Posts Tagged ‘Respect’

It can be difficult to train a horse to perform the way you want and can even be scary at times since bad behaviors can sometimes make horses unsafe and annoying to be around. Biting, kicking, rearing, being pushy, bucking are some of the bad behaviors your might expect from the animal.

To limit the occurrence of bad behaviors you have to have a solid foundation provided by horse training tips in order to establish yourself as a leader over the horse. You should consider some advice that can will you with training your horse.

When a horse respects the trainer, they will lead well. This means a horse will follow at your shoulder from a short distance.Lead your horse from the left in a manner so their nose is at your shoulder on your right side. You should avoid letting the horse pull the rope, let it drag and they certainly shouldn’t rush out past you.

When lose rope drags then stop and order the horse to backup. This is the way to make the horse realize there is a result for their bad behavior. If the horse is going faster and walks past you then simply reverse direction you are once again in front and placing yourself in the leadership role.

You should keep in mind that horses are natural prey animals. Horses are always looking for new threats. If a horse’s head is high then this is a sign they are tense and likely trying to find a nearby threat. When a horse is relaxed, their head is low and their primary interest in to find food. You want to help your horse relax on cue by lowering their head.

This is a valuable tip for horse training and is the best way to prove you are the leader over the horse. Ideally, you should do this without a lead line or halter so you can have control over his movements without tools, but rather be able to control them simply through your body language and presence. There are some other methods you can use in order to teach a horse to respect and trust you.

Another valuable horse training tip is to make sure your horse keeps paying attention to you. If a horse isn’t focused on you then bump them with the rope and bring their nose toward you so both eyes are focused on you.

Keep a look at their eyes as well since this is their form of radar that helps them probe for threats. If both ears are forward and focused on you, you have their complete attention. Make sure you correct your horse whenever their full attention isn’t devoted to you.

As you ride the horse, make sure you go through some exercises to keep your horse paying attention to you. Some good options are flexing and making them move the hindquarter and front. If your horse listens to you, they will be less likely to run when there is a threat near them.

Using these above tips in your horse training will allow you to develop a solid foundation that focuses on gentle leadership that teaches your horse to respect you. When your horse respects you and views you as a leader then they aren’t as likely to exhibit bad behavior.

Sheryll Walker is a horse enthusiast, helping numbers of people to learn secrets of Natural Horse Training. To discover more helpful tips on training horse to do what you need and learn more about Natural Horse Training, visit http://www.HorseTrainingHelp.com.

Get your hands on the “Natural Horsemanship” Videos!

Author: Sheryll Walker
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If there is one thing that horse owners fear on the ground-it’s getting kicked. And with good reason. If you get kicked by a horse you risk getting seriously injured and even killed.

So why do horses kick? Like a lot of issues involving bad horse behavior, the answer comes down to one of two things. Either the horse kicks out of fear-or he kicks out of dominance.

The good news is that horse kicking can be controlled or even eliminated without smacking the horse or even focusing on kicking at all. Instead, you can deal with the problem by building leadership, trust, and respect. How do you do this? Simple-with proper ground training.

Good ground training will eliminate horse kicking because a horse that knows he can trust you is a horse that won’t fear you. When the horse isn’t afraid generally, he isn’t going to fear having his feet handled or fear having you behind him. Conversely, a horse that sees you as his respected leader is not going to try and dominate you. So let’s explore a few ways that we can build leadership, trust and respect with ground horse training, with the goal of eliminating horse kicking in the back of our minds.

Often, eliminating fear and dominance go hand in hand. So you don’t have to focus on what “type” of horse you have too much when applying general principles of horsemanship. First off, what do dominant horses do with the other members of the herd? Well, they herd them around! This simple fact-and keep in mind this is something a horse intuitively understands-is something we can use to our advantage to train our horses gently without using any kind of force. All we have to do is move our horses around. When you do that, your horse will instinctively see you as a leader. Horse kicking will be unlikely in that case because a horse doesn’t kick his leader.

