The NH Method Of "Follow Up"
25 September 2013
So there is just a few small but important questions on the term “Follow Up”. Again how we achieve this and Join Up before hand depends all on the human before it does the horse. We have to be aware and thinking of how need and should we be applying a method or asking something to our horses? How is it we should be asking anything of them to get what we are after? And most of us are after the same thing right, a good strong relationship with our horses? So why is it there are so many questions to be asked?..
When we are asking something of our horse we are lead to believe that in that ask we have the right to make it a “demand” if he does not follow suit. We are also told we need to be the “lead” or “alpha” horse to have him respond. Also that he responds out of “respect” to us and that makes him “willing” and “trustful”. Well how much truth do you see in that? This starts yet another topic of “Herd Society” and “Common Myths”.. I often see many “shut down”, “subdued” horses and ones who suffer from “learned helplessness’’.
Back to this topic. I believe achieving Join Up and Follow Up should primarily be done through connection and feel of harnessing energy. But how do we now get this connection, the answer is not in chasing your horse or pressuring him, you may get results, but they are not true to what your wanting, they are in their ways forced. I also believe getting join up and follow up are the most important fundamentals in building a foundation with your horse, but this must be built on the concept of “Allow”.
If we allow our horse to genuinely seek us we are respecting him and his own self and asking little more than the same in return from him. We can then build up from there. So i could easily write another topic on “Allowing” and “Connection”, but i want this topic and the “Join Up” topic to make you think about what you have already, what you want and how can you make it better?
I expect few people to actually sit back and question what they have been taught, told and lead to believe. I had always questioned things from when i was little to now, i wanted that magic seen in the Black Stallion movie. But many of us do live in the denial of that what we have learnt or do is wrong, and it seems only human to do so for some part. But there are few of you who want that “magic” enough to keep an open mind and question and change the things you have learnt and done. I have many times myself, im always looking for more or a better way to connect with my horses.