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 […]
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 […]
Like all pieces of equipment you use to train your horse, care needs to be given when introducing a bit to your horse. When starting a horse under saddle, Clinton recommends using a hackamore. “The hackamore gives horses a chance to learn how to give and soften to pressure while I’m on their backs without […]
Training Tip: Your Horse’s Frame of Mind is Important
Whenever you’re working on desensitizing your horse – getting him to stand still and relax while you approach him with an object or stimulus – set the situation up so that your horse is in a good frame of mind. That means he’s using the thinking side of his brain and is wanting to stand […]
Teach Your Horse to Stand Quietly While Being Groomed
If your horse constantly fidgets and paws the ground while you’re trying to groom him, he’s telling you that you need to evaluate how you’re interacting with him and brush up on the basics. Behavior like fidgety feet, pawing, rearing and running backwards, can quickly make grooming impossible. Clinton explains how to correct behavioral problems […]
Training Tip: The Jeffrey’s Method: A Must-Do Desensitizing Exercise for Colts
When it comes to getting a colt quiet and prepared to feel a rider on his back, there’s no better technique than the Jeffrey’s Method. To practice the exercise with your horse, you start by rubbing his entire body with both of your hands. Then you lean and rub your body on the colt, acting […]
Question: My 16-year-old grandson bought a horse that was previously owned by a young girl who used him in eventing and for trail riding. She boarded him while she was in college, and while at that barn he was abused, being beaten by a stable hand every day for six months. This horse is very […]
Training Tip: Why You Should Get Your Horse Outside of the Arena
No matter which category your horse falls into – he’s cold-blooded and on the lazier side of the scale or hot-blooded and more sensitive – one of the best things you can do is ride the horse outside of an arena. Riding outside gives cold-blooded horses a reason to go somewhere. They’re already unambitious as […]
Training Tip: Stopping a Horse From Rushing Over Trail Obstacles
Question: I have been training my wife’s new horse for a while now. He is through Intermediate, and has lots of long trail rides under his belt. He has one bad habit, though, which scares my wife: When we come to a step down off a rock, say one foot or so, he will leap […]
