When the session was finishing, I asked the audience, “How much did I make that horse move his feet before I saddled him?”
CAN A TRAINING PROBLEM BE ERADICATED?
If we dig deep enough to find the root cause of a training problem we find the vast majority of them stem from psychological/emotional trouble with some caused by physical issues such as medical, conformational, or equipment. But in my work I find most problems are rooted in the way a horse feels and thinks. So that’s what I want to talk about today.
EXERCISE FIXATION
THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?
Many trainers talk about the connection between how a horse feels and how a horse moves. Movement and emotions are interconnected. A tense horse will struggle to move with grace and correctness. Likewise, a stiff and crooked horse will tend to carry tension. It’s sometimes hard to separate movement and emotions.