Right now I'm in the middle of a teaching a clinic in Southern California.
A lot of the folks started participating in them because of the increasing frequency of unnerving experiences with horses they'd had ridden for years and they couldn't pinpoint why...
My "problem solving" in helping fill the holes in their Horsemanship included addressing:
*Physical Issues
*Diet changes
*Tack fit problem
*Inappropriate tack
*Refining the human's interpretation of the animal's behavior
*Re-Educating the human in how, when, and what they communicate
I did not offer quick-fix "solutions," gimmicks, or tactics in smoothing over unwanted symptoms.
Instead, my goal was to educate the human to better understand why unwanted scenarios were arising and how to initially address contributing factors to diffuse potential future dramatic and dangerous situations.
It took time. It took diligence. It has been an emotional rollercoaster for many participants as the mindset shifted from "I want" and was replaced with, "How can I help my horse?"
And now at this clinic in particular, it has been wonderful to witness the growth and forging of trusting and respectful equine partnerships with horse and human mentally engaged, physically relaxed, and clear two-way communication occurring.
The bucking, bolting, biting, getting run over, trailer issues, mounting resistance, continuous chaos, and other dangerous behaviors have been replaced with willing, reasonable, mentally available equines.
I can always "see" the future potential, it is the challenge of getting the human to mentally, emotionally, and physically commit to helping the horse to achieve long-term Quality.
Yes the biggest challenge is getting the human to go from, "I don't want to do all that. It takes to long. I just want to ride", to yes I want to listen to my horse, help my horse, and be the best human I can be for my horse.
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