Horses are not futurists. They can’t see into the future or read our minds and intentions. So when we ask a horse for something the very first time, they don’t know if or even when it will ever stop.
Fred was quoted as saying (paraphrasing), “I can teach them the steps. I need to teach them the steps. But just learning the steps does not make them a dancer.”
If I asked most people to draw a picture of a horse chances are they would draw a head attached to a neck, attached to a body, attached to four legs, and finally add a tail, ears, eyes, etc to their masterpiece.
I believe that many horse people suffer a severe affliction, a curse if you like, that dooms them and their horses to ordinariness. I call it exercise fixation.
A lack of clarity is the most common form of abuse we impose on horses. And to avoid being unclear, we must be crystal clear in ourselves if we are to have any chance of bringing clarity to a horse