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Training Tips

Training Tips
April 16, 2024

Training Tip: Horse Locks Up His Feet and Won’t Lead

Question: When I ask my horse to walk off, say to start working or anything he doesn’t want to do, he plants his feet and refuses to move. I’ve tried pulling him along, turning to face him and letting him follow the feel of a loose rope, which only ever works for a couple of […]

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Training Tips
April 9, 2024

Training Tip: Jog to Counterbend Warm-Up

The first 10 minutes I get on a horse, I focus on nothing but seeing where the horse is at for the day and working on making sure he’s soft, supple and relaxed. There’s not a whole lot you can accomplish with a horse when he’s not mentally or physically prepared for a lesson. A […]

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Training Tips
April 2, 2024

Training Tip: Horse Refuses to Trot or Lope

Question: My horse is amazing on the ground and while riding until it comes to trotting or loping. She’ll crow hop and jump around with her ears laid back. She doesn’t try to bite, and she’s never been aggressive towards me. I’ve tried strengthening groundwork and that helped, but she’s started back up and it’s […]

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Training Tips
March 26, 2024

Training Tip: Gain Experience By Riding a Variety of Horses

If you have a desire to be a great horseman, I encourage you to ride not only as many horses as you can, but a variety of horses. The more horses you ride, the more practice you get in the saddle. However, if you don’t ride a variety of horses, you run the risk of […]

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Training Tips
March 12, 2024

Training Tip: Draft Mare Is Not Flexing Well

Question: I have a 6-year-old draft mare that was broke by being used to pack and never learned the basics. I have been working with her, but she constantly fights me on flexing and getting soft. Do you have any small pointers that may help me loosen her up and get her to respond better […]

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Training Tips
March 5, 2024

Training Tip: Functional Conformation

When I first came to the United States and was getting involved in the reining industry, Doug Carpenter’s name kept coming up in conversations. I wanted to know how people were finding their top-level reiners, and nearly everyone I talked to told me they worked with Doug Carpenter. It seemed that the Oklahoma horseman had […]

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Training Tips
February 27, 2024

Training Tip: Handling a Proud-Cut Gelding

Question: What do I do with a green horse that is proud cut and gets agitated and feisty with people? My gelding was cut last year and sent to a trainer for three months. He never acted out at the trainer’s, but when I got him home he acted out towards my brothers—turning his hind […]

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Training Tips
February 20, 2024

Training Tip: Is it Worth Investing in a Custom Saddletree?

In my opinion, a custom saddletree is not worth the expense. There’s no such thing as a saddletree that will fit your horse perfectly forever. It may fit him in the very moment you get it measured for him, but that’s about it. The whole business of custom saddletree work is nothing more than a […]

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No Worries Club Training Tips
February 13, 2024

Training Tip: When to Add Speed to a Reining Horse

Question: How do you decide when it’s OK to add speed to a horse’s training? I’m training a reining horse and have what I think is a good foundation on him. I know in order to be competitive that I need to speed him up, but I’m not sure when I should do that. – […]

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Training Tips
February 6, 2024

Training Tip: End Training Sessions on a Positive Note

When I give my horses treats, I typically give them at the end of a training session when I’m putting the horses away for the day. That way, the last thing they remember is me scratching on them and giving them a treat. Spending a couple of minutes rubbing and scratching your horse is especially […]

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