So, despite all of the things that were NOT set up for success in our adventures, our horses still became more relaxed and began acting more like partners. No Kerryn and I were not really able to do any of the things I would normally recommend to students to improve their trailer loading. No feeding horses in the trailer, no not making it about the trailer, no play sessions with lots of rest in the trailer ... etc ...etc. No big long breakthrough session on squeeze game.
So, why did it improve? Well, my thoughts are what Kerryn and I focused on is just making each part a LITTLE better each day. Now, our girls both load really well, and in any sort of got to situation they will load like gems :). But, "Good Better Best ..." right? So every day we would spend 15 minutes just seeing if we could get one or two ingredients working better, and over 10 days our trailer loading improved drastically.
In thinking lots about this I remember that Kalley used to say this ALL the time ... "Just a little better every day." All the way down to Haltering and catching your horse! Do you take the time to get your haltering a "little better everyday"? I think so often we forget and just blow through the easy things, wanting to get into our main session. When what is important is taking the time to make EVERYTHING just a little better every day :).
I so often watch Pat and Linda and so many other talented instructors have these FANTASTIC breakthrough sessions with horses, and we end up taking that on as what ALL of our sessions need to be like. Now of course those break through sessions are amazing! And definitely have their place. But if we put pressure on ourselves to create those sessions... we very quickly end up with sour horses :(.
After spending time with Pat and Linda, riding and training with them, it has become very clear to me, that just like us, most of their sessions are NOT fantastic, massive, break through sessions. They are calm, consistent, patterns, and relationship focused days ... where they just think about making every thing a little bit better everyday!
Love this! And you're right... I hardly ever think about getting my haltering better, or other little daily tasks with my horses. Thanks for sharing :) "A little better every day" is so simple it's easy to forget, but it's funny how the seemingly obvious ideas are always ignored, yet are always the most pivotal. It also makes me feel better to know that not EVERY session Pat and Linda have with their horses are magical and amazing lol. Reminds you they're humans too, not horse gods!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for the feedback :)
ReplyDeleteLove this post! Indeed, we blow through the easy things... Will be more aware again on the little things again, somehow I lost sight of this when for a long time due to circumstances, little things were all we could do.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Kristi Smith says 1% improvement. Makes such a huge difference. And thanks for this post. I guess Im lucky that my older tb mare, who is a moderate RBI, prevents me from rushing through the little things. Because if I do, she blows up! Even haltering, she has made me more aware of when she is ready and when she is not. She can so easily act like a prisoner as soon as the halter is on. I sometimes spend more time getting her to catch me on her left side and haltering herself than the rest of my session (these are usually the days after several days apart or if I forget to take her to her herd when I turn her out.) It makes me pay close attention with all of my horses.
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