Letting a horse be a horse. Listening to your horse. Brings respect and trust and finally enjoyment for both horse and human.

As the owner of two Haflingers we got such a kick out of this video! There couldn’t be a more challenging horse than a Haflinger to politely walk across the grass (they LOVE to eat)! Great job Warwick, Suzi and the adorable Wise Lee! ❤

@MarieChardome

16 күн бұрын

try a friesian 😂

@WarwickSchiller

16 күн бұрын

@@MarieChardome it would not be any different

@MarieChardome

16 күн бұрын

i know 🤪. they are all horses. i was joking. humans are the funny ones (not). horses are more the same than us people are i am sure

@charliewhon6548

7 күн бұрын

Or a Fjord!😂

@WarwickSchiller

7 күн бұрын

@@charliewhon6548 they are no different either

Finally horse training that starts to give the horse a voice and acceptance of is wants and needs, and not just the horse as a subject and a slave to us, constant fighting for submission. And the pain it causes. I wish I had this great teacher long ago when I had horses 🙏

@jasonhealswithhorses

14 күн бұрын

I love this! All of this

I've been doing this based on one of your older videos, and I found in the long run it makes my horse so much less desperate to dive for the grass because he knows he will still be getting grass

Thank you for sharing your work with a halflinger! I have watched your some of your other videos about grass and I must admit I had a voice in my head that said “this might work with that horse but not with my halflinger” lol. I’m sure other haffie owners and fjord owners too can relate😅 This gave me hope and confidence to carry on!

I learned this when rehabbing my horse. People thought I was letting him " get away with stuff ", but he stayed the easiest horse to handle at 16.3h. We walked alot together and he taught me so much❤.

@Horsestudent2022

16 күн бұрын

I’m doing that with my horse now.

What I used to do when hand grazing, is every 5 minutes we would walk (me leading, not them) to a "better spot". That way they were always happy to be lead away from the grass, because they knew they'd be going to more grass. If you break the hand grazing up like this, they aren't too fussed when you eventually lead them back inside. Hand grazing can be a wonderful bonding experience between you and your horse, they really appreciate you understanding how important it is to them and not always saying no

@Alluvial.

16 күн бұрын

This basic approach is working really well in teaching my 2 goats to forage on-lead. They get about 5 mouthfuls, then I pick a moment when their mouths are full (not when they are actively reaching for another mouthful) say “let’s go!” and walk them 20 steps to a new and different plant- because, goats being foragers, a new plant is always better than the plant they’ve been eating lol. So I’m establishing a pattern that going along with me is always better than staying where they currently are. I use a specific “eat THIS” command each time, because there are so many toxic plants everywhere that I can’t let the goats decide what to eat. I expect this training will gradually reduce their natural tendency to reach for bites of everything we pass, but it’s risking death if I allow them to take their usual “Anything Green!!!” approach. Honestly the training philosophy in this video surprised me so much! I’ve only known horse people to be pretty harshly militant about forbidding all stolen mouthfuls of grass. I figured a horse person would be totally dialed in on the best way to totally shut down unauthorized nibbling, and expected something much different than this. I’m happy and shocked that this man is instead respecting the horse’s basic nature. Guess I’ll just continue what I’m doing! It does take extreme vigilance (and using halters instead of collars, for better head control) as I train my goats to listen to me instead of poisoning themselves lol. It’s a long game, but incremental progress is great.

id listen to warwick read a phone book. any video is good

@Rosem0303

12 күн бұрын

❤❤❤

Mr. Schiller is a Champion! the proof is his success in many disciplines and the harmony he creates while training 😀

Extraordinary empathy for horses and people. Thank you for your wonderful videos.

It had to be a Haflinger. They are bottomless pits.😂😂😂

Love it. I see so many people struggle with arguments over grass and feeling like it’s a battle between the human and the horse, where I see it as a battle of the horse against nature. That the horse *wants* to do what we ask, while his brain is screaming, “winter is coming! Eat grass now!!” Even in May, and living in a warm climate, and with virtually 24/7 hay lifestyle, long before my Icelandic horses have shed their winter coat, their brain still sees spring grass and it’s all, “omg gotta prepare for the long, brutal winter!” 🫣 (same reason I don’t allow fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies in my house 🤷🏼‍♀️, which my brain sees /smells as life/death 😅). But yeah, it’s amazing how quickly letting them know they CAN have some grass interrupts the desperation and scarcity behavior. I also sometimes carry a bag with chaff hay (not usually treats), and if they move quickly (faster than walk) between grazes I might give them handful of chaff hay and that takes even less effort than grazing… Obviously with metabolic horses that cannot have ANY real bites, if they don’t have a muzzle, I design my lifestyle to not need to cross spring grass, because I refuse to ask the horse to fight against his own brain/nature.

