My point isn’t to criticize methods and their use, but to emphasize the importance of using the correct mindset when training horses.
The most common questions I receive are often based on very similar scenarios. Most people ignore the first 10 problems their horse communicates to them, but they are only interested in resolving the 11th problem.
It’s kinda like saying: “My child is failing the 11th grade. I need help, what do I do? Oh by the way he also failed the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th grades.”
What it sounds like in horse terms is: “My horse paws and rears when tied up. He won’t stand still when I saddle him. Anyway, he is rushy at the canter. How do I fix the rushy canter?”
All mammals’ sense of safety comes from attunement, as UCLA professor of psychology Daniel Siegel refers to as “being seen and being heard.” Trauma therapist Sarah Schlote has taken one step further and said that it’s the sense of being seen, being heard, feeling felt, and getting gotten.
Ignoring the first 10 pieces of crucial information from your horse (paws and rears when tied up, won’t stand for saddling) and instead trying to fix the 11th problem (rushy canter) is not only a terrible way to train horses, but it also communicates a lack of attunement. You are saying to your horse, through your inaction and lack of awareness “I did not see those first 10 attempts to communicate your concerns.”
When you ignore the little things because you have a goal in mind (flying lead change, trail ride, etc.) it’s easy to run into big problems and then believe that you aren’t good enough. No horse is too much horse for you, IF you can choose to do things you can succeed at. This is where it becomes a mindset, not a method.
If you’re a subscriber and have watched the 3-Part series called Working With A Pushy, Anxious Warmblood, in Part 1 I simply had the owner stand on the other side of the fence from her horse for an hour or so. Trying to do more than that would have become problematic and she wouldn’t have been able to succeed. She would then tell herself that she is over-horsed or that she doesn’t measure up, or any of the other limiting beliefs we have.
The series goes on to show how a change in your mindset will allow you to constantly have small wins with your horse training.
Being successful at this work all comes down to your mindset, whether it’s choosing to work on what you’re good at or being present enough to notice the little things that go wrong and then persisting until they’re resolved.
In most of my replies to questions, I’m not giving advice to solve the problems, I’m trying to change the mindset that is causing the problem in the first place.
Before you try to learn a new exercise with your horse, take a moment to reflect on where your mindset is, and where you want it to be.
Rate is not just for the fence. (It’s even essential in the reined work circles and rundowns).
In my last article I talked about judging with Bobby Ingersoll and how he broke down the fence work into the simplicity of “stop-rate-turn.” It inspired me to go a step further and relate it to other events.
My understanding of rate is when a horse quickly gets into the position of control on a cow and maintains it by getting in sync with the animal, matching its speed, thus, allowing the rider to choose the moment to throw their rope or slightly increase speed, in order to turn it. Training a horse to rate for your event allows the rider to execute the required maneuver with a much higher degree of precision.
How rate relates to steer stopping: In the steer stopping, rate means getting into position quickly from the box and getting in sync with the steer so the rider can choose the moment to throw the rope for maximum accuracy (not having to reach way out nor over running the steer).
Matt Koch exhibiting good rate steer stopping:
In cutting, rating means reading the cow through the turn, exiting, and immediately getting into the position of control and maintaining it until the rider signals a slight increase in speed to get the cow stopped. The turn must be executed with good form (drawing back over the horse’s hocks), in sync with the cow, letting it pull the horse through the turns then immediately regaining position on the other side of the cow. The horse must “cover” both sides of the cow. This means the horse must get as far across the cow on one side as it does on the other. If they don’t, then they get lopsided and aren’t controlling the cow, nor are they in sync with it, so rate isn’t happening either.
Wes Galyean and Third Edge exhibiting great rate (not to mention amazing eye appeal and covering both sides of his cow for position and control credit!)
In the reined work, rating in the circles means being able to accelerate smoothly into the highest rate of speed desired and maintaining it until the rider eases down into a smaller slower circle. In essence they’re reading the rider’s body signals like they’d read a cow in the other events. In the rundown rating means smoothly increasing speed (in almost undetectable increments) over the length of the arena allowing the horse’s body to be in the best possible position to execute a smooth, powerful slide.
This important ingredient also is necessary for a fast, efficient barrel run, and even pacing for a jump! It’s well worth the time and effort to teach your horse to rate in whatever event you do, for a flawless run with tons of eye appeal!
I recently had the privilege of judging the NRCHA Derby with Bobby Ingersoll. What an honor and an educational experience it was for me. I believe the sign of a true master is one who knows their subject so thoroughly that they can reduce an incredibly complex subject and convey it in utter simplicity. Bobby does that with his keen insight and ability to observe. As we discussed the fence work one day, Bobby said, “It’s all about rate-stop-turn”. This inspired me to try to break that down since the more I’ve come to understand these components (in particular the “rate”), the more meaningful they have become …..
