Anything we do with our horses should be done with softness. Anything our horses do for us should be done also with softness.
You may or may not be familiar with a term for this popularized by Ray Hunt, a soft feel. A horse cannot be considered responsive if he does not respond with a soft feel. A person cannot be considered a horseman if he is unable to direct with softness and develop softness in his horses. No matter what we are doing, handling the horse on the end of a rope, working a cow from the saddle, performing a dressage test, or fighting a Mexican bull, the horse needs to respond to the rider with lightness and softness. And the rider needs to know how to present his requests of the horse with that same softness.
The horse can be no softer than the rider.
I’ll give a short description of an exercise you can do to begin to develop softness within your horse and your self, but I want you to remember this whilst you do it:
HOW YOU DO ANYTHING IS HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING!
Every exercise contributes to or detracts from the soft feel and responsiveness of your horse.
Start here:
- With a simple halter and lead rope (no chains, gadgets or other nonsense) ask your horse to drop his head be putting light downward pressure on the rope. The instant he tries to drop his head, RELEASE. Do not drag his head down.
- Start with the pressure as light as a feather and then slowly increase until it feels like a five pound sack of sugar hanging from the horse’s chin. If at anytime during the application of any pressure he tries to drop his head, RELEASE! Eventually the horse will understand that first there is a feather and finally a sack of sugar.
- If he doesn’t respond to the five pound sack of sugar then you have to wait, without releasing, even if you miss your lunch. Learn patience - and wait.
- If his head moves around, move with it, maintaining the same pressure – don’t try to hold his head still. Imagine your arm is a bungee cord. His head may go clear up in the air, don’t increase the pressure, but the instant his head goes in the right direction (down) RELEASE! – even if his head is six feet in the air!
- Eventually he will understand and a feather light touch on the lead rope will cause him to respond by dropping his head. That is the beginning of softness.
This beginning of softness applies to all we do with our horses. Every request begins and ends just like that – no exceptions!
Remember – how you do anything is how you do everything. Do everything with softness and your horse will be light and responsive.