@jessmelgey4531

13 күн бұрын

thanks for the acknowledgement of metabolic horses and their people here. I really struggle with my mindset owning one and seeing these videos. I live on 150 unmown acres and I feel like doing anything outside of the dry lot or arena with my poor fattie is torture.

@KathySierraVideo

13 күн бұрын

@@jessmelgey4531 oh I get it 😳. We bought our dream farm with 30 acres of grass, and super happy horses until reality of grass set in. But we begged a neighbor with a big tractor to start creating grass-free (mostly) tracks for us. Then we eventually got a proper tractor and have been slowly creating more track and dry-lot areas. Each year of the six years we’ve been here are reducing the amount of time the horses can ever be on grass. But most of ours are seniors, and two with PPID so… 🤷🏼‍♀️. Turns out they are loving the tracks far more than I imagined. Spent my life assuming only huge grass pastures was “horse heaven” but I no longer feel that way (unless in a more desert climate… I live where grass is EVERYWHERE. This farm had not an inch of dry lot when we bought it 🙄. I was an idiot).

@jessmelgey4531

13 күн бұрын

@@KathySierraVideo we've all been idiots with these poor animals at one time or another😆. I'm lucky to live in the high desert but spring is still brutal. and I have dreams of track life for them. [also by the way, I've followed your awesome Instagram account for a long time - very cool to see you replying to me here :)]

Yes!! Can everyone plz share this?! I cringe every time I see handlers pulling & jerking on their horses head. That’s so disrespectful to the horse AND painful. Thank you WS!

Good idea 💡

I'm really glad you posted this, it's one of my biggest struggles with my horses, I figured it's a me problem because all of my horses act like they haven't eaten in a year when I take them out, I really need to get myself a flag so I don't have to be flailing a whip or a rope to get their attention. My only question is, every time you stop, the horse goes for grass immediately, how would you teach them to stop and then let their head go down?

I wanted to see her try to put it into practice. Other than that, awesome. I wonder if I can apply this to my dog.

So helpful. Thank you!

Sooo good!

Helpful --thank you.

Does anybody know what the flowchart is. I can't afford a subscription, but Warwick is my go to for horse training. I have to find my information on youtube...

@WarwickSchiller

17 күн бұрын

Having the flowchart and not knowing how each of the exercises within the flowchart work would probably only lead to confusion for both you and the horse. I'd sign up for the free-trial and study intensely and then cancel if you can't afford at the moment. W

@RYAN-gz5sx

12 күн бұрын

That's so kind.

Haflingers don't pause very often when it comes to eating 😂

This is great. But what does one do when you want the horse to stand still on grass and not keep trying to get its head down to eat?

This is a great example of how when training is done right, it should look like absolutely nothing is happening. No huge overreactions because you pushed them too far, no human temper tantrums, nothing drastic and flashy: instead just peaceful teaching and learning at the horse's pace. No matter if you're halter training or top of your sport, if the first time you do something it doesn't look like the hundredth time that horse has done it, you've gone too fast for their understanding

Great video IF the horse is generally allowed to eat grass... Otherwise (obese ponies with high laminitis risk or actual laminitis), one has to go into the power struggle... As I had to do with my own haflinger mare, but I did it the nicest way possible and it did not hurt our relationship... She simply knows: whenever the halter is on, she is only allowed to eat anything fillowing a signal...❤

"Don't have a lot of energy and intention that doesn't mean anything". This is profound and as important (and difficult) in parenting as it is in relating to nonhuman animals, I think. Because between humans I think it is harder to know how and why we are doing anything at any given moment (that's why we have psychotherapy 🤣). But I also think this is why being with animals makes me better at being with people, it teaches me to pay attention to what I'm doing and why.

Awesome! No yanking.

❤

My Clydie cross will do anything for food but this is pretty much what I have always done with him and he will even come off with me at a trot. The trouble I have is tying him up. He knows his strength, will pull back, snap off and go to grass etc. If he’s hard tied he knows it and won’t pull back but I don’t like to do that and would never hard tie to the float. It makes it tricky if I take him anywhere as I end up having to have him in hand the whole time. 🙃

He constantly wants grass. He probably has some kind of mineral or vitamin deficiency… Horses graze all day long, that’s what they do. I also have a Haflinger. & she’s pushy, very pushy mare.😊 I don’t let her get away with it, but she does get to go out to pasture daily, with her best friend to graze. 💜💜 Cheers🎉

❤ soo glad to see this type of training in building instead of human dominance. Side step. Standalee horse products r promoting the abusive horse trainer clinton anderson. There is vid after vid of him being aggressive w horses including beating a blind horse. Lets remove this abuse by boycotting these trainers and products that promite him. Please!! Janice

As a subscriber I’ve seen the videos in the library, but then it’s intention 2, 3, energy up 2, 3, point/feel 2,3, and then the flag from a distance to closer (I always here you counting in my head😂). Which is different than when I follow the flowchart like you’re doing now. When do you choose to use the 3 seconds steps and when to follow the flowchart?

