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
Anytime we feel a brace or resistance in our horse we are learning the limit of our relationship. A big part of training is to eliminate any and all ‘no-go’ areas of working together. A lack of softness to an idea is a horse telling you the limits of your relationship have been reached.
The question of what is contact gets argued on dressage forums all over the world. Amateur and professionals have different opinions. Even many of the gurus of dressage can’t agree.
At a clinic last week in Billings, Montana the subject of hobble training of a young, unstated horse came up. That gives me a excuse to write on the subject.
I was watching a clinic by Buck Brannaman and he said something that has stuck with me. To paraphrase, “If you have owned a horse for more than 2 weeks and have not started to make some changes you have to stop blaming the previous owner or the earlier handling.”
Many people consider when riding a horse the ultimate goal is to have a horse responding primarily from the feel of a rider’s seat and legs. It is believed by many that the seat and legs are a true test of the communication between a horse and rider.
