Horse Savvy to me is having the ability to ‘read your horse, his behaviour, his moods, his play’ and also being able to have ‘a calm, spontaneous response to an unexpected situation’.
Savvy doesn’t just sort one problem out, it is about remembering and comparing an accumulation of experiences that develops over time and it is this that brings confidence and savvy around horses.
It’s hard to remember to keep the fun in training but it’s really important to do so for our horses and for the relationship we are trying to build.
Learning to task for a while and leave things on a good, fun note so that we can return and progress another day is a great way to keep things in perspective. You will often find a day off training helps to give the horse time to think on what he has been learning and come back with renewed interest and understanding of the lesson.
What is not so good for the horse is to task repeatedly over and over and over in one day trying to get perfection. This can bore and sour a horse to where they become robotic and I feel it is mild form of ‘forcing’ a horse and then they are less inclined to come back the next day with a smile on their faces OR if they are an introverted horse they can come back robotic or shut down.
SO..keep your training progressive but also fun.
I’ve written a few articles on subjects such as Intent, Focus, Breathing and Space to show ways we can get connected to our horses but the ONE thing we need to learn is to ‘Leave our emotions at the gate’.
Don’t bring your anger, upset or fear to your horse. Try to leave any negative work or home issues at work or home. Being in the now with your horse is what works the best. It also means that whatever happens in your session don’t bring any emotion apart from love into that either. Don’t be angry with your horse for doing something you didn’t ask for, don’t bring frustration or fear to the session and always finish on a relaxed positive note.
Bring confidence, awareness, focus and love in all you do with your horse and most of all ask with clarity and without any emotional baggage.