Wellness between a horse and rider is a a delicate, super-sweet line of connection between species that channels learning and communication, a tension-free zone so communication can flow.
In my thirty-five years as a horse trainer I have seen a lot of techniques of varying degrees of success. For me, the biggest game changer has always been to turn them loose and talk to them in a language they understand—body language at liberty. My point is that while on a lunge line (something I do use), the horse never gets to make a decision. He never gets to decide to cooperate with you and join in. For a fearful horse to become un-fearful, he has to let go of fear. For a stubborn horse to become cooperative, he has to let go of stubborn. Those decisions change, mold, shape, and transform a horse from an unusable one to a useable, teachable one.
Well whoop dee do, but horses don’t learn unless they are relaxed and tension-free, period. If your horse is only thinking about running away from you, you haven’t even gotten the mayo jar opened yet to have lunch.
Wellness, between horse and rider, is a real slice of chocolate/strawberry cheesecake if you want to understand harmony. It is a a delicate, super-sweet line of connection between species that channels learning and communication, a tension-free zone so communication can flow. We all get frustrated at times with the language barrier, but when we bring frustration