Ponderings
Training concepts and techniques
How should horses turn?
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The fact of the matter is, no matter how hard I train, these horses will not be more “trained” in the next 3 weeks. In fact, pushing hard right at the end would likely cause more problems than it would solve. The potential for physical and mental discomfort, and the subsequent backslide in quality of work, is highly likely.
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Oftentimes in clinics or lesson situations I hear a common question: How do I know what to work on? It’s a great question, and of course there are a whole lot of ways to answer it.
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It’s time to do a better job teaching teachers, so we can elevate the quality of work in our industry
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This was meant to be a fun group outing for our barn, after many months of not being able to spend much time together. I wasn’t there to teach, and as it turned out nobody needed me to.
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Let me say for starters that I understand WHY I didn’t learn some things there. Let’s be real, this is a tough business. Huge overhead, insane hours, 365 day a year responsibilities to the horses. Efficiency in this business is limited but also essential. This couple was trying to make a living and I get it.
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The first time my mentor asked me if I knew how to longe, I was indignant. Of COURSE I know how to longe. I was prepared to show him my skills, and to say that he was unimpressed with my demo would be the understatement of the century. “Oh, so you know how to run a horse around at the end of a rope.” Ooof.
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In most forms of education, the basics get no respect. When was the last time a Kindergarten teacher was highlighted for their accomplishments? A beginning soccer coach? The college kid who taught my son to swim was ridiculously fantastic at what he did. Was he rewarded for his expertise? Nope.
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Today at the actual event, it was fascinating to see and listen to the coaching. Riders working hard, giving it their all, yet not actually having the tools to be successful.
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The things that were hard for them hadn’t been the things that were hard for me when I learned it. It forced me to think really differently about how I was doing what I was doing. I had to break the process down further, really get specific about my instructions, and even went so far as to draw a diagram.
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A topic that has come up again and again recently is the idea of choosing a downside. Often when we’re making decisions in life, we do our pro and con list, or we think of things we want and things we don’t want. It stands to reason that because nothing is perfect, when we make a choice FOR something, we are also inherently choosing something less ideal that comes with the package.
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While I have some good basic fitness from things like walking up and down my hill, hiking with my dogs, and doing my horse chores, my intrinsic fitness is honestly just not the most amazing at the moment. That shows up very clearly when I am increasing the demands of my exercise routine.
To me, horse welfare-based training means that the training program is designed with the best-interest of the horse in mind. This program must consist of a variety of elements that are reciprocal and all work to serve the same end goal: The Welfare of the Horses in the Program.
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At the end of the Q and A, in answer to a question I do not remember, Dr. Dyson made a call for owners to “observe your horse!” This hit a chord with me, because it's a fundamental element of my training program.
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