Some riders tell me they have a problem when a course they are riding requires a roll back and a lead change. Some horses pick up the lead change in front but not in back. This is a problem that can pop up in any discipline and the cause is one of three things. The first is simply that the rider is not clearly communicating the desired action and is the cue is confusing the horse.
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Trouble-free trailer “unloading” is really quite easy… just reverse the steps used to teach your horse to load. Let’s start with your horse already loaded in the trailer, ideally with another experienced horse to give him confidence. If you followed my recommendations, his loading experience was a good one.
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One of the current topics of discussion and an important part of horsemanship is timing and feel. For me it is more correct to say feel and timing. You must feel what the horse is doing and then act promptly. Let’s look at what these aspects are and why they are important?
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Recently at one of my clinics, a rider told me that three different trainers told him flat-out that his horse did not like him. He was hoping that the clinic would help him understand if the horse would ever come to like him or if he should get a different horse.
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There is nothing more frustrating than having trouble loading your horse in a trailer. The way to avoid this is to take the time in the first place to properly teach your horse to load and unload properly.
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Horses know good leadership when they see it because their lives depend upon it. We probably all agree that the ultimate relationship with a horse is one in which the horse looks up to you,
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Before we start training outside the box (a confined area), it is important to recognize and learn how to read the horse to tell if he has inner energy and playfulness that needs to be released through forced exercise like longeing.
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“Try That One More Time.” When it comes to horses, these words are often looked back on with regret. They’re often the words muttered right before something goes terribly wrong.
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We are continuing our series on “training outside the box.” To review, we have discussed important steps to prepare for training on the trail, including reading the horse to recognize his inner energy level and working with him to release it, preparing the rider through warm up and stretching exercises, and building safety and confidence on the trail.
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