Teaching The Horse To Learn, part 1

Teaching the Horse To Learn, part 1.........(c) by Sol Spitz



If the horse can make a decision to eat when hungry,

and go drink when thirsty, they can probably make some other decisions...

Horses have to make decisions all the time, regarding balance,

what makes sense, what to pay attention to, what their herd is doing...

the survival impulse...the horses main motivation is survival...

treats and food only work as long as the horse is hungry, and when they are

in survival mode, the stomach muscles tighten and nature tells

the horse to run,  recognizing what triggers the survival impulse

is important to recognize the hore as they learn, because each horse is different...

and each situation and circumstance changes...by learning to compare we

can make thoughtful decisions and choices regarding our horses and their relations

with us...sometimes when people say "don't let the horse get away with something"

then that is a good opportunity to ask ourselves "what is the horse trying to get away from"...

Theres a big difference...learn to ask the horse, people will try to act like they know

more than they do, and they'll just say some stupid cliche that fits their style, or

they'll say thats how its done...we're in the 21st century, your connection with the horse

is worth more than out-dated uniforms...


Most horses I have to rehabilitate have stopped learning around 3 - 6 months of age...

this is usually the first time a young horse has a halter on, so most horses
 
fight like a fish out of water, sometimes it is part of learning, tho most of the time it

should be unacceptable, why, because there are better ways...done gradually, as

a process..also this is usually the time a horse first meets the trimming tools for its feet

and its easy to shove a young horse against a wall or restrain them...from the
 
horses point of view anything that takes their balance away is life threatening...

to compound this , the mare is usually screaming her head off...this situation is

also unacceptable, there are better ways to accomplish this, by teaching the
 
horse to shift their weight...