Horses are very sensitive creatures and programmed by Mother Nature to instinctively oppose anything that a predator asks them to do. Would you go into a cave if a Grizzly Bear asked you?
If horses find anything annoying or uncomfortable, they will move away from it, like the fly, but if they feel pressure and perceive something to be predatory and therefore dangerous, they will push even harder against it in an effort to escape by pushing through it. I’m sure you’ve all seen a horse push through a person or narrow spot, or pull back hard when they feel pressure at the poll! Try a little test yourself; see if you can use just your fingernails tickling your horse to move him away and then try pushing him as hard as you can with your hands flat on his sides. Which one is easier?
Horse’s love to be comfortable more than just about anything else and they dislike being uncomfortable and will try to avoid it.
Once we understand that horses move toward comfort, rather than away from pressure, we will have far more success with horses. Think of it like this, if you just go and push on your horse to ask him to move, are you acting like a partner or a predator? Are you being polite or being bossy? Even if you could get him to move, how will he feel about it? Will he do it willingly or grudgingly? What if you were to ask your horse politely, by applying just the pressure of the fly sitting on his hair? Then, if he didn’t move, you gradually increased the pressure until you pressed his skin, then his muscles, then his bones; stopping the pressure and giving comfort and release as soon as he yielded.
Horses are smart and they love to be comfortable. If you apply the pressure consistently with these phases;
1. hair
2. skin
3. muscle
4. bone (be sure to always start with phase 1)
and make sure you go back to phase one and start again after phase four, your horse will pretty quickly see the pattern and move off just the pressure of the hair and actively seek to find comfort Just imagine how light your horse will become if you can learn to offer comfort and release as often as possible. You don’t need to be a big burly bloke to have your horse yielding anywhere you want him to. Little girls and little old ladies can have their horses going softly and politely just by getting good with their phases.
The Road To Horsemanship Lesson Videos
Lesson 1, Chapter 7:
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- By Meredith Ransley, Quantum Savvy.