If you’ve ever wondered why your horse behaves a certain way, or why you’re having trouble solving an equine behavior challenge—from trailer loading to simply catching your horse in the pasture—you are not alone. According to Emily Weiss, Ph.D., an applied animal behaviorist, it’s the top question she hears all the time, and it all boils down to one simple thing.

“The answer to all behavior, whether you’re a flatworm, a human, a horse, orangutan, or dog is the same: why we behave the way that we do is because it feels good,” she says. “Or, it feels less bad than the alternative.”

Weiss should know—she has worked with species of all kinds, including lions, orangutans, elephants and Komodo dragons, as well as many dogs, cats and horses. While it all comes down to “feeling good,” we have to first figure out what that means.

Think Like a Horse

Sometimes this requires an objective look at the situation, and being observant to best understand why an animal is behaving a certain way, says Weiss.

“Oftentimes we can’t help but think like humans about the things that we would like or what feels good to us,” she says. “We have to be able to take that hat off and think a bit like a horse.”

For example, consider trailer loading.

“Walking up into a horse trailer, for a lot of reasons, doesn’t feel good for horses,” says Weiss. “One thing we often don’t think about is the change in light. Going from a very light area into a horse trailer, which is quite dark, can be incredibly off-putting and frightening because horses can’t see it very well. To set up a horse [for success] while you’re training him to get on a horse trailer, one of the things you might start with is getting the trailer [well] lit so there isn’t that change in light.

“Thinking like a horse can be really helpful to figure out what might be motivating this particular animal to behave in this way at this time,” says Weiss. “And then, what do I have in my toolbox to be able to modify and change that?”

A Trainer’s Toolbox

As a behaviorist, Weiss’ preferred tool is positive reinforcement, which means you give a reward, or something that feels good, when the desired behavior happens.

Typically for horses this is food, but other rewards may include touch, such as scratching a favorite spot. By giving the reward, you increase the likelihood of the horse repeating the behavior.

Traditional horse training, using the concept of pressure and release that most equestrians are familiar with, is known in learning theory terms as negative reinforcement. Folks associate the term “positive” as good and “negative” as bad, but the terms here are referring to giving and taking away, says Weiss.

“Negative reinforcement just means you remove something when the desired behavior happens: I apply pressure, my horse moves to the left, and I release that pressure,” explains Weiss.

One of the benefits of positive reinforcement is that it can increase confidence (in both horse and human) and trust. Many routine horse care and handling tasks can be easily trained using this technique.

Both methods require good timing.

“When you apply pressure, you need to release it at the right time for the horse to learn ‘this is the behavior you want me to do,’” says Weiss.

Tweet & Treat

Thankfully, Weiss says, most domesticated horses are incredibly food-motivated, and some animals, including the horse, can be incredibly touch-motivated. Even the ones that are not comfortable with humans are pretty food-motivated, and that can serve as a powerful starting point.

When working with positive reinforcement using food, it’s important to have a signal that says “food is coming,” says Weiss.

This is typically a sound and is often called a “bridge,” or a marker, because it marks the moment a behavior occurs, and bridges the gap until you can deliver the reward.

At the moment the desired behavior occurs it tells the horse, “Yes, that’s what I want you to do, food will be coming,” and then gives you time to be able to take the food from your pocket or wherever it is and give it to your horse.

“I use a whistle, so I call it ‘tweet and treat,’” says Weiss.

Step one is to pair the sound with the delivery of food. Tweet (or whatever sound you use) followed quickly by treat. Pair the delivery several times and then observe what happens when you tweet. If the horse looks toward the food location, you have successfully paired your sound!

There should be no food visible during the training process, says Weiss. You’re teaching the horse “If I do X (behavior), I get Y (reward).”

How to Use Positive and Negative Reinforcement

There are lots of different ways you can train a horse to pick up his feet. The traditional method uses negative reinforcement, where you run your hand down the leg, apply pressure when you’re closer to the hoof, and then increase that pressure until the horse lifts his foot. Once the horse lifts his foot, you release the pressure. You then have to shape the behavior from there.

Using positive reinforcement can take a little bit of patience in the beginning, but it’s quick and quite effective, as Weiss outlines:

Begin by bringing the horse into the space in which you’d normally work with his feet, placing either a stick or your finger on his leg, waiting for any movement at all and then reinforcing that, using Weiss’ “tweet and treat” method or similar, so that the horse understands that when he moves his foot, he gets a reward.

“Once the horse now understands that touch means ‘move my foot,’ you can progress from shifting the weight and moving the foot to holding the foot for a second (tweet and treat); lifting that hoof (tweet and treat); and then holding that hoof and doing what you need to do,” says Weiss.

Weiss adds the pairing of a verbal cue so that the horse lifts without the handler having to first touch the leg.

“Done correctly, this takes a couple of sessions for most horses to learn to hold their feet,” she says. “For horses that have had a lot of negative experiences, it can take longer.”

Techniques of positive and negative reinforcement can also be used in combination, adds Weiss. The use of positive reinforcement is just one tool in the toolbox, and can be woven into more traditional pressure-and-release training.

Variable Reinforcement

If you’re worried about what happens when you run out of cookies and carrots, or becoming a nonstop treat dispenser, Weiss says that’s where variable reinforcement comes into the process: the horse gets a treat for the behavior sometimes, but not every time.

“When we’re first teaching the behavior, the horse gets a treat every time because he needs to learn it and is trying to figure it out,” says Weiss. “We have to make it consistent so that the horse understands if I do X, and I get Y.”

Once established, you can move on to variable reinforcement to make the behavior “stick.” You might use a little scratch or a verbal reinforcer if he finds that to be something that feels good to him, but he doesn’t have to get food every time.

