With horses, the source of their worry and anxiety is a lack of clarity. I’m trying hard to think of an exception to this premise, but nothing comes to mind.
How many ways can you use feel/pressure to get your horse to think about backing up? Does each method stimulate your horse to back up with the same quality?
I am a huge fan of teaching a horse to follow the feel of the inside rein and offer a lateral bend through its whole body. One of my most regular Ross-isms at clinics is “The bend is your friend.”
I have often said, “Training is something you do with a horse, not to a horse.” If I want my horse to be my employee then doing stuff to a horse to instil obedience is fine.
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.
