Ep 177: Giving Your Horse Space to Make Mistakes
I recently returned home from a clinic series in Wittmann, Arizona. We had a very talented group of horses and riders in a variety of disciplines at different stages of their training careers. Regardless of where each trainer was at, there was one central challenge that kept popping up:
We have to be okay with our horses making mistakes.
There was a point in my training career when I realized I didn’t have any confidence in my horses to find the right answer because I’d never given them the chance to find the right answer on their own. As trainers, we have the tendency to micromanage our horses’ every move. When we are training young horses or training horses in a new discipline, it can be difficult to release our need for constant control. We’re afraid to be uncomfortable, so in turn, we don’t want to put our horses in an uncomfortable situation.
We may send the correct signals, but then we don’t give our horses a chance to interpret those signals without correcting them immediately. When we keep constant pressure in the bridle reins, our horses will learn to rely on that pressure. Then, when we eventually gain enough confidence to loosen the reins, our horses will likely feel insecure because they are so used to us micromanaging them.
It’s hard to trust our horses sometimes, but we have to do it if we want to make a positive change in their training. If we don’t give our horses space to find the right answer based on the signals we’ve sent, we’ll never really know where our horses are at. Allowing them space to fail, learn, and do better the next time is the only way to gauge whether or not they truly understand what we’re asking them to do.
When we micromanage our horses over a long period of time, they will reach a point where they are no longer looking for the answer – they will simply be waiting for us to manipulate their movements. When we put ourselves in that position, we’re not teaching our horses anything.
We can easily fall into the trap where we ask our horses for a response, we get it, then we immediately move onto something else. When we do this, we don’t give our horses the release that signals to them that they did something correct. Those horses need a few moments to sit and enjoy that reward. That’s when they are truly learning.
This week, I encourage you to make a conscious effort to slow down and give your horse space to make mistakes. Don’t correct a mistake before it happens. Allow your horse the space to think, understand, and find the responses you are asking for.
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