"I don't know how to do this"

"Yes, you do."

"I can't."

"Well, can you find the density of this substance?"

"Yes..."

And so the conversation goes, until the student figures out the answer and I don't actually tell them much of anything.  It usually ends with my saying, "I thought you couldn't," and walking away with a wink.

This process is one I seem to go through constantly as a high school math/science teacher.  Both these subjects seem to be wrought with a whole lot of, "I can't possibly."  So does, it seems, training young horses.

The similarity hit me when trying to teach my leggy (not allowed to be) 17h OTTB to canter on the longe in side reins.  He couldn't possibly.  He could possibly prop, throw a fit, buck, run backwards, bolt, and do a very believable impression of a Standardbred.  But not canter on a circle.

So, after dancing a futile dance, chasing, clucking, cracking the whip, ducking, weaving, and doing my best impression of waterskiing, I decide to change the game.

"Do you remember how to whoah and yield your haunches at the walk?"

Yes.

"Do you remember how to trot off and whoah, square to me, when I drop my shoulder?"

Yes.

"Can you do these things until you're head is down, you're chewing, and relaxed?"

Yes.

"Can you canter?"

Yes.

Learning new things, especially when you are young or underconfident or both, is all about building on what you know.  It is about building confidence and maintaining a positive affect while being faced with new situations.  The worried mine, the stressed mine, hopped up on adrenaline and/or cortisol, cannot learn as effectively.  It does not matter if you are a horse or a human, "I can't possibly" is not a mindset that is conducive to learning.  Set your horse (and yourself) up for "can possibly" moments by building in small steps.  It's like trying to learn math, start with pre-algebra, not Calculus.