“If he doesn’t expect to get the reward every time, he’s going to continue to do that behavior and it will remain consistent so long as he gets reinforced every once in a while,” says Weiss. “Think about playing the slot machines in a casino. Most of the time, people don’t win anything. But every once in a while, they do, and this keeps them coming back and pulling the lever.”

Key Takeaway

Positive reinforcement is a valuable addition for any horse handler.

“It’s all about finding the right tools in your toolbox for a particular situation,” says Weiss. “And for a lot of horses there’s a frustration point, where you haven’t quite been able to get the behavior that you want. Removing the negative reinforcer and replacing it with a positive reinforcer can be just the ticket to completely change the horse’s perspective and make it much easier for you to get the training done.”

This article about training horses with positive reinforcement appeared in the July 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Skilled riding is often all it takes to improve a horse’s athleticism, performance, and overall well-being. But just as often, even good dressage-based training programs fail to fully root out the habits and patterns that prevent many horses from reaching optimal movement and correctness of their gaits.

Anything from a poorly fitting saddle to inconsistent exercise, an injury, or past postural imbalances can create compromises. These quickly become deeper impediments to a horse’s movement mechanics that persist even with good, regular riding schedules.

The body’s way of taking care of itself during physical imbalances is to put up defenses. These defenses take the form of muscular spasms, adhesions, restricted joint motion, and signals to and from the central nervous system to move differently.

Curing these defenses is not as simple as giving the horse a period of rest, though that can seem like a sensible solution. Putting a horse out in the field for a few months with the hope that everything will clear up rarely fixes the underlying problems.

Therapies like chiropractic care and massage are generally successful in releasing areas of immobility so the horse is able to move optimally. However, they only set the stage; they do not by themselves create healthy movement.

For that, the horse must be taken through exercises that habituate correct new patterns. This is where corrective exercises come in.

Let’s Go Galloping!

Galloping offers one of the most generally therapeutic exercises for a riding horse. It can release tension and stiffness in the horse’s back and hindquarters—sometimes more effectively than bodywork and stretches combined.

The classical masters of dressage often advised riders to take their horses for a brisk canter across the fields regularly because it’s one of the simplest tools to keep a horse tuned up with full, free range of motion.

Misunderstood nowadays as something that only applies to racehorses and eventing horses, galloping often fails to exist within the domain of most arena and recreational riders. And yet it helps cure rhythm irregularity in the gaits, a hollow back, and one-sidedness.

Galloping does not need to be an all-out, white-knuckled affair as some wary riders fear. It just needs to be a brisk version of cantering without holding the horse tightly with the reins.

Compared to other gaits, the galloping horse pushes himself forward with more powerful contractions of his back muscles. These forceful contractions are followed quickly by relaxation of the muscle fibers. The contraction/relaxation cycles prevent tension or stiffening of the horse’s long back muscles, which is often created by other work.

Horses that are able to canter briskly for a period each week, whether out in the field or around an arena, maintain better symmetry in the activation of their hind legs and more freedom through their back.

Start in the Arena

For those who are wary of their horse’s behavior when encouraged to canter quickly, or have other concerns such as the horse tripping, getting fatigued, or not steering very well, I recommend the following exercise.

While your horse will not be receiving the same benefits of a prolonged canter bout, you will lay a good foundation to get there soon. It is intended for the comfy confines of an arena or large enclosed area.

1. Shorten your stirrups by one or two holes. This helps you ride in a lighter seat up off the horse’s back.

2. After a normal warm-up, strike off in a canter.

3. Now come up in a half-seat, lighten the reins, and encourage your horse to move a little faster.

4. Try to travel around 10 miles per hour, not faster or slower. This is not an out-of-control speed, just a brisk effort.

5. Continue around the perimeter of the arena or on a very large circle (no smaller than 40 meters) for 30 seconds.

6. Take a short break by jogging around for 30 seconds.

7. Repeat this four times.

Once horses learn that galloping involves a fair amount of sustained work, it ceases to be thrilling. Horses that are initially excited or reactive about the freedom of galloping learn that it’s just another part of their work week, but you must help them get over that initial hurdle.

Use a watch for this exercise. Many riders don’t know what 30 seconds of galloping feels like, and they are prone to quit after a much shorter time.

Be sure to go at least 30 seconds—or longer—with each canter. This is the time you’ll need for your horse to settle into his strides for the right physiological response.

This excerpt from 55 Corrective Exercises by Jec Ballou is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books. This reprint originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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As a clinician, there are a few training mistakes that I see again and again that are pretty easy to avoid once you know to watch out for them. At one point or another, I have fallen into all of these traps myself, and would like to help others avoid them.

1. Boring Your Horse

This problem is becoming more common all the time. It usually comes from a good place on the part of the trainer; he or she is trying to be thorough and cover all the necessary training steps, then repeat them until the horse has it down pat.

Although repetition is important when it comes to training horses, non-stop repetition is boring, takes away a horse’s desire to learn, and makes the training uninteresting. Think about the most boring teacher you ever had in school, and you probably get the picture.

Start to think in terms of quality instead of quantity when it comes to training. When you’re getting a good response from your horse, move on from that lesson for the day and do something else. Also try mixing in new lessons or putting little twists on old ones to change things up.

2. Only Trail Riding or Only Riding in an Arena

If you always ride in an arena, you stand a pretty good chance of ending up with a horse that knows a lot of maneuvers and handles well in a controlled environment, but he’s probably lacking in overall life skills because he hasn’t been exposed to much.

If you always ride in a straight line on a trail ride, you will likely have a horse that is very quiet and has been exposed to lots of things, but probably doesn’t handle very well—and he likely steers like a big cruise ship.

