Clinic: Day Four

One of the best ways to know if things are progressing in the right direction is to ask more of your horse, while maintaining the same level of relaxation. As a horses level of comfort increases, it becomes more natural for them to be straight on the end of a line, or more engaged through their body with the feel of the reins. When a horse stays with you mentally, the braces dissipate, and the search for comfort within the pressure increases. 

On the fourth day of the clinic, it felt like everything was starting to come together in a more solidified way. I didn't have to work nearly as hard in the beginning of the session to keep Piper relaxed and with me in-between the reins. As things began to feel better for her, it was easier to ask for self carriage in forward motion, because her tension was no longer in the way. The softness was already there for me to ask her to carry herself for moments at a time. 

A really interesting topic that was discussed with Piper was the tail swishing phenomena. Harry describes this as a horse letting go of their thought. This can be displayed either before or after the letting go occurs. In Pipers case it would take place right before she let go. This symptom of her resistance over the course of five days was interesting to observe. On the first day when she struggled at liberty, there were several times when her tail would swish with an abruptness. This suggested that the thoughts/emotions were strong and conflicting. As she began to let go, her tail became much quieter, and the swishes were soft and flowing with her thoughts. 

This symptom in itself is a great thing to observe and be aware of, because unlike other unwanted resistant behaviors, there is nothing we can do to directly address it without getting a change in the big picture. When things are going well between the horse and the human, their thoughts are present and ready to be directed regardless of where a horse is at in their understanding.