Training Tip: Respect Without Fear

You want your horse to respect you, but not fear you. If a horse is afraid of the person training him, he’ll spend more time worrying about the situation and trying to escape it than trying to figure out how to do the lesson. People are the exact same way. It’s nearly impossible to learn something if you’re not relaxed and comfortable. You can’t act like a barbarian to your horse and immediately start whacking him because he isn’t giving you the response you’re looking for. You have to establish a starting point and then build from there. Once you’ve made your horse feel uncomfortable and you know he’s trying to find the right answer, maintain the pressure and wait for him to figure out the correct response. Remember, you don’t want your horse to be disrespectful, and you don’t want him to be frightened of you. Your goal is to get respect without fear.