| "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is | | | | 7. Constant consistency. Your horse will learn faster if |
| not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle | | | | you are consistent. You must be the same rider each |
| 1. Gain the horse's trust. If your horse does not trust | | | | time you ride. You can't be a dominator one day, and |
| you, he won't really listen to you. | | | | then a push over the next day. If you want your horse |
| 2. Gain the horse's respect. Respect is equally | | | | to be consistently good, you have to be too. |
| important as trust. If your horse has no respect for | | | | 8. A positive relationship with your horse encourages |
| you then he won't pay attention to you either. | | | | the horse's motivation. Have you ever worked for |
| 3. Horses learn on release of pressure. A horse's mind | | | | somebody you just hated? Don't be that person to |
| is programmed to always look for an escape. Release | | | | your horse. You need to figure out how to make your |
| of pressure satisfies the horse's deepest psychological | | | | horse want to please you. |
| need. The need to escape. Always begin with being | | | | 9. Constantly seek new and better horsemanship skills |
| as soft as possible until they show the slightest try. | | | | and knowledge. No body knows it all. Everyone has |
| 4. Violence and rough handling begins when knowledge | | | | something to teach. Remember your horse may just |
| ends. Good communication and patience go a lot | | | | be your best teacher. Humans don't have all the |
| father than being rough. Violence removes any trust or | | | | answers either. |
| respect you earned from your horse. | | | | 10. Finish your interaction with your horse on a good |
| 5. Teach or improve something in each time you and | | | | note. This means two things. Completing your ride is |
| your horse interact. Always seek refinement in | | | | huge release of pressure. That means that the horse |
| yourself and your horse. A stale horse and rider | | | | will remember vividly what he did to get you off his |
| makes a stale ride. | | | | back. If it was something negative then you have in |
| 6. Habit and routine are powerful training tools. They | | | | essence rewarded that negative thing. Stack success |
| also make your horse more emotionally | | | | in your favor, make it something you have the skill to |
| comfortable.Horses love to be able to predict what is | | | | be successful with. Don't try a triple flying backward |
| going to happen. It makes them feel safe. Routine and | | | | lead change with a flip unless you can teach that well. |
| habit are also powerful ways to teach your horse. I | | | | Also do something that the horse thinks, "Boy oh boy I |
| always do the same thing and same way every time. I | | | | love my owner, I can't wait to see him tomorrow." |
| catch my horse the same way. I brush her the same | | | | Remember that your horse just lugged you around for |
| way. I pick her feet the same way. She has to go into | | | | the past couple hours. You want him to remember the |
| a trailer every time before I ride. I do the warm up, skill | | | | good times. |
| improvement, conditioning, new skills and cool down the | | | | "Good, better, best, never let it rest till your good is |
| same way each time. | | | | better and your better is best." - St. |