Training Tip: Horse is Cinchy When Not Worked Consistently
Question: We have a 5-year-old gelding that has been recently gelded. He has been through the Fundamentals groundwork and he did really well. If you ride him for consecutive days, he does not saddle up cinchy. If you leave him for a couple of days and saddle him, he bucks, he rears and he lies […]
Training Tip: What Your Body Language Says to Your Horse
If you want to be an effective horse trainer, you need to tune in to body language and be aware of both yours and your horse’s. If you want to be a great horseman, you not only need to be aware of body language, but you have to understand and be able to use it […]
Training Tip: How to Slow a Horse Down on a Group Trail Ride
Question: The group I ride with is very competitive in a fun way. When we’re on the trail, every time we ask for the canter, it means woo hoo race! It is fun, and we have done it a lot. Now, when I’m riding my mare with one other horse or with a group of […]
There are two types of pressure—steady pressure and driving pressure. Steady pressure is just that, a steady, consistent pressure. Driving pressure has a pulsating beat or rhythm to it—one, two, three, four; one, two, three, four.
Question: Is it OK to reprimand a horse for trying to bite you when you are desensitizing? I’m working with a colt that is almost 4 months old. When I would touch a certain part of his chest, he would try to bite me—not my hand, me. I would reprimand him and then go straight […]
Training Tip: How to Introduce a Halter to an Unhandled Weanling
Just like with any new piece of equipment you introduce to a horse, the halter takes some getting used to. Feeling pressure around his nose and behind his poll will be a new experience for your young horse, but you can use a step-by-step approach to ensure that 1) the weanling isn’t worried about the […]
Question: I am starting a few young horses and I am following the Colt Starting Series. If I don’t have a flag person, how do you recommend I do the first ride? I don’t have anyone to teach to flag.
Training Tip: Rollbacks on the Fence Can Improve Your Horse’s Steering
The more changes of direction you can do with a horse, the better your steering gets. Rollbacks next to the fence work great on horses that have limited steering and work off their front ends. Normally, if your horse is kind of stiff and heavy and not very well-trained, when you turn left, he’s not […]
Training Tip: Horse Runs Backwards When Doing the Sending Exercise
Question: My horse has gotten into the habit of running backwards as soon as she passes by me and yields her hindquarters while doing the Sending Exercise. How do I fix this? – maxcarp Clinton’s Answer: When she runs backwards, go with her. Point up in the air in the direction you want her to […]
Question: Do you ever use draw reins on your performance horses? I’ve seen them used a few times at my barn, and would like to hear your opinion. – sarahdtjt Clinton’s Answer: I don’t use draw reins often, but I do use them from time to time. When I do use them, it’s generally in […]
