There are some horses that are constantly being
'trained' but the owners aren't sure what they are 'training'
for.
Bonnie,
I think that if there is a disagreement here, it is one of
semantics. Training a horse for Dressage, or hunter/jumper or reining, etc.
entails one very important commonality. Every one of these horses needs to
have a respect for the handler before being asked to learn a particular
"discipline". With this in mind, then, I don't think that you would disagree
that every time you interact with the horse, either on the ground or under
saddle, the horse is (or should be) training to be a respectful partner.
When I am mucking out my horses' stalls, I am consciously training them. I
try to see how lightly I can touch them in order for them to yield the
shoulder or hindquarter or sidestep away. I purposely wipe the mucking fork
against their legs or under their bellies to desensitize them to something
suddenly touching or scraping them. When I ask them to enter the stall I
will sometimes back them in or enter first, having them stand respectfully
until invited or I may "drive" them in and have them turn to wait for me to
enter.
The same attitude applies when the horse is under saddle.
Every thing, without exception, that you do while interacting with your
horse is training him to be a better or less respectful partner. The more
you can interact with your horse with this attitude the more pleasurable
every ride will be. And you know what? I bet you train your horses every day
but just may not name it as that. Am I right?
