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"How To Make Horse Training Affordable," from my FREE monthly newsletter

From the Basic Horse Training Series:

"What you should do: Diagnose the problem and form a plan. Is your horse simply being a pest as you feed him? Or is he literally trying to kill you when you enter the pen? Do you know the difference? Are you looking to improve his transition into the proper lead – or does he have a bucking fit every time you mount up? To put it succinctly, if the horse is annoying, you've got time to figure things out. If the horse is dangerous, you don't. If the horse is dangerous, you don't get on him, you don't get near him. What about the gray area in between? To decide which end of the spectrum your horse falls into ("dangerous, not dangerous") I would advise listening to that little voice in your head and you may need to do so daily. If you're about to get on your horse and that little voice says something's amiss, get back off. I realize that's no "fix," but that's not what this article's about. This is about diagnosing situations, creating plans to remedy the situations, and moving forward.

So, let's break this down. Let's say that there are five different levels you can find yourself facing: 1) My horse is going to kill me today. 2) I believe my horse is going to hurt me the next time I ask for (a lope, a halt, fill in the blank). 3) My horse makes me nervous (when I'm on the trail and he sees something spooky, for instance). 4) When I try to (bathe the horse, bridle the horse, etc.) he gets really cranky. 5) I would like to improve my horse's (lead departure, spin, etc.)."

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From John Lyons Trainer Keith Hosman

Trailer Training Horses
A Downloadable Book

A sample from Day 1:

"Next, get the horse moving and ask him to bring his nose slightly to the left, creating a bow (away from you) in his neck. Watch his shoulder and release when you see it sort of move/lean/bend away from you. If you just can't seem to get the shoulder, see if you can't pull the nose in such a way that it causes him to move his hips away from you then try the shoulder again. Ask the hip to move away, then without hesitation ask the shoulder to move. The hip "disengagement" keeps energy in the horse by keeping him moving, causes his back legs to step toward the front legs, and causes him to be just a tad off balance. Those three things help us get the shoulder to move away. Don't be afraid to push "the shoulder" away with your left hand when you first begin to really make the horse understand that he should be softening that area up and moving away. Make sure that you're pushing the shoulder to the side and not backwards, a common error."

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

Just $4.99

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

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GUEST AUTHOR ARTICLES Horse Dealing

 
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"Pet Peeves in Horse Dealings"
By Bonnie Martin

Buying a horse should be an experience that involves research, education, and realistic expectations on the part of the buyer. Selling a horse should involve trying to match the buyer with a suitable mount. Unfortunately, both sides of the transaction often fall short of what they should be doing, and it is the horse that suffers.

It amazes me that so many first time horse buyers either don't ask a knowledgeable, honest horse person for advice, or that if they do, they totally ignore the advice and go off on their own to complete a transaction. Some of them luck into a reputable seller and get a horse suitable for their needs, some of them luck into a good horse without anyone caring about the match, but by far the majority of them end up with a horse they don't enjoy. Way too often, they end up with a horse that is either just too much horse for them, or worse, a horse that already has or soon develops habits that are actually dangerous to the new owners.

Owning a horse is a little more complicated than owning something like a car. Horses have their own minds and they might not always agree with what the owner thinks should be happening. They also are a lot easier to buy than to resell if you make a mistake in which one to get. What do you do then? Pawn it off on the next unsuspecting person who comes along and hope to recover your investment? Sell it at an auction? Give it away (to whom?)?

Some of the worst mistakes I've seen:

1. Buying a young horse for a child to "grow up with". If you care about your child, then DON'T do that! Young horses and children both have lots to learn before they are safe for each other.

2. Buying a horse just because it is a pretty color or you like its head, mane, the way it looks at you etc. There are a lot of other considerations that should come first.

3. Buying a horse just because of a low price. It might have health problems, conformation problems, training,or behavior problems. Check all that out if the deal seems too good.

4. Getting a horse because you feel sorry for it. Lots of horse rescues have horses available to adopt and some of them are fine, but others will make you sorry before long.

Sellers should feel a responsibility to both potential buyers and to the horse itself and not sell someone an animal that probably won't work for them. Unfortunately, it doesn't usually work that way. Sometimes it's a matter of honest miscommunication and not being on the same wavelength when discussing the horse. Other times, the seller is just interested in getting rid of the horse and getting the money for it. If you are on the buying end, do your homework ahead of time and know what you want to do. Be honest about your ability and experience. Check out the seller's attitude about his/her horses, ask lots of questions, perhaps even ask for some references from other buyers. Get it right the first time and then enjoy your new partner.

Pet Peeves about Riding/Training

1. Riders who don't see the need to continue learning about horse psychology. They either think the horse should understand them or they put human emotions and feelings into their perception of the horse. There is plenty of educational information out there that will help people understand horses and have a much better and safer time with them.

2. Riders who think pull back to stop and kick to go is all there is to it. Riding should be comfortable for the horse too. Good equitation helps both horse and rider. Not all instructors are created equal though, so find a good one. Just being able to stay on top of a horse isn't all there is to riding.

3. Riders who resort to bigger bits and other gimmicks when they want quick results. Training (for the horse and the rider), not more muscle or leverage is what is needed. Again, a good instructor/trainer is important.

4. Trainers who take short cuts to "fix" a problem or hurry the training along. Shame on them. Don't use one like this even if they are winning at shows.

5. Riders who don't learn trail or arena courtesy and put others in danger. It's not that hard to find places to learn how to be safe and courteous. Books, DVD's, clinics, and instructors are a good resource.

6. Know-it-alls who lead others astray because they talk a good story even though they don't know whereof they speak. Some of the best horsepeople aren't the most vocal. Watch how people handle their horses and ask yourself if that is the picture you would like to make. If not, don't listen to the bad example's advice.

7. People who think horses view the world and think like people do. They don't. Study horse psychology and don't ascribe human values and motives to them. Horses are social animals and prey with their own ways of trying to assure their survival. Humans are predators who act and react very differently.

Horses and humans can co-exist well together if the humans will consider the horse's nature and needs and be realistic about their own abilities and motives in dealing with them.

Bonnie and Gregg Martin own Gemara Farm Foxtrotters located in Barnesville, Georgia. They currently have nine fox trotters of their own and a few more boarded ones and study natural horsemanship with their animals. http://www.gemara.homestead.com

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