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Training Tips

Training Tips
March 15, 2022

Training Tip: Handling a Reactive Horse on a Group Ride

Question: I have been working through the Fundamentals course. My horse obeys my commands when working in the roundpen and when we’re out on the trail alone. When I ride with someone or in a group, she gets really nervous, and at times I cannot control her. I know the answer is not to use […]

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Training Tips
March 8, 2022

Training Tip: Horsemanship Test: Backing Your Horse in a Circle Around an Object

Here’s a fun challenge you can test your horsemanship with the next time you ride your horse. See if you can back your horse in a smooth, even circle around an inanimate object, such as a tree or cone, without him getting sticky feet or throwing his head up. You should tackle this challenge after […]

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Training Tips
March 1, 2022

Training Tip: Handling a Nervous Horse on the Trail

Question: My horse is very well-behaved and level-headed. I was on a ride last night with a friend whose horse is also very well-behaved. We rode past a pasture and the lone horse in the pasture came running to the fence.

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Training Tips
February 22, 2022

Training Tip: Understanding Horse Height

My experience in the horse world says that at least half the riders out there do not understand horse height in relation to a human’s height and weight. And most of those people believe that a bigger horse is better. It’s not. My mentor Gordon McKinlay used to tell me all the time: It takes […]

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Downunder Horsemanship - General Training Tips
February 22, 2022

Correcting a Horse’s Problematic Behavior at Feeding Time

If your horse turns into a bully when you bring feed into his stall or pasture, you don’t need to be told you’re putting yourself in a dangerous situation. Horses that are aggressive around food get pinny-eared and kick out, strike and even run people over. It’s behavior that’s not only dangerous but life-threatening. You […]

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Training Tips
February 15, 2022

Training Tip: Picking Up the Correct Lead From a Standstill

As you and your horse work on leads and learn to communicate better, you can increase the challenge of picking up the correct lead by asking the horse to do so from the standstill. Asking a horse to pick up the correct lead and canter collected from the standstill requires precise cues on your part […]

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Training Tips
February 8, 2022

Training Tip: Counterbend for a Softer, Suppler Horse

A step-by-step approach to training that focuses on suppleness as well as impulsion, addresses your horse’s fitness from head to tail. Whether you cut cows or trail ride, a well-balanced training program can improve your horse’s athleticism, achieve a deeper level of communication and responsiveness and enhance his overall well-being—a fit, flexible horse has greater […]

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Training Tips
February 1, 2022

Training Tip: Creating Draw With a Hard-to-Catch Horse

Question: Heinz is an older horse, and I used to have to chase him to catch him. I’ve worked with him to teach him that when he sees me, he needs to turn in toward me, instead of me chasing him. I started with roundpen work so he will give me two eyes and respect […]

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Training Tips
January 25, 2022

Training Tip: Raising an Orphan Foal

Question: We are unexpectedly raising an orphan foal. How do I teach him to be a horse? I don’t want him to be a brat like some tend to be.

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Training Tips
January 18, 2022

Training Tip: A Horse’s Age is Just a Number

When someone tells me how old a horse is, I never make a correlation between the horse’s age and how well-trained and experienced he is. Nothing will get you into trouble faster than making an assumption about a horse’s training based on his age. The horse industry as a whole generally lumps all young horses […]

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