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Training Tips

Training Tips
August 21, 2018

Ask Clinton: Asking More of a Horse

Q: My horse does everything I ask of him, but he takes his own sweet time doing it. So I amped up the pressure and he went berserk. What did I do wrong?

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Training Tips
August 14, 2018

Training Tip: Handle a Refusal Under Saddle

If you’re on the trail and your horse is reacting badly about going over an obstacle and you feel unsafe, don’t hesitate to get off him and send him over it from the ground. Dismounting is not a “cop out.” It doesn’t mean that you are letting the horse get away with disrespectful behavior. Rather, […]

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Training Tips
August 7, 2018

Training Tip: Ask Clinton: The Ideal Prospect

Q: I am looking for a yearling reining horse. Aside from pedigree, what are the main things you look for in a yearling prospect? What are some qualities that let you know that the horse has a lot of potential?

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Training Tips
July 31, 2018

Training Tip: The Reactive Side will Always Exist

No matter how great a trainer you are you will never be able to completely eliminate the reactive side of your horse’s brain. We’ve never been able to train the reactive side of the horse’s brain out of him, and we’ve never been able to breed it out of him. It’s always going to be […]

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Training Tips
July 24, 2018

Training Tip: Introducing Obstacles From the Ground Up

Teaching a horse to negotiate an obstacle from the ground gives him the opportunity to think through the situation and keeps you safe. He can carefully pick his way over and through the obstacle the first few times, until he learns to pay attention to where he is putting his feet. A lot of people […]

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Training Tips
July 17, 2018

Training Tip: Ask Clinton: Unsticking the Feet in the Backup

Q: My horse backs up great on the ground, but he won’t take one step backwards when I’m riding him. He just throws his head up and feels like he wants to rear. I’ve tried different bits and hackamores, but nothing seems to get him to back up under saddle!

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Training Tips
July 10, 2018

Training Tip: Confidently Introduce Your Horse to Obstacles

Once you have a foundation on your horse, meaning that he trusts and respects you and you can control his feet, you can begin to introduce him to obstacles. At some point or other during his trail riding career, your horse is going to come across obstacles on the trail – water crossings, bridges, hills, […]

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Training Tips
July 3, 2018

Training Tip: The Value of Sweat

Most riders don’t realize how important sweat is. Look at your horse as a well-trained athlete. In any sport, in order to develop any sort of skill at it, you’ve got to work hard and practice consistently.

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Training Tips
June 26, 2018

Training Tip: Ask Clinton: Can’t Reach Head for Haltering

Q: I just bought a Thoroughbred gelding that is over 16 hands. Every time I go in the stall to put his halter on he lifts his head really high so that I can’t halter him. How do I get him to drop his head for me?

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Training Tips
June 19, 2018

Training Tip: Expect Your Horse to Initially Behave Worse Outside the Arena

When you first practice trotting and especially loping your horse on a loose rein outside of the arena, expect him to be worse than he is inside the arena. It’s normal for his gait to be inconsistent. It’s normal for him not to go the exact speed you want. He’ll go too fast, and then […]

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