The Invisible Wall
understanding the problem behind all other problems with your horse
by teddie ziegler
Do any of the following describe you…
- You don’t want to hit your horse.
- It makes you uncomfortable when others tell you to show your horse who’s boss.
- You want to become a better human partner for your horse despite all the frustrations.
- You’re not sure you know enough.
- You're desperate to make your horse happy even though he scares you sometimes.
If any of those descriptions ring true, then you are MUCH closer to finally succeeding than you think.
Here’s why I say that:
- Your reluctance to hit your horse SHOWS that your heart is in the right place.
- Questioning the ‘normal’ way of doing things DEMONSTRATES your independence of mind and your courage.
- Soldiering on despite the challenges you face REVEALS your willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed.
- Questioning your abilities, and taking it personally, DISPLAYS you're willing to accept full responsibility for your results.
- Thinking you‘re disappointing your horse MEANS your heart is in the right place.
- Taking the time to read this report EXHIBITS your willingness to explore new approaches and ideas.
All these things show me that you have what it takes to be successful with your horse…
BUT your efforts are being misdirected.
In other words…
It’s NOT YOU.
It’s WHAT YOU ARE DOING (or what you've been told to do) that's not working.
My horses were just using me as a feed dispenser
Hi, my name is Teddie Ziegler and I’ve been around horses since 1st grade.
Despite being an outdoors girl, I’ve always loved science though so ended up going to college where I got my degree in Behavioral Psychology.
After I graduated, I worked with autistic children, elderly patients and then later Alzheimer's patients but my love of horses drew me back.
After studying with some of the well-known names in the industry I became a trainer myself.
I thought I was a bit of a hot-shot but I was just using the same high pressure, coercion tactics I'd been taught.
I was doing what most people still consider as "normal".
As far as I was concerned my 2 boys, Jazz and Apollo, were perfectly behaved and extremely loving.
That was until the day I discovered they'd just been using me as a feed dispenser.
Here's how I found out...
I was out in my truck one night when I was rear-ended by a drunk driver and ended up in hospital for several months.
When I eventually came out in a wheelchair I couldn't wait to see my boys again as you can imagine.
Except... they didn't want to know me.
At first I thought it was because of the wheelchair but this behavior went on for a few days.
And the longer it went on the more obvious it became...
Jazz and Apollo had only spent time with me before because I'd brought them their food.
And now that someone else was feeding them, they ignored me.
The connection I thought I had with them had all been an illusion.
Suddenly I was left facing…
The reality of the Invisible Wall...
Teddie
P.S. I'll be referring to horses as 'he' and 'him' throughout this report to make it easier.
My horses are boys and it saves us having to deal with the clumsy use of 'he or she' and 'him or her' the whole time. Hope that's OK.
