Training Tip: Don’t Ruin Excellence in the Pursuit of Perfection
You have to learn how to read when a horse can’t make more improvement, meaning you’ve maxed out his ability. If you keep pushing a horse that’s reached his ability level, he’ll get frustrated and often will regress. There’s a fine line between knowing when a horse is chumping you and not putting in effort […]
Training Tip: The Importance of School ‘Em and Fool ‘Em Shows
Question: I have been working my horse Dash, an 8-year-old POA, on the Fundamentals level of the Method for a couple months now. I’m a member of my high school equestrian team and during practice my horse does great (we drag logs and rope stuff and he’s never spooky), but when I get into the […]
Being a true horseman is a lot like being a detective. You’re constantly evaluating your horse and checking him over—is there any defensiveness, stiffness, “oh no, don’t touch me there” spots, etc.? Let your horse tell you where he has holes in his training and what he needs help with. You can have a training […]
Training Tip: Q&A With Clinton: Teaching a Foal to Lead Properly
Question: I am training my 9-month-old filly to lead. She backs up and falls over repeatedly until she won’t get up. How do I break this behavior? – Johnboy4033 Clinton’s Answer: Since you don’t provide much detail about how you’re teaching your foal to lead, I’m going to assume that you’re putting a halter and […]
Training Tip: Why is Your Horse Afraid of the Trailer?
When I was a kid, getting my horse on the trailer always turned into a huge tug-of-war. I’d ask her to step onto the trailer, and she’d fight the halter, rear and back up. My entire family would get involved; we’d run a rope behind her butt and try to push her on the trailer. […]
Training Tip: The Perils of Training a Horse With Another Person
Question: My wife and I have an 8-year-old Paint and we are starting him on your Fundamentals. We have problems with his ground manners. I would like to know if we can both work him, and if so, how should we proceed, keeping in mind that we should work with him at least three days […]
Training Tip: Groundwork Ensures a Safe and Hassle-Free Ride
If your horse is fresh, disrespectful or has a bad attitude on the ground, guess what he’ll be like under saddle? Worse! Get all of the kinks out of your horse on the ground so that when you get on you won’t run into problems. Horse problems come from two causes: a lack of respect […]
Training Tip: Horses That Call Out to Other Horses
Oftentimes, busy-minded horses are guilty of sending shrill whinnies up and down the trail, hoping to hear a response from another horse. From nervous whinnies to deep neighs, horses’ voices carry very well, which can attract a lot of unwanted attention. When your horse whinnies, he’s telling you in big bold letters that his attention […]
I don’t encourage people to use a lot of voice commands, especially in the Fundamentals level of the Downunder Horsemanship Method. It’s far more important to develop an awareness of your body language and learn how to communicate with your horse. As a general rule, people who use a lot of verbal cues with horses […]
Question: What type of leg protection do you use for your performance horses and why? – Carrie19 Clinton’s Answer: I use Legacy Boots on all of my 2-year-old performance horses as well as on all other training horses. During a performance horse’s 3-year-old year, I start using polo wraps and sometimes a knee boot to […]
