hi there.
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I think this is just a reminder that we can all be in situations where our horses spook or are suddenly stung by bees or something where we can not ride it out or even get off
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I don't think anything, ever, is 100% effective. If a horsefly bites my horse, even if he's in the most relaxed mental state and moving in the roundest, most perfect physical shape...well, he's going to react to that bite!
i agree. this is the thing that we all need to realise. i had a horse fly bite me the other day. owwww!!!!!! i reacted in a jumping around squeeling kind of way. i was bitten by a wasp the other day too (really great run i am having) and i took off running.
after i did this i realised how similar my reaction is to a horses. if someone was trying to hold me in place while i was dealing with this, i probably would have hurt them just out of a reaction. there really is nothing that we can do to control the immediate reaction. but when i have students who are not ready to ride out in cordeo only, then i use the electric slide. this does not stop the first reaction, but it does two things. it says, "hey, remember that i am on here, could you stop!" and another thing that it does is gives the rider something to do. humans are funny. if they think they are in control, they feel safer.
(ironic since humans seem incapable of controlling anything well and for benifit!)
if they have a step by step practiced plan, it will feel safer. like an emergency plan. i tought some people who came to me because they had lost their nerve, and they were terrified. and going over emergency plans helped them very much. also, learning to just go with the horse in trust lesson was also helpful. it is believing in yourself to be ok. falls do happen sometimes, but for the most, they really are worse emotionally than physically.
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If the cordeo or reins is only used to cue, not for emergency stops why use a cordeo
hi Birgit. i see it like this. "you eat an elephant one bite at a time"
my eventual aim with riding it to be able to ride out and be ableto do everything with just a cordeo, or nothing. but i well know that we are not nearly there yet. with danni i have chosen to not ride her in any sort of bridle anymore. but i dont have too much a need to ride. i have been fortunate enough to have been with horses my whole life, and i am just enjoying the sceen change.
with some of the other horses that i am working with, riding with a bittless bridle and a cordeo is only a training step. it will take a long time befor the cordeo is the only thing needed. the reins only guide where there is a misunderstanding. they are just a tool that assists in training cordeo. but for most of mine, i am working this out like Karen. on the ground.
it is a path that for every individual is different. everyone needs to take a slightly different approach. this makes it very interesting though. i think that it would be very boring if we just all did things exactly the same. each of us have different life experiences, and we have horses that have a different personality. it is so wonderful reading threads like this because it is getting to know someone personally.
thankyou Annette, you have opened up and been very honest in your thoughts. it is wonderful that you can share here.
it sounds to me that you are very open so as to gain the best knowledge for the best path for you both. it is wonderful that you can ask people for advice, and it is even better that whatever path you take, it wil be well recieved, because we are all here to support one another on this journey.