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This is how we train a fearless trail horse!

198K views 298 replies 164 participants last post by  DragonflyAzul 
#1 ·
It seems that every time I come to this site, there are 2 or 3 or even more questions about training a trail horse to go anywhere and everywhere the rider points its head. Since this is what we do for a living, I thought I would try to explain what it takes and how to go about it.

We have trained nothing but trail horses since we got too old and are in too poor health to train cow horses and reining horses any more. We always rode our cow horses out and they were perfect trail horses and we sold the horses that would not make competitive cow horses as trail horses for many years - about 35 or 49 years anyway. Now, that is all we can do.

It does not take age. We have had MANY 2 year olds that would go anywhere you pointed their heads. I have sold 3 year olds to novice riders that are still perfect trail horses 10 years later. [I got 2 e-mails just last week from people that bought horses 3-5 years ago and keep me up on their adventures. Both of those horses were 3 year olds. ]

'Almost' any horse will make a good trail horse. Some super paranoid, exceptionally spooky horses will always need a confident rider, but I have not had a problem making a good trail horse out of anything. I have made good trail horses out of many spoiled horses, but that takes a lot more skill and riding ability than what many people have. Obviously, the nicer the prospect and the better the attitude, the easier it is to make a nice horse for any purpose. We raise our own prospects for their trainability, good minds and easy going nature. We think novice riders should have that kind of horse because they are 'user friendly' and 'low maintenance'. Those are inherited characteristics.

Horses with 'big motors' like TBs and race-bred QHs and high strung horses also require more rider skill, but they cover a lot of ground and are really more suitable to those wanting to do endurance and long hard rides. If you wanted a vehicle to go fishing and hunting in and drive into the back-country, you would not buy a Corvette or a Ferrari would you? Those 'hot' horses make really fast mounted shooting horses and the ones with speed make barrel horses and other timed event horses. They just require a rider with greater skill.

Here are the best tips and 'rules' I have for making a good trail horse:

1) Obedience is NEVER optional. A good trail horse is nothing more than a horse that does everything 'right away' that a rider asks. Absolute and quick obedience -- 100% compliance without an argument should be the goal.

2) Your job (as the rider) is not to let your horse look at everything new and decide it is OK. That is your job. You should NOT show him that there is nothing to be afraid of. Your job as an 'effective' rider is to teach him that he needs to trust YOU and ONLY YOU -- not his natural instincts. It is your job to teach him to pay attention to his job (doing whatever you ask) and not his surroundings. Your goal should be to teach him to ignore anything he 'perceives' as fearful.

3) I NEVER let a horse look at things, examine things, go up to new things, 'sniff'' things or any of that. If you do any of these, you are teaching to stop and look or sniff everything instead of go on down the trail. The habit I want to reinforce is to go past or through anything without stopping to look at it. If I tell him it is OK, I want him to accept that without questioning me. You can't have it both ways. He either has to become the leader and figure out everything for himself in his time-frame (for some horses that is never) or he has to let you be the leader. I am convinced that I am smarter and know what I am doing and I know where I want to go and I don't really need or want his opinion at all.

If you let a horse look at things, then you are teaching him to be afraid of everything that is new and telling him that things should be looked at instead of ignored. You are not telling him that it is OK to go right past it. I want a horse to ignore everything but me. You have to remember that whatever you let or ask him to do (like checking things out) is what you are teaching him to do. Do you want a horse that is afraid of everything and stops at every new thing he encounters or do you want a horse that goes everywhere you point his head without questioning you? Remember, you just can't have it both ways.

4) When a horse starts to hesitate and starts to show fear, 'ride hard and fast'. Go faster, cover more ground, ride off of the trail and in the roughest footing you can find. All of these things get his attention back to his 'job' and back to you and off of whatever he thought was a big wooly booger.

5) Never ride straight toward something that you can go around. If a horse is afraid of a big tree stump, do not ride him straight toward it. [You are just setting his up to stop and back up. Remember, you are trying to make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult and setting him up to stop and back up is not doing that.] Ride past it several times while taking his attention away from the stump and keeping it on you. I like to use 'leg yielding' exercises. I will ride past an object with his head bent away from the object and my leg pushing his shoulders and ribs toward the object. I watch his ear that is away from the object. I know I have his attention and respect for my leg when that ear stays 'cocked' back toward me. I will go past the object, switch my dominant rein to the one nearest the object, will reverse directions TOWARD the object (I never let him turn his tail to anything he fears) and I will leg yield back past it again using my other leg to push him (bend him) toward it. I will go back and forth again and again until he walks right on by without looking at it or veering away from it -- just goes straight on by like it isn't there.

