To make it simple: cause that what you want your horse to do/learn easy and comfortable, cause that what you don’t want your horse to do uncomfortable. It’s like the game warmer-colder we played as kids. The reason it works with little kids is that they feel successful every time they hear the word ‘warmer’. Immediately they know they are going the wrong direction when they hear the word ‘colder’. It is also up to us to make the task not too complicated. You have to ask the horse questions that they are able to answer with ‘yes’. If the horse (and dogs, children) hears: no, no, no all the time or: colder, colder, freezing, they will soon get frustrated or even afraid.
So what are you focusing on? When you ride … do you focus where you want to go (and how) or are you constantly thinking: “don’t do this, no, don’t do that”. The difference is as subtle as seeing a glass as half full or half empty. It’s what you see in it. There’s no wrong answer. There’s a natural law: that what you focus on expands. What you give attention to will grow. So it’s up to you to make a method negative or positive.
The strength of my approach, like what Pat Parelli does with horses (and Ceasar Milan does with dogs) is that the horse has a choice and a chance to consciously learn and understand. You actually work with the mind, their psychology and natural ability to learn. What is really important is that the horse gets the chance to process what has happened in his mind. This is when you give them dwell or soak time. The coin has dropped when they lick there lips. If you miss these opportunities, chances are you won’t achieve anything with this method (Natural Horsemanship) and people around you will only see the negative stuff. I see this happening a lot. People think it’s in what they do with the horse that gives the result. It is actually a lot more in what you don’t do and when to not do anything at all that builds the success.
Focus on the positive. Notice the smallest changes and reward that. The biggest reward you can give them is to leave them alone. Give them time to think about it and allow the horse to learn. Don’t make him learn.
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