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

Training Tips

Training Tips
February 10, 2015

Training Tip: Two Sides to Every Horse

Horses have two sides to their brains: the left brain and the right brain. Each side of your horse’s brain is like a completely separate horse. You’ve got Lefty and you’ve got Righty.

Read More
Training Tips
February 3, 2015

Training Tip: Bring a Horse Back to Work Safely

If your horse had a break in his training, his mental attention and physical fitness aren’t going to be up to par. The biggest mistake people make when bringing horses back to work is getting straight on them. They drag the horse out of the pasture, yank the girth up as hard as they can, […]

Read More
Training Tips
January 27, 2015

Training Tip: Light Hands = Light Mouth

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Light hands, light mouth.” I disagree with that. I say, “Light hands that pick up softly and hands that release quickly make a horse’s mouth light.” For example, you could pick up gently on the reins and be very light, but if your horse roots against that pressure and flips […]

Read More
Training Tips
January 20, 2015

Training Tip: An Important Ratio

To balance your horse so that both sides of his body are equally relaxed and responsive, you’ll spend 2/3 of your time working on his bad side (the side that is stiffer, pushier or more reactive), and 1/3 of your time working on his good side. If your horse is spookier on his right side, […]

Read More
Training Tips
January 13, 2015

Training Tip: Establish Your Leadership Role

Horses challenge their own pecking order daily, and they will do the same to you. It’s nothing personal – it’s just business. Horses are natural followers, but they want a leader they can respect and trust.

Read More
Training Tips
January 6, 2015

Training Tip: Does Your Horse Have a Phobia of Gates?

Sometimes horses get frightened of going through gates because they’re tight, narrow spaces and make them feel claustrophobic. As prey animals, horses hate being in narrow spaces that make them feel trapped. This can be especially true if your horse has gotten “bit” by a gate – a gate hit him while he was being […]

Read More
Training Tips
December 30, 2014

Training Tip: The Sacred Hula Hoop

As a trainer, you need your horse’s respect and attention in order to teach him and gain his trust. Establishing your personal space will help you stay safe while doing just that. The first thing your horse has to understand is that you are fragile and he needs to be careful around you. I honestly […]

Read More
Downunder Horsemanship - General Training Tips
December 23, 2014

Training Tip: Great Horsemen are Open to Change

That is the most important concept you can understand when it comes to training horses. When I was an apprentice for Ian Francis, he often said to me, “To change your life, you must first change your attitude.” Ian believes, as do I, that if you’re unhappy with the current state of your life, you […]

Read More
Training Tips
December 16, 2014

Training Tip: Get Your Horse Backing Well

I back my horses up every chance I get. In fact, I very rarely just lead my horse somewhere. Like most of you, I have a limited amount of time to actually spend with my horses, so as long as I’m with them, I figure I might as well be teaching them something. So I […]

Read More
Training Tips
December 9, 2014

Training Tip: Assume the Worst to Stay Safe

When it comes to saddling a colt for the first time, I always assume the colt is going to break in two. I would say that 50 percent of colts buck the first time they’re saddled and 50 percent don’t. It’s almost impossible to tell which colts will buck and which ones won’t. Sometimes the […]

Read More