Rider and horse training is what takes up most equestrians time and
involves sound knowledge and plenty of patience.
You don’t have to have the next Olympic hopeful in your stable
to want to improve your knowledge or aspire to be someone who can deal
with a wide variety of horses and a wide range of schooling problems.
Beginners
Guide To Horse Back Riding
Being Fit to Ride
Top tips to improve your riding position
Top tips for good groundwork
Horse Riding Mental Strategy
Restore Your Horse Riding Confidence
Overcome Leg Yielding Resistance
About The Horse Saddle
Horse Bits
The Double Bridle
Get Your
Horse To Bend
Grooming A Horse
Today, almost anyone can own a horse, and most people can learn to ride
given a bit of time, yet too few people seem to have any interest in training
their horse.
If you own or look after horses you should also be an effective trainer
of horses, not just a rider.
We all owe it to our horses to educate ourselves enough to be able to
produce a well-mannered, safe horse that is a pleasure for anyone to ride
or own. It’s our responsibility to help the horse understand what
is expected of them and avoid any confusion and distress on the horses
part, which could adversely affect their working life and possibly lead
to abuse.
A safe hack !!
For most riders, simply enjoying a safe hack is their main goal, but
this goal can take a surprising amount of hard work to achieve.
 Many
horse owners don't realise that having a nice hack comes from putting
in lots of work in other areas. Inexperience causes riders to miss many
of the warning signs that expeirenced riders spot along the way and they
can then end up with a problem that damages their confidence and, will
eventually require professional intervention.
When your horses behaviour doesn't quite accord with your plan, it is
your responsibility to adjust your training methods. Your horse can't
!!
A common problem arises as a rider gains confidence and wants to do more
with their horse, but they don’t have the skills to bring their
horse on. It's at this point, when it takes more than just hacking out
and going round in circles in the school, that proper horse training skills
are required.
You can have that well-mannered horse, that does a bit of every discipline
reasonably well, but only if you are prepared to become your horses trainer
and not just a rider.
Basic Ground Rules
Whether you have a top quality dressage horse, a two year old youngster
or a bombproof 20 year old in your stable, the basic ground rules are
universal and will always apply. Decide what you want to achieve, then
stick to the ground rules and dip into the vast pool of skills and suggestions
available on the internet and in equestrian books and magazines.
Set Goals - Always Ask !!
If you don’t know where you're trying to get to, how will you
know how far you've come or when you've arrived?
How many times have you tacked up your horse, spent a couple of hours
hacking out, got back to the yard and turned your horse out without asking
it one question? There are times when switching off and simply enjoying
a hack is exactly the right thing to do, especially if it is a planned
part of your horse’s training or if it just feels like the right
thing to do after a hard week; but make sure you recognise that it contributes
very little to producing a more supple and responsive horse.
Today's horses have more than enough time to themselves each day and
for the short time you are with your horse, it’s time for it to
listen and to learn. Your horse likes to be mentally stimulated, to play
games and be rewarded with affection and it's only when boredom sets in
that your horse misbehaves, becomes rude and has no manners.
Ground rules
Trying to be your horses best mate may make you feel better, but will
it do the same for your horse?
Horse owners often confuse love with sentiment; ask your horse whether
he’d rather have an owner, a leader, he can trust and respect, or
one who breathes gently up his nose each morning and buys him this season’s
top turnout rug and you'll be surprised by the answer. Your horse needs
you to lead and if you don't or won't then your horse will lead you.
For successful horse training you need to establish trust and respect
and this is done by setting ground rules that you stick to. A good relationship
with your horse is of prime importance, but once you have established
respect you will find that this happens quite naturally.
You will also discover that like any true trusting relationship, it will
become a two-way relationship and not a one-way, where you do all the
giving.
 Training
Tools ?
Building a good set of skills and an adequate supply of tools to get
your horse to the level you want is entirely your responsibility. Once
you build a realistic view of what you want to achieve, it’s down
to you, (with the help of good riding instructors who truly understand
your goals), to assess yourself honestly.
Ask yourself; How much of the required skills do you have and how much
will you need to learn?
Most importantly, are you prepared to develop the self-discipline required
to apply your chosen methods with confidence, competence, consistency,
common sense and a thorough understanding of what you are trying to achieve?
Most problem horses are not born, they are created by riders who fail
to understand and set the ground rules and who do not have the necessary
skills to achieve their goals.
Remember this; Your horse is learning every
time you are and being a good horse trainer is about the quality of the
training not the quantity.
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