Education versus Re-education

One thing I notice missing in discussions of training horses is the difference between educating a horse and re-educating a horse or education versus rehabilitation.

The way we approach training a task for the first time may sometimes be very different from the way we approach re-training that same task after it is had been corrupted through human error. I don’t mean adjusting the program to suit different horses, but adjustments we might make for the same horse when teaching something for the first time or when re-training something we want to be different.

For example, the way I approach teaching a foal to lead when first halter training is probably going to be very different from the way I would teach a horse that drags on the end of the lead rope to lead better. In both cases, I want the horse to give softly to the feel of the lead rope and follow without resistance. When training the foal it’s a matter of teaching the meaning of the feel to go with me. Whereas, with a horse that has learned to lead but with resistance, it is a matter of re-programming its understanding of “going with the feel”.

This could apply to almost all training from catching and haltering to jumping and cow work.

It seems odd to me that it is rare for trainers to discuss this principle in their videos, podcasts or blogs. There is often talk about training a specific task and assume the method is exactly what every horse needs. There is plenty of discussion about training sensitive horses or dull horses. But  I struggle to find any discourse on how to approach training for a first time experience versus changing old habits.

This principle is an important consideration when working any horse. We should always ask what does a horse understand by our feel? If it has no understanding we should consider approaching its education differently than if it has a faulty understanding.