I want my beginner horse to learn to have confidence and feel untroubled by following the pressure in contrast to going away from pressure or being sent somewhere in response to pressure.
HORSES AND HAPPINESS
HORSES: COMFORT SEEKERS OR DISCOMFORT AVOIDERS?
A MORAL HIGH HORSE
THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCOMFORT IN TRAINING
A Little Bit of Stick and a Little Bit of Carrot
All training works by inducing emotional discomfort in a horse to search for a new response and then reducing that anxiety when the horse gets it right. When the training is done well, the level of emotional discomfort doesn’t exceed the threshold amount required to evoke a change of thought and a search. Every training method depends on this and none are more gentle or cruel than the other if this principle is applied.