Is the use of force really going to get rid of a horse’s nervousness? Are you joking? It’s obviously going to make it worse and worse. It has no place to go but downhill. And that is the secret about using force on a horse, any time, any place, for almost any reason. The more force you use, the more scared he gets. The more scared he gets, the more he resists. The more he resists, the more force you use.

See where this is going? Your only hope is to feel that original nervous tension and to instantly think, “Why? Why is my horse responding this way? Is he hurting in some way? If so, where and why? Or is my riding confusing him? Am I asking something he doesn’t understand? Am I driving him too hard? Is he getting tired, frustrated, anxious?”

Your only hope is to find the real reason and start by trying to fix it. No force. Don’t go there. Don’t start that snowball rolling.

This is a quote from Denny Emerson’s latest book, Begin and Begin Again - The Bright Optimism of Reinventing Life with Horses.

And a link to Shawna Karrasch Equine.

This is a link to Descript, the audio and video editing tool I recommend.

And a link to Second Half Horsemanship.