Horse Training for obedience or building skills?

 What does the mounting block, walking out a gate, loading into a horse trailer, crossing over a tarp, or passing through a stream have in common?

None of them are about the actual task. Instead, they can all reflect if there is Quality and intentional, specific communication or if one lacks having effective "tools" to communicate with the horse. They are Opportunities to refine engaging and directing the horse's focus, then then asking him for adaptable movement.

Each allows for an opportunity to help the horse learn how to think their way through a scenario, rather than just focusing on physical compliance or respond due to familiarity or fear.

The horse's physical feedback "afterward" reflects what he experienced during the scenario presented. Examples:  rushing or fussy once the rider is in the saddle, if the horse cannot stand quietly and without tension when after an obstacle, rushing after passing through the gate, chaotic trailer unloading, if the horse quickens and shortens his steps across the tarp, or if the horse lunges over/away from the stream crossing, etc.

Most people fixate on the task rather than initially recognizing and educating the horse mentally and physically with the skills needed, before presenting a scenario.

Ignoring checking-in with where the horse's thought is or if he is mentally directable- meaning influencing his focus or interrupting fixation, leads to a lack of specific movement. The inability to influence various energy levels or for him to mentally and physically pause, is commonly overlooked. Separating out moving the head, neck, shoulders, ribs, and hindquarters allows one to help the horse let go of Physical Tension and "heavy" responses. Plus, it allows for real-time adaptability as the horse is moving through a tight area.

Often, there's a "Let's see what happens," or a unintentional challenging of the horse to get "it" (whatever the scenario) right, rather than having focused on previously establishing the "tools" of how to help the horse learn to think, search, and try, without fear.

Even if a horse begins unsure or is in a new situation, if he is offered communication that has value to him, it can be a confidence-building, learning opportunity.

Without that support, scenarios can quickly escalate into a stressful and overwhelming event for both the horse and human that can lead to defensiveness,  anticipation, and resistance in the future.

Imagine each thing you ask of your horse is one small link in a "chain" of events. If you are hopeful or "waiting" to see what the horse will do, you are leaving it up to him to take over and decide how he will physically respond.

If you intervene after the fact, it creates a critical interaction causing defensiveness in the horse and diminishes his willingness to try in the future.

Instead of focusing on task accomplishment, focus on the Quality of the Conversation. Irrelevant of if a scenario is new or familiar, the more specific and intentional, the more support the horse has, contributing to a solid, trust-based partnership.