Swinging the Pendulum

It doesn't take very much time in the horse world to realize that there are many different ways to train a horse. Use this bit! Don't use this bit. Cue your horse this way! Not that way. Use this type of saddle! Not that type of saddle. Start them at 2! Start them at 6. Treat train! Never use treats. Desensitize them! Desensitizing is bad. And on and on it goes. It can feel overwhelming, trying to discern what's right and what's wrong.

I think it's important to find a trainer and a training program that doesn't swing the pendulum too far. By this I mean that they don't go to extremes on either end of the spectrum. There are some trainers who swing the pendulum too far by being harsh with their horses. Everything is a battle. It's always about getting respect from the horse, never giving any to the horse. They're using quick fixes, gadgets, and gimmicks, to force the horse to get better faster. You will see a lot of horses burn out of this kind of program becasue they can't handle the pressure. Others survive it by checking out mentally. I think more people have become conscious of overly harsh training practices and we are seeing less of this in the horse world as a whole, however, it does still happen. I remember teaching lessons at a barn in Colorado while a western pleasure trainer was working her horses. My seven year old lesson student stopped and said, "That horse looks sad." And she was right. This poor horse had its head cranked down, thanks to a pair of draw reins on a massive curb bit. The trainer was forcing it into an unnatural headset and an unnaturally slow gait to meet show standards.

In recent years though I think we are seeing more of a swing to the other side of the spectrum. Trainers who are so soft and nicey nicey that they aren't actually accomplishing anything with the horse. And it appeals to people because they love their horses and genuinely want to have a good relationship with them. I recently saw a "trainer's" website that made me do a double take. This person offers trauma therapy for horses...over the phone...I'm sorry if this offends anyone but your horse doesn't need a telehealth counseling session. They need you to actually work with them. We don't create softness by being perfectly soft and light all the time. Sometimes we have to be firm and set boundaries and work through resistance. People can get themselves into dangerous situations where their horse is basically mauling them, because they are too afraid of hurting the horse's feelings to set a boundary. We have to be careful not to over personify a horse. Yes we love them, yes they have feelings, but horses are wired differently they we are. We have to make the effort to understand how they think and how they learn, rather than treating them like four legged humans.

So find a trainer and a program that prioritizes the health and well being of the horse and also works to get real results. Don't follow a program that abuses horses but don't get taken in by trainers with a bunch a fancy jargin that take your money and don't accomplish anything either. There are a lot of good programs out there that have different philosophies and styles of horsemanship. The vaquero tradition has a very specific way of starting and training horses that prioritizes the horse's wellbeing and longevity. Does that mean we all need to start horses in hackamores? No, but it is an excellent tradition you could learn from. Classical Dressage (not competitive Dressage) is another long standing tradition to learn from. Does that mean we all need to ride in Dressage saddles? Of course not. There is a lot of good in the Natural Horsemanship world that can be learned from, especially old school NH like Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, and Buck Brannaman. And that's just to highlight a few different training traditions out there.

Good horsemanship requires time. There are no gimmicks, quick fixes, or magical solutions that will short cut the process. As the old adage goes, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." So not swinging the pendulum too far requires you to accept that it will take time to develop the horse you have into the horse you want. Your horse doesn't need psycotherapy. They don't need a bigger bit, draw reins, or a tie down. They need good quality training time on the ground and

in the saddle. Find a trainer that will help you do that, whatever their riding style, and you'll be golden.