Yes, it's just a neckrope, but "cordeo" sounds cooler...

One piece of tack I mention many times is the “cordeo,” or the neck rope. There are many kinds of neckropes, each with its own pros and cons. I will go over a few here.

Here you can see my cordeo -- a round braided Western rein.

Stiff Circlet (like the Tellington Jones neckrope)

Circlets work well for the basics of neck reining a bridleless horse and providing some more support when used in conjunction with the reins, but I find them hard to give precise aids with. The stiff cord simply cuts out a lot of small turns and adjustments with the fingers and wrists.


Strap (dog leash, stirrup leather)

A dog leash was my first cordeo! It actually worked quite well, other than being too short. The thin nylon also didn’t give the best feel. You can even get some nice leather leashes. However, a similar cordeo can be made beautifully (and the leather even tooled) from a stirrup leather. That is a wonderful option, as it allows you to adjust it simply by using the buckle along the holes.

Narrow rope (Parelli Savvy String)

I see this used a lot, but unfortunately, it seems to cause some problems, unless it is a very small horse. The string is quite short and causes the rider to have to lean forward, versus being able to sit back and hold one side in each hand like reins, with the cordeo still hooked in a circle.

Thick rope (part of a lead)

This is nice and accessible for most, but it can be hard to get a regular 8’ lead rope to keep a circle when hooked onto itself. Plus, the thickness can cut a bit of communication as it covers so much “square inchage” on the horse’s neck. However, it is great for having a cordeo without having to pay anything!


Western round braided rein

This is my personal favorite. Not only does it look beautiful, but it is easy to tie a knot in, in case you want to attach a line to the cordeo yet don’t want it to slide down. It gives a nice feel, as it is leather, with enough flexibility to give different aids. Plus, it is usually long enough for most sizes of horses. I have really appreciated mine!

Aug 11, 2010 - addressing dominance issues

Another much improved session. It began with more quiet sharing space, some eye contact, petting, etc, and she was calm and focused.

I started seeing if she would play more, running down hills and so on. She started to do it! She would run down the hill and then circle around me (which is huge – usually she just keeps running) and did that multiple times. So that was great!

However, her crabby face was getting worse, as was the tail swishing. She was also starting to sling her head when I asked for more speed. I know not everyone will agree with me on this, but I decided to treat this as dominance. I have tried to be more subtle, etc, in the past, and felt I needed to try a new path to deal with this very reoccurring behavior.

Here's a nice expression from her.

I got treats, and basically, with the foundation of focus/eye contact/connection we already had, if I asked her as nicely as possible to move/speed up and she swished her tail, put her ears back, or slung her head around, I would drive her off more quickly until her body language changed and softened, at which point I would immediately stop, turn away, etc. Almost every time she would stop right away as well (going back to eye contact, she knew what I was doing all the time, including when I was not pushing her), and much of the time, would turn and look at me with an ears-up cheerful expression. If she did that, I would verbally praise her and walk up and give her a handful of grain (provided she kept the happy face. If she didn’t, I’d play a bit on the spot – having her back up then come forward, etc – and if it persisted or got worse, I’d drive her off again).

I was very happy with the results. By the end, she was walking up to me voluntarily with both ears up, and could trot around me stretching in a circle with a good expression, then stop, turn in, and get her treats with ears up. It is also interesting how connected very free/forward movement is with her expression.

Aug 10, 2010 - more on Parelli-type motivation

I wasn’t sure what this day would bring, but realized before that there is really NO pressure at all right now, with expos/photo shoots/etc in the future (October or so). So I just want to take all the pressure off for a while and get us back to being happy with each other again.

I went out there with no tack and hung out with the herd a bit, petting/moving a few horses as needed. She came up after a few minutes and began a really nice time together.


Motivating her in a non-Parelli Parelli way ;)

Parelli talks about safety/comfort/play/food as being the primary motivators for a horse, and I used a lot of that today, though in a way pretty different from Parelli.

For safety, I was ultra committed to “protecting” her today. She gets pushed around a lot in the herd, so my job today was to keep all the other horses away from her. She seemed to understand what I was doing and her connection then increased.

For comfort, I would endotap for relaxation and posture when possible. She became physically more comfortable/balanced, I believe.

