02.08.08
Are you a horse/dog/animal trainer?
Friend Sophiea recently commented on her reluctance to feel she had trained her horse Q to do something [he knows - I hate to say has been trained - when it's allowed], which touches on a very strong belief of mine…
I used to not consider myself a horse trainer and still I feel somewhat intimidated by the label (until we started raising babies and I accepted that they HAD to be trained)– it IS training when the horse learns from interacting with you, whatever you want to call it. Perhaps we should just call it teaching, or communicating. We are all teachers every moment we’re with animals.
Gilford as a curious yearling, with many things still to learn from his humans! (Portrait study sketch)
Each horseperson has to realize that EVERY TIME you are with your horse, doing something with him, on him, or just being around him, you ARE TEACHING him something and he IS LEARNING from you, EVEN IF THAT IS NOT YOUR CONSCIOUS INTENT!!!
Be honestly tuned in to animals and they will be tuned in to you. It is just as easy for them to learn “bad” habits as “good” ones, because they respond and react to you ALL the time. They are so totally aware when you are not paying ATTENTION to them, therefore their learning of “bad” habits due to your inattention is ALSO training them! The WRONG things!
So PLEASE horsefolks, do NOT get angry with your horse for doing something “bad”, don’t view anything in terms of “punishing” him, he is only doing what he has learned. The animal has NO CONCEPT of good or bad, though he does have concepts of play and mischief and boredom, and CURIOUSITY, and especially of YOUR approval and disapproval. His instinct is to WANT your approval; your job is to help him follow that instinct by showing yourself continually worthy of his respect. Accept your own responsibility for what your horse knows or doesn’t know, and what he does or doesn’t do, and you will have come a VERY LONG way towards being a better horseperson!
