Calm Connected Responsive - Achieving the Right Frame of Mind Flashcards
3 Goals to Look for When Warming your Horse UP
Calm Connected and Responsive When you have your horse calm, connected and responsive, training is a breeze. Not only do you make great progress, but your bond also becomes closer and time spent together is more fun for both of you.
CALM
A horse cannot learn when he is not calm. Tension is not only the enemy of successful training, but it can be dangerous as well. The difference between tension and a horse blowing up is just a matter of seconds, so learning how to first get your horse calm is essential to your safety and success.
CONNECTED
Having your horse more focused on you than anything else is an important goal. People can get so frustrated when their horses are sticky by the gate, don’t want to leave the other horses, or are pulling back towards the barn or spooking at everything. All these issues indicate a horse not being connected to you.
RESPONSIVE
A horse that doesn’t want to go, is dull to the aids, or is slow to respond – or, on the other extreme, is overreactive and impulsive – is frustrating and difficult to make progress with.
LBE needs to be more?
Responsive
“You’re not the boss of me!”
Left-Brain Extroverts are born to argue. If you can cause their curiousity to develop responsivelness, rather than demand it, they’ll get calmer and more connected.
The Touch It Pattern is ideal. Keep them guessing and don’t be too repetitive - you usually get to do it the same way about three times and then you’d better think of something new! Remember this horse is a super learner. Be provocative and progressive - it keeps sessions mentally stimulating.
RBE needs to be more?
CALM
“I don’t feel Safe”
When you can help the RBE get calm, they get more connected to you. Only then you can work on the responsiveness as they will be less reactive.
You need to be a strong, calm, focused leader; rapid disengagements will help you get control as they interrupt the horses flight response. In some circumstances, asking the horse to speed up for a lap and “cruise for three” until he volunteers to slow down or stand next to you is very effective.
LBI needs to be more?
CONNECTED
“What’s in it for me?”
When you give the Left-Brain Introvert what he likes (cookies, rest, scratches), he’ll get more connected to you and then more responsive to your ideas. LBIs are already calm, so that’s not usually the issue.
Give him a treat and rub him - don’t ask him to do anything. Once he is looking to you with a more positive expression, ask him to do something really little and give him more treats and scratches. Build from there by occassionally asking for more effort or two or three tasks before treating. One day, you’ll be more interesting than the treat! LBI horses are physically slow (at first) but mentally fast. Learn to be mentally intense but move more slowly at first, and use reverse psychology by doing things like asking him to go slower rather than speed up. This helps keep the connection.
RBI needs to be more?
CONNECTED
“I don’t trust you.”
When you can prove to the right-brain introvert that you are not going to rush them and you understand their need for things to be slow, they start to trust you, becoming calmer and more responsive.
Doing nothing is the best thing when it comes to Right Brain Introvert horses. Just standing next to them, or sitting, or leaning in a friendly way until they take a deep breath is worth waiting for. As they start to let down their defenses and relax, you can begin to communicate, gently asking for what you want and waiting for them to respond rather than ‘upping your phases.’ Gentle repetition works better than increasing pressure.
The Target Game Goal and Directions
Goal
To get your horse connected to a task, mentally focused on it.
Not only is this powerful tool to get a distracted horse reconnected – hardbound, barn-sweet, etc., the Target Game is also an incredible training tool for sports such as jumping and cutting as it teaches them to go to the jump or the cow.
Loose reins held with one hand.
Start at the walk.
Pick an object in front of you as the target – green ball, barrel, bucket, etc.
Without steering, ask your horse to walk forwards while you keep your eyes on the target.
When the horse veers away from the target by 45 degrees, use your legs to reposition the hindquarters until the horse is facing the target again.
Try to keep your reins loose, but if your horse walks forward when you move its hindquarters, lift the reins straight up to impede forward movement. Most importantly, do not steer with your reins.
Once repositioned to face the target, ask your horse to walk forward again.
Stop when your horse puts his nose on or over the target. Pause for 30 seconds and then go to the next target.
Repeat until your horse starts actively looking for the target and you can ‘steer’ with the slightest pressure from your legs to guide the hindquarters.
Pitfalls
