What is a Cheat?

Let’s talk about Cheats:  I use this term a lot in the horse world. Synonyms of cheat are to defraud, to take advantage of, con, trick, swindle or deceive. So when I use this term to refer to different things people use on horses, people get offended or insulted. This is not a personal issue.  Most any cheat can be an effective aid if used in moderation with a good thinking horseperson, with the goal being to use it short term.  I will list a few cheats that I see used too often with horses; A stud chain, a whip, a martingale, draw reins, spurs, tie downs, bits, pain and fear.  Hold on, I know many are thinking, wait a minute, I use some of these and “I am not a cheater.”  Remember what I said earlier about moderation and thinking.  There are many other cheats in horse training and after reading this you may identify others that you did not see as a cheat before.

Let me discuss why I think a cheat is a cheat.  A stud chain causes pain; it is designed and used so it can cause pain to get compliance.  Can it be used and not cause pain, yes, but if it is available, the likelihood it will be used for pain is there.  If it was not available, then it would not be used for pain and you have to learn how to get what you want without pain.  So I hear all the time, “I don’t use it, he just knows it is there” or “If he listens then he does not get it used on him (pain)”.  Both these statements are cheats.  What is really being said is I don’t know any other way to control my horse so I use what is easy, fast and works.  The easy way is rarely the right way.  The right way normally takes more time and more effort.  So by taking the easy way, you cheat. We all do it, I have done it and still do it sometime, but it needs to be the exception and not the rule.  When you cheat, you cheat your horse and you cheat yourself.  I can take most any horse being led around on a stud chain and lead the horse better and with more control with a simple rope halter, in less than ten minutes. Not because I am special or have magical power, but because I understand horses, I know if I was a horse what I would want, I know that if I take a little more time, I get a better final product.

When you only use cheats or over use them, I think you take something from the horse.  You change the horse in a way that you never get back.  You change the very being and steal some of his soul.  Who would want a horse that will not move unless told, will not think on his own, has no personality, will not react to anything and is basically a mindless robot that you sit on and bark off commands?  It seems too many people are always chasing this type of horse.

Most problems with horses (really people) come down to time, being in a hurry and lack of knowledge.  If people just slowed down, took the time it takes, it would take less time.  The slow way is the fast way with horses.  Most cheats are used for faster and easier results.  So you may think it helps in the short term, but overtime, cheats become less and less effective.  Not only do people start relying on them, but horses start relying on them.  Ever see a horse that has always had a tie down, if you take it off, the horse is almost lost and fearful.  Most cheats do not improve your relationship with your horse, it normally damages it.  So overtime when cheats stop working, they are normally used more and with more effort, since people have become dependant on them.  The more you use a cheat the less effective it becomes.  You can desensitize a horse to just about anything.  If I slap a horse in the face every time I see him, sooner or later he will expect this, know it is going to happen and will stop trying to prevent it.  So if you constantly correct a horse with a stud chain or a bit, sooner or later your horse will expect it and ignore it.  Or at some point he may decide enough is enough and hurt you.  “Hard hands make hard horses.”

I think if people are more aware of cheats and the cheats they use, they will be less likely to over use them and will be thinking of ways to get the same results without the cheat, getting more from your horse with less.  For example, if I can get a horse to lead well with a rope halter, then I can try and get him to lead well with just a rope around his neck.  Once he is good at that, then I can try and get him to lead with just a piece of hay string around his neck and once he is good at that, then I can get him to lead with nothing.  By looking at most horse training this way you are always working your horsemanship (horsewomanship) and you are constantly improving.  If you take care of your horsemanship, your horsemanship will take care of you.  When you improve yourself, your horse improves.  When you and your horse understand each other your partnership grows and everything you do with your horse seems effortless and like a dance.  You would never find beauty in a dancer, if a whip was used to make the dancer dance.

Know your cheats, use them sparingly and always try to stop using them, so you don’t have to depend on them.