How to Correct a Horse Laying Down on the Trail

Correct a Horse Laying Down on the Trail

Clinton Anderson from Downunder Horsemanship has a tried-and-true method of training horses, regardless of their age, history, or any behavioral issues and past traumas. Join him on his weekly endeavors of tackling some of the most challenging situations with problem horses, and problem owners. This week, we’ll get a chance to see Clinton’s method in action when he shows us how to correct a horse laying down on the trail.

Every now and then, you’ll get a horse that develops a habit of laying down on the trail, this is especially true when you’re on trails that are kind of sandy or have some puddles in them. More often than not, when a horse lays down on the trail, horse owners start to assume the worst and think that there is a physical problem with their horse and want to call the vet. However, 9.5 times out of 10, there’s no problem other than the horse is messing with you. Remember, horses are professional people trainers and they know that if they lay down, you’re going to get off and take off the saddle. To combat this, Clinton communicates that as soon as a horse starts to lay down, he immediately makes them feel uncomfortable.

Clinton explains how doing this will make the horse jump up quickly and question what just happened. The key for this aversion training to work is that you let the horse commit to laying down and right before he gets to the ground is when you need to correct him. If you are too late, the horse will go all the way down to the ground and will put you in a very dangerous situation. When horses lay down, they tend to roll right over your leg. If your horse does lay all the way down, stay out of danger as best as you can, then get to your feet and immediately use the end of your reins to get the horse up and put his feet to work.

The key is to catch this behavior and consistently train your horse not to act this way. You need to be proactive as a horseman; otherwise you’re not going to be successful in your training. The more you catch this behavior and correct it right away, the less your horse will try to lay down while on the trail.

The Clinton Anderson method is a tried-and-true way of getting the most out of your partnership with your horse. Unfortunately, up until now it was nearly impossible to access the Method when you were on the go or at the barn. That’s why we’ve created three new ways to get the content you need, at the price you want. Our Downunder Horsemanship app gives you access to your digital training kits and allows you to download videos and training content directly to your mobile device or view them on your computer. The Downunder Horsemanship app also offers over 100 hours of free, in-depth training content.

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