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"Speed Up Your Slow Horse," from my FREE monthly newsletter

From the How to Break a Horse Series:

"The fix for the lazy horse can be done while doing any riding exercise. The first thing that makes a horse responsive or lighter is having a clear cue. A cue is something that you ask the horse and can get the horse to do. That means a cue to stop will be picking up the reins. That would be a cue to stop. A pre-cue is something you do before the cue. A pre-cue is "ho." If I go forward and I say "ho," and he doesn't stop, I'm going to say "ho" and pick up the reins to say "That meant stop." So pretty soon, when I go forward and I say "ho" the horse stops. So a pre-cue is something you do before a cue that makes a horse lighter and more responsive. It's the same thing with your legs. What do you do before you use your legs? You sit forward, pick up the reins, kiss to them. But what's the first that you do before you squeeze or kick your horse? You take your legs out. You take your legs out, then you bring them together. So practice that. Practice taking your legs off and if he doesn't move, then tell the horse "Hey, that meant move" with a kick. And when you bring them together, be prepared to kick them until something happens. So practice that and pretty soon, when you take your legs away from the horse's side (as if to kick), that'll mean "move forward." So I'm not using my legs to keep kicking my horse. Practice this and remember, when you bring them together, bring them together hard enough to get a change of leg speed. If you kick him and you just kick him to keep him going, then…"

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From John Lyons Trainer Keith Hosman

Stop Bucking Study Course
A Downloadable Book

A sample from Day 3:

"What about the horse that just sits there? If you get the feeling you could be there for hours, apply a bit more pressure, perhaps at a different angle. If that doesn’t work, simply begin drumming your legs against his sides, very lightly and rhythmically. (That’s important.) If still no change, bump a little harder with the legs.

If your horse isn’t progressing through this exercise, then either apply more motivation (that means slightly more intense rhythmic bumps from your legs) or begin looking for smaller changes out of your horse. The initial movement will be slight, not dramatic. Get the horse to pull or drop just a little at first, maybe his head just lowers a hair. Build on that. It might also help for you (the rider) to buld some muscle memory. Memorize the simple sequence: Pick up both reins and apply even pressure (about 3 pounds); lay your legs against the horse’s sides lightly and immediately drop them back away; wait for the horse to pull down however slightly and release, allowing your hands to be briefly pulled down. Your horse will get the idea quickly and in a few minutes he’ll start dropping in feet not inches."

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- 5 Days, 5 chapters
- Learn at your own pace

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Available Downloads:
"Stop Bucking"
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GUEST AUTHOR ARTICLES Good Stables: Choose a Barn For You and Your Horse

 
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"How to Choose a Barn For You and Your Horse"
By Edna X Wilson

Choosing a barn ought to be easy but it may take a few moves to find the right fit of cost, location, horse care and people. It’s a tricky thing, finding the right place for you and your horse. If your horse and riding are a large part of your life, the decision of where to board your horse may be even more important. Asking your friends is a great place to start, since you may want to know someone at the barn and have a friend to start out with.

A second choice may be the classified ads, word of mouth or local tack shop.

What Kind of Riding Do You Do?

Each discipline has its own philosophies and also prejudices about other riders and their horses. Its best to find a barn with compatible values; if you have a Thoroughbred who needs lots of turnout, don’t go to a saddlebred barn where turnout is limited or unheard of. Barns that geared towards showing may have different requirements for their horses than barns that are primarily for trail or pleasure riding; they may want their horses inside more or give them a performance grade grain.

Do They Have a Trainer?

If you want to take lessons and don’t have a trailer, it may be best if you also see if there’s a trainer available for lessons. Ask around and find out what clients think of her teaching, experience and personality.

What Is the Condition of the Barn?

Find out how long they’ve been in business and that will usually lead into a discussion about the barn and its upgrades. You can tell alot by looking for loose boards, rust or poor fencing. Make sure to check out your horses stall or shed and see if it’s in good shape or needs repair. Is the barn clean and tidy? Is there a board for notes, contact information and a schedule for turnout?

What Kind of Turn Out Is There?

Find out how many acres are used for turnout. Some barns like to have as many horses as possible to increase their cash flow, so the horses might not really get out much. The ratio of horses per acre is important to check out. Also find out what kind of grass is it – new or well established? How often do the horses go out; many horses prefer to go out every day. Do they get rotated from a paddock to field or just stuck in a paddock? If your horse needs a lot of turnout to stay sane, its critical to know he’ll be turned out on a consistent basis.

And, don’t forget the humans. If you go to a new barn by yourself, you’ll probably want to have some friends to ride with. Find out, if you can, how often people ride at the barn and if they meet socially outside the barn for get-togethers. If the barn is large enough, they usually have holiday parties and celebrate birthdays. The right barn can become an extended family; and providing friendships for you and your horse for many years.

About the Author: Edna X Wilson is a writer for www.HorseClicks.com, popular classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, farms for sale.

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