We help a lot of riders get past their fears on the trail. When you have an apprehensive rider that is possibly more fearful than the horse, you cannot expect that person to project a confident 'git-er-done' bold demeanor to the horse. So, the rider has to learn how to ride past their fears, focus on a place way past where they are and ride with determination to that place. You want to concentrate on getting to a place that is far beyond the object that the horse is trying to focus on. If the rider is looking at a 'booger', you can bet that the horse is going to be looking at it, too. Many people 'spook' worse than their horse. They are looking for scary objects down the trail before their horse is. If that is part of a rider's problem, they need to learn to ride far ahead of where they actually are.

We do not spend a lot of time trying to desensitize a horse. A lot of people find this strange. Let me tell you why we put so little faith in this exercise in futility (and why I never post on those threads). You will never be able to duplicate everything that can scare a horse. Even if you did, they would encounter this obstacle in a different place on the trail and it would be different to them anyway. You train a horse to listen to you and you train a horse to ignore anything new or scary. You train a horse to go forward when you ask -- no matter what is in front of them (one of the reasons I keep harping on 'good forward impulsion' ) and you train a horse to depend solely on you. You make all of the decisions and they are happy to comply. The more you take the leadership role, the less they think and worry. That is how you make a good trail horse.
 
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#35 ·
I have ridden very well mannered trail horses a good part of my riding years :wink: I very well know the differences, I've ridden and worked with them first hand.

I suppose what I am trying to say about this whole thing, and not by any means start a fight- just point out my own thoughts, is that I just don't agree with the training method, with not letting the horse do anything but listen to whom it may concern. I'm a very give and take person.
Everyone trains a little differently, just because I look at things a little differently doesn't mean I have a bad horse, and it doesn't by any means imply she is a misbehaving heaven as your post kind of makes it sound. I'm sure your horses are well behaved, and I'll admit that you have way more years on me, but that doesn't mean I have to agree, just shrug and be glad that they get good homes.

Looking up, I think I could have tweeked my earlier words to be stated a little better, but the meaning in there holds true for me. I didn't come to the thread looking for a fight or get people to my "side", I was interested in the title and ended up not agreeing 100%.


And btw:
Western Diamondback that was over 7 feet long and bigger around than my 200# husband's forearm raised up above 3 foot tall grass and started to rattle. His head was over 3 inches wide. He was the biggest Rattlesnake I have ever seen. My horse was probably 2 feet from his head when he stopped.
That isn't a snake, that's a small dragon :shock::rofl:
 
#36 ·
just because I look at things a little differently doesn't mean I have a bad horse,
Yet, this is exactly what you implied with your remarks to everyone else. You feel sad for a quiet horse. I feel sad for a spoiled rotten rank horse. I can easily find a home for my sensible trail horses. How many people want a horse that puts up a fight with every fork in the road?

To each his own, I spose.
 
#37 ·
Thanks, Cherie!!! You are a GREAT resource, and a terrific example of the old type of training I used to see as a child, but is often absent today. BTW, you were absolutely right about tying up. **hugs**
Last weekend, I had some extra help so we worked our 3 horses all day. At the end of the day, I tied up my 5 yo's to untack and brush, and when I unhooked my 5 yo QH, he just stayed at his spot, foot cocked. I had to PULL him away so he knew he was free--SOOO funny, but I have even more confidence in him after this.
I think that a well broken horse is just like a brand new car--EVERYTHING works right for both. You can get braver and gain confidence in your horse by HOURS AND HOURS, ad nauseum, of schooling. If you are most confident in a small arena, school there. If it's on the trail, school there. Everybody wants this PC "personal relationship" with their horse, which is only possible by wasting time with them. You sacrifice other things in your life to do this, but I think I already watch too much tv and spend too much time on the I'Net, LOL!! I believe that a horse is TRUELY happy when he has and he knows his job.
Again, CHERIE, EXCELLENT post!!
 
#39 ·
Yet, this is exactly what you implied with your remarks to everyone else. You feel sad for a quiet horse. I feel sad for a spoiled rotten rank horse. I can easily find a home for my sensible trail horses. How many people want a horse that puts up a fight with every fork in the road?

