Horse Back Riders via publicdomainpictures.netIf you are looking for someone to trail ride with, don’t be overeager and accept an invitation from just anyone. Make sure your prospective companion has the same idea as you when it comes to...
Q: Recently the farrier was at the barn where I board. He was working on someone’s mare when she began to misbehave. She ended up by rearing and landing on top of the farrier. In response, he disciplined her...
It’s easy to fall into the rut of riding through the same course every time you jump, especially if you don’t have the opportunity to work regularly with an instructor who can introduce you to new training techniques. However,...
Q: I recently began leasing a 20-year-old mare. She’s a sweetheart, but she hasn’t been in regular work for about three years. I can only ride about once a week and while there is plenty of space to trail...
7. Squeeze Game
Horses, by nature, are claustrophobic. They are instinctively afraid of small or tight spaces because these areas usually spell disaster for prey animals. The Squeeze Game teaches your horse to become calmer, smarter and braver, and to...
6. Sideways Game
In the Sideways Game, you will learn how to straighten your horse and have him yield laterally with softness and respect.By developing the simple maneuvers learned in the Sideways Game, you are building the foundation for teaching...
5. Circling Game
The Circling Game helps your horse understand that it is his job to maintain gait, maintain direction, watch where he is going, and all the while stay tuned into you as his center of attention.The object of...
4. Yo-Yo Game
Have you ever wished that your horse had more suspension, stopped easily with a light cue, could do a sliding stop, moved straighter, or could back up quickly? The Yo-Yo Game is the key to developing all...
3. Driving Game
The Driving Game is the third of the Seven Games. It teaches your horse to yield from a “suggestion” with no physical touching involved.This game is learning how to use rhythmic pressure. The horse is naturally inclined...
2. Porcupine Game
Horses naturally push into steady pressure, moving against it or barging through it. It’s part of their programming for survival. In order to develop a partnership with your horse, you need to help him overcome his fearful,...
