Training Tip: How to Stop a Weanling From Pawing the Ground
Question: My 6-month-old colt paws the ground, digging a hole while he eats. He will not paw while I am standing there but will as soon as I walk away. I really want this little guy to be a good citizen and digging holes in my stalls and fields is not OK. – Suzanne Lipford […]
Horses have four natural gaits – the walk, the trot, the lope and the gallop. In order to be an effective rider, you must understand each gait. Walk The walk is the horse’s slowest gait.
Training Tip: What to do When Your Horse Kicks Out at Other Horses
Question: My mare kicks out at other horses when I walk her in hand around the stables. Do you have any advice on how to train away this unwanted behavior? – Maiken Nielsen Clinton’s Answer: I’d start by teaching her all of the Fundamentals groundwork exercises. Chances are if you teach her the groundwork exercises, […]
Training Tip: Training at the Trot Puts Your Horse in a Teachable Mind Frame
When it comes to teaching your horse something new or going back and fixing an issue under saddle, there’s no better gait to work from than the trot. Reason #3: It’s a Steady Beat There’s something about the trot’s two-beat gait that just relaxes a horse and puts him in a teachable frame of mind. […]
Training Tip: Ex-Barrel Horse Won’t Walk on a Loose Rein
Question: I have a 10-year-old mare who was used for barrel racing in the past and now has a difficult time walking without me holding her back. I have the videos and have been following them; however, I can’t seem to get her to walk out on a loose rein. Maybe there’s something I’m missing? […]
Training Tip: Training at the Trot Helps Your Horse Mentally
When it comes to teaching your horse something new or going back and fixing an issue under saddle, there’s no better gait to work from than the trot. Reason #2: The Trot Doesn’t Mentally Override Your Horse When you need to go back and fix an issue or when you’re teaching your horse something new, […]
Question: When I try doing the Sending Exercise with my mare and don’t let her come up to me after each yield, she will go through the gap and yield and want to come up to me. I back her up and send her through the other way, but after about two or three times […]
Training Tip: Teach at the Trot to Keep Gas in Your Horse’s Tank
When it comes to teaching your horse something new or going back and fixing an issue under saddle, there’s no better gait to work from than the trot. Reason #1: It keeps gas in your horse’s tank. When you start a training session with your horse, you only have so much gas in the tank […]
Training Tip: Horse Weaves When Her Feet Are Picked Up
Question: Whenever I pick up my Quarter Horse mare’s feet, she weaves back and forth. A couple of times, I’ve had to quickly put her foot down because it felt like she was about to fall over. She never gives me any problems when I want to pick up her hoof, she never tries to […]
When you’re studying the Method and working with your horse on the ground, you’ll often hear me refer to the “drive line.” If you imagine that your horse is wearing a saddle, the drive line would roughly be where the girth would lie, right behind the withers. Whenever you apply pressure or even stand behind […]