04/18/2026
Pressure & Release
This is arguably the MOST important topic when it comes to riding horses, training horses, being around horses. This can also be one of the more confusing things to learn when you’re first starting with horses.
Horses learn from the RELEASE, not the PRESSURE.
What exactly is pressure to horses?
Well that depends on the horse. Most horses take things such as whips, sticks & strings, flags, the end of a lunge line or rope as pressure. When you’re riding; your reins, your legs, your seat, your spurs, are all different avenues to create pressure.
If you have a dull horse, you may need to take these tools & exaggerate the use with them. Create more energy with them to create more energy in your horse. You may need to get really big & bold with your body language & your cues.
If you have a sensitive horse, you may only need the end of a line to create energy or maybe even just your hand. Maybe the slightest change in your body language is enough to get them to respond.
There’s all sorts of different ways to put pressure on a horse. But the biggest thing is; when do you release the pressure?
Think of it like a question. You ask your horse to walk forward. Put your leg on, they don’t move. Add more pressure with your leg, maybe add a cluck. They take one step forward, you RELEASE the pressure. You DO NOT keep kicking or clucking. They start to learn, “oh when I walked after they squeezed my belly, they stopped squeezing. I’ll do that again!”
But if you keep squeezing they start to think, “man I walked forward & they kept squeezing, they must want something else. Ok maybe I’ll trot. Hmm nope still squeezing, should I canter?”
You asked a question with the pressure, they answered, you release the pressure to confirm that’s the correct answer.
They learn from the RELEASE, not the PRESSURE. 🐎
