So very many folks work their horse with a good goal in mind. Goals like, riding safely down the trail, backing into the box to rope a steer, participate in a mounted shooting event, or show their horse at a big arena. Nearly every day, and at least every month I help a horse and rider begin to develop "Attention Span". Regardless of your goals for you and your horse, if I want it to win the next barrel race, you need the horse a little more attentive to YOU than to just be the fastest at turning three barrels. How perfect your horse may turn a barrel, if it runs you over getting in and out of the trailer, or jumps over the arena when a baby carriage is strolled near by, all that training on your riding goals will not get the job done.
Giving your horse a job is so important, you rarely will find a good horse that doesn't have one. The reason for creating a long lasting span of attention on it's rider is equally as important. Keep the same goals for you and your horse, but add the magic ingredient of involving the horses "mind's eye" in your riding.
EXAMPLE: You commonly take your horse out after you saddle it, and lounge a few circles before you start your ride. Your horse gets into that lounge position and takes off moving it's feet forward in a circle around you, circle, after circle, after circle. If the horse never looked at you with it's inside eye, or even pointed it's nose to glance in toward you, you were missing it's "mind's eye".
My apprentices are capable of taking your horse in the warm-up arena and wearing it out before you get on, and a horseman will prepare the horse in that same amount of time to pay attention to you.
Stay tuned in.... I will share with you things of this topic that get YOUR "mind's eye" !
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