We can make a horse move forward, backward, to the side, or in a circle. OK here are a few basic things we can do:

• Ask your horse to go backwards.
• As your horse to move his forehand.
• Ask your horse to move his hindquarters.
• Circle or lunge your horse.
• Circle or lunge at liberty in the round pen.

By doing these groundwork exercises we teach the horse to view us as a respected leader. This is because we are tapping into his built-in instinct to see those who make him move as his leader. In fact, working your horse at liberty at the round pen may be one of the most important exercises you can use to do this. That’s because you control three things:

• When the horse moves and when he can come to rest.
• How fast he goes.
• What direction he goes.

Round pen work is also safe. By doing these three things, you establish yourself as a leader because your horse will know automatically you’re his leader because you’re controlling his movement. That’s what the trick really is-control the movement of the horse at all times. Then he will see you as his respected leader.

Next time your horse kicks-instead of giving into your impulse to smack him-try asking him (firmly) for a backup instead. By asking him to move off, you build leadership and respect-so reduce the chance of a horse kicking in the future.

David McMahon is a free lance author who owns 3 horses and writes about horse training issues. For more information please visit Mastering Basic Groundwork (Horse Training) [http://nmhorse.com/Basic_Groundwork.html].

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Horse people spend years trying to find out information and techniques from different trainers for a few tips that help them with their horse back riding training before they ‘chance’ upon training that actually works for them successfully that they can instantly understand and practise the moves.

How many times do you see people practising the same move whether general riding, dressage, western, western pleasure or cutting and they repeat the same moves over and over with no improvement ‘locking’ their horse into a frame and getting mediocre results.

Then they sell their horse and buy a new one and unless the horse can ‘teach’ the rider the ‘move’ the same thing happens. When an experienced trainer hops on the horse they can execute moves that you didn’t know your horse was capable of – This is the SECRET- to learn and understand the required thinking and aids to ask and communicate to your horse and unite this with your correct body position that doesn’t lock or stiffen their frame.

Do you see people kick and hit their horse to move it and when the horse finally moves they jerk on the reins, and pull the mouth to make the horse uncomfortable – it’s no wonder that the horse doesn’t want to move!

Imagine being able to dance in self carriage and never having to continually repeat exercises with your horse, which they see as undeserved punishment! And better still, having the correct riding seat and the respect from your horse so it will move forwards willingly as you lift your energy!

This is why when you have the opportunity to acquire quality training information – You should take it- Read it – Understand it- Plan it and Practise it!

How do you know when the training offered is quality equestrian and horse back riding knowledge that is easily understandable to you?

A good trainer will tell you about the results they have obtained with other horses. The information that they provide will be clear and concise, being easy for you to understand as they discuss what you don’t want with your horse and then what you do want! You can understand clearly how to implement the training information with your horse, with examples of improvement being discussed with so you can see how to progress to that point and when it is obtained. Training tips and a free mailing list should be available to you – so you can communicate easily.

Most importantly great equestrian training is so substantial that it caters for horse back riders and horses of all equestrian disciplines – Western, English, Western Pleasure, Cutting, Reining, Hacking etc. to give breakthroughs and advance horse and horse back rider performance. Lets say a horse won’t go forwards properly, this isn’t a particular problem associated with one equestrian discipline -i.e dressage – it’s a communication and respect issue that can happen to all riders in any equestrian discipline – the equestrian rider needs to understand the theory and comprehend the bodily-kinesthetic knowledge of the moves – how to apply the training and aids, and know what to expect from the horse.

These key areas of training need to be available to the horse back rider in unison allowing an advance in equestrian training and performance, good horse training will equip you in all these areas – ending frustration created from no advance in horse back riding skills – due to only part of the training information being available to the horse back rider.

Suzanne Garrard has a post graduate degree in education and has been working with and training horses for 15 years – including horses that when purchased lacked impulsion or were a problem horse. She is passionate about continual and further education for horse and rider advancement. If you are looking to advance your equine performance and horse back riding skills, and increase your understanding of the equine language, whilst building you and your horses comfort zones and your leadership with the horse, so you are both confident and happy then click on [http://www.smarthorseandridercoaching.com] to get free training tips, join the mailing list and easily access comprehensive equestrian horse back rider training!