To each his own, I spose.

o_O I never said my horse puts up a fight... but okay. I've had many neighbors tell me they would buy my mare in an instant if I were to put her up for sale... but alrighty.

I'm not gonna argue.
 
#40 ·
o_O I never said my horse puts up a fight... but okay. I've had many neighbors tell me they would buy my mare in an instant if I were to put her up for sale... but alrighty.

I'm not gonna argue.
I am not saying that your horse specifically puts up a fight. What I am trying to point out is that many horses will test a rider at every given opportunity, often unbeknownst to the rider. This testing will escalate over time until the rider is no longer the brains of the operation. That does not make a good trail horse. I also want my horse to be inquisitive and curious, but he can do that on his own time. When the saddle goes on there is only "one cook in the kitchen", so to speak. That in no way implies that he is "dead". It implies that he is well-trained.
 
#44 ·
For those that asked what kind of saddle is easier to stay in:

I have found a deep seated ranch saddle built on an 'Association Tree'. These are the deep seated saddles used by saddle bronc riders. I have a saddle like that, with a plain, hard seat, that we have used for years on colts. It is very secure and a LOT harder to fall out of.

But, it is not very comfortable for long rides. I may have a local saddle maker make a saddle for me on an Association Tree, but have it made with a dropped rigging (like the reining saddles that have less bulk under the riders upper leg) and a padded seat that is more narrow like the pleasure saddles made for female riders. The mens' saddles have much wider, flatter seats.

The other thing a rider can do is add 'bucking rolls' to the back of the pommel of the saddle. Many bronc riders and colt starters also use these on every saddle they ride.

I used to love riding Hunt Seat, but I have not put my Passier Saddle on a horse in 6 or 7 years. I just cannot stay in it any more -- even on a really broke horse.
 
#45 ·
... I have a saddle like that, with a plain, hard seat, that we have used for years on colts. It is very secure and a LOT harder to fall out of...
OMG, Cherie--I think I have one of those!! I have this old Western with a hard-as-a-rock seat that looks terribly uncomfortable, but it fits like a glove. It's going to the saddlers this winter bc the stirrup leathers are worn out on the bottom, but I'll never part with it.
You know, I think a discussion about herd dynamics is in order on this thread considering the notion that your horse is your "friend" and your "equal." IF you horse is your friend, he/she cannot be your equal. Horses, dogs, cats--ANY social animal--understands that a relationship means one is alpha and the other is beta. YOU need to always be the alpha, and your horse needs to always be the beta. It makes your horse comfortable to know where he stands with you. He will be out of control is he gets to be the controller.
I think I can safely say that everyone here desires that their horse(s) enjoy their job. I expect my seasoned horses to help me do things when I ride them, and it is appropriate for your horse to keep thinking. In fact, if they "zone out" when you ride habitually, they might wake up and react to something that frightens them. Certainly work horses, like Cherie uses are not being denied life simply bc they are expected to work hard.
 
#46 ·
Very interesting post - obviously there is more than one way to skin a cat. I don't agree with the 'going fast' past something scary. I know someone who rides their horse that way and everytime she comes to the 'scary thing' in the trail it looks a lot like bolting to me. Also, I don't like to refer to horses as machines - I've heard of too many people using two-by-fours to get the engine tuned.
 
#47 ·
I don't agree with the 'going fast' past something scary. I know someone who rides their horse that way and everytime she comes to the 'scary thing' in the trail it looks a lot like bolting to me.
I have found the total opposite. A horse's natural defense is to run, so a horse that's moving out and going places is much less likely to spook. That's why the Thoroughbreds on the track don't spook-they're already going full tilt.

I have found that when I try to keep a horse slow and from bolting, that only has the adverse affect and convinces them they're trapped and I'm keeping them in that scary situation with no possibility of escape. On the opposite hand, when a horse "freezes up" and starts moving slowly and hesitantly, it gives them a lot more trust and respect (in me) when I force them to get their butts moving and keep listening to me, no matter what they're scared of.

In the field, I have seen time and time again the lead horse punishing another for being an idiot-I don't really think they give a rat's behind what is bothering that other horse, only that that other horse isn't listening and being respectful when it should be at all times. And while I don't ever think punishing a frightened horse is the way to go, being firm and ignoring their fear helps to show them that you're in charge no matter what, and no matter how scared they are, you and what you are asking should always be first on their minds.
 
