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Training Tips

Training Tips
April 21, 2020

Training Tip: Add Variety to Your Training Sessions by Incorporating Objects Around the Barn

When it comes to training your horse, your imagination is your greatest tool. The more creative you can be in your lessons, the more interested your horse will be in his job. You’ve heard me say, “Consistency is your greatest ally and inconsistency is your greatest enemy.” And that’s absolutely true.

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Training Tips
April 14, 2020

Training Tip: Horses That Play With the Bit

It’s very normal in the beginning for a young horse to mouth and play with the bit when he’s first introduced to it. He’s just trying to figure out what the new piece of equipment is. When I put a bit in a horse’s mouth for the first time, I like to practice groundwork with […]

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Training Tips
April 7, 2020

Training Tip: Stop Your Horse From Rearing on the Trail

The key to understanding how to fix a horse that is lazy and rears on the trail is to first understand that the problem is just a symptom of a cause. The horse is rearing (or threatening to) because he has sticky feet. When he doesn’t want to do something, his way of getting out […]

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Training Tips
March 31, 2020

Training Tip: Correct A Horse That Rushes Out Of The Trailer Quickly

A horse that rushes out of the trailer is telling you he doesn’t really want to be in there. So change his perspective on things. Make sure you park the trailer on good footing so that the horse won’t slip and you can safely work with him. If he wants to rush out of the […]

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Training Tips
March 24, 2020

Training Tip: Conquer Fear By Focusing On Gaining Control

When a horse respects you as a leader and uses the thinking side of his brain rather than the reactive side, you can stop worrying about getting hurt or not being able to handle a dangerous situation. Horses are big animals, and it’s only natural to be scared of them. A lot of people come […]

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Training Tips
March 17, 2020

Training Tip: Practice Patience in Training Sessions

If you want your horse to wait for your cues and be patient, you have to practice teaching him to do so. Whatever you practice with your horse is what he gets good at. I literally include periods of waiting into my training sessions.

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Training Tips
March 10, 2020

Training Tip: Become a Better Rider by Riding 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 react […]

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Training Tips
March 3, 2020

Training Tip: Don’t Be So Predictable

Predators are very predictable – they do the same thing every day. Think about yourself. What do you do every morning when you get up?

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Training Tips
February 25, 2020

Training Tip: How to Safely Handle Your Horse Spooking

When your horse spooks at something, put his energy to good use. If it’s an object you can ride around, circle your horse as close as you can to it, and every one and half circles, turn him into the object and head off in the new direction. Horses can only think about one thing […]

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Training Tips
February 18, 2020

Training Tip: Understanding Cold-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. Cold-blooded horses are generally docile, laid back and relaxed. This category is made up of most draft breeds and some bloodlines of Quarter […]

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