Each horse has its own thoughts. These thoughts guide every decision that a horse makes. When working with a horse, a person is constantly asking that horse to be willing to let go of its own thought and yield to the requests it has been given. Problems occur when a horse is unwilling or unable to let go of its own thought when being handled. Ty focuses on creating a responsive horse through helping it become comfortable with letting go of its thoughts.

We can also consider the requests we make of our horses to essentially be questions. For every question that Ty asks of a

horse, there is a right answer. Ty sets up situations that allow the horse time to search for that right answer. He helps the horse find the right answer by rewarding the slightest “try” and then builds on that. Consequently, every right answer builds confidence in the horse which creates a responsive horse, not a reactive one. This is vital to establishing a safe working relationship between horse and rider. The result of this pattern of life is a horse that “thinks their way through” situations.