have you crossewd the threshold?

Have You Crossed the Threshold

A while back, I was giving a clinic when the old horseman managing the facility approached me at the end of the first morning's session. He shook my hand, complimenting me on delivering what he considered the best bit of horse and human training he had seen in a long while. He observed how I addressed the core issues people struggled with, suggesting that everyone should attend my clinic first before thinking they were ready to get more complicated. He was sick of seeing people yanking, pulling, fighting and blaming their horse.

I told him I used to be one of those people and that was the reason I do what I do now.

What he witnessed was my teaching of the “Backwards-Forwards-Yield” (BFY) exercise. While it appears simple, it is profoundly revealing.

For most of my life with horses, I encountered various challenges: difficulty in catching them, leading issues, reluctance to stand at the mounting block, and general behavioral inconsistencies. I sought solutions in new equipment, supplements, and training aids, often deferring to trainers for 'fixes.' I perceived trainers as merely reinforcing obedience in horses, not realizing the depth of their role.

It never occurred to me that when I picked up the lead rope, my horse was acutely aware of the sensation it created on his face. I was oblivious to the messages I was sending, resulting in a horse that resisted and braced against his halter daily. I dismissed his behavior as mere annoyance, not recognizing my contribution to his confusion.

I was unaware that a well-trained horse, responding calmly to the pressure on its face and head, had been taught to follow these signals. Not only that, I was unaware that this learning had to be maintained. This lack of understanding made me overlook the horse’s perspective entirely.

Therefore, in clinics, I start with teaching the BFY. It helps participants learn to train the signals and assess the progression of the learning taking place, revealing the horse's understanding and feelings. This revelation often surprises people, but once they see it, they can't unsee it.

People get surprised they can see their horse actually has no clue instead of seeing the horse as just being disobedient.

By the end of the session, horses are focused, calm and respond to the slightest pressure. While the owners have learnt how to effectively influence their horse to pay attention and respond in a certain way to a particular signal. Therefore, they learn how to create the cues or aids that a horse has to understand. It can be a revelation that the primary type of dialogue we have with a horse is a form of touch communication that is our responsibility to create.

The ability to observe a horse's response to your signals and recognize their interpretation is a critical threshold concept in horse training. Without crossing this threshold, people often remain stuck, frustrated, and resorting to hunting quick fixes that don't address the root issue.

Understanding this concept is crucial in changing the way we interact with horses, leading to more meaningful and effective training. Where you can see confusion instead of disobedience and know what to do about it. Where you become conscious that the way you pick up the lead rope, the reins, apply your leg etc. has to be consistent to maintain the meaning to your communication with the horse.

This concept is the gateway to beautiful training that results in communication with the horse that is devoid of confusion, conflict and discomfort...and this is vital if you dream of having a good relationship with a horse.

Therefore, It is why I start where I do

Look at the image below and note my hand, it is through this I am having a conversation with this horse. At this point I am teaching him that when he feels me pick up on the lead rope gently, it means he is to follow that feeling forward. To start with I needed to really pull hard on the lead rope to get him to move, that is the equivalent of having to scream at someone to move and that is not cool and certainly hampers any chance of a good relationship.

PS. If you are intrigued by what I do, my program is available in the Courses section of this website.