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Part 5: The First Ride By Brent Rollins The first ride is a very exciting and scary moment in training a mustang. This is what you have been waiting for and working towards. It is a day you will remember in the years to come when you and your …
Why Location and Setting Makes All the Difference to Your Horse By Vickie Zapel Your horse crosses anything, anywhere out on the trail, but when asked to negotiate a man-made obstacle, suddenly proceeds to turn himself inside out. What is going on here? This is a common and frustrating …
by Marilyn Pineda One of my favorite accomplishments in horse training is being able to execute a nice side pass. It demonstrates several basic ground training achievements: subtle bending in the neck; yielding to subtle pressure; moving the front quarters in both directions; moving the hindquarters in both directions; and …
Part One: Seeking Balance by Alice Trindle First off, I am quite excited to be writing for the Northwest Horse Source once again. When I look back over the volume of articles and topics discussed in articles written for this publication over the past nearly 10 years, I am …
Begin on the Ground to Safely Jump from the Saddle by Mark Bolender Recently, while riding near Mount St. Helens in WA State, the trail came up to a washout. In order to continue on without a lengthy back track, I needed to get my horse to jump up …
by Brent Rollins If you have been keeping up with my last two articles, your horse is now plenty desensitized and has become much braver. Your next step is the first saddling and ground driving. These are the tools you will need to be successful: a rope halter, two …
by Allison Trimble Verbal cues are common in horse training and usually stem from the rider’s desire to guide the horse with the softest of commands. In performance horse training, highly athletic maneuvers should be performed with precision and grace. This is not something that can be achieved by …
by Marilyn Pineda I love teaching trailer loading here at Fire Mountain Trail Course! There are so many types of communication and elements of confidence that come into play when a horse is comfortable with trailers. In my Riding Well Grounded article about impeccable timing I discuss loading a …
by Brent Rollins Now that you can lead and touch your mustang, it is time for groundwork. With groundwork you will be addressing all areas of desensitizing. Flagging is an excellent desensitizing method that uses a small flag attached to a training stick or whip. When flagging, don’t put …
Prepare Your Horse to Cross Frozen Puddles by Mark Bolender When trail riding in the winter, early spring, and/or late fall, you can expect to find frozen puddles. The crackling sound of breaking ice often catches horses by surprise, putting the rider at risk of being dismounted when it …