You’re so excited to have a horse that your first instinct might be to pamper him, feed him treats and love on him every time you see him. That’s a perfectly normal human response to a new relationship, but...
Horses display playful behaviors with other horses. For the safety of human handlers, it's important to make sure these behaviors don't occur during horse/human interactions.Trainer Jill Girardi-Thomas is convinced that her Arabian gelding has a sense of humor.
"We put...
Riding a horse that refuses to go forward is like having a Ferrari with no gas pedal; sure, it's nice to look at, but it's absolutely useless. I teach horses to move forward off my legs using three separate...
Your normally mild-mannered horse has begun to toss his head, refusing directions and acting impatient when you ask him to wait. While under tack, he slams on the brakes and rubs his nose on his legs, jump standards or...
"Loose horse!”
It’s the shout heard at farms across the land that lets our barn brethren know an equine escapee is heading their way. On occasion our horses get away from us for reasons mostly accidental and unintentional. However,...
In developing solutions for horse training problems, it’s important to look at things from the horse’s point of view. If your horse is particularly lazy and unmotivated in the arena, even if he is fine on the trail and...
Q: My horse is not respectful on the lead rope. He barges into my personal space and sometimes tries to bolt off. How can I teach him to lead more safely?A: Safety is your first priority, and respect is...
Q: I show a 15-year-old Quarter Horse mare. She always wants to break into the lope and kick other horses. How can I keep this from happening?A: You will have to work this horse among others in an...
I’ll admit it: I’m fascinated with categorizing personalities using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) system. I mean, it’s never a bad time to sit down and take one of those "Which MBTI personality type are YOU?” quizzes, because even...
As horse owners, it can be a little nerve-racking to introduce a new horse into an already established herd. You know the drill—Penny understands that Beans is the boss and respects her; Gerry the gelding knows that he shouldn’t...
