Several years ago at a horse expo when another presenter cancelled at the last minute, I was asked to fill in and discuss disaster preparedness for hurricanes, tornados, fires, etc. With nothing prepared, I decided to talk in terms of common sense. The question centered on whether it is better to leave horses in the barn/stall when there is a hurricane or tornado watch or,
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I work part-time for the Forest Service at a horse campground. If often hear trail riders who come to the campground say they’ve been told to ride with very loose rein. They have their reins hanging down so low that if a horse got spooked and took off,
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The exercise we call “concentrated circles” is a critical foundation training exercise. This exercise teaches the horse to bend around you, which improves suppleness. It also provides important schooling of the go-forward cue.
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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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I have a question regarding using one rein, versus two, while riding and stopping your horse. When I ride with two hands or use the one-rein stop on my horses, it seems to calm them and refocus their attention.
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We all have busy times when we can’t work with our horses as much as we would like. Family, illness, work and weather can prevent us from working our horses consistently.
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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. I’ve also covered training tips for dealing with the horse who wants to always be in the lead.
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My pony keeps her head up when I’m attempting to ride her in a collected frame. When I first got her she was so nervous about the bit in her mouth and what the rider might do. We outfitted her in a loose-ring snaffle, which has helped her put her head down somewhat.
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I have a 10-year-old horse that was born on my farm. From day one has been an ADD/spooky horse. He has been a challenge! Although we have made progress, it seems like I’m always going back to square one. My background is in dressage, but I do a lot of ground work too; some round pen, longeing, etc.
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In this article we will incorporate upward transitions from a jog/trot to a halt and the upward transition of the halt to jog/trot in the pattern. I’ll explain the aids the rider should use to keep her horse “straight” on the circles
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