How to Find and Own the Circle – Try to Try, Part 4

Photo by Cara Crain

Over the last few months we’ve discussed training your horse in a way that encourages him to “try to try”. We want to train in a way that influences your horse to choose the thinking part of the brain rather than the reactive part when faced with everyday decisions. At …

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Mind Games – Create a Horse Who Thinks and Looks for Direction

The key to getting in sync with your horse’s mind is to resist the human instinct to stop when faced with something unexpected. Photo by Cara Crain

In this article, we discuss how you can influence your horse to choose the thinking part of the brain rather than the reactive part when faced with everyday decisions. The mind of the horse is very powerful and is a key component in creating an all-round partner. In our previous …

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Try to Try vs. Try to Quit Part 2 – Teach Your Horse to Load in the Trailer Easily

Photo from Steve Rother

Our previous article focused on teaching your horse to “try to try” rather than “try to quit”. In this article we will take a focused look on using this idea to train trailer loading. We’ve all had (or known someone who had) a horse that couldn’t be loaded into a …

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Try to Try versus Try to Quit – Set Your Horse Up to Find the Correct Answer

Try to Try. Photo by Cara Crain

When teaching your horse to try to try, it’s important to make a plan. One example would be inside versus outside the trailer, with the correct option being inside the trailer and the wrong option being outside the trailer. I want the horse to find the answer, so I set …

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Training Transitions – This Vital Exercise Should be Part of Every Training Session

Extended trot results from many transitions from working trot to a extended and back again.

As a young and serious rider my teacher would often tell me, “You need to work on your transitions more.” I’d do as I was told, but I never really understood why. I didn’t find them easy or fun, and neither did my horse. Now I’m wearing the instructor’s hat, …

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How to Deworm Your Horse – Avoid Problems While Performing this Essential Horse Care Task

I often find myself stepping in and taking over when I see one of my boarders struggling to deworm their horse. Recently, a client was getting into a bit of a scuffle with her gelding while performing this task, so I decided to teach instead of do. After the job …

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5 Ways to Help Your Arena-Sour Horse – Cross-Training is Essential for a Happy Horse

Photos by Kim Roe

Does your horse slow down every time you ride by the gate out of the arena? Does he stop or walk like his legs are made of stone as you lead him up to the mounting block? Does it sometimes feel like you’re working harder than he is and that …

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Move those Hips! How to Train the Turn-on-the-Forehand

The turn-on-the-forehand mobilizes the hips, supples the muscles of the horse’s back, hind legs, and haunches, and teaches the horse to yield to the inside leg. Photo by Kim Roe

One of the most basic lateral movements, the turn-on-the-forehand, maneuvers the horse’s hips around his forehand. This exercise teaches the horse to move away from the pressure of the rider’s leg, aids in control, and makes the horse more agile and supple. The mobilization of the hips and the consequential …

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Horse Training Concepts – Going Deeper with Horses Reaps Great Rewards

Photo by Aliena Hook

We shall take great care not to annoy the horse and spoil his friendly charm, for it is like the scent of a blossom—once lost, it will never return. – Antoine de Pluvinel   Horses and people aren’t much different. Our basic needs for living a good life are essentially …

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No Bend, No Balance – Use Lateral Work to Train Your Horse to Bend

Horse training is mostly about these three basics: balance, timing, and rhythm. Horses trained and ridden with these priorities as the foundation of their training will be soft, relaxed, and maneuverable—a joy for both horse and human. Horses’ fear of falling is one of their greatest. Not only can a …

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