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Good training doesn’t always mean teaching the fanciest maneuver or the most complicated trick. Before a horse can become a confident trail partner, a reliable ranch horse, or a successful show horse, he needs a solid foundation of basic skills—and those basics are worth revisiting throughout his life. Knowing when …
How to Help Your Horse Feel Safe The most important characteristic of a safe, well-trained horse is trust. Horses who trust people are far less likely to behave in erratic, explosive, or aggressive ways and are a joy to handle and ride. Creating trust in horses is the responsibility of …
Find and Fix the Pieces that Make Up the Whole Situation Last month in Part 1, I discussed the tendency some riders have to excuse their lack of motivation for education by stating that they are “just a trail rider”. This mindset suggests that these folks aren’t serious about learning …
Don’t Use a Love of Trail Riding as an Excuse to Avoid Learning and Improving There’s a phrase I often hear when talking to horse people. Usually, I hear it at the start of my clinics, when we all introduce ourselves and tell a little about what we do with …
Understand and Use Body Language to Speak “Horse” Working with horses gains better results with better understanding. True horsemanship involves building trust, understanding, and studying the way horses think and behave. Horsemanship’s foundation requires comprehending many principles from the perspective of the horse. It’s not just another thing we do …
Signs, Symptoms, and Solutions for Improving Your Horse’s Flexibility Riding a horse who has achieved a high degree of suppleness gives a wonderful feeling to its rider. A supple horse moves fluidly and freely over the ground. Its hind legs reach well under its body while bending the joints of …
Response in Spite of Trouble This month we wrap up our discussion on the principle of Response in Spite of Trouble, having covered the foundational understanding and some examples of situations starting on the ground. If you’ve not been reading along, I encourage you to check out the articles in …
Response in Spite of Trouble Last month we discussed one of the most common questions I hear, which concerns what to do when a horse spooks or how to build confidence in a nervous horse. These are broad questions and can involve situations with a wide range of possible factors, …
Response in Spite of Trouble Welcome to this three-part series which will cover one of the most universally applicable principles of horsemanship, what I call “Response in Spite of Trouble”. Some of the most common questions I’m asked concern what to do when a horse spooks or how to build …
Good Training Focuses on the Mental and Emotional State of Horses Many times, as we work with our horses we have a physical goal in mind—we want them to accomplish something specific such as getting in the trailer, standing still or moving when told, or performing a flying lead change. …
