We all get caught up in the fancy moves – getting our horse to piaffe, our dog to do some insane trick, and continue on to more advanced levels. Admit it, you want it, too!
Here’s something to think about and it’s something most people ignore completely; how good are your basic moves and communication? Sometimes we focus so much on complicated tricks that we let our foundation training completely fall apart.
Some ideas and inspiration;
- How subtly can you ask your horse/dog to do something? How light are they? Work on that.
- So they can back up and go sideways… how fast? Can you canter sideways? (This is something I did with my horse on the ground as well as riding).
- Could you improve a simple, everyday move like picking up hooves? Teach your horse to pick up their hooves on their own without you touching them.
- How well does your dog heel? How often do you have to correct them? Can they heel without a leash or with a very loose, hanging one?
- Can you ask them to sit, lay down, heel and stay without speaking? These are all basic commands and you can make them advanced and more challenging, simply by not talking.
- There’s a reaction time between when you asked for something and when your animal does it. How fast can they react? How can you motivate them to go right when you tell them to?
- Can you teach your horse to put the bit in their mouth or head through their halter without your help? If you just held it open in front of them today, what would they do?
- Does your horse come to greet you at the gate or do you have to wade through the muddy puddles to „catch them“?
So these are just some ideas, I could go on and on. I would need a separate blog! But I hope it inspires you and gives you some ideas.
Let me know in the comments below what you are teaching your animal and how it’s going! Thanks for reading and make sure to subscribe for my email updates.
Photo: blog.photoshelter.com
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English (Englisch)