2024 Clinician Academy
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Since a hot horse is always going to be thinking ahead of himself, you’ll want to shorten him mentally by not letting him go very far before doing a One Rein Stop. This is especially true at the lope. Don’t let him build up to 100 miles an hour before you shut him down. If […]
Read MoreThe ideal location for first taking a horse outside is a long dirt road because it gives you plenty of room to move the horse forward and it gives him a straight line to follow. Beyond that, you need room to move the horse’s feet, meaning you can bend him down in circles to soften […]
Read MoreNo matter which category a horse falls into — hot-blooded or cold-blooded — riding him outside the confines of an arena and taking him down the trail is one of the best things you can do for him. Riding outside gives cold-blooded horses a reason to go somewhere. They’re already unambitious as it is, so […]
Read MoreWhen taking a horse out on the trail for the first time or riding him in an unfamiliar location, I do groundwork before getting in the saddle to make sure the horse is using the thinking side of his brain and tuned in to me. I’m setting us up for success. That’s one reason I […]
Read MoreThe important thing to keep in mind when working with a horse is that you’re not going to change who your horse is. You’re not going to get a 19-year-old gelding that’s been stiff and dull his whole life to be an athletic, soft, supple, talented machine. Can he improve?
Read MoreWhen you’re working with an arena-sour horse, don’t think, “How can I make the horse 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 where he wants to be (outside the arena) and letting him rest where you […]
Read MoreI’m a learn-a-holic and proud of it. I’m always looking for ways to become a better horseman and increase my horses’ performance. If another trainer can show me a technique that’s better than what I’m doing, I use it! However, just because a technique works well for one individual doesn’t mean that it’s well-suited for […]
Read MoreAt 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 MoreThe spin is something that’s difficult to teach horses because it’s very much like a seesaw. Every day, depending on the way the wind is blowing, a seesaw is tilted one way or the other. It rarely stays the same day in and day out.
Read MoreQ: My horse, a 4-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter, gives quite well when asked for vertical flexion at the standstill, walk and trot. However, when I put him on a loose rein, his head and neck come up more often than not. I’ve heard you say that if a horse’s poll is above the saddle horn, […]
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