--- In BillsBook@yahoogroups.com, "Janie Forbes" <janieforbes@...> wrote:

> On pages 346 and 347 Bill discusses pushiness... On 347 he says: " That pushy
sort of horse needs a person to think about blending in with him, or letting him
drift, or helping him to go. Just any way you can get with the feel of that
horse when he leaves, is all. A person ought to leave a place for some
experimenting in part of this, too, that's for sure. If you can blend in with
the horse for better results, it's best for him when you can find that place.
When you go together from there, why that word 'pushy' wouldn't have to be
mentioned again."
>
> I would like to learn how to better handle these situations where a horse gets
pushy.


I have two horses like this. Leslie says in her audio book (sorry, don't know
which disc or track!) that pulling teaches horses about pulling, and I can
really see that with my two geldings. What helped tremendously, and within just
a few days, was tying them to the wall with enough rope to move around and see
all around them, instead of crossties; staying away from their heads as much as
possible; slowing way down, breathing, and staying soft (so hard for me!); and
by all means not pulling when they pulled - this last was the most important.
And, of course teaching them to keep a float in the rope or rein, learning to
soften, etc. These guys were just acting out of self-preservation, trying to
keep people out of their space as much as they could.

This has taken a lot of time for both horses, and the older of the two, Monty,
has a lot of improvement to do still. We moved this past weekend, and he as
regressed somewhat in his new, unfamiliar surroundings. For myself and my
horses, the key is starting out by showing them the respect they've never had,
giving them the time to notice that I don't push, pull, crowd...and being
grateful for their feedback when I get too quick, block their vision, etc. If
one starts to flip his head around, pull to the grass, shove me, etc, I assume
I've missed something or wasn't paying attention, since they no longer do this
unless I'm not grounded, present, and with them.

Pam