Mar 22, 2012
The Benefits of Leasing a Horse
By Linda Buchanan Allen
For the cost-conscious among us, leasing a horse is a practical way to make the most of available resources. The arrangement, essentially a formal rental agreement between an owner and a rider for a horse’s use, has shown signs of gaining ground in these economically challenging times. At its most basic, leasing a horse is a way for an owner to reduce the cost of her horse’s care without selling him or taking him out of work. For a rider, it’s a means to equestrian involvement—be it a relaxing outing a few times a week or the opportunity to compete an accomplished athlete for a season—often without the full financial obligation. More info...
Mar 3, 2012
Trailering Help from Julie Goodnight: Slow the Backup
Julie Goodnight
Does your horse come blasting out of your horse trailer faster than you’d like him to? That’s a dangerous situation for both you and your horse, and one that can be prevented.
Julie Goodnight has a solution in this Q & A from HorseLink magazine.
Q: When I unload my mare from the trailer, she backs out way too fast and seems panicked to get outside. What can I do to get her to slow down?
A: I’m envisioning that your mare loads into the trailer with ease, but has learned to “blow out” backward once she’s in. This behavior is quite dangerous — both to your mare and to anyone who may be in the way as she rushes back. More info...
Feb 21, 2012
What have you and your horse working on lately? Whether its something simple or...
Clinton Anderson
Tip #1: Fix the cause, not the symptoms.
The majority of horse “problems” (such as bucking, rearing, biting, and pawing) aren’t really problems at all; they’re really just symptoms of a cause. Seventy to eighty percent of all the problems you’ll ever have to deal with as a horse owner will fix themselves if you do the ground work and earn your horse’s respect.
Don’t become so focused on your horse’s undesirable behavior that they you can’t see what’s actually causing it. It’s like a weed growing in the ground. You can chop it off with a weed whacker, but two weeks later, it’ll grow right back, because the root system is still intact. To kill the weed, you need to pour weed killer on it to kill the root system. When you kill the roots, the weed will die. More info...
Feb 16, 2012
Barrel Racing Tips
Lead Change Between First and Second - View the Video
When do I change? Where do I change and why do I change there? I’ve been to quite a few barrel racing clinics and these are common questions. How do you train your horse to change leads out of first barrel (or between first and second barrel)?
I’ve heard a variety of answers all from professional barrel racers with a long list of achievements. Here are some of their thoughts on the matter:
I don’t worry about it, they figure it out
I never approach second on the wrong lead
I train for flying lead changes before I go to the pattern
I break my horse from a lope to a trot out of first (then pick up the other lead)
I break my horse to a trot at my rate point at second and pick up the other lead to lope around second
I teach them a flying lead change out of first on the pattern
I ask for correct leads going slow, but don’t worry about it going fast More info...
Feb 15, 2012
Unsound or Untrained?
Barrel Racing
My horse “Emmitt” won’t go into the arena. He’s got to have ulcers. After all, research says all horses do, right? (It has nothing to do with the fact that he thinks he’s got a ticking time bomb on his back due to the nervous beat of my heart.)
Here are a couple of other not so rare scenarios, maybe some you’ve even experienced personally:
I keep crashing the barrels with “Rock.” I’m not riding far enough into the pocket and I’m looking at the barrel instead of the ground beside it. Maybe I need to do more reverse arcs to get him obeying the inside rein. (It has nothing to do with the fact he has huge bone spurs in hocks that have caused him to dump on his front feet so much that they’re sore too.)
“PJ” balks at the gate. He pins his ears when he turns. I can barely keep him running through the pattern. When I cross the timer, he dash boards me before calmly walking out of the arena. (He’s in agony because he hates barrel racing!) More info...
Feb 3, 2012
Get Nosey — The Learning Curve With Phillip Ralls
Phillip Ralls
Everyone positions a horse on a cow hoping for optimum control. Visualizing that perfect position ultimately stems from an individual perspective, varying substantially between competitors. Trainer Phillip Ralls believes in keeping horses nose-to-nose with the cow, simplifying the process for him, the horses and his non-pro students.
More info...
Feb 1, 2012
A Story About a Petite Young Rider and her Big Paralympic Dream
Ellie Brimmer and Carino H
She found the trainer, and then she found the horse, and now 26-year-old Ellie Brimmer has her sights set on competing in the 2012 Paralympics in dressage.
“It’s a great opportunity to compete,” Ellie said. “So few people have that opportunity, especially when they have a disability.”
Born with cerebral palsy, Ellie began riding at age 2, and has tried most everything–hunter-jumper, fox hunting, even polo. Then three years ago she fell in love with dressage, and so she began working with 56-year-old Sabine Rijssenbeek, an internationally known equestrian and trainer originally from the Netherlands.
From the start, Ellie said, Sabine had an energy and enthusiasm that was infectious.
“Sabine is very much about confidence,” Ellie says. “She encourages you to not be conservative, but to be brilliant. Some trainers are too conservative, especially with special needs riders. She was never afraid of pushing me.” More info...
Jan 1, 2012
How to Lead a Horse Through a Gate
Larry Fleming Video
Larry is indeed a cowboy–the real thing–and he’s also a horse trainer, so he’s Larry The Cowboy, Horse Trainer.
Larry is well-known up and down the Front Range in Colorado for his gentle, winning way with horses, and his ability to turn around even the most troubled horse.
Larry looks at life from the horse’s perspective, which is something the rest of us don’t always do.
In this video, Larry shows us the safest way to lead a horse through a gate.
Enjoy! More info...
Dec 30, 2011
The Proper Way to Lead Your Horse
Larry Fleming
When you take your horse’s lead rope, does he give you his attention and respect?
Here’s Cowboy Larry, aka horse trainer Larry Fleming, on the right way to lead a horse.
We’ve also featured Larry in such videos as, How to Bridle a Horse: Part I, How to Bridle a Horse, Part II, or The Best Way to Take off a Bridle.
Cowboy Larry is well-known up and down the Front Range in Colorado for his gentle, winning way with horses, and his ability to turn around even the most troubled horse.
Larry looks at life from the horse’s perspective, which is something the rest of us don’t always do.
In this video, Larry explains the proper way to lead your horse. More info...
Dec 26, 2011
The Importance of Bend and Lowering a Horse’s Head, Part I
Horse Training
If you haven’t “met” him yet by watching How to Bridle a Horse: Part I, How to Bridle a Horse, Part II, or The Best Way to Take off a Bridle, let me introduce you to Larry Fleming, whom I refer to as Larry the Cowboy.
Larry is indeed a cowboy–the real thing–and he’s also a horse trainer, so he’s Larry The Cowboy, Horse Trainer.
Larry is well-known up and down the Front Range in Colorado for his gentle, winning way with horses, and his ability to turn around even the most troubled horse.
Larry looks at life from the horse’s perspective, which is something the rest of us don’t always do.
In this video, Larry works with a young horse on getting him to bend and also lower his head.
Enjoy! More info...
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