Clinton Anderson from Downunder Horsemanship has spent the past 20 years devoting his time to creating the best training tools and videos available to horsemen worldwide. Today, his tried-and-true method for getting aggressive or unwilling horses to behave is practiced worldwide. Regardless of a horse’s past problems or traumas, the Downunder Horsemanship Method can help—it all begins with training the owners so they can gain their horse’s respect and understand how to control them properly. Join Clinton on his weekly endeavors of tackling some of the most challenging situations with problem horses and problem owners. This week, we watch as Clinton works with Kim Powers to try and tame her unruly horse, Jack.
Kim has spent her whole life surrounded by horses. Today, she works as a trainer and a professional barefoot trimmer. She was first introduced to Jack, our troublesome gelding, when he was a yearling. Since then, he’s possessed all of the typical traits of a problematic horse and doesn’t show his owner much respect.
Unfortunately, his problems have only gotten worse. For years, Jack was on his own as a pasture pet, and now he views himself as the alpha regarding humans. He’s disrespectful, which can put everyone around him in danger. Oftentimes, Kim says she’ll see him with his ears pinned back. He also takes small nips or bites when someone tries to handle him and has even charged at people who’ve entered his pen.
This type of overly aggressive behavior is dangerous and can lead to some serious injuries. To help adjust Jack’s behavioral issues, Kim was hired to help with the training. However, after a few close calls and unprovoked attempted attacks, despite Kim’s training efforts, Jack’s behavior just kept getting worse. To make sure Jack didn’t hurt anyone, he needed a horseman with an approach that’s been proven to work even against the most troublesome horses. That’s when she got in touch with Clinton Anderson.
Clinton believes that getting horses to behave is simple, and more often than not, it’s the owner who needs the help. While this isn’t to say that Jack’s owners were doing a bad job, they just didn’t know how to handle this type of behavior. So, when Clinton arrived, the first thing he did was remove the obstacles in Jack’s pen. While the objects had previously acted as a shield for Kim, Clinton stresses the importance of being an in-control-leader. This means no hiding behind inanimate objects.
To gain back control, Clinton begins training Jack using the Fundamentals exercises. This includes moving Jack’s feet forwards, backwards, left, and right. When Jack does what he should, Clinton steps outside his pen as a reward to show him he did the correct thing. Clinton believes that horses don’t learn from pressure; they learn from the absence of pressure, which means leaving them alone after they do something right.
Clinton continues to repeat these behaviors with Jack, exerting a very black-and-white training approach. Essentially, he makes it well known to Jack when he does something right and when he does something wrong. While it might seem like tough love, these behavioral corrections are much better than the alternative.
To make sure Kim can continue working with Jack, Clinton shows her what she needs to do to gain back her leadership role and get the respect she deserves during training sessions. This will help her avoid any future trouble. It’s also important to remember that rewarding the horse and showing them love is OK, but only if they’re being respectful and listening to your directions. The number one rule in the Downunder Horsemanship Method is safety first, for you first, and then your horse. Remember, you can’t train a horse if you’re dead, so you must always survive first and train second.
Clinton Anderson has spent the past 20 years of his life devoting his time to creating the best training tools and videos available to horsemen all over the world. Now, experiencing the training in a whole new way, a way that brings 20 years of horsemanship and puts it in the palm of your hand. Now, you can access the mobile method and get everything at the touch of a finger.
To learn more about the Downunder Horsemanship training method, become a member of the No Worries Club, or get information on any of the products seen on our show, head over to our homepage and download the Downunder Horsemanship app today!
Master Your horsemanship Skills
Like these tips? Join the No Worries Club and hone your skills with thousands of hours of Clinton’s easy, step-by-step method horse training videos.