You need both types of training. You don’t need an actual arena to do what I’m going to refer to here as “arena-type exercises.” To have a well-rounded horse, you should work on improving suppling, steering, leg-yielding, and all the other exercises that you might do in an arena that will get your horse well-trained and handy.

You also need to spend time riding your horse on the trails to expose him to the world and to mix things up. Better yet, practice your arena exercises on the trail to make for a really well-rounded horse.

3. Too Many Programs

With so much horsemanship information available today from so many different sources, it’s very easy to get swamped with information and overwhelmed. This becomes a problem is when you take all this information and jumble it together, or even worse, constantly change the program you’re using.

Not all horsemanship programs fit together, and thinking you’re going to throw everything into a big bowl and mix it together often isn’t that effective. Think of it this way: If you add chocolate chips to a pancake mix, you have a slightly different type of pancake, which is fine. If you add onions, trout, and a bag of chips, it’s probably not going to be a very good mix, even though all those things are good on their own.

As you become more experienced, you can add little parts from different programs, but in the beginning, it’s usually better to stay the course with the program that you’re planning on using.

Constantly changing programs can be the most damaging because the horse never gets a chance to succeed. If every lesson is something completely different, he never gets a fair chance to learn anything properly.

This would be no different than if someone tried to teach you five new languages at the same time; chances are, you’re going to be overwhelmed and throw your hands up in frustration. I have seen several people take this approach with their horses, and they often end up with a horse that shuts down because he feels that he never gets a win and has never done anything right. Some horses will take it harder and completely blow up because they’re so exasperated.

I’m not saying that you can’t learn from everyone. But you need to stay the course with your training if it’s working and make small changes as you go instead of constantly making big changes.

If what you’re doing isn’t working, then you can make some bigger changes as needed. Also, as you get more experienced, you’ll know what can be added into your program with good results.

4. Tack or Equipment “Quick Fix”

Of course, you should use good tack and equipment that fits properly and is suitable for the job you’re trying to do.

What I’m referring to here is constantly looking for that one tool that’s supposedly going to fix everything with your horse. We all know that person who’s always buying a new bit, is constantly changing saddles, and is looking for every new training contraption on the market to fix the problems they’re having with their horse.

Switching equipment can help in some cases, but more often than not, the changes are minor. The main problem that I have with this isn’t so much that the person is changing equipment, but that they’re putting the focus and effort in the wrong places.

Assuming your horse is sound and healthy, 99 percent of the time the solution to training issues rests with you, his trainer. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times people have told me they were going to buy something new to fix a problem when it couldn’t have been more obvious that the person was making a training error.

While you shouldn’t be opposed to changing equipment if you’re having a problem, ask yourself honestly if you could be making a training error that is causing the problem. It’s pretty hard to buy the solution to a training problem—it’s likely going to be matter of working on yourself and your horsemanship.

What to Do with the Knowledge of Common Horse Training Mistakes

By being aware of the mistakes that are frequently made when training horses, you can spot the traps more easily and avoid them. I hope these tips help you in your horsemanship journey.

More Horse Training Advice from Jason Irwin

◆ Jason and Bronwyn Irwin Horsemanship Website
◆ Teach Your Horse to Stand Still While Mounting
◆ Training Your Horse to Cross Water

This article about common horse training mistakes appeared in the October 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Common Horse Training Mistakes appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Don’t Force the Issue

“Most horses don’t like ditches because they have a hard time with depth perception,” says Crow. “Horses should have a lot of self-preservation, so if they have a choice, they’ll go around something that looks unfamiliar or unsafe. For showing, you must cross at a certain place. You have to develop the horse’s confidence and show him you’re not going to put him in a bad spot or ask him to do something that’s unsafe.”

Crow says he often sees riders force their horses to keep facing the ditch when the horses are showing fear.

“What I won’t do is force the issue,” he says. “That’s the biggest mistake that people make. Riders will go to their leg and create a lot of pressure. The ditch itself creates anxiety and pressure for the horse, so adding pressure doesn’t make sense. That’s just creating a fight with your horse. You may get him over, but you didn’t build confidence or create a better experience for the next time you need to ride across [a ditch].”

Create Options

If you aren’t sure whether your horse will cross a ditch, find out his current comfort level. As you ride straight toward the ditch, look ahead and ride ahead, expecting your horse to move forward.

When you’re close to the ditch, allow your horse to lower his head to investigate. He needs to plan out how to move. You don’t want him to walk blindly into a dangerously deep ditch. He should pick his path.

If your horse doesn’t want to cross a ditch, give him options about where to be and how hard he must work. You’ll make being close to the ditch easy. If your horse moves away from the crossing, he’ll need to go to work.

“Horses respond really well to options,” Crow says. “I’ll immediately cue my horse to work—trotting circles left and right at a fast pace. Then I’ll walk up to the ditch again and give him the opportunity to cross. If it looks like he’s interested and investigating, then I sit softly and let him think about crossing the ditch.”

If Crow feels his horse balk and want to turn away from the crossing, it’s time to go back to work.

“I go back to work, trotting or loping, depending on what the footing and grounds are like near the ditch,” he says. “For some horses, this is a quick fix. For others, this takes a long time. If a horse isn’t showing lots of fear and only mildly balks, I’ll work him for 20 to 30 seconds, then try again. If a horse has a more severe reaction to the ditch, I might work him for two to three minutes before trying again. I need to create enough work that the horse would rather choose the easier option, which is just going over the ditch. The amount of work depends on the horse and his amount of resistance.”

Moving forward in a fast-paced trot keeps the horse thinking about moving forward over the ditch.

