Watching the learning progressively build over several days is so much fun for me! As foundations are built for people, horses seem to magically transform. Softness, calmness, responsiveness and true relaxation are all evident in every horse and rider combination!
In teaching rein progression and bridle education, we allow our horses to build confidence and emotional fitness on a loose rein. For some people, turning loose is hard to do as many of us were taught we only had control if we had our horse on the bit. As we covered yesterday, our goal is bigger than control, it is about communication. In order to allow a horse communicate back to us, they need to feel they have room for expression and they are not “held”. By developing the basics of walk, trot, canter, stop, back up, and turn on a loose rein, we then can go on to a more intimate connected rein.
As the horse has an understanding and feels part of the equation, his connectivity increases as does his responsiveness. Once you experience it, you wonder how you ever did it any other way!