My entire training program is based off of failures. Or, rather, the lessons I’ve learned through failures.

Every trial and error experience I’ve been through over the years has shaped some part of my training process or my philosophies. Without those challenges, I don’t think I would be half the trainer I am today.

Failing is never fun, but it is up to you to determine whether that failure is going to propel you forward or hold you back. I believe that you can never truly “fail” if you learned something through the process.

In horsemanship, one of the most common failures is having a horse that is stuck in a reactive state of mind.

Horses that are in this mindset often display sudden reactions, such as rearing or running away, which make it very difficult to progress their training.

However, when a horse is using the thinking side of its brain, it is trainable. Before getting on, do something to stimulate the thinking side of the horse’s brain. The ultimate goal is to get your horse in the habit of associating you with the thinking side of your brain.

There are many methods you can use within your training that can help a horse flip that switch to a thinking state of mind. Training starts the moment you step in the pen with your horse, so focus on earning their trust and attention from this point forward.

Get the ground work exercises discussed in this episode in my Foundation to Fundamentals course: philhaugenhorsemanship.com/courses