“I’m not really a big fan of trying to back a horse in a bunch of circles when he’s already got something that he’s worried about,” says Crow. “I think that could make one try to rear up. I try to fix this with forward motion. I’ll trot the figure-8s tightly and keep his feet moving forward and freely. That’s what we want—for the horse to go forward over the ditch.”

Here, Crow demonstrates riding over the ditch between his barn and hay field. The horse he rode, Mister Fahrenheit (aka “Radar”), wasn’t sure about the 3-foot water ditch crossing, and at first balked and backed away.

After working for only five minutes of trotting circles away from the ditch and resting at the crossing, Radar was ready to cross. His first attempt resulted in an eventing-worthy jump.

Be Prepared to Jump

Crow warns that horses who are fearful of the ditch may jump—or over-jump—on their first crossings. Be prepared to stay with the motion and land softly on the opposite side.

“If a horse has had some anxiety about the ditch, when he finally decides to get across it, he’s going to jump,” Crow says. “I’m OK with that. I just want to be prepared.”

How do you prepare for a ditch jump while riding in a western saddle?

“I’ll make sure that when I’m getting ready to cross the ditch, I’m not looking down,” Crow says. “I want to have my eyes up, looking forward. I make sure that I have a hold of the horn, and I’ll lean slightly forward. I’ll make sure to give my horse enough rein so I don’t hit him in the face when he lands on the other side. You don’t want to punish the horse for finally getting across.”

Crow says that if he feels a horse taking off toward the ditch, he’ll slow the speed by pulling back on one rein before the horse crosses.

“I don’t want my horse to be ‘sucked back’ on his hocks and ready to leap,” he says. “Instead, I’ll use my reins to disengage the hind end so that he steps more than leaps.”

Keep in mind, jumping is an honest reaction for a horse.

“If the horse can’t tell how deep the ditch is, I want him to give a little hop,” Crow says. “I would much rather ride a horse that’s going to hop over a hole. That’s much safer than riding a horse that blindly steps into something where he can’t see the bottom. This is very different than if you have a graded path down to a water crossing. I don’t want a jump then. But if there’s a hole in the ground, I’m OK with the jump.”

Praise and Rest

Once Radar jumped across the ditch, Crow rewarded him with a walk on a loose rein. The pair moved up and down the ditch without turning to face it right away. After a few minutes of rest, Crow asked the horse to cross the ditch again. This time, he didn’t need as much encouragement.

Crow says forward motion is what ranch-riding judges want to see. At the highest levels of versatility ranch horse competition, the events are held outside in natural ranch settings. The judges want to see that your horse can go over and get to the obstacles and anywhere you need to work.

While the ditch may not officially be an obstacle, you may have to cross over one to get to your course. Judges want to see that your horse trusts your guidance and will move willingly wherever you point him.

This article about how to teach your horse to cross a ditch appeared in the July 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Work on Your Own Fitness

It’s not fair to ask hour horses to get into summer riding shape if we have been slacking ourselves, too. It’s a partnership, after all!

Now is the perfect time to start a fitness program for yourself before you hit full-tilt summer show season. If going to the gym isn’t convenient, consider an online program. There are lots of YouTube videos to help guide you through basic working routines, and several subscription services targeted directly for building rider strength out of the saddle.

If prefer to get your exercise outdoors, the barn property can become a gym. Map out a path around the perimeter of the fields, or even just up and down the driveway, to go for a walk or a jog. Hills are ideal because they maximize the cardio challenge, build muscles and burn more calories.

There’s also plenty you can do in the barn to build fitness. If you board, ask your barn manager if you can pitch in to make their day go a little quicker. Carrying and scrubbing water buckets, mucking out some extra stalls, or even just helping bring the horses in and out from the fields will help you build up stamina.

Think about your summer riding plans, too. Is trail riding on your list? You can’t go trail riding if the trails are full of branches and trees that fell over the winter. Get in a full-body workout walking the trails on foot and helping remove anything in your way.

If you board at a facility, team up with some other riders to keep each other accountable. Getting a group to ride together after work or on the weekends can make it more fun. Workout classes are better with a friend, so you may want to join a gym with your barn buddies.

Peer support is trickier if your horses are at home or if you board at a smaller facility. There are plenty of Facebook groups with other riders in the same isolated position also craving support. Groups exist for different breeds, sports, and riding goals. An online community can be just as positive as in-person support to keep you motivated.

Get Your Horse Fit

If you return your horse to full work after two months (or more) of down time, he will have lost significant fitness and be more prone to injury. Although cardiovascualar fitness is relatively easy for horses to achieve, tendons and ligaments take months to strengthen when starting from scratch.

If you have space on your farm to go for low-intensity hacks, that is the perfect place to start, but walking in the ring works, too. You can walk even an unfit horse under saddle for up to 60 minutes per day, four to six days a week. Ride your horse forward and keep him pushing from behind, even at the walk. (Going around in an inverted frame with his back down and head in the air will strengthen the wrong muscles.)

Stick to walking for at least the first two weeks of your program. You can gradually increase the time and/or add hill work to keep things challenging, but always keep a feel for when your horse starts to get tired, and wrap up your ride at the first signs of fatigue.

After two weeks, you can gradually add in a few minutes of trotting. Take walk breaks after 2 or 3 minutes of trotting when you start, then work up to 5 to 10 minutes of trot over the next week as your horse is able. Don’t let your horse fall apart in his downward transitions, and think about him lifting his back and stretching down into your hand during breaks from higher-intensity work.

In week four, you can add 1 to 2 minutes of cantering, building up from there. After 30 days, you can introduce a few small jumps or very short bursts of more intense work as your discipline requires. It’s better to ask for successful smaller amounts of higher-intensity work than less-successful—and potentially detrimental—longer workouts.

