|
|
We expect so much "obedience" from
our horses. They should do as we say. We should be able to initiate
a movement and the horse should continue until we ask them to stop.
And yet they do their very best to carry us no matter how crooked we
are or how long we make them work - they are so generous.
"Watch for your horse to do something right, then reward," Monty
Roberts instructs us time and again. At the end of the ride it can
be a sugar cube or carrot, but what about during the work? Each day
of training should see a few more steps of correctness at any level
of training. Why should the horse continue to add more steps if you
are not appropriately grateful for their effort? As any great master
teaches piaffe or passage or basic backing, there is a stage whisper
they all assume to quietly give instructions to the rider and keep
a soft tone to encourage the horse. It is so consistently effective.
We all like to be asked. We all like
to be thanked. So do horses. (next article >>)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
