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Training Tips

Training Tips
December 15, 2015

Training Tip: Mouthy Horses

When a horse gets mouthy — he nips or nibbles shirt sleeves, jackets or the lead rope — the behavior is often brushed aside. This is especially true with young horses, the most likely culprits of this behavior. A foal mouthing your shirt sleeve doesn’t seem like a big deal; in fact, a lot of […]

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Training Tips
December 8, 2015

Training Tip: Arena-Shy Horses

Like any problem you’re having with your horse that involves him not wanting to be where you want him to go, make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult. You’ll do that by hustling the horse’s feet where he wants to be (outside the arena) and letting him rest where you want him […]

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Training Tips
December 1, 2015

Training Tip: Tying a Horse in the Trailer

I often get asked if it’s OK to tie a horse in the trailer using my rope halter. The answer is absolutely. I tie all my horses in the trailer using my halter and lead rope and an Aussie Tie Ring. Whenever you tie a horse using a rope halter, make sure the halter is […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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!

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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, […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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