TIn today’s episode Laura and I discuss how to set your internal GPS and sit back until it starts giving you directions. In previous episodes I’ve discussed how to set your horse up for success and then give them the opportunity to do what you want. We’re riding deeper into that subject today. Sometimes when I set out on a trip, say a nice drive from South Texas to North Texas, I just enter a city into my GPS to get going. I don’t have the exact destination put in, but it’s enough to get me going. I have faith in the device that it will give me directions when I need them, so I can sit back and enjoy the drive on a long stretch of road. But as many of you know, if you turn off the intended path your GPS will start squawking at you--telling you to do U-turns or take back roads. After a good five minutes of having the lady in your GPS box shout at you, you tune out. This is exactly the opposite of what you want your horse to do. We want our horse to respect our commands and we want ourselves to enjoy the ride, not micromanage every second of it.

Overriding. This is a term I use a lot when teaching people how to ride properly. Think about overriding like this: have you ever been in the back of a car and gotten nauseous from someone else’s driving? The sudden accelerations, lane changes, and braking can leave you feeling queasy. The same goes for your horse when you bug them every few seconds with pressure and commands. Overriding your horse results in them either becoming hyper sensitive to your commands or tuning your out all together.

You don’t wait until your car hits a power pole to start turning your vehicle. As soon as you see your horse veer off their intended path you need to be there to make a correction. You need to be able to balance corrections and pressure with sitting back and giving your horse opportunity’s to succeed. You are the leader in the relationship, and it’s your responsibility to communicate clearly and efficiently to your horse.

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

We’ll be sharing more practical tips for better horsemanship (and humanship). If you don’t want to miss it, be sure to subscribe in iTunes or on Stitcher.

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

Van

Van Hargis Horsemanship