The old saying goes, “there’s a difference between exercising and training a horse.” According to another old saying, “every time you interact with a horse you are training him.” Does that mean when you’re exercising your horse you’re also training him? The short answer is yes. However, the key difference is your intent.
Every time you interact with your horse you are training him. Horses understand your intent. If your goal for the day is just to get your horse out and exercise him a little, he understands that. If your goal is to work on a training-specific maneuver, for example, side passing, your horse will understand that too. What you the owner/handler must understand is that when interacting with your horse, regardless of your intention, you are conditioning/training him to respond in a certain way with you. So if you become lax and allow him to get away with bad habits during your exercise routine, don’t question why he starts to exhibit the same behavior during your training routine.
By staying firm with your boundaries and correcting bad behavior when it arises, your intent will set the tone for the type of session you have with your horse that day (exercise or training).
Kim Baker, KB Natural Horsemanship, www.kbnaturalhorsemanship.com
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