Everyone who rides or handles horses will have problems at some point.
Everyone has trouble at some stage.
You may have a problem cantering on the correct lead;
you may have a problem making your horse go;
you may have a problem making your horse stop….
The list is endless.
Sometimes, problems develop into something more serious.
Your horse may learn undesirable behaviours and even become dangerous to ride.
He may learn to rear, buck or kick up.
When this happens, it’s only natural to think, (hope), that there must be a quick and easy solution.
People sell all sorts of gear and gadgets that are supposed to help.
Unfortunately for the poor horse, the gadget list is endless too:
A ‘magic’ halter guaranteed to stop your horse running backwards and teach him to load into a trailer.
A ‘magic’ stick and leadrope guaranteed to cure leading problems.
I’ve even seen a ‘gum line’ – a piece of thin rope that puts pressure above a horse’s teeth – which supposedly stops bucking.
There are no magic fixes in horse training.
Horses must always be taught in small increments that they can understand and accept.
Every horse-person must use as little pressure as possible to achieve their desired result.
Never apply severe pressure to any horse at any stage of his training.
Inflicting pain and pressure on horses via contraptions and gadgets is unnecessary and can’t be justified under any circumstance.
There’s a way around every horse, it’s up to us to find it.
