Horse Behavior- After the session assessment

How often does your focus "leave" as you are nearing the end of a session with the horse? Mentally moving on to something else?

Humans are quick to judge their horse's struggle to focus but rarely do they assess their ability to self-regulate their own mental clarity, awareness, and intention.


Every moment of the interaction with the horse gives the equine information;  you are teaching him something, whether or not you intended to. 


Perhaps notice if you're "quitting early" on your horse as you ride back  from the arena, trail, lesson, etc. 


How often do you engage in conversation with others while riding? Or think about what others are doing nearby? Have you been untacking and thinking about the errands you have to do on the way home? 


I have found that the horse's behavior following being unhaltered, untacked, unloaded from the trailer, etc. is a direct reflection of the mental and emotional experience they had during interactions with the human.


If we are still communicating with the horse and yet are unclear, lacking the mental presence to recognize, acknowledge, and address the horse's feedback, how might that affect the effectiveness, influence, or the horse's responsiveness?


This picture was captured after I finished working with this young mare, despite the gusty weather and rain. 


My focus was addressing and encouraging her curiosity when learning to expand her comfort zone.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment!
Sam