Dances with Horses

…seems relaxed and confident. Remember that this is physically demanding work for him, so work in small increments, rewarding him with instant release every time he tries to cooperate. As…

Teaching the Trainers

…they have.” Is the program hard? Physically it can be, says Jana Lyons, Josh’s wife. Students spend three weeks (Monday through Friday) at a time in Colorado, during four sessions…

The Privilege of Riding

…was not expressing hatred of the roundpen, but rather fear and confusion. Likely, her mare was feeling frightened, and therefore was mentally and physically in flight (that’s what prey animals…

Skill-Building: A Stitch at a Time

…pattern yourself. You can trot where appropriate and canter, as well. There’s something about the act of physically performing the pattern yourself that helps lodge it in your brain. •…

Proper Warm-Up

…correct warm-up has the potential to influence how well the horse performs. The goals of a warm-up are: • To prepare the horse mentally • To prepare the horse physically

Get Your Sluggish Horse Moving

…the ring. Transitions can be as simple and basic as walk-to-halt and halt-to-walk. They can also be as mentally and physically demanding as making a transition every three strides. And…

Making Smooth Gait Transitions in Horses

…horse does respond appropriately to your pre-signal, you should feel like he’s tuned in mentally-and preparing himself physically-for the transition, whether you’re going to ask him to speed up, slow…