2024 Clinician Academy
Learn More
April 1 - May 17
Location
Downunder Horsemanship Ranch
Farmington,
AR
Training Tips
Training Tips
December 30, 2014
Training Tip: The Sacred Hula Hoop
As a trainer, you need your horse’s respect and attention in order to teach him and gain his trust. Establishing your personal space will help you stay safe while doing just that. The first thing your horse has to understand is that you are fragile and he needs to be careful around you. I honestly […]
Read More
Downunder Horsemanship - General Training Tips
December 23, 2014
Training Tip: Great Horsemen are Open to Change
That is the most important concept you can understand when it comes to training horses. When I was an apprentice for Ian Francis, he often said to me, “To change your life, you must first change your attitude.” Ian believes, as do I, that if you’re unhappy with the current state of your life, you […]
Read More
Training Tips
December 16, 2014
Training Tip: Get Your Horse Backing Well
I back my horses up every chance I get. In fact, I very rarely just lead my horse somewhere. Like most of you, I have a limited amount of time to actually spend with my horses, so as long as I’m with them, I figure I might as well be teaching them something. So I […]
Read More
Training Tips
December 9, 2014
Training Tip: Assume the Worst to Stay Safe
When it comes to saddling a colt for the first time, I always assume the colt is going to break in two. I would say that 50 percent of colts buck the first time they’re saddled and 50 percent don’t. It’s almost impossible to tell which colts will buck and which ones won’t. Sometimes the […]
Read More
Training Tips
December 2, 2014
Training Tip: Understand Trailering From Your Horse’s Perspective
To help your horse overcome his trailering fears, you have to look at trailering from his perspective. As prey animals, with a flight or fight response, horses prefer to be in big open spaces where they can easily see predators approaching them and then be able to make a quick getaway. You’ll never see a […]
Read More
Training Tips
November 25, 2014
Training Tip: There Are No Shortcuts
Too often, I meet people at tours or we’ll receive letters in the office saying that they have a problem that needs fixed. Everyone wants a quick fix, a magic cure that they can give their horse to have their problems disappear. Believe me, if I had such a magic cure, I would sell it […]
Read More
Training Tips
November 18, 2014
Training Tip: A Tip for Trouble-Free Blanketing
The biggest mistake people make when trying to blanket a spooky horse is sneaking the blanket up on the horse. If you reach the blanket up towards the horse and he has a heart attack, repeat the same motion another hundred times. When he relaxes, retreat and rub him.
Read More
Training Tips
November 11, 2014
Training Tip: Conquer Your Horse’s Fear of the Arena
When you’re working with an arena-shy horse, don’t think, “How can I make him get in the arena?” Think, “How can I make it uncomfortable for him not to go in the arena?” You’ll do that by working the horse hard where he wants to be (outside the arena) and letting him rest where you […]
Read More
Training Tips
November 4, 2014
Training Tip: Move Those Feet
Horses establish dominance by being able to move each other’s feet. The most dominant horse in a herd can make all the other horses move their feet forwards, backwards, left and right. Horses use that same principle when they are around us. Anytime you can move your horse’s feet forwards, backwards, left and right, you […]
Read More
Training Tips
October 28, 2014
Training Tip: Three Ingredients to a Truly Broke Horse
Many horses are rideable, but few are truly well broke. I define a well broke horse as one who is quiet, dependable, soft and responsive, in any situation – in the arena or on the trail. Of course, many factors go into how far a horse’s training can go, including breeding, temperament and the method […]
Read More
