Don't look for perfection - "When mules fly, you can't really blame
them if they don't stay up in the air too long".

LOOK FOR THE TRY, NOT PERFECTION

Watch the tone in your mental & verbal voice. Make sure your tone is
considerate and helpful to your horse.

Consistency is the key to trust

You have to get their attention before you can do anything else

Ask for only as much as you need

If your horse tries to do the right thing it should mean as much to
you as actually getting it done.

Don't force/demand that the horse do things they aren't interested
in. IT'S OK TO HELP YOUR HORSE THRU THOSE SPOTS.

Sometimes not doing anything is worse than stepping up and doing
something.

Focus on the try and not on the mistakes or lack of perfection.

When leading, look for the stop in momentum, not just the stop of the
feet.

Don't use the halter, reins, etc to stop your horse - use those
things as the cue to stop.

The release should be in proportion to the request

If you're asking for something and not getting a try, do something to
get the horse to break loose and re-focus. If the horse isn't trying
then ask for something else.....IT'S OK TO HELP YOUR HORSE.

To bring energy up while riding take inventory of your own body and
feel the energy inside.

Remain quiet so that the horse begins to search out and realize
that you are that quiet spot.

Get really good at seeing the inside of the horse - not just what's
going on outside. There must be calm on the inside. The outside can
be deceiving. Look at the whole horse - just because the head is
down or they have come in to you (round pen work) and stopped does
not mean they are quiet on the inside.

If a horse has lots of energy to burn off just remain quiet and let
the horse come to depend on that quietness.

If you're standing still (while leading or riding) with your horse,
it's ok to just stand there. You don't have to be doing something
all the time. It's ok to let the horse's attention wander as long as
you can ask for and get it back with as little as possible.

What do you expect from your horse? What do you want from the
relationship? Get a clear picture in your mind. (I will add my own
question here: Why do you have horses?)

The horse will do anything for you if they feel like you're in it
together. But if you're not there for them consistently they may
come to view you as somewhat insincere.

Look for all the good things - focus on the positive things your
horse gives you.

When you overdue tasks/work you get:
Anticipation from your horse
Frustration in your horse
Less fun with your horse
Lack of attention from your horse

HORSES DON'T WANT TO MAKE A MISTAKE

If you get a big response (reaction) from your horse then your
request was too big.

As soon as you feel the horse start to "ball up" slow them down.
IT'S OK TO HELP YOUR HORSE OUT OF TROUBLE BEFORE IT STARTS.

Make it very clear to the horse what you're asking for. Get a clear
picture in your mind and stay focused.....your horse will be there
for you as long as you are there for them.

Be aware of your surroundings, the "tone" of your requests, and your
own mental focus.....your horse will be.

WHEN YOU THINK YOU'RE BEING QUIET, YOU CAN GET EVEN QUIETER

If the horse starts bobbing and tossing their head, take one rein to
your thigh and let the horse pull against themselves rather than you
and he getting in a tugging match against each other.

Is the horse twitching the tail due to pain, frustration, annoyance?
Or, is the horse swishing it's tail because they are really working
at thinking something thru?

BEFORE the horse gets wound up, change direction with attitude, task,
focus, etc. Bring them back down - you can always come back to what
you wanted to do. You don't have to push a horse thru bothered
spots. Get them looking to you to keep them out of trouble. You
could go ahead and push them thru the trouble, but it might be better
to help the horse back down before real trouble starts so they begin
to see you as their help. IT'S OK TO HELP YOUR HORSE

It's not a big deal if you don't get it done today. You're looking
for improvement, not perfection. You're not training for today,
you're training for tomorrow.

Don't compare horses

Get out of the horse's way so they can do what you ask. Start very,
very, very small and release your cue as soon as you feel the try.

MEET YOUR HORSE HALFWAY. Don't ask the horse to carry all the load
all the time. IT'S OK TO HELP YOUR HORSE OUT.

It's easier for a horse to stop or back if they are in a straight
line from their head to their tail.

THE HORSE CAN FEEL YOU THINKING

Be decisive - get a clear picture about what you want, where you want
it, and when you want it - don't hesitate and then blame your horse.

CONSISTENCY!!

Stop, back, and settle. DON'T stop, back, and then go forward
immediately every time.

When asking for the "back" look for the difference between you
putting more pressure on the reins/horse and the horse putting
pressure on themselves thru the position of their head in conjunction
with the reins.

Look for the slightest reaction from your horse anytime you introduce
something new. Be aware - the horse is.

Don't take anything for granted - don't assume your horse knows what
you're doing or why you're doing it. Make sure you don't catch your
horse off-guard.

GO SLOWER ALWAYS! IF YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING SLOW, GO EVEN
SLOWER!

TAKE EACH HORSE WHERE THEY ARE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT. Just
because they did it yesterday does not mean they're ok today. Let
the horse tell you where they are right now and work from there.
IT'S OK TO HELP YOU HORSE OUT.

The horse will tell you when you're using too much of a cue.
Watch/feel their reaction to what you do and how you ask. You may
think you're being real quiet and light, but the horse may think it's
way too much.

Find good places to stop and let your horse soak on stuff when you're
riding. Just stop for a few minutes of dwell time.

The horse will tell you whether they can or can not do something.
Some horses may have trouble doing something due to pain rather than
an unwillingness.

If you get too much of a reaction to your request then take things
way back down, re-group, and try again with a smaller or lighter
request. IT'S OK TO HELP YOUR HORSE.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN WITH YOUR HORSE!
Think of ways to make it more fun and less like drilling or work.
(I'm thinking that this may be one of the most important ingredients
to a successful relationship....combined with a pure love of horses)

Use the horse's legs as your legs. Your energy and their energy
should be the same.

If your horse gets stuck, just move them/re-position them and start
asking for the task again. IT'S OK TO HELP YOUR HORSE.

Well, that's it for the general notes......do ya'll notice a common
theme going on here?? More about helping our horses, psychic
connections, and "heels down" to follow later.

Peace to You & Yours-
Jaki Cast - Texas, USA