"There are lots of real good times to give a horse a good leavin' alone." -Buster McLaury

Don’t underestimate the value of a quiet moment with your horse. Take breaks. Make sure there is a pause in between all your asks. Give him time to digest and think. Reward the smallest try.

This is probably by far the hardest thing for us to do as humans. We’re greedy and always want more from our horse as quickly as we can get it. How many of you have worked on a side pass or leg yield or back up that your horse struggled with? When our horse offers us a good step after struggling for a bit we’re inclined to think “oh great he’s got it” So you ask harder and faster and then it all falls apart and you end up back at square one when you almost had it. The thing is, he did start to get it but he lost it because his human rushed it. Instead of rushing it, the moment the thought of “oh I think he’s getting it” enters your brain, quit. Release for that small victory and leave him alone for a second, maybe move on to something different and revisit it the next day. End on a good note. It may not be the step you wanted to end on, but it’s the step he needed to end on. Give your horse the opportunity to marinate on what he just learned. Let it feel good to him so he wants to do it correctly the next time and build on it.

Maybe even more importantly than all of that, when he’s doing everything “right” leave him alone. Be conscious of the application of your aids when you aren’t asking for anything in particular. 

When you’re trotting along and everything is working, leave him alone.

When you’re at the in gate waiting to go in to show, leave him alone.

When you’re in the lineup waiting for your ribbon, leave him alone.

When you’re in the ring talking to a friend or to your trainer, leave him alone.

When you finally get that step in the right direction that your horse has been struggling with, leave him alone. 

Capitalize on the good moments when you can leave your horse alone; I guarantee the next time you offer a good deal to your horse, you’ll get a great deal of progress in return.