Step 18 – Leading With Energy

Now that your horse has established a foundation of standing still and being present, remember that this is an ongoing practice, not a one-time event. You’ll consistently return to this exercise every time you handle your horse, especially in new environments. This will build both you and your horse’s confidence, as it becomes a familiar routine, and you know that you’ve already achieved success together.

In the previous exercises, the emphasis was on responding to your horse’s behavior without asking anything of them. With a solid foundation in place, it’s now time to begin asking your horse to do things (things that have a purpose and are building a foundation for the future).

If your horse exhibits more drive than draw, your initial focus will be on “Leading With Energy.” Step 18

On the other hand, if your horse leans more towards draw than drive, you’ll begin your journey by working on “Focus & Bend.” Step 21

For the purposes of our guidance, let’s assume you are starting with “Leading with Energy.” However, remember that if your horse leans more towards draw, you should start with “Focus & Bend” instead. This tailored approach will ensure the most effective development of your horse’s skills and abilities. You will do both, but by choosing which exercise according to your horse, we are working on balancing them up.  

Before embarking on these exercises, it’s crucial to acknowledge that you cannot proceed unless you have already established the starting point of your horse “Standing Still & Being Present.” You should only initiate these exercises when both you and your horse are in a state of mental and physical presence, with your nervous systems regulated, and you are both feeling good. This ensures that you’re setting the stage for a productive and successful training session, where both you and your horse are ready to fully engage in the process. You will take the tool of the Standing Still & Present Flowchart with you and address anything that comes up with your tools. 

Remember how to navigate this course?  Just click on the topics below under Lesson Content.  Then at the bottom of each topic, there will be a button to move you to the next topic.   If you click on Next Lesson at the bottom of this page without going through all the topics, you will feel lost!  LESSONS = STEPS and the TOPICS = What we want you to learn about during that step.