CEGA


Discover your ideal relationship with your horse

CEGA creates an atmosphere of openness and trust in which to explore your own special horse-human bond. We want to help you remove blocks, deepen your awareness of the power within, and help you achieve your goals.


Thursday, May 19, 2011

What makes you tick? How about your horse?

As we move through life, striving to improve and grow, a key portion of this is finding out what motivates us to achieve our best.  In our relationship with our horses, we also need to find out what motivates them.  How do they learn best?  Are they sensitive, “thinking” types, easily bored? Do they question everything we ask them to do?  Are they good-natured, willing to comply with anything within reason that we ask of them?  Do they need to think about a request, take time to absorb it, before they can comply?  And there are many more ways to learn, especially when you put different riders and trainers into the equation.   

In my barn, I have four horses, each with one of the learning styles I mentioned above.  I have to approach work time with each of them differently.  The sensitive thinker is happiest with doing something different all the time, keeping him happy and engaged.  My just-for-fun horse will do anything, really, and will babysit anyone on his back, including my three-year-old grandson.  Another is sensitive in his own way, needing time to  process information before I ask again, and gets confused if asked again too quickly.  And the mare questions everything!  She should really have one of those question mark cartoon bubbles over her head, permanently.  

None of these styles is necessarily any easier than the others—it all depends on us, our personalities, and how we approach our ride time.  I’ve found that I need to be completely relaxed, have all the time in the world, for Mr. Sensitive Thinker.  If I’m in a hurry, he gets stressed out.  If I’m tense, he is exponentially tense. Of course, tension in us affects them all, but some of them hide it better than others. Mr. Easy-Going is my relaxation ride, but he doesn’t like to be taken for granted just because he is easy-going.  Mr. Processor shuts down if nagged at.  He will just give the minimum effort to get by.  And Ms. Questioner needs to be asked, not told, to do anything.   Try to force a situation with her and she will never forget it.  

Essentially, I have to be four different riders with these four different horses, although the base line is the same: relaxed, focused, listening.  These are my basic tools in my tool kit.  Then I pull out others as I need them, depending on which horse I am working with.  It’s made me a better, more well-rounded horse person.  

What does your horse want YOU to know about how he learns? And what does he want you to know about how YOU learn, to be the best partner you can be for him?

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