Intelligent Horsemanship-Handling

Spent today with a trainer who deals with difficult and injured horses with Intelligent horsemanship which was developed by Monty Roberts who is better known as the Horse Whisperer.
We began with him telling me why, according to BHS (British Horse Society), we mount the horse from the near side as opposed to the offside. This is because the society was set up with army horses in mind and so, with the majority of soldiers being right handed, their swords would be on their left hip meaning that by mounting from the near side the sword will not get caught up in their legs. However he told me that this is not always the best side to mount a horse. For example it may have had a injury on its near side and so it is important that one can train a horse so that it can be mounted from both the near side or the offside (also often called the Indian side). The horse will then not see it as a threat or something against the ordinary when someone approaches from a different side.
One of the important points that Geoff teaches is not to lead at the shoulder, as effectively it is not you doing the leading but the horse, as its neck is in front of you meaning that you have less control.
I was then shown the lead rope that he uses. Where the majority of other horse owners use a 6 foot leading rope, he uses a 12 foot rope. This has many benefits which I was able to notice first hand when walking the horses.
If you are leading from the horses shoulder and something behind the horse spooks it, you have no time to react and the only option is to let go of the leading rope. However if you are a step or two in front of the horse and you can feel it making a move, on a longer leading rope, there is time to take a step aside and brace yourself for the rope going taught. The horses momentum will then turn it back towards you and you will still be in control. The step aside is important to ensure that as the horse comes past if it cow kicks out sideways it will not catch the legs.
Also on a longer leading rope, if the horse rears, the rope lengths can be released, allowing the horse to make the movement without pulling you under the front legs, which would occur with a shorter rope. When the horse is back in contact with the ground the rope can be recollected and the horse is back in the handlers control, allowing him to make the decisions.
Geoff then introduced me to the 'Dually' which is a head collar devised by Monty Roberts. He uses them for training purposes on difficult horses. When the head collar is on the bit across the nose sits much higher than a normal head collar and has a rope section which tightens. If the horse makes a sudden movement to run, this section will tighten, giving the horse a slight jolt. If the dually is fitted correctly with the rope section across the boney part of the nose, this will cause no pain.
Geoff then told me, when approaching a horse, to never give it direct eye contact as this is considered by the horse as threatening. Body language is also important and it is essential to have a relaxed posture and not to be tense, as the horse senses this fear which can put it on edge.
A horse which is relaxed will have upright ears, soft eyes and its head will be lowered slightly, whereas it is important to look out for the signs that a horse is aggressive or angry, before close contact is made. Examples of this are ears flat back, head held high, and, occasionally teeth are bared.
I was then shown the process of mirroring with regard to catching the horse to allow the head collar and lead rope to be attached. This involves not approaching the horse directly, but mirroring its moves and approaching gradually. Even if the horse starts to trot or canter away it is important not to run after it, as this will distress it. When one is close enough to the horse contact can be made by stroking with the back of the hand. Geoff told me that he never puts the head collar on immediately, instead gently stroking and then stepping away. This is repeated until the horse is open to the contact of the head collar, and prevents it from becoming stressed by urgency. He also told me that he never pats the horses that he works with, as many of them are unable to tell a pat from a aggressive slap.
After watching Geoff lead the horse it was my turn. He told me to keep slightly in front of the horse and to ensure that there was a smile in the rope, i.e a loop hanging down, which in theory should not go taught. I then practised leading from both sides, ensuring that my head was slightly bowed and I was aware of the horse in my peripheral vision, allowing me to act should the horse make a move. I then practised stopping with the horse, ensuring that it remained just behind my shoulder in a steady stance. If the horse did not stop behind my shoulder I was told to halt it and take it back a step to show that it that it was not the one making the decisions. When the horse performed a action well it was important to gently rub its nose between the eyes to reward it.
Next I was taught how to lift the leg to pick out the feet. The horses I was working with were trained to lift their foot off of the ground with a gentle touch on the back of the leg. The foot could then be supported whilst the mud was picked out. It is important to start from the top to the bottom of the hoove, being firm to remove the clumps of mud but being extremely careful to avoid the frog which is the area of the foot which cushions the foot as the horse moves, and so it is important that this area (a V shape from the open end of the U shaped hoove) is not picked out as this could cause serious damage to the horse.
Another thing I was told is that it is important that you as the handler are always in control. For example if the horse wanted to put its foot down when you still hadn't finished picking it out, the handler must support the foot and prevent the horse putting its foot down, thus showing that the handler is in full control. If this was not done the horse would come to learn that this was acceptable behaviour and it would become increasingly difficult to pick out feet, which would be a real problem, as it is a important job in the caring of a horse.
I was then introduced to a horse that has not been ridden for many years. Geoff is currently working to get her back to being ridden. He is having to ensure that the shoulders and back of the neck are regularly touched and that the belly is regularly rubbed to ensure that she will be comfortable with a saddle again. She is currently wearing a coat so that she gets used to a buckle like the girth touching her belly. He told me that it is a long process but really worth it when you can make a difference to the horses temperament or general behaviour.
He told me that the problems in 99% of the horses he deals with are as a result of humans-either from a lack of knowledge or maltreating them which is a real shame.
I now understand that the main reason for using the Intelligent Horsemanship method is to ensure the safety of the handler as well as the horse as brute force is not used at all. It will therefore be a useful skill to have with myself wishing to do veterinary as a basic knowledge of the principles of Intelligent Horsemanship, will I feel, allow me to work with the horses much more confidently and effectively.