Downunder News
Sort
Start Date Start Date
End Date End Date
Category All Categories
Reset
Search Search News

Training Tips

Training Tips
November 24, 2015

Training Tip: Fix Your Horse’s Fidgety Feet

Do you have a horse that constantly fidgets when you go to put his support boots on? Here’s a fix to get him to stand still and relax so that you can get the boots placed properly on his legs. First, rule out the possibility that your horse is uncomfortable with objects touching his legs […]

Read More
Training Tips
November 17, 2015

Training Tip: Nothing Beats Experience

The tricky part of knowing when a horse truly can’t get any better versus a horse that is lazy and chumping you takes experience to determine. It’s always a struggle when you’re learning as a horseman to ask yourself, “Is there anything I can do to make this horse better, or is this as good […]

Read More
Training Tips
November 10, 2015

Training Tip: Desensitizing Success Tip

Desensitize your horse to an object when he wants to stand still — after you have worked him and he’s using the thinking side of his brain. Don’t take a horse that has been in a stall for a couple of days and is full of beans and try to desensitize him to an object […]

Read More
Training Tips
October 27, 2015

Training Tip: Treats Should be a Surprise

One of the most important rules of feeding treats to your horse is that you should never give a horse a treat when he’s expecting it. Whenever I give one of my horses a treat, I want it to be a surprise. I want him to think, “OMG!

Read More
Training Tips
October 20, 2015

Training Tip: An Exercise to Slow Down a Speed Demon

If you know your horse has a tendency to turn a leisurely trail ride into an all-out race, set the situation up at home so that you can safely correct him before taking him out on the trail. Horses that grab the bit and charge ahead of the group are not only dangerous to themselves, […]

Read More
Training Tips
October 13, 2015

Training Tip: Horses That Gape Their Mouths

A horse that constantly gapes his mouth or chomps on the bit has one of a few things going on. He might have a dental issue and the bit could be irritating him and making him feel uncomfortable. Before you do anything else, you should have his teeth looked at by an equine dentist and […]

Read More
Training Tips
October 6, 2015

Training Tip: Don’t Create a Cinchy Horse

A mistake that tends to create a cinchy horse often happens the first time a colt is cinched up. If the girth is tightened too quickly, too soon, it frightens the horse and makes him feel really uncomfortable. Because he’s not used to having anything on his back, a tight cinch makes the new experience […]

Read More
Training Tips
September 29, 2015

Training Tip: Balance Out Your Training

To balance your horse so that both sides of his body are equally relaxed and responsive, you’ll spend two-thirds of your time working on his bad side (the side that is stiffer, pushier or more reactive), and one-third of your time working on his good side. For instance, if your horse is spookier on his […]

Read More
Training Tips
September 22, 2015

Training Tip: Safely Handle Horses That Rear

Rearing is a very dangerous situation for both horse and rider, and if left uncorrected is a problem that only gets worse. Here are three tips to handle a horse that rears. #1 Go back to basics. Horses that rear can generally be put into two groups: Rearing out of fear (he’s hot and nervous […]

Read More
Training Tips
September 15, 2015

Training Tip: Introduce Scary Objects to Your Horse

Trying to protect a horse from objects he’s scared of only makes the situation worse. I’m sure you’ve experienced this yourself. Your horse is afraid of fly spray, so you slowly tiptoe up to him with the bottle safely hidden behind your back. When you reach him, you tentatively reach out to pat him on […]

Read More