Author: Suzanne Garrard
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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How do you know if your horse has a hole in his training? Does he give you any resistance when you ask him for something? That something could be moving sideways from your leg or softening his jaw to your hands or giving you nice up and down transitions. These are just several examples of basic training holes that many horses have.

It is important to know how to fix the problem, or in this case to plug the training hole. In order to correct the holes in your horse’s training, he needs to have a good foundation. That is where ground work comes in. Ground work is the foundation upon which all riding is built upon. Every discipline uses ground work to some extent. It is part of the basics your horse needs to understand to be ridden well. It is similar to school, where you can’t move on to the next grade UNTIL you pass the previous grade. In this article we will talk why it is bad to have holes in your horses training and then in later articles will go over several holes and how to fix them.

Having a horse with holes in his training is dangerous for these reasons: safety, horses monetary value deteriorates, your relationship suffers and you can’t progress in training. These are just several of the reasons why good training is important. But knowing how to fix the holes and improve your horse’s behavior is especially important to your long term relationship with your horse.

Safety is the number one most important reason why you should be able to have your horse’s attention on you at all times. Your horse needs to be able to respect you and look to you for guidance. Especially in a situation where you are around other people and horses. Horses can be very dangerous without intending to be dangerous. They weight roughly 1000 pounds, and we as people weigh a fraction of that. Horses consider us part of their “herds” and don’t realize that we are not the same size. So for the safety of us, and everyone around us it is your number one priority to always be in “control” of your horse. Otherwise someone else can be injured or worse.

Another reason to fix your horse’s training is because monetary value declines. A trained horse has a higher value than an untrained horse. And a horse that has training issues is worth even less. Invest your time and effort in the best training you can do for your horse. Not only will it improve his monetary value, but you will also improve your relationship with him. This will in turn increase your level of satisfaction and fulfillment.

Another aspect of your horse having holes in his training is your relationship with him will deteriorate. If your horse has poor training that includes large holes, you will be less inclined to spend time with him. Which will in turn decrease your level of satisfaction. This can also cause you to be afraid of your horse, as well as teach him many bad habits. Reinforcing the bad habit also erodes the relationship you have with your horse, as well as deteriorates any respect he may have for you. As the respect declines so will his behavior. And this goes back to the safety paragraph. Anytime we handle a horse we are training it; you are either reinforcing good habits or bad habits. When you reinforce all of the good habits, everyone will be happier.

The last reason that I will discuss here is moving forward with his training. When you have holes in the training you can’t move beyond the hole. For example, if your horse does not perform trot transitions well, then how can you move on to the canter or any more difficult training? The trot transitions need to be fixed before you move on to higher levels of training. Otherwise, at some point your foundation will crumble and the horse will start having issues because he doesn’t understand what you are asking for. You don’t want your horse to start having issues, as this is dangerous. This is when your horse can inadvertently injure someone or himself.

All in all, you need to have a solid base of groundwork in order to move up in training. This is what allows you to teach your horse more difficult training. By having solid ground work training you can always go back to it if your horse has a hard time understanding more difficult work. It will benefit you and your horse for many years to come, and should not be skimped on.

Editor’s Note: Based in Sugar Grove, Sara McKiness is a Certified Horse Trainer who helps riders improve their communication with horses without punishment. She graduated valedictorian from Meredith Manor International Equestrian Center (MMIEC) where she majored in teaching and training, and minored in Farrier Science.

Questions or comments can be sent to sara @ horselogic.net

Horse Logic 2010

Classical Dressage, Western, and Hunt Seat Lessons. Come ride exceptional & experienced lesson horses. Based in Sugar Grove IL with travel to your facility available. Learn better communication with your horse and build your relationship. Fully insured with over 18 years riding experience. Contact Sara for more information 630-631-2746

Sara McKiness
Horse Logic
St. Charles, IL
630-631-2746
sara@horselogic.net
http://www.horselogic.net

Author: Sara McKiness
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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What causes horses rearing? Like everything else involving horses and their interactions with people, the answer usually boils down to one of two causes. Horses of course will engage in a threatening display like rearing if they are feeling well, threatened. So the first cause to look for is fear. A second cause of horses rearing is defiance. A horse may rear to intimidate you, or while balking about accomplishing some task you want him to do. In this case, the root cause of horses rearing is disrespect.

