When you work with a horse to accomplish a task, it’s easy to focus for too long, causing the horse to burn out—frying the circuits, so to speak. We could call that overcooking. Timelines vary for every project, but generally speaking, a horse has about a twenty-minute window where they can focus without fatigue. Once that window closes (and believe me, it does), it takes about twenty more minutes to recalibrate and restart their focus. This is not a strict rule; it’s a guideline to help you understand how important it is to watch your horse for cues of stress, fatigue, and diluted focus patterns.

What this all means is that you can work on a project, but you need to take breaks. Your horse needs recess. In my early career, I didn’t know that. I’d push the horse to accomplish something, only to see him get worse for a while. Ultimately, my persistence would pay off, but at what cost?

It’s much better to reward often, rest often, and trust that coming back for short, focused sessions is more effective than staying until the task is done.

On the flip side, there’s such a thing as “undercooked.” This concept usually relates to bonding. Most professionals are focused on getting things done, so it’s easy to stay in “go mode” and forget to stop and smell the roses. A few good trainers understand that recess and bonding are important, and they offer them to their horse. But the recess they offer is too short, the bonding is too weak, and the rewards are too few. The balance between bonding and training goes awry, and the horse slowly begins to lose trust in their leader.

One example of an undercooked horse is one that allows you to touch their ears or cover their eyes for a split second but won’t let you linger. Or a horse that will let you get on but won’t stand still. Or a horse that will let you hold up a foot for a minute, but not two. These all demonstrate a horse that doesn’t fully trust the human—a horse that’s undercooked in their bonding time.

In principle, you want long recesses and short, rewarding bursts of learning. In practice, that’s not always possible. So, in those times when you feel the need to focus until you reach a high note, consider more micro-recesses or micro-rewards. Use a calming voice. Set clear boundaries, followed by kind, reassuring touch. And, generally, always try to balance your time equally—half training, half bonding.

If you do too much training and not enough bonding, you’ll get a horse that doesn’t trust you. If you do too much bonding and not enough training, you’ll get a horse that can’t leave the safety of their paddock or function on a windy day. Keep the balance, and progress will come naturally.

Thanks for reading, ​Don