Philosophy

Although it may sound simple, the one thing you must know is:

What You Are Asking Of Your Horse

I see it time and time again, people either reprimanding their horse or just putting it away when the horse "did not or would not" respond to "what they were asking it to do". Most of the time the horse was doing exactly what was being asked of it. It was the handler who was not paying enough attention to how they were asking the task to be carried out.

The three things you must demonstrate are:
1) Leadership
2) Patience
3) A Sense of Understanding

It takes time and a personal commitment to develop these skills. There are no shortcuts, no quick fixes, and no easy solutions. You can only get out of a relationship what you are willing to put into it.

If You're Not Leading...
You're Following!!!

I have spent over half my life trying to understand not only why horses act the way they do, but how they communicate or express their emotions to others. By learning to recognize and understand these expressions, you will be able to identify when it is appropriate to move your horse forward with its training process, as well as when to wait and allow it more time to understand.

Understanding & Applying Common Sense Horsemanship is as Easy as 1, 2, 3!

Here are the principles:
1) There is 1 thing you must know
2) There are 2 things you must teach
3) There are 3 things you must demonstrate

I believe there are two things we must teach:
1) How To Relax
2) How To Give To Pressure

Everything I can think of revolves around these two things. Whether we are leading, grooming, tacking, or riding, our horse must be able to RELAX and GIVE TO PRESSURE in order to accomplish the many things we ask of them.

Groundwork is the foundation of any successful training program. I believe that whether you are looking to be a competitive rider or a casual rider, that establishing a relationship on the ground is paramount to become successful as a rider. Learning groundwork techniques, you will recognize not only what your horse’s actions and expressions mean, but how to address them in a safe, productive manner that will be easy for you to understand and your horse to follow

As you learn to understand what your horses actions mean and what they will lead to, you will be able to reward or reprimand the thought, the very essence of behavior. It is this ability and level of understanding that keeps you comfortable and in control of whatever happens. It is not knowing what is going to happen or how to address it that creates our fears. By learning how to teach your horse to RELAX…GIVE TO PRESSURE, you have opened a new level of horsemanship.

The feel that you establish on the ground at liberty, in the round pen or in a halter and lead is the same feel that you will take to the saddle. Whether you have inspirations to be an upper level Dressage rider or are looking to take your skills out on the trail, it is the ability to understand the horse from the horse’s point of view that allows our success. I think it is important to use the same presentation to the horse in the saddle as you do on the ground.

If I'm sending a horse to the to the horse’s left on the ground,
regardless if it is at liberty or in a halter and lead, I turn my
shoulders and hips to the horses left and point to the horses
left creating energy on the horses off side. If I’m in the saddle,
I offer this in the same way. The goal is to make it real clear
to the horse what I want them to do. If we can present it the
horse in a way that allows the horse to prepare for the transition
or maneuver then we can start to refine our cues until we get
them to a point that they are not even recognized by those who
are watching.

sillyfilly@prodigy.net