After six weeks of consistent work, your horse should be much closer to optimum fitness. Throughout his conditioning period and beyond, continue walking as much as possible each day; this can be done before and after the more intense portion of your ride.

Also pay attention to how you feel during this process. It’s hard to ask your horse to carry you if you are starting to fatigue. If after trotting a couple circles you feel your leg slip and your hands start to bounce, it’s time to go back to the walk.

Getting both you and your horse back into shape in the spring takes time, and rushing only gets you to the wrong place faster. It’s better to take it slow while rebuilding stamina in order to reduce the risk of injury and to keep riding fun for both of you.

This article about horse and rider fitness for spring appeared in the April 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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The average ride in non-extreme heat and humidity should last about 30 to 45 minutes. No matter how much time you have to ride, I firmly believe that the warmup should take the most amount of time. A walk on a long rein followed by some basic trot and canter work on a medium-length rein is a great way to begin.

After that is complete, you can begin the targeted warmup. A targeted warmup is one that you create using critical thinking skills in order to improve on your horse’s specific weaknesses. Some examples of these weaknesses could be crookedness, reluctance to go forward, tension/stiffness, lack of engagement, et cetera.

By targeting the warmup to improve these qualities, you set the tone for whatever you’re hoping to practice during the “work” section of the training session, whether that is a complicated jumping track or more advanced dressage movements. This way, your horse is already engaging the correct muscles and having the correct reactions to your aids before being presented with something more complicated.

Having between three to five exercises to choose from is helpful so that the warmup changes somewhat during each session and avoids becoming a drill.

Useful Targeted Warmup Exercises for Specific Horses

Horse that drifts or pops out a shoulder:
◆ Square turns or turn on the haunches
◆ Shoulder-fore or shoulder-in
◆ Circles or figure-8s with focus on riding the shoulders

Lazier type:
◆ Lengthening or collecting of stride
◆ Frequent transitions
◆ Apply leg, use spur or stick if no reaction

Hotter type:
◆ Downward transitions
◆ Circles or figure-8s on a medium-long rein with a mild inside bend
◆ Ground poles (if he rushes the jumps)
◆ Collecting of stride and transitions from regular to collected gaits

Stiff horse:
◆ Circles and figure-8s
◆ Mounted carrot stretches after initial stretch warmup when muscles are warm
◆ Shoulder-fore or shoulder-in
◆ Leg-yields

Horse needing more hind-end engagement:
◆ Transitions on straight lines (with emphasis on even feel in the contact)
◆ Backing
◆ Sets of multiple ground poles or raised cavalletti
◆ Circles, figure-8s, and three-track movements (such as shoulder-in and shoulder-fore) with emphasis on encouraging drive through the hind end through half-halts and maintaining impulsion.

Three Skills

There are several important skills at play when designing and executing a targeted warmup.

First, you must understand your horse’s weaknesses (or your weaknesses as a pair) and how to improve them. This could be a great conversation to have with your trainer. Being able to narrow down what may seem like a huge problem to a few tweaks to the basics is a crucial step in becoming a more well-rounded rider.

Having placed the extra attention on these weaker basics during the warmup, you will be a step ahead when you arrive at the “work” portion of your ride. Using relevant exercises, your horse will become physically and mentally engaged in a way that will benefit his work. Rather than getting frustrated when your horse is rushing the jumps or lacking spring in his hocks, now you will notice those problems arising less and less each ride.

Instead of feeling stuck and asking your horse to perform the more difficult work over and over in a futile attempt to fix it in the moment, the proper preparation has been done to ensure success. This also allows you to avoid unneeded wear and tear on your horse, both physically and mentally.

The final component of a targeted warmup that adds value to your overall training regimen is that even if you and your horse are having a difficult time on a particular day, if you stop your ride after your targeted warmup, you will still have progressed a little further towards your goals.

Your Horse Show Warmup

In this masterclass video from Ridely, Olympic medalist Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum talks you through how she warms up her horses when she competes. Meredith explains that the most important thing about warming up is that you stay as calm as possible. Competing can be daunting and the warmup ring is often busy with other competitors, so it is important to control the nerves and stay calm. She emphasizes the importance of giving yourself enough time in the warmup and to get on the horse early.

Register for Ridely PRO to access 450+ other useful training videos.

There are plenty of times when things don’t go as planned with horses, but by having identified the skills you need to improve on to get to the next level, no session can ever be considered stagnant.

This article about training your horse with a targeted warmup appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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An excerpt from Arena Tracks by Christian Baier.

These classical tracks are ultimately at the foundation of everything we are doing in the arena with the horse. It starts with the beginner rider just off the longe line learning the most basic tracks all the way to the most experienced rider working a horse at the highest level of equestrianism. Jumping courses even consist of a combination (or variation) of classical arena tracks strung together from start to finish marker!

The classical arena tracks that I outline here are just a few of the tracks that guide the rider in how to safely navigate the arena in an organized way, in addition to being a useful tool in the physical development of the horse. For the instructor, they are an important tool for communicating with the student.

So, why do we have tracks?
◆ To ride in an organized and safe way in an arena.
◆ To change direction with many options from basic to more advanced.
◆ To make it easier to deal with other horses in the arena.
◆ Basic tracks are of great help to the novice rider and inexperienced horse.
◆ They are excellent help in training accuracy.
◆ Riding tracks support and demonstrate the suppleness of the horse.

The eight tracks described in this excerpt are in reference to the standard dressage arenas, which come in two sizes: 20 x 40 meters and 20 x 60 meters.

