Trainer's Corner Archives – Page 2 of 13 – The Northwest Horse Source

Trainer’s Corner: My Journey with “Journey” the Mustang – Part 1

September 12, 2023April 15, 2023 by Matt Livengood

Matt and Journey. Photo courtesy Matt Livengood.

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 …

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Trainer’s Corner: Seeking Unity

June 13, 2023February 24, 2023 by Kim Roe

Photo Courtesy Kim Roe

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 …

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Trainer’s Corner: How to Ride a Good Circle

June 13, 2023December 23, 2022 by Matt Livengood

Ideally, a ranch horse will travel with forward movement, ridden with light contact on a relatively loose rein. Image Courtesy Matt Livengood.

Ranch Riding Exercises for Connecting with Your Horse Ranch Riding competitions promote the athletic ability and versatility of a ranch-style horse. As both a judge and a trainer/clinician I’m going to give you a few tips that will help you develop your horse’s ability to work at a forward, working …

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Trainer’s Corner: Prioritizing Balance

June 13, 2023November 23, 2022 by Cody Harrison

Photo Credit: Carrie Harrison

(Photo Caption: Zadiba, a Lusitano gelding owned, trained, and ridden by Cody Harrison, performs shoulder-in with good balance and in self-carriage.) With Balance, Your Horse Can Confidently Fulfill Almost Any Request One of the most fundamental components of training a horse needs to develop is correct balance. If the balance …

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Take Julie Goodnight’s Quiz to Learn your Horse’s Skill Set for Training

June 8, 2022June 6, 2022 by Dana Willett

Find a Horse’s Present Skills to Set the Right Training Goals for the Future SALIDA, Colorado, May 26, 2022—It’s hard to know where you’re going without knowing where you’ve been—and where you are right now⁠. Nothing is more true when it comes to training horses. Julie Goodnight developed a revealing …

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

April 19, 2022 by Steve Rother

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

January 3, 2022 by Steve Rother

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

December 1, 2021 by Steve Rother

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

November 1, 2021 by Steve Rother

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

October 1, 2021October 1, 2021 by Kim Roe

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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Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

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