How Common is Common Sense, in Horsemanship?



Posted: Saturday, July 05, 2008

by
TnT Ranch/Tom Davis Horsemanship

A lot of times you hear the term "use Common Sense." Well what is common sense? Is it what you use when in a tight spot with your horse or just trying to get a message relayed to the horse? Are you supposed to channel this inner knowledge that lies dormant till a situation calls for it to emerge? I really don't think so. I believe in order to practice the term common sense you have to have had enough experience dealing with and learning from common issues related to working with horses. It seems to me there would be a lot more people practicing "common sense", if it was so common. The truth of the matter is there is nothing common about it. There is a huge void in "common sense" being exercised, because of lack of knowledge.

In order to practice common sense you have had to learn it, by living it. There is no substitute for hands on experience. The more you do and see results, the more you will learn. With doing so you will build up a library of strategies to use when and where the situation calls for them to be applied. Many times the most simple less thought about approach is the correct and less stressful one for your horse and you. At times we tend to make things more difficult then they really are.

Don't get caught up in solving a particular problem, try to look at it from the stand point of What could have been done differently to avoid the problem in the first place? By looking at it this way, there wouldn't be an issue made of it to begin with.

With that being said the common sense approach, would be to do what the majority of people would do in that situation. That being to zero in on that particular issue and drill them on it until both of you are discouraged and upset. It seems the less common sense approach could be the better route to take. The more horse sense and experience you obtain you will find that using good old common sense really doesn't apply much to horses. Otherwise there wouldn't be the issues; there is when the general public is working with their horses. So there lies the debate. You have to be able to recognize when and where to apply these different approaches. Do you attack the issue head on? Or do you look back and see what took place before the issue even arose? I choose the latter. It's a lot easier on you and your horse when you set up what you're looking for in your horse very plain and simple, then wait and see if they can find the answer. The whole time you are very encouraging and patient till they do find it there's no rush. Once the desired response is there move on to something else keep it interesting for the horse. If you stay and dwell on one particular subject to long the horse gets irritated And will not show much interest at all the next time their approached with it. Make things so simple for your horse to figure out its silly. They have got to see the light at the end of the tunnel to make it up in their mind that it's worthwhile to do things your way. That's using Experience. Written by Tom Davis If you have a horsemanship question or a specific topic you would like to see written about horsemanship email your suggestion thru www.ColtTrainer.com

Tom Davis with his wife and 2 daughters owns and opperates TnT Ranch in Okra, Texas. At TnT Ranch Tom and Traci raise Dynamite Equine and Bovine. Tom does horsemanship clinics and private lessons. Tom is an accomplished Trainer and has great veiws about horse training. Please visit Tom on the web at www.ColtTrainer.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by straight talk
 3 years 215 days ago.
111 fans. Follow straight talk on twitter!
As you stated- "It seems to me there would be a lot more people practicing "common sense", if it was so common. The truth of the matter is there is nothing common about it." While I agree in principal I do not see length of years as having anything to do with it. I see it in the few of all ages who do have the capabilty to reason, weigh, consider, yes but like you said, the very few. Good job.
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