There’s a misconception in the horse world that you need to do something to a horse’s mouth or nose so that he’ll stop or turn. In fact, I’m often asked how I ‘mouth’ a young horse. My answer is always the same, “I’ve never been able to teach any horse’s mouth anything.” There’s no process … Read more
Many people have a happy agreement with their horse, whereby the rider is happy when their horse mostly does as they ask for most of the time. Whether they ride in an arena, in a paddock, down the road or on the trail, many people are happy to simply arrive at their destination. They don’t … Read more
The aim of every rider should be to have their horse confident and relaxed and moving forward with straightness. This doesn’t mean that your horse moves in a straight line. Neither does it mean that your horse keeps his body straight. Straightness means that your horse is relaxed and confident and moving forward with an … Read more
Many people have an unjustified prejudice against the use of sticks and spurs in horse training. They think that sticks and spurs are cruel and are used to punish a horse and ‘show him who’s boss’, and therefore should never be used on any horse. Some people believe that horses are naturally afraid of sticks … Read more
Asking how long it takes to saddle and ride a young horse for the first time, is like asking how long is a piece of string. I started training horses for a living more than forty years ago. Horses of all shapes, sizes and varieties were sent to me to be started under saddle. Many … Read more
You must always be definite and consistent whenever you’re with your horse and you must have definite rules. When your horse does as you ask, you must always make things relatively easy and pleasant for him. When he isn’t doing as you ask, you must make things a little unpleasant for him. These rules must … Read more
The near-side of a horse is his left hand side when you’re sitting on his back. His off-side is his right hand side. It’s ingrained into most horse people that horses should always be handled from the near-side. We’re told to always approach and catch a horse from the near-side and to saddle, bridle and … Read more
Your attitude and how you think about horses, is the most important part of horse training. Your ability to handle horses isn’t worth a dime if your underlying thinking is flawed. Here are a few examples: 1. If you think your horse is being bad or naughty on purpose, you’ll punish him for reasons that … Read more
1. No matter how old your horse is, take him a treat each day and rub his head. If you do this, he’ll soon look forward to seeing you. Start each lesson by going to your horse and showing him it’s easy and pleasant to be with you. Every horse will learn to enjoy having … Read more
People write to me all the time asking for help with their horses. “My horse is barn sour.” “My horse is herd bound.” “My horse has separation anxiety.” “My horse shies.” “My horse rears.” “My horse kicks.” “My horse bucks.” “How can I fix him?” No matter the problem, my answer is always the same. … Read more