Ep 66: Overcoming Discomfort to Improve Understanding
Many horse owners can think of one or two horses they’ve owned in their lifetime where it felt like everything just “clicked.”
The communication shared by that horse and rider was so effective that their performance seemed effortless. Their feel, timing, and balance was consistent and seamless.
On the other hand, many of us can also think of a few horses that were extremely challenging to control. Those horses that frequently “ran off” or had other negative reactions to the responses we are asking of them.
It’s tempting to blame these negative reactions on the horse, but in reality, the blame falls on us.
By nature, horses aim to please.
If they respond to our cues with a reactive response, it is typically due to one of two things:
1) They are in pain.
2) They simply do not understand the responses we are asking for.
Horsemanship is not about the mechanical manipulation of our horses. We can use our hands, feet, spurs or bits as tools to communicate with our horses, but we cannot rely solely on these tools when we add speed to the equation.
Our horses must have a reasonable understanding of our feel, timing, and balance before we can expect to communicate with them effectively at faster speeds. Improving our level of communication with our horses begins with putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations.
The first time we do a new exercise on our horses, it is going to feel uncomfortable for both the horse and rider. Instead of letting our minds go back to what is familiar and safe, we must push ourselves to stay in that zone of discomfort until it becomes comfortable.
Another factor in improving our horses’ understanding is allowing them time to process the responses we are asking for. We know the next move we are going to make, but our horses are still trying to process the move they just made. We have to be patient and allow our horses time to process the release we provided before we ask more out of them.
Improving understanding between horse and rider is a continual process, but overcoming the tendency to avoid uncomfortable situations is the first step to progressing our communication with our horses.
To learn more about the step-by-step exercises discussed in this episode, check out the Foundation to Finish online training program.
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