Clinton Anderson from Downunder Horsemanship has developed a way to train horses, regardless of their past problems or traumas. It all begins with training the owners so they can gain their horse’s respect and understand how to properly control them. Join Clinton on his weekly endeavors of tackling some of the most challenging situations with problem horses and problem owners. This week, we watch as Method Ambassador Rick Badousek shares a valuable lesson on how to be a detective with your horse.
No matter how long you’ve been a horseman, Rick says that one thing Clinton always stresses is that you need to be a detective when it comes to your horse. You should always look for those “oh, no” spots in training. This means any area where your horse may show a bit of defensiveness or a little stiffness. At the end of the day, you can have the perfect training plan all laid out, but if you go out there and don’t know how to amend the plan in action, you’re going to find yourself in some trouble. So, if your plan isn’t what your horse needs at that exact moment, you need to be able to adjust to that. You’ll need to be adaptable so you can address any issues and fix the holes in your horse’s training as they come up.
Rick gives us a little example of what this might look like. Let’s imagine you’re going to saddle your horse, and you notice that he has issues with the stirrups moving against his sides. While it might not seem like a huge issue, you’ll want to work on it. So, to do this, you should practice the Intermediate Series exercise Stirrup Driving and actually flap the stirrups next to the horse’s sides as much as possible. You’ll need to desensitize your horse to the stirrups moving and get him used to things flapping around on the saddle. Do this while you’re working on groundwork, as this is the safest time to help get the horse confident about anything that spooks him.
The same approach applies if your horse is afraid of your tools. Don’t ignore his fear. Instead, desensitize your horse to your tools and get him used to them before you proceed with anything else. In fact, if your horse is afraid of any move you make, if you’re approaching his head and he tosses his head or he’s nervous about you being around his head, you might need to do some Head-Shy Exercises. As Clinton said, always be on the lookout for problems with your horse—the better you are at being a detective and evaluating any of those problems, the better your horsemanship will be.
Clinton Anderson has devoted the past 20 years to creating the best training tools and videos available to horsemen worldwide. Unfortunately, you can’t bring your TV into the arena to watch videos. That’s why Clinton and his team worked hard to develop a platform to deliver the training in a whole new way that brings 20 years of horsemanship and puts it in the palm of your hand. Now, you can access the mobile method and get everything at the touch of a finger.
Always have access to the Downunder method, even when you’re on the go or at the barn. The Downunder Horsemanship app gives you access to your digital training kits. It lets you download videos and training content directly to your mobile device or view them on your computer. The Downunder Horsemanship app also offers over 100 hours of free in-depth training content. No Worries Club members will have full access to Clinton’s ever-growing training library and many members-only features and information. The best part is that you can view and interact with each lesson on your mobile device or computer, giving you the ultimate access to the method anytime and anywhere.
To learn more about the Downunder Horsemanship training method, become a member of the No Worries Club, or get information on any of the products seen on our show, head over to our homepage and download the Downunder Horsemanship app today!
Master Your horsemanship Skills
Like these tips? Join the No Worries Club and hone your skills with thousands of hours of Clinton’s easy, step-by-step method horse training videos.
