Cowboy time

Goggles and I had a lesson with the cowboy JT uses for ground work. It was great! I learned a ton and had a ton of fun watching the cute baby horse learn things too. His actual techniques are not supposed to be shared online for free, so I'll share some general take aways: 

• MANY horses are used to only finding relaxation in movement. We want them to be able to find relaxation in stillness as well. Finding that will help with square halts too. Why do we focus so much on a square halt? It shows relaxation and stillness. 
• If you push past the fear line, they will often go with you. But then when they realize they're past it, they will panic. This came up because we were discussing trailer loading. I certainly pushed Goggles past that line and then did see the panic that occurred. This also makes sense with his original trailer loading behavior - flying in and out. He was responding to the ask, then realizing he was actually scared, and then reversing at warp speed. I certainly saw the parallel to horses that rush jumps. When you actually break it down, they're doing this because they're terrified not because they are eager. 
• Horses can learn in several ways: finding the answer on their own, being helped to find the answer, being told the answer, and being forced into the answer. We don't do enough of letting them find the answer on their own. 
• Horses think in millimeters, we think in inches and feet. This applies to being in your space, loading on the trailer, etc etc 
• We're pretty bad at charades most of the time. If we ask consistently (consistently to them, not just us), they give us the right answer almost all the time. 
• You want the four C's in everything you do: calm, confident, communicating, and connected
• The posture and relaxation they learn to adopt the majority of the day will do more for their topline than an hour of riding each day

I'm excited to keep playing with these things, especially while we try to get the weight onto him and it is bloody hot. 

Our lunging session the next day was the most relaxed and confident he's ever been. **Coincidence? I doubt it. 

**(just re-read after writing this post by swyping on my phone and realized I had confidence in here... which is the exact opposite of what I wanted to question)

Hanging out, relaxed, post hosing