Clinicians | Ride Magazine

The ‘Move Away from Me’ Command

Horses need to respect four major ground training commands: “move away from me,” “come
toward me,” stop, and back. In my last two articles, we covered the “come to me” and “whoa”
commands. In this article I will give you the steps to teach your horse the “move away from me”
command.
Before starting, make sure that your horse is properly equipped. He should be wearing a properly
fitting halter, with a longe line, and leg protection. I prefer using a longe line over a lead rope for
ground training, but will use both terms in these articles.

Trail Tips

by Charles Wilhelm | | Charles Wilhelm

A lot of problems happen out on the trail because we don’t do any, or the
right preparation. I am happy to share some tips to make your trail riding
safer and more fun. There are several things we need to think about before
we go out on the trail.
First, we need to consider how well trained our horse is. Many horses out on
the trail should not really be our there. People go out thinking that because
they can get the horse to go forward at a walk and trot, the horse is safe to go
out on the trail. Going forward is good but there are many more aspects to be
considered. One important question to ask is, can you stop your horse
easily? Does your horse listen to you?

The ‘Whoa’ Command

by Lynn Palm | | Lynn Palm

Horses need to respect four major ground training commands: “move away from me”, “come
toward me”, “stop”, and “back.” In the last article I gave you the steps for teaching your horse the
“come to me” command. This time we will include the “whoa” command. I am taking this lesson
plan directly from my 6-part Longevity Training Video series where I demonstrate each
maneuver with several young horses.
Before starting, make sure that your horse is properly equipped. He should be wearing a properly
fitting halter, with a longe line, and leg protection.

Using Treats to Train a Horse

by Charles Wilhelm | | Charles Wilhelm

I personally do not believe in giving treats when training because a horse is a very
easily conditioned animal. When I was located at a training facility that I drove to
every morning, my horses would nicker and come running up to the end of the
paddock because they recognized the sound of my diesel engine even before they
saw the truck. It became a conditioned response for them. Most people thought that
was nice and that they loved me but actually they knew that once I got there, they
would soon be fed. They also got to be aggressive, running into the stall, nickering
and basically yelling feed me, feed me, feed me.

“Come to Me” Training

by Lynn Palm | | Lynn Palm

Horses need to respect four major ground training commands: “move away from me,” “come
toward me,” “stop,” and “back”. In this article I will give you the steps to teach your horse the
“come to me” command.
Before starting, make sure that your horse is properly equipped. He should be wearing a properly
fitting halter, with a longe line, and leg protection. I prefer using a longe line over a lead rope for
ground training, but will use both terms in these articles.
No matter what the horse’s age, I introduce these commands first in a confined, familiar location
like stall, round pen, or small paddock. Remove any distractions such as buckets or hay.

Golden Rules for Ground Training Part 2

by Lynn Palm | | Lynn Palm

Before we start on specific lessons, you need to understand and follow my Golden Rules for ground training any horse. We covered the first two in past issues of this magazine and website. To review, Golden Rule #1 is to respect your position, as a handler, in relationship to your horse. Golden Rule #2 is to make straightness a goal.

Dealing With a Horse That Bites or Kicks

by Charles Wilhelm | | Charles Wilhelm

What causes a horse to start biting or kicking? What can we do about it?
A horse will bite or kick most frequently in an enclosed area like a stall,
a stall and paddock or in cross ties. Every time you approach your horse,
you have an opportunity to “read” your horse. As you approach the stall,
the horse’s ears may be back or there may be some aggressive behavior
like pawing. This may be because you brought a treat and the horse is
anxious and demanding. The horse is getting a little cranky, t

Setting a Goal for Your Horse and Reaching It

by Charles Wilhelm | | Charles Wilhelm

It is good to set goals for our horses and if one of your goals is to take your horse to a show, this article will help you develop a plan. There are a lot of steps between setting the goal and accomplishing it. What I like to do in training a horse is to have a training program planned before I start. It is good to have a weekly, three-month, 6-month and yearly road map. I allow as much time as is needed for each step working with that particular horse. For example, if I start a horse under saddle, normally in about three months, the horse will be 75% to 80% finished. After three months,

Know Your Rein Aids

by Julie Goodnight | | Julie Goodnight

I’m a bit confused about rein aids—how they differ in English and Western riding. I’ve been hearing terms like direct and direct opposition, indirect and indirect opposition. What do these terms mean and when do you use them while riding?

Golden Rules for Ground Training

by Lynn Palm | | Lynn Palm

No matter what your horse’s age, investing the time in ground training will make him a more
responsive, obedient partner. I’d like to share with you my “Golden Rules” for ground training
any horse.
Before beginning any ground training lesson, make sure you have set the foundation for success
we discussed in the “Beginning Ground Training” series. Go back and review them if you need
to. Here’s a quick summary.