The Connection Training Approach to Engagement

The Connection Training approach to engagement is different concept than anything I have ever been taught.  Typically, we are told to engage our horse’s hindquarters by getting them relaxed and then driving them forward to the outside rein.  Sprinkle in some figures, rhythm, and straightness with some shoulder-in and Voila, you have an engaged horse.  It sounds so simple until you try it and it just doesn’t work.  The rider drives and drives but those shoulders stay dropped like in the before picture below.

Hannah Weston, of CT, has a different take after years of frustration.  She became a equine body worker, learned clicker/target training, and explored tai chi trying to figure out a particular horse (not the one pictured!)and his inability to stop bucking and get off the forehand.  Then she found Philippe Karl.  See more about him HERE.  Hannah audited his three year teacher training course and then married target and clicker training with the balance concepts of PK.   The end result is a program of gymnastic groundwork and under saddle work that uses the PK principles but in a really horse friendly positive reinforcement way using target and clicker training.

I’ve been playing with this new way of achieving engagement and it is amazing.  For a little taste of  how it works watch HERE. I have some ideas about why it is effective including the shifting of the balance off the horse’s shoulders, having the horse balanced with weight to the outside on circles, and proper use of the thoracic sling.  More to come!