A horse is a very sensitive creature. He can feel the lightest touch of your hand and the slightest squeeze of your leg. He can hear the slightest rustle in the bushes and feel the smallest fly land on his back. This is how a horse is made. There’s nothing you or anyone else can … Read more
Whether you realise it or not, every interaction you have with your horse teaches him something new. Every time you lead or ride your horse, you’re teaching him. Every time you feed him or clean his stable, you’re teaching him. Every time you brush him or hose him or clean out his feet, you’re teaching … Read more
There are some approaches to horses and horse training that are not only idiotic, but cruel as well. I hear and see things every day that make me cringe. Here are a couple of recent beauties: From my Facebook page: “We have a girl in our barn who has been taught to scare her horse, … 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
Here are some old wives’ tales from the horse world. I’ve heard them over and over, all my life. 1. One white foot, buy him. Two white feet, try him. Three white feet, be on the sly. Four white feet, pass him by. The best horse I’ve ever ridden had four white feet. 2. Chestnut … Read more
Way back in 1989, I did an exhibition at the California State Fair in Sacramento. I was the four o’clock show every day, for eighteen days. At the Fair I met Tad Griffith, one of the greatest trick riders the world has ever seen. Every day, Tad put on a fantastic Wild West show, complete … Read more
Your horse learns from every interaction he has with you. Every time you go near your horse, he learns something new. He may learn to lay his ears back and push over you or bite you. He may learn to turn his tail and kick at you. Horses aren’t born with an urge to bite … Read more
No matter what your horse does or doesn’t do, it’s cruel and pointless to punish him. When a horse shies or doesn’t stop or doesn’t change leads or doesn’t do whatever else the rider thinks he should do, running the horse down a fence, forcing him to run backwards, hitting him after the event or … Read more
Whenever you work with an unhandled horse or foal, the first thing you must do is get a rope around his neck. Without a rope, the horse can run away at any time. And the more frightened the horse is, the more he’ll run. Some horses will run to the point of exhaustion rather than … Read more