It turns out that fear and disrespect are two sides of the same coin when it comes to the horse-human relationship. The reason is simple. A horse isn’t going to have fear about a situation or task provided that he’s got a strong leader he can look to. Are you that strong leader, inspiring unwavering confidence in your horse? Or do you lack confidence, as exhibited in your actions or body language?

At the same time, a horse isn’t going to respect a handler that hasn’t shown leadership. Once again it boils down to confidence. Are you confident handling horses? Can the defiant horse sense weakness or wavering in your body language?

So we see that when it comes right down to it, the fearful horse or the disrespectful horse that rears is really doing so for the same fundamental reason: they don’t really have an alpha member of the herd. As the handler of the horse, it’s up to you to become the alpha and demonstrate calm and confident leadership at all times. Once it’s established, leadership will cause a horse to respect and trust you. So all at the same time, by being a leader for your horse, you can win over horses with all kinds of different dispositions. There is no need to study whether a horse is “left brained” or “right brained”, “introverted” or “extroverted”, “fearful” or “dominant”. Horses are naturally wired to follow a leader plain and simple, and by giving the right cues you can easily establish leadership and inspire confidence and get any horse to follow you. Horses that see you as their leader are going to be less fearful, so less likely to turn to rearing when something startling happens. A horse that respects you isn’t going to use rearing, or anything else, in an effort to intimidate you.

That sounds simple enough, but how do you establish leadership?

The first step in a leadership program is a good round pen training program. This means taking your horse in the round pen at liberty (no lead rope) and going through the exercise to have him hook on to you. This exercise really taps into the mind and emotions of the horse and like nothing else, helps a horse see you as the herd leader. You should always go back to round pen training first when encountering some major behavior problem.

The second task at hand is to simply get your horse listening and paying attention to you. This can be done on several levels-basic groundwork for example. Spend more time simply moving your horse around-moving the hindquarter, the forehand, backing up. Do some leading exercises.

One of the most important exercises for a horse with behavior problems in my view is lunging. Done correctly, which means continually asking the horse to pay attention by randomly asking for walk, trot, canter, slow down, speed up, stop, turn-is a great exercise for getting your horse listening for your commands. That helps cement the position of leadership you lay down as a foundation with round pen training.

When faced with horses rearing, like anything else, all it takes to solve the problem is getting back to basics. Punishment in the moment might give a short term fix, but it’s not a long term solution. Go back to a solid training program of round pen training, leading, groundwork yields, and lunging to fix that attitude.

David McMahon is a freelance author and horse owner. He invites you to visit http://horse-training-tips.com where you can learn more about horses rearing.

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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When you’re into horse training, you have to find the best approach suitable to your horse. Some approaches work better than others and it all relies on the horse’s learning proportions. The learning pace of each horse varies; some learn faster than others and there are likewise people who are too stubborn to learn. Learning your horse’s personality is essential so that you are able to choose the best approach to use.

Novices are advised to seek the help of professional trainers if they have doubts as to their abilities as a horse trainer. In order to be an effective horse trainer, you should be inventive, a thinker, and most of all, use your sound judgment.

Horses are herd animals. If you try to observe a herd of horses, they ordinarily eat all during the day, groom, and sleep; challenge one another to gain position in the herd, and play. It is essential that you study the behavior of the herd so that you are able to incorporate the knowledge you’ve gained into the horse’s training program. Since each horse is unmatched, you will need to devise a training program worthy its ability or personality.

The majority of people feel like a stallion leads the herd but they’re wrong. In point of fact, a mare serves as the herd’s leader. It is the duty of the stallion to warn the herd when there is danger or when there is a threat of marauding stallions. The mare leader alternatively decides when it’s time to eat, the position where they are in a position to eat, and discipline other horses who’re at fault. The entire herd respects the mare and supports her decisions; the herd also trusts their lives to the mare. So you see, in the training program, you should act as the mare herd leader. You has to be in a position to win your horse’s respect, trust, and support.

