--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The emphasis was on “soft.” No matter…" description: "\"“The emphasis was on “soft.” No matter what else happened, the wranglers were to stay soft while riding the horses. Soft hands, soft seat, and soft leg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/mark-rashid-43008_different-people_the-emphasis-was-on-soft-no-matter-what_19040.jpg" --- # The emphasis was on “soft.” No matter what else happened… ![“The emphasis was on “soft.” No matter what else happened, the wranglers were to stay soft while riding the horses. Soft hands, soft seat, and soft legs. There was to be absolutely no hitting, kicking, slapping, or yelling at any time for any reason. The penalty for doing such things was to be…” quote by Mark Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/mark-rashid-43008_different-people_the-emphasis-was-on-soft-no-matter-what_19040.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/mark-rashid-43008_different-people_the-emphasis-was-on-soft-no-matter-what_19040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/mark-rashid-43008_different-people_the-emphasis-was-on-soft-no-matter-what_19040.jpg) > ““The emphasis was on “soft.” No matter what else happened, the wranglers were to stay soft while riding the horses. Soft hands, soft seat, and soft legs. There was to be absolutely no hitting, kicking, slapping, or yelling at any time for any reason. The penalty for doing such things was to be placed on a two-day suspension. A second offense would lead to termination. Neither penalty was ever needed. At times it wasn’t easy to stay quiet with the horses because so many of them had been “used up” over the years, dulled to any form of cue. However, we remained consistent in our focus and the horses responded. The wranglers were instructed to ride the horses with the softest cues possible, often using nothing more than a light squeeze to get forward movement and a shift of weight in the saddle, along with light pressure on the reins, for a stop. They were also instructed to look for, find, and then release their cues at the slightest try from the horse—something they all became very adept at doing. With everyone riding in the same manner from one day to the next, all the horses began to respond within a few weeks. Before we knew it, all of our horses, including the very old ones that had been in the program for years and years, became responsive to the lightest of cues. We’d taught our horses to be responsive to these light cues, but a question remained. How could we keep them that way, particularly with the hundreds of different people who would be riding each horse over the summer? The answer was simple. Everyone needed to remain consistent. So, instead of expecting our horses to respond to the conflicting cues that each new rider was bound to give, we taught each rider how to communicate with our horses. Each week when a new batch of guests arrived at the ranch, we held an orientation in the riding arena. During this orientation, we explained how our horses were trained and what was expected of them as a rider of one of our horses. We gave them a demonstration in the saddle of proper seat and hand position, so they could keep their balance. We showed them the cues for walk, stop, trot, lope, and turn, using a horse right out of the string. Once we had demonstrated how our horses worked, we got everyone on horseback in the arena and helped them to practice giving the cues, allowing the horse to respond, and releasing the cues so that the horse would remain responsive. Of note is the fact that after”” [Mark Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rashid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Consistent, gentle cues foster trust and responsiveness in horses, even with many riders. **In simple terms:** Gentle consistency builds reliable behavior. Key Takeaway Soft, consistent communication yields lasting compliance. Themes trust communication consistency training leadership animal behavior Mood calm focused confident Type instructional reflective practical When to use this quote - riding lessons - horse training programs - guest orientation at ranches - team-based animal handling Key Concepts soft cues rider orientation horse responsiveness penalty system Practical Applications - designing rider training protocols - implementing consistent cue systems Questions to Reflect On - How does gentle consistency affect learning in animals? - What challenges arise when scaling soft‑cue methods to many users? 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The wranglers were instructed to ride the horses with the softest cues possible, often using nothing more than a light squeeze to get forward movement and a shift of weight in the saddle, along with light pressure on the reins, for a stop. They were also instructed to look for, find, and then release their cues at the slightest try from the horse—something they all became very adept at doing. With everyone riding in the same manner from one day to the next, all the horses began to respond within a few weeks. Before we knew it, all of our horses, including the very old ones that had been in the program for years and years, became responsive to the lightest of cues. We’d taught our horses to be responsive to these light cues, but a question remained. How could we keep them that way, particularly with the hundreds of different people who would be riding each horse over the summer? The answer was simple. Everyone needed to remain consistent. So, instead of expecting our horses to respond to the conflicting cues that each new rider was bound to give, we taught each rider how to communicate with our horses. Each week when a new batch of guests arrived at the ranch, we held an orientation in the riding arena. During this orientation, we explained how our horses were trained and what was expected of them as a rider of one of our horses. We gave them a demonstration in the saddle of proper seat and hand position, so they could keep their balance. We showed them the cues for walk, stop, trot, lope, and turn, using a horse right out of the string. Once we had demonstrated how our horses worked, we got everyone on horseback in the arena and helped them to practice giving the cues, allowing the horse to respond, and releasing the cues so that the horse would remain responsive. 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