Horses learning to Follow the Feel of Pressure- by The Remote Horse Coach

 "Following a Feel"

Those words had no value to me all the years I interacted with the horse unintentionally offering continuous tension- on the lead rope, on the rein, in my leg, etc. There was never any true release of pressure towards the horse (other than during a jump.)
Nowadays one of the most intriguing and difficult concepts to teach students and horses is how to "follow a feel."
The human is heavy, quick to drive or send the horse to physically move, but rarely do they consider or understand how to first direct the horse's thought, then ask for movement.
Horses (in anticipation of what they've unintentionally been taught) physically lock up, or brace, when they are mentally unclear, insecure, or defensive.
So you mix tight, heavy, dragging communication offered by the human, with a defensive, physically locked up animal, and wonder why the interaction is not soft or relaxed.
Learning to prioritize clear intention, to segment, to be specific, and to have varying energy in how communication is presented to the horse, creates an opening for Quality Conversations.
When the communication and aids are offered to a mentally available horse, the movement becomes soft and reasonable.
In this picture taken last summer at my Alternative Horsemanship Full Immersion Horsemanship Clinic, I demonstrated with a Morgan mare (whose pattern is to habitually lock up her body,) helping her learn to follow a feel and separate left, straight, and right, to help change her habitual pattern of drifting with no thought.
It is crucial to separate directing the horse's thought via energy used down the lead rope, and then to ask for movement.
If the horse's mind isn't available to search for what is being asked, it becomes a "hopeful" experience with the human reacting after the horse moves. This can lead to criticism and more concern in the horse.
PC Jen Landis