Everyone has a “Goal” with their equine partner, or should I say they have a goal for themselves with their equine partner. The goal can become a learning experience, or it can become a frustrating one. The goals that you set can push emotional buttons, or they can be gratifying. Frustration rears its ugly head at times, lack of confidence at others, then at the next moment you are on an incredible high because you had a break through. You sing songs, tell your friends, and life is good.
The question for us has to be “What’s in it for the horse?” From the horse’s perspective, they haven’t got a clue about your goals. The horse’s only goal is to live life. The horse as an individual does not understand emotion – he only responds to it. They only learn things through feel and repetition of things that produce the same result. Horses can only willingly give you what they are comfortable doing, because they really don’t understand the reasoning behind it. Their balance is their comfort zone, your happiness and contentment their safety zone. Above all “calm” is the meaning of life for a horse. So, you ask - what does that have to do with ” My Goals”?…..A lot!
When your mind travels to “my goals”; the “we” is taken out of the scenario. Often people who are drawn to the horse world and are competitive are very goal oriented. To be successful, one must have structure and self-discipline. There has to be a “game plan”. This is where the glitch begins - horses don’t have goals except to be comfortable and safe. This is your partner, but you are the one with the plan!
The following is a list that I ask my riders to ask themselves as they are training:
Which does my horse have?
“Balance “( is what gives your horse confidence to try) or ” Lack of Balance“( stimulates fear and flight mode in the horse.)
“Comfort” (what your horse will want to remember and create willingness to try) or “ Discomfort” (causes confusion and defensiveness in the horse.)
“Mental tranquility” (creates security for the horse) or “Mental domination” (only causes confusion for them)
At the end of the day all the knowledge, all the lessons, all the training, what you perceive to be "what should be and is correct" - is alien to the horse. The goals you have are only yours in the end, the horse is simply part of the scenario. So if you can make your horse's needs “the goal”, the horse will become a willing partner to help you in your journey to obtain yours!
Best wishes in your journey with your wonderful friend, Karin
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