Ep 57: Keeping Realistic Expectations When Working With Multiple Horses
One of the most common mental blocks I run into is maintaining realistic expectations when I’m training multiple horses. After almost 40 years as a professional trainer, I’ve gotten to the point where I feel like I have a solid, established training program that should work the same for every horse.
When I get on a new horse, my natural expectation is that I am going to get the same results by doing the same things I did with the first horse. But, that’s just an unrealistic expectation.
I may apply the same fundamentals, but that horse may not respond exactly like the first one did. I have come to realize that, no matter how solid my training program is, there will always be new challenges specific to that horse.
I have to remind myself that each horse I get on will be in a different phase of their training journey. And, each horse will have a different history that has made it what it is today—physical confirmation, athletic ability, environmental factors, who has worked with that horse in the past— all of these factors play into where that horse is at right now.
I can’t control the amount of potential that is within a horse. But, what I can control is the steps that I take to develop that horse to its full mental and physical potential.
With every horse I get on, I always try to end my ride on a positive note. The challenge that comes with this is feeling like I should be able to pick up right where I left off with the next horse I get on.
When I end on a positive note with one horse, I typically start with a challenge on the next one. This is why the training process can feel like somewhat of a rollercoaster.
When working with multiple horses, it is important to be present and patient. Have an awareness of what that particular animal needs from you right now, and have the patience to go through the necessary steps in the training process.
Horses are typically more than happy to perform a task once they understand what we’re asking of them. But, it requires patience to develop the level of understanding necessary to establish solid feel, timing, and balance with that animal. It requires the patience to reinforce correct repetitions of basic fundamentals to build that horse’s confidence. Confidence is what helps a good horse turn into a great horse.
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