“When you sit on a pin, why do you get off?” Most would answer “Because it hurts” but Tom would correct them and say “No, you get off because it STOPS hurting”. That provides a powerfully clear message about how the reins and legs work to produce responses in the horse.
Yep … that’s right, Karina! 🙂 Good on ya!
so, how can we “Train” them, so, once that the essence of training is forcing a little more and it implicates pressure? maaybe we need to disguise the training among other activities that are pleasent to the horse? like a small kid.. “i am tired, says kid”, “so, here is a horse for you’, and we give him something to play with like a horse and kids goes running for himself more half an hour? my old horse hates ‘execise in sand arena”, but does the same things when asked it it happens during a trail…
So, horses respond better to the relief than to the negative stimuli? so new for me! i will need to think more about this news and its significance on my way of dealing with them.