04/13/2023
I want to revisit the topic of curiosity and I’ll be coming back to this topic again and again because it is the most vital component of effective training.
First. What is curiosity?
Curiosity is a state of learning. furthermore, curiosity allows the horse to retain and process information, in a non triggered state of thinking. When a horse is curious, the animal is in a calm and aware state of mind, neither triggered by flight or fight.
The main goal of training should be to nurture curiosity and to use other tools such as pressure and release as a buffer to nurture a curious state of mind. What does this mean? When we are training our horses, the most important job you have is to keep your horse in a curious or “learning” state of mind. This requires awareness on your part and a willingness to adjust what you are doing depending on what your horse needs in the moment. Sometimes, backing off is what they need and sometimes, they need intense pressure, but this sliding scale of pressure and release, give and take is adjusted based on the horses level of awareness and curiosity because if you remember, we learned that horses cannot process and retain anything in a triggered flight state, however; curiosity is in their nature and it is demonstrated when they feel safe and calm. And so, our greatest goal and the foundation of all effective training is to use our tools to nurture, this one thing. ☝🏽
Safe riding,
Samantha
