Al Dunning 
Good training doesn’t always mean teaching the fanciest maneuver or the most complicated trick. Before a horse can become a confident trail partner, a reliable ranch horse, or a successful show horse, he needs a solid foundation of basic skills—and those basics are worth revisiting throughout his life. Knowing when … Read More
Q: Hi Al, Good morning, I have a question that I’m hoping you can answer for me. I have recently started riding a friends horse (after not riding for almost 10 years). It is a 6yr old gelding (Section D Welsh Cob). I rode him for the second time yesterday, … Read More
Q: Hi Al, I know quite a bit about horses but not training young ones. Twice I have seen people cross-tie a young horse under a year old and just leave it tied 24 / 7. One of them (for sure) was a colt, the other I don’t know. What … Read More
Correct Position Controls the Cow in Working Cow Horse by Al Dunning Working cow horse tests the agility, speed, and courage of a stock horse. In working cow horse classes, the horse must first hold the cow at one end of the arena, then run it down the fence … Read More
Performance Horse Health and Well-being by Al Dunning Nothing is more important for my horse than his health and welfare. I want to share my appreciation for all the horse has done for me by taking the best possible care of him. Most of the things I do to … Read More
Selecting a Saddle by Al Dunning Al Dunning has been in the horse business for over 50 years and has seen all kinds of saddles. Some are very functional, some are beautifully made, some are built to fit the horse properly, and others he calls ridiculous. The options … Read More
Q: Which is better? A male or a female horse? -Micole A: Hi Micole, Thank you for your question. As I understand, you are asking which makes a better horse, in general, a mare or a stallion. Mares can be wonderful to ride in many cases. There are instances … Read More
Q: I would like to give a little background so that my question will be as clear as possible: I own a 13 year old Cob X Frisian gelding (15.2hh) ride & drive called Roger. I have had him since he was a youngster & trained him myself in all … Read More
Q: Hello, I have a two year old QH that I’ve had since he was weaned from his mom at 6mo old. And since day 1 he has been shy and unapproachable. He only lets me pet or brush his rear if he is in a small confined area (so … Read More
The 5 Basics Every Horse Should Know by Al Dunning Question: When training a horse to do a particular task, how long will you continue to use a certain approach if it doesn’t appear to be working? Answer: Horses learn from repetition—good or bad. If you are using proven … Read More
