Learning a more 'natural' way to teach horses is the first step in forming a great partnership between you and your horse. There is nothing better than being in step with one another, knowing your partner feels your direction and is moving with you. It's about FEEL and TIMING; it's about having that total TRUST. Your horse wants to please you. When you see him trying things that he has just learned, you just have to laugh at some of his attempts at understanding you! He is trying so very hard to please you and to do what you are asking him...it is so awesome! It's amazing that these beautiful creatures love us so much and are so forgiving that they will keep trying while we're learning how to communicate with them. They already know all the moves we are trying to teach them.....we are just learning how to ask them properly.

We learn to ask our horse to move away from pressure, redirecting his natural instincts. We show him that getting in a trailer does not mean we're going to eat him for dinner! Horses are always looking for an escape when scared or confused which is why we need to learn to be calm leaders, never losing our cool. They can leap into right brain mode and explode within a split second. We need to learn how to respond in these situations to get him back in partnership mode. We can then repeat what we were asking and refocus his attention on us and not on what is happening around us. Our staying calm is the key element. It is upsetting to see people lose their temper and start yanking away on a horse's face. To me this is the wrong approach. There are times when in order to get your partner's attention you need to bump him back into focus, but jerking him all over the place in anger is not the answer. Ignore bad behavior when it's not hurting you or any one else and reward good behavior by releasing the pressure you are putting on him.

Make every thing you do with your horse fun. Make a game out of the smallest task. Make life interesting for you and your horse. Don't let you or your horse get bored. When your horse sees you, you want him to say "Got to go guys! My partner is here!!!!!!!!!!!" Not....."Hide me so she can't see me... !!"