For play, towards the end of the session, I started having her run down the hills with me. I know her high life and energy is in there – in her natural interactions (or when she doesn’t want to be with me…) high energy is right there and she’ll happily canter across half the pasture at a moment’s notice. But when she’s near me, she quickly can fall into that sullen/stuck mental/emotional state. So right off the bat, we started playing with RUNNING down hills together. At first she did some dominant head slinging/tail swishing which I sort of mimicked in kind (being a little more dominant than her) and soon that stopped and she seemed to get happier.

Food was tough because she’s a little picky, but I would bring her to some grass patches and pick clover out for her to eat.


Focus with calmness

Between the Chris Irwin don’t-turn-your-hindquarters and Carolyn Resnick’s eye contact ritual, her focus was tremendous. It was really remarkable. She was keeping an eye on me all the time, and without even thinking would turn her hindquarters to keep a better eye on me as I would wander around. Even when the whole herd took off once or twice, she’d still stop to look back on me and knew where I was. If she did get me in her blind spot, I would try not to make her feel bad, just bring her attention to it by clapping my hands a bit or touching her hindquarters if I was near enough.

Her turning to keep an eye on me was what was able to lead to some circling at liberty and companion walking, as it was natural for her to walk forward after that.

I still emphasize her looking at me with two eyes, and if she does, I’ll stop, verbally praise, back up, go back to my original spot, “bow” to her (bend my body over), etc.

While there was some crabby face today, she also gave me a lot of ears up, eyes on, interested expressions too, which was cool.

Aug 9, 2010 - Chris Irwin principles in pasture

It was a good eye-opening day. I was going to bring her to the arena, but ended up starting a bit of work in her pasture, and then it turned into that the whole time. I was playing with variations on leading from behind, using some of the Chris Irwin principles, but apparently it being close to 9000 degrees outside didn’t bother her, and she would happily gallop halfway across the pasture away from me, over and over. Guess it was clear what she thought of my presentation.

Yeah, well, THIS isn’t working…

She was much more aware of her eye contact/turning her hindquarters, but without any fences she would just blast off at the tiniest thing. I was trying to be careful, letting her run off and waiting until she stopped, etc, but it was pretty close to being a disaster. ;) Not to mention a 40 acre field somehow becomes exponentially larger the hotter it is outside… and it was hot!

Let’s change, shall we?

I think we narrowly avoided some jaws...

So after a while of that, I was sure going to change tactics. Clearly it was a dumb idea to keep going with that. So I chucked my rope over the fence, gave her a few minutes, and then just wandered up to where she was grazing with a few other horses. I really worked to keep my intent off her. I’d wander, very quietly move or pet the other horses, just be totally quiet. I’d very gently and very quietly move her a few steps here or there, but never went up to her. That would have to be her choice.

She was infinitely more calm and didn’t run off. Soon she started coming up to me and then I started petting her and trying to make her feel more comfortable through some endotapping, both for relaxation in general as well as better posture (relaxing the “bad” muscles on her underneck, etc.). She was tight in her back and hindquarters (as normal, nothing new) and didn’t really respond at all visibly to relaxing those muscles, like she can do in her neck. She would lift her back a little if I scratched her belly, though.

Petting, Stroking, Patting... and Tapping?

Today’s article is less of an article and more of an observation of a new influence in my training – endotapping. Endotapping is a technique developed by J.P. Giacomini (www.equus-academy.com and www.baroquefarmsusa.com), involving tapping of the horse rhymthically, usually with a rubber ball on the end of a whip, but also potentially with your hands, the handle of a whip, or anything else relatively firm yet will not sting.

Picture of an endostick, taken from www.equus-academy.com

You usually begin by tapping a large muscle group until the horse drops his head, at which point you stop tapping. Once the horse regularly drops his head no matter where you tap him on his body, you start tapping for relaxation – now you don’t stop tapping until the horse shows other signs of relaxation (blowing, blinking, etc.). Eventually you can move to tapping in movement, increasing collection, extension, improving posture, and more.

I have not gotten to that third stage yet but have been doing a lot of playing with the first two stages. It truly helped me get to one of the biggest breakthroughs I’ve had with Maia.

I have always been concerned about safety bridleless, especially with how to calm a frightened horse down. I was first turned on to endotapping by this very experience – after only a few minutes of endotapping (the first time I’d done it when riding), we were walking and she did a big spook at a car which suddenly appeared, and I remarkably had the presence of mind to give her some good taps on her neck and she almost immediately stopped and dropped her head! It was much more solid than any other emergency cue I’ve tried.

