Confused? Imagine how the horse must feel!

Seriously, the various canters are among the most difficult horse training feats because of their somewhat unnatural demands. Here’s what I mean:

Imagine taking a young child out to play, getting them excited and ready to run, but then insisting they adjust their pace to slower than a full run but faster than a slow jog. This is the same dilemma horse trainers face when teaching their animals to obey various canter leads.

Often, a horse will have difficulty taking the right lead when it is nervous. And this can happen when the rider is nervous and the horse picks up on it.

Also, a problem with canter can be a simple matter of the horse being stubborn. Remember this is a very disciplined range of motion; otherwise it wouldn’t be required for show horses in the first place.

As with many difficulties that arise in the horse training process, canter issues can be overcome with extra time spent building trust and creating a relaxed experience. And again, nervous energy is most often transferred to the horse from the rider, so it’s imperative that you learn to relax in the saddle while working through your canter problems.

Originally posted 2008-06-02 01:26:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Training or teaching wild horses that have never been in captivity is relatively different from training horses bred and raised around people and fences. Horses, in general, are creatures of movement. They learn everything through movement. As a herd, horses rely on each other for safety. They have a certain hierarchy within the herd, where the strongest stallion is the leader. Constantly, that leader is challenged by other stallions to ensure that the leader is still capable of leading them. In horse training, you will have to be that leader.

The first step in training a wild horse is to establish trust. You will have to gain his trust before you can do anything with that horse. You cannot work with any horse if that horse does not trust you. One way of achieving this is to put the horse in a small pen and visit him every single day. You feed him, water him, and talk to him in a mild, reassuring manner. Some people even sing to the horse. But if you cannot sing, do not even try. You will be doing more harm than good.

Eventually, the horse will start to trust you. The horse will soon realize that you are not there to hurt him. Once this happens, you can now go inside the pen and slowly but firmly give him a massage or body rub. This will help strengthen the bond that you are now starting to build with the horse.

When you are confident that the horse no longer sees you as a threat, you can now start showing him objects that he will be using in the future. The rope and the halter must be the first items you should introduce to him. Let him smell it, rub it against his back and neck, so he will get used to it. Let him wear the halter for a few hours everyday, but take it off when you leave.

When you have acquainted the horse with objects around him like fences, ropes, the halter, the saddle, and everything else, he becomes more trusting. Once the horse looks to you as a leader, you now do what you want. Training him will be easier. However, there will be occasional stubborn behavior displays; this means the horse is testing your leadership. As previously mentioned, horses constantly test the leader of the herd. You will have to be firm in showing him who is boss.

Originally posted 2009-07-29 17:56:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Originally posted 2008-09-16 22:39:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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There are things that you will need like a halter, a lead, bridle, obstacles such as tarp, plastic, concrete, plywood, a platform, or poles in the ground. You might also need a tractor and a flat. In short, you will need objects that the horse might normally see everyday. The point here is to get the horse acquainted with everyday objects that he may encounter. Anything they are not used to in the wild may easily startle them.

You need to set goals when training a wild horse. Your first goal is to teach your horse the first set of basics such as catching the horse easily without him getting startled, or without you running all the time. Your second goal is to be able to smoothly halter the horse without any resistance like bolting, bucking, biting, or any other bad behavior.

The third goal is to be able to turn the horse without you having to deal with rearing or wheeling.

When you and your horse have achieved these three initial goals, then you can move on to bigger and better horse training. It is essential that you and your horse feel confident with each other before you move on to other steps in horse training. If you still see any signs of behavior problems, you will need to start back from the beginning, or start from where you noticed the behavior started.

Training a wild horse will take some time. Wild horses are used to being free to graze the land in which they grew up. They are not used to humans and fences. You have to give them the time to adjust and get to know their environment better. Working with horses takes a lot of patience, understanding and commitment. You cannot just expect them to follow your every whim when freedom is still fresh in their minds. Remember how the turtle won the race? Slow and steady. You will be investing a lot of time when working with a wild horse.

Originally posted 2009-07-29 17:52:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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This is essential for effective competition and for the safe handling of your horse.

Lunging is executed with your horse moving in a circle around your fixed position. You’ll use gestures, body language, and of course voice tone to find the perfect level of cooperation.

Tools for this training include a lunging rein – like an extended lead rope – and a whip. The whip works as a visual and audio aid, and of course is not for hurting the horse.

Proper lunging allows you to watch your horses’ frame and movements from the ground. This lets you get a feel for his/her natural abilities, training progress, and can help pick up on problems or injuries not noticeable from the saddle.

Before actually interacting with your horse, you need to practice alone. Any clumsiness with the tools or a lack of confidence in your command of the exercise will confuse or upset the horse.

Since this is one of the most critical areas of horse training, you are advised to seek professional and personal guidance in developing the right skills and postures for proper execution.

Originally posted 2008-05-28 01:29:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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We need to understand that horses are creatures of movement. They live through movement. In the wild, the survival of the horse depends entirely on movement. They also learn things in the wild through movement. That is why horses, wild horses, can be so graceful. Every time you see them run free in the fields, you stare at the perfect motion of its body. It is like watching a ballerina or a figure skater doing a routine, or watching Michael Jordan doing one of his moves above the rim, with grace. Unfortunately, that is the reason why horses have unusually large brains for animals their size. They use most of it just to keep their feet in the right place. Their brains are specially structured to control their movement, because as previously mentioned, they are creatures of movement.

