When you buy a horse, the first and foremost consideration must be your safety. Forget about the breeding, the colour, the amount of ribbons and trophies that the horse has won – all these things are pointless if the horse isn’t safe for you to ride. Many people own horses that are dangerous and unsuitable … Read more
Many people have horse problems and lots of people think there’ll be a magic fix for their particular issue. Here are some examples: ‘My horse used to be perfect but now he kicks up, bucks, rears, runs home (you name it). How can I overcome this?’ If only it were that simple. If your horse … Read more
Campdrafting started to become popular in Australia in the late 1970s. I was about eighteen when I started competing at local campdrafts and like most eighteen year olds, I thought I knew everything. However, after getting cracked off (disqualified) more times than I care to remember, it finally dawned on me that maybe I didn’t … Read more
In my grandfather’s day, horses had to earn their keep. A horse eating his head off out in the paddock wasn’t much use to anyone. Not many people could afford to keep a horse as a pet or just to ride on Sunday. Grandfather managed ‘Abbotsford’ at Picton, about 60 miles south west of Sydney. … Read more
People always ask me how to overcome horse problems or does my book cover this or that specific issue. Here are some examples: My horse: Doesn’t trust people, Is herd bound, Is barn sour, Bites when I do up the girth, Has head-tossing syndrome, Shies or Rears, Kicks and Bites, Pulls back, Bucks, Won’t back … Read more
When your horse is overfed and fresh and feeling frisky, lungeing him before you ride will help to get the excess energy out of his system. However, if your horse shies, rears, kicks up or uses other unwanted behaviour when you ride him, there’s absolutely no point getting off and chasing him from the ground. … Read more
A friend of mine recently bought a stock horse mare at the local horse sale. ‘I got a bargain,’ he said. ‘She’s only seven years old and she goes great. Let me show you.’ He rode the mare around and she danced and pranced and jigged and jogged and was very nervous and worried. She … Read more
People always ask me for advice on how to ‘fix’ their horse. ‘My horse rears/shies/kicks up/won’t leave the barn/won’t leave his friend/won’t go into the trailer…’ On and on it goes and everyone wants their horse ‘fixed’. Others say: ‘There’s something wrong with my horse because he lays his ears back/chases me/bites me when I … Read more
No matter what your horse does or doesn’t do, it’s cruel and pointless to punish him. When a horse shies or doesn’t stop or doesn’t change leads or doesn’t do whatever else the rider thinks he should do, running the horse down a fence, forcing him to run backwards, hitting him after the event or … Read more
People write to me all the time asking for help with their horses. “My horse is barn sour.” “My horse is herd bound.” “My horse has separation anxiety.” “My horse shies.” “My horse rears.” “My horse kicks.” “My horse bucks.” “How can I fix him?” No matter the problem, my answer is always the same. … Read more