HorseWise: Worse Before Better

and broke horse accustomed to marching to his own drum realising that hes not the King of the Hill anymore when he finds himself answering to the trainer each day. As the horse shows his displeasure with the boundaries that the trainer sets things can get a little nasty.
It is the nature of the training process to push a horse out of his comfort zone. Typically day to day stable activities and trail riding dont do this. A novice rider doesnt ask as many questions as a trainer does and often doesnt notice when the horse subtly answers no. Here are some lessons a horse will learn when sent away to boarding school.
Yield to pressure He must answer yes to every request from the smallest pressure on his halter in the barn aisle to increasing his canter stride in response to the riders legs to yielding to the bit when asked to collect. A prompt response is crucial. Sulling happens when a horse leans into the pressure to go forward delaying his response or even going in the opposite direction i e. rearing or backing up. Kicking out at a riders leg is his way of avoiding lateral movement. This is usually self rewarding because the leg of a novice rider pops off with every kick. Adding to the payoff is the fact that he gets to stop and rest while his rider recovers her seat.
Defer to your leader He must learn to be attentive to the trainer as his alpha leader waiting for him to make every decision when ridden fed or handled. Im not talking about fear rather about the instinctive respect for the leaders authority and personal space.
Try and be there at least once a week to watch the progress for yourself. Ask questions. A wise trainer
will know when to take a risk and push the horse out of his comfort zone and when to wait and let the horse soak in something that hes learned