Guilt overshadowing progress with your horse?

Thinking forward to Friday's Facebook LIVE video, #FifteenForFriday, this quote will be the topic of the video.


In the past few weeks, I've had this conversation with a variety of horse folks who all seem to be struggling with progression because of the past. It can be overwhelming debilitating and seem to perpetuate a cloud over the equine partnership. Please join us in the group HERE

What is your reality with the horse?

What intentions do you have for you and your horse? What are you doing to work towards them?

Do you have a realistic perspective or are you trying to imitate some other rider, trainer or professional who may have far more experience or different goals than yours?

I believe if more folks "bit off less" in what they attempted to do with the horse, ironically they would accomplish so MUCH more.

Intro to Biking 101 with the horse

I remember reading an article years ago on the best "training preparations" you could do, is to help your horse take on the world by building their confidence at home.

Each piece of my conversation with the once completely wild filly prepared her for her first bicycle ride. Teaching her to soften to pressure, follow a feel, follow pressure, try when unsure, be reasonable, adapt her energy, mentally think through things...

This was not a random "let's see what happens" the first time I ride a bike with her. Instead, I worked on building up the trust, offering support, and now with curiosity, she is interested in new things. 

Forgive my goofiness, it'd been 20 years since I've been on a bike, and choosing a trick bike might not have been the smartest for my knees.

Is everything perfect in her behavior? No, but watch the changes she goes through in just one circle as she sorts out all is well.

And no... don't try this at home without ALL the tools in your communication box.

Enjoy

"Your horse is not your dog"

A client came up with this post's title as I was discussing with her my recent, um, "frustration," at watching a video of a trainer using outright bribery with food to get a horse to accomplish a task that was clearly making the horse uncomfortable and stressed. Yes, I could be opening a can of worms with this topic. Preface- I am NOT saying ALL treats are bad. I'm not saying you can't ever feed your horse a yummy snack. I'm not saying there is ONLY one way to do things when interacting with the horse.

Why Remote Horse Coaching with Samantha Harvey

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Cross Training with our Horses to Improve the Partnership

I remember reading a book early in my riding career about folks who did not adhere to the "norms" or what a riding/training session had been historically defined as.

It was one of those things that I didn't realize how much it would influence me until much later, ironically when riding on remote ranches. It was only then I began realizing how many different "jobs" you had to do in one "session" with a horse, frequently due to circumstances out of your control. Such as while checking the water at the ponds, realizing the calves had found a hole in the fence and were now out exploring, so the initial ride evolved into a 2-mile detour and several hour adventure to get all the critters back to where they belonged.

Hoofprints & Happenings Summer Newsletter

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Positive Influence with the Horse

Someone recently asked the question below. I figured others might not be clear either, so I've shared my answer.

Question:
What is the definition of "positive influence?"

My answer:
Using clear communication through pressure, either physical or spatial, that directs or refocuses the horse's thought, and then his movement.

It is a way to proactively communicate with the horse what your intention is- where you want him to focus, how fast you want him to move, rather than being a passenger, waiting and seeing what the horse does when he had no initial instruction and then critiquing him for not doing what you wanted correctly.