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Training Tips

Training Tips
March 29, 2022

Training Tip: Training a Show Horse With the Method

Question: I’m starting a yearling Quarter Horse filly with the Method and will prepare her for competitions such as western pleasure, showmanship and lunge line. I’ve noticed that she has a lack of horsemanship skills and I would like to know how to train her. Do I start the Method exactly like it’s programmed, or […]

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Training Tips
March 22, 2022

Training Tip: When to Work on Collected Lead Departures With Your Horse

If you want to know how truly broke a horse is, watch him do a lead departure. Horses with no training flip their heads and necks up and pull themselves into the lead with their front legs when asked to canter. Well-trained horses, on the other hand, effortlessly step into the canter while remaining soft […]

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Training Tips
March 22, 2022

Transition Your Horse From a Hackamore to a Snaffle Bit

Between a horse’s 10th and 14th ride, Clinton switches him over from a hackamore to a bridle with a snaffle bit. “When you decide to switch your horse from a hackamore over to the bridle really comes down to the individual. If your colt is doing well in the hackamore, it doesn’t hurt to leave […]

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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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