Fifteen tips for starting young horses
Whether you are a novice or professional, there’s a lot the horse you are working with can teach you about communications. Keep it safe, fun, engaging and interesting for both of you and you’ll be amazed at how much more effective short and collaborative lessons can be than long sessions you dictate alone.
Starting under saddle – how long is too long?
Friday’s Opinion It seems the older I get, the more I’m inclined to ask the horse how he wants to proceed. Years ago, I’d relish the opportunity to engage a horse in a battle of wills that demonstrated my mettle and glue. Granted, it’s hard to know how much of my collaborative approach comes from […]
What’s all this horse talk about “respecting my space”?
Do you really want to teach a horse to learn through fear, exhaustion or pain to surrender to you? Wouldn’t it be better for both horse and human if space was shared and respect was mutual?
9 quick tips to catch a horse
Use the lead mare to help direct the herd. This isn’t necessary the one most would classify as the alpha (aggressive and hostile with the herd), but, instead, the one you see all others following. Moving horses to another location, bringing them to the barn, or catching a selected equine is a lot easier once you have the lead horse in hand.
Can’t catch your horse?
Whether it’s a riding horse that is playing hard to get or a retiree that has you spending hours horse chasing when you need to handle him, stop the frustration with some easy ideas to encourage them to come running.
Whisper, shout or click – is your system hearing the horse?
Getting a horse to do what you want is usually a pretty easy task. Most horses succumb to treats, threats, routine or demands if they understand your message. Still, there’s a difference between compliance and engagement.
Horse Care – Fifteen Quick Tips for spring
Be vigilant about checking, caring for and treating your horse’s feet. Wet ground and emerging rocks can create long-lasting problems if you fail to catch an issue early.
Twelve quick tips for safer horse boarding
If you’re used to taking care of your own horse, it can be a challenge to place his care in the hands of another. Leaving a horse at a remote facility can be even tougher. Sometimes you don’t have a choice. Others view boarding as a standard feature of horse ownership and assume the owners […]
Eleven Quick Tips for dealing with alpha horses
Alpha mares and fillies can present some interesting challenges where training and handling are concerned. They also become some of the most loyal high achievers you’ll ever encounter if you learn how to reach them. All seem to have heart beyond the norm, smarts and a wilfulness about them that will test your fortitude. Try […]
Alpha Mares – how do you define them?
I’ve seen a lot of chatter – and some interesting convictions – concerning the alpha equine. Some base their comments on alleged scientific fact culled from published and apparently credible herd observer gurus and others either expound on what they’ve been told or make it up as they go. Admittedly, I’ve logged many years as […]