Circus Part III
by Allen Pogue and Suzanne De Laurentis, all rights reserved, 2005
You see, a horse does possess prodigious mental faculties that usually go untapped by the uninitiated. Evolution has given the species the ability to memorize a trail leading to water or food if exposed to the terrain only one time. Like a genius with a photographic memory the horse can be relied upon to carry a lost rider home even in a blinding snowstorm. It is this same ability that the astute trainer uses when they teach a horse the right behaviors from the very beginning.
Horses also learn by observation. As each new horse was in the process of being broke to saddle, Sacha had the waiting horses lined up ringside facing inward where they could see their stablemates being mounted, some for their first times. There was no bucking or rodeo-like antics, only calmness and a very workmanlike attitude from each and every horse. The lessons were so quickly accomplished that the Friesians had time only to learn how easy and effortless it was to comply. I was quite impressed with the fact that Sacha was relying on the horses' memory of a 'good' event rather than the dull repetition of long drills.
When teaching the Arabians to rear up and walk on their back legs, he placed an assistant on each side holding a long rein attached to the headstall. On cue he raised his arms, as the assistants did likewise, the horse simply mimicked the action and made a rear. As Sacha backed up slightly he would reach out as if to touch the horse on the nose. Which caused the horse to 'target' the end of the guider whip and move forward. The assistants would follow a few steps to the side and slightly behind the horse's head. Two maybe three repetitions and it was time for another horse. Continue