Had a Realization Today

Most of you probably have already figured this out...I guess I'm just a slow learner.

I've been working with Lakota and riding him on a more consistent basis. He's stubborn and like to buck when he doesn't want to do something. Usually then I start thinking, "Don't buck, be good." And that get's me thinking about bucking, so he bucks. Today instead of thinking that, I thought, "Walk forward proudly and happily. Accept the bit. Pay attention to my aids. Walks straightly in a circle." And I said it out loud while I was riding. It helped me so much because instead of becoming discouraged wehn he would stop, I would just say those things and concentrate ahead of me and picture us walking forward and he actually responded to me better. Just wanted to give advice/talk about my revalation. =)

Your experience reminds me of how PP says, "Don't walk your horse up to the trailer to see if he won't load." :)

It must've felt great to not "see if he'd buck" today! Good on ya!

Thank you for sharing! I have to work on positive affirmations :)

Awesome! Congrats onthe breakthrough! I always have to remind myself to think positive, too ;)

Thinking positive always helps in so many ways and im happy that it helped you !

That is wonderful!!! The one animal communicator I worked with taught me to say instead of "don't buck" to say "feet on the ground move forward" to my over-excitable arab and it really works. She explained that when we think negative horses tune into that - and they pick up the intent and not the "don't" coupled with intent. For example she explained that - just like you said - the thought "please don't buck" had the focus on "buck" = horse bucks. The thought "please move forward with your feet on the ground" has the focus on "foward" and "feet on ground" = horse moves forward. The "don't" often gets lost in translation to the horse so rather than thinking what you don't want your horse to do, she taught me to instead think of what you DO want your horse to do. The more I thought about it the more I realized it was just the power of positive affirmation :)

So glad it is working for you and you and your horse are having better rides!

I rode in a clinic a few years ago with a guy who is also a sport psychologist. He said that in our 'self talk', which is our talking in our heads, we don't process the word no or don't or can't, etc. so when we think 'dont buck' our brain is only reading 'buck.' its a pretty neat idea =]

I'm convinced that horses respond to positive/negative energy. When I first got my horse, I was nervous out on trails simply because I didn't know what either of our limits were. He particulary wasn't keen on being out alone. One day, while out trail riding, a woman came off her horse. She landed on the ground and the horse went sprinting back the other way. While my friend tended to the woman, I ran off after the runaway horse. We eventually caught up to him and it was only then that I realized, not once had I worried about me or my horse and somehow we both got there without a hitch. All that was in my mind was, "catch the horse" and apparently Puck got the message.

I guess im a slow learner too. I was riding lily today and she played up, when I got on her she started backing up and messing around, I actually said out loud "shes going to rear"...she did. Straight after I said that. >.<

You're NOT a slow learner, you just had a lightbulb moment!

That's great news!!