I was asked what I thought was the most important thing a person needed to do to make changes in their horses. I had to consider this for a moment. Then the answer was obvious.
I think effective training of a horse is limited by two things. One is clarity in everything we ask of a horse. But even more important than clarity is devoting enough time to working a horse. I believe time is the most essential element in the training of any horse.
At every clinic, there are people with skills, knowledge, and talent. But despite these assets, we sometimes end up working on the same set of training issues we addressed the year before. The only limitation is the amount of time they are able to devote to working their horse. For some, one session a week of training is a luxury. But so little available time gets in the way of people from making significant progress. It’s usually not enough. There are exceptions, but for me 3 times a week has always been a minimum aim in order to see significant progress. I have seen dramatic changes in both the training and the relationship between horse and rider when people step up to devote more time to working with their horse. Even when their skill level has not changed significantly, putting in more time has made a dramatic difference.
We all have busy lives and for most of us, working our horses is something we fit in between all the other things we have to do in a week. Even many trainers, teachers, and clinicians experience difficulty finding the time to work their horses because they are busy working other people’s horses. I am very guilty of this. I travel a lot for clinics and when I am home there are plenty of jobs that need my attention. My horses get cared for and there is not much they go without. But time devoted to their training plays a secondary role these days.
No horse gets better without our efforts to put in the time to work with it. If we are coached by the best coaches or our horse is in training with the best trainers, but we fail to put in the hours, days, and years of work, progress will be at a snail’s pace. It takes time to progress a horse’s education and build a relationship for even the best horse people using the best training practices. It doesn’t just magically happen because you are good at what you do. Even people with mediocre skills can make good progress with their horse if they commit enough time to the work.
If you can't commit to the time to work with your horse then improving your skills is still achievable through lessons on school horses, etc. However, learning better skills without making enough time with your horse will leave your horse’s education stagnant.
Good skills are important, but I believe time is vital. Without dedicating enough time, nothing gets better no matter how good a horse person you are..
Saving time by working 2 horses at the same time