Further, endotapping seems to allow her to love being in a stretching posture without my training it through the clicker or treats. The latter seems to “snap her out of it” quite a bit and she has had more trouble taking the soft, stretching position just because it feels good, not because she wants a treat. With endotapping, however, she is even changing her posture at liberty voluntarily as she learns how good it feels.

What I love about this way of helping her find stretch and balance, and/or calmness, is that through it I have a calm down reflex available, versus just a calm down cue that she may or may not remember. ;) And the reflex isn’t based on a certain body part (touching her neck), piece of tack (bit/halter cue), movement (yielding on a circle), etc, all of which I’ve tried. Further, it seems that she could layer it on other cues without confusion (like with backing). I could even escalate the tapping if needed (if she was getting more spooked by something and tuning out small taps) without her feeling offended, because the escalation brought about more relaxation.

Finally, she transferred the endotapping to tack: I started “endotapping” with the neck rope that I usually ride her in. I would hold it on the top and use it to tap the bottom part of her neck to relax her lower neck muscles. In just a few sessions she started really responding and now is consistently getting a much better frame when riding.

Even if you don’t have an endostick, I encourage you to use your hands or a rubber whip handle and just give it a try. It may be the tool you are looking for!

Aug 8, 2010 - Chris Irwin principles, very cool

I’ve been out of town as well as quite busy, but finally got out there today. She wasn’t too far from the gate, so I just stood there until she came over (about 10 minutes). She looked at me the entire time with a happy expression, but I think she just kept expecting me to come to her. ;)

Chris Irwin Liberty Principles

I watched a fantastic Chris Irwin DVD called “The Round Pen Redefined.” I’m starting to like Chris Irwin a lot – his ability to interpret and influence body language with a dressage-like finesse is fascinating. (I just can never get over his name, however, for it always reminds me of that Crocodile Hunter guy – what was his name? Steve Irwin? Maybe they’re related. Probably not.)

Oops, wrong guy.

Anyway, he had tons of good stuff in there, but the three things he emphasized the most is

1. The horse should not turn his hindquarters to you
2. The horse should not counterbend away from you
3. Absolutely at all costs avoid pointing your core/pushing your focus/driving at the horse’s head or anywhere around his head

He was nice and quiet and didn’t drive the horse, but if the horse turned his hindquarters to him (in an outside turn) (whether the horse just did it, or he was asking for an inside turn, etc) depending on how “rude” the horse was about it (as he put it), he would cast his whip lash at the horse. Not drive him, not be aggressive, just, “whoosh.” And let the horse keep going. If the horse was really “rude,” he might swing the whip in a circle once or twice, to simulate the assertive horse slinging his head around.

For the counterbend, he was saying this is a safety, focus, and leadership issue. Safety being, the horse will usually run through his outside shoulder, so if he’s counterbent and spooks, he’ll jump into you. Also, if he’s counterbent, he’s choosing to look at things other than you, even though he should be able to see those things fine in his peripheral vision without turning his head like he is. So both of those are seen as leadership issues – the former in that he’s saying “I’ll run over you if I’m scared,” and the later saying, “You’re not important enough to keep an eye on.”

Neither of those things the horse is saying are “bad,” it’s just that perhaps you haven’t shown the horse you are trustworthy yet. It is very reasonable behavior for a horse who is taking a lot of leadership.

Okay, so that’s all the Chris Irwin stuff.

Applying Chris Irwin Liberty Principles – on the rail

Okay, so I decided to play with this. I had Maia in the small indoor – way bigger than a round pen, but not so big she could gallop around forever and ever. I just had her start to go, and applied all the Chris Irwin stuff.

If she turned her hindquarters, I cast the whip or twirled it. I tried to keep her on the rail (versus cutting all the time), only focusing on half of the arena at a time both so that she wouldn’t feel picked on and also because I could only monitor half at a time because of the size. If she counterbent, I’d slowly toss the lash at her shoulder/hindquarters as needed to get more bend (she would often stretch as she got straight or bent around me). I started having her do a lot of direction changes to the inside.

She was very energetic and did a fast trot/canter most of the time. She tried to spin to the outside a LOT at the beginning, many times. However, as the session progressed, she did it less and less, until finally a few times even when I screwed up and she felt pressured, she would do a quick spin to the INSIDE to change directions instead of slamming to the outside. And inside turns have always been so difficult for us!

