People often say “but my horse doesn’t like having his head rubbed”. I know this is true in many cases. No horse likes having his head rubbed when he’s first handled. Every horse will be worried when your hand first comes near his head and ears. If a horse doesn’t like having his head rubbed, … Read more
One way to communicate with your horse is to apply pleasantness or withdraw pleasantness. Another way to communicate with your horse is to apply pressure or relieve pressure. When you think about it realistically, these are the only tools we have and the only tools we need, for every training situation. When you use these … Read more
Training horses isn’t easy. When you set out to train a horse, the plain fact is that you’re going to have problems at some point. Different problems will arise at different stages with different horses. No two horses have the same experiences and handling. Every horse will react slightly differently in any given situation. You … Read more
The first thing I do with every horse is go to him and rub his head. I teach him that life is easy and pleasant when he has his head with me. This is the most important thing you can teach any horse. Next, I teach her to stand and keep her head with me … Read more
One of my grandfather’s favourite sayings was ‘Work beats the best of them, man or beast’. He firmly believed that if you were having trouble with a horse or a man, the best thing to do was to work them to the point of exhaustion. When I was a kid, Billy Wilkie was another old … Read more
Many horse trainers make lots of money selling all sorts of gadgets and widgets. You can buy ‘special’ lasso ropes to catch your horse and ‘special’ halters to make him ‘respect’ you. There are the ‘special’ sticks with magic powers, all sorts of bridles to solve all sorts of problems and halters to ‘cure’ a … Read more
Horse training isn’t complicated. Your horse concentrates on three simple things, every time you ride or handle him. When you concentrate on the same three things, you’re thinking on the same level as your horse. Understanding this is the key to horse training. Every movement you teach every horse comes back to these three things. … Read more
Many people tell me about the problems they have with their horses. I hear of rearing horses, shying horses, horses that kick up, buck, pull the reins, run home and any number of other issues. People often say, ‘There’s something wrong with my horse. I need someone to fix him.’ Many trainers will tell you … Read more
Catching horses has absolutely nothing to do with horse herds, pecking orders, respect or domination. Everyone must remember that it’s not a competition when you go to the paddock to catch your horse. Horses know nothing about winning or losing. Some horses learn to run away when they see someone coming to catch them. This … Read more
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