How valuable is your voice as an aid?

[ash]

As the title says really.

Some trainers seem to frown on the use of the voice, and some sanction it completely.

Also why aren't you allowed to use your voice as a regular aid, in a dressage test for example?

[winnieandben]

I dont know the answer to the dressage test question but I do use my voice all the time with my animals, horses and dogs.

I always have done but have used it more with my current horse as she is very chatty  if you get what I mean she flicks her ears listening all the time and expresses herself very well.  I am much more quiet around my rescue oldie as he is a very sensitive horse but I still talk to him, cant help it!

[Yummymummy]

Mac is only 4 years old, he is very responsive to my voice, after using the voice is how we teach them to do everything isnt it?

He only canters when i say canter, he also understands all the other things I say, the obvious ones like walk trot and canter, stop, stand and back, but the other words you say, like wait, A!! (if he is being naughty) noooooooooo, he responds immediately, and listens to every word, I praise him a lot too  and if I say his name even when i am talking, both ears immediately flick back.

I suppose by the time you start to do dressage tests your horse should be trained enough to respond to your other aids, I would expect you use my voice less and less over time.

[Jo*]

I suppose by the time you start to do dressage tests your horse should be trained enough to respond to your other aids, I would expect you use my voice less and less over time.

But why?? Why is a leg aid more 'valuable' than a voice aid? I guess people could argue that one person's voice is very different to another person's, but from a horse's point of view I guess two different people's leg aids could be just as different from their voices... So why condemn the use of the voice so much???

[Mandeigh]

I  always use my voice....helps me  breathe...and I'm a chatter box on the ground too and love having conversations with my boys.

As I tend to lunge alot I also use the same commands when I am riding.

I have no idea why the voice is not permitted in dressage......another great mystery of the universe!

[Claire]

and don't forget, the other aids are international, whereas the voice depends on language ... i know one person in yorkshire bought a horse from poland - he didn't understand english - and she found him going faster when she'd used her voice to suggest slowing down..

[Jo*]

and don't forget, the other aids are international, whereas the voice depends on language ... i know one person in yorkshire bought a horse from poland - he didn't understand english - and she found him going faster when she'd used her voice to suggest slowing down..

Haha thats true! In poland you make a sort of sharp 'purr' if you want the horse to stop suddenly, where as I've heard the same noise used by English trainers to get the horse moving!

[Yummymummy]

But why?? Why is a leg aid more 'valuable' than a voice aid? I guess people could argue that one person's voice is very different to another person's, but from a horse's point of view I guess two different people's leg aids could be just as different from their voices... So why condemn the use of the voice so much???

I wouldnt say the voice is less valuable in any way, in fact I think its the best aid of all.  From my point of view dressage is a sport and they have rules, like any other sport we have to adhere to them.  Also Mac for example is not well trained enough to do a walk and trot test!! so I guess once he has learn the leg/seat/hand aids, he would be ready to partake in this sport, but to be fair, I will probably whisper the commands  :laugh:hoping that no one hears me!!

A freind is having problems with her horse, I emailed her some german words to practice so he could understand her!! and this was ground work!

[catkin]

Voice is essential, end of.

Don't know about what's 'allowed' but its surprising what you can murmur through a dressage test without anyone hearing but the horse

[jenb]

Incredibly valuable!  Gazdag sometimes gets confused about leg aids and ignores them, but he goes immediately off my voice as that's what he's been trained to do from all the ground work.  Every voice command he has learnt on the ground works perfectly on board - thank god!!!  Makes me feel a lot more secure.

I talk in dressage tests too.  You just need to figure out what words you can say without moving your lips, and train your horse to respond to them!  Favourite one with Cosworth was "stretch down" for FWLR.  We used to get 8s regularly for our FWLR!

[ChrissieW]

Well essential for me the other day when my dear mare decided her tendon rehab work was extremely boring and the jumping grid my niece was doing on her boy looked so much more fun.........without the "don't you dare....growl........don't you dare.....if you do that again........" I would have been jettisoned into space, as all other aids had most definitely been tuned out and had a deaf hoof turned to them......

Seriously I think the voice should be allowed "with discretion" in dressage tests - so calm quiet words allowed, nothing that can distract the judge.

Its something I think I underuse personally and am trying to rectify, because when working on the ground I use my voice a lot with my mare, but struggle to transfer that to ridden work, as I seem to get so aborbed in concentrating!

[shoveltrash]

voice aids, for me, are invaluable.
i start with voice, on the ground.  then it translates to the other aids when training under saddle.  eventually the voice aids can be diminished, altho i never stop praising!

[Cabruze]

For me, voice aids are absolutely critical with my young horse.  Just backed him and I'm hoping that while he gets used to having to balance with someone on his back that I can completely control him with my voice.  In fact I'm spending a lot of time on the ground clicker training "whoa" so it becomes totally ingrained should things go t***s up! 

Another who can't understand why voice aids are frowned upon!! (Especially when pulling and booting is allowed!!!)

[SNC]

I was taught to use my voice as an aid.  I still do use it.  In fact my emergency stop with Cassie is STOP.  She does listen the majority of the time to this.

I read somewhere that going back to when horses were used in battle, the voice was discouraged as they didn't want the enemy to hear.  I don't know how much was true. 

Talking and singing also helps me breath, which is generally a good idea 

[DaffyDilly]

I chat to Daffy all the time, but funnily enough he can tune my voice out extremely well when it is asking him leave his warm cosy stable to go for a ride.