There are no problem horses, only too many books to read...

 As a self proclaimed office drone, I don't spend nearly as much time at the barn as I would like to, and I know many of my fellow drones feel this way too.  

The problem for many of us who love our ponies is that we have to work our chaps off to keep them. This leads to a cycle of human fatigue - horse neglect - and inevitably some kind of 'misbehavior'. To fix our 'horse problems' we take lessons, join clinics and binge on books and DVDs. If there is any point to this blog, it would be to learn about how to step back, take a deep breath and remember why you're into horses in the first place.  

It's impossible to know it all. Lessons and clinics can lead to major breakthroughs, but are a luxury many of us cannot afford, especially if you want something/someone good. And books; even for someone like me who loves to read, especially when it's about my favorite topic, cannot for the life of me keep on top of every horse book. Time is not the only constraint; books can be expensive, and I often question their credibility. How do you know what you are reading about is even current and applicable to your horse/situation/level? There is no sanctioning body of master horse trainers who approve a book for publishing. If it'll sell and make money, out into the world it goes for readers to take at face value. Some of the 'classics' are great and share some really insightful things, but much of what was a 'training and/or mental state breakthrough' 20 years ago, is common practice now, and much of what was common practice back then, will get the SPCA called on you now.    

[Monty here is actually being defiant as he was the one choosing
to do nothing, but I still took it as an opportunity to regroup
and figure out where I was going wrong in this lunging exercise.]

Books on horse communication and mental state, exercises and games are fantastic tools in horse training, but sometimes you just need to stop playing and constantly communicating. So many of us have loads of 'methods' crammed into our brains from a countless number of books and teachings, many of which are conflicting, as well as overwhelming to horse and rider.  Instead of it being called horse whispering, it should be called horse listening. Your horse will tell you exactly what he/she wants and much of the time, all they really want is to do nothing at all. This is different from being lazy; it's you, actively choosing to do nothing.   

So the next time your  horse is pitching an all out fit, or just doesn't seem to want to cooperate, and your arsenal of training tools from last weeks issue of Horselink Magazine is failing you, just stop and spend some time with your horse, doing nothing at all.