2024 Clinician Academy
Learn More
April 1 - May 17
Location
Downunder Horsemanship Ranch
Farmington,
AR
Training Tips
Training Tips
July 28, 2020
Training Tip: Teach Your Horse to Lower His Head for Haltering
It’s a great habit to teach your horse to lower his head and then tip his head toward you when you’re haltering and unhaltering him. It’s an especially good habit when you’re turning your horse out in the pasture and bringing him in. If his head is low and tipped toward you, it’s a submissive […]
Read More
Training Tips
July 21, 2020
Training Tip: Feel Unsafe Handling a Problem Under Saddle With Your Horse?
When I apprenticed with Ian Francis, he told me: “There are a lot of heroes in the graveyard.” Too many people try to play the hero by riding an unprepared or difficult horse and end up getting bucked off. They break their necks and die because they didn’t use their heads. If you’re having a […]
Read More
Training Tips
July 14, 2020
Training Tip: Does Your Horse Refuse to Leave the Trailer?
If you’re at a show or on a trail ride, it’s common for your horse to develop a magnet with the trailer. In your horse’s mind, the trailer is equivalent to getting to rest, munch on hay and hang out with his buddies. Rather than trying to keep the horse away from the trailer, let […]
Read More
Training Tips
July 7, 2020
Training Tip: Does Your Horse Have Bad Turnout Manners?
Almost all horses that bolt away from their handlers in the pasture are a product of a human’s negligence. Think about how you turn your horse out. Most people lead their horse out to the pasture and once they reach the gate, they immediately take the halter off and let the horse walk away from […]
Read More
Training Tips
June 30, 2020
Training Tip: A Good Stud Makes a Great Gelding
One of the best things my mentor Gordon McKinlay ever told me as an apprentice was “If he’s a good stud, he’ll make a great gelding.” I have never forgotten those words, especially when I established my breeding program. Ninety-five percent of the studs out there should not be studs. I know I’m going to […]
Read More
Training Tips
June 23, 2020
Training Tip: Don’t Get Stuck at the Arena Gate
At some point or other, almost all horses develop a magnet to the arena gate. To deter your horse from hanging out at the gate, make being next to the gate feel uncomfortable to him. Right now, your horse is attracted to the gate because he knows that’s how he gets out of the arena […]
Read More
Training Tips
June 16, 2020
Training Tip: Cues to Guiding a Horse
Whenever you want to change directions, turn your horse or guide him in general, always use the “Look, Leg, Rein” approach. No matter what you’re doing with your horse, you always want to be able to use the lightest cue possible to get your horse to respond correctly. When it comes to steering, that’s your […]
Read More
Training Tips
June 9, 2020
Training Tip: Two Culprits of Aggression in Horses
Horses become aggressive for two main reasons. Sometimes they develop aggressive behavior because they feel threatened and think that aggression is the only way to protect themselves. Horses that are trained by people that I describe as Barbarians often fall into this category. The trainer keeps increasing the pressure without giving the horse a chance […]
Read More
Training Tips
June 2, 2020
Training Tip: Hold The Soft Feel Longer
Vertical flexion is something that you’ll build on with each give. First the horse has to understand that when you pick up on the reins and apply pressure with your legs he needs to maintain whatever gait he’s in and give to the pressure. As soon as he understands that concept, then you can ask […]
Read More
Training Tips
May 19, 2020
Training Tip: Use the “Hot Potato Give” to Teach Your Horse to Soften to the Bit
The first step to teaching a horse how to collect is to teach him to give to the bit, period. Always start at the standstill, and then progress through the gaits as the horse understands. The ultimate goal is collection, but in the beginning, it is just a soft feel. When you first pick up […]
Read More
