As a teacher, it is important to me that any technique I teach, should be able to be performed by any student. What good is any kind of strength or force to me if I am teaching a group of children, elderly people or those with disabilities? All of these people are horse lovers and have the same entitlement to achieving horsemanship as the next person. And who really wants to man-handle their horses!
We understand by now that strength doesn’t guarantee success with horses and that it will probably only cause opposition reflex anyway. For this reason, getting harder and harder with your phases will afford little results other than a sore arm, a horse that is either heavy or scared and a lot of frustration. What then will work?
If we’re thinking like a horse, what motivates them to move? Body language or a sudden noise will do it. In other words, something visual or auditory. As you go through your phases, rather than getting harder, try getting bigger. I often teach my students to get ‘loud’ and by this I mean in a visual sense. Do something really big that your horse cannot possibly miss and see what happens. In this way your horseman’s stick will be a really helpful tool. It allows you to get 4 ‘louder’ in any direction very quickly and then to stop just as quickly when you need to, to offer release.
In later articles, we will talk more about auditory cues and how and when to use them. For now, try this experiment yourself. Swing your lead rope slowly at your side. Now start to swing it faster and faster and listen to the nice assertive noise it makes as you swing. Then stop it as quickly as you can. Instant silence. Do the same thing with your horseman’s stick waving it up and down using your whole arm right from your shoulder. Can you imagine how much more effective this would be than pushing harder on your horse and it’s easier on your arms!
*Note … If you have a ‘dead’ cloth rope, this experiment won’t work. These ropes have no life and therefore are just a lead rope as opposed to a valuable tool that will help you achieve horsemanship and safety.
The Road To Horsemanship Lesson Videos
Lesson 3, Chapter 8:
Read More Road To Horsemanship articles.
- By Meredith Ransley, Quantum Savvy.