Horses understand ‘forward’; they are constantly being pushed around by their herd mates and rarely if ever pulled. Learn from the horse – always forward in the maneuvers. The techniques of the NLHTM Program are built on this principle because it works and that is what the horse understands most. They know how to drive and be driven by ‘pressure’ or our asking them with a cue. If the horse doesn’t understand something, likely we’re not being clear enough in what we’re asking him to do. Re-evaluate your approach to make what you’re asking the horse easier for him to understand. Likely you will have to break the training down into smaller steps or to something that is perceived as less intimidating for him so that he can work in ‘safe mode’ and feel confident about what he is being asked to do. Whether you’re riding or working your horse on the ground if you run into a snag direct their motion and then ‘drive’ them through it with your leg or your Cue-stick. They will begin to get lighter off of your aids and appreciate how you can become such a great teacher for them. When you “guide and drive” you will soon see resistance fade and a more willing attitude emerge.
Touching your horse builds his confidence – always incorporate a hands on rub as part of the reward.
A horse is either in ‘survival’ mode (over reactive) or ‘safe’ mode (quiet and receptive); they must be in ‘safe’ mode to learn. To switch from survival to safe mode, build the horse’s confidence by moving his feet (disengage the body parts: hindquarters, forequarters, ribcage) until he begins to look to you for direction. You’ll know when this happens because he will become less likely to want to react or move to things that were bothering him. When he does, be quick to reward your horse by taking away any pressures that were causing him to react and by rubbing on him with your hands. This will reinforce his ‘safe’ mode feeling and allow him to begin to think about what you want him to do.
If the horse doesn’t understand something, likely we’re not being clear enough in what we’re asking him to do. Re-evaluate your approach to make what you’re asking the horse easier for him to understand. Likely you will have to break the training down into smaller steps or to something that is perceived as less intimidating for him so that he can work in ‘safe mode’ and feel confident about what he is being asked to do.