Many horse people will tell you that half the fun of being with horses is the opportunity for continuous learning. Every new situation and every new horse increases your knowledge base and improves your skill set. The more challenging the horses' temperment, the more that horse can teach you. When someone becomes stuck on a particular training method or tool, it can inhibit their growth. A particular tool or training method may work well for the horse you have today, but may not be as effective for the horse you have tomorrow.
My favourite analogy is the public school system. The system works well for the majority of students, and they do well; but what happens to more challenging students who don't excel, for whatever reason. In days gone by, these students were often labeled incorrigible, rebellious, lazy, or stupid. Thankfully, there are exceptional teachers who have explored unconventional teaching methods and tools to help those challenging students excel.
In the horse world, challenging horses are labeled because they can't be trained using conventional training methods and tools. All too often, these horses end up as neglected pasture ornaments or worse - shipped for slaughter.
Many of you may know the story of Nugget, our beautiful black horse that other trainers had labeled, "dangerous and unpredictable". During the three years since Nugget came to me, the only time I have ever encountered problems with Nugget is at clinics, when traditional trainers used methods that caused him to become angry and resistant.
Over the years I have participated in many clinics, taken lessons, studied countless hours of video, read anything I could get my hands on, and most importantly - practiced. Some of the folks who have directly or indirectly influenced my learning are; Linda Tellington-Jones' sister Robyn Hood, Alexandra Kurland, Ray Hunt, Clay Webster, Deb Ladaroute, Clinton Anderson, Jonathan Field, Lane Moore, and Nettie Barr. Some of these folks use more traditional methods and tools, while others have explored and shared, unconventional training methods and tools; all this learning has served the horses I interact with very well.
My wish is for you to remain open and have fun learning from horses!
Tovie
