Everything Horses and Livestock® Magazine May 2018 Vol 3 Issue 2

Everything Horses and Livestock Magazine ®

Raise Your Expectations by Matthew Jobe

cannot get them to do if we ask them correctly and show them the way, and only accept the correct answer. I am fortunate enough to travel and assist horses with their people problems all over our great Country. Rather helping people communicate with their horse or riding a training horse myself, I spend the day finding NO, then turn it into a ya, and then change it to a YES MA’AM/ SIR. This can be as simple as our horse standing still when we stop to talk to someone or as complex as you can imagine. We often compete in obstacle competitions; we ask our horses to cross tall bridges, drag things, maybe ground tie next

to a scary moving object. When we have prepared them to always say YES MA’AM/Sir they give us their all and we can go home with the blue ribbons and/ or buckle! I utilize a ground tie almost daily, often at my clinics I will step off to help someone else, I EXPECT my horse to stand right where I left her until I return. A ground tie can be easily taught by placing your horse in a spot then walking away and return quickly and praising them. Move away again, further each time, always returning and praising them. If they do move, I get their feet. moving for a moment then place them back in the same exact spot we started. I EXPECT them to stay and I repeat the

Are you getting everything you can out of your horse? Are you as far along as you want? Or are you just excepting whatever you get? Thinking back to growing up, did our parents expect us to drop out of school? Be homeless, a meth head living under the viaduct? OF COURSE NOT! They had visions of us perhaps becoming a doctor, nurse, teacher etc. They dreamt of grandbabies, they envisioned us becoming a productive member of society. Horses are an amazing creature. I am always in awe with all they put up with from us and the simple fact they even let us climb aboard. Horses are so smart, there isn’t much we

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