28th January, 2009 Every Intention

'Intent' is one of the buzz words in horsemanship right now and can make the difference between getting something done and not getting it done, for example, a horse moving out of your space or not moving out of your space. Intent is one of the things that you cannot teach people - they have to find it for themselves - but it comes from an absolute conviction that what you are asking the horse to do is reasonable and then knowing how to ask. Trainers can teach techniques and they can reassure you that what you are asking is fair but intent comes from the heart as well as the head. I often find that it is really nice people who struggle to find intent - people who are used to being polite, tolerant and very forgiving and perhaps those (women) who have been told that assertiveness equals aggression (which it does not!!*&^%$£). Horses like to feel intent - that's what lead horses have too.