AQHA Professional Horseman Jay Holmes thinks tying-on is a good option for many ropers.

If a person ties-on, they could compete and enjoy roping more, rather than worrying about dallying.

By AQHA Professional Horseman Jay Holmes with Christine Hamilton in the American Quarter Horse Journal

This is the first in a two-part series.

To AQHA Professional Horseman Jay Holmes of Sarasota, Florida, deciding to tie-on in the heeling isn’t about how good someone is or isn’t as a roper. It’s about making roping fun for a competitor. Tying-on can be a practical way to do that.

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Attend a clinic with world-renowned trainer Stacy Westfall during QuarterFest.

Stacy's perspective on discovering the "why" in what the horse does has allowed her to be a successful trainer.

As the first woman to compete in and win Road to the Horse, Stacy Westfall is no stranger to the competition arena. Her love and passion for horses started at a very early age and has allowed her to enjoy much success in her career as a professional horsewoman. Just to name a few of her accomplishments, she was the National Reining Horse Association’s freestyle champion in 2003, when she competed with no bridle. She went undefeated for two years in major freestyle reining competitions, and in 2006, Stacy won the prestigious Road to the Horse colt-starting competition.

Of her many feats, Stacy may be best known for her bridleless freestyle ride where she and a black American Quarter Horse, Whizards Baby Doll, aka “Roxy,” were named champion of the All American Quarter Horse Congress freestyle reining competition in 2006, making history with a score of 236. She dedicated the ride to her father, who had died days before her performance. The bareback and bridleless championship performance to the Tim McGraw song, “Live Like You Were Dying” has inspired thousands.

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Make clear communication with your horse a priority with the best equipment for ground work and riding.

Photo courtesy of Julie Goodnight

From AQHA’s “Fundamentals of Horsemanship”

The study of horsemanship requires the appropriate quality equipment. Halter and lead rope, used in both ground work and riding, will help you achieve the desired result of clear communication with your horse.

The halter is made from sailing rope that should not be too thick or too thin, because to be effective, a halter must encourage the horse to look for the solution.

If it is too thick, the horse will not be in a sufficiently uncomfortable position to find an alternative answer to the one he usually gives. If it is too thin, the halter could hurt him, which would be utterly ineffective as well as cruel. The aim is not to cause your horse suffering, but to refuse him comfort when he resists.

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Use these resources to find a riding instructor near you.

The purpose of CHA is to promote excellence in safety and horsemanship education for the benefit of the horse industry.

So you want to learn how to ride or get better at it?  Should you open up the yellow pages to find a barn or riding instructor near you? You could, but then how do you know which people use quality school horses?  How do you know that they are safe and the instructors know what they are doing?  What credentials do they have?

By visiting www.CHAinstructors.com and searching for an instructor near you, you know that instructor has gone through a week-long hands-on training course where two people have evaluated her on how safe, effective and fun her riding lessons are.

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Make the start of working with your young horses a successful one with these valuable tips from an experienced trainer.

Are you in search of some pointers to help you start working with your young horses?

Several short learning sessions each day with your horse are better than one long session, and patience is key. Photo from AQHA's "Fundamentals of Horsemanship."

Below are some horse training tips from AQHA Educational Marketing Alliance Partner Country Living Association.

1.  Wear a helmet; your safety is most important!
2. Teach your young horse to go, whoa, back and plow rein before mounting.
3. You can’t begin working with a horse too early in life, but be sensitive.
4. Several short learning sessions each day are better than one long session.  

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Overfed horses are more likely to have health and training problems.

Martin Black rides Borsalino, a fit 3-year-old stallion, alongside Royal Haida, a 16-year-old gelding who's been getting too many groceries.

By Martin Black

Some people may think they are being nice to their horses by feeding them the best feed available, keeping them fat and their hair slick.

People are doing the best they know how, but humans have taken animals that have been bred for centuries to work and be fit, and in only a few decades, fed and confined them like an animal for slaughter.

