Training Tip of the Week: Why you should tie your horse up
Tying a horse up for long periods of time accomplishes many important things in your training. I have a little saying, “End each training session by tying your horse up to the ‘Tree or Post of Knowledge.’” When you tie your horse up after a training session, it teaches him not only respect and […]
Training Tip of the Week: Use Squeeze, Cluck and Spank to stop a grass-snatcher.
If your horse stops at a patch of clover and refuses to move, even if you’re bumping him on the sides, he’s telling you you’re being ineffective and you need to get more aggressive. Remember to use Squeeze, Cluck and Spank. Squeeze the horse with the calves of your legs to get him to […]
Training Tip of the Week: Hard-to-catch horse tip: Use the halter as a desensitizing tool.
Most horses balk at the sight of their owner coming to the pasture with halter in hand because more than likely, they’re going to be taken to the barn, thrown in the cross-ties and saddled up. It doesn’t take long for horses to associate the halter with hard work and sweat. You need to […]
Training Tip of the Week: Don’t tie a cinchy horse when saddling
A common mistake I see people make that can ultimately lead to a horse becoming cinchy is tying their horses when they saddle them. Whenever you tie a horse up, you take away his ability to move his feet or flee from danger. Then, if he gets scared or reactive, in his mind the […]
Horses are a herd animal and their bodies are designed to be on the move. I try to keep my horses on turnout as much as I possibly can. It’s the best thing for them because they don’t develop bad habits and they’re just happier in general. The more you put a horse in […]
Training Tip of the Week: Don’t be too quick to judge pinny ears
When a horse is working really hard and paying close attention, often he’ll tip his ears back to the rider showing that he is concentrating. Cutting horses are a good example because they’ll often pin their ears back on their head as they’re cutting cattle. They stop and turn and will often lower their […]
Training Tip of the Week: Gaining experience when time is limited
People ask me all the time, “Clinton, what if I have a 9 to 5 job and don’t have time to work with my horse every day? Can I still get better and gain more experience?” The answer is yes! It doesn’t matter what job you have – you can still get real, hands-on […]
Training Tip of the Week: When riding a colt for the first time, act like you’ve been drinking.
The more relaxed you are, the quieter the colt will get. To plant an image in people’s minds of how they should act on the colt’s back, I tell them to act like they’ve been drinking. When you get up on your colt for the first time, you should be loose and relaxed. I […]
Training Tip of the Week: Is your haltering technique making your horse head shy?
When you go to put the halter on the horse, stand on his left side and reach your right arm over his neck to grasp the halter’s crownpiece. Hold the side of the halter with your left hand, and then tip the horse’s head and neck slightly in your direction so that you can […]
Training Tip of the Week: Teach your horse to be responsible for himself when you’re handling his legs.
The best way to teach a horse to support himself and not lean on you when you’re picking out his hooves is to not slowly place his foot on the ground when you’re done with it. Instead, when you release the foot, just let it drop out of your hand. That stops the horse […]