Single-Loop Serpentine

◆ Purpose: Suppling through the bending line and change of flexion to the turning side.
◆ Possible tracks: From left and right using the quarterline for orientation. If stated in instructions, it can be ridden into X.

Change Direction Through the Circle

◆ Purpose: To change direction within the circle.
◆ Possible tracks: From left and right; from short and long sides.

Half-Circle Back

◆Purpose: Used to change direction.
◆ Possible tracks: Usually ridden from middle to end of long sides.

Half-Circle Back in Reverse

◆ Purpose: Used to change direction.
◆ Possible tracks: Usually ridden from the middle to the end of long sides.

Three-Loop Serpentine

◆ Purpose: Trains turning, accuracy, and frequent change of bending flexion. It is an excellent suppling exercise.
◆ Possible tracks: Can be ridden from left or right. Serpentines with an even number of loops create a change of direction. Serpentines with an odd number of loops maintain the same direction.

Four-Loop Serpentine

◆ Purpose: Trains turning, accuracy, and frequent change of bending flexion. It is an excellent suppling exercise.
◆ Possible tracks: Can be ridden from left or right. Serpentines with an even number of loops create a change of direction. Serpentines with an odd number of loops maintain the same direction.

Five-Loop Serpentine

◆ Purpose: Trains turning, accuracy, and frequent change of bending flexion. It is an excellent suppling exercise.
◆ Possible tracks: Can be ridden from left or right. Serpentines with an even number of loops create a change of direction. Serpentines with an odd number of loops maintain the same direction.

Double-Loop Serpentine

◆ Purpose: Suppling through bending lines and changes of flexion to the turning side when ridden in walk and trot.
◆ Possible tracks: From left and right, using half the distance to the quarterline for orientation (2.5 meters inside the track).

This excerpt from Arena Tracks by Christian Baier is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.HorseandRiderBooks.com). This is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine.

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“When horses buck, they aren’t comfortable,” says natural horsemanship trainer Mike Brashear. “Bucking isn’t something that most horses want to do. Instead, we want them to understand that they don’t have to go there. They can find release and relief by following a rider’s soft cues.”

Here, Brashear helps you work with your horse on the ground and from the saddle to make sure that he will soften instead of brace in preparation to buck. When your horse will willingly move his head and neck, shoulders, ribcage, and hindquarters, he will bend instead of brace. Without tension and brace, a horse won’t need to buck.

Why do horses buck?

“If the horse had to become the leader, they were forced into that scenario,” says Brashear. “The horse may have trauma from the past and the buck was the answer to get away from a trigger. You may not know why they buck or what caused it. The one thing I do know is that when they get to that point, the only answer is to add training that will help them relax and think.”

A Horse’s Confidence Can Prevent Bucking

Bucking incidents with a horse can quickly drain rider confidence. Brashear works with a Gypsy Vanner horse that once took off and bucked with his rider during a trail ride. Brashear helped the horse relax and helped the rider gain confidence to work with her horse and ride again.

The horse (pictured here) now travels with Brashear for demos and even helps to start colts. To begin the retraining, Brashear worked with horse and rider from the ground.

“A horse can feel your heartbeat from 4 feet away,” he says. “If you don’t have confidence, the horse can feel that. By working on the ground first, you can create confidence. You don’t have to ride that horse right away, but you can do the groundwork and become confident. When you see you can move the horse’s feet and place them where you want to go, you’ll know you can do the same thing once you’re on his back.”

Disengaging from the Ground

To get your horse bending and responsive to your cues, you’ll ask him to disengage his hindquarters while he walks in a circle around you as you work from the ground. Keep in mind that this isn’t the fast, emergency stop use of the disengagement technique.

While disengaging the hindquarters can cause a horse to abruptly stop in an emergency, that move is strong and quick. What’s more, that move can only work in an emergency if your horse has been taught to flex and bend on command.

Here, you’ll teach your horse that he can move his body to the side, disengaging to bend and relax instead of brace.

To start, outfit your horse in a long lead and rope halter and hold a training flag. You’ll send your horse away from you at a walk, tracking left.

“I’ll lift my left hand and have him follow that feel to the left,” says Brashear. “Then I’ll ask him to move his feet by prompting him with my right hand, the tail of my lead rope, or my stick or flag. I’m ‘drifting’ his hindquarters to the right. I’m working on getting a soft feel through his poll, neck and ribcage and back to his hindquarters by picking up more with my left hand. When I start to bend his neck, I’m bending his head toward the stirrup. I’m encouraging the hindquarters to completely break over to the right.”

The horse disengages when he moves his left hind leg forward and in front of the right hind leg. The move is to the side and blocks fast forward motion. It requires a bend throughout the horse’s body.

Brashear says that once the horse willingly bends and moves well to the side, he’ll pause, allow the horse to relax, and change directions.

“I’m going to repeat the process of getting him round through his body, his jaw coming under his neck, and roundness through his neck, ribcage, and back to his hindquarters,” he says. “His hindquarters are going to start drifting to the left while he’s moving and going forward to the right.”

Brashear says that the goal is to isolate each part of the horse so that you can control the placement of all four hooves while working with softness and flow.

“If a horse is prone to bucking, you must get his feet to go in the direction you want so you can help him start to think again,” he explains.

Once you can move his feet, make sure your cues are soft and you’re willing to release. As you’re working with your horse, Brashear says to look for the moments when your horse is willing and release the pressure as he does the right thing.

Think: “Do you want to come off this pressure? Look to me, I’m trying to guide you.” Horses must trust that you will allow them to relax. If a horse is bucking, he’s not relaxed in any way.

In preparation for riding, move your lead line hand up over the saddle horn and get the horse to follow the disengaging cues as he feels the pressure and release in the same place where you hold the reins when riding.

