Pressure Release

Written by Jo Nye

Sunday, 09 March 2008 21:46

Pressure Release

PLEASE NOTE WHEN WORKING WITH HORSES IT IS ADVISABLE TO WEAR A PROTECTIVE HARD HAT, GLOVES AND STURDY FOOTWEAR

Horses naturally react to physical pressure by going into it. For example: If pulled by a lead rope an untrained horse will pull against it. If we push him he will push against us. This is known as the opposition reflex. This is a natural instinct.
This concept needs to be understood so we can work safely with our horse avoiding confusion and arguments as much as possible.

Horses can be trained to yield to pressure so they become easier to handle and safer to be around. Some horses may yield in some areas but not in others for example: Coming forwards off the lead rope but not moving over sideways. We need to teach our horses to yield in all areas, we do this by using ‘Pressure release.’

When we are training our horse to yield to pressure it is important for the horse to be able to understand what we are asking, if he does not understand he will only become frustrated and display undesirable behaviour, it is therefore, our responsibility to get the timing of our “Yes” and “No” right. Timing is a key factor when doing ground work, your horse needs to know when he is doing something right.
For example: If you are asking your horse to walk forwards with you and he does not walk straight away you would need to apply more pressure to the lead rope but as soon as he yields to that pressure you would immediately release it and rewarded him with a nice stroke.

Horses are surprisingly sensitive, they can feel a feather on their side so it is advisable to start with a gentle touch and if necessary apply more pressure to get the desired effect, you will quickly find that once your horse has learnt to yield you will only need a light touch to have your horse moving in the direction you are asking.

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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 12 March 2008 16:21 )

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Pressure Release