Episode 298: Advanced Training Pt 3: Our List of Advanced Handler Skills

We’re talking about advanced training. What makes something an advanced behavior, or an advanced topic or concept? When people say they want to attend an advanced seminar, what do they mean? What are they looking for?

In part 1 we looked at this question from the perspective of the lessons we are teaching our horses. I made a case for advanced training is just the basics done very, very well.

We agreed that identifying advanced skills is very much in the eye of the beholder. If you don’t have the needed underlying components, the task you’re trying to take on will seem like a very advanced skill. So what is an advanced skill for one individual will be just the next doable step for another.

In part 2 we then considered if there is a difference in how we view advanced skills when we’re thinking about teaching our horses versus what we ourselves need to master in order to be effective teachers.

Teaching well requires many skills. In Part 2 we began our list of what we would consider to be advanced skills. In Part three we added to this list beginning with a discussion of agency.

One of the reasons I wanted to talk about what advanced means is I hope this helps all of us to be clearer about what we are looking for when we ask for advanced topics. If I want to advance my horse’s training, I need to be patient and recognize that moving on may mean reviewing previous steps in the training first. You’ll begin by polishing and refining the underlying components. That’s what produces the readiness for the next steps in the training.

If my focus is on advancing my training skills, I’ll be looking over a wider range of topics. What do I need to develop? Is it my handling skills? Is it my own body awareness? Is it my understanding of biomechanics, or behavior analysis? What is keeping me from progressing? Our growing list of skills that we would look for in a skilled trainer may help you to identify some areas that are worth exploring.