Jun 19, 2024
In this podcast episode, Stacy Westfall introduces the concept of viewing a horse's behavior as an "invitation" that riders can choose to accept or decline. She explains that horses often present two types of invitations to riders:
- Emotional invitations: When a horse becomes anxious, jumpy, or
displays a particular emotional state, it can be seen as an
invitation for the rider to join that emotional state.
- Training invitations: Horses may also invite riders to use
certain aids or respond in specific ways during training or riding.
For example, a lazy horse might invite the rider to do more work to
maintain energy, while a hot horse might invite the rider to
constantly apply the brakes.
Stacy encourages riders to:
- Recognize these invitations from their horses
- Become aware of their default responses to these invitations
- Consider choosing a different, more productive response
- Look for invitations during their next 10 rides
- Aim to break habitual patterns by responding intentionally to
their horse's cues.