What do you really want? What matters to you?

  Exceptional Horsemanship...

...starts about 50 feet away from your horse as you approach and ends after you’re walking away. Change is dramatic in both horse and rider when concepts are introduced that make sense but are not normally taught to people. Horsemanship doesn't start when you're already tacked up and mounted in the center of the arean. But, that's where many people engage their thoughts about riding. Horses already know these concepts, and are keenly aware that people don’t...

have this savvy. No matter the task, discipline or tack, breed, age or gender of either the horse or rider, it IS a matter of left, right, forward or backward, up, down or no thing. No thing - nothing - as in STANDING STILL. Does your horse do what you ask, as you ask it, willingly? Or are YOU moving as he has taught you?  Get a shoulder in your space or a head shove?  Foot stepped on? Raising his head high for bridling? Getting ahead or behind while "leading" or needing to circle and fuss, not standing still? 

These are part of the myth that the person is in control. It's accepted as "that's the way horses are". A myth. It's the way disrespectful horses are. The horse is choosing to act in a way that you really don't like but don't do anything about. Learn to be an influencer! Learn to be good enough to get your horse to want to do what you want.