Do you have an outdated strategy about training horses? You might if your strategy is “I have to win this battle I’m having with this horse”. Or maybe it’s your instructor, trainer, or mentor who have the outdated strategy. Using language like “make that horse do that” or “don’t you let that horse win” put a rider in the position to be in a battle with their horse whether they want to or not.

I ask you “are you stronger than your horse?” Unless the horse allows it you are not stronger than your horse and you are not going to win a battle with it. I’m pretty sure that it’s counter productive to be in a battle with a horse. That’s not training that’s trying to dominate something.  It’s very old school thinking to try to use force instead of brains to get what you want from a horse.

As humans we sometimes get bull-headed about there only being one way to do something. Or maybe we are coming up against a deadline and we decide we have no other choice. But if you really explore training horses you’ll find that you usually have lots of options or choices and maybe you should explore some of them. Find that trainer, riding instructor or mentor who is good at seeing the big picture and will help you problem solve. It’s more rewarding to learn to work with something or someone than to get in a battle working against something or someone. Working with something or someone builds trust and a good relationship while working against them builds fear and distrust. 

Don’t allow yourself to be forced to build a bad relationship with your horse because of some outdated thinking. Bullies shouldn’t be allowed to teach or train horses, but they are, so it becomes your job to protect yourself from their lack of education and move on to find someone who has more education and more than one method to train horses or teach you. 

The quality of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts and the quality of your thoughts depend on the quality of people you have in your life. Don’t settle for someone who only wants to go to battle find yourself a problem solver. Problem solvers tend to be more positive because they aren’t stuck with only one option or opinion. They also want to find the fasted way to the desired outcome with the least amount of resistance. Soften your thinking about horse training and you will come up with a better strategy.

Lets restore horse training back to a thoughtful positive adventure for both the rider and the horse. What are your thoughts about this subject? Leave them in the comments below.