When to push, and when to let it go.

This has been a big deal in my brain lately, and it has to do with training. What circumstances do you push the horse, and what circumstances do you just "let it go?"

When I had one horse, everything was a training opportunity. NOTHING got past me. I was a discipline Nazi. And my horse was well-behaved. now that I have multiple horses, I let more things slide. I pick my battles. There are some things that I am firm on and others that I let slide. And you know what? My horses are still well-behaved.

I cannot pinpoint what things I let go and why. There are times when I ride when my horse has a "lightbulb moment" and does a new thing, or something really really well. In some circumstances, I hop off and let them be done. In others, I ride it 2 or 3 more times to make sure it wasn't a fluke before I get off. I cannot tell you what the basis for my decision is. I like to think it's instinct. It could just be a subconscious understanding of the horse that I've gained over countless hours of working with them.

Katie has a habit of finding something that annoys the horse, and then making  point of continuing to do it until the horse either gives in, or it morphs into a huge training issue. She has a particular fascination with rubbing horses' noses and playing with their nostrils. I don't know many horses who actually enjoy this- most find it a rude invasion of space. I used to insist that the horses always accept everything I do to them, too. Nowadays, I have more respect for my horse. If they dislike it, I respect them enough to not do it unless it's necessary. And in return, I fully believe they respond BETTER to the respect. I have yet to have a horse NOT hold still when I really really needed them to.

Case in point: my mare is weird about her face being messed with. She tosses her head and lets me know, as politely as she can, that the face is off-limits for petting. However, I can bridle her. I can put her fly mask on. I can rub fly spray around her nose. She holds still and we can easily get on with our daily lives without incident. When she got a large and nasty cut on her forehead, she stood politely while I doctored it for the next few weeks. She still doesn't like me simply petting her head. And I respect her enough to only do so when I have an actual reason. I think she recognizes that.