When we are training our horses, we tend to focus on the technical aspect of riding.
‘He needs to bend more, he doesn’t respond to my leg aid, he isn’t collected enough.’
But what we often forget, is to focus on the mental part of the horse.
How is he experiencing the training? What is he thinking and feeling during the exercises?
That’s why, whenever I start working with a horse, I ask myself the following questions:
That might sound a bit spiritual, but it’s the basic foundation of my entire training method.
Because the mentality of your horse is so important!
Changing your mindset to think not what is your horse doing but why is he doing it, alters the whole vibe of the training session.
It opens your mind and shows what information your horse really needs at that time to progress easily towards the goal.
And the way your horse experiences his daily training, determines the effort and motivation he will willingly put forward the next day.
Creating this mindset and thinking about your horse’s mental state is something I do with all horses of all ages.
Because preparing your horse for the human world he lives in, isn’t limited to an age or degree of training.
All horses have to learn how they can manage themselves in situations that would be normal for us, but seem life-threatening for a horse.
So when do I start working with young horses? Well, actually…
At just a few hours old, the horse is old enough to stand. And when he’s old enough to stand, he’s old enough to learn.
A horse can already learn instinctively, from the beginning. They don’t need time to develop a part of the brain for learning.
And teaching a foal a state of relaxation and trust around humans from the beginning, is the perfect foundation for setting a positive mindset for the future.
So the first thing I do with all horses, doesn’t matter how old they are, is my groundwork pattern.
The groundwork pattern teaches the horse how to become relaxed in his body.
And did you know, that what happens physically, also happens mentally?
For example, if you’re nervous or tense, you take a few deep breaths and try to relax your muscles.
Once your body feels less tense, you also become less tense mentally.
With horses it works the same.
And you want a relaxed mind whenever you’re working with your horse.
Because your horse will enjoy his job a whole lot better when he’s feeling relaxed then when he’s feeling tense or uncomfortable.
So it’s important to teach your horse the groundwork pattern.
Because it teaches your horse what he needs to do in his body to feel relaxed. And when he gets tense or insecure, he can always rely on that pattern.
So when he’s introduced to a situation where he doesn’t know the answer, like a new environment or a strange object, he doesn’t have to rely on his natural instinct, which is fight or flight.
In this demo I gave during the DressagePro Masterclass, I explain the first steps of the groundwork pattern and the importance of it.
Once your horse understands these patterns, the next step is to teach him how to respond to different pressures.
Especially when you’re working with horses in a human world, you’re going to encounter objects or animals that might seem very scary to your horse.
Think of judges boxes, cows, umbrellas or birds hiding in the bushes.
Even though your horse has just learned how he can relax in his body, he doesn’t know yet how he can apply this to situations that causes pressure and makes him want to rely on his natural instinct.
Instead of trying to distract him or trying to comfort him, saying it’s ok and trying to convince him not to bolt, you can also teach him that he doesn’t have to fight or flee.
And instead, teach him how to respond to different types of pressures.
What I’ve experienced, is that these elements are all part of things that scare horses the most.
For example, approach. When your horse spooks in a scary corner, he is approaching something. When you have a horse that is scared of other horses, something is approaching him.
Waving flags, running from your leg aid and getting tense when he hears a car: these are all examples of movement, touch and sound.
And when you’re riding a big, fast animal, you want him to manage himself and be relaxed instead of getting tense and ready to bolt at any moment.
In the video below I explain more about dealing with these elements and how you need to work with the tools.
Once your horse understands the meaning of these exercises and really feels the effect in his body, he will start to use them in his daily life as well.
Not just in the few hours a day he spends with you.
But you still have to teach him how he can use his knowledge under the saddle. When you’re riding and training him.
I always divide it in two steps: the patterns and the tools.
Because your horse needs to understand the patterns under the saddle before you can work with the tools.
During TRT Live in the Netherlands, I showed the audience how I do the patterns under the saddle. You can view my explanation in the video below.
After the patterns, you can start working with the tools.
Your horse does already understand how he needs to respond to pressure, but it might be different for him when he has a saddle and bridle on.
Suddenly he’s ‘working’ and he can experience pressure at another level.
I show how you can use the tools under the saddle during this Horse&Country TV episode.
