News Archive

Fundamentals Clinic Highlights

Training Tip: Your Horse Testing Your Leadership Comes Naturally

  It’s very natural for horses to establish a pecking order. More often than not, the top horse in a herd is usually an old broodmare. How’d she get control of the group?

Training Tip: Ability and talent in a potential prospect

  If I’m considering buying a performance prospect, a little test I always do to see how athletic, willing and good minded a horse is, is practicing Lunging for Respect Stage Two. I do this for a couple of reasons. First, I want to see how willing the horse is to give to halter pressure. […]

Selecting The Performance Horse

Each year, a group of colts bred for their outstanding bloodlines, conformation, athletic ability and willing dispositions start their training as Clinton Anderson Performance Horses. While each of the colts has been bred for a successful future in the show pen, the reality is that not all of them live up to their potential. By […]

Training Tip: Are you teaching your horse to have fidgety feet when mounting?

  A horse that constantly moves around when you go to slip your foot in the stirrup is not only frustrating, but potentially dangerous. A respectful horse stands quietly while you mount and waits for your cue to move off once you’re situated in the saddle. When most people come to me with mounting troubles, […]

Training Tip: Approach and Retreat Over Obstacles

  Most horses will try to stop and back away from an unfamiliar object initially because they’re nervous and unsure of the situation. If you think your horse is going to stop in nine steps, stop him in eight steps. Then back him away from the object using the Outback Exercise – wiggle the rope […]

Training Tip: Teach your horse vertical flexion at the canter on a circle

  I’ve found that introducing vertical flexion at the canter to a horse on a circle makes it easier for him to catch on to the lesson rather than cantering in straight lines because it automatically puts some lateral bend in his body. Anytime you add speed to a horse’s feet, his resistance to pressure […]

Training Tip: Practice approaching your horse quickly

  Horses are naturally frightened of being approached quickly because they’re prey animals. When you run up to your horse or approach him in a quick manner, you’re acting very much like a predator. I teach all of my horses the Intermediate exercise Run Up and Rub, so I can run up to the horse […]

Training Tip: Whoever moves first, loses

  Horses establish dominance by being able to move each other’s feet. The most dominant horse in a herd can make all the other horses move their feet forwards, backwards, left and right. Horses use that same principle when they are around us. Anytime you can move your horse’s feet forwards, backwards, left and right, […]