A common complaint I hear from owners is that their horse is heavy on the reins, doesn’t respond to the rider’s leg, drags on the lead rope, or ignores the crop. In other words, many people despair that their horse is dull to pressure.
I notice that very many schools of riding and training continue to focus largely on how a rider sits. If a rider does not sit well a horse cannot move correctly and can’t balance correctly. Almost everything that is wrong with a horse’s movement and balance can be corrected by how a rider rides.
I would like to offer a brief explanation of my understanding of how training is supposed to work and why there is confusion among people who are opposed to the use of pressure and feel.
Good horse people often say, “If in doubt, do less”. If a person does too much, it is over and done with and can’t be taken back. But if you do less, you can always do more if you need to. This concept is incorporated in the idea, ”Always leave them wanting more.”
My point is that it is the way you ask a question the first time that is important. You must always present your first ask in a way you want it to be in the future
Feel needs to be learned. Students don’t learn feel from a trainer. They learn feel from a horse. A trainer can help you learn what to look for in a horse that is responding to good or poor feel. But it is the horse that is the teacher.