Horsey Wisdom
Hey there! I wanted to share something that’s really important to me – a list of horse training tips I’ve collected over the years from various trainers. These sayings have been super helpful when I’m spending time with my horses, and I thought they might be useful for other horse lovers too.
Why This Matters
Just to give you some context, I’m not a competitive rider or anything fancy. (Bareback and halters all the way! :-)). For me, my horses are more like best friends that I enjoy hanging out with. We have fun together, and that’s what’s important.
But even though it’s all about fun, I still believe it’s crucial to have well-trained horses.
Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons:
-
Life happens - If something unexpected happened and my horses needed new homes, I’d want to make sure they’re set up for success. A well-trained horse is much more likely to find a good home and be well cared for.
-
Better care - People tend to take better care of horses that know how to behave. A horse with good manners is easier to handle, safer to be around, and generally more enjoyable as a companion.
So, with all that in mind, here’s my list of training reminders. Some might seem obvious, others might be a bit surprising, but they’ve all proven valuable in my experience. You may recognize a few.
The 25 Principles
- Ask Less, get more.
- “Tuck and Roll”
- One well placed spank is better than a thousand nagging taps
- Align your shoulders with your horse
- Your belly button is a gun.
- Pivot your feet and stay in the same spot when lunging
- Keep your feet still….
- Watch what other people do and do the opposite.
- The one who moves first, loses.
- Horses learn in 3s
- Hold the rope with nails up
- Hands that close slowly and open quickly
- Passive persistence in the proper position
- Perfect practice makes perfect
- Take the time it takes to take less time.
- Teach everything from the ground that you do in the saddle.
- Be as gentle as possible, as firm as necessary.
- Escalate from level 1 to level… (air, hair, skin, muscle, bone)
- Work twice as hard on the bad side until the bad side becomes the good side…repeat.
- Back up at a consistent speed
- Have a plan
- Point, cluck or kiss, spank
- Don’t use up all your clucks/kisses…one for trot, two for canter.
- The release teaches. This is the reward
- Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult.
These principles have guided me through countless training sessions and helped me build stronger relationships with my horses. Feel free to use what resonates with you!