There are some horses that are constantly being
'trained' but the owners aren't sure what they are 'training' for.
Bonnie,
I think that if there is a disagreement here, it is one of
semantics. Training a horse for Dressage, or hunter/jumper or reining, etc.
entails one very important commonality. Every one of these horses needs to have
a respect for the handler before being asked to learn a particular "discipline".
With this in mind, then, I don't think that you would disagree that every time
you interact with the horse, either on the ground or under saddle, the horse is
(or should be) training to be a respectful partner. When I am mucking out my
horses' stalls, I am consciously training them. I try to see how lightly I can
touch them in order for them to yield the shoulder or hindquarter or sidestep
away. I purposely wipe the mucking fork against their legs or under their
bellies to desensitize them to something suddenly touching or scraping them.
When I ask them to enter the stall I will sometimes back them in or enter first,
having them stand respectfully until invited or I may "drive" them in and have
them turn to wait for me to enter.
The same attitude applies when the horse is under saddle.
Every thing, without exception, that you do while interacting with your horse is
training him to be a better or less respectful partner. The more you can
interact with your horse with this attitude the more pleasurable every ride will
be. And you know what? I bet you train your horses every day but just may not
name it as that. Am I right?
