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Make Every Moment Count: Getting More from Your Limited Time with Your Horse
If you have limited time with your horse, the goal isn’t to cram in everything at once, it’s to use your time intentionally, with clarity, and an emotional neutrality. Below are some reminders to make the most out of time with the horse.
Horse Time- Sharing Space vs Emotionally Dumping
For a lot of equine enthusiasts, their time with the horse helps to balance out other aspects of their lives. I was having an interesting discussion with a Remote Horse Coaching student and thought I'd delve in on some on the topic here.
For decades, I have been "preaching" that most horses are not mentally present or emotionally calm enough to handle the human's emotional chaos. That is why so often you see the mirroring effect in the equine's behavior (though most people don't connect how their thoughts and emotions are influencing/reflected in the equine's behavior).
Horse Tasks Teaching Problem Equine Behavior
Too many people tend to hurry in life and often the same applies to their horsemanship.
The “task” often becomes the focal point, rather than the quality of communication. If the horse mostly “goes along” with what is asked, people tend to accept the behavior.
But without effective “tools” (I don’t mean gadgets, rather how a person uses pressure to communicate) they often wind up at the “mercy” of the horse or “surviving” the ride.
This creates a cycle of worry, fear, and insecurity in both humans and horses.
When the Horse Training Quits Working
What happens when the way in which we’re doing something with the horse quits working?
Maybe our current approach has been successful with previous horses. Maybe we have decades of horse handling experience and become stumped. Maybe we enrolled in a course, class, or clinic and previously saw immediate changes, tried to replicate it without the coach, and had it all fall apart.
Irrelevant of the individual scenario or case, in general, it creates an uneasiness, doubt, and often emotional triggers in the human when “it” quits or is no longer working.
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Assess yourself before you critique your horse.
When did your ride really start?
Your ride should begin when you THINK about going for a ride. Learning to raise your level of awareness that at every moment you are interacting with your horse (starting with when you catch him) or are even in close proximity, you are influencing the conversation, energy and focus for the upcoming ride.
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