A hard truth….

It takes more time and more money to repair what’s broken than to maintain what is functioning.

Salvation comes from chewing action. Chewing action helps with relaxation but there has to be some relaxation for chewing. Your hands can’t create this relaxation. Your hand can create chomping, gaping and grinding. That is not chewing. This guy is packing a bit during ground work. After several weeks of packing the bit we are getting good salivation. But it had nothing to do with the bit. He was very disconnected in his hind end and tight in his back. He could not hol

Go back to the last thing your horse was executing successfully.

You can fix the canter by fixing the walk.

You don’t have to canter every ride. Your horse won’t forget how.

what is your horse saying about you?

Not one time did your horse wake up and say, “I can‘t wait to pack 10-15% of my body weight.”

They are responding to the influence and information they are receiving based on their preprogrammed instincts.

Your horse can only respond to the influences and information it is receiving from the rider and environment. Your job is to be a leader the horse looks to when the environment is overwhelming.

Have compassion. Have confidence. Have a positive mental attitude. Leave the negativity out of the saddle.

Before you get in the saddle, focus on the positives you last wrote down.

Body work is not optional. That’s true for you and your horse.

Enlist professionals to help you find the source of the reactiveness. Your horse will thank you.

Pulling the head in the direction you want the horse to go will give you short term results that create long term problems.

The horse must be allowed to have an opinion and input regarding the work you are requesting. You don’t have to accept their opinion. But they can’t feel threatened every time they question your request.

you must go back to the point the horse last understood your request without tension.

Everyone is in a different spot in their journey and we should respect and encourage all right where they are.

See each area of struggle as an opportunity to learn a new skill not as a failure to execute.

No jaw will become supple with force. Force creates more resistance and eventually requires more force.