In every issue of Horse & Rider you'll find articles on training by the country's leading experts, the latest on equine health care from top veterinarians, trail riding tips from savvy back country riders, and much more!
OK, we got your attention with the title—and that tells us you have (or remember having) a less-than-ideal relationship with a horse trainer. And, you’ve had times when that relationship’s driven you nuts. Trust us, you’re not alone. Owner complaints about trainers are so commonplace, they make it easy to generalize the trainers themselves into distinctive categories—ones we’ll present here. Perhaps you’ll recognize your trainer, past or present, as you read the descriptions. There’s nothing like a taste of validation to help settle your upset stomach. Let’s face it, though—what you really need is a way to resolve the problems (justified or not) you’re experiencing with your trainer. We’ll give you tips for understanding and coping with each of the trainer types discussed, plus some overall advice on how to…
Every single minute you spend with your horse is meaningful; it can be positive or negative. You want to build plenty of positive experiences to help you and your horse work as a team to your fullest potential. Even spending that few minutes petting your horse, giving him some attention that says, “You’re my friend, and I like you,” is a huge benefit. It will help build your bond. Here, I’ll outline both groundwork and mounted exercises that will help you make the most of your time with your horse—no matter how much time that is. Groundwork Longeing Exercises: Use sending drills—point the horse in the direction you want him to go and send him out to longe on a circle—changes of direction, sidepasses, and rollbacks. What to do: Start…
You get to ride—consider yourself lucky. You experience the joy of caring for a horse and riding, all while being physically active, and you reap benefits that’ll help form who you are and set your path toward a successful life, both inside and outside the arena. Your horse wants to look to you as his leader. But when your own confidence wavers, it can cause him to feel uneasy, too. This rattles your nerves even more, creating a vicious circle. Horses are incredibly intuitive, and they feed off our energy, for good or bad. They also don’t want to follow a leader they think is unsure, anxious, or scared. The solution? I tell my students to fake it’til you make it, something I learned from a Zig Ziglar book years…
