The Guide To Connection

Part 1

Pulling On The Reins - Why We Resist Learning New Methods

by April Reeves

We’ve all done it at some point; our horse doesn’t stop at exactly the time and place we want, so we resort to the ‘classic’ two-hand ‘yard’ on his face.

Although it felt like the appropriate thing to do at the time, there is a better way.

Why is it that we instinctively use both hands to stop a horse? It’s a gut reaction for everyone who has not had the training otherwise. It is the first thing a new rider will do when they sit on a horse for the first time.

Good horse training methods require us to drop our instinctive reactions in trade for a purposeful, thoughtful proactive response. I believe this is one of the biggest barriers for riders learning new riding and training skills. At first, it feels like you are losing control, as it doesn’t always make sense, especially in the process of learning how to stop a horse. A runaway horse is one of the biggest dangers riders face, and it’s on the top of every new riders mind as they mount for the first few times.

What eventually happens, (if you continue the theories of trainers who have made a name for themselves by teaching and delivering results), is a pattern consistent in all learning. The brain takes in new information logically first. As the new pattern of learning is introduced, the brain absorbs, and after a while, moves into the creative part of your brain. This is where all learning and mechanics (movements) become ‘intrinsic’, or where the human no longer needs to ponder or think through the learning.

Have you ever watched a good skier coming down a mogul hill? It’s poetry, and their bodies just intuitively understand the reaction to obtaining the fluidity needed. Or the show jumper, whose rider flows with him, jump after jump, never hindering the horse.

This is the response to practicing training methods that work. It is simply NOT about practicing. It’s about practicing the correct way, every time. So for us mortals, it’s important to understand not just the lesson, but HOW we take in a lesson. Knowing and understanding the mechanics behind learning often comfort us when we are first faced with the challenge of accepting new information as a truth. It’s not about us being too stupid to learn new things, but allowing the time necessary for our brains to shift gears and learn how to learn.

In order to work with horses, it takes a reversal or shift in thinking. For older beginners, this can be a bigger challenge. There are reasons why learning when you are young pays off (so get the kids off the couch NOW). It’s not just about the single subject, but also the ability to ‘learn how to learn’ that you carry with you through life.

It’s teaching your brain to absorb things that don’t make sense at first. It’s the ability to accept the introduction of new methods. And it’s the time necessary for the body to intrinsically respond.

Mind, soul and body - working together.

This is how we grow.