Elsa's Freedom-Based Horse Training: Do Horses Want to be Ridden?

In a world where instant gratification reigns supreme, Elsa—a unique horse trainer—is championing a method so counterintuitive that it's turning the equestrian world on its head. Freedom-based training, she calls it. A contradiction in terms, perhaps, but one that's yielding results so profound that they're impossible to ignore.

I watched, fascinated, as Kate interviewed this enigmatic figure. With her quiet confidence and revolutionary ideas, Elsa spoke of a training method that sounds more like a philosophy for life than a way to make horses comply with human demands.

"Most of horse training is getting the horse to pay to us, getting the horse to do what we want," Elsa explained, her eyes alight with the passion of someone who's stumbled upon a great truth. But what if, she posits, we flip the script entirely? What if, instead of demanding obedience, we cultivate a relationship?

It's a seductive idea, isn't it? Have we missed the essence of partnering with our horses in our rush to dominate and control?

Elsa's method is slow. Painfully slow, by her own admission. In an age of quick fixes and instant results, she's advocating for a process that requires patience, observation, and a willingness to let go of our human need for immediate gratification. It's a hard sell in today's world, but the results? They're nothing short of transformative.

"I learned more in that one year than I had in all of my years horse training combined," Elsa admitted, referring to her initial experiment with freedom-based training. It's a humbling statement from someone who's spent decades in the field, a testament to the power of this approach.

But what struck me most was Elsa's emphasis on emotional regulation - not just for the horses, but for the humans too. Elsa's approach is refreshingly honest in a world where we're constantly told to push through our fears and ignore our instincts. Fear, she argues, has a reason. It's evidence of something we need to address, not suppress.

As I listened, I couldn't help but draw parallels to our human relationships. How often do we ignore the evidence our bodies and minds present us with? How often do we push through and ignore our instincts in the name of progress or productivity?

Elsa's method isn't just about training horses. It's about reshaping our entire approach to relationships - equine and human alike. It's about building a bank account of positive experiences and creating resilience in the face of life's inevitable challenges.

"Become an observer of patterns," Elsa advised, her words resonating far beyond the realm of horse training. It's a call to mindfulness, presence, and truly seeing and understanding the world around us.

I found myself pondering the broader implications of Elsa's work. In a world that is spinning ever faster, where quick fixes and instant results are the norm, could this slow, deliberate approach to building relationships be the antidote we've been searching for?

Only time will tell. But one thing's for sure - Elsa's freedom-based training is more than just a method for working with horses. It's a revolution in how we approach relationships, communication, and understanding. And in today's world, that might be exactly what we need.