Wisdom Wednesday

Learned helplessness.

This is the term given to when a horse learns to give up their own natural instincts and needs due to being unable to help or remove discomfort.

This is so important to be mindful of while riding and training.

If you place an aid in the horse and their correct response does not relieve that pressure they will learn to ignore that aid, even though the aid is applying some form of discomfort to them.

Learned Helplessness can be useful at times but in general it is something we want to avoid.

Pay attention to everything you do so you can ensure that your horse does not have to resort to learned helplessness to cope with being around you.

Happy Riding Everyone 😊🐎❤️