14 / Sport and Trail Magazine
I
You Don’t Have To If You Don’t Want To
recently did the brave and unthinkable and persuaded myself to get, not one, but two Border collie puppies. That is like inviting Thing One and Thing Two (from Dr. Seuss) into your home. I thoroughly enjoy them; however, I feel like I’m raising two kids again. If I were to boil down dog training into the single most important command, it would by far be the command: "Come!" Without come! in place you have nothing. Well, you have something. You have a runaway, out of control canine that doesn’t listen.
kids again. If I were to boil down dog training into the single most important command, it would by far be the command: "Come!" Without come! in place you have nothing. Well, you have something. You have a runaway, out of control canine that doesn’t listen.
The same idea applies within our horse training world. Do you know there is one command that rules them all, as the Fixer of All Things? Without it you have nothing. Well, you have something. You have a horse that can never make up its mind so it goes anywhere and is completely out of control. Seen or unseen, without this strong cue, it’s a disaster waiting for you. I see the lack of this important element in so many misbehaved horses: rearing horses, balky horses, tuned-out horses, fearful horses. If you show me the most insecure horse on the planet, I’ll show you a horse that doesn’t know this command. You want to know what it is? [Add the paid infomercial here.]
this command. You want to know what it is? [Add the paid infomercial here.]
Cluck (or kiss) means "go forward." Yeah, it is that simple.
When I squeeze my legs, you move forward. Better yet, I feel your hind feet step up underneath me.
Thing One and Thing Two