“Clear is kind, unclear is unkind. Most of us avoid clarity, because we tell ourselves that we are being kind. When actually doing this is being unkind and unfair. “ Brené Brown.
My mother is an incredibly kind, caring, generous woman. She is a nurse and the idea of hurting someone, makes her feel very uncomfortable. So, she learnt to be very specific about her technique, controlled, and efficient as to minimize trauma in any medical procedures she did. She is also a cellist. She laughs, and she tells me about how she is always getting in trouble for skimming with her finger, not being firm or clear enough in her touch on the strings to achieve clarity of sound with the notes. She told me she does it, because she is apprehensive of not committing to the sound that may come from the cello, in case is the wrong note, and sounds horrible, harsh or 'ugly.'
I, as many of you know, am also a manual therapist in my hands on work as an Equine mobility specialist. The feel from my finger tips is always giving me information that I need, to make the tactile decisions to encourage changes in the tissue, working with the horses nervous system. So I listen, then I respond with clarity, and consistency of feel and pressure - otherwise it is inefficient, and often uncomfortable and distressing for the horse. I respond with my brain, to the feel I have, after I have set the expectations from the pressure I need to apply. However, when it comes to my creative movement, my horse riding - I like my mother am a 'peacemaker' rein 'skimmer'. I'm definitely a less is more kind of a gal when it comes to rein pressure. I tend to whisper my way up into a contact....by nature.
Today, in my lesson with my riding/training coach & mentor, riding an unfamiliar horse I was riding for the first time - I found myself 'skimming' with my contact and 'whispering' aids. Offering more time than the horse needs to get the ideal response, 75% committing to my aids - with a half backup plan underway, mentally problem solving on the fly to an outcome that is unlikely to occur (nothing drastic - just, a deviation of line, a hesitation to aids etc) .....It's what I do by nature.
I think I do it, to;
1. keep the peace, not rock the boat, 'not be a burden' and work with rather than against, and... 2. Offer a very human form of respect to the horse to not lead to 'ugly' harsh outcomes from confusion.
...which in itself is terribly anthropomorphic and offers the horse nothing even close to the very human ideal of respect at all.
When this comes to horse training, lack of clarity creates murky, blurry, inconsistent ‘success’ points for the horse to aim for, and it makes it harder for us as trainers to provide the clarity of release, aka reinforcer that is vital for them to confirm their response as correct, and learn the meaning of aids. This always leads to physiological tension as a result of mental anxiety, and ideal welfare. As we know from scientific research on equine learning, the horse requires the consistently clear aids, followed by the release of aids as soon as the correct response has been achieved - all within 3 seconds.
Thats it, beyond that your horse has lost grasp on what the outcome could have been, and why you were doing what you were to them to try and acheive it.
3 seconds from ‘ask’, to ‘achieve’ in order for the horse to learn.
To develop on this and work further you need to be sure of two things; 1. What are you, most specifically aiming for at this current point in time, aka this week, this day, this moment for your horse to understand? 2. What does your horse need to do physically to make this happen?
Write your personal ideas and responses below if you are keen, or follow this link to a blog I wrote a year or so back, under my other hat, Reset Equine - Sustainable Equine Mobility which delves into this topic further...
https://www.resetequine.com/post/clear-is-kind
#equitationscience #blog #training #horsebehavior #equinescience #equinethology #rjequine #equestrian #horseridersofinstagram
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