Everything Horses and Livestock® Magazine Feb 2019 Vol 4 Issue 1

Everything Horses and Livestock Magazine ®

IN THE HORSE WORLD by Matthew Jobe

I n the horse world, just like in life, we live in a society of instant gratification. Often times we see terrible progress in the behavior of people and horses because of this societal training. How often have you seen a child misbehave in a store, and thought that would NOT be my child, I would spank that kiddo? How often have you seen a hot-headed horse charge into the arena run a pattern and be stopped only by the gate keeper quick slam shut on the gate? This is very much a learned behavior in both the child and the horse. A behavior that could take years of reteaching and schooling. However, what if we worked with our horse instead of forcing them into things? How much more quickly could we accomplish our goals? How much easier and faster would we be able to get the results

we wanted? There is a time to demand more from our horse, although, I believe at the beginning of a new learning experience is not that time. I find that we can get the results we want much more quickly when we suggest what we want and wait for it to happen. Reward the newly learned behavior by release of pressure, then repeat the process after a short rest. Allow the horse to get into a willing frame of mind; this is where the great results are obtained. I call this the “Power of Release Method.” Collaboration with our horse to become one, instead of coercion by the boss. Let’s look at some examples: When first teaching a horse to back up, I like to push my feet forward and put weight (or pressure) in the stirrups. Simultaneously, I apply direct a direct holding pressure with

my hands. I do NOT pull, or “saw” on my horse, I hold my hands and wait. As soon as my horse so much as leans or sets itself backwards, I release INSTANTLY. The instant release, upon a response is pivotal to the reward. We are allowing the horse to find the correct answer without a lot of fuss and rewarding him for his response. I repeat this step multiple times, each time rewarding with a release of pressure after a little more gain, one step or two steps more. We will accomplish teaching the horse to back up much faster by allowing our horse to backup willingly, vs. forcing a backup. As the horse processes and begins to understand the backup, I can begin to add leg pressure to the front of the cinch to increase speed or straight- line progression.

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