Horses are thinking feeling, reactional equine animals. When we work with horses we need to take the time to understand them and how to communicate with them – we can’t expect to control them as we do a car!!

When you get your drivers license you learn the rules, practise with the controls and how to apply them, then drive about in traffic gaining valuable experience in changing conditions, whilst being responsible for what the car does.

With a horse you also need to understand how they move with different rhythm in their paces, their equine instinct and psychology, how to care for them, the riding aids and how to apply them – and most “importantly” how to communicate to them – understanding their language of “equus” – how they communicate with you and the equine rules and values.

For instance if you are horse back riding and your horse refuses to go forward on the leg, you have just unknowingly encouraged it to be disrespectful to you and whatever you ask – whenever they want. If you are squeezing so tight with your legs to hold on, the horse can’t move freely under you. Your horse wants you to communicate in a way that you are both comfortable with – and to be prepared for the increased / decreased energy and speed involved when the request being asked is executed.

If your horse perceives something as uncomfortable – such as trailer / float loading, something on the trail, clippers, you gripping with your legs or holding on tightly to the reins, and you don’t do anything to alleviate the horse and build his comfort zone – the equine reactional instinct will overtake your horses thinking and the horse won’t concentrate on focusing and communicating with you -BUT but how it will handle the situation – and guess what! – You’ve just LOST LEADERSHIP! – The HORSE is LEADER and your at the mercy of the horses equine reactions, as the horse doesn’t trust or respect you!

That is why you need to build the comfort zones of you and your horse, so that you can take and keep leadership, building your comfort zone – balancing your horse back riding seat, engaging communication of energy to increase your horse forward or slow and stop the horse, visualising your riding moves so your horse can instinctively pick up on what the cue of what will happen next while you unite the correct aid at the correct time of the horses rhythm of movement, so the horse respects you and gives you leadership.

You FIRSTLY, need to have your leadership – And have built the comfort zone on the ground, with the horse respectfully demonstrating all gaits before you can think of asking for it in the saddle (let alone demanding it with whips and spurs!). If a horse has no respect for you on the ground why would he have it for you when you are in the saddle?!!

Your horse needs to build his comfort zone when moving at various speeds of various requested gaits, slowing, stopping, turning and circling, backing up, trailer / float loading, leading being groomed, separated from his equine buddies etc.

If the horse isn’t comfortable, he won’t focus on you and and give you leadership – And you’re going to have to work to get leadership back.

Horses aren’t push button animals – it’s not a matter of learning a few horse back riding aids then treating your horse like a push button machine.

A horses equine instinct senses, reacts and communicates by sense, if you’re scared and stiff the horse will sense this and either become scared too – or take the leadership back.

It’s your responsibility to to build horse and human equine comfort and demonstrate leadership to your horse as you learn to communicate in the equine language.

When you advance in your equine performance and training – you are actually advancing your communication skills with your horse and building on you and your horses comfort zones at a higher performance level or move!! IT’S THAT SIMPLE!!

To advance your equine performance and horse back riding skills you need to increase your understanding and communication of the equine language, whilst building you and your horses comfort zones so you are both confident and happy with the horse back training you are performing – That is why this e-book offered by http://www.SmartHorseAndRiderCoaching.com is crucial to your training as it increases your knowledge, experience and success rate, and most importantly – compliments all other disciplines of equine training.

Suzanne Garrard has a post graduate degree in education and has been working with and training horses for 15 years – including horses that when purchased lacked impulsion or were a problem horse. She is passionate about continual and further education for horse and rider advancement.
If you are looking to advance your equine performance and horse back riding skills, and increase your understanding of the equine language, whilst building you and your horses comfort zones and your leadership with the horse, so you are both confident and happy then click on http://www.smarthorseandridercoaching.com

Article Source: Ezine Articles

Originally posted 2008-09-18 14:48:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Technorati Tags: equine training, horse communication, horse training