In horse training, it’s not a great idea to use force. Although the horse will follow you, it’s not a reliable move. There isn’t one best’ training approach. As discussed previously, horses are unique animals and you must identify the most appropriate approach that suits the horse’s personality. Some of the famous horsemanship masters known presently are Pat Parelli, Dennis Reis, Buck Brannaman, Tom Dorrance, and Ray Hunt.

Good horse trainers do not just focus on one training technique; they strive to learn as many horse methods so that they are able to select the proper approach for each horse they train. If one of the famous horse training masters visits your area, why do not you check them out? It’s a venture that you shouldn’t miss.

It’s natural to make mistakes especially if you’re a beginner. If you make mistakes, do not be ashamed and instead, learn from it. Trainers handling troubled horses need a great amount of patience and determination if they wish to be victorious in the training program. This sort of horses is challenging to handle and if you are not cautious, you have access to hurt. If there are troubled horses, then you can likewise find horses that learn easily. Again, find the best approach that you can use in the training program.

Horse training definitely involves employing your sound judgment. Without it, you could be in difficulty. Even the truly great masters started out as novices. Learn all that you can about horse training. Handle the horses properly and earn their respect and trust. This ensures a smooth training program.

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Author: Bart R Montoya
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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When you get to own your very own horse and irrespective of his age, one of the first things you must do is to really get to know him. And to learn how to teach him to get to know you.

You must be aware of the fact that although horses are beautiful and sensitive creatures, they observe the herd system. Their instinct in their natural environment in the wild is for immediate action. They take this action as, for them, it can mean their actual survival. Given any sign of danger, they immediately take flight.

With this in mind it is important for you to learn how to effectively communicate with your horse. Know that horses actually have a language of their own and that, unfortunately, many owners are not as aware of this fact as they should be.

Your horse’s BODY LANGUAGE means something.

Be aware that every swivel of an ear, each hip movement, tail flick and facial expression means something. This is the language horses use to speak to other horses – and to us – so if we are to get to know our horse, we must listen.

Your horse will come to love you if, first and foremost, you treat him fairly, and secondly, if you teach yourself to develop a relationship with him in the same way you would a human partner. It’s unfortunate that there are too many owners who will look after their horse’s material needs but put nothing back into developing the partnership itself. Given the right treatment a horse born in captivity will identify with an alternative provider and companion, resulting in a healthy relationship from the beginning. Such a relationship with your horse requires, amongst other things, trust coupled with respect, fondness with compliance, and a desire to please.

YOUR body language is equally as important as your horse’s.

Before you can really understand your horse you need to know what your body language say to him. For example, flapping your arms while trying to fit his halter will cause concern. Running up to him in a paddock rather than walking up to him calmly can make him think – is this a predator chasing me?

We’ve all heard about ‘bombproof horses’. Sorry to say, this is just fiction! Something, some time, WILL spook your horse… any horse. So keep your body language quiet, slow, easy and calm. If you are calm, this will also help to keep your horse calm.

Horses speak to us with all body parts and that includes both their front and back ends. So beware, both ends can cause us untold bodily harm if we don’t pay attention to what our horse is saying to us. For instance, most of us know that when a horse has both ears pinned back flat something is really wrong. Chances are that your horse is either frightened or angry. You’ll find that in most cases it is anger. So watch your horse’s front and rear very carefully. Caution is best even if you think your horse may be listening to something behind him or that he’s just bored. Once you really get to know your horse well, you will know what his ears are saying.

If your horse has his ears perked up and forward this means that he’s focusing his attention on something and is either up to some mischief or he’s on high alert about something he is seeing, hearing or smelling. So remind your horse that you need his attention, especially if you are out riding and his ears suddenly whip forward.

You communicate with your horse when you brush and groom him.

Brushing and caring for your horse is a major bonding experience between humans and horses. Don’t ever under-estimate how powerfully you’re communicating with your horse when you brush and groom him.

