Horses have a natural instinct to pull and push against pressure – not give and soften to it. So every opportunity you get, teach your horse to soften to pressure. You always want your horse thinking of how he can give and soften to pressure rather than thinking of how he can resist, stiffen and […]
Training Tip: The Importance of Protecting Your Personal Space
As a trainer, you need your horse’s respect and attention in order to teach him and gain his trust. Establishing your personal space will help you stay safe while doing just that. The first thing your horse has to understand is that you are fragile and he needs to be careful around you. I honestly […]
The biggest mistake people make when trying to blanket a spooky horse is sneaking the blanket up on the horse. If you reach the blanket up towards the horse and he gets nervous and tries to move away, repeat the same motion another hundred times. When he relaxes, retreat and rub him. Then do it […]
Bring up the topic of bits around horse people and you’re sure to enter into a conversation that’ll turn into a heated debate ranging from one end of the spectrum (you need a different bit for every horse in your barn and every situation you ride them in) to the other (only a cruel barbarian […]
Training Tip: Use the Approach and Retreat Method to Build Your Horse’s Confidence
Whenever you desensitize your horse to an object, use the Approach and Retreat Method. Build the horse’s confidence by approaching him with the object that scares him and then retreating (taking the object away) when he stands still and relaxes. The number one rule to remember when using the Approach and Retreat Method is to […]
Show environments can be stressful to horses, and it’s not uncommon for horses to buddy up at the showgrounds and then react when taken away from one another. This is especially true when one horse is left at the trailer and the other one is taken away from it. The one left at the trailer […]
Training Tip: Can You Work on Groundwork and Riding Exercises at the Same Time?
I often get asked if when teaching a horse the Fundamentals if you can work on the groundwork and riding exercises at the same time. People often wonder if it’s better to teach all of the groundwork exercises first, and then start to work on the riding exercises. At the ranch, when we get horses […]
Training Tip: Be Open to Change in Order to Keep Growing as a Horseman
One of the most important concepts you can understand when it comes to training horses is that great horsemen are open to change. When I was an apprentice for Ian Francis, he often said to me, “To change your life, you must first change your attitude.” Ian believes, as do I, that if you’re unhappy […]
Training Tip: Make Safety a Priority When Saddling a Colt
When it comes to saddling a colt for the first time, I always assume the colt is going to break in two. I would say that 50 percent of colts buck the first time they’re saddled and 50 percent don’t. It’s almost impossible to tell which colts will buck and which ones won’t. Sometimes the […]
Training Tip: Trailering Problem? Understand Your Horse’s Fear
To help your horse overcome his trailering fears, you have to look at trailering from his perspective. As prey animals, with a flight or fight response, horses prefer to be in big, open spaces where they can easily see predators approaching them and then be able to make a quick getaway. You’ll never see a […]
