Are there terms that horse people use that confuse you?During a lesson the other day I said, “soften up” to the rider as she rounded the turn…and she immediately picked up on the reins to ‘soften’ her horse.

Houston, we have a problem.

I had intended for the rider to ‘soften’ her hands, to offer the horse a reward but my terminology wasn’t  clearly defined. The rider heard the word ‘soften’ and immediately associated the word with asking the horse to demonstrate softness and a willingness, to ask the horse to remove rigidity from its body.

This is one of the reasons why I encourage people to learn through two methods 1) follow one person’s program all the way through 2) study other peoples methods and figure out how they fit in with your understanding. Above all don’t punish your horse if you get confused. Also don’t punish your horse even if an instructor starts yelling at you in frustration.

Are there terms that you have heard that have confused you? Are there terms you have used that have confused others?