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Sample Our Newsletter
"The First Thing I Do," from my FREE monthly newsletter
From the Starting a Young Horse Series:
"If your horse went ballistic out on the trail last week... it didn't "just happen out of the blue." He's been telling you for weeks or months that he was going to lose it when enough pressure was applied every time he resisted (however slightly) the pull from your lead rope or reins.
If he walks ahead of you while you lead him, he's telling you that sooner or later he'll blow past you as you go through a gate or knock you on your kiester with his shoulder when something scares him bad enough.
If the muscles in his neck bulge toward you instead of relaxing when you put the bit in his mouth, he's telling you that he'll do mach sixty when he gets spooked on the trail.
Deal with these situations by doing two things: First establish a zero-tolerance policy; nip bad behavior in the bud the instant it happens. Example: If your horse inches past you as you lead, do an about-face and back that horse up. Keep him moving till he quits pushing back. (If he freezes pull on his head to pull his butt away from you. Getting those feet "unstuck" will allow you to keep backing till he lightens up.) Be adamant.
Second, get proactive. The first thing I do with any horse – and what I do each and everyday with all five of my own horses – is to see exactly where they stand when it comes to "resistance." Luckily the test and remedy are fun.
And having fun with this is a key point. Realize that every horse has resistance tucked away somewhere. Like an Easter egg, your job is to discover it. Instead of chocolate, your reward is a safer, more pleasant ride. The calmest, coolest, bestest trained horse you have ever seen has a little pocket of resistance hidden somewhere."
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From John Lyons Trainer Keith Hosman |
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Round Pen First Steps
A Downloadable Book
A sample from Day 2:
"In that last step, our goal was to drive the hips away, with the upshot being that the horse also moved forward and toward us. Now, we'll use our body language to turn his shoulders away. Quite often you'll notice that your horse is sort of rocking back when you first begin working in the front. They'll usually place the front leg (closest to you) behind the other. (Wrong-o) This has the effect of causing the horse to sort of "rock back" as if a tree blown in the wind. It also seems to put him in a position to "exit, stage left." We'll keep working at this until he learns to place his legs correctly, causing the horse to carry himself in a forward position in all respects (the tilt of his body, the placement of his legs, his thoughts).
You will find this to be a bit more difficult than the work you just did with the rear end. Because of this, I find it easiest to get this next maneuver, initially at least, by keeping some distance from the horse. We asked the hips to move away by standing rather close to the horse, perhaps a few feet. But now, step away a good 10 or even 20 feet and ask for the beginning of an outside turn, just as you practiced earlier. This time, keep an eye on the front foot closest to you. When it crosses in front of the other front foot, back off and relax for a moment. Make the horse understand that all we want to see is the leg closest to us take a step across the other. When the horse crosses "incorrectly" what he's doing (in his mind if not body) is leaning away from us or, worse, placing himself in a position to run away from us. Crossing correctly (foot closest to us crosses in front of the other) keeps him in an upright, forward and positive frame." - Print out from home
- 5 Days, 5 chapters
- Learn at your own pace
Just $5.99
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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GUEST AUTHOR ARTICLES
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"Have You Outgrown Your Horse?"
Written by Ron Petracek
How do you know when your horse is too small for you? Quite simply, when your horse can't carry you comfortably, you've outgrown him. Of course, there are ways to outgrow a horse well before he feels physical discomfort. So how do you know when it's time to upgrade to something a bit larger?
There are instances where your horse can handle your weight just fine, but you are simply too tall for your horse. How to tell? Well, if you are jumping over obstacles and your feet are banging on the rails, you are most likely too tall for your horse! But what about that same rider and horse who don't jump? If the horse can still handle the weight of the rider, whether or not the rider is too tall for the horse is a matter or aesthetics. If you are showing your horse and feel that your size is going to affect the outcome of the competition, that's a good reason to get a larger horse. Ask your instructor, a judge, or someone who is well-acquainted with your discipline to give you an honest assessment of how you fit your horse and whether or not that will have any bearing when you show your horse.
Which brings us to the fact that whether or not a horse fits a rider often has more to do with certain trends than it does with whether the horse can actually carry the rider. Today's fashion, for example, dictates that humongous horses carry tiny riders. Some people feel that a horse is too small if the rider's legs go more than halfway down its sides. On the other hand, disciplines like Western riding, endurance riding, and competitive trail riding focus more on the horse's ability to carry the rider, and not how the rider looks on the horse.
When deciding whether you've outgrown your horse, ask yourself a few questions. First, ask yourself whether your horse is comfortable carrying you.
If you are showing your horse, ask your self if the size of your horse, compared to the size of you, might negatively impact competition results. If there is a size-related reason that you feel is going to hold you back, it may be time to get a larger horse.
Finally, ask yourself whether you want to compete and ride with your horse, or whether you want another horse. Sometimes, it may be all about competing with a particular horse, and the outcome may not be all that important. In other cases, the outcome is most important and the horse is just the means to the end. There is no right or wrong answer, and the answer will vary from rider to rider.
In some cases, outgrowing a horse has nothing to do with size, but has to do with how far a particular horse can take you. If you are a rider who is improving and is ready to move on to the next level, you may need another horse to get you there.
Ron Petracek - Idaho Raise Horseman, Article Director
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Disclaimer: Equine training can be a hazardous activity which may subject the participants to possible serious injury. Keith Hosman, Josh Lyons, Patrick Benson, their associates and other trainers listed on this site will not assume any liability for your activities. Our newsletter, books and videos provide general information, instruction and techniques that may not be suitable for everyone. No warranty is given regarding the suitability of this information, the instructions, and techniques to you or other individuals acting under your instructions.
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Horse Owning: The Right Horse for Me, advice for the horse owner provided by John Lyons Certified Trainer Keith Hosman
Bookmark horsemanship101.com for Horse-Keeping Tips
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