You have successfully completed Optimal Performance Program! During the past eight weeks you have taught your horse how to recognize Spontaneous Relaxations of his body, and you have shown him how to turn them into a consciously accessed Relaxation Technique. After that, you have taught your horse how to use his Relaxation Technique in order

Developing Relaxation Technique: Developing Relaxation Technique: Developing Relaxation Technique: Developing Relaxation Technique: Developing Relaxation Technique: Developing Relaxation Technique: Developing Relaxation Technique: Relaxation on Restriction of Food: Relaxation on Orders: Relaxation on Restriction of Movement: Relaxation on Difficulties Relaxation on Changing Movement Patterns: How does Relaxation better behavior/performance? Relaxation Awakens Affection

Saddling and Mounting using OPP Principles: From Relaxation on Restrictions, and Difficulties to Preparation to Saddling From Relaxation on Difficulties, to Relaxation on Saddling Relaxation on Saddling and Mounting with Cadeau de Dieu Relaxation Opens Communication: Mounting with Falcão Relaxation on Saddling and Mounting with Falcão: A session led by Anna Everyday Handling using OPP

WEEK 9: Relaxation on Changing Movement Patterns Movement Patterns define how your horse moves. Teaching new movement patterns is an essential part of horse training. You need to teach your horse how to move in balance before you can introduce him to advanced exercises and riding. In this chapter, you will learn how to teach

WEEK 8: Relaxation on Elevated Heart Rate The ability to maintain and deepen muscle relaxation during movement with an elevated heart rate is the basic ability that distinguishes an ordinary mortal from a professional athlete. Without this ability, movement tires body very quickly, and makes the performer avoid the movement. Relaxation on Elevated Heart Rate

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