All those turns to the inside seemed to create such a mental change in her. It was like she naturally connected with me. She would start coming in on her own, giving me two eyes, following me around, etc, without my even asking. There was also not the tinest bit of Crabby Face, not even for a millisecond the whole session, and I think she only swished her tail once when I kind of poked at her side (probably my fault…).

Applying Chris Irwin Liberty Principles – liberty leading

It was so cool how her liberty leading transformed! As she realized that she shouldn’t turn her hindquarters into me, she led up, turned, and followed me so much better. I could ask her to increase her speed (trot) or turn sharper without her leaving, even though I hadn’t “worked” on liberty leading, but on not turning her hindquarters to me. Or if she did drift away, it was quite easy to get her back, because her focus and bend was all there. It was like she had access to her hindquarters more.


Applying Chris Irwin Counterbend Principles – standing/leading

Although I was consistent about the not turning the hindquarters bit, it was tougher to be 100% aware of her bend when I was just standing with her. However, as I got more focused, she did too, and would stand focused and quite calm without her usually gaping all around at the scenery.

I decided to try this as I led her back through the barn, which usually elicits a great deal of gawking and stiffness and high headedness on her part. I was just super consistent about asking for bend, and if she didn’t give it, turning away and casting my rope at her hindquarters, just like in the liberty work. Instead of jumping ahead, she’d usually turn toward me and bend, and we’d proceed.

I ended up going all through the barn out the other side, which is a place of scariness and of course usually necessitates from her much craning of the head and staring and astonishment. ;) However, with the emphasis on bend, she was focused and soft, even doing some lateral and a bit of roundness. Quite nice!

So I’m quite interested to keep pursuing this. I think it will help her posture, too.

Aug 1, 2010 - on being a sloth

Watching the videos from our last session, I realized I’m often moving way too quickly – literally walking too fast and doing movements and gaits too fast. So today I did everything like I was absolutely 300 years old. It started in leading from behind in the pasture. She originally thought she’d kind of zip off, but soon got intrigued that I was walking soooooo slowly. It wasn’t just walking slowly, it was like my whole energy was negative, like I was really sick or about to faint or something. She got much slower and more focused then.

When I put on the neck rope, I continued. No matter what she did, I was on the verge of collapse. ;) After some time, she started mimicking me and also walked at about 0.0001 miles an hour. ;) We finally got out to the new outdoor arena, which was of course spooky, but I made a point of leading her around it in this new geriatric manner, and she calmed down. I guess it’s hard to feel like escaping when you’re walking so slowly a sedated sloth could run you down…

"I am coming for you....."

I let her loose and just shared space a while (being rather unmotivated and needing to study my acting lines), then led her out and around more scary things in our The Cripple and Her Horse Go For a walk manner, and she calmed down tremendously.

It was also interesting for my focus, because when I was so incredibly low energy, I had no extra driving focus at all to go towards her. So if she spooked, I barely dealt with it, I just kept plodding over to the scary thing to touch it myself. And she seemed to like that.

The Gift of a Glimpse

Hope for the Spirit

  For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb. 

  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well. 

~Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)

I love the diversity God has created in horses. We used to own Tennessee Walkers, and just yesterday I was at a Walking Horse show. What I think is so beautiful, is that Walking Horse foals can start gaiting the day they are born. It was so cute to see our own Walking Horse foal gaiting by her mother’s side

It is the same with God. He creates natural characteristics in us, natural talents we also have from birth. It reminds me of those fantasy stories where the heroine is given a special Gift which allows her to interact with her world in a unique and incredible way. I think we each have been given such a Gift, a place where God has shown us a little clearer the way He originally created the world, in a perfect state. Some have gifts in horses, finding the incredible relationship between humans and horses; others have it in music, masterpieces flowing from them naturally; others have it in design, or mechanical work, or linguistics. 

Many people might think their Gift is just chance, or a mere interest, or perhaps a new step in humans’ development. However, deep down, we know it is deeper than that. I think anyone who has had a burning passion for their Gift knows that. It is something that touches your soul.

The one thing that can truly touch your soul is God. Your Gift is His gift – the gift of a glimpse into His perfection and of the beauty inherent in His world.

Hope for the Horsemanship

This woman has some of the most amazing multi-horse liberty horsemanship I have seen!

Video: Liberty Horse Training with Michelle Dennis

Website: Firehorse Inspirations