Ep 128: Maintaining Consistency and Confidence with Challenging Horses
When you are dealing with a challenging horse, it can be difficult to maintain confidence and consistency. In my experience, most of the challenging horses I have trained have all had one thing in common: a default reactive mindset.
If you’ve listened to this podcast for very long or attended one of my clinics, you’re probably well acquainted with my views on a horse’s mindset. If you’re new here, let me summarize:
A horse only has two thought processes: thinking or reacting. And, a horse is only capable of engaging one of these thought processes at a time. When a horse is in a reactive state of mind, it is somewhat controllable, but in my opinion, a reactive horse is not trainable.
When you’re dealing with a naturally reactive horse, it can be very frustrating to try to establish any sort of consistency or confidence with that horse. When your horse is being reactive, it is generally not as receptive to the signals you are sending. Even if you are asking the horse for the desired response in the correct manner, the horse might not pick up on it.
As trainers, it’s a natural response to try something else if the first thing you asked the horse to do isn’t working. We’re wired for efficiency, so oftentimes, we don’t want to be patient and wait on the horse to figure it out. Instead, we just look for a different way to elicit that response.
One of the most frequent examples of this that I see at clinics is when trainers are attempting to establish lateral flexion. A one rein stop is an exercise we use to establish flexion and feel with a horse, and it is an exercise that has a very specific set of steps and responses to follow. At my clinics, I see trainers who go through these steps and ask their horse for the desired response, but then they give up too quickly if the horse doesn’t immediately pick up on the skill.
To view a step-by-step breakdown of the One Rein Stop, join our Be Your Best Insiders community.
Giving up too quickly is detrimental to a horse’s training for two reasons:
1) It confuses the horse. If your signals are not consistent, the horse is going to have an even more difficult time recognizing the cues that indicate the maneuver it is supposed to perform.
2) It reinforces the wrong release. If you release pressure before your horse finds the correct response, you are teaching the horse that it can earn the release without performing the desired response. Over time, this pattern will lead to poor behavior and many bad habits.
It’s really easy to be inconsistent. But, there’s value in consistency, and there’s value in systems. The more consistent you become, the more trust, understanding and confidence you develop with your horse.
In your horsemanship journey, there will be many humbling moments and experiences. As a clinician, I get to see a lot of these moments and work through challenges with trainers across the country. And, let me tell you, I’ve had my fair share of these humbling moments as well.
I think that is the beauty of the horsemanship journey. It is filled with moments that challenge you. When you are in the midst of the challenges, it can be hard to keep your confidence up. But years later, when you look back on those moments, it’s easy to see how those moments shaped you and equipped you with the experiences you needed to get to the next level.
Mentioned in this episode:
Pivot Point Equine and Rider Rehab | Broken Bow, NE
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