Your timing is critical in every aspect of horse training. If you’re even a few seconds early or late with your timing, your horse won’t understand what you want and he won’t respond as you think he should. Horses learn only from the immediate result they get. You must correct your horse by making things … 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
The near-side of a horse is his left hand side when you’re sitting on his back. His off-side is his right hand side. It’s ingrained into most horse people that horses should always be handled from the near-side. We’re told to always approach and catch a horse from the near-side and to saddle, bridle and … Read more
Your attitude and how you think about horses, is the most important part of horse training. Your ability to handle horses isn’t worth a dime if your underlying thinking is flawed. Here are a few examples: 1. If you think your horse is being bad or naughty on purpose, you’ll punish him for reasons that … Read more
Many people have a happy agreement with their horse, whereby the rider is happy when their horse mostly does as they ask for most of the time. Whether they ride in an arena, in a paddock, down the road or on the trail, many people are happy to simply arrive at their destination. They don’t … Read more
There’s a misconception in the horse world that you need to do something to a horse’s mouth or nose so that he’ll stop or turn. In fact, I’m often asked how I ‘mouth’ a young horse. My answer is always the same, “I’ve never been able to teach any horse’s mouth anything.” There’s no process … Read more
A horse is a very sensitive creature. He can feel the lightest touch of your hand and the slightest squeeze of your leg. He can hear the slightest rustle in the bushes and feel the smallest fly land on his back. This is how a horse is made. There’s nothing you or anyone else can … 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
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
You must always be definite and consistent whenever you’re with your horse and you must have definite rules. When your horse does as you ask, you must always make things relatively easy and pleasant for him. When he isn’t doing as you ask, you must make things a little unpleasant for him. These rules must … Read more