Stress-Free Horse Training Tips
September 23, 2008
Follow AQHA Professional Horseman Curt Pate’s advice and have a better training session with your horse.
Never think “predator/prey relationship.”- Teach your horse to accept pressure.
- Always work with the horse to achieve mental and physical balance.
- Recognize the negative effects of over flexing your horse.
- Stay calm to relax a nervous horse.
- Keep groundwork to a minimum – It’s OK to take a break.
- Use as little equipment as possible.
- Before working with a young horse, learn how to correctly catch and saddle him.
- Practice the “emergency stop.”
- Patience is a virtue – remember that when you’re with your horse.
Get full details of these 10 concepts with the Training Your Horse For a Better Relationship, with Curt Pate report. Download it now for just $14.95!
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Don’t miss out. Get more of Curt Pate’s training advice with the Training Your Horse For a Better Relationship, with Curt Pate report.
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5 Comments on “Stress-Free Horse Training Tips”
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September 29th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
I am starting a two year old colt. After returning from a ride on him, when I started to get off(I was over half way off) he start walking. Since then when I start to get on or off he starts walking off. What can I do to correct this problem. Until that time he always stood when I was getting on or off.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Jack,
First you need to make sure you are not nudging him in anyway, and that his back is not sore. You can also have someone head your horse while you are mounting and dismounting. If no one is available to help when you are mounting and he starts to move off you need to dismount and wait until he settles and stands. Face him into a fence or another obstacle. If he starts to backup, again dismount and wait for him to settle. Try not to fry his little brain with this exercise and try to always finish on a good note.
October 30th, 2008 at 5:41 am
HELP! I have a 7 year old gray mare who just loves to spin when I am trying to go straight forward. If she doesn’t want to go where I would like, she just spins around . I have no problem with this in the ring, but once out of the ring…she does a spin. I have tried spinning her in circles, but this doesn’t help at all. What is wrong and what can I do? Thanks so much! Susan from Enfield, CT
July 16th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
I have a just turned 3 yr old & she is doing great except when you make a time or two around the riding ring she locks up with ears pinned. If you bump her she just blows up & you go over her head. She has just got worse & worse & I am pretty tuff on a horse but she has me where she wants me right now. I can flex her around & do this & sometimes it will work but she will pick another spot & lock up again always with her ears pinned. Trail riding she is the best but trying to work her for Wester Pleasure & it is mostly her attitude. When you ask her to do something is when she gets ill, going to jog & going to lope (ears come back). Never have had a horse like this & I am affraid she is going to hurt me as I am older now. She is very well bred, you can lounge her for 20 min & she never has an attitude but in the saddle when you ask her to do something, ears pinned & lock up at some point. She is saying make me do this if you can. Sixty days professional training & I have been riding her about 40 days. Trainer said thats the way she is but she is a big investment & I don’t want to get hurt either. How can I change her attitude as both trainers said that is what it is. I agree Donnie McCorkle
February 1st, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I have a 4 yr old filly that I just took to a trainer 45 days ago. She still has not been saddled. When I got her at 8 months she had hardly been touched by human hands. She was terrified of me and was a total basket case to halter break. Took 3 months to gain her trust enough to handle her at all then she would rare up,strike and bolt with little provacation. Just plain fear. I also had her half brother and sister at the same age and they were very easy babies to train and handle. Got all of that out of her with alot of patience and quiet handling, I thought. Hasn’t offered to rare or bolt for 2 years. She will now do anything for me,and my husband, but has regressed to her yearling age with her trainer. She bolts when he enters her pen. He cannot catch her easily & she won’t follow him willingly when lead. Pulls back when he approaches her tied. At first he said she was spoiled, but has since come to the conclusion that she is afraid of men.His wife and daughter can go in her run and she follows them around like a puppy, his brother-in-law went into her pen and she bolted. He is trying a different strategy now…no round pen, is ponying her instead,spending time with her other than working her and feeding her by climbing up the fence to pour her feed in her pan. She’s starting to come to him. I know she is afraid of men and leary of anyone new, but everyone (except my trainer)thinks I am imagining things and she’s just acting like a spoiled mare. I did find out early on that she was ganged up on by 2 men who roped her and choked her down to put a halter on her when she was 6 mo old, and she was flipped over backwards several times when she rared up. They said she was a crazy filly.She’s not crazy,just frightened easily. She has sense, she’s gentle and very willing to please, with me anyway. My question is, is my trainer on the right track and do you think it is fixable? Will I always have problems every time a strange man approaches her?My trainer is very patient and is taking his time with her now. Time and money is not an issue if he can fix her mind.