If everything goes according to plan, I will add something new to my horsemanship resume. I’ve been asked to gallop my horse around the arena as 7,000 observers stand for the national anthem at this year’s Road to the Horse in Tennessee. It sounds like fun and I am honored to play a part in that patriotic moment. The question is: Will my horse be as enthusiastic as I am?

My daughter has spent the last two years as assistant trainer to one of the National Reined Cow Horse Associations million-dollar riders. While she was home for Christmas we had the opportunity to ride together. This was my chance to “debrief” her. While we were working some young horses on a flag (a mechanical cow), she said, “Dad, I’ve really learned how important it is to get a horse “broke through their body.”

Training a horse is like building a house. If you want to build a house, you need a strong foundation underneath. You can erect the building, paint the walls, and hang the curtains. Yet if there is no foundation, you’ll have problems when the storms come. Choosing paint colors and curtains is fun. Concrete and rebar are much less exciting. One thing is for sure: it’s a lot easier to put in a solid foundation prior to the house being built.

Feel, timing, and balance are three abstract terms often used to describe the qualities that great horsemen and women bring to the horse/human relationship. The late iconic horsemen, Tom Dorance and Ray Hunt, brought these ideas to the forefront for students and prodigies who were serious about improving their own horsemanship skills.

Hanging in your tack room is probably some form or style of snaffle bit. Perhaps you use it everyday. Or maybe it’s unused and gathering dust. There is probably no bit that is more widely used, regardless of the riding discipline, than the snaffle bit. Even though it is a commonly used piece of equipment,

PERFORMANCE HORSEMANSHIP WITH RICHARD WINTERS   Last month we discussed how to prepare and...

Introducing your saddle horse to a lariat rope and getting him comfortable with its use could go a long way in training your horse to become a safe and solid equine citizen. Even if you don’t plan on roping off of your horse, being desensitized and comfortable with the rope around his body could keep you out of trouble.

Over the last twenty years, Horsemanship Clinics have become very popular with horse enthusiasts. You would be hard pressed to find one of your horse loving friends who haven’t been to some type of clinic in hopes of improving their horsemanship skills.

Have you ever found yourself in one of the following real life scenarios? You and your husband have paid good money to ride in a clinic and both horses get frantic every time you attempt to ride in opposite directions. You’re riding in an arena and every time you start back toward the gate your horse speeds up.

In this article I want to discuss how rein and leg positions communicate to and control different parts of your horse’s body.

There are four basic positions for each rein.