#default behaviour

Sometimes…okay, often in our everyday lives, we forget to monitor ourselves and how we impact those around us.

It’s easy to be wrapped up in concerns and worries because, let’s face it, we feel  comfortable, “special” and important when being miserable.

Sounds dumb doesn’t it. Observation reveals we all have “default” emotional settings that, under pressure, we defer to:

We Glare, Scowl, Grimace,…

5 Benefits of Teaching Your Horse to be ‘Patient’

In my business I teach horse people the Key Lessons, Your Key to Success in Equine Positive Reinforcement Training. One of my ‘keys to success’ is Key Lesson Patience. In this blog I will share the purpose and benefits of this basic exercise.

What does Key Lesson Patience look like

Your horse aligns himself next to your shoulder, stands with 4 feet on the floor, keeps his neck straight and he has…

Key lesson: ‘patience’

In this key lesson the horse learns to keep his head straight forward, not too high and not to low. The goal is to reward the horse for his ‘patient’ behaviour. Of course the horse is not really ‘patient’ when he stands with his neck straight and his head on a comfortable level, it is just a learned behaviour.

Focus on what you want It is really important that you communicate to your horse what it…