Stress and Horse Training

The weather is slowly and painfully getting warmer. Winter does not wish to let go.

Which gives me time to peruse the 'net. Not always a good thing but I managed to stop myself from impulse on-line purchases. Well, at least if you don't count things like flags and clappers for desensitization. Which I don't.  Anyway.

I was intrigued by a post on Warwick Schiller's FB page where he was explaining what he means by 'making the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard'. He was explaining that he wasn't meaning that we punish the horse for making the wrong choice but show them and set up the circumstances to choosing the 'right' thing is easier.

Of course this sparked a debate. A few were quite emphatic that the horse should never ever feel stressed or upset. And if he/she does then the trainer is doing wrong. I read along and after a while I got bored- everyone was just repeating themselves. But it did get me thinking.

Clearly, I am not a horse trainer, nor am I an expert. Lord knows that there are enough self-proclaimed experts out there.

clearly I am not a genius horse trainer

I am, though, a thinker. I am an expert in my field. I do understand about growth and progress. 

So when did we start to think that if we are perfect all the time that the horse will be too? Does this not take away the autonomy of the horse? Making them a mere extension of ourselves and not a being with thoughts, feelings and desires?

And why do we think horses should never ever feel stressed? Is it because we want a full and deep relationship and believe that any disagreement means we have failed?

sometimes we keep it together 

If I wanted to achieve a stress-free life for Carmen I can retire because she has that now. Her life of eating and napping in the sun is probably all that she strives for. 

Carmen living her best life
(although more food and grooming is always welcome)

I've been doing a lot of thinking of how to tackle my goal this year of helping Carmen understand how to respond to pressure in a relaxed way and not a get me the hell out of here way. Doing this requires me to add some stress to her and then helping her find the right answer. 

Does this make me cruel? 

I don't think so. 

Science tells us that all stress is not bad. Stress is simply something that tells us we need to do something. Getting married is stressful but not bad (right L?).  Being chased by a bear is both stressful and bad. And in between there's a whole bunch of gradations:

When we train horses we put on stress. We take that away when they respond the way we want. Ideally anyway. Sometimes we can remove the stressor when we get the wrong answer too. But that's a different post. 

The goal, for me, is not to prevent stress from happening but to keep it at a manageable level so learning can occur. I cannot imagine a universe where training is always sunshine and rainbows. At least not for the average ammie like I am. 

My goal is also to let Carmen learn how to make good choices. Which means that sometimes she's going to make a decision that is not the one I want. I don't think that means I have failed. At least, not specifically. Sometimes a wrong answer is given because we don't know the right answer. Sometimes it's only a little wrong but on the right track (and it's only wrong to me, not to Carmen. She thinks it's the right answer). 

Honestly, if I gave up every time I got the 'wrong' answer I would have two pasture puffs and never step into a saddle again. 

I do love sitting in a saddle

Hopefully I'll be back in the saddle soon and I won't have so much time to think.  Or not as much anyway.