Lately, horse abuse by some high-profile horse trainers has been in the news. Public outrage has been loud. It’s hard to imagine the perpetrators are unaware that what they do is animal abuse.
As I said at the start, the distinction between using pressure to get a horse to do something and getting it to let go of doing something is subtle. I don’t know some people who understand this and fewer people who teach it.
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.”
