Love Learns Stall Door Rules

Love is learning to stay behind the door sill until invited to come out.

I taught her "stay", like the dog training command.

The stay command can also be taught outside a stall by standing the horse's front feet inside a hula hoop. The hoop helps clarify that the feet stay in a designated place. Starting on lead, first turn to face the horse, give the "stay" hand signal and say "stay", then return to leading position. When her feet stay still for that, then turn to face the horse and back up a step before returning to leading position. Work up from there. As with dogs, always teach stay by returning to leading position until the stay is well understood.

This is permission to come out: I round my shoulders, lean forward, and make a big "O" with my arms.

When she began to walk forward without permission, I quietly asked her to back up.

Horses learn faster with quiet patience because that allows them to stay calm, and focus on understanding what we want. When we want a horse to be quiet and still, it is extra important to be quiet in our own manner so we model what we want.