Taking it slow? Or getting stuck?

There’s a fine balance between taking it slow and getting stuck.

You’ll see me preach over and over again the importance of taking it slow when training horses. By slow I mean, take it at the horses pace, don’t push them unnecessarily, don’t make your horse anxious or frustrated for the sake of progress.

If your horse is coming from traditional methods, often they tend to seemingly “regress” at first. This is normal, and expected in many cases. This happens because they are trying to figure out their new environment, their new boundaries, and claim their power back when they are given choice for the first time.

However despite this it’s important to not get stuck during training.

When we’re trying to take it slow, especially with horses that deal with trauma and carry baggage, it can happen that we’re too cautious. And by this i’m not saying you should “push” your horse past where they’re comfortable or ready. But I am saying don’t let your own worries, hesitations or your own comfort get you stuck in a never ending loop.

If you’re noticing that there’s no progress or change happening, don’t stay there. Change what you’re doing.

Do keep in mind, that progress can be many things! It doesn’t just have to be progress in whatever goal you have with your horse, it can be an emotional change, it can be behavioural changes outside of the training environment etc.

Perhaps your horse is getting increasingly confident, maybe they start interacting with their herd mates differently, maybe they’re responding more positively to the idea of a training session, maybe their mental endurance is improving.

All that is still considered progress!

Slow, is great! It’s when you realize that you and your horse are becoming completely stagnant that a change is necessary.

Try something different, look at what could be blocking your horses progress.

Maybe an improvement in your training approach, your horses environment, their management, their routine, diet, all can help bring you both back on track.