Why I Want a Thinking Horse and Not Automatic Obedience

His eye is on the gate

1. It’s more convenient. I don’t have to cue Bronzz to help me close a heavy 16’ gate that swings uphill. I hold the gate and he does the rest because he understands what I want.

Lesson: Shoulder-in

2. It’s less embarrassing. When we did a musical freestyle at our first dressage show, I was so nervous I forgot the routine! Bronzz didn’t. I just sat still and let him carry on until I remembered what came next. No one else knew what happened.

Notice the leg through the hoop!

3. It’s more fun. Bronzz plays jokes on me like picking up the hoop he’s supposed to be standing in.

Bronzz takes his time and sips

4. It’s good for my horse’s mental heath. Lack of control over one’s life is a major stressor. Bronzz knows he can make reasonable choices on his own, like getting a drink before a ride.

Hopping a small creek

5. It’s safer. Bronzz is stronger, faster, and more agile than I am. On trails he has saved both of us from harm faster than I could see or react to a danger.
Jim Wofford, the legendary Olympic rider and eventing trainer observed the same safety issues in jumping. “You can train a horse to be a very good jumper and totally robotic. You can also train a horse to be a good jumper and very independent. Of those two paths, the independent horse is a much safer ride because seeing your strides and knowing your distance work well until it doesn’t work. When it doesn’t work, it’s a catastrophe.” Thinking partners are not created by training focused on negative reinforcement and automatic obedience. Thinking partners are created when we help horses feel safe with us, and encourage them to “use their own minds,” as Tom Dorrance put it. That is what I call being a Protector Leader. “What Horses Really Want: Unlocking the Secrets to Trust, Confidence, and Reliability” explains how to be a Protector Leader, and why it works so well.

What Horses Really Want is available in both paperback and ebook format.
US: Trafalgar Square Books or Amazon
UK and Europe: Quiller Publishing
Australia and NZ: Horse Books
In Polish:Galaktyka

Brandy and Bronzz with me

The horses can't really read. They just like looking at their own pictures.