When your horse looks relaxed while doing groundwork, take the same principles to the saddle. You’ll be able to bend and flex him and move his feet from the ground and from the saddle. “For the worried rider, do the groundwork portion until you want to ride,” Brashear adds. “If you had a serious event happen, seek out some professional help. The horse community is huge, and you don’t have to do this alone.”

Softness from the Saddle

When you mount up, you’ll focus on asking your horse to disengage and willingly bend so you know you have control.

Brashear recounts the first time he rode the Gypsy Vanner horse after working from the ground and then returning to the scene where the horse once bucked.

“When I first got on, I checked out all my pieces and parts to match my groundwork,” Brashear says. “We did a continuation of what I already did on the ground. I started moving him forward, then asked him to turn and bent his hindquarters. Then I asked him to trot and asked him to slow down. If a horse gets tight, it’s usually in transitions. I want him to know that he can get comfortable in the new speed. I want him to know that if he bends and responds, he can find the same relief and comfort no matter what speed we go.”

To disengage the horse’s hindquarters from the saddle, start by taking a deep breath and relaxing your own body. Remember that all these cues are to be given with a soft touch. Tip your horse’s nose to the right by picking up on your right rein and moving the rein toward your knee. Brashear says to imagine the horse bending around your right leg.

“Move your right leg with a rhythmic light bumping motion,” Brashear says. “Your legs should be encouraging his right leg to move in front of his left hind leg. You want to get the horse to drift to the left. Then take him farther with his face by picking up your rein more and totally disengage his hindquarters. Here you’ll stop forward motion and get the hind legs to track around the front [legs].

“Once the horse gives his hindquarters and relaxes his jaw and poll, let him move out onto a circle again,” he continues. “We’re trying to get him to give his hindquarters so he can relax and listen. He also needs to know that he will get to relax when he does this. When he gives you his face and is drifting the hindquarters, when you feel him relax, then you release his face. Allow him to move out onto a bigger circle—as long as he stays relaxed. Then take him the other direction.”

Progressing to Go Straight Without Bucking

Brashear says to work first at the walk, then the trot and lope. Once you and your horse feel relaxed with drifting, full disengagement, and larger circles, look for more ways to bend and flex. Start circling trees and move around obstacles to help you stay focused and raise your eyes.

Brashear says to keep in mind that straight is not always wrong. You want your horse to move straight ahead when asked.

“It’s when the horse is tense, braces, and goes straight that bucking can be an issue,” he says. “Otherwise, I want my horses to be able to go in a straight line to get good stops, lead changes, and backs. Moving straight is not wrong, but straight with a horse that’s already bracey could become a problem. It’s about getting control of the feet and getting to the point where you can bend the horse willingly.”

When you’re riding any horse, Brashear has three rules.

“You have to breathe, then keep breathing, then have some fun.” Plus, he says, take time to enjoy the ride when you feel your horse relax.

Do the same exercises on the ground and from the saddle and pay attention for when your horse willingly responds.

“It will boost your confidence to feel your horse respond to your cues,”he says. “It will boost the horse’s confidence in you, too, to know that you’re the leader.”

Special thanks to Monica Dominguez for sharing her horse.

This article about keeping your horse from bucking appeared in the July 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Begin With Light Signals

An important point to remember throughout all these groundwork exercises is the use of escalating signals. If your horse doesn’t respond to your lightest signal, the volume of the signal should be turned up until he tries giving the proper response, at which point the pressure should be released altogether.

This requires being very tuned into your horse, noticing if he so much as rocks his weight in the desired direction. By consistently sticking to this system of progression followed by reward, your horse is better able to learn what is being asked of him and arrive at the correct answer sooner and with less pressure.

Groundwork Exercise: Hand Walking

When leading your horse, he needs to learn to stay beside you. Horses may be inclined to lag behind, drag ahead, or veer to the side. Establishing firm boundaries helps him understand that he must tune in to you.

A horse that lags behind can be encouraged with the use of a long dressage whip. Don’t walk excessively fast, but don’t slow down to accommodate him either. If he falls behind enough to put pressure on the lead, turn to escalating use of the dressage whip from a gentle tap up to a firm, repetitive bump as needed.

A horse that veers toward you can be corrected by holding the dressage whip perpendicular toward him while poking his shoulder with the handle end of the whip when he enters your space. This is another signal that can be escalated as needed.

If your horse veers away or drags you, walk purposefully and then give your preferred verbal cue for a halt (for example, “whoa”). A moment later, stop walking. Horses often are caught off guard and walk a few steps past you before feeling the pressure of the halter and stopping.

If your horse is one that was caught off guard by you stopping, continue this groundwork exercise on repeat until he stops at the verbal cue rather than the halter pressure. He will soon catch on that it’s in his best interest to turn his attention to you rather than to the world around him so that he doesn’t miss a verbal cue.

Groundwork Exercise: Backing

Once your horse has learned to remain attentive to you, backing can be introduced. When asking your horse to back, you should face his chest and hold the lead rope so that if halter pressure is introduced, it pulls down toward the center of his chest.

The first pressure used to ask your horse to back is a firm step toward him into his space. Second is a cluck; third is use of the lead rope toward the center of his chest. If he still doesn’t understand, it may take some taps from a dressage whip or the end of the lead rope to convey the idea.

Once he understands and moves backward any amount, reward, walk forward, halt, and reset. The goal is for your horse to eventually back in response to just the step into his space. This groundwork exercise is best done from both sides so that your horse learns to respond to you stepping toward both his left and right forelegs.

