I’ve gone over the broad strokes of being a patient trainer in last week’s episode, and now I think it’s time to go into the more practical side of patience. This brings to mind another quote: “He who waits the longest is the trainer.”

Horses have an incredible amount of patience. Learning to hold out longer than them for an appropriate response will lead to a more efficient and trustworthy relationship. You don’t want to just nag your horse for a particular response. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone yell at their horse from behind a fence, thinking that this will teach them something. You have to be in a position to enforce the response you want, and gradually increase that enforcement until a response comes. I always apply the smallest amount of pressure possible when looking for a response. If the horse doesn’t respond to my gestures I will slowly increase that pressure. In this way I work towards getting the horse just uncomfortable enough to elicit a response. At that point I analyze the response and see if it is in line with what I wanted, and then move forward. This is especially important for when a horse lashes out or gets itself into a dangerous situation. You need to be able to wait for the horse to work through its behavior or tire out, and at some point they will relax some and accept that they need help. Have the patience to wait for that moment, and be ready to offer that help immediately. This is where trust is born between you and your horse, and where patience comes into play with turning you into your horse’s trainer—and not the other way around.

​Key Takeaways:

Don’t be a quitter. Keep on asking your horse for a response in a steady, gradual manner until you elicit a behavior. Once the horse has responded stop and see if that response is on the path you want the horse to be on.

Be patient and persistent, but keep in mind waiting is not a passive thing. There is a lot of work that can be done while waiting for your horse to give you the behavior you want.

Use controlled wrecks to teach your horse how to deal with stress in a calm manner. Add pressure until your horse feels like he is under stress to the point he will give a response. As soon as the response comes, take that discomfort away.

Whenever a dangerous situation arises don’t be part of the problem. Be a part of the solution. Be there when the horse has tried out and worked through its behavior so you can immediately offer help. Trying to intervene too early will only add another stressor to the horse and make things worse.

Try to instigate your horse’s behavior with the least amount of pressure possible. I like to call this the “Squeeze, Bump, Kick, Kill” method (and, of course, this doesn’t mean you are going to hurt your horse). Gesture lightly and put pressure on the area you want the horse to respond to. Incrementally increase that pressure until the horse reaches the lowest threshold of their response level.

Take note of the notice between nagging your horse versus being persistent. Being persistent means escalating the pressure you apply until you get your response. The whole purpose of that approach is to put you in the position of being a leader, and building the trust that makes every trainer successful with their horses.

What do you think?

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Learn More About My Co-Host

My co-host, Laura McClellan, is a wife, mom to five, and attorney who also hosts The Productive Woman, a podcast about productivity for busy women.         Check it out!

Next Time on Ride Every Stride

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Thank you for listening. Until next time . . . remember to Ride Every Stride!

Van

Van Hargis Horsemanship