Downunder News
Sort
Start Date Start Date
End Date End Date
Category All Categories
Reset
Search Search News

Training Tips

Training Tips
July 2, 2013

Training Tip: Horse Personalities: Hot-Blooded Horses

  While the Method works on all types of horses, every horse will require you to vary your approach slightly. I break horses into two broad groups – hot-blooded horses and cold-blooded horses. Breeds like Arabians, Thoroughbreds and some bloodlines of Quarter Horses tend to be hot-blooded. These horses are generally very reactive, sensitive and […]

Read More
Training Tips
June 25, 2013

Training Tip: Ride As Many Horses As You Can

  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. Otherwise, you run the risk of fooling yourself into thinking your horsemanship skills are well-rounded. No two horses have the same personality, move the same or […]

Read More
Training Tips
June 18, 2013

Training Tip: Correcting A Faulty Spin

  For a horse to be textbook correct when spinning, he should plant his inside hind foot. Horses that tend to plant their outside hind foot do so because they’re sucking back too much. While it’s generally a good thing to have a horse thinking “get back,” in this case, you want to get forward […]

Read More
Training Tips
June 11, 2013

Don’t Bore Your Horse To Death

  Once your horse understands an exercise, it’s important to move on. There’s nothing horses hate more than being forced to do the same exercise every single day. Humans are the same.

Read More
Training Tips
May 14, 2013

Training Tip: Your Horse Testing Your Leadership Comes Naturally

  It’s very natural for horses to establish a pecking order. More often than not, the top horse in a herd is usually an old broodmare. How’d she get control of the group?

Read More
Training Tips
April 30, 2013

Training Tip: Ability and talent in a potential prospect

  If I’m considering buying a performance prospect, a little test I always do to see how athletic, willing and good minded a horse is, is practicing Lunging for Respect Stage Two. I do this for a couple of reasons. First, I want to see how willing the horse is to give to halter pressure. […]

Read More
Training Tips
April 23, 2013

Training Tip: Are you teaching your horse to have fidgety feet when mounting?

  A horse that constantly moves around when you go to slip your foot in the stirrup is not only frustrating, but potentially dangerous. A respectful horse stands quietly while you mount and waits for your cue to move off once you’re situated in the saddle. When most people come to me with mounting troubles, […]

Read More
Training Tips
April 9, 2013

Training Tip: Approach and Retreat Over Obstacles

  Most horses will try to stop and back away from an unfamiliar object initially because they’re nervous and unsure of the situation. If you think your horse is going to stop in nine steps, stop him in eight steps. Then back him away from the object using the Outback Exercise – wiggle the rope […]

Read More
Training Tips
March 19, 2013

Training Tip: Teach your horse vertical flexion at the canter on a circle

  I’ve found that introducing vertical flexion at the canter to a horse on a circle makes it easier for him to catch on to the lesson rather than cantering in straight lines because it automatically puts some lateral bend in his body. Anytime you add speed to a horse’s feet, his resistance to pressure […]

Read More
Training Tips
March 12, 2013

Training Tip: Practice approaching your horse quickly

  Horses are naturally frightened of being approached quickly because they’re prey animals. When you run up to your horse or approach him in a quick manner, you’re acting very much like a predator. I teach all of my horses the Intermediate exercise Run Up and Rub, so I can run up to the horse […]

Read More