I've been a long
time challenger of the age old training concept, "put pressure on the wrong
thing, release on the right thing". I am of the opinion that whatever a horse
is doing at the time, if you put pressure on it, they will do that thing
harder. The principle behind pressure and release, or punishment and reward as
it's often called, is sound in theory yet falls apart in practice. For example,
if a horse is resisting moving its front end to the right and you put pressure
on it he will likely intensify the resistance that is already getting him in
trouble. The brain and the body are headed the wrong way and aggression by me
at this point only aides in the disaster. It's better to ride out the storm
while confidently and gently shifting the horses mind and feet into the desired
direction. Once both of those are connected and the resistance has dissipated,
then is the time to encourage more effort. Taking the pressure off or rewarding
right effort only causes the horse to quit just when everything is right to
help them try harder. Pressure in this case becomes a reward. There is no
punishment involved, just helpful encouragement for positive effort. The
correct use of pressure at this point enhances the thing that's going well.
Whether you use a "cluck", a kick, a stick, or a carrot at this point is simply
a matter of what tools are best applied to the situation at hand.
When I first began
training horses for the sport of reining I would often have a perplexing thing
happen in competitive situations. My horses would do less! A dilemma just when
I needed them to do more. If I left them alone and took what they gave me,
things would work out ok yet the performance would lack the degree of
difficulty that is taken into consideration from the judges. If I tried to
apply pressure to the horse in a show situation it would often turn into an
error filled run with the horse becoming unnerved by the added aggression. I
finally started trying the opposite approach. In my training sessions I would
teach the horse to accept the pressure in a positive way by applying it at
times when things were going right rather than when they were making mistakes.
In short, it changed things. They now performed confidently at their peak
levels without resistance. All I changed was my timing. No more jumping out of
turns, running through stops or kicking in a lead change, just to name a few. You
can only imagine my delight as could haves turned into "dids"!
I love the old saying "if you find yourself in
a hole, stop digging". I would add "unless there's a trunk full of treasure in
it, then dig like hell!" I found myself
in a hole that was getting me dirty. Rather than to stop digging, I started a
different hole and found gold.
Just
recently I found myself in a dirty hole. In all appearances there was supposed
to be treasure there. Perception is a rotten map. Not only was I digging like crazy,
but there were others in the hole throwing dirt too! Into my spot! Pressure in
the wrong direction. Not being one to complain, I just dug faster to try and
stay ahead. I even gave up a number of the things I enjoy in order to dig more
efficiently with greater focus! That's when it hit me. A shovel full of dirt!
Ouch! The intention was to help. It turned out to be
piling on. Before my eyes the thing that I had spent my
entire life loving and learning was becoming a source of discomfort. I'd nearly
lost the purpose of training that has driven me for four decades........fun.
It was during a
training session on a young horse just a few days ago that the "pressure"
lesson that I was applying to him, made sense to me. It was just the horse and
I in the arena. We had the whole place to ourselves. Perhaps it was the purity
of the session and the fact that it was peaceful but something happened quite
unexpectedly. I was having fun! We were totally present and everything that I
enjoy doing was there in front of me. The personal challenge, the effort to
excel, and the goal of being the best were no longer weights. They came from
inside, not out. I was riding like you M.E.A.N. it. Maximize, Eliminate,
Accept, and Never quit! It took even my own philosophy to another level and
brought new meaning to it.
That night I sat
down and made a list of all I love about horses. The list included things like
connection, discipline, learning, teaching, giving, communication, people,
honesty, freedom, and challenge. To my surprise winning was not on the list!
Winning is not a love, it's a by product of what you love.
As a result, we at
Craig Johnson Reining Horses are digging a new hole. In reality it's digging in
an old spot that produced so much personal treasure. We are getting back to
training horses for the public, going to fun shows, doing clinics, making new
videos, creating new products, learning new concepts, experimenting, writing
stories, running the web site
www.craigjohnsonreining.com
and most of all.....having fun.
Foxx Creek Farm (
www.foxxcreekfarm.com) and owner Mike
Foxx in Hillsborough, NJ have opened their facility to make room
for our new adventure. From there we can reach the world and remain in a part
of the country that we have become quite attached to. The farm has amenities
second to none with a large indoor, huge outdoor riding track, pastures and
scenery that will leave you in awe. We will be accepting outside horses,
working with non pros, hosting events, giving lessons, as well as doing clinics
on sight and around the world. Hillsborough is just 45 minutes from the Newark airport in the heart of New Jersey horse country.
We will also continue to make use our ranch in
Gainesville, TX. Thanks to Morgan Lybbert and his sons
for taking care of Three Circles Ranch as if it were their own. They keep an
eye on our breeding horses and do a fantastic job of starting our colts right
up until it's time for me to go pick out what I like. The Lybberts also have
the barn full of horses in training for working cowhorse, reining, and ranch
work. We also plan to use the TX ranch in creative ways in conjunction with
Foxx Creek to enhance our networking capabilities around the country.
Our thanks to Bob
Santagata and Santa Hill Ranch for bringing us to the east coast. We've
developed many great associations and connections as a result. We wish them
continued success.
Happy New Year to
all. We look forward to seeing you soon at the ranch, horse fair, clinic or
show near you.
Let it Rein,
Craig
