03/27/2024
Have you ever worked for someone who constantly criticized you?
You might have done hundreds of things right in a day, but you never seemed to receive any praise for those things. You only heard about it when you did something wrong.
At the end of the day, you left work feeling defeated and unappreciated.
Now, think about your horses…
This is exactly how they feel when all you do is micromanage their every move.
When a horse is young and learning new skills, we are often quick to reward even the smallest effort in the right direction.
But, as a horse gets further along in its training and our expectations get higher, we often forget to reward them for doing the small things correctly.
We begin to nitpick their behavior and overlook the skills they have mastered.
We rush through the things that they do well so that we can spend more time on the things that they struggle with.
We think that, by focusing on their weaknesses, we will progress them through their training faster.
But, that’s not how it works…
If all we ever do is work on our horses’ weaknesses, they forget what it feels like to have strengths.
They start to feel like their efforts are unappreciated and unrewarded.
And, after a while, they lose their willingness to try.
Horses need positive affirmation. They need to know that their efforts are valued.
Don’t forget to remind your horses that they are doing a good job.