Another thing we have to understand about horses is that, they are herd animals. In the world of horses, they follow a certain hierarchy like wolf packs. Every herd has to have a leader. Like wolves, horses are required to follow the leader, but they are also obligated to constantly challenge that leader. A strong leader makes a strong herd. Horses feel more secure when they have a leader, but they also expect the most from their leader. Occasionally, the horse will test its leader, to see if it is still worthy of entrusting with its life and safety. The leader has to pass those tests; otherwise, the horse will take over. Horses do not like to be leaders; but make no mistake, they will if they have to. Understand that you are the leader in this scenario. You have to be firm, consistent, and precise when dealing with horses.

As a leader, you have to be able to make the horse move its feet. Because in the wild, the herd leader leads through movement. If the horse complies with you, that means he has accepted your leadership. You have to show your dominance over him. That is what leaders in the animal kingdom do.

Originally posted 2009-07-29 17:47:19. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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One of the trainings that your horse must undergo is the saddle training. To do the training successfully, I have here some tips just for you.

1. When training your horse, start with a lead rope that is 14 feet long. If you do not have a lead rope, you can always make one by visiting your local hardware and get the necessary materials needed.

2. Have the lead rope with you and swing it very gently towards the feet of your horse. Do this every now and then so that your horse will be desensitisized with the feeling. By and by work your way up to their back and then let it wrap again around their side. When doing this, it is best that you do this in a round pen. If you do not have one, a smaller enclosed area will do also.

3. If you feel like your horse has been desensitisized with the lead rope, it is time to use the whip. By using the whip, it will create such noise that most horses usually hate. Repeat the procedure that you did in step two to make him feel comfortable with it.

4. The desensitisizing and lunging of your horse after two weeks may have already paid off. And now it is time for you to move on to the next part of the training. Tie your horse using a quick release knot to a pole or the side of the pen. By this time, your horse should already be comfortable with the whip and your lead rope. Now, it is time for you to thrust the saddle blanket on the side of your horse but not on the back. Gently rub the blanket around the side, down the legs, on the buttocks and near the neck. Do this for a couple more days or until the horse is somewhat comfortable already.

5. After rubbing the blanket for a couple of days try edging the blanket higher towards his back but then do not place it on the back. Instead just let your horse feel it and then take it off. Do this for a couple of days too.

6. For a short period of time from placing and taking the saddle off, you should now be able to leave the saddle blanket for a short period of time. If by doing this your horse gives a lip, lunge on him and make it hard to show who is in control. And also, do not forget to place him still on his lead rope. Avoid making him trot also.

7. By this time of the training, your horse must be comfortable with having the blanket put anywhere on him. Now take him to an enclosed area and then slip the rope over but let it loose and do not tie it anywhere. Then take the saddle and do the same way as you did with the saddle blanket. If by doing this your horse reacts in a questionable manner, get out of his way immediately and just go back if he is already calm.

8. If after you have gotten out of his way and he still does something bad, lunge him and do it harder than before. This is to teach him who is in control and helping him realizes his mistakes.

9. Also, keep in mind that while making him comfortable with the saddle; make him accept the cinch too. To do this, swing the lead rope on his back, his hooves and underneath the girth. Then place the rope over his back to where the girth and cinch should be. Then slowly grab the rope from underneath and wrap it up and have a tied loop around your horse. Then while doing this gradually tighten the rope and make it even tighter each time you do this to him.

10. Going back to the saddle, do the same thing as you did with the rope. Bring the saddle’s girth around, take the cinch and tighten it to the lowest setting. You should do this gently but quickly and then lunge. Now, be careful when you are lunging your horse because your horse might kick, flail around or kick. If he is already comfortable at a trot, face him and then give him some praise.

Originally posted 2009-08-19 17:22:19. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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For instance, you’ll use a lead rope to communicate with the horse about the direction, speed, and nature of motion you want it to take. But let’s be honest: the rope is not leading the horse, you are.

So in philosophical terms, lead really is a measure of your dominance within the relationship. It’s a reference to your leadership in all matters of directing and controlling the horse.

It’s a good idea to initiate lead training indoors, or at least in an area with minimal distraction and noise. This will make it easier for a new horse to focus on your communications.

And probably the first time you bring the horse into the training area, he/she is going to want to check everything out. You can avoid a lot of conflict and distraction by simply allowing your horse a few minutes to investigate the area, and gently assuming a dominant position over a period of a few minutes.

Over time, you will be able to direct the horse anywhere in the arena, adjusting speed and direction as you see fit, and successfully executing stops and starts at will.

Originally posted 2008-05-31 01:27:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Biting
Check your horse and the bit. If the bit does not fit comfortably in your horse’s mouth, there is a tendency that your horse will likely toss or bob his head. Check if the bit is too thick, too narrow and pinching or too much of a mouthful. Also try to see if the curb strap is too loose that it allows a curb bit to rotate too far from in your horse’s mouth. Check if it is too high or the opposite. Also, check if the bit is too harsh and your horse is trying to avoid it.

Insects
Sometimes your horse bobs or tosses his head because insects are biting his ears. He gets frantic about this. If this is so, try to put ear covers and insect repellent for your horse.

Dental
At times the teeth of your horse wear unevenly and can have an uncomfortable hooks and edges to your horse. Because of this, your horse would tend to scrape his cheeks or tongue while he chews. That is why as frequently as every half a year, have your horse’s teeth checked as the teeth problems can make problems in holding a bit.

Improper Rein Aids
Some horses toss or bob their heads in response to the rider’s mishandling of the reins. To be able to have proper rein, you must at first know how to have sympathetic and light hands that follow the movement of the horse while you re maintaining enough contact to control your horse. If you still do not know how, try to ask some professional help.

Saddle Fit
Make sure that the saddle really fits the horse as an improperly fitted saddle could pinch the back of your horse.

Originally posted 2009-03-19 15:32:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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