Does your horse get nervous when you are riding; spooking at horse eating plastic and other invisible dangers? Spooking is a natural reaction for horses. They are prey animals with a flight or fight instinct, which means they much rather run away from danger then fight it. Create confidence in your horse by doing some simple desensitizing lessons. Continue reading Basic Desensitizing
Riding patterns are used for almost every equine sport, from dressage to western horsemanship. Even if you only trail ride, patterns will help your steering and your horse’s focus. Continue reading Basic Riding Patterns Part 3
Riding patterns are great for any discipline or skill level. Patterns teach horses to be more focused on their rider and teach the riders precise steering, speed control, and to have a plan for their ride. Continue reading Basic Riding Patterns Part 2
Riding patterns will greatly improve the communication between you and your horse. When you give the horse a specific job to do he will become focused rather than wandering aimlessly around the arena. Patterns are a very important part of training; which keep him listening to you while working on fine-tuning your riding skills. Continue reading Basic Riding Patterns
Yielding the horse’s shoulders gives you greater control over your personal space, and the movement of the horse. Teaching this exercise will move the horse out of your space whenever he pushes into you with his shoulders. Also, you can position him anywhere you’d like during grooming or washing. Continue reading Yielding the Shoulders
Teaching the horse to yield his hindquarters when you ask is the foundation exercise of many ground work and riding lessons. This lesson teaches the horse to face you, bend his body, and cross his legs in response to pressure. By teaching him to yield on the ground first, it will be easier for the horse to understand once you start asking him under saddle. Continue reading Yielding The Hindquarters
Does your horse stop when you say “Whoa.” or does he push through the bridle and continue on? Maybe he stops when you give him a rein cue but you would like to refine your cues. If either of these situations sound familiar this lesson will help you teach the horse to stop on your seat and voice cues alone from any gait. Continue reading Refine The Stop
Many horses have a less than perfect trot. Two of the most common issues are horses that trot hollow with their head held high in the air, and horses that trot too quickly resulting in a rough ride. Many times both of these behaviors occur together and can be very frustrating to any rider. In this article I will give you some tips on how to quickly and effectively solve your horse’s problems at the trot. Continue reading Softening and Slowing The Trot
Lowering the horse’s head and neck will relax an inverted horse and teach him to give to bit pressure. This is exercise also teaches the very beginning of collection. Continue reading Vertical Flexion
If you are a beginning rider or have always wanted to learn how to ride, here is the place to start. I will teach you how to mount a horse and dismount a horse, and how to do it safely. Continue reading How To Mount A Horse