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3 STEPS TO SUCCESS
1.EVALUATION: FOR SAFETY EVERY TIME, EVERY RIDE
Every time I approach an animal, whether in a pen or a pasture, or tied to a hitching rail, I am always aware of their demeanor.
I see:
• the posture
• the head
• the eyes
• and the ears.
How are the feet placed? Is the animal attentive, turned off or overly fearful? If the animal is moving freely in a pen or pasture, I am aware of the sound of the hooves; the posture of the body; the reaction to my approach. In this way, I evaluate the animal.
The human must also evaluate himself. How is he feeling today?
Is he focused on working with his horse or mule?
Does he feel confident about working and teaching this animal in a correct and effective manner?
What are the desired behaviors I am striving to achieve?
What are the positive influences that make a difference?
I teach my students to evaluate their animals every day, every time
they are together.
2)THE SECOND INGREDIENT FOR SUCCESS IS COMMITMENT
It takes DESIRE. It takes COMMITMENT. It takes a person’s willingness to pay attention to detail, to pay attention to slow moving subtleties. These animals are so keen and clever on feel and awareness.
3)MAINTAINING MOTIVATION IN THE HORSE OR MULE:
The average handler I see today is killing that “feel”. He is destroying that natural feel and natural ability to survive or to be
attentive that exists within these animals. He is putting the horse or mule in a world that is nonproductive, ineffective.
When his world has no purpose and makes no sense, the horse or mule loses interest in it!
I often see a human who thinks, “Hey, my horse is gentle!” while in reality, the horse is either shutting down because he doesn’t know what to do or he’s too afraid to do it, or, he is moving without direction to evade the request.
TWO SIDES TO POOR MOTIVATION:
Poorly motivated horses and mules fall at two ends of the same spectrum:
Overly sensitive and super fast; Sluggish with no movement. Both have the potential of having an unsafe ride
or scary situation, and both are the product of a poorly motivated animal. Why are they poorly motivated? Because the handler has not built interest, connection, and purpose into the relationship; Or the handler lacks confidence, so the horse or mule doesn’t trust.
The human has to learn to calm and slow down the fast horse. He has to speed up and build confidence in the slow one.
Once you start making requests of the slow ones and the animal starts searching for the answers and they succeed, then they wake up, they become alive!
1.EVALUATION: FOR SAFETY EVERY TIME, EVERY RIDE
Every time I approach an animal, whether in a pen or a pasture, or tied to a hitching rail, I am always aware of their demeanor.
I see:
• the posture
• the head
• the eyes
• and the ears.
How are the feet placed? Is the animal attentive, turned off or overly fearful? If the animal is moving freely in a pen or pasture, I am aware of the sound of the hooves; the posture of the body; the reaction to my approach. In this way, I evaluate the animal.
The human must also evaluate himself. How is he feeling today?
Is he focused on working with his horse or mule?
Does he feel confident about working and teaching this animal in a correct and effective manner?
What are the desired behaviors I am striving to achieve?
What are the positive influences that make a difference?
I teach my students to evaluate their animals every day, every time
they are together.
2)THE SECOND INGREDIENT FOR SUCCESS IS COMMITMENT
It takes DESIRE. It takes COMMITMENT. It takes a person’s willingness to pay attention to detail, to pay attention to slow moving subtleties. These animals are so keen and clever on feel and awareness.
3)MAINTAINING MOTIVATION IN THE HORSE OR MULE:
The average handler I see today is killing that “feel”. He is destroying that natural feel and natural ability to survive or to be
attentive that exists within these animals. He is putting the horse or mule in a world that is nonproductive, ineffective.
When his world has no purpose and makes no sense, the horse or mule loses interest in it!
I often see a human who thinks, “Hey, my horse is gentle!” while in reality, the horse is either shutting down because he doesn’t know what to do or he’s too afraid to do it, or, he is moving without direction to evade the request.
TWO SIDES TO POOR MOTIVATION:
Poorly motivated horses and mules fall at two ends of the same spectrum:
Overly sensitive and super fast; Sluggish with no movement. Both have the potential of having an unsafe ride
or scary situation, and both are the product of a poorly motivated animal. Why are they poorly motivated? Because the handler has not built interest, connection, and purpose into the relationship; Or the handler lacks confidence, so the horse or mule doesn’t trust.
The human has to learn to calm and slow down the fast horse. He has to speed up and build confidence in the slow one.
Once you start making requests of the slow ones and the animal starts searching for the answers and they succeed, then they wake up, they become alive!