Next steps: using basic skills for practical behaviors
Live webinar Saturday, March 7th, 10:00 am to approximately 11:30 am CST
This is a follow-up presentation for folks who have been to one of my basic skills clinics or my online basic skills class and wondered what the heck they were supposed to do with that information, as well as for people who might be interested in the basic skills clinic, and want to see some things that can be done with the basic skills.
feel is a learnable skillset
“Feel” is not a mystical gift only given to a select few, but a learnable ability composed of the individual skills of timing, mechanics, and use of repertoire working together. Simply put, it's knowing what you’re looking at, what to do about it, and when to do it.
How you move affects how your horse responds to you, and how easily you can respond to your horse. With good timing you start to develop a rhythm. A rhythm allows you and your horse to predict when and where to move, which will develop your overall feel. Once you have the pattern down, the words wash away and what's left is the action and felt-sense of seeing the horse, and being seen by the horse.
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brains, not reins
Historically, we've used tack as a means of everything from communication to coercion. Tack has an enormous impact on a horse's wellbeing, on so many levels. However, tack is simply an external mechanism with limited, straight-line, one-way application.
But what if we didn't need those constraints?
What we're really trying to reach is the horse's brain, their mind. This is where all the learning takes place: within the horse's emotions and experiences. Using the process of shaping, through positive reinforcement training, we can train without the overshadowing effect of tack, while also allowing space for the horse to communicate with us.
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Do you have questions?
While there’s a structure to learning and to positive reinforcement, there’s no single path to success. Every horse is different, and a lot of horses (and people!) are different on different days. Let me help you make a fun, flexible training plan that celebrates your and your horse’s individuality.
Heather K McManamy
South Central WI
Text welcome at 608-333-6950