What's your method of instruction?

[Karen Brenner]

Watching a mare and foal running together is so fun! It's amazing how the little one can keep up with his or her galloping mother when only days old. The mare seems to encourage her youngster to stretch his/her legs and race through their new world. In this painting, a bay Andalusian mare and her foal are cantering in a grassy pasture.

What is your teaching method -- for teaching your horse, your students, kids or grandkids? I really like today's quote from Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe: "Correction does much, but encouragement does more."

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[Karen Brenner]

Hi Sarah,

I agree with your idea about treats. My riding arena is grass, so often when my horse does something right, I just let her have a nibble of grass right away as a reward. And sometimes I carry treats in my pockets.

Karen

[Sarah S]

Im not a riding instructor but have coached my trainer on leads just making sure that she has the correct lead on her 3 year old. I like to make people laugh and just have fun while riding. I was pushed to my wits end on just work, work, work! And I got burnt out fast and infact took a few months break from riding because of it. But now back with my new trainer we just like to have fun while training out three year olds. Infact one night while coaching her on her leads she was laughing so hard she said she almost wet herself!

With the horses I like to do alot of rewards. When they get one thing right i praise and praise and will normally end the day at that, on a good note. I normally will do a little bit of trick training like bowing. with alot of treats and praise when they do it right. They seem to like it and every day when coming out to the pasture to catch them my two fillys come right over with ears pricked foward ready to be worked.

Also the same goes with your loved ones/significant others. Always end on a good note. If you had gotten into a fight that day talk it over before you go to bed. Try to work it all out. It could possibly save your relationship and make everything better around the house or work place.