It’s vitally important that you keep your horse clean at all times. Be sure his entire coat is free from dirt, mud, sand and sweat. If you have the time, brush your horse every day. Pick out his feet before and after every outing. Wash out any sweat residue from the saddle pad and girth after each work-out or ride. Apart from communication, a clean horse and tack is a major step towards keeping a healthy horse. And it won’t do your pride in your horse any harm, either!

Finally, don’t overlook the value of verbal communication. Talking to your horse in a quiet, calm fashion is a major step in having him get to know you and to respect and respond to your instructions.

I hope that these suggestions will assist you in communicating with the horse that you’ve truly come to love. If you want to learn more about horse language and how to communicate with your horse you are invited to go to http://www.easyhorsecare.com

Author: J Russell Hart
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Catching a horse can be trouble. If a horse doesn’t want to be caught, his ability to escape and evade that’s a built-in part of being a prey animal can make things really hard on us. All too often, people try to deal with this problem by doing everything wrong. What people don’t realize is that the interaction you have with your horse when catching builds a foundation upon which everything else in your relationship with the horse is built. Get it wrong and you’re going to have trouble in everything else you do.

Here are some mistakes people make when catching a horse, and how to avoid them.

1. Trying to bribe the horse

You’ve probably found that cutting corners isn’t the best way to get ahead in life and with horses that principle holds true as ever. The way to cut corners when trying to catch a horse is by offering him a carrot to convince him to let you put the halter on. How many times have you seen someone out in the pasture trying to bribe the horse with a bucket of grain?

Yeah it’ll work but with a price. The cost for bribing your horse to do things is lost respect. If you give your horse a treat in an effort to get him to do something, he will not respect you as much as he would otherwise. Food does not motivate horses the way that it would a predator animal like a dog.

To avoid this mistake, you need to approach the situation the way the dominant horse in the herd would. Alpha horses make the other horses move around! Control the feet, control the horse. We apply this when catching a horse by pushing a horse that doesn’t want to be caught. That seems counter-productive-you’re sending a horse away that you want to come to you! But this produces solid, long-lasting results-when you push the horse he gains respect for you-the first step necessary to have a true partnership with him.

2. Failing to read horse body language

The second mistake people make is failing to recognize signs the horse is giving you that she wants to have a conversation. Horses give subtle body language cues that we sometimes miss, and these cues can indicate respect, trust, and acceptance. Some signs to look for are ear on you, licking of the lips, and dropping the head. When you see these signs, take the pressure off. Stop pushing the horse, don’t walk up to the horse, and avoid eye contact with the horse at that point.

3. Walking right up to the horse

OK what are you gonna do if you want to put the halter on your horse? Many folks do what comes naturally to humans, they walk straight toward the horse to put the halter on. What else would you do?

Problem is, that’s how a predator would approach a horse. This is recognized on an instinctive level- and if a horse is not comfortable being caught, what’s going to happen if you approach like a predator? You’re going to trigger his instinct to flee.

Avoid this mistake when catching a horse by approaching lateraly, without making eye contact with the horse. If she shows signs of acceptance like looking directly at you, you can stop (don’t approach closer just yet), smile, and praise the horse verbally.

4. Failing to push again

OK so lets suppose you’ve been catching a horse and she’s given you the signs of acceptance, and she’s just standing there watching you. You approach to within 10 feet, and then suddenly she takes off again. Don’t make the mistake of failing to push again. At this point you need to push the horse around to get more respect. We’re giving her the chance to flee if she chooses to do so, but make her work if she makes that choice.

5. Getting too greedy

People get anxious with horses all the time. The first time you’re next to the horse, you might want to hurry up, put the halter on and be done with it so the real work can start. What you’re missing, however, is that when catching a horse the real work began the second you entered the pasture. Failing to continue building a solid foundation from the start will lead to problems down the road. It might require a little more effort up front, but if you’re not anxious and instead use a patient approach, you’ll do better with your horse long term.

David McMahon is a freelance author who owns three horses. He invites you to visit http://www.horse-training-tips.com where you can learn more about catching a horse.

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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