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#48 ·
Obviously you didn't read what I wrote. I did not say anywhere that you run away from a fearful object. Quite the opposite -- I explain that you should never let a horse 'turn tail' to anything he fears. You speed up the pace when going toward the fearful object. You keep the horse's attention on you and your agenda and keep the horse from having his own. You keep his feet busy and you keep his mind on you. This is what I said to do:
Ride past it several times while taking his attention away from the stump and keeping it on you. I like to use 'leg yielding' exercises. I will ride past an object with his head bent away from the object and my leg pushing his shoulders and ribs toward the object. I watch his ear that is away from the object. I know I have his attention and respect for my leg when that ear stays 'cocked' back toward me. I will go past the object, switch my dominant rein to the one nearest the object, will reverse directions TOWARD the object (I never let him turn his tail to anything he fears) and I will leg yield back past it again using my other leg to push him (bend him) toward it. I will go back and forth again and again until he walks right on by without looking at it or veering away from it -- just goes straight on by like it isn't there.
Does this sound like a horse bolting away from something with the blessing of his rider? I think not.
 
#49 ·
4) When a horse starts to hesitate and starts to show fear, 'ride hard and fast'. Go faster, cover more ground, ride off of the trail and in the roughest footing you can find. All of these things get his attention back to his 'job' and back to you and off of whatever he thought was a big wooly booger.
Cherie - I was referring to your number 4 point in your post. I don't feel going fast past something spooky is a good idea - although, in some circumstances its all you can do. And yes, it does have the feeling of bolting.

Pintophile - Yes, I agree with you that the horse's natural instinct is to run away from danger. That is why I'm not keen on letting my horse speed up the pace past something spooky. Also, I've raced my horse with others and I have experienced his being startled into changing direction by moving to the side. Horses react quickly - it's built into them.

You both have some wonderful points - I might add that I find my horse teaches me a lot when I listen. That doesn't mean I let him be the boss; however, I do believe that riding is a partnership between the rider and the horse.
 
#50 ·
But, in #4 you are riding toward the object -- not away from it. You speed up to get him 'busy' and to get his mind back to you. Your object is not let the horse spin around and bolt the opposite direction.

As soon as you pass the object, you turn him around (toward the object) and go back and forth like this until the horse decides to just quietly walk by without giving the object a second glance.

It Works!! You do this every time a spooky, silly, booger hunting horse acts afraid of something and very soon you have a horse that does not booger at anything. I've done over and over -- with literally dozens of horses that started out VERY spooky. I've done it with totally goofy Arabians and showed one really spooky one to a US National Top Ten in trail where we had to walk past a fresh cow hide they got from a local slaughter house. He totally respected my leg and kept that ear opposite the hide back on me. We were one of the few entries at the Arabian Nationals that year that did not 'blow out' and run sideways away from the bloody hide.

Some of the horses I worked with to get their CLEET certification started out very spooky and they literally became 'bomb-proof Police horses.

I've tried many different ways to go about getting a quiet horse that was not fearful, and this is the way that has worked best -- not on 1 or 2 horses but on a lot of them. It has worked extremely well on horses that I have trained and also been very successful when I have worked with people riding their own horses. Are there other ways to get a really 'solid' trail horse that does not spook. I'm sure there are. There is never just one way to do anything. But, this one has worked very well for me.
 
#52 ·
Pat -- actually, they are less apt to rear. A horse rears when you let them stall out and slow down. Moving forward faster keeps all of their feet on the ground. When they are moving forward, they just cannot rear.

We find that rearing is a much bigger problem when people let the horse stop and then argue with it about letting it turn around and leave the scary place. People that are as fearful as the horse, usually tighten up, try to 'hold' the horse from turning, try to get the horse closer so he can look at the scary thing and, in reality, set the horse up for spinning around or rearing and then getting more fearful.

Letting a horse stop and look just sets them up for more stopping and looking and more fear reactions. Keeping the horse 'responsive' and busy just does not give the horse time to be reactive. It just works so well to keep them busy and moving.

I hope this clears up the confusion. I could have been a little more articulate.
 
#55 ·
If you let a horse look at things, then you are teaching him to be afraid of everything that is new and telling him that things should be looked at instead of ignored.


This! Times 10! I hate being told to "Let him look at it, let him see it's okay". I've always thought of it as counterproductive. You've given me a new way to explain to people why I don't let my horse stop and look at everything. Great post!
 