If we could just step back and make an observation, the cure to a lot of our horses’ problems may be obvious. Read the rest of this entry »

Find out how you can help your horse to learn.

From “AQHA’s Fundamentals of Horsemanship”

Conquering His Fear

A frightened horse will find it extremely difficult to learn because his is constantly on the defensive and ready to act. His actions are more reactions than responses to the rider’s demands, and they may even be dangerous for himself and his rider.

The horse can learn to accept new things if his teacher gians his trust and respect, and here we see the vital difference between tolerance and acceptance. A horse that accepts a new situation remains relaxed; if he merely tolerates it, his stress level will always be on the verge of pushing him over the limit, and there will be a constant threat of danger.

The horse may even become introverted, and his next reaction could be surprising or dangerous. In the chapter on desensitization, we will see how to help a horse conquer his fear. This is one of the first phases in a horse’s education so that we may later ask him for respect without fear and obtain positive responses without negative reactions. Read the rest of this entry »

How to get your horse to do correct lope departures with minimal cues.

Correct lope departures are important in classes such as western pleasure, western riding and western horsemanship.

By AQHA Professional Horseman Leonard Berryhill

In horsemanship or equitation, a good lope or canter departure will lead to a better execution of your maneuver. A good lope departure is when a horse responds to a minimal cue from the rider with willingness and collection.

It’s important in every AQHA event. In western riding, it’s scored. In western pleasure, a lope departure sets up your lope. It’s much easier for a horse to carry himself after he has departed correctly than it is to have a bad departure and try to correct it as you go down the pen.

As a judge, when I see a horse depart to a lope from a jog, I consider it a bad departure if a horse increases his cadence of step at the jog and trots into the lope. But it is all right for that horse to take a step, collect himself and then depart. Read the rest of this entry »

Using correct form is extremely important to communication with your horse.

By AQHA Professional Horsewoman Lynn Palm

This is the third in a three-part series by Lynn. Click on the links to view Part I and Part II.

The importance of correct form and how it relates to communication with your horse cannot be emphasized enough. If your horse is not performing up to expectations, the first question you ask should be, “How is my position?” Correct something in your position and see if that improves your horse’s performance. If it doesn’t, then slightly change something in your communication and see if that works. Read the rest of this entry »

Direct your body’s segments to become a better conscious and subconscious rider.

The "in front" position keeps you ahead of the motion and in good shape to catch your cow.

By Jody Reynolds in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Before David Avery became the director of international affairs for AQHA, he was an AQHA Professional Horseman in Roswell, New Mexico. He also had a unique way of training his students. He developed a “checklist,” or preparation process, for getting on your horse, through years of studying techniques of successful trainers in varied disciplines.

David’s checklist covered each body segment and position and encouraged riders to become subconsciously aware of their body positions and how they communicated to their horses. With a deep level of body position knowledge, riders are able to act and react to their horses more appropriately for a winning run, regardless of the event.

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Building a partnership with your horse.

By AQHA Professional Horsewoman Lynn Palm

In the last article, I covered what can go wrong when you are not in proper form and balance on your horse. Now I want to discuss correct rider position. Correct rider position will enable you to have a happier, more responsive horse!

If you want to improve your form and, therefore your riding, the No. 1 key is to keep your eyes up and focused ahead of your horse. Improving your concentration starts with your eyes. This sound easy, and it is a simple concept, but it is one many riders have trouble doing consistently.

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Use this classroom to create a better bond with your horse.

By Dennis Brouse

The round pen is one of the most effective classrooms there is for establishing leadership, respect and communication with your horse – the three foundations for successful training. The round pen lets you control movement and direction and learn to communicate with your horse in a safe, controlled environment. It is different from longeing, because the horse learns to respond to you, not to a rope.

It’s important, though, to use the proper technique in the round pen. The round pen should not be used just to run your horse around and around in circles – that results in an exhausted horse who really hasn’t learned anything.

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