My mother has a small companion dog named Lilly. When mum takes her for a walk, Lilly decides where they go and how fast they go. Mum allows Lilly to stop and sniff under shrubs, walk across the driveway to talk to a neighbour and generally walk wherever and however the little dog chooses. Mum … Read more
CONSIDER YOUR HORSE By Neil Davies Do you think your horse enjoys it When you tie him up to fight Do you really think he’s happy As he pulls with all his might Do you think your horse is having fun When you chase him from the ground Do you really think he loves it … Read more
Q: Do your trainers have any tips for stopping a horse from pawing and kicking out while he is travelling in the trailer? My 10-year-old crossbred gelding does this if he is travelling on his own, or with a friend. He is wrecking the inside of my trailer and it’s quite distracting for me when … Read more
Q: “I have a former racehorse who is very unhappy about having his ears touched around the base especially, which makes it quite hard to bridle him. For example, to arrange his forelock and mane around his headpiece, and also to get rid of sweat from the area. Can you please give me some advice … Read more
There’s a big difference between a horse doing as you ask and half doing as you ask. This includes catching an unhandled horse for the first time. It should never take weeks or months to catch an unhandled horse. Sneaking around a frightened horse for weeks on end isn’t good for the horse or the … Read more
My recent visit to the US made me realise how ingrained bad training ideas have become. Unfortunately, so many of these beliefs are accepted far and wide. Ideas like you must become your horse’s leader and you must gain his respect have been marketed for the last thirty years. Thinking like this leads to many … Read more
When a horse lays his ears back and bites, the handler invariably moves out of the way and yells “No” or “Don’t bite” or something similar. After all, people don’t want to be bitten. Then, a few seconds later, the handler hits at the horse. The horse knows this is coming and may ‘counter punch’ … Read more
Q:Would you, given large enough paddocks with safe fencing, run a group of eight horses as a single herd, or split into two or three (or more) smaller groups? If you split them, would you split by age/gender or have a mixture? Tara, via email Hi Tara, From your question, I can tell you … Read more
Question: I recently bought an 11-year-old TB gelding with a potentially dangerous habit. This horse is a bit high energy, but he generally behaves well both on the ground and under saddle. The problem comes when I turn him out after riding him. As we approach the gate to his paddock, he rushes up to … Read more
From Sharon What do you think about using food treats as rewards while training horses. Is it effective, or does it just turn them into pushy, demanding horses? Does it encourage them to start nipping for treats, which is what we were told at pony club? Hi Sharon It is okay to use treats as … Read more