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

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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How to Deworm Your Horse – Avoid Problems While Performing this Essential Horse Care Task

September 19, 2021 by Kim Roe

I often find myself stepping in and taking over when I see one of my boarders struggling to deworm their horse. Recently, a client was getting into a bit of a scuffle with her gelding while performing this task, so I decided to teach instead of do. After the job …

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5 Ways to Help Your Arena-Sour Horse – Cross-Training is Essential for a Happy Horse

August 1, 2021 by Kim Roe

Photos by Kim Roe

Does your horse slow down every time you ride by the gate out of the arena? Does he stop or walk like his legs are made of stone as you lead him up to the mounting block? Does it sometimes feel like you’re working harder than he is and that …

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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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