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#4 Is it real love if your horse walks all over you? Is it real respect if your horse fears you? Are you the true leader of the pack if you cannot influence your horse to do what you want, when you want it and how you want it? If you answered ‘no’ to these questions, you are well on your way to understanding some basics of what constitutes a good relationship with your horse. If you think letting your horse walk all over you is a sign of your love, you will one day reap the consequences of getting hurt. If you think you have the respect of your horse because he runs from you, you too, may eventually get hurt when the horse flees from your actions. If you think you are the leader just because you are out in front, look behind you, if your horse is not following you willingly, you are just taking a walk! There cannot be real love without real respect. You do not get respect until you give it. Start by respecting the fears your horse may have. Let the horse smell things before you make him accept something new. Build trust by not playing on the fears of the horse but rather invite them to play out their curiosity. Usually, once the horse realizes they won’t get hurt, they will accept something new. Once you have established a level of respect you both can live with, you now can begin to build a relationship with your horse. For safety purposes, love should be initiated by the rider only. The rider is allowed in the horse’s space, the horse is never allowed into the rider’s space. This is much easer for the horse to understand. Remember, leadership is nothing more than influence. Your horse needs to believe his life is better with you than without you. Influencing your horse to respond to you starts with real respect. Beating a horse into submission will not get real respect, nor will it provide a desire in your horse to follow you anywhere. |
#5 Everyone is a trainer, some of us are better then others. As a trainer, we must learn how to communicate with our horse. Hint: Horses do not speak English! How does a horse understand he has done the correct thing? Tell him “good boy“? Remember horses do not speak English. How does a horse know when he has not done the right thing? Do you holler, cuss, hit and scare him. I hope not!! There is a better way. Horses learn from pressure and release, they only do what comes natural to them. When you apply pressure the horse will look for a release from that pressure, when he does what you want, take the pressure away (that is his Release) which tells your horse YES correct answer!! Remember use as little pressure as you can, but as much as you have to!! Example: To make your horse go left in the round pen: 1st cue) Point to the left with your left hand while looking at your horse’s hip. If he does not go, add next cue. 2 nd cue) Use sound, like a cluck or smooch. If he does not go, add next cue. 3 rd cue) Step more to his hips with more energy, body language that says go. 4 th cue) Use a rope or lounge whip on the ground way behind your horse. 5 th cue) Get closer and closer to your horse’s hip with the whip or rope. 6 th cue) TAP (not hit) your horse’s hip with rope or whip, repeatedly until he moves. The most Important part of this is STOP ALL CUES AS SOON AS THE HORSE MOVES TO THE LEFT. Stopping the cue (pressure) is his release . The release of pressure is how he learns he did the correct thing. More next month or e-mail me with your problem at horseministry@yahoo.com
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