The competent horseman uses as little mechanical guiding as possible. Everybody can force a horse mechanically, to guide a horse without a physical contact requires knowledge. Horses use mainly a body language, and read it much quicker than the humans can consciously make the signals, the humans send signals to the horse unconsciously all the time. The horse can also via sounds give away his feelings from a distance. The spoken language humans use to the horse works mostly on the conditioned reflexes, and very little in the emotional area.

The giving of aids can be divided into suggestions, menace and attack. A horse that is high in rang takes what he wants, if he is not being obeyed immediately, he shows a menacing attitude with his ears or his body posture, for example. Is that not enough comes the attack, like bites and kicks. The relationship between human and horse is seen immediately when the feed bucket arrives. Who gives in to whom? To train the horse, the physical differences between horse and human must be leveled. The horse can reach much further, which can be compensated by a pole, a long whip or a rope. The differences in speed can be compensated by a circular track, if the horse runs in a circle, he can never run away from his trainer.

The physical strength does not need to be compensated, a horse does not fight, he only tries to impress, physical force from the horse shall not be met, it must be detracted. Nobody is strong enough to equal a horse. In every situation there must be a way out for the horse, that he can find, then a physical confrontation can be avoided. He is armed in the front and in the back, so at his side and out of his reach are the safe zones. A horse is always trying to avoid work, he is lazy by nature.He chooses the safe, the comfortable and the things he can recognize. These traits must be used while handling the horse. An aid functions best when it ceases, not while it's being used. It must always mean the same thing. It must never be stronger than necessary, but may be as strong as necessary. It has to be applied at the correct spot, where it has to work, the head should always be treated with caution, the horse must never be shy at his ears, eyes or nose. To begin with, the aid can be big and clear but must diminish as soon as the horse has understood. Once is never, twice is a habit and the third time is forever. After the third time the aid normally works well, the rest of the horse's life is for refining it. Many aids can have several functions, for example the releasing of one leg gives the other leg that is still on the horse more effect.

Release is definitely the most important ingredient in all horse training. If there is a release, which means that the aid or the signal stops, as soon as there is a response from the horse, he can see the meaning in obeying the aid. He must be rewarded at the smallest possible attempt to respond correctly, it's the idea that has to be rewarded, then you can shape a horse who is dancing without visible aids.

The purpose of the tools is to enable the rider or trainer to extend their reach, not to punish the horse. A pole, branch, broomstick or whatever there is, is used to get a distance to the horse and to make him go somewhere. The horse gives away to pressure, pushing or knocking, the aid has to be given where you want the effect, if you are standing in front of the horse and want him to move back, you signal to his chest. If you want the horse to move forward the aid is given anywhere behind the hip. If the horse is not supposed to move away, the aid should be static or caressing.

The rope or line has two functions, holding or driving. If the rope is attached to the horse it makes the horse stay within its reach. If you swing the rope it is a driving aid, the same as the whip or the pole. The advantage with the rope is its longer reach, you can put it on the horse from a distance to show him we can get a physical contact and that it is harmless. The release with the rope is slow. The tools are not dangerous, it is the person who uses them who makes them dangerous by misusing them.

Extra reins used continuously in riding shows incompetence and a lack of feel. An extra rein may be used on horses who tend to rear and who don't care if they hurt themselves. The rider has no function on horseback but has to work the horse from the ground, when the horse has understood what he is asked to do, the extra reins are no longer necessary. Most of the time it is a question of minutes to make the horse get the message, using them longer creates resistance and makes the situation worse. A martingale should not be fastened so tight that it pulls the horse's nose down, it has to be fitted so loose that it only functions when the horse puts his head high, then the head should be pulled to the side to bend the horse. The rider who can properly use gadgets normally doesn't need them.

Because the horse is so good at reading body language he can't be fooled to think his trainer needs to be respected. One can hit a horse to fear but not to respect. The body language and the trainers attitude to wards the horse decide if the result will be good. A trainer who backs away from the horse cannot make him move without using violence. If the trainer has got the attitude that the horse has to go back, he will do it much faster. The right attitude for every horse, a stallion high in rank may counterattack if the trainer defies him to much, there must be a balance all the time. You gain respect, you can't buy it or swindle it.

The energy to move must come from inside the trainer or the rider, it is taken from the center of the body. Those who train martial arts have no problem using their own energy. With your energy (chi) you guide the horse's movements, direction, speed etc. The horse is so sensitive by nature that he can read what the rider wants if he has had a chance to cooperate with a minimal influence from his rider. If you enter the stable in the evening and ask if anybody wants hay, all the horses answer. If you instead ask if there is anyone who doesn't want any hay, all the horses answer the same. Horses can hear a difference in sounds, but they can't learn spoken language. They can learn that trot means trot etc. but it is only a conditioned reflex, it is a waste of time to try to teach horses our language. While the horse is learning what trot means, somebody else is already teaching his horse takeoff for canter, the body language is much faster. There are sounds that are good to teach horses.