My pet aversion is seeing people chase horses backwards on the ground. The last thing I want any horse to do is move backwards away from me to relieve pressure. Everything you ever want to do with your horse relies on moving forward, not backwards. You must have forward movement to control your horse. Forcing … Read more
Everyone wants to be able to lead their horse calmly alongside. Nobody wants their horse to hang back or rush in front or pull away or run over the top of them. Some trainers say humans have a bubble around them that horses aren’t allowed into. Last time I looked, I didn’t have a bubble … Read more
In every aspect of training, what you want to do must always be more important to your horse than whatever he wants to do. The only way you can ‘fix’ any problem is for your horse to think it’s more important to do what you want than whatever he wants. Your horse must concentrate wholly … Read more
Everywhere I go I see older horses that are frightened of humans. Riding horses, brood mares, competition horses. Horses of all shapes and sizes, from four years old to twenty four years old. I see horses that are nervous and worried every time they’re approached, let alone handled or ridden. I’ve read that’s there’s been … Read more
In every group of horses, there’s always some form of pecking order. When you feed a mob of horses in the paddock, there’s always one horse who will chase the others away so he can eat more. If you take this boss horse away, another will take his place. In the wild, a stallion keeps … Read more
NEIL’S HORSE TRAINING HISTORY By Christine Davies I’ve known Neil since he was twenty and shared his love of horses for all those years. While I rode my nicely trained (by Neil) horse five or six days each week, Neil rode at least eight or nine ‘outside’ horses that came to our stables for training … Read more
I’ve seen many of the big name trainers working with horses and I don’t agree with much of what they do or what they say. I don’t agree with harassing horses with ropes and flags or letting horses buck with the saddle or roping their legs or chasing them around until they’re sweating and distressed. … Read more
Here, in no particular order, are a few home truths about horses: 1. It’s always good to ‘pet’ your horse at the appropriate time. Every horse will soon learn to enjoy having his head rubbed. Being nice to your horse doesn’t mean that he’s allowed to push over you or do whatever he pleases. 2. … Read more
Many people have an unjustified prejudice against the use of sticks and spurs in horse training. They think that sticks and spurs are cruel and are used to punish a horse and ‘show him who’s boss’, and therefore should never be used on any horse. Some people believe that horses are naturally afraid of sticks … Read more
Lots of trainers tie a plastic bag or a flag on the end of a stick and call it a ‘training tool’. When the stick is used, the plastic bag/flag makes a whooshing noise that frightens horses every time it’s waved near them. If a horse is already worried or frightened when you approach, you … Read more