Overused Words and Confusion in Horse Training

According to an expert of the English language,'whoa' and the jab in the mouth, and if he does
the most frequently used English noun is the wordand the rein pressure is then released, he will learn
'way'. However, in horse training the mostthat 'whoa' means slow down, which is not what
frequently used word is 'whoa'. It is important toyou really want from the word 'whoa'.
be aware of the words we use in training ourSoon when you want him to stop and you're
horses and what meaning we attach to them. Wepulling and getting mad because he's not stopping,
must be careful not to teach our horse to doyou will have a confused horse under you. A
something based on a verbal command that isconfused horse is a horse that doesn't trust, and
not what we want them to do.trust is a very important tool that needs to exist
"Whoa", frequently falls into the confused andbetween you and your horse. It is important to
misunderstood category. People often makedistinguish between when a horse does what you
simple errors with the word 'whoa'. For example,ask for and when they do it because they a re
a person's riding along and the horse picks upunsure o confused and happen upon the correct
speed, and a high percentage of riders will sayresult. The prior is termed a response and the
'whoa'. However, what the rider really means tolater is termed a reaction, and you want a
say is 'slow down', but they pull on the reins andresponse rather than a reaction, and you get a
say 'whoa', and so the horse does not really learnresponse through the development of trust.
what you mean by 'whoa', what he learns is thatTo get trust, there has to be a reward system,
'whoa' means he is about to get a jab in theand a certain amount of respect. Remember, be
mouth from the bit.careful not to confuse your horse, as confusion
The horse fails to learn that 'whoa' means stop.leads to fear and fear gets you a reaction, but
Now he may slow down from the verbal signal oftrust gets you a response.