By Neil Davies When you cannot catch a horse It’s hard to keep your cool You get so close, he walks away And makes you feel a fool Some say each horse must come to you “Chase him, make him move Be the boss, don’t give up You’ve got a point to prove” Forget the … Read more
Hi NeilThanks so much for sharing your knowledge. I have your book and both the foal handling and starting under saddle videos which I followed as closely as I could. My little colt had attitude and was a biter and kicker right from his first week but we got through that. He’s now 2 and … Read more
Here’s a scenario to ponder: A person who’s never even been near a horse before, attends his first riding lesson. The teacher says, ‘Welcome, we’ll start by putting you on a horse that bucks. Don’t worry, just work your way through it. We’ll teach you coping skills and tomorrow you can do it again. After … Read more
Here’s a quote from a scientific magazine. Although it’s written for social psychologists, it also applies to the horse world. ‘Social psychologists, of all academics, should be particularly alert to the dangers of epistemological homogeneity, or groupthink as some prefer to call it. They would be aware of the errors that can pollute the group’s … Read more
A horse that’s confident and relaxed thinks on a very simple level. When you tap your horse on the rump or touch him with your leg or spur, he moves forward and the tapping, leg or spur stops. Your horse soon learns how to make you stop tapping or spurring – just move forward and … Read more
Everyone who rides or handles horses will have problems at some point. Everyone has trouble at some stage. You may have a problem cantering on the correct lead; you may have a problem making your horse go; you may have a problem making your horse stop…. The list is endless. Sometimes, problems develop into something … Read more
I just watched a DVD of the Road to the Horse. A revolution in horse training it isn’t. At the end of the event, not one of the horses could even walk a circle in a confident and relaxed manner. There was an obsession with harassing horses with tarps, flags and ropes. It went on … Read more
It’s interesting to read of the problems people have with their horses and the advice given. In a lifetime of working with horses, the problems haven’t changed and unfortunately, the thinking about horses hasn’t changed much either. People think they need to make a horse ‘soft in the face’ or ‘control his hindquarters’ or chase … Read more
Rubbing a horse’s head, neck and around his ears gives him to time to relax. I show every horse that life is easy and pleasant when he has his head with me. Rubbing your horse’s head will be the start of a whole new relationship between you and your horse. Whenever you ask him to … Read more
Everyone looks for a magic fix to ‘cure’ their horse problems. Plenty of people will sell you a ‘magic’ halter, stick, lead rope, bit or some other contraption. None of them will really help. No contraption ever invented will teach your horse to be relaxed, confident and ready to learn. I’m going to tell you about the most valuable … Read more