Hi Eliza I don't think he's very much off, nor do I think he is teaching the horse not to respond in a "horsey way"; he is not correcting it, just encouraging it to be more comfortable on that side (not a bad thing at all). What I reacted to was that he, by not understanding the reason for the horse to go on one side or the other, is making it hard for himself. Having said that, I agree with him that the horse prefers the left side, although not as much as he thinks.
The horse is simply going to the side he asks, whether he knows it or not. Everyone that tests their horse using his "test" will find that the horse won't let them over to the right side, and if the do the same thing on the opposite side, they will find that the horse won't let them over to the left side either!
Also, having the horse on the outside like he does in the end is causing the horse to hold back a lot, making the poor guy having to cluck like a hyperactive chipmunk. I wish I could tell him to just turn the other way… :)
He seems to be a good and gentle trainer in any case, with a good understanding of most of the horse's communication, it's just the little turning detail that messes with him…
Elizabeth
May 21, 2010
Ellen Ofstad
http://www.barnmice.com/video/richard-winters-balanced
See the problem when people don't understand horses body language?
Mar 29, 2011
Ellen Ofstad
I don't think he's very much off, nor do I think he is teaching the horse not to respond in a "horsey way"; he is not correcting it, just encouraging it to be more comfortable on that side (not a bad thing at all). What I reacted to was that he, by not understanding the reason for the horse to go on one side or the other, is making it hard for himself. Having said that, I agree with him that the horse prefers the left side, although not as much as he thinks.
The horse is simply going to the side he asks, whether he knows it or not. Everyone that tests their horse using his "test" will find that the horse won't let them over to the right side, and if the do the same thing on the opposite side, they will find that the horse won't let them over to the left side either!
Also, having the horse on the outside like he does in the end is causing the horse to hold back a lot, making the poor guy having to cluck like a hyperactive chipmunk. I wish I could tell him to just turn the other way… :)
He seems to be a good and gentle trainer in any case, with a good understanding of most of the horse's communication, it's just the little turning detail that messes with him…
Apr 1, 2011