Horse Training Archives - NW Horse Source

How to be Your Performance Horse’s Best Friend – Listen to Horses in Their Own Language

August 5, 2020June 30, 2020 by Anna Blake

The horse is relaxed and soft, volunteering his best answer to the rider’s quiet cues. Whether a competition horse or your trail horse, a sweet and successful partnership requires two-way conversations. Find a deeper connection with your horse by listening to his calming signals—the subtle body language horses use to …

How to Take a Riding Lesson – Eight Ways to be a Good Student

June 30, 2020June 1, 2020 by Kim Roe

Photo by Kim Roe

Many articles are written on how to find a good instructor. This article will focus on how to be a good student. Good instructors truly want to help their students learn. Instructors prepare lesson plans and bring their best into the arena. They want their students to succeed and have …

Rhythm of the Gaits

June 30, 2020May 28, 2020 by Kim Roe

The Canter is a three-beat gait. Photo by Kim Roe.

“Rhythm is the term used for the characteristic sequence of footfalls and timing of a pure walk, pure trot, and pure canter. The rhythm should be expressed with energy and in a suitable and consistent tempo, with the horse remaining in the balance and self-carriage appropriate to its level of …

When Your Trainer Yells “Go Forward”

June 30, 2020May 19, 2020 by Kim Roe

The ability to ride your horse forward is an important basic no matter your discipline. Even if your goal is to have a slow-moving pleasure horse, it’s still important to train your horse to go forward. Horses need to move actively forward for their physical and mental health, and for …

Wait! – Give Your Horse Time to Learn

June 30, 2020February 1, 2020 by Don Blazer

Photo by Kim Roe

In this day and age of instant everything, waiting can be hard to do, especially when you’re training a young horse (or an older horse for that matter). It’s easy to get excited; everything is now or soon. There are show classes for weanlings and yearlings, two-year-old futurities, and derbies …

Four Ways to Up Your Groundwork Game

August 5, 2020October 1, 2019 by NW Horse Source

#1 Let the horse digest a correction. When you make a correction and your horse responds correctly, let him think about it. Literally stop and let the horse stand still and digest what just happened. You’ll find that if you give your horse a chance to process the situation, he’ll …

Media Barn: 55 Corrective Exercises for Horses

August 5, 2020October 1, 2019 by NW Horse Source

Resolving Postural Problems, Improving Movement Patterns, and Preventing Injury By Jec Aristotle Ballou Over time, horses (like people) acquire postural habits, compensate for soreness and injury, and develop poor movement patterns. This limits performance ability, causes unsoundness and health issues, and ultimately undermines the horse’s overall well-being. Jec Aristotle …

Trainer’s Corner: Give Your Horse the Responsibility

August 5, 2020October 1, 2019 by Evan Bonner

Direct Your Horse and Let Him Do His Job By Evan Bonner Does your horse take the initiative in his work? Why should we ask our horse to be responsible? Do you allow your horse to be accountable for his actions, and how do you do that? I believe …

Trainer’s Corner: How to Put Your Horse in Balance – Part 2

August 5, 2020January 1, 2019 by Lynn Palm

Bending Aids and an Exercise By Lynn Palm Last month I described what correct bend is, and the aids to achieve it. In this article I’ll review the key points and give you an exercise to help train your horse to bend correctly. Review of Bending When a horse …

Media Barn: Book Review – Ride Better with Christoph Hess

August 5, 2020January 1, 2019 by NW Horse Source

Christoph Hess, a Fédération Equestre International (FEI) “I” Judge in both dressage and eventing, is highly respected around the world as a teacher of riding and the development of the horse according to classical principles. Here he collects some of his very best riding and training tips along with well-honed …