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Training Tips

Training Tips
October 15, 2019

Training Tip: Your First Horse Should Build Your Confidence

Everybody’s first horse should be a 23-year-old, one-eyed, crippled, ugly gelding. Think about the mental picture you get when you read that description. I think of an old ranch gelding that’s safe, quiet and has lots of miles under his feet.

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Training Tips
October 8, 2019

Training Tip: Can Groundwork and Riding Exercises be Done at the Same Time?

I often get asked if when teaching a horse the Fundamentals can you work on the groundwork and riding exercises at the same time? People often wonder if it’s better to teach all of the groundwork exercises first, and then start to work on the riding exercises. At the ranch, when we get horses in […]

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Training Tips
October 1, 2019

Training Tip: What to do When Your Horse Ignores a One Rein Stop

Here’s a scenario that’s common for a lot of riders: They’re riding their horse on the trail and the horse spooks and takes off. When they do a One Rein Stop to regain control of the situation, the horse bends his head to the side, but keeps running sideways. When you do a One Rein […]

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Training Tips
September 24, 2019

Training Tip: Judging Experience vs. Ability With Horses

When people tell me how long they’ve been riding or working with horses in general, I put no stock in it. I form my opinion of their ability when I see them ride and interact with a horse. You may be 65 and have been riding horses since you were 4, but if you can’t […]

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Training Tips
September 17, 2019

Training Tip: Why all Riders Need to be Confident Riding the Walk, Trot and Lope

I stress the importance of being a confident rider at all three gaits – walk, trot and lope – because if you’re only comfortable at the walk and trot and never lope your horse, you’re setting yourself up to fail. If you can’t lope your horse confidently and you take him out on the trail […]

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Training Tips
September 10, 2019

Training Tip: Stop Your Horse From Walking Off

When you first get in the saddle, don’t immediately go somewhere. Instead, spend a few minutes flexing the horse’s head from side to side. This not only reminds the horse to be soft, but it’s also a great way to remind him that when you get in the saddle, it’s not his cue to immediately […]

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Training Tips
September 3, 2019

Training Tip: All Business When Selecting a New Horse

When looking for a horse, you need to assume a business mentality. You’re entering into a business transaction, not finding a horse to fall in love with. Most horsemen get tripped up and allow emotions to sneak into the equation because they go into their horse shopping experience unprepared. They have a vague idea of […]

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Training Tips
August 27, 2019

Training Tip: One Rein Stops With Hot-Blooded vs. Cold-Blooded Horses

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 […]

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Training Tips
August 20, 2019

Training Tip: Be Smart About How You Introduce Your Horse to Trail Riding

The 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 […]

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Training Tips
August 13, 2019

Training Tip: The Benefits of Training Your Horse Outside of the Arena

No 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 […]

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