achievements, and then there are those of us who are quite happy to be content, lead the good life and who value relaxation more than notable achievements.
Students of my work have often heard me say that horses can only have two goals in life; one is to survive and the other is to reproduce. When training horses, we are only dealing with their concern to survive and have no involvement in their reproduction. No horse ever set a goal to win a championship. Horses cannot contrive or set an agenda for the future. They react to the circumstances of the present. This is a critical component fixed in the horse’s brain through millions of years of survival of the fittest.
In the past, I have written extensively about the process that I call Join-Up®. It is a procedure I have discovered through communication that I cause the horse to want to be with me instead of away from me. I make every attempt to create an environment whereby the horse has freedom of choice during the course of the work.
Communication is the cornerstone of violence-free training. If one makes no attempt to learn how horses communicate, it is extremely difficult to shape behavior in the absence of force. Once a horseman learns the principles of the language Equus, it is incumbent upon him to practice emulating the gestures identified in this silent language.
The language Equus has distinct similarities to that of signing for the human deaf. With this premise firmly in place, the efforts between human and horse become very close to human conversation. In the art of conversation, one typically knows very little with regard to what the conversational partner is about to say.
It is no different when working with horses. It requires that a trainer communicate with his animal in a logical series. When we meet as two humans, we often say hello before we ask any questions or request any actions. We might even add how are you, and then proceed into the conversation in chief.
Generally speaking, in human-to-human conversations, we allow our past experiences to set the tone. We don’t often ask a favor or request an action of someone we are meeting for the first time. Requests for a performance of some sort from individuals we hardly know usually does not produce the best results.
When working with horses, we need to communicate in a logical sequence, asking of them tasks considered relatively simple before requiring complicated procedures. An example might be simple lead changes before flying lead changes. Until we achieve an acceptable anatomical shaping, through communication, flying lead changes are premature and often destructive.
On the road to causing ourselves to be good horsemen, we are obliged to remember that setting goals for ourselves can be very helpful. We can set goals for our horses, but be aware that they can only respond to our efforts. We must cause them to want to perform and not to force them to perform.
The successful trainer creates a pattern of training tailored to the individual. He consistently conducts work sessions whereby the horse perceives rewards for exemplary performance and conversely perceives negative consequences for those actions the trainer regards as less than desirable. Horses are willing partners, ambitious and eager to please when we set the stage for breakthrough performance.
We should not forget that there can be no leadership until there is trust, and that all leadership is fragile and can go away the instant that trust is broken. We are obliged to study the behavioral patterns of our horses until we become proficient at first gaining their trust, and then acting as their leader to create an environment in which they want to perform.
-Monty
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January 17, 2007 Question and Answer
Question: Mr. Roberts, what do you say is more important to horse training: Trust or leadership?
Monty's Answer: I love this question because it sits at the heart of everything we need to understand before we can be successful in life or with our horses. Leadership is certainly a wonderful quality and, by its very definition, we will find it difficult to rise above mediocrity in the absence of it. Leadership plays an important role in succeeding in our chosen fields, in our relationships with others and as parents if that is a part of our life.
Many important people throughout the centuries would be considered successful because of their leadership qualities. Winston Churchill, Gandhi, and JFK each made their place on the world scene because the masses chose to follow their guidance. So I think by now you would guess that I am going to say that leadership comes first and is more important than trust. Actually, the opposite is true.
One cannot be a leader for his horse or his dog until he first establishes trust with those individuals. As humans, we tend to lie and misinform, creating a form of false trust. It is, however, very hard to lie to a horse or a dog. They can see through us like no human being is able to. Their inherent perception is far greater than that of a human.
TRUST is the most important factor we can generate in our relationship with our horse if we are to be successful in causing him to want to be our partner. Should we choose to BREAK him, we might enjoy the services of a created slave, but we will not get the performance of a willing partner.
-Monty
Monty's Principles for People
Tammy Hanford of Big Rapids, Michigan answers the question Monty asked last week trust and leadership and adds her “Horse Sense for People” tip she uses in her classroom:
Monty,
I think "TRUST" is more important to training a horse. If the horse doesn't trust you, he will always be on guard and in the flight mode. Therefore, he's thinking about his next quick getaway attempt...and there will be no focus on what the handler is trying to teach.
Once trust is established between the horse and handler, then the leadership role will fall into place.
This is the same principle that I establish in my classroom at the beginning, middle, and end of every school year. It works!
I am 100% sure this is the correct answer. :)
Sue Hoban of Sumner, Washington writes:
"Good leadership engenders Trust, but not the other way around. Therefore you can't have Trust without Leadership.
Leadership should not be confused with forced Control which is extrinsic and doesn't encourage willing participation by the "student".
Think about a favorite teacher you may have had in school. They were confident, kind, understanding and effective at influencing you to work harder in order to earn their respect and reward. You trusted they were working in your best interests and there was no fear of confrontation or ridicule.
I believe this same principal applies to good horsemanship."
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NEW FEATURE!
Monty’s Challenge
I want all of my students to learn to be better trainers than me! Test yourself each week as I challenge you to answer the question from below by writing to newsletter@montyroberts.com. I mean this. Sit down and write an answer. Don't wait for my answer next week.
If you have been reading my Weekly Questions and Answers for the last six months, you should be in a position to do this.
Why should you bother? Because it will help you focus. There is probably a comparable question in your life that needs answering – or will be. If you can gain insight into how to go about answering a practical question that is loosely related to your problem, this exercise will help you answer your nagging question.Then read my answer. Then read my other answers at this link: Ask Monty. The closest answer to mine each week will be awarded a DVD but more importantly you will learn! That's good for you! That's good for horses!
-Monty
Next Week’s Question to Answer:
I attended one of your demonstrations recently and was anxious to learn every detail of your work. I sailed boats as a kid, and I heard you mention a few knots that you said were useful. Can you please tell me which ones you use and why?
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Look for these upcoming issues!
• Profile of new Certified Instructor, Ann Lindberg, Sweden
• Monty's first Tour Event in France
• NEW! Backstage Pass DVD soon to be released
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