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What leads to frustration is setting goals that are perhaps a bit too high for you or your animal – and pushing it, even when it’s not working out. I sometimes find myself in that position. That moment where I start to feel even a tiny bit frustrated, and the animal doesn’t even know what I’m asking for. So how …

Fresh & Engaged

Do little, often. Most of the time, it’s better to leave it to short, frequent sessions with animals and people, instead of long, drawn out hours. The goal, my goal at least, is to play in the early morning and then again in the evening. I do everything I can to make a session more pleasurable for both me and …

Take a Breather

“You’ll get into positions where you’ll just get real frustrated. (…) Things will get real tough, then that’s when you’ll start getting mad and frustrated. That’s the time. Don’t let it get that far. Just stop. Shut the machine off, idle it down, park it, get off and go someplace. Go someplace for ten minutes. As soon as you start …

Our Hands

This is one of the most difficult disciplines for a human: to feel something in our hands and not respond to it with our hands. – Karen Rohlf It’s our predator instinct! This immediate reaction we have to cling to or grab something. Yank, tug, be rough. These things come easily to a predator. These are also the very things …

Our Hands

This is one of the most difficult disciplines for a human: to feel something in our hands and not respond to it with our hands. – Karen Rohlf It’s a reflex to cling to or grab something – especially when a bit of adrenaline is involved. Yanking tugging come easily to predators such as humans.   Nevertheless, they’re the very …

Handling an Extrovert

In a recent post, Handling an Introvert, I shared a similar list to this one. That list had tips for how to behave around and treat a human or animal who is quiet, easily goes “inside themselves”, and someone who likes to take things a bit slower, without too much pressure or unexpected surprises. This list below is giving you …

Light As A Feather

“The more you use your reins, the less they use their brains.” Pat Parelli In other words: don’t micromanage.  Any living being constantly being ordered around won’t have a mind of their own. So ideally, equipment such as ropes, whips, halters, leashes, and so on, should be used as back up. We want to keep the first initiation light, sensitive, …

No Rush

The slower you do it, the quicker you’ll find it. – Ray Hunt These last few days have been a reminder for me to take things slow, reward immediately for the slightest try, and have fun. Not just with horses, but with humans and other animals, as well! I will touch on this subject in future posts I’m sure, because …

Handling an Introvert

Some of us are extroverts and love to go play, run, make mischief, socialize and just be active — move our feet. For now – here’s a summarized list (which I got from the Parelli website) to give you tips on how to be around introverts. Introverts are the opposites of extroverts. They don’t really enjoy running around and being …

Clean Slates

“A lot of people approach their barn or horse like they are going to war, because it’s been going badly. So you pick up the next day in a defensive mode instead of cleaning the slate and starting fresh. Animals live so much in the moment, so if you’re bringing baggage from yesterday you’re already at a loss. We do …