To recap.... you have a horse that isn't responding well - it's getting bad - you're going to do something about it and sending the horse to a trainer is not an option at this point. (Horse isn't that bad yet. You don't have the cash; it's xmas. You think that trainers are too expensive for what you get.)
Ok.... so you've decided to fix the problem yourself.... (The complete opposite of option#1 - send to a trainer).
Option 2
'Oh my --- aaah' , you think to yourself.
Frankly, you just don't know how to go about fixing the problem. You don't know where to start. Or you've tried tiny little bits and they've blown up in your face. So they don't count.
Actually.... you have ruled out physical problems, equipment problems, and all other problems but you and/or the horse. That helps. You've narrowed it down to two possibilities.
The Journey Begins
You've read tons of material on the Internet. You've done lots of research. You've gone to clinics. Watched your favorite trainers on DVD. You like this stuff. (the aggressive approach)
Or you've researched nothing. It's not your thing? (the passive approach)
So you go ahead and try a few things. Some were successful. Some not. So you try some more. Some were successful. Some not. And still you try more. Some were successful. Some where not. On and on and on....
Time passes.
'It sure looks easy when the trainer does it on the videos.", you reflect.
Through perseverance & trail and error - still more perseverance and trail & error - and on and on and on - you are finally able to make a bit of progress with your horse. Yea! Congratulations.
This is definitely an option. The total do-it-all-by-yourself - DIY- way to fix your horses problems. You now have learned how to fix some problems on any horse you own. That's definitely an asset. Good for you! It's a great confidence boost.
I do that myself when I don't have someone to mentor with. I love it cause I love to train and teach. As I always say: "Let the horse tell you the answer" (that's for another article).
Some people who are not into it, however, call this 'watching paint dry'.
The drawbacks are that it's really slow going a lot of the times when you don't have someone to bounce ideas off of. Can someone say - patience? And for a lot of people.... it's just too slow to get the results you need when you need them. You thought this was going to be a simple, quick way to fix problems from looking at what trainers do. They make it look so easy.
It's the cheap way - money wise. It's also a very satisfying way; to know you did it yourself. But still, its slow going and tiring.
Maybe you can begin to see why people pay trainers to do it. (Option#1.)
It's not cheap when it comes to time and commitment, however. A lot more than you thought. A lot more. (The ole time vs. money scenario.)
You have to be into it. If you've found out that it's not your thing, then go to plan B and send it to a trainer.
What if - this wasn't quite what you had in mind. This option may be adding to your frustration but you like the idea of training it yourself.
Please don't give up and revert! You are heading in the right direction. I'm here to help.
Next article I will describe one of my best options for doing it yourself....
If you need help. Frustrated. Need someone to bounce idea off of, please contact me.
Reinersue
©Copyright KISS Reiners
No comments:
Post a Comment