2024 Clinician Academy
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I stress the importance of being a confident rider at all three gaits – walk, trot and lope – because if you’re only comfortable at the walk and trot and never lope your horse, you’re setting yourself up to fail. If you can’t lope your horse confidently and you take him out on the trail […]
Read MoreWhen you first get in the saddle, don’t immediately go somewhere. Instead, spend a few minutes flexing the horse’s head from side to side. This not only reminds the horse to be soft, but it’s also a great way to remind him that when you get in the saddle, it’s not his cue to immediately […]
Read MoreWhen looking for a horse, you need to assume a business mentality. You’re entering into a business transaction, not finding a horse to fall in love with. Most horsemen get tripped up and allow emotions to sneak into the equation because they go into their horse shopping experience unprepared. They have a vague idea of […]
Read MoreSince a hot horse is always going to be thinking ahead of himself, you’ll want to shorten him mentally by not letting him go very far before doing a One Rein Stop. This is especially true at the lope. Don’t let him build up to 100 miles an hour before you shut him down. If […]
Read MoreThe ideal location for first taking a horse outside is a long dirt road because it gives you plenty of room to move the horse forward and it gives him a straight line to follow. Beyond that, you need room to move the horse’s feet, meaning you can bend him down in circles to soften […]
Read MoreNo matter which category a horse falls into — hot-blooded or cold-blooded — riding him outside the confines of an arena and taking him down the trail is one of the best things you can do for him. Riding outside gives cold-blooded horses a reason to go somewhere. They’re already unambitious as it is, so […]
Read MoreWhen taking a horse out on the trail for the first time or riding him in an unfamiliar location, I do groundwork before getting in the saddle to make sure the horse is using the thinking side of his brain and tuned in to me. I’m setting us up for success. That’s one reason I […]
Read MoreThe important thing to keep in mind when working with a horse is that you’re not going to change who your horse is. You’re not going to get a 19-year-old gelding that’s been stiff and dull his whole life to be an athletic, soft, supple, talented machine. Can he improve?
Read MoreWhen you’re working with an arena-sour horse, don’t think, “How can I make the horse get in the arena?” Think, “How can I make it uncomfortable for him not to go in the arena?” You’ll do that by working the horse where he wants to be (outside the arena) and letting him rest where you […]
Read MoreI’m a learn-a-holic and proud of it. I’m always looking for ways to become a better horseman and increase my horses’ performance. If another trainer can show me a technique that’s better than what I’m doing, I use it! However, just because a technique works well for one individual doesn’t mean that it’s well-suited for […]
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