Those common problems are predictable, not always
resulting from bad riding, more a consequence of incom- plete training. Do not expect a perfect response to your demand just because the aid was “perfect” (in your estima- tion). You may speak perfect English to a Chinese person, but you should not be surprised if s/he does not answer or get irritated if there is no response after five repetitions of your polite demand uttered in your charming accent. The language of the aids requires education and translation into an understandable mode that the horse can agree and respond to, so both participants are reading from the same song sheet.
NATURAL RESISTANCES AND SOLUTIONS Freeze, flee or fight: It is well known that prey animals will run away or play dead and will fight when cornered. Due to their innate lateral unbalance, horses slow down consistently in one direction and run in the other, lean- ing against the aids in both cases. However, the nature of some horses causes them to mostly freeze (their lack of impulsion expressed by bracing their feet in either di- rections, just one more than the other) while others will rather run away due to their lack of self-carriage. The high- tempered horses might fight when feeling desperate be- cause no solution is evident. Physical pain and discomfort from equipment: Natu-
rally we must first consider that contractions can originate from inadequacy of saddle fit, bridle fit or bit shape and size, as well as bad dentistry or shoeing. An ill-fitting girth or browband can create enough constant discomfort to
affect the horse’s symmetry of movement and posture. Only by changing or adjusting the equipment will we dis- cover the problem. These manifestations of discomfort re- quire attention: if the problem persists in spite of training modifications, check the tack. Dominance: The most frequent cause of resistance is the horse asserting his dominance and not accepting the human’s position of leadership. All horses entering a new relationship will test it to figure their role in it. The simplest form of leadership consists of being “the one who is mov- ing the other’s feet.” The partner who occupies the ground is simply the leader, while the one yielding ground is the submissive (that can become a follower by adequate edu- cation). The basic relationship between human and horse, modeled on herd interactions, is based on three elements: getting attention (the horse looks and listens to the train- er’s signals); obtaining respect (the horse moves away from the trainer—just enough and on demand); and achieving trust (the horse returns toward the trainer when invited and shows comfort in his presence and contact). Lunging, when well understood and well executed, offers many so- lutions to resolve these issues with young horses. Movement: Untrained horses move the way they feel
most comfortable: they turn one way more than the other, deviate their shoulders in one direction, etc. The most com- mon resistance is for the horse to refuse to cross his right front leg over his left front, or to cross his left hind over the right hind in lateral movements. The horse will resist this demand with some determination because he feels that it is impossible to do, having never done it naturally. This problem stems from excess weight on one front leg or ex- cessive stiffness in one hind leg. It is resolved step by step
By applying direct steady pressure on the left shoulder, the horse moves his weight from the left to the right on demand and eas- ily bends his neck left. As all stallions do, Zensi leans against the pressure until he accepts it and relaxes. This direct pressure on the area of the muscular resistance is much more effective than pulling on the horse’s mouth. Some simultaneous tapping on an- other area of the body brings faster results.
Pressure on the left hip helps the horse release the brace of the hind leg at its source. As a result, the horse willingly bends his neck left. All lateral releases facilitate the lateral bend; bracing in any part of the body prevents it or makes it difficult.
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