1. Pressure and Release: a Review
This response is trained in by teaching the horse what is expected using gradual increases in pressure within the presentation of the request, until the horse tries to respond in the way desired. When done with quality, the amount of pressure used is just enough, with feel and timing in the escalation, to achieve the result. The goal is for there to be no increase in pressure: the idea is to give the horse time to think, not just ramp up the pressure.
When the horse finds the desired response, the pressure is released, so the horse finds comfort when he does what was intended. This "release" of pressure teaches the horse to respond to the particular request with the lowest possible pressure, because he associates the desired action with the release. Assuming the horse is clear on the request, experience inspires him to respond quickly to the slightest pressure in the initial request, in order to deliver the release.
"Pressure and release" is far removed from the fear and intimidation tactics that come suddenly with negative emotion and no consistency -- there is no source of comfort in this presentation for the horse, and little understanding. With "pressure and release" the horse can count on emotional fitness of the handler and consistent timing in the presentation, so that he understands what is expected and can find the release. He is an active participant in maintaining his own comfort.
All this is good, and I spent a number of years refining my feel using this approach. However, I also saw that my horses started to get resentful. In puzzling over this, I wanted to better understand the horse's perspective to figure out how to adjust my presentation so my horse did not feel resentment.
By Karen Musson