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"Give Your Horse A Want-To Attitude," from my FREE monthly newsletter

From the Learning to Ride a Horse Series:

"I treat the horse the same way. If I ask him to standstill, that's cleaning his room. I say "Clean your room." He says "No." I say "Fine." Now, what can I do that requires movement? It doesn't matter if I'm in the arena or the trail. In either place I can work on change of directions. I can work on his headset. I can get the horse working better off my legs or seat. And I can always work on speed control. I could do all kinds of different things. I can work on all those things when my horse wants to move. If my horse wants to move, I say, great, let's do it. Let's work on breaking at the poll, softening up your neck or following your nose; let's work on your leg speed; let's work on you moving off my legs. Let's do all these different things, and then, when I'm done, I'm going to ask the horse: "Do you want to clean your room, the garage and the patio? Or, do you want to just stand still?" These are all things I would have wanted to work on anyway…"

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From John Lyons Trainer Keith Hosman

Trailer Training Horses
A Downloadable Book

A sample from Day 5:

"Don't Do the Following:
- Never get in the trailer with a nervous horse
- Never tie a horse that doesn't tie
- Don't tie your horse until the butt bar and back door are closed up
- Don't allow your horse to circle around you as you stand with him at the entrance to the trailer. He'll quickly learn this dodge
- Don't walk onto the trailer to load your horse. He should walk "past you" to load himself
- Don't ever leave your horse with the ability to jump out of the trailer. Case in point: I once took the center divider out of my small two-horse. I drove about two hundred feet and got out to check the horse (she was new to trailering). She looked at me and jumped out, hopping out through the space left between the top of the rear doors and the top of the trailer. She rolled over, stood up and shook it off. Beyond a few deep scratches, she was none the worse for wear – but only because she and I got lucky. She could have landed on a Mazda doing seventy. Learn from this, use common sense, and be careful."

- Print out from home
- 5 Days, 5 chapters
- Learn at your own pace

Just $4.99

For more info:
this course | all courses

Available Downloads:
"Stop Bucking"
"Rein/Speed" (for Nervous Horse Owners)
"Round Pen First Steps"
"Trailer Training"

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"Stay Out Of A Rut With Your Horse"
By Bonnie Martin

Have you ever gone to get your horse and realized that it was less than enthusiastic about seeing you? Do you wish your horse would be more interested in what is coming? Assuming that there are no physical problems such as poorly fitting tack, sore muscles or joints, teeth problems or anything else that might make the horse uncomfortable, the lack of enthusiasm for what is coming might just be boredom with the routine. Doing something different might be all it takes to respark your horse's interest in being with you.

Just like with people, horses get tired of doing the same old thing over and over. Some get to anticipating cues if they get drilled too much in the same pattern. I've seen horses in the show ring that learned the pattern of gaits announced and would execute them without the rider's help. That might seem like a good thing to some, but what if the judge mixes things up and the horse keeps doing its normal routine?

Lots of riders have one major interest of what they want to do with their horse and they stick with doing that almost exclusively instead of developing a well rounded animal by offering it a variety of experiences.

Horses that never get out of the arena, whether they be dressage, barrel, show, or lesson horses, can get too used being in just those surroundings and then become upset when not in their comfort zone. Or they may become bored to tears there and not work nearly as well.

Horses only ridden going forward on the trails may not be as responsive to cues as the rider would like and they might be uncomfortable and unconfident in an arena or show situation. Wouldn't it be nice to have a horse that could go from one situation to another and handle it well?

To counteract the problem of your horse becoming bored or not at ease in different environments, provide your horse with a variety of experiences. Barrel horses don't always have to be hyped. Some of the best ones I know do other things than racing most of the time. A leisurely trail ride, dressage basics, or some other type of work can make them much more responsive and enjoyable as well as versatile.

Dressage and show horses can benefit from trail rides as well as other activities such as moving cows. In fact, slow, precise cow work can give any horse a purpose for some of the moves they need to be able to do fluidly in competition.

A trail ride is a great way to keep your horse's interest due to the changing scenery. But a trail horse can get too dependent on following the horse in front of it or insisting on taking the lead itself. A good trail horse responds to a rider's body, leg, focus, and rein cues, and there is no reason a trail ride shouldn't be a chance to work on moving your horse laterally, disengaging, serpentines, backing, and doing transitions. Obstacles on the ride provide a perfect opportunity to practice these moves and provide your horse with a feeling that there is a reason for the moves. One doesn't have to just go down the trail. Spend time trading positions within the group too so that your horse does not get in the rut of leading, following, or being with a certain buddy.

Sometimes when you go to get your horse, just go and hang out with it. Or, instead of riding, go on a trail walk together with you directing the horse from the ground. You can practice a lot of moves from the ground and get your horse more responsive without being on his back.

Keeping things interesting for your horse will pay off by giving you a happier, more versatile horse and also expand your horizons to new, enjoyable activities that you can do together. Variety is the spice of life for both horse and human. Happy riding!

Bonnie lives at Gemara Farm Foxtrotters located in Barnesville, Georgia. She and her husband currently have several fox trotters of their own and practice natural horsemanship with them, as well as Bonnie coaching others. There are usually some fox trotters available for sale. http://www.gemara.homestead.com

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Next, I'd Read:

Recommended articles featuring the methods of John Lyons:

• Keys To Improvement
• How Far How Fast How Little
• Four Things You Need to Train Your Horse

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