Failed delivery systems

An interesting article about an interesting article!

This, of course, goes for teaching horses, too. Sometimes it’s not WHAT we are trying to teach them that’s the problem, it’s the way we’re trying to get it done. The content is fine, the delivery systems is faulty.

Next time you are getting frustrated because your horse “doesn’t understand” – or your horse is getting frustrated because he doesn’t understand – stop and think for a minute. Is there a way you could explain things differently? Is your tone correct for the horse and the situation? Is it the time and place to have the discussion in the first place? Are you teaching/conversing well?

Never hurts to check. You can defend yourself to people if you upset or offend them, but horses are both harder and easier in this way. Harder because you cannot use your most advanced skill, language, to get the job done or to explain your actions, Easier because, most of the time, they will forgive you. Just don’t use that capacity for forgiveness to avoid examining your side of the conversation.

Reflections on Riding

Right now, there’s a very active thread in the dressage forum on the Chronicle of the Horse bulletin board.  Thirty-seven pages have been filled in the last six days by dozens of posters.

It’s all in response to a blog post by Catherine Haddad Staller, also on the Chronicle of the Horse, entitled “It’s Time To Train the Trainers.”  When I read it, I thought the message was clear:  riders are deficient in the basics, and that’s the fault of the trainers.

Clearly, however, the message was not clear.  Because my interpretation of Catherine’s words were only one interpretation, and in a minority.  Some people read the blog post and felt insulted.   Some people read it and felt that it insulted every adult amateur in America.  Some people felt it was high time that someone said something about the problem.  Others felt that Catherine should stop talking…

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