Groundwork Exercise: Moving the Haunches

The last of the groundwork exercises covered here will be moving the haunches. Stand facing your horse’s hip, and from there, the progression of pressure is identical to backing. Step into your horse’s space toward his hip, followed if needed by a cluck, then a tap from a dressage whip.

This is another exercise that should be done equally on both sides of the horse. It’s important to note that neither in backing nor in moving the haunches is the horse moved by you pulling him into position. All of his movement should be self-motivated and in response to the pressure you applied.

These basic groundwork exercises are just the beginning of many ways we can better relate with our horses from the ground. Once these concepts are solidly taught, your horse is one step closer to being a better partner under saddle due to his improved understanding.

Groundwork Exercises for Young Horses

As an important tool for establishing communication with your horse, groundwork exercises are quite beneficial in developing young horses.

In this video from Ridely, in-hand and long-lining expert Claudio Oliveira demonstrates the first steps when starting this work with the young horse. The aim is to get the horse to move away from the pressure and to listen and respond to Claudio’s voice aids. He starts by desensitizing the horse to the whip to build his confidence and once the horse understands moving away from the pressure, Claudio introduces some baby leg yield and some turns on the forehand. He emphasizes that it does not have to be perfect; the horse just has to respond. This is a great beginner’s exercise to build the horse’s confidence in the groundwork before starting with long lines. Register for Ridely PRO to access 450+ other useful training videos.

A Note on Nose Chains

If your horse tends to pull you off balance or at any time you feel out of control, use of a nose chain is completely acceptable. Some horses may be able to graduate from the nose chain, while others may not. Escalation of pressure applies to nose chains as well. Walking a horse with a nose chain doesn’t mean that the chain is being used constantly—it’s simply an additional, stronger boundary.

This article about groundwork exercises appeared in the August 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Getting to know how your horse feels by doing groundwork before a ride is a great idea. However, the groundwork you do has to have meaning. Make sure that your groundwork doesn’t become routine and allows time for you to notice your horse’s reactions and willingness.

“Just going through the motions doesn’t accomplish anything,” says natural horsemanship trainer Mike Brashear. “Most trained horses that have done some groundwork can go to the left, right, stop and back up. They learn a pattern. Instead of just doing the moves, you need to learn to notice if he moves willingly with his head down or if he’s tense and resisting.”

Here, Brashear helps you learn how to make sure your horse is tuned in instead of using groundwork to tire your horse out.

“Make sure your horse is with you mentally and physically before you get on to ride,” he says. “We aren’t talking about longeing your horse for 30 minutes to tire him out. We are looking to make sure that your horse can move easily and that he’s in a stable mental state to go work. And if he’s not, we want to work with him until he is.”

Brashear likes to work with his horse on the ground before he gets on. To start, outfit your horse in a rope halter with a long 12- to 15-foot rope leadline attached with a knot. You may choose to use a stick with a flag to help you give your horse more direction.

Turning with Purpose

The task: Ask your horse to walk in a circle to the right by holding the long leadline with both hands. Place your flag in your left hand to drive the horse to the right while simultaneously raising your right hand to point in the direction you’d like the horse to move. If your horse just turns to face you and stops, wave your flag to cue him to keep moving.

“I’m not asking the horse to disengage his hindquarters and stop and face me; I want to see him move around me in a consistent, round circle,” Brashear says.

Cue him forward in the circle by walking forward toward his tailhead and waving your flag as needed. You only want your horse to walk; if he trots, slow him down by tugging gently on the lead rope.

If your horse only moves his hindquarters away, use your flag to also move his shoulder away. If your horse only moves his neck in the turn, use your flag to push his hindquarters away.

Once your horse will move to the right well, it’s time to change direction. Change your hands on the lead and move your flag to your right hand. Your horse should cross over and move to the left.

Behaviors to notice: You don’t want your horse to move lethargically. He should have some movement and willingness to follow your directions in a timely fashion.

Watch your horse’s poll and jaw. Ideally, your horse will relax his poll and tuck his jaw down. This shows that he’s moving in a relaxed fashion. When a horse lowers his jaw, he can’t brace. Any time your horse lowers his poll and tucks his jaw, make sure that your body cues are relaxed.

You want your horse to round his body and his topline in the direction of the circle. Make sure that your horse bends his neck and his hindquarters equally. You don’t want your horse to only move his hindquarters or only move his head. Look for overall body flexion.

“I look for the horse’s expression, as well as his neck position in relation to his body,” Brashear says. “I want to work with my horse through his mind, down to his body and his feet.”

Walk With Me

The task: For this exercise, drop your flag and work with your horse’s halter and nose pressure. You want him to move forward and back on command. With your horse standing still, stand in front of him (and slightly to the side for safety). Hold the sides of your horse’s halter and ask him to move forward one step. When he steps forward, release the pressure on the halter.

To go back, gently push on your horse’s nose where the halter’s noseband touches his face. Push gently and release your pressure when he steps back willingly.

You can also push down gently on your horse’s poll to ask him to drop his head and move away from the pressure. All of these movements require your horse’s quick and willing reaction.

Behaviors to notice: Make sure to notice your horse’s slightest try. Doing this simple activity will help your horse learn that if he does the right thing, you will praise him with a release of pressure.

When you release the pressure, make sure that you move slowly instead of quickly removing all pressure, which can spook your horse. When you take off pressure, the horse feels a relief and wants to work to get that release again. When you move slowly, you’ll teach your horse to give and help him soften and relax.

Your horse’s willingness to give and release will transfer to your rein and leg aids when you ride.

“I just want to get along with my horse,” Brashear says. “Instead of getting my horse in a sweated-up fit, I want him to do as I ask, relax, and try.”

This article about groundwork with your horse appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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