I have a question about herd dominance. I have asked many people this question and have not received a clear explanation. So I am putting it out to you in the hope you can help me understand herd behaviour better.
There is a saying that was popularized by Ray Hunt and which has been repeated again and again by many people, “A horse knows when you know and knows when you don’t know.”
We all want horses to enjoy their job. It doesn’t matter what the job is; we want working with us to be something they feel comfortable about and not dread.
The idea I want people to think about is that when introducing the concept of lateral movements into the training, a rider does not use their legs to support directing a horse.
I guided her through a few exercises and pointed out the spots where she needed to be more particular with her horse and the spots where she could offer it more leeway until it gained better confidence. The horse was steadily improving.
