Lessons Learned: Time Management

Clinton Anderson from Downunder Horsemanship has developed a way to train horses, regardless of their past problems or traumas. It all begins with training the owners so they can gain their horse’s respect and understand how to properly control them. Join Clinton on his weekly endeavors of tackling some of the most challenging situations with problem horses and problem owners. This week, Diego Gaona, one of Clinton’s Professional Clinicians, us about an invaluable lesson learned throughout his years working as a horseman—time management.

One of the most valuable lessons Diego has learned is how to spend his time. In reality, if you don’t have a set goal or a set deadline on how you need to be spending your time, you tend to kind of go into auto drive. Instead of diving in and focusing on the areas that need attention and need to be addressed, you find yourself at a standstill. So, if you’re just out there going through the motions and not really paying attention to certain details, you’ll eventually get lazy, and before you know it, it’ll hit you in the face at the wrong time.

So, in order to avoid this kind of situation, setting goals and creating deadlines can help you spend your time wisely when you’re working with your horses. Diego mentions how this is similar to anything in life, really, but having a clear idea of when your goal needs to be set or when a goal needs to be met can really help you make sure you’re spending your time wisely.

For example, if Diego has a horse in for training, he says that he’s going to allow himself two and a half hours for Fundamentals groundwork and riding. As a general rule of thumb, try to stick to 30 minutes when you’re getting your horse out, brushing them off, getting them tacked up, and getting them ready for the actual training session. Then, once you actually go into the training session, you spend 45 minutes max on groundwork. Diego says he’ll usually pick four different groundwork exercises to cover on a particular day, then make sure that each exercise gets enough time as the other. You don’t want to get 45 minutes into your training and realize you’ve just been focusing on one exercise. Then, moving on to the riding, Diego spends about an hour to an hour and a half maximum. He mentions that some days, depending on the weather, he might have to manage the ride a little bit more and give his horse more time to cool off a little bit, but a strong hour and a half of actual riding is a good thing to aim for. Obviously, you’ll want to break this up so it’s not a super intense hour and a half, but the time needs to be spent in the saddle with your focus on your horse. If you have other horses, you need to be cautious of your time so that all of them can get the same attention and improve their skills as well. So, keep that in mind next time you’re getting ready for a training session. Time management is key.

Clinton Anderson has devoted the past 20 years to creating the best training tools and videos available to horsemen worldwide. Now, experience 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.

Always have access to the Downunder Horsemanship Method, even when you’re on the go or at the barn. The 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. No Worries Club members will have full access to Clinton’s ever-growing training library and a massive number of members-only features and information. And the best part is that you can view and interact with each lesson on your mobile device or computer, giving you the ultimate access to the Method anytime and anyplace.

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!