How much confidence do you have in your horse? Will you take him anywhere, or do you avoid some situations because you are afraid you will not be able to control him? This month, we will cover some simple exercises that will increase your trust in your horse and give you the confidence to put him in new situations.
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Last month, we discussed how you can build your trust in your horse. This month, we will cover the other half of that equation: how can you build your horse’s trust in you? Some people believe horses are cowardly animals. While it’s true that they are a fright and flight animal, programmed to run when something frightens them, think about how quickly horses get over their fears once we show them they are not in danger.
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How much confidence do you have in your horse? Will you take him anywhere, or do you avoid some situations because you are afraid you will not be able to control him? This month, I will discuss three important things you should be able to do with your horse.
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Last month, we covered teaching your horse to load in the trailer safely and calmly. Many times trailer loading problems are caused by a bad experience or an injury to the horse while he is being hauled. Problems such as these are often the hardest to fix.
This month, I will talk about trailer safety, which includes inspecting and evaluating the components and features of your trailer. I’ll also talk about trailering safely and how to make your horse’s experience while going down the road as safe and relaxing as possible.
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Having a horse that will calmly and safely get in and out of the trailer in any situation is very important. The trailer is a relatively small, enclosed space, where you and your horse can get hurt easily if things go wrong.
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“Whoa” may well be the most important cue you teach. It is essential for your safety that you can get your horse stopped when you need to.
Getting your horse to move out
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Whether you compete in trail classes or not, trail obstacle courses are a great way to get your horse used to a lot of things and have fun. In this month’s article, I will review nine common trail obstacles and how I like to see them approached when I am judging a trail class.
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