Good Training Focuses on the Mental and Emotional State of Horses Many times, as we work with our horses we have a physical goal in mind—we want them to accomplish something specific such as getting in the trailer, standing still or moving when told, or performing a flying lead change. … Read More
How to Create an Easy-to-Catch Horse One of the more satisfying moments in horse ownership is standing at a field gate, calling your horse, and have him break into a canter and come joyfully to you. By contrast, it’s frustrating to find yourself walking after a sour-faced horse who turns … Read More
Have Clear Expectations and Good Communication Deciding to send your horse out for training is a huge commitment and financial expense. When you put your horse in training it’s important to define your expectations. Select a trainer who specializes in the discipline you’re interested in pursuing. For example, we train … Read More
Pay Attention to Four Crucial Areas It was an ordinary late summer day—dry and warm, the perfect moment to be on horseback. We had been riding daily since mid June and had led almost 1000 kids, ages 8 to 10, out on trail rides. Most of them were first-time riders, … Read More
Affirmative Training Shapes Behavior It started the way it usually starts. Either the horse looked to the side or the rider pulled on her horse’s face. It’s the fundamental disagreement; the rider thinks it’s her right to control the horse and the horse doesn’t like having metal jammed on his … Read More
Competition Day and Beyond At the end of our last article, I’d been out of town judging shows and wishing I had more time to prepare my mustang, Journey, for the upcoming Mustang Mania Trainers Challenge (see the July/August issue). These mustang competitions demand a solid, trusting relationship between horse … Read More
Competitions and Opportunities Highlight Mustangs’ Qualities At the end of the last article, I’d finally saddled Journey, my formerly wild mustang who I was preparing for a 90-day competition, with a full-sized saddle after starting him with a kid’s saddle. Then life happened, and I had to be gone for … Read More
From BLM Holding to Accepting a Saddle In my first article in this series, I introduced you to Journey, my 4-year-old (formerly) wild mustang. I chose him by looking through photos of available mustangs for a 90-day mustang competition where competitors gentle and then ride wild horses. I brought Journey … Read More
What is a Mustang? Mustangs are the wild horses of the American West. When most people think of wild horses, they think of stallions rearing and fighting with a band of mares and foals watching intently. Or maybe they think mustangs are a thing of the past—those great herds of … Read More
Step One: Say Hello “We are taught to watch or feel for external changes in the horses we work with but pay little attention to the internal changes. Even when we do look for internal changes in the horse, we often are paying little attention to what is going on … Read More
