2024 Clinician Academy
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April 1 - May 17
Location
Downunder Horsemanship Ranch
Farmington,
AR
Training Tips
Training Tips
July 21, 2015
Training Tip: Be a Leader Your Horse Trusts
I don’t mind if my horse gets frightened. What I do mind is when he gets frightened and then takes matters into his own hands. Instead of bolting, bucking or rearing, you want your horse to look to you for guidance. Prove to him that every time he gets worried, panicked and uses the reactive […]
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Training Tips
July 14, 2015
Training Tip: Trailering: One Step at a Time
When you begin to teach the horse to load onto the trailer, the first rule is to completely forget about the trailer. Act like loading the horse onto the trailer is the furthest thing from your mind because the more you think about getting the horse on the trailer, the more you’ll start to act […]
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Training Tips
July 7, 2015
Training Tip: End Training Sessions Positively
Always end a training session on a good note. The last thing you do with your horse today is the first thing he’ll remember tomorrow. So don’t finish a training session with the horse misbehaving or having a bad attitude. If you’re not having any success on a particular exercise and you have to quit […]
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Training Tips
June 30, 2015
Training Tip: Start Your Journey With the Right Horse
When you begin your horsemanship journey, try to pick a horse that will help you learn and will build your confidence as opposed to one that wants to wreck your confidence and intimidate you. I’m a firm believer in the theory that horses teach people, and then people teach horses – in that exact order […]
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Training Tips
June 23, 2015
Training Tip: There’s Only so Much Space Between his Ears
Any horse that has not been trained by human beings only knows how to use the reactive side of his brain. The reactive side of the horse’s brain is what has kept him alive for millions of years. Mother Nature says, “Don’t think – run!” So horses are naturally born with a big reactive side […]
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Training Tips
June 16, 2015
Training Tip: Sometimes You Have to Increase Pressure
Most people want to start with a low amount of pressure, which is great, but when their horse ignores them, or doesn’t move his feet, they don’t increase the pressure. It’s important that you first ask the horse to respond with the lightest amount of pressure possible because a horse will never get any lighter […]
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Training Tips
June 9, 2015
Training Tip: Correcting a Horse That Bolts at Turnout
With a horse that likes to turn and bolt away from you as soon as you take the halter off, one of the best things you can do with him in the pasture is practice Yield the Hindquarters Stage Two to get him hooked on giving you two eyes. Anytime you’re around your horse, two […]
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Training Tips
June 2, 2015
Training Tip: Heart Attacks are Free
One of the biggest mistakes people make when working with horses is sneaking around them and making excuses for their behavior. In reality, trying to protect a horse from objects he’s scared of only makes the situation worse. As a trainer, your goal is to desensitize your horse to as many objects that move and […]
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Training Tips
May 26, 2015
Training Tip: Be Effective With Pressure
Nagging a horse, constantly pecking at him without getting a result or failing to reward him for correct behavior, only teaches him to be resentful and dull. Imagine you’re sitting at your desk at work and a co-worker comes up behind you and starts tapping your shoulder. No matter how you respond, they keep tapping […]
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Training Tips
May 19, 2015
Training Tip: Equal Responsibilities
In your partnership with your horse, you have certain responsibilities and your horse has certain responsibilities. Your responsibility is to be black and white – to make training easy for the horse to understand. Whenever you are a shade of gray, it makes you unclear or inconsistent, which is unfair to the horse and makes […]
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