I can see the horse training world changing. The horse world is moving in the direction that it is unacceptable to be brutal with horses. Trainers are realising that with a considerate, respectful approach most horses will embrace what you ask them to do.

you are a kind trainer

but something is still missing?

Let me help you understand what is missing

Picture this. You are married. Your partner has a clear vision of what they want. Whenever you discuss things, your partner presents a convincing case. Your partner is a kind person. They are never harsh with you, but at the same time not allowing of who you are. You don’t feel heard, but it’s easier for you to go along with them than it is to argue. Over time you stop presenting your side or opinion.

How do you feel? Diminished? Not important?

For me, it is not enough to have a horse softly and kindly doing what I ask. I need to feel desire from my horses. I need my horses to want to learn. I need to feel joy in my horses. If your approach is softly convincing your horse to do what you ask, over time your horse will become less communicative and loose the beauty of their movement. Softly convincing “conditioning” your horse can be done using gentle pressure, using treats and using devices like clickers. The word “conditioning” says it all. We are conditioning our horses to give us the desired response. We may do this in a kind way, but the result is the same – the horse isn’t with you because they want to learn, they are with you because the learning process is sensitive to, or controlled by its consequences.

Simply put, the horse is externally motivated.

They are not motivated from within and you can only feel joy from within.

Over time horses that are externally motivated lose their liveliness. I see it all the time, students say to me “he used to be prouder, his movement was beautiful, now he looks like he is going through the motions”. I come from the dressage world and we were always trying to get more from their movement but over time it seemed it was harder and harder to achieve. In the natural horsemanship world, many horses are so conditioned that they move like zombies.

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So what is missing?

It’s simple. There is no conversation. The trainer is busy asking for what they want. The trainer is motivated by achieving their goals and the task at hand. They are not encouraging their horse to tell them how it feels. For most people who have a traditionally trained horse, they are concerned to have this conversation because they may not like the answer. Will their horse say no? Yes, it’s likely to begin with they will say no. But it is the truth and we can hide from the truth but it will always be there. This can be a hard hit on our egos and many people don’t have the humility to be able accept their answer. But remember, a “no” is not the end – in actual fact it is the beginning! It is the start of a conversation. It gives you the opportunity to listen and acknowledge what they have said and then ask another question.