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Training Tips

Training Tips
May 29, 2018

Training Tip: Time Yourself Loping

If you want your horse to get good at loping, actually get a stopwatch and time yourself or have someone else time how long you are loping. This will help because loping for a minute can seem like an hour, especially when you’re first learning. I proved this point at one of my 10-day Fundamentals […]

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Training Tips
May 22, 2018

Training Tip: Don’t Be Quick to Ride Away

Once you’re in the saddle, 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 walk forward. Too many people swing up […]

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Training Tips
May 15, 2018

Training Tip: You Can’t Change Who Your Horse Is

The type of horse that is best suited to a beginner is a confidence builder. These horses are generally cold-blooded, lazier horses and are very easygoing. They have the perfect personality to teach a rider who is new to horses. But at the same time, they’re a little stiffer and not as soft and supple […]

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Training Tips
May 8, 2018

Training Tip: Ask Clinton: Avoiding Training

Q: I recently started working with my horse in the roundpen and have made decent progress. He gives me two eyes and follows me around the roundpen. But now when I first show up, if he even suspects a workout, he runs to the far end of his 2-acre turnout and won’t let me get […]

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Training Tips
May 1, 2018

Training Tip: Mount With Safety in Mind

When you’re ready to mount your horse for the first few times outside the arena, play it safe by flexing his head halfway around to his side. This is a safety precaution so that if the horse takes off or bucks, you’ve already got his head bent around so the worst thing he can do […]

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Training Tips
April 24, 2018

Training Tip: Weather Affects Your Horse

Weather plays a huge role in a horse’s behavior. When the weatherman says that it’s going to be a cold, rainy and windy day, he might as well be saying, “Hey, if you own a horse, get ready to die.” Changes in weather can make your horse hypersensitive, and therefore more reactive. On cold days, […]

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Training Tips
April 17, 2018

Training Tip: Ask Clinton: Sticky Feet on the Trail

Q: If I go out alone on the trail, my horse will just stop. If I press him forward, he backs up and acts like he is about to rear. I pull his head around to stop him from rearing, but he gets really excited, and I am afraid to spank him as he might […]

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Training Tips
April 10, 2018

Training Tip: Practice Groundwork in the Environment You’ll be Riding Your Horse In

Whenever you plan to ride your horse outside, practice groundwork in that environment before getting in the saddle. While doing groundwork in the arena is certainly beneficial, taking your horse from an environment that he’s used to (like the arena) to riding him outside is putting him at an unfair advantage. He may have been […]

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Training Tips
April 3, 2018

Training Tip: Choose Where You Ride

The smartest decision you’ll make in your horse’s trail career is choosing where to begin his training outside of the arena and how you build his confidence from there. The 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 […]

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Training Tips
March 27, 2018

Training Tip: Ask Clinton: Horse Playing With the Bit

Q: I am starting a horse, and after first using a hackamore, I’ve now switched to riding in a bridle with a smooth-mouth snaffle bit. He is mouthy with the bit, but his teeth have been done. Should I just let him get used to it more, possibly wear his bridle in the stall some? […]

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