The Importance of Judgement Call

I see a lot of people who are highly educated in the horse world. With any instructor or clinician, there will be a certain approach to get a change with a horse. People often have a hard time trying new things, or a variation of an exercise that is outside of the curriculum. 

It seems to be that a variety of groundwork exercises will help most horses on some level. Being able to complete a maneuver is only a small fraction of understanding how horses work, and why that specific approach yielded a positive change in that moment. The concept of having judgement call from moment to moment, or the nuance of feel adjustment is a topic that doesn't get discussed often. This has to be explained, observed and practiced over time.

Knowing when it is best to work a horse out on the end of a line, versus coming in close and applying specific pressure, or just standing and waiting for a horse to check in are all valuable moments in the process of how a horse responds emotionally and physically. For example, lots of driving and hindquarter yields can cause some horses to appear quiet and shut down, where as a really sensitive horse may still be nervous and disconnected. 

Cultivating a horse who is ready to perform, and still feels OK inside is the ultimate success of a good relationship between horse and rider.