Q: Knowing my horses and which is more dominant, should I feed in a specific order at feeding time and turn them out in a certain order?
A: The pecking order of your herd matters, and it’s helpful to...
Q: How can I get my horse to longe or go around the round pen in a complete circle? He keeps cutting in to the middle and making his circles too small.
A: Cutting in is a common occurrence...
In this exercise, you are going to send your horse through tight, narrow spaces without moving your feet. Horses are claustrophobic by nature and when made to go through tight, narrow spaces, they naturally want to use the reactive...
A horse that jigs and goes too fast is frustrating to deal with and no fun to ride. If you feel like you’re in a constant battle with your horse to slow down his feet, a great exercise to...
Use this exercise to teach your horse to confidently cross and jump over a variety of natural and man-made obstacles. Giving your horse a purpose will make training sessions more fun and exciting for both of you and will...
Riding a horse that refuses to go forward is like having a Ferrari with no gas pedal; sure, it's nice to look at, but it's absolutely useless. I teach horses to move forward off my legs using three separate...
Regardless of age or background, I begin all horses’ training in the round pen. As far as I’m concerned, the round pen is the safest area for you and your horse to initially build a relationship because you’re not...
This exercise teaches your horse to lead forward and turn left and right in response to gentle pressure to his muzzle. A lot of horses are defensive about being touched around their muzzles and faces in general. Getting the...
If you’ve been to any equine event, you’ve likely seen a horse steadfastly refusing to load into a trailer and a group of frustrated humans determined to change his mind. It’s the perfect recipe for someone to get hurt....
Round-pen work — also known as free longeing — is used by many horse owners, but the level of success achieved varies greatly. Used properly, this form of groundwork can be a valuable tool in building a solid foundation...
