The NH Method Of "Join Up"
24 September 2013
So now how does “Join Up’’ either way you have applied it help, as so many people think it does with other problems? Well if I havnt already made you question that then let me dig a little deeper. So lets say as I have found in recent discussion we have a horse afraid of a object. People say “Oh do some Join Up”. How does that help? Does it make him “respect” you or feel safer with you? Again this depends how you have applied it! If you use pressure than not really, if you use “Allow” than yes, it can have a helping impact.
What if we incorporate the object in “Join Up’’? Again all down to how you apply it, tho!.. If you use the pressure system and then when he submits and he happened to stumble on the object, even one he dislikes (bag etc) and he found release there, he will associate this object with that release, therefore its giving him a form of positive reinforcement from a negative one (pressure). Difference in use of “Pressure & Release” another topic to come, the good points and the bad.
But ultimately applying Join Up with use of excessive pressure way may seem to help with things, but really is your horse joining you because he wants to be with you or because he feels he hasn’t much of a choice? Only you can ask yourselves that, if you don’t want to question it, you wont find the answer. And we all want him to want to be with us, but many deny the “why” they are.
So if we use the “Allow” our horses should be “Joining Up” with us because they feel safe and provided with comfort around us. If we have this we can overcome any object in many ways as long as we are allowing the to have a choice and we listen and respond to their feedback. So what is “Join Up” ultimately? Its when the horse chooses to seek you out and join you. Its up to you whether that sentence is how I said it or if its “Its when the horse seeks you as a release and/or submits to the pressure and you offer him a release by joining you”…
How would you like to say it? Say it how it is… To many people go in and mindlessly chase their horses in circles (im a bit anti round yard – again another topic) looking for those signs of submission to be able to go “Oh hey I have join up and a great bond with my horse because he came to me at liberty”.. or that’s what they believe. The term “Join Up” when I hear it often makes me cringe knowing what context its most likely being used in.