WEEK 7: Relaxation on Difficulties Difficulty is everything that evokes tension in your horse: the exercise he is doing, but also the one he expects. Going into a new task, your horse tightens the body, and later remembers this specific net of tensions for a very long time. When a horse starts that exercise, or

WEEK 6: Relaxation on Restriction of Movement Horses are not coping very well with restrictions. Any restriction to the horse’s movement or suddenly felt desire is tensing the body in a very certain way, and this certain tension is interpreted by the horse’s mind as fear. When the horse is scared, his natural response is

WEEK 5: Relaxation on Orders At the beginning of the OPP course a horse trainer may ask: “Why cannot we work without orders and rules?”. He thinks that rules are an unnecessary formality, and orders unnecessarily control his horse. In fact, rules are the main and first form of help a trainer receives from work,

WEEK 4: Relaxation on Distractions Distraction is everything in the environment of your horse that causes him distress, pulls his focus away from the trainer and the training routine, and therefore causes the horse to become more tensed. Of course, the fact that your horse becomes distressed by changes in his environment is already a

WEEK 3: Relaxation on Restriction of Food Relaxation on Restriction of Food is a Relaxation Technique for every single horse: it’s perfect for horses who eat too quickly, and too much, and therefore have problems with excess weight, and it’s equally suitable for horses who are fussy, tend to eat too little, and have problems

WEEK 2: Developing Relaxation Technique During the Second Week’s practice of Optimal Performance Program you are going to learn how to support your horse in learning how to turn moments of Spontaneous Relaxation into conscious act of will. Your horse will learn how to look for tensions in his body consciously in order to be

WEEK 1: Developing Relaxation Technique During the first week of the Optimal Performance Program you are going to learn how to increase the number of your horse’s Relaxation Signs, and therefore the time your horse spends in the state of Spontaneous Relaxation. This is the first of the two most important weeks of the Optimal

Planning Optimal Training Session Relaxation is a function of the body. Even when your horse knows how to relax consciously, he can only create an opportunity for the body to relax. When you keep the same schemas for all your training sessions, it is easier for the body to switch to the “relaxation mode”. When

Relaxation is the most natural function of the body Your and your horse’s bodies function through tension and relaxation. Let’s take a look at the breathing. It’s one of the most natural processes happening in the body, and the one that doesn’t need to be governed by your conscious mind. It’s natural succession of tension