1. There is an adequate way and an excellent way.
I've been riding and training horses for years. Most of that time has been spent in someone's pasture or barn. I haven't taken lessons in years. I have learned how to do many things adequately, well enough. Serving on the ranch this summer, I was able to learn from a couple incredible horsewomen (and men) who taught me excellent ways to complete simple tasks. For instance, we spent several minutes learning how to halter a horse smoothly and comfortably. I've used rope halters for about ten years, but now I know an even better way.
I was given the opportunity to spend several weeks with Nakia, one of the horses in training at CPYR. She is a young, green horse with an incredibly willing and affectionate spirit. I noticed that she was becoming more and more cinchy during the saddling process. The equine manager walked me step by step through the process of saddling. She showed me four or five tiny but significant changes. Those little adjustments made a huge difference in the way Nakia responded. That is the difference between adequacy and excellence in horse training.
2. The devil is in the details.
This may seem to contradict the first lesson I learned. I guess that's life for you. Truths often appear to contradict each other and somehow they are all still true. I hit a mental and/or emotional block with Nakia when I first started working with her. The problem was never with the horse - she is one of the most incredible young horses I have ever met. The problem was in my head. I overthought and overanalyzed every little detail. Instead of making progress, I thought myself in circles. Sometimes, you just have to push forward to the next step, even if you aren't satisfied with your results.
3. Pick a path and see it through.
I realized this summer that sometimes I am too open minded. One of my roommates told me, "I love that you're really open minded, but you're not so open minded that your brain falls out." I appreciate the compliment but looking back I can see a few times my brain might have fallen out.
When I try something with a horse and it doesn't work, I look for a different answer. I think that is a strength. I'm open minded enough to see that sometimes (often) I am wrong and need to find a different solution. However, sometimes I jump from method to method to method to method before the horse even has a chance to understand me. This summer I learned to pick one cue, one lesson, one method and see it through even if the horse doesn't understand right away. Too many ideas at once causes confusion.
4. Beware of the Narrative
Humans are creatures of belief. We think we're so smart and rational, surveying all the facts and coming to reasonable conclusions. The truth is, we form our beliefs and then we filter the information to fit the conclusion we have already accepted. I may have learned it from Psychology, but God said it first.
Many people believe in the Law of Attraction. Many other people believe its a pile of nonsense. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Humans can't change reality. You can't tell yourself a tree is a house and magically turn it into a house. Humans can make choices that influence their circumstances. You can believe that trees are meant to be lived in and buy a tree house or build one for yourself.
What does this have to do with horses? Often, we created the behavior in our horse that we expect. If we attach a narrative to our horse's behavior we can unintentionally influence them. This can be a good or a bad thing. If my horse spooks I can laugh it off telling myself, "Nakia is responding to the windy, fall weather with higher energy." My energy then is calm and prepared, showing Nakia I am a trustworthy leader. Or I could tell myself, "Oh no, she spooked. That means she is going to spook again!" I raise my energy in response, becoming nervous and tense, which Nakia feeds off of. . . leading to another spook.
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