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"An Exercise For When You Can't Ride," from my FREE monthly newsletter

From the Horse Ground Training Series:

"Take your left hand and hold the lead rope as if it's the left rein. Pull the halter slowly toward yourself.

"Concentrate. Feel how much pressure it takes to bring that rope toward you. You should feel on your pinky how many ounces it takes. Throw it back out and do it again. This time close your eyes and really concentrate. If you get this lesson, horse training gets a whole lot easier. Really focus on what it feels like. How many ounces is it taking to bring that halter back to you? Think of a specific number. How many pounds? How many ounces? One or two? 5 pounds or 5 ounces?

"How would you like your horse to be that soft? A pound or two doesn't seem so bad, does it? Actually, it's terrible. Having to put a pound or two of pressure on the rein to get it to "come back to you" is just terrible. Take the halter off the lead rope now and throw the rope back out, snap end first.

"Do the same thing, drag the snap back to you. How does that feel? It feels pretty light, right? You feel a big difference. But that's still terrible. Now take the lead rope and throw the opposite end out, the end without the snap. That feels really light. It feels like nothing. It's still terrible.

The reason it's terrible is because…"

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From John Lyons Trainer Keith Hosman

Round Pen First Steps
A Downloadable Book

A sample from Day 4:

"Before working on the back, "kicking" part of the horse, I'll take a dressage whip or lariat and sack the horse out to its touch. I'll start by rubbing the horse quickly with the whip or rope, then pull it away and pet. From there it's a simple thing to replicate the work you've done with your hands with the whip. Work to a point where you can place the rope or whip anywhere on the front half of the horse, yet the horse stays relaxed. It's just a matter of "advance, retreat, advance, retreat."

Because I'm not a big fan of being kicked, I'll next use the dressage whip to desensitize the horse's back half to my touch. I like the distance it affords. You'd be surprised how many older horses I run across at clinics that still offer to kick. I find owners who rationalize like crazy ("He doesn't like to be touched;" "I don't like to make him angry") and simply allow the issue to fester. A word of warning here: If your horse kicks out at the touch of something like a dressage whip, he's telling you, in no uncertain terms, that he'll kick you the same way, should you fall back there. If not you, then perhaps your dog or child. Make it a point to teach your horse that kicking is not an option. Do this by progressively rubbing the horse farther and farther back on his body, pulling the whip away before he can move, pausing for about three seconds, then repeating. If he does move to the touch do not stop rubbing until he stops and relaxes."

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Available Downloads:
"Stop Bucking"
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"Round Pen First Steps"
"Trailer Training"

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Grooming

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As horse owners, we all know the ideal tail. A thick, flowing mass of hair, just touching the ground- it’s the epitome of beauty. But looking at a lovely long tail, and...

Ground Training

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I want to make my horses as safe as possible in a variety of situations. Therefore I try to expose them to as many situations as possible. Although I would never advocate...

• Good Ground Manners - The Essentials Of Horse Training
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Horse training success is all in the work from the ground. A good, long-term relationship between you and your horse is built from the ground up, literally. Ground manners is...

• Retraining The Hard To Catch Horse
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• The Basics Of Ground Manners For Your Horse
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Teaching good ground manners right from the beginning will result in a horse that is a joy to own, while keeping yourself as safe as possible. Enforcing ground manners will...

Hay and Pasture Management

• 10 Tips For Better Horse Pastures
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To have a strong and healthy horse it is important for you to feed them properly. Feeding them quality hay will give them the important nutrients and minerals they need. The...

Health

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• Basic Pre-Ride Warmup For Horse And Rider
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• Basic Ways To Look After Horse Health
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Horses are living creatures with needs and emotions. But if you love horses, you don't need to be told that. And like all living creatures, they need to be kept healthy if...

• Common Parasites in the Horse
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Learn how to recognize unwanted visitors and treatments...

• Equine Health, Five Tips For A Healthy Horse
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If you own a horse, you are probably aware of the time and money needed to properly care for this amazing creature. Since horses have a longer life than do most animals,...

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