Ahhh… guess what? If you’re bareback on a youngster, especially with just a halter and lead, you’re less inclined to push the horse beyond where you should, but where you MAY if you put a saddle on.

Saddles and bridles for some reason, seem to give us THE POWER! We frequently think we’re invincible. We can stay on AND yank that head where ever we want. WOW!

“Force is all conquering, but it’s victories are short-lived.” –Abe Lincoln

So, what’s the hurry? You’re going to want your horse to learn to stand still quietly down the road anyway, right? So, why not do some shifting in your priorities and put it at the top of the list instead of having a lot more work to do later trying to get your youngster to stand still after you’ve scared him into his flight pattern by going before he’s quiet? True or true?

That’s why Curbside Service is so useful. If you do it right (and it’s all lined out there in the book) you have a quiet, thinking, calm, standing still horse. When it’s time to move off, you start with just one step, one hoof. That’s all ‘going’ is anyway. One hoof and then another. Quietly, calmly and with a thinking horse. Not one that is thinking “Run like the wind, Kimosabe!”