“Consistency is a great teacher BUT Variety is the spice of life”
Solly in the pics is circling with jumps. When I stand still he can jump two jumps on that circle = Consistency.
When I start walking doing ‘moving circles’ we go to the next jump up = Variety.
We can stand still or move depending on whether I want to give him either consistency or variety…change his direction and we can get both of those on the other side too…great opportunity for fitness training too 🙂
SPONTANEITY:
Using kind consistency with our horse training is a super way of helping our horses learn, some horses love a good solid routine. But it can often become boring if overdone and some horses hate being bored SO we need to learn the art of becoming balanced between being CONSISTENT and SPONTANEOUS.
Yesterday I wanted to do something with the horses but with the weather being on/off I didn’t plan anything, in fact I didn’t even take saddles or bridles. When the weather stayed dry it was a ‘LETs DO IT’ moment and I took the opportunity and played/rode both boys with what I had….rope halter and reins for Solly and used those reins to make a cordeo for Stormy. The pics show the end of a completely spontaneous play/riding session.
What was lovely was that the boys were up for it too and because I had no plan, just wanting a good feel with everything I did, it felt GREAT. Think the boys enjoyed it too <3
Being away or bad weather makes it hard to find CONSISTENCY with training yourself and your horse, I know that scenario all too well BUT consistency doesn’t necessarily mean working on something every day, it can also mean working on something in a consistent manner.
Being consistent with your cues, your energy, your focus and your feel of love is still consistent and if you practice that with your horse you will soon find he will give you consistent replies to the questions you ask.
Yesterday Solly and I, apart for 9 days through teaching and weather finally had some US time and this is what happened…..like we’d never been apart.