Dare Your Horse to be Good - RES031 - a podcast by Van Hargis

The one thing you’ll hear me say over and over again, is let it go! Set your horse up to do something and then let ‘em at it. You learn the most from when things go wrong, and if you’re afraid for things to go astray you’re actually holding yourself back. In today’s episode I’ll be going over some ways in which you can help yourself find the courage to let go. If the horse does great, give them a hug and enjoy the moment. If the horse doesn’t do what you want, adjust, set up, and try again. This will lead to longer moments of enjoyment with your horse. But first you have to set things up, and then let go. You don't want to do the opposite and bug your horse all the time for a behavior. For instance, I have a client that is so concerned their horse won’t look pretty or travel right. They always hold the horse and micromanage their behavior. The issue here is similar to the analogy of the preacher’s kid. This is where the preacher’s kid can’t do this or can’t do that, but once they grow up and hit college they become the wildest kid on campus. It’s because they haven’t had real freedom and hold themselves accountable. Ask yourself if you are the one applying restraint to the point your horse isn’t learning properly. Dare them to be good.

Key Takeaways

Ask yourself if you are giving your horse opportunites. If you do everything for the horse--all the planning while holding on tight to the reins and over correcting them, then there is no opportunity there. All we are doing is making choices for the horse without letting them think and perform themselves.
Say you’re asking the horse to go in one direction. You ask them to walk, but how do you get them to go from a standstill to a walk. You point them in the right direction and give the horse a kick. Once they start moving, do you keep kicking? No. You wait for them to stop again, and then apply more pressure. You don’t want to nag your horse with kicks the whole time you’re moving, like pedaling a bicycle. Get ‘em going, and then relax.

Some people take a horse’s dullness or laziness as being belligerent. The same applies on the other end of the scale, when you let your horse go and they get frightened. The reason for this is that there is always someone making a decision for them. They haven’t had ample opportunities to be held accountable for their own behavior and are waiting from input from you.

The core of what you’re trying to teach your horse is this: once you've set them on a path, you want the horse to stay on it until you want them to do something different. It’s easier for the horse and for you to do this. It’s never fun to be constantly applying pressure to your horse. You need to keep the long end goal in mind of what you want their behavior to be.

Don’t dare your horse to be bad and be waiting to correct their mistake. You want to give them the best chance to make the right choice and stay positive about the choice they make, even if it’s the wrong one. Training is a team job: you and your horse. Nothing is more rewarding than knowing that you’ll do your job and your team member will do theirs. But you’ll never feel this if you don’t let go and give them a chance.

If you expect a mistake you’re going to be looking for that and miss the positive things they’re doing. When you set things up and let them go you have the time to stay positive and enjoy your time with your horse instead of waiting to discipline them.

What do you think?

We want to hear your questions, comments, and suggestions. Share them in the comments section below, reach out to us on the Van Hargis Horsemanship Facebook page, or email me! We want your suggestions for topics we can address in future episodes, so if there’s a particular area where you’re struggling, or just curious, let us know!

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Learn More About My Co-Host

My co-host, Laura McClellan, is a wife, mom to five, and attorney who also hosts The Productive Woman, a podcast about productivity for busy women. Check it out!

Next Time on Ride Every Stride

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Thank you for listening. Until next time . . . remember to Ride Every Stride!

Van

Van Hargis Horsemanship

 

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