Training Tips

Training Tip: An Important Rule to Remember

A horse never gets any lighter than the first amount of pressure you put on the reins. If you want a soft horse that responds immediately to light pressure, you have to be that way from the start. Let’s say I want the horse to flex to the side. If I always ask him with […]

Training Tip: Reward and Respect Must be Balanced

In general, the more you spoil your horse, the less he will respect you. People often make that mistake when they first start working with their horse. They think, “Surely if I just rub on him long enough he’ll know that I love him.

Training Tip: Unstick Your Horse’s Feet at the Arena Gate

At 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 […]

Training Tip: Build the Thinking Side

Imagine the thinking side of your horse’s brain as a big muscle. The more you use a muscle, the stronger it gets. Let’s say I went to the gym every day for a year, and I lifted weights with my right arm. At the end of the year, my right arm would be bigger and […]

Training Tip: Train Your Horse on the Trail

Trail work is so much more interesting to your horse than ring work because he doesn’t have to stare at the same four walls every single day. When you constantly work in the arena, you run the risk of drilling on the same old thing until both you and your horse are sick of it. […]

Training Tip: Respect: The Foundation Of Control

Training Tip: Protect Your Personal Space

Training Tip: Two Eyes For Attention

Training Tip: Don’t Be So Predictable