The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out

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Topic: This is a tough discussion. Harsh and abusive tactics are still pretty common when it comes to horse training. If we continue to stand by silently we also condone harsh training tactics, at any level of training. Unhappy horses will be the end of riding as a recognized sport. Sport should be challenging but not induce suffering. Inside the horse world, we learn to accept abusive tactics as almost normal or at least as necessary sometimes. But harsh methods, even those I have regretfully used myself, never result in partnership or beautiful movement. Good people use bad methods when knowledge is lacking. As we learn more, we should all be able to do better by our horses. While some videos surface that make all of us cringe, the day to day practices of reaching for spurs, head setting devices or a bigger bit as a solution to training is the beginning of a way of thinking that directly leads good people to that cringe-worthy result. We have to think differently from the very earliest stages of training.

Guest: Deb Romero, certified Alexander Technique Instructor
www.optimalposture.org

The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/
Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer
Developer of Training for Optimal Balance
https://kirstennelsen.com/