Training Tip: Human Emotions Won’t Train Your Horse
People who take on horses that have had a traumatic past often get caught up in putting their emotions on the horse. It never works and it leads to trouble, often making the horse frustrated and confused about what’s expected of him. Human emotions have no place in training horses, whether you’re working with a […]
Question: I’ve been following the Foal Training Series, and my foal has started to rear. What should I do to stop this behavior? I backed him up a couple steps and that worked for a while, but he started doing it again today, so I backed him up and scared him away.
The biggest pitfall people run into when working with rescued horses and horses that have been abused or mistreated is dwelling on the horse’s past. The very first thing I do when I get a horse in for training is to forget about his past and focus on his future. Regardless of a horse’s history, […]
Question: My mare has started lying down and rolling while I’m riding her. She does it so quickly that I don’t even realize it’s happening until she’s on the ground. What do I do?
A horse will not trust you until he respects you. No amount of gentle murmurings and treat feeding will get him to trust you. It all starts with respect, which is earned by moving his feet forwards, backwards, left and right and rewarding the slightest try.
Question: I was given a 24-year-old Paint mare that has “been there and done that.” I had my vet check her over and she passed his exam with flying colors. I was hoping she’d be a good horse for my granddaughter to learn to ride on. The only problem is she’s awful to be around!
Training Tip: What to Do When Horses Whinny Out on the Trail
We routinely ride all our horses away from home. Oftentimes, during the first few training sessions in new environments, young, green horses will whinny out, searching for their buddies. A horse whinnying out like that doesn’t bother me because I know once we get going, they’ll stop worrying about where their buddies are and focus […]
Training Tip: Horse Sticks His Tongue Over the Bit
Question: I recently bought an 8-year-old Fjord that was supposedly a well-trained trail horse. I’ve found out that isn’t the case and have started to take him through the Fundamentals exercises. We’re making progress, but one thing I’ve noticed is that when I put the bridle on him and ride him, he sticks his tongue […]
If you’re starting a colt, you’ll want to have a hackamore in your tack room. I prefer to start colts in a hackamore and continue to use it through the colt’s first 10 to 14 rides. Throughout my years of experience starting colts, I’ve found that the hackamore gives colts a chance to learn how […]
Question: When I finish a trail ride and get off my horse, while I’m loosening the girth, he’ll drop his head down and eat grass. Or, if I’m walking him to his turnout, he’ll stop every once and awhile and grab a mouthful of grass. I didn’t think much of it, but a fellow boarder […]
