Horse training | Ride Magazine

The Benefits of Using a Round Pen – Part I

by Charles Wilhelm | Charles Wilhelm, Uncategorized

A round pen can be an excellent tool. It creates a very safe training
environment with the round edges, smooth sides and no corners. It
should have sides at least six feet high so a horse can get his head over
the top of it. Some people work in a square pen but you spend a lot of
time teaching the horse to stay out of the corners, which is an exercise in
itself. I don’t see the benefit and I think it is a little harder on the horse.
Also, the diameter plays a role in its usefulness and I personally don’t
want anything larger than sixty feet across. Anything larger and you lose
a connection with the animal.

The Art of the Half Pass

by Lynn Palm | Lynn Palm

The Half Pass is the most advanced lateral movement you can train a horse to do. I love
the Half Pass; not only is it elegant, it’s also so fun to ride.
To define a Half Pass, the horse moves forward and sideways at the same time.
The horse must be bent in the direction of travel, and the movement is done on a diagonal
track.
In Traditional Dressage competition you will find the Half Pass either at the
collected trot or the collected canter. In Western Dressage you will find the Half Pass at
the collected jog and the collected lope. In Traditional Dressage the Half Pass is required
in the 4th level and continues to the Grand Prix level. In Western Dressage you will find
it in Levels 4 & 5.

Tips for Trouble-free Trailer Loading

by Lynn Palm | Lynn Palm

Trailering is a big step. Not only are we dealing with loading our horse into a trailer, we will be driving and maneuvering a large vehicle (like a truck or SUV) and towing our precious cargo behind. Once trailering is mastered, it opens up many new opportunities for fun with our horses.

Accepting Bad Behavior

by Charles Wilhelm | Charles Wilhelm

I remember growing up and hearing that we must use light hands and not pull on our horses. However, when we kept our hands light on the reins, we did not necessarily communicate with the horse. So, through lack of education and knowledge we ended up making our horses heavier.

Training Outside The Box Part 2

by Lynn Palm | Lynn Palm

BUILDING A PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUR HORSE In this article, I continue with the series “training...

Training On The Trail: The Spooky Horse

by Lynn Palm | Horse Training, Lynn Palm, Trail

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.

Trail Training: Dealing With The ‘Hot’ Horse

by Lynn Palm | Horse Training, Lynn Palm, Trail

Our series on “training outside the box” continues with another training tip for dealing with common trail training issues: dealing with the horse that is “hot” while on the trail.

Can All Horses Be Trained?

by Charles Wilhelm | Charles Wilhelm, Horse Training

For over 30 years now I have specialized in working with problem horses and starting colts. I do have horses here at the barn that are shown in Western Pleasure, jumping and reining cow horse events but the thrust of the organization is colt starting and dealing with problem horses.