Thinking Like A Horse
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It's an image painted in western lore–the bronco-buster astride a wild, bucking steed. That's the popular media's version of breaking a horse, not Bob Hooker's. "I want him to watch me." Hooker, halter in hand, slowly circles a wary young stallion in a pen at Redlands Community College's Equine Center in El Reno. He changes direction, and the horse does likewise. "See, to bring his head around, he has to pick up the front end to move the back, and he ends up following me. Each animal has its own space, and he has to allow me into his." Hooker approaches the horse, and in slow motion, reaches out, gently touching his face. They are connected, human and animal, thinking in concert, but Hooker is the conductor. He assumes that role because he claims to know what the other is thinking. Which begs the question, does a horse actually think? Hooker's smile crawls out from under the shadow of his cowboy hat. "His reasoning ability isn't real high, but he has a great memory." And the youngster, never having worn a halter or carried a human cargo, is putting two and two together. He's figuring out Hooker is someone he can trust, that cooperating with this two-legged creature is better than the alternative–flight or fight. "I'm the predator here," he says, resuming his circling. "That's how the horse sees me. Any animal with eyes in front is a predator. Any animal with eyes on the side is prey. So when I approach a horse that's never been touched, his basic response is to run away. As long as he's in this circle, he can run all he wants." What Hooker doesn't want, is to box him in. "If he gets into a place where he can't run, his only option is to fight. He's going to kick, bite, run over you, whatever it takes to get away. Understanding his behavior keeps you out of trouble." Hooker, 56, explains this in a calm, soothing, matter of fact voice, probably acquired from a lifetime of learning to communicate with animals. Raised on a Texas horse farm, he went to work for a veterinarian and started riding horses for another farm when barely a teen. And he showed horses in competition. In one capacity or another, he was around them seven days a week. While at Texas Tech University, he trained roping horses for still another farm, including an American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) world champion. "Well, it wasn't just me," he modestly admits. "There was the owner." He grins and grabs his belt. "But I've got the championship buckle." He's a past president of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association and has been national director of the AQHA (the world's largest breed registry), still serving on the research committee. His resume includes the role of steward at several horse shows. He's still training livestock dogs. All this on top of 14 years at Redlands, as coordinator of the equine program. Students come from all over the country to attend the two-year program, and it's not all ropin' and ridin'. There are classes in equine science, evaluation and judging, anatomy and physiology, care and training, nutrition and health, grooming and showing, among others. The end result is an associate degree in applied science. "We emphasize hands-on experience," says Hooker. "Many students come here, knowing they need to go to college but not knowing what they want to do. They just know they love horses. Some want to get in and get out as quickly as possible and go to work in the horse industry. But we encourage them to think about going on for a higher degree in equine science or agriculture. "We want them to realize there are many possibilities. And Oklahoma is a good place to do that. The horse industry is very large here, and our proximity to Oklahoma City helps, since it's the horse show capital of the world. Either way, students wanting to work in the industry can find jobs." He nods toward a large pen behind the stables where several young men and women are riding. "When they come into the program, we give them a yearling, and they'll stay with that horse while they're here. Some of these horses have never been touched or handled by a human. And some of the young people are just as inexperienced. They don't even know how to put a halter on. They'll learn together." The secret to success is building confidence in both. "Every time we walk in the pen, we're trying to build the horse's confidence in us. We want him to know, if he does what we ask him to do, he doesn't have to work so hard. It's easier to just stick with us. At the same time, we're working on the student." "A confident horse will excel in what you ask him to do. When a student gets the horse to respond and follow him, a bond starts developing. The student's confidence goes way up, and he begins to feel like he's at the top of the pecking order. Every animal has a pecking order. If you're not at the top, you can't teach the horse anything." The process is done in stages and with caution. "Keep in mind," he warns, "horses can be dangerous. They're wild, big and strong, but we've never had any serious injuries to horse or human." And it's done with gentle persuasion, never force. "You don't get there by being abusive. You get there through respect. I hate to disillusion those who think their horses love them. They don't. They respect them." It doesn't matter how many times Hooker circles. The young stallion keeps his eyes glued to him, until Hooker stops, this time rubbing him with the halter's lead rope. His method is similar to what he does with dogs, applying and relieving pressure. "The big question in training is why," he says. "Why does the horse or dog do this? If we approach the horse and he wants to leave, we let him. As the predator, we don't want to look him in the eye. So we'll drop our head down and turn away. Then we'll change direction. Our position–where we are in the circle–is telling the horse something. What we have to learn is how to communicate the right thing." Applying pressure is as simple as approaching the horse. If he leaves, he has to work harder. If he stands pat, that's a reward. That's followed by an approach and extended hand. The horse smells it, and the trainer walks away. Again, an approach, and the trainer rubs the neck and walks away. "Before long, the horse will follow, because he realizes the safest place to be is where you are," says Hooker. "He learns more from reward than punishment, and he's eliminated his work by following you." After that, the horse is introduced to the halter, becoming comfortable with the feel. "Once he's wearing it, we don't pull on it or try to make him do anything. We just ask him to go where we go." Along the way, the horse is growing used to handling in general–brushing, feeding, watering, having his hoofs trimmed. Next comes the saddle blanket, first rubbed against him, later placed on him. Then, he's ready for the big event. The saddle is shown to him and taken away. Then it's placed on him but not cinched. Once he accepts it, it's tightened. "That's a big step when you can get the saddle on and cinched up," says Hooker, leaving the stallion behind and climbing over the fence. "And it has to fit his time frame, not yours." From there, the next move is to step up in the stirrup. Once that's accomplished, the trainer takes a seat, but no riding yet. By now, a team works the horse, one in the saddle and another leading it around. "He's accepted the rider and the weight, but the rider hasn't asked him to do anything yet," says Hooker. "As we work the horse around, we're teaching him the English language. He's learning different speeds–what trot, lope and whoa means." It's an oral way of shifting gears, much like if you could simply tell your car to speed up or slow down. "You control it by having a transition upward and downward," he says. "Up is with a cluck (the best way I can describe that is it's the giddy-up sound cowboys make in TV westerns), and down is saying easy. Then he learns to turn left, right and to back up." Hooker bids farewell to his four-legged student as he heads for the stables. It's time to meet with the two-legged variety. But he's still teaching the reporter. "To initiate those maneuvers, again, it's applying pressure. And the instant he thinks about doing it, we relieve the pressure. If we do it as he thinks it, we can train him a lot faster. We have to catch mistakes before they happen. He'll give you an indication he's going to do something wrong. He hasn't done it yet, but he thought it. We correct him before he does it." Okay, he's getting beyond Thinking 101. But one lesson is learned. When it comes to the English language and all things equine, Hooker and horse are synonymous. Bob Hooker is the first person to warrant a second OK PetGazette feature. "The Shepherd's Dog," about herding dogs and his skill in training them, was only part of the story. This time, the talented teacher tells us how he trains horses and the people who ride them. And we caught him just in time. Since this writing, Hooker has retired from Redlands and is now a consultant with Evergreen Mills. Back to Archives |
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