Would you push, wave, or tell a horse 'huh huh' if they are all up in your space, nuzzling you aggressively and trying to get food because they don't have much respect for your personal space?

What would you think if I told you, a horse mugging you for treats like that, is your training superpower? It’s true if you are training R+. Why? Because it means the animal is extremely comfortable with you. Good job! Is not afraid to be super close to you. Good job! And that the animal has learned to enjoy treats, foods, and rewards that you provide, great job! Believe it or not, most horses in the world would not dare ‘mug’ or nuzzle their caretaker for treats, for fear of getting smacked in the face. Am I right? So the fact your horse is aggressively trying to get food from you, actually says a lot about your relationship with the animal, and at the end of the day, that is the MOST important thing!

So how do you respond to it though in a way that is safe, but still preserves your bond and allows you to move around the animal with ease? The long answer is teaching your horse to be calm on command, this would be similar to the idea of ground tying a horse. You can do this through a variety of ways, the easiest being to teach ‘place’, like how you might teach your dog to go and lay on their bed. It’s the same concept. This, however, is a more advanced training and takes time to get the timing and everything just right, especially for the beginner trainer. So instead, the short, easiest answer overall, is protected contact. Just jump or climb the fence as quickly as you can, if you are on the same side, and work your horse through the fence. You can do things like targeting back and forth, you can work on place, you can work on hoof lift, smile, brush their teeth, practice putting syringes in their mouth, there are many options, the sky is the limit!

Eventually your horse will settle and get calm, and then you can see if you can be on the same side of the fence again, and it will go much better, because the horse would have spent the last 10 minutes or so practicing being quiet and calm, right next to you, without mugging you. And at the SAME TIME you were teaching all those other behaviors. That is why R+ is scientifically proven to be faster, because you can train two behaviors at once, the horse practices NOT mugging you, while using their brain to solve problems and learn new things.

Today I am grateful for R+, and my new shorts video strategy based on a coaching call I had this week which should help get this channel into the feeds of the people who are really desiring a fresh perspective on how to be safe around, and enjoy working with their horse, but without being afraid of getting hurt or doing something wrong. R+ is perfect for anyone who absolutely does not want to get hurt around horses.

Today I am grateful for the snow flakes, for the rooster who was perfectly behaved at work yesterday, for our clients who filled out schedule, and for my staff who worked hard to reorganize things to make our lives easier, and I feel terrible and nearly forgot to mention the fact we got a horse carriage training cart painted in our colors and delivered right to us on Sunday, wow! That was a gift I was not expecting! Now we just need to find our harness and figure out which horse we are going to train to pull the training cart first, and then, pull the carriage that is also coming our way. We should be able to use the carriage for rides and photo shoots, I am excited about the possibilities! I am grateful we have healthy animals and that I got a good night's sleep and am not feeling sick like I thought I might be starting yesterday.

​How about you, how was your first Monday in March? I hope really great, full of friendship and laughter. I had a cancer patient return for a recheck and she is doing great. That was one of the best parts of my day, besides the awesome garbanzo bean salad Judy brought into share with us, that was also fantastic. Have you been kind to yourself? Don’t forget to look at yourself in the mirror sometimes, right in the eyes, and tell that beautiful person you see, that they are doing great, they can handle all of this, that they are just in the right place at the right time, and they are doing ok. You can’t go back and change yesterday, and you cannot go into the future and force any results. All any of us have is today. So right now is the moment you can choose to make today, the best you can. Better and better every day in every way. And if I can do anything for you along the way, I am here for you.

Check out my YouTube channel for a daily "Good Morning!" from the rescues and lots of free tips and training resources. https://www.youtube.com/@the1drq