These articles give advice and information on various training techniques and exercises. Some articles dive into training theories and explanations of different training techniques while other articles are How-To Guides designed to help you implement a new training exercise at home.
None of the advice on this page is meant as a substitute for professional help. Please consult a trainer or riding instructor when you have any doubt about what you are doing.
I’ve been talking with a few people lately about the difference between riding for yourself versus riding for the horse. A lot of people think that good riders ride for the horse and poor riders or beginner riders ride for themselves. Although there might be some merit to this idea, Read more
Recently I’ve been riding bitless a lot. After years of riding only in bits it was quite the change. Most of my horses had some foundational work in a halter and all of them have hacked in halters, but I always left serious riding to be done in a bitted Read more
In last week’s article we discussed the difficulties of working with a new horse and how I approach it on the ground before riding. If you missed that article check it out here. In this week’s article we will discuss what I do after having worked the horse on the Read more
Do you feel nervous when working with a new horse? A lot of people avoid working with new horses because their confidence comes from knowing how the specific horse will react to each situation and aid. In this article I am going to break down for you how I approach Read more
I was having a conversation the other day that led to us talking about trainer tune-ups and realized this was something I really needed to share with everyone. So first off, what do I mean when I say “trainer tune-up”? I’m talking about the traditional show ring training program where Read more
A problem horse is generally defined as any horse that is difficult or dangerous to work with. More commonly any horse that doesn’t comply is labeled a problem horse. While this is a convenient way to lump a wide variety of horses together it doesn’t say anything about what is Read more
Most horse owners rarely think about their horse’s fitness level or try to actively improve it. Most of us just go about our ride working on training the horse to do his job. However, most of the training we are doing is asking the horse to carry himself better, which Read more
Everyone has heard the saying, “when one door shuts another door opens”. Although almost everyone is familiar with this saying, most of us have trouble putting it into practice. After all, it can be really hard to look at disappointment in a positive light. With horses we are constantly needing Read more
I decided to write this quick guide because I have been severely disappointed in most people’s bridle adjustments. In particular, I don’t like where most riders position the bit in their horse’s mouth. When I get a new horse in training I almost always adjust the bridle before I even Read more
Most people assume being a good rider is the same as being a good trainer, which is far from the truth. Good riders learn proper position and aids. They learn how to ask correctly for skills and ride well trained horses. However, when a horse doesn’t respond properly a good Read more