The other day a friend who knows I have a recycled race horse training to learn to be a polo pony asked me what is the most important tool to use when training.
Horse Training
I thought about it for awhile and although I didn’t want to give a flip answer I had to say, Patience!!!
I had just watched a horse training session that my friend Erica had spent with her pupil horse. She was working on teaching him to neck rein (the horse responds that a light touch of the right rein against its neck on that side means for the horse to turn left, and vice versa). He just wasn’t getting it. The first few times he fussed and threw his head. He just wasn’t having any part of it!!
Erica was patient and persistent. She just kept asking gently, never got flustered or impatient.
What was amazing is that you could see that at a certain point he seemed to be trying to understand what the heck she was asking him to do. When he gave the slightest correct response she rewarded him, either with a pat, or a “good boy” or just letting him relax. Soon he was trying to do what she was asking. It was as if she had been speaking English and he could only understand Spanish. But suddenly he figured out a few words and by giving the correct response he was making her happy. Most horses want to make you happy (there are exceptions of course ), it is part of the nature of animals that live in a herd.
After getting the positive response and repeating it a few times Erica ended the lesson.
It was quite clear that what made this horse training day a success was that she had the patience to keep asking until he understood.
It seems so easy!!!!!
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