How Horses and Humans Learn, Adapt, and Grow

out zone — through her fears, through her concerns — to desensitize her and “make” her okay with things. 

Now in hindsight, as I shift my focus and understanding of learning, I see that in many situations Diva did what she was told, often out of fear, but was not learning and adapting in a significant way. For example, with a basic skill like mounting, I can see that she was not fully comfortable with the process and did not fully understand what was being asked or how she needed to show up. This would present as her wanting to walk off immediately after I mounted, a behaviour that I would either laugh off or address after the fact. Instead, I should have broken the skill down and been clear about what I wanted, assessing what she was comfortable and ready for, and understanding how to prepare her system well for what was being asked. 

I see now that Diva learns best just like me (funny that!), in a low pressure, high praise, varied, and engaging/fun environment, where she can confidently and fully learn simple skills that build to more complex skills. She also needs her movement, forage, and friends, and her body comfort needs (aligned spine and balanced cranium) satisfied first to be able to move from her comfort zone to her adaptability zone. She learns best with short 20 to 40-minute focused training sessions that vary from online to liberty to in-the-saddle. It took me only 17 years to figure this out!

When we look at supporting optimal learning, one of the biggest components that needs to adapt is us. Without the ability to learn and apply new skills, we are like a hamster caught on the wheel, destined to keep doing the same thing over and over again with similar results. Yet, the science of training and understanding horses is moving forward in leaps and bounds, urging us to diversify our skills and awareness to support our horses. Are you willing to shift the way you’ve always done things in support of a happier horse, a healthier nervous system, and a more connected relationship? If not, what is stopping you? Where is your learning and adaptability edge (your freak-out zone)? What aspects of your environment are supporting you to adapt, or not? Sometimes even our barn environments can be heavily steeped in a traditional way of training horses that can create a fear of trying something new, for fear of judgement or criticism. What supports would you need to break free of old ways in favour of what works best for you and your horse?