Sometimes we think that life would be perfect if we could be alone on a tropical island sipping a cool drink while lying in a hammock.
However, the human mind must have contact and fellowship with others. Did you see "Cast Away" with Tom Hanks or read Robinson Crusoe or Island of the Blue Dolphin? Humans must have camaraderie, real or imaginary in order to stay sane. Horses are herd animals and have the same need for company and like humans, it can be in many forms; goats, dogs, even us. This, of course, leads to the problem of where two minds occupy the same space there is pressure.
Pressure is not always a negative thing; it is what motivates change. However, when the pressure is too great or there is no release from that pressure, a mind can choose to avoid the source of that pressure. The source of pressure can be an object, situation, or relationship. The horse, just like us, will avoid partnerships based on force, fear, manipulation, or constant punishment. There has to be a release from pressure and a reward for correct changes or the horse will eventually shut down.
Alternately, when pressure is applied correctly change can take place, but again whether the change is good or bad depends on the situation, avenues of escape from the pressure, and which avenue appears to be the 'easiest.' It is critical to use lessons that make it easy for the horse to respond in a correct manner. We do not want them to fail. We build confidence and trust with each positive response we get from our horse and with the reward and release from the pressure.
It is important for you to learn to read your horse so you will know how much pressure it takes to motivate change without being overly forceful. Some horses require a good amount of pressure before they become 'uncomfortable' and start looking for what it is that will release the pressure. Others are extremely sensitive and require that you are careful to not over power them. This is the benefit of breaking down a lesson into enough steps that any horse can easily and confidently learn and advance to the next lesson.
We cannot avoid pressure; however, we can find a creative and constructive way to use that pressure to build a relationship with our horse that is full of mutual respect, trust, and confidence. The lessons I use dissect every maneuver into its basic components and taught one piece at a time. Then when it is put back together it becomes every so easy to make small adjustments to get the best performance of that maneuver. Most importantly, the horse understands and with little fuss makes those changes in a relaxed and confident way.
We all need some vacation time to relax our minds, just remember you are not the only one who deals with pressure everyday. The more we can use pressure to make positive changes and find ways to apply that pressure in ways that help our horses learn, the better our relationships will become.
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