Terrible Twos Tuesday

Don’t let your horses train you. To anyone new to horses this will sound absurd, however to those that have been in it a while you know exactly what I am talking about. Yes our horses can actually train us without us even knowing – smart hey! It is really important that when a horse is doing things that are not wanted that we figure out what they are trying to achieve. NOTE: Sometimes horses can act out due to pain so it is extremely important that you rule any pain issues out before proceeding with training. This is one of the hardest things about horse riding is the fact theat they have their own brains and that they have their own wants and desires. And yes sometimes they will be the complete opposite to what you have set out for them to do. This is especially common in young horses and green horses as they have not had enough time under saddle to know that they cannot throw a tantrum to get what they want. A lot of the time they figure these things out by accident but because they are such quick learners it doesn’t take them long at all before they have learnt how to get out of doing something. So lets take an example that I quite often see which is the canter transition. Horses that have a tendancy to be lazy would rather stop than go (there are days that I can relate to that feeling lol). So you are riding along one day and ask for canter and your horse throws a little buck in. You immediately stop the horse as it has frightened you for a moment. In that instant your horse has learnt that if they buck they get to stop and have a rest. So to them that is a totally awesome trick. The next ride you get on and you are a bit hesitant but still try for canter and the horse bucks again, you again immediately forget about cantering again. Your horse now has not only learnt this new trick but they are gaining more confidence with their new trick. Once your horse has a bit of confidence about their tricks they can really escalate that trick to new levels. So how do we avoid this? As soon as your horse starts a new trick you MUST IMMEDIATELY nip it in the bud to stop it before their confidence grows with it. If you are not confident enough to do this please seek some help from someone that is before the problem escalates to the point that they become dangerous. Don’t forget we do offer online video lessons to help you overcome any training issues you may be facing. Remember you are never alone, I am only a message or a phone call away! Happy Riding Everyone!