Most trainers will tell you is that good riders make good horses. But what is it exactly that “good riders” do which yields good results? After all, sometimes you see riders that looks very correct but can’t get cooperation from their horse. Meanwhile there are some “backyard” style riders who have good success. So clearly, it’s not all just in riding style or years of riding experience or even who you trained under. Certainly, all of these factors play a significant role, but what is the core training concept that leads to success with a horse?
If I had to boil it down to one thing it is the understanding that the horse must go forward to accomplish anything at all. A rider who understands this will continually reinforce the idea to the horses they handle. A horse who is repeatedly told the same message will come to believe it and apply it in many situations.
Why “go forward” is so important
Going forward is the key foundation for all other aspects of training. Without it our horses don’t lunge, lead, ride, drive or even stop! That’s right, a horse who is never taught to go forward properly will never learn to stop obediently. They will slow and stop when it’s convenient, but not as a disciplined response to our queue.
What “go forward” does for the horse’s body
Going forward sets the horse up to be prepared to do what is asked of him next. The horse that understands how to go forward in a balanced fashion will be able to stop promptly, turn and do other transitions because he is already prepared in his body to perform whatever task is asked for next. He will be using his body to its best mechanical and athletic ability and be better able to carry the rider’s weight. He is less prone to stumbling badly because he is more engaged and likely to lift his feet and be aware of his footing. A horse who does not move forward under saddle is similar to a vehicle in “limp home mode” when there is something significantly wrong with the engine or transmission of the vehicle – just barely getting by.
What “go forward” does for the horse’s mind
Moving out is a horse’s natural solution to stress. Being allowed to move his feet allows him to work through any stress he may be feeling. When we show our horse that movement can help him remain calm he is less likely to panic dramatically. There are moments of stress that a horse’s instincts tell him to run wildly away – but this is not actually the idea of moving forward. While moving forward properly and balanced, the horse does not panic. He is disciplined and uses controlled movement to manage his emotions. He derives this discipline and control from his handler/rider who has consistently shown him that moving past the scary object while remaining controlled lets him escape it without a terrible panic.
What “go forward” does for your relationship with your horse
Horses in a herd setting naturally fall into a pecking order. Dominant horses will assert their position by pushing other horses around their pasture until the lower-level horse accepts their status in the herd. This process continues with horses periodically challenging their superiors to test who really should be considered the leader. The lead horse holds an important and stressful position in the herd. A lead horse in a wild setting is usually a mare and would be on constant alert for danger. She decides where it is and isn’t safe to travel, lead the herd to feed, water and shelter, etc. Older or weaker horses usually shuffle down the herd as they age and become less capable of leadership.
Since this is natural behavior to horses, they understand that the one who insists on him moving his feet is the dominant individual. When we insist that our horse moves forward when asked, we assert our leadership position. A horse must know who is making the decisions. If you don’t make them, he will! And allowing our horse to assume a leadership role over us automatically means he is more stressed as he takes on the responsibilities of herd leader. On the other hand, if your horse recognizes your leadership, he is more likely to ask you what to do when he’s nervous, than to jump directly to the executive decision to bolt, buck, jump or whatever else may come from a panic. We rarely like the decisions our horses make for us.
Groundwork is a great place to start this conversation with our horses. It often becomes easier to apply the concept in our horse’s intended job, such as riding, once they understand the rules on the ground.
Some examples of horses who are not going forward – at least in that moment:
- Horse refuses a jump
- Horse refuses to cross water
- Horse refuses to cross a ditch
- Horse refuses to load a trailer
- Doesn’t frame up or soften to the bit when ridden
- Horse struggles with transitions while riding, either upward, downward and even to halt.
- Horse bolts when spooked
- Horse freezes and refuses to move when confronted with new or worrisome situations.
Final Thoughts
Training a horse is an ongoing process and you are never really finished. There are endless new objects, tasks and situations for our horses to learn about. If we start by teaching our horse to be confident in our requests to go forward, we have given ourselves a tool to use to work through new things for the rest of our horse’s life. That creates a horse who is looking to his person for the right answers and therefore less prone to dramatic panics. And that is generally a “good” horse.
A well worked horse knows the value of rest when it’s offered.
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