Many riders and trainers undervalue the benefits of trick training—you know: teaching your horse to bow, sit, paw or nod on cue…maybe carry things around the barn or arena…and who-knows-what...
Engagement—The act of flexing the hocks, stepping under the body, planting the hooves, and lifting. The forehand gradually becomes lighter as the hindquarters become stronger. Think of dressage training, therefore,...
If there's one thing you'll probably take away from this video of trainer Jason Hiser and his horse, Delgado, it's the obvious sense of trust between the two. It's the kind of...
“Riding is multitasking. If you can’t multitask, you’re going to have a problem,” says flat riding specialist Sally Amsterdamer. “You can’t just think rhythm, then forget to turn. Or you...
One of the challenges of fear is how it can leave you frozen and literally stop your ride. Your horse wonders where you went and either takes over or takes...
Good base, bad base, good base, bad base, good base, bad base, good base. It takes time to learn how to ride, and it often requires decent teaching. I learned...
Those who follow Denny Emerson’s Tamarack Hill Farm Facebook page may have caught his comments earlier this year, on the “innies” and “outies” of the horse world: “In the great...
Nervous horses are hard to ride horses. Hard to ride in that they are too reactive. They may not stand quietly to be mounted. They may not walk calmly. They...
I’ve got a confession to make: I’ve been holding out on you. There is one simple exercise that I uncovered a while ago and haven’t shared here. And it’s a...
The Retired Racehorse Project recently released the list of trainers for this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover, and as the winner of one of the disciplines from last year I was at...
According to Maclay Finals winner, judge, clinician and author Anna Jane White-Mullin, most “rushers”—horses that run to fences—are topped by nervous riders who panic when their horses become tense or...
To the untrained eye, lunging looks like an exercise of chasing the horse around in seemingly never-ending circles. I’ve often heard questions posed by new equestrians, horse husbands and non-horsey...
Pole work is an important part of training a horse, both physically and mentally, says Sally Amsterdamer, a British dressage instructor who specializes in flat work for show jumpers. “The...
Three-day eventer Elisa Wallace, of Jasper, GA, redefines the term “barn dance” in her latest video blog. Watch her cut a rug while desensitizing the spooky young Mustang, Sparks, to Elle King’s pop hit “Exes and Ohs.”...
These days, California-based hunter rider Hope Glynn of Sonoma Valley Stables in Petaluma has a full plate. With 40 clients, 53 horses and ponies in training, and a busy on-the-road schedule...
A few months ago, dripping in sweat and battered and bruised, I came home and text messaged my best friend Meghan, telling her that I thought it was time to...
In Part 1 I spoke of Operant conditioning training as one of the different forms of teaching we can employ. During these discussions I have sometimes struggled with making clear...
The kind and natural approach Several years ago, in search of an ethical alternative to the harsh and seemingly senseless mainstream training techniques, I began following a system of natural...
If you do a Google search for “Juergen von Buttlar,” you’ll find one article and a few random quotes from people promoting the fact that they’ve trained with him or had their...
