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 … Read More
(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 … Read More
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 … Read More
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 … Read More
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 … Read More
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 … Read More
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 … Read More
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, … Read More
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 … Read More
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 … Read More
