An entire universe of hopeful pony pros ask themselves this one question. What makes a great horse person? What are the special skills that enable a rider to become one with his or her horse? A completely merged and integrated whole of all of the finely coordinated parts?
Regardless of if this were a reference book and not an article, I am not sure I could adequately describe what goes to make a fine horseman. There's such a lot of it that is intangible, not conducive to proper description. How am I able to describe a feeling, an aura, a merging of spirits?
What I'm able to tell you about is perhaps the most significant qualification a fine horseman wants. It is something that most, or all riders can achieve. It is the light touch.
You can hope to become a fine horseman only when you learn to pay no attention to your inbuilt instincts to get a bit more physical when your pony isn't responding the way you want it to. When you follow your inbuilt instincts, you start piling on more pressure on the bit or you utilise your legs more energetically or, heaven forbid, you even start whipping your pony. To be a fine horseman, you've got to go against your inbuilt instincts. You must perfect an absolutely weightless touch that teaches the horse more through vibration, if I am able to call it that, than through physical pressure. Perfect coordination with your pony is a little like ESP, which explains why it is not simple to describe.
You achieve that coordination when you approach your horse not as an animal that has to be subjugated to your will, but as a detachable part of yourself that responds to your mental urgings just the way your arms and legs do, there isn't any identifiable message, no traceable process. The response happens practically at the same nano-second the command is given.
You achieve that coordination when you appreciate the fact that you're the creature with the flexible mind and the pony is the creature with the omnidirectional one. You can think up and down and round and round, and the horses thinks only straight ahead. Therefore , you don't expect your horse to shape his thinking to you; you adjust your mental processes to tune in on his frequencies. You do not talk to him the language of a superior human trying to control him, you speak to him the language of an equal human being trying to be a horse.
The point is this: train your horse with the will, not the whip. Teach him to recognize and spontaneously respond to the most circumspect cues and commands from you. Desist from forcing him to do anything, lure him into doing what you want. The most effective way is to reward him each time he does something right. Instead of punishing him when he does something wrong, simply get him to repeat it until he gets it right. Do not overdrive him, if he has yet to pick up on a new trick in spite of repeated attempts, give him a break. Give him a rubdown, let him feed, let him share a little time with the other horses if there are any.
Approach your pony with supreme belief that you will get your way. Horses are sensitive to mood, and if you start doubting yourself, the doubt is going to rub off on him and adversely affect his behavior.
Remember: when you reach across to your horse, he will reach back to you.
Regardless of if this were a reference book and not an article, I am not sure I could adequately describe what goes to make a fine horseman. There's such a lot of it that is intangible, not conducive to proper description. How am I able to describe a feeling, an aura, a merging of spirits?
What I'm able to tell you about is perhaps the most significant qualification a fine horseman wants. It is something that most, or all riders can achieve. It is the light touch.
You can hope to become a fine horseman only when you learn to pay no attention to your inbuilt instincts to get a bit more physical when your pony isn't responding the way you want it to. When you follow your inbuilt instincts, you start piling on more pressure on the bit or you utilise your legs more energetically or, heaven forbid, you even start whipping your pony. To be a fine horseman, you've got to go against your inbuilt instincts. You must perfect an absolutely weightless touch that teaches the horse more through vibration, if I am able to call it that, than through physical pressure. Perfect coordination with your pony is a little like ESP, which explains why it is not simple to describe.
You achieve that coordination when you approach your horse not as an animal that has to be subjugated to your will, but as a detachable part of yourself that responds to your mental urgings just the way your arms and legs do, there isn't any identifiable message, no traceable process. The response happens practically at the same nano-second the command is given.
You achieve that coordination when you appreciate the fact that you're the creature with the flexible mind and the pony is the creature with the omnidirectional one. You can think up and down and round and round, and the horses thinks only straight ahead. Therefore , you don't expect your horse to shape his thinking to you; you adjust your mental processes to tune in on his frequencies. You do not talk to him the language of a superior human trying to control him, you speak to him the language of an equal human being trying to be a horse.
The point is this: train your horse with the will, not the whip. Teach him to recognize and spontaneously respond to the most circumspect cues and commands from you. Desist from forcing him to do anything, lure him into doing what you want. The most effective way is to reward him each time he does something right. Instead of punishing him when he does something wrong, simply get him to repeat it until he gets it right. Do not overdrive him, if he has yet to pick up on a new trick in spite of repeated attempts, give him a break. Give him a rubdown, let him feed, let him share a little time with the other horses if there are any.
Approach your pony with supreme belief that you will get your way. Horses are sensitive to mood, and if you start doubting yourself, the doubt is going to rub off on him and adversely affect his behavior.
Remember: when you reach across to your horse, he will reach back to you.
About the Author:
Horses are Heather Toms
passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers go here
passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers go here
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