Horse-man-ship Mentality – Sharpen your horse’s attention with this
Cappel Wisdom from the saddle:
Horses that are broke to ride and understand how to move away from pressure are naturally things that we like to see from our time spent with them. One thing I have noticed over the years is that horses are just like us in that, you will become complacent with the familiar.
Familiar can be beneficial as if a horse is bothered by a certain place or thing the more familiar the horse becomes with it the less bothered, they will be. On the negative side of that is the energy in our bodies that we use to ask our horses to respond to us which can easily become so familiar to the horse that they will become dull and less responsive as our aid becomes more familiar to them.
The remedy for this lies solely with the rider. Their ability to recognize when the horse is trying, when they are not, and a willingness to risk going too far on the other side with their energy level which can for a moment show up as fear in the horse.
As a rider is willing to experiment with energy levels and always stay with the sequence of doing the least amount first but remain aware of the need to increase that energy to keep the response from the horse crisp, willing, and with ease, you then will have successfully arranged the thoughts in the horse’s mind in such a way that the horse finds some urgency in listening for the slightest suggestion from the rider.
Mindful Riding,
Dennis Cappel - Master Horseman
D/C
Be empowered with:
Classes Coming Up:
August 2-4th
November 2nd, 2024
If you show reiners you can just drug them and not worry about HMS!