Haflingers have a magnetic attraction to grass (or food). Sadly grass causes them health problems that causes us to prevents them from eating as much as they would love to.The Hafi in this video could easily be my guy. Haflingers are wonderful ponies and extremely smart.

Tried this while hacking today, but replaced the flag with a clicker and treats👍 In the middle of the ride I could even remove the halter and ride in a neckrope alone

Hope your pupil was able to put that into practice.

Slight tangent, but what do people think about allowing horses to swing their head to get flies on their belly/flank WHILE being lead? I feel bad holding the lead rope in tension and keeping them from doing it (knowing some gadfly or other is biting on em), but it also comes off as disrespectful and certainly tugs on my hold a good deal.

@SyzygyFarm1

16 күн бұрын

I don't see it as disrespectful. I let mine get flies off themselves as much as they need and they don't take advantage of this to try to get away with bad behaviors -- they know what's acceptable and what's not. If I'm paying attention to them I can usually see/feel the head swing coming and not get my arm yanked out of its socket. I don't reprimand fly-related stomping/head tossing in the ties, either; I just apply fly spray where they need it. I know some people punish itchy legs/noses under saddle, too, but I don't see the point. Nothing we're doing is so time-sensitive and important that my horse needs to tolerate biting bugs. As long as they get back to work once they're done scratching then I'm happy.

@stellangios

16 күн бұрын

Having been bit by flies myself I don't take it as disrespectful. An itch/bite feeling is the most uncomfortable sensation. I take it as a cue to help out or get out the way

@jupitersecIipse

16 күн бұрын

That is not at all disrespectful. Imagine being tickled/bit by an insect but someone’s holding your arms so you can’t do anything about it … Wouldn’t be so great would it? It’s true that it can be a bit annoying during summertime when they have to scratch themselves every few step, but being bitten by these nasty things is even more annoying. Don’t be too hard on your horse :)

@terryst9835

15 күн бұрын

If you look at how softly Warwick is 'holding' the lead rope, when the horse goes for the grass and Warwick is letting him, the rope just slides through his hand. The horse doesn't hit the end of the rope, like he was with his owner. There is no block. So if your horse needs to swing his head to get a fly, your hand should just let him, and there should be no 'tug on your hold.' Does that make sense? Same if you were riding and your horse needed to stretch his head down. Rather than have them get bumped in the mouth, you just let the reins go and pick up contact again after.

@horsymandias-ur

15 күн бұрын

@@terryst9835 I do hold the lead rope in precisely that way- and my filly more or less takes advantage of the extra lead and will use the space acquired to meander, try and eat grass/trees, go on the other side of me, lag behind etc. when otherwise she would be much more attentive. Not an argument but the way I feel is that it’s a little irresponsible of me to consistently create contexts where the wrong thing becomes easy

What if you’re riding and eats grass?

@RYAN-gz5sx

12 күн бұрын

Then you do the same thing

Yes just like with humans, if you never let yourself eat cake and then find yourself at an all you can eat buffet of cake, its going to take a lot to just walk by it the whole time without eating any😅

I’ve actually unconsciously been doing that. However I get some situations where we both get frustrated. My Mare is 3 and not yet started under saddle, so we go for walks, here in German we have very lush grass and especially now in spring when they had very little during winter because of snow and low temperatures (I live in the German alps) she obviously can’t get enough of the fresh grass. So although she reacts and then I walk with an intention and she perfectly reacts to a no and I always let her eat after maybe 2min walking at least. In between when I say no she sometimes gets sooo frustrated that she actually starts to rear because she doesn’t find away to get rid of her energy as I don’t pull on the leadrope… so am I just not letting her eat enough? However if I let her eat enough I think we will only make it about 5m from our stables… I do let her eat at the start and wait till she picks up her head a little before I go and repeat as soon as she puts her head down. But the maximum I get with her is probably 2m which I sorta understand with the new grass. She is a little better when we go out with a second horse as she will follow her, but on our own it’s very frustrating

My boy take forever and hardly pause. He so greedy