Training Horses is all about being a leader

I've been a trainer and an instructor, taken instruction from some of the finest professionals the horse industry has, qualified and shown at the National levels and spent many a late hour observing other trainers working their horses.  The thing that continues to amaze me is that there are so many different methods, as many as there are trainers themselves, and gadgets or attachments designed by lots of very clever humans, and those things seem to work for at least some of the people who use them - and I have been those people.  Yet this week, after 40+ years, it finally dawns on me..I mean really hits me: You don't need fancy training techniques or attachments, special halters or leads -sure those tools can be used and may provide some assistance to get the job done - but what it really boils down to good ole' common HORSE sense.  

Horses are herd animals with a natural order.  There is a leader and then there are followers.  We know this as the Alpha Male or Alpha Female. Other pack or herd animals have similar hierarchies.  These hierarchies are designed by nature to keep the herd or pack safe and establish a natural chain of command to help maintain organization and clear lines of communication.  In the unnatural world that we have created for our horses, perhaps we forget how powerful these lines of communication are and that we fit into this natural order just like the rest of the 'herd'.  We have all seen what happens to the horses at the bottom of the pecking order, and we certainly have observed the Alpha behaviors in the herd leaders.  But have we really determined where each of us fit in our horse's chain of command?  Until we become the leader, there is a kink in the chain and the ambiguity of communication manifests in all sorts of 'behavioral' problems or 'poor bloodlines', and other excuses we as riders and trainers come up with to explain our horse issues or our lack of patience. 

In a recent lesson with author and trainer, Nelly Cooper, who wrote a book called The Alpha Equestrian Challenge, I was not only impressed with the simplicity of her method, but the immediate effectiveness of her common horse sense approach. I would strongly recommend picking up Nelly's book - it gives the reader some very practical advise on working with your horse.  Simple little things can make all the difference.   So here is to simplicity!