I recently started some nh with my younger horse, Patches, but things aren't going as smoothly.  He won't look at me with both of his eyes - he peeks from the corner of his eye with his ears back, acting tense.  Is he scared or stubborn?  I've been trying to do a lot of the friendly game, sacking out, etc, but he doesn't like touch.  He will back up, disengage his hindquarters, and play the squeeze game.  I'm afraid he is doing this out of fear though. 

What should I do?  Is he looking at me with one eye because he feels scared?  Threatened?  What should I do to correct this behavior?

Don't let your past, society, or the people around you dictate who you become... 

Society does not need more children; but it does need more loved children. Quite literally, we cannot afford unloved children - but we pay heavily for them every day. There should not be the slightest communal concern when a woman elects to destroy the life of her thousandth-of-an-ounce embryo. But all society should rise up in alarm when it hears that a baby that is not wanted is about to be born. ~Garrett Hardin

I'd love to hear the answer to this.

I don't understand what you are trying to say here?

 I am not a follower, but I understand it. If you know what you are doing, it works successfully with even the most dangerous horses. I have seen it with my own eyes multiple times. Do you Misfit Style even properly understand the Parelli system to use it correctly?? Or are you too ignorent to your horse's emotion and way of thinking, reacting etc. to bother with "Alternative" training, or atleast use the "Natural" way of thinking to understand how and why your horse may do different things(spook, buck, dominant etc) and how to react to those things properly to ensure you and your horse are content wether you use Traditional or Alternative/Natural training methods?

Did what I said to make sense to anyone but me??

Don't let your past, society, or the people around you dictate who you become... 

English Cowboy......you really need to go read Misfit Style's many posts and you MAY figure out that MS DOES use nh methods.   The REAL ones from Xenophon and the classical riders, prior to gimmicks and toys meant to make the human feel like they are really doing something while lining the gimmick-creator's pockets.  Misfit Style is more of a natural horseperson than most "nh" promoters are.

And Misfit is right.   Parelli won't work on this horse.....at least not yet.   This horse has issues....as in past traumas....that will not ALLOW the horse to respond the way "most" horses will respond to the games.  And this is what MS meant by saying that "if you do A, the horse will do B".   It don't work.....not for Parelli, not for Roberts, not for Anderson or any of the other "step-by-step" training methods that are out there.   Oh, yeah, they (the big guns) could probably surmount it, but it will never be a "Fix" until the trauma is dealt with.

And looking with both eyes?????  Um, they can only do that if you are standing about 6 feet in front of them.....they can't possibly focus both eyes if you are standing real close...it is physically/anatomically impossible.  And for them, looking at you via both eyes is like looking through binoculars that are not evened up.....so it's hard and rather disconcerting to them.  He may have eyesight problems, or he may just want to see you better (as in "what's she up to?")

So OP....your first step is to try to find out what is causing this behavior.  What happened to this horse that makes him this "concerned".  Example.....we just bought a filly who did something of the same thing.....as soon as you got past her shoulder, she would begin to side-step so her shoulder was even with you.....she would not allow you to walk to her back side without pinning her ears and tensing.  She would walk backward into the wall trying to prevent you from getting there.   And pick up her back feet?  HA!  You couldn't get near them.  Touch her haunches?  Watch out.  Front feet.....fine.  Back feet, you gotta be kidding.  Best guess.....well, she was shod when we got her as a weanling.  Obviously it did not go well (later confirmed by the previous owner).  A little detective work can go a long way to showing the way to the fix.  In our case, it was simply a matter of "desensitizing" her.....to let her know that every time someone went toward her back end it wasn't going to hurt or be unpleasant at all.  I used a $10 cattle cane (I call it my pokey stick) and rubbed it all over her and, eventually, not right away.....she learned that she really DIDN'T have to kick at it, it wasn't going to grab her or pull at her or hurt her.  Then I used my hand (that made her nervous for awhile) and finally we were able to get to her feet.   She still doesn't like it, but she can tolerate it.   It took about 2 months of sessions (1 a day) to get there, but I was in no hurry.  She didn't like the stocks (a place where drafts get shod that can hold them up better than a person can) for the same reason......and now she goes in them and trailers no problem.

I can't say this will work for you.   There may be other issues that complicate it.....mine was relatively simple.  The main thing is.....this horse has issues that will not allow it to just "fall in line" with ANY training program.   This is the kind of horse that a trainer is going to have to work with to FIND OUT what will work with/for him.  Forget Parelli or any of the present "gurus" out there right now.   You need to go way back to the basics of horse and human to get past his issue.

My blog:  www.horselistening.blogspot.com

It didn't take 1 day to create.....it won't take 1 day to fix.

i am really fed up with the lack of respect on the forum in some places... its acceptable to disagree, but it is not acceptable to jump down someones throat about their methods. just because you bad mouth their trainer dosent mean they are going to get to your side, so it might even be a waste of time. i did not say anyone posting here is doing that... its just what i see through out. please note i do not believe in parelli. im not going to bash him here, or anywere. im going to spend my time on more constructive things.

Lacys Corona
1998 14.3 APHA

I am not a Parelli professional though, just a beginning student, so email Parelli or someone if you don't think this will work!

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Reining: Spinning, Running and Sliding Into Fun!

Thank You! i totally agree with this! we r all horse people that want 2 support each other and our horses! People should just say their opinions, but not argue meanly! just do like, debating. So, just be nice people. Parelli methods arent always correct. just like every method, it doesnt work for every individual horse, my mare responded best to Monty Robert's and Clinton Anderson's tecniques. anyway, good luck!

Canny11
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for we have not deserved it.
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