Rate is a very important component of all cattle events including steer stopping, cutting and going down the fence. My understanding of rate is when a horse quickly gets into the position of control on a cow and maintains it by getting in sync with the animal, matching its speed, thus, allowing the rider to choose the moment to throw their rope or slightly increase speed in order to turn it. Training a horse to rate for your event allows the rider to execute the required maneuver with a much higher degree of precision.
Let’s look more closely at rate-stop-turn that Bobby spoke about on the fence:
Rate- determines the amount of control you have or don’t have throughout the whole run and the accuracy of your turns. From start to finish, rate is very important for the fence work. When you’re boxing and establishing a rhythm with the cow, you have to rate it, stop with it and turn with it. There is a little more margin for error while boxing to be slightly out of sync. The first crucial part is rating the cow is driving through the corner. If your horse won’t allow you to place him exactly where you need to be and at exactly the speed you need to be to drive the cow through the corner and exit well, your rate down the fence will suffer. The run down the fence is where it’s easiest to see good rate. The horse should leave the box in good position with very little separation (between the horse and the cow) and maintain it until the rider nudges him by the cow allowing the horse to nail the turn.
Stop- when a horse stops on its hindquarters it allows the horse to have a strong base of support to hold the turn and exit powerfully.
Turn- when all 3 parts of the turn (the entrance, the turn itself and the exit) are executed with good form, in sync with, and virtually no separation between the horse and the cow, complete control of the cow is achieved, and credit is earned.
Rating on the circles is very important as the horse has to get right up eyeball to eyeball with the cow and maintain that position without overshooting or being behind. It requires a lot of time to teach a horse how to read the cow in the circles, but pays off big time!
Riders who consistently have great runs on many different kinds of cattle are masters of this little discussed component of training.
Below, is a video of a fence run I had with Stressolena many moons ago that shows pretty good rate throughout.
I was looking back on some past articles that Bill Enk (NRCHA Director of Judges and teller of great stories) has written for the NRCHA magazine and saw this. It’s so well written about the importance of reading a cow, that I thought I’d share it.
From the Judge’s Chair May 2022
Bill Enk on reading a cow
Everyone has their strengths and weakness when it comes to showing reined cow horses. Reading a cow accurately is a must. Sometimes luck is involved by drawing a perfect cow, but when that doesn’t happen, the showman that reads the cow the best has a definite advantage.
In the herd work, most people pick the cattle they want to work before they walk down to the herd. They have watched the cattle when the herd was settled and usually watch each rider before them cut so they know which cattle have been used and which are still fresh. Having a good idea about the behavior of the cattle to be cut goes a long way toward earning a good score.
Cutting in the center of the pen and staying even on both sides of a cow are a must for credit to be earned. How far to go by the cow to control and turn him is part of reading a cow accurately. Go too far, you might lose working advantage: don’t go far enough, the cow might not set up and turn, causing your help or the fence to turn him- no credit there.
The exhibitors that read the cow best know when they can play offense and when to play defense. If the cow is aggressively trying to get back to the herd, it’s time to be on the defensive. If the animal lets you control him in the middle of the pen, it’s time to play offense.
When the cow enters the arena during the cow work, the experienced showman starts sizing up the animal immediately. Some cattle head better than others, some are numb and won’t head at all, and some are a combination of both. The idea while boxing is to get on both sides of the cow to stop and turn it so when you get to the head on the fence, the animal will honor your horse and turn.
How long the animal is boxed has a lot to do with how the rest of the fence work plays out. Boxing too long takes too much juice out of the cow and the finish of the run is weakened. If you don’t box enough on an active animal, you risk not being able to catch and turn it on the fence and have a tough time finishing in control on the circles.
The #1 priority when judging the cow work is: Did the horse have position and control during the entire work? If they did, and had at least an average degree of difficulty, they should earn a good score. Reading the cow accurately allows the exhibitor to be consistent throughout the work and finish strong. Remember, using good judgement on a cow always gives you a fighting chance.
The NCHA is a little more forgiving than the other associations regarding adjusting your reins while showing, but also a bit more complex. Here goes:
3 point penalties are assessed if:
If the rider uses 2 hands to turn his horse around with the cow.
If 2 hands are used on the bridle reins to stop the horse then the rider allows the horse to turn on its own.
If 2 hands are used on the bridle reins while stopping the horse for a legal quit.
After quitting a cow legally, the rider uses 2 hands on the reins to turn his horse around or does so while in the herd.
If the cutter drops a bridle rein and uses his free hand to retrieve it while cutting the cow or working the cow it’s also a 3 pt penalty.
No penalty:
However, if the rider uses his free hand to retrieve the rein after legally quitting the cow and stopped their horse, there is no penalty.
The rider can untangle the reins with no penalty if it’s done after a legal quit and before entering the body of the herd, or while riding through the herd, the rider can place a second hand on the reins, behind the rein hand, to straighten them.
If after the rider turns to make a cut and stops in the body of the herd, a second hand can also be used to straighten the reins with no penalty.
Cheating the reins (ie making one shorter while only having the index finger between them) while cutting a cow is common practice and legal.
Be sure to practice adjusting your reins correctly at home until you get very dexterous with them!
