Aurora Horses And Humans Coaching
Aurora Horses And Humans Coaching
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Blog : Horse Human Harmony
Training aids : are you sure you're not doing more harm than good?
Groundwork is often presented as a way to prepare the horse, build muscle, improve flexibility... and for this purpose, we see all sorts of training aids flourishing: Pessoa, gogue, chambon, elastics and other inventions supposed to "help" the horse to position itself correctly.
But what if these equipments were actually a bad idea? And if they did more harm than good?
The myth of the well-placed horse
In classical riding, we often hear that a horse must "work round", "engage its hindquarters", "build muscle correctly". Many training aids are sold with this promise: to force the horse to adopt a posture which, in theory, is beneficial for him.
➡️ Except that a horse that is put in a constrained position is not a horse that builds muscle correctly.
The problem? These training aids do not take into account the horse as an individual.
They impose an artificial posture on the horse, preventing him from finding his natural balance and working the muscles necessary for his optimal movement.
They block the neck, the mouth or the neck, causing tension and pain, because they limit the horse's ability to express his discomfort and adjust accordingly.
They are very likely to develop the opposite muscles of the horse, as well as resistance and harm his performance and well-being.
➡️ And what about youngsters up to 6 years old?
Disrupted growth: The use of training aids in a young horse can hinder his harmonious musculoskeletal development by constraining him in artificial positions, which can harm his natural growth.
Altered motor learning: The young horse needs to develop his coordination and balance by moving freely. Training aids can interfere with this essential learning and lead to incorrect movement habits.
Risks to health and well-being: Health problems can occur, such as muscle pain, joint problems and soft tissue injuries. In addition, training aids can be a source of negative, stressful and uncomfortable experiences, compromising the horse's general well-being. He can lose confidence in humans and develop behavioral problems.
Forcing the horse to settle... or teaching him to carry himself well?
A horse that works in a good posture is a horse that has built this posture by himself, by gradually developing his proprioception, his musculature and his balance.
A training aid does not replace good work.
➡️ What gives a real evolution, it is the learning of self-balance.
The horse must understand how to use his body correctly, and this involves:
Work on free movement: observe how the horse moves naturally.
Gradual exercises that invite him to find his own postures.
Constant dialogue: a horse struggling against a position is a horse expressing itself, don't ignore it. Seek to understand why. Pain, discomfort, lack of preparation or motivation... Listen to your horse!
Why are training aids still so popular?
Because they give visible results quickly. A horse locked in a Pessoa will appear to have a more rounded posture. Except that he has not learned to hold it himself : it is the training aid that forces him.
🧘♂️ It's like forcing you into a yoga posture claiming that you become more flexible. Except that in reality, once released, your body has not become more flexible... it has accumulated even more tension, even pain.
For AHHC : a free horse is a just horse
Our vision of groundwork?
No artificial constraints.
No gadgets that force the horse to "pose".
An approach where we learn to look at the horse as he is, and not as we would like him to look.
A real work on balance, movement and communication.
If a horse does not stand well, it is not by forcing him that he will understand how to do it correctly. It is by giving him the tools and the time to explore his own body.
So, the next time you see a training aid presented as "beneficial", ask yourself this question : "Is coercion really the way to help him truly learn to carry himself well?"
Ready to change the way you work with your horse?
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