October 28, 2016 4:15 PM CDT
If we ever have ridden or been around horses we all know how frustrating they can be from time to time. We all know the amount of patience it takes to work with horses, the amount of love we have for them, the amount of leadership we have to show them etc. but when we run into behavior problems... for example, not accepting the bit, moving off while mounting, problems trailer loading, refusing to cross the creek, not picking up their feet, etc. we can get a bit impatient with them especially when they have done it a 1,000 times in the past with no problems.
Behavior issues do not mean harsher training, it means we go back to the basics at least once or even twice a month and keep our horses sharp on the basics. It means that when we run into a behavior issue, we still need to break that lesson down into steps that the horse can understand to overcome the issue. It means we remain calm and get to the root cause of our horses behavior issue and get it solved whether it is behavior, pain, confusion etc. The worst thing you can do is get harsher during a behavior problem and make that problem worse in your horse, justify your horse’s behavior, and cause new or escalated behavior problems.
Always go in order with your horse, Make yourself a check list, #1 Check for pain #2 Go back to the basics #3 Break everything down into steps so your horse can overcome the behavior problem. Going in this order your horse will help you to solve their behavior problem so much easier and faster along with building a stronger partnership and you staying patient with your horse. Harsher training will dissolve the trust your horse has in you, but if you follow the steps outlined here, your horse will continue to trust you and your relationship will continue to grow as well.
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Thank You
Mike