Training Tip: Help for Horses That Anticipate Maneuvers in a Pattern
If you compete with your horse in any sort of pattern class, you should only practice parts of the pattern, not the whole thing. Continually practicing an entire pattern from start to finish with a horse before a competition will backfire on you. Many people think that if you’re going to compete on Sunday you […]
Training Tip: Your Horse Does Not Think The Way That You Do
One of the most difficult concepts about training horses to get across to people is that horses do not think like we do. Your horse is a prey animal and you are a predator, which means he sees the world in a completely different way than you do. One of the major differences between us […]
Training Tip: Herd Size Matters When Introducing a New Horse
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when introducing a new horse to the herd is putting too many horses in too small of a space. It’s only natural when a new horse is introduced to the herd that there will be some change in the pecking order, and the horses in the […]
Collection is important in order for your horse to do any sort of maneuver well. True collection—not forcing a horse’s body into a specific frame—begins with a horse’s hindquarters. In order for a horse to collect, he has to have impulsion, meaning that he’s working off his hindquarters. When a horse moves with impulsion, he […]
Training Tip: Forward Motion is Established on the Ground
Although it may seem odd, your horse’s responsiveness when you ask him to move forward under saddle (his gas pedal) is established on the ground, beginning with the roundpen exercises. At Fundamentals Clinics, we begin by working with every participant and their horse in the roundpen. I can tell by the way the horses react […]
Training Tip: Your First Horse Should Build Your Confidence
Everybody’s first horse should be a 23-year-old, one-eyed, crippled, ugly gelding. Think about the mental picture you get when you read that description. I think of an old ranch gelding that’s safe, quiet and has lots of miles under his feet.
Training Tip: Can Groundwork and Riding Exercises be Done at the Same Time?
I often get asked if when teaching a horse the Fundamentals can you 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 in […]
Training Tip: What to do When Your Horse Ignores a One Rein Stop
Here’s a scenario that’s common for a lot of riders: They’re riding their horse on the trail and the horse spooks and takes off. When they do a One Rein Stop to regain control of the situation, the horse bends his head to the side, but keeps running sideways. When you do a One Rein […]
Training Tip: Judging Experience vs. Ability With Horses
When people tell me how long they’ve been riding or working with horses in general, I put no stock in it. I form my opinion of their ability when I see them ride and interact with a horse. You may be 65 and have been riding horses since you were 4, but if you can’t […]
