Episode 37 - Teaching a Horse to be Trained On

Escape and avoidance of pressure is something all horses will do naturally; using the reactive side of their brain instead of thinking their way through a training scenario. If not addressed, horses will develop chronic habits of resistance when exposed to the least amount of pressure. Hypersensitive horses are often fearful and worried about pressure itself. Instead of slowing down and thinking their way out of a bind, they look for ways to shirk pressure and run away from the rider's hands and legs. Dull, lazy or bad-minded horses often interpret any amount of pressure as the beginning of a fight. They brace themselves for a struggle instead of thinking about yielding to pressure and finding a release that way. 

In this episode, Jake and Amy discuss two horses whose personalities are polar opposites: A hypersensitive nervous filly, and a dull resistant gelding. Using these horses as examples, the clinicians dive into the different tactics and methods you can employ to create better mental habits around exposing your horse to pressure, and the training process itself.