Cues Not Commands

This episode is part of a long conversation Dominique Day and I were having one afternoon in late May. Dominique had been rewatching the Loopy Training DVD. So our conversation began with a discussion of movement cycles and poisoned cues. Last week we focused in on Loopy Training - what it means and how it brings emotional balance into our training. That discussion brought us to cue communication - the main focus of this week’s podcast.

Cues are contrasted with commands. Command-based training is the norm in the horse world. It is: "I tell - you, horse, respond (or else)." Cues, in contrast, are an invitation. There are no threats backing them up. Commands-based training shuts down communication. Cue-based communication opens it up. We explore the difference these two mindsets create for our training choices and outcomes.