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Using
Positive Pressure In Horse Training
Sometimes
we think that life would
be perfect if we could be alone on a tropical island sipping a cool
drink while
lying in a hammock.
However,
the human mind must have
contact and fellowship with others.
Did
you see “Cast Away” with Tom Hanks or read Robinson Crusoe
or Island
of the Blue Dolphin? Humans
must
have commodore, real or imaginary in order to stay sane. Horses are herd animals
and have the same
need for company and like humans, it can be in many forms; goats, dogs,
even
us. This, of
course, leads to the
problem of where two minds occupy the same space there is pressure.
 Pressure is not
always a negative thing; it is what motivates change.
However, when the pressure is too great or
there is no release from that pressure, a mind can choose to avoid the
source
of that pressure. The
source of pressure
can be an object, situation, or relationship.
The horse, just like us, will avoid
partnerships based on force, fear,
manipulation, or constant punishment.
There has to be a release from pressure and a
reward for correct changes
or the horse will eventually shut down.
Alternately,
when pressure is
applied correctly change can take place, but again whether the change
is good
or bad depends on the situation, avenues of escape from the pressure,
and which
avenue appears to be the ‘easiest.’
It
is critical to use lessons that make it easy for the horse to respond
in a
correct manner. We
do not want them to
fail. We build
confidence and trust with
each positive response we get from our horse and with the reward and
release
from the pressure.
It
is important for you to learn
to read your horse so you will know how much pressure it takes to
motivate
change without being overly forceful.
Some horses require a good amount of pressure
before they become
‘uncomfortable’ and start looking for what it is that will release the
pressure. Others
are extremely sensitive
and require that you are careful to not over power them. This is the benefit of
breaking down a lesson
into enough steps that any horse can easily and confidently learn and
advance
to the next lesson.
We
cannot avoid pressure; however,
we can find a creative and constructive way to use that pressure to
build a
relationship with our horse that is full of mutual respect, trust, and
confidence. The
lessons I use dissect every maneuver into
its basic components and taught one piece at a time.
Then when it is put back together it becomes
every so easy to make small adjustments to get the best performance of
that
maneuver. Most
importantly, the horse
understands and with little fuss makes those changes in a relaxed and
confident
way.
We
all need some vacation time to
relax our minds, just remember you are not the only one who deals with
pressure
everyday. The more
we can use pressure
to make positive changes and find ways to apply that pressure in ways
that help
our horses learn, the better our relationships will become.
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