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Training Tips

Training Tips
November 27, 2018

Ask Clinton: Headset for Western Pleasure Horse

Q: I show my horse in western pleasure classes, but he doesn’t want to keep his head down anymore. He’s so energetic that he wants to look at everything. How can I convince him to keep his head down?

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Training Tips
November 20, 2018

Training Tip: Should You Let Your Horse Eat on the Trail

Invariably, whenever the subject of correcting a horse for snatching grass or eating on the trail is brought up, someone always asks if it’s OK to ever let a horse graze while you’re with him. Here’s my take on the situation: I don’t like a horse eating grass when I’m working with him. Horses can […]

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Training Tips
November 13, 2018

Training Tip: Stay With it Until He’s Comfortable

Regardless of what obstacle you come up to or what your horse is having an issue with while you’re working with him, stay with that obstacle or that particular hazard until your horse is comfortable using the thinking side of his brain. If you let the horse jump the gully in a hurry and you […]

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Training Tips
November 6, 2018

Training Tip: Move All Around Your Horse

A safe, dependable horse takes everything you do in the saddle in stride. If you need to put on a jacket, you should be able to do so without worrying about your horse spooking and taking off. If you need to pick up a trail map, you shouldn’t have to worry about your horse catching […]

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Training Tips
October 30, 2018

Training Tip: Prepare Your Horse for Obstacles

You don’t need to have a big fancy obstacle course at your disposal to introduce your horse to a lot of the obstacles he’s likely to encounter on the trail. Most obstacles can be made fairly easily and inexpensively. You just have to put forth a little effort and creativity. For example, you can use […]

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Training Tips
October 23, 2018

Ask Clinton: Bringing a Horse Back to Work

Q: My horse has been on stall rest for a year. How do I safely bring him back to work? – Kathy H.

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Training Tips
October 16, 2018

Training Tip: Water Crossings: Practice Makes Perfect

The key to teaching your horse to navigate any obstacle, including water, is to give him enough practice so that he gains confidence. Go over a stream or through a pond a hundred times. Go over it again and again, from different angles, at different speeds, and from all sides. At the ranch, we end […]

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Training Tips
October 9, 2018

Training Tip: Understand Why Your Horse is Fearful of Gullies

One of the main reasons horses find gullies so frightening is because of their vision. Horses have monocular vision, which means that they use each eye separately. That’s why your horse may spook at something that he’s already walked past and reacted to once: He’s seeing it for the first time with his other eye. […]

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Training Tips
October 2, 2018

Ask Clinton: Older Horse Expectations

Q: I have a 23-year-old Quarter Horse that is very pushy on the ground and can be disrespectful. I started working him in the roundpen, but since he’s older and out of shape, I’m not sure if I should ask him to canter. He’s a fancy, high-stepping old man and really hates to keep that […]

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Training Tips
September 25, 2018

Training Tip: Pay Attention to Your Position When Riding Hills

The rider’s position makes a difference in how well a horse can go up and down the hill. Your horse has to balance his weight and your weight negotiating a hill, and by sitting properly, you can help him out. When I’m going down a hill, I lean back a little bit on my horse […]

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