c.) Clinic #3: What Do You See?

Clinic # 3: What Do You See?

Good training depends upon clear criteria and good timing. Put those together and you will have high rates of reinforcement. The result: successful learners. Successful learners mean happy learners and happy teachers.

In the previous course we looked at the teaching strategy of loopy training. The clarity of loopy training results in clear criteria. It keeps you from bouncing around - reinforcing this response, then another, leaving a trail of extinction frustration behind you.

Clear criteria evolves out of the constructional approach. You break a complex behavior down into small component parts. Your beginning step is often a very small change, a tiny movement.

If we're going to go micro in the selection of criteria, that means we have to go micro in our ability to observe details.

I say observe instead of see, because we can observe in many ways. We can use all our senses. With horses listening adds to what we see. We hear the uneven rhythm in a horse's trot, and we begin to look for signs of lameness. We observe both visually and tactically. What do we see as our horse moves beside us. What do we feel through the lead? In the horse world "feel" is often regarded as a special gift, something you're "born with". The reality is we can all learn to be better observers and that's what this course is all about.

Before we can see fine detail we need to understand what we are looking at. What do you want?

Balance sits at the center of everything.

Good balance isn't just about looking pretty.

Think of it like a triangle. Physical balance, emotional balance and long term soundness are all connected. If you want a happy horse, a healthy horse, a great relationship - balance matters.

So we're going to begin this course by looking at balance. We'll look at example/non-example to help you discriminate. What pleases your eye? What does good balance mean to you?

This is not a "how-to" clinic. I won't be going through the step-by-step details of individual lessons. That's not the function of this particular course. Instead you'll be learning what to look for no matter what the lesson is that you want to teach.

You'll be learning how to recognize good balance, and why good balance matters.

The expression is: Click for behavior. Feed where the perfect horse would be.

What are you looking for? And where would the perfect horse be? That's what we'll be exploring in this course. I know many of you will want to skip past all of this. You want to get your horse on a trailer or standing well for the farrier. You want to saddle up and ride.

All of these skills depend upon our triangle: a happy horse, a healthy horse, and a great relationship. Build those and everything else is easier.

What do you see? To help sharpen your eye, I'll be sharing some fabulous before and after photos. These case histories really help you appreciate how important good balance is for the welfare of your horse. In addition to the photos, I'll be using slow motion video analysis and a new Awareness Exploration series.