#56 ·
Ok so thyen what happened. Do you run like hell or back up slowly hoping the snake doesn't notice you?
I backed him up another 5 or 6 steps. I sure did not let him put is nose down to 'check it out'.

I have never had a horse snake bitten despite living all my life where Rattlesnakes and Copperheads are plentiful. I have had several friends that have had horses bitten by Rattlesnakes and 100% of them were bitten on the nose. Curiosity got them.
 
#57 ·
actually, they are less apt to rear. A horse rears when you let them stall out and slow down. Moving forward faster keeps all of their feet on the ground. When they are moving forward, they just cannot rear.

Of course moving forward will prevent the horse from rearing; however, we are talking about spooking here. My experience has been that riding is an adventure that at times isn't predictable. A horse is an animal that has reactions to the living environment and at times needs to stop and gather themselves at other times needs to straighten up and move forward.

In the end, its a judgement call for the rider. When you finally saw the snake you agreed with your horse. When you tell your horse to move forward past something spooky, your horse agrees with you out of trust. Trust between the horse and rider takes time in the saddle to build. Everyday you ride that trust is built or broken. I feel there is more than one way to accomplish that bond between horse and rider. There are different training techniques because there are so many different types of horses and riders out there.

For me, I'm not running towards a spooky thing on my horse - if it works for you great. Happy riding!:)
 
#58 ·
very interesting thread...I am a new owner of an appendix AQHA and recently came off in a 'spook/spin'...a wire on the ground was the culprit. My mare also refuses to cross water, even a rivlet 6 inches wide..she is a city girl and likes to keep her feet dry. Recognizing that I did not have the knowledge to fix this, I put her into 30 days of training with a good trainer. I had the chance to watch her work with my mare on a long trail ride and it was amazing that the trainer was able to get her to walk (not jump) across several puddles and wet areas...not to say there was not an argument however. I bought the mare as a trail horse, and she was advertised as such...but I can't imagine the trails she was ridden on, this girl is worried about lots of stuff. I am hoping my trainer can do some more magic with her. This tread is very helpful and I will share it with her.
 
#60 ·
I think this is a great topic, and I agree that "stopping for a look" can cause more problems than it solves.

I personally prefer a mix-match method of not allowing the horse to spook in the first place by keeping his attention on me and his job. Then also some small desensitizing to common objects that are "scary" to reinforce a spook-in-place.

The reason behind that is simple. Sometimes you can feel that a spook is going to happen, you notice the signs of it coming and can take action to prevent it. Like riding on past it then back and forth until it is no longer a big deal.

But in the same notion, some spooks you never catch on too before they happen. Life is full of surprises and no matter how much the horse trusts you and follows you as a leader, I don't think we can override natural instincts. Only lessen them to manageable levels. That is why I also do some desensitization for spooking in place. If the horse is startled to the point of spooking before you can manage to take control -- like deer coming over a hedge at you, or a boar charging out of the underbrush-- the horse will be more likely to spook in place instead of bolt off with/without you. Then once the rider realizes what is happening, they can take control to overcome the fear and "get over it."
 
#61 ·
They key, as Coyote said, is to watch your horse very closely. You need to distract them (I do this by putting a heel in their side and asking them to move forward) the instant they start showing signs of looking cross eyed at an object. Most the times this distracts them long enough to get past whatever they don't like.

For those times it doesn't work. I hop out of the saddle, lead them back and forth until(generally 4-10 reps) they relax. At that point I jump back in the saddle on the side we originally approached from then ride back and forth a couple of times. Your horse will gain trust in your judgement doing this and soon you'll find yourself no longer having to jump out of the saddle, they'll just go by when you ask them to. I've been told by some posters I'm teaching them bad habits by jumping out of the saddle but in truth, that hasn't happened so I don't know what those people are talking about.
 
#62 ·
Very interesting topic !
I do not do trailrides but I show f.e. trail.
Do you have tips what to do when a horse is afraid for the trail bridge or gate? Usualy you have to walk/jog straight up to them...
There are so many different styles of bridges that you can not practice them all before you go to the show :D
 
#63 ·
Yes, we too, have shown in many trail classes. We have shown many Quarter Horses to year-end and various Association High Point awards and have won many 'in hand' high point awards at Foundation Shows. I also showed an Arabian stallion to several Championships and to a US National Top Ten award when Arabian Trail where the shows were pretty much a 'spook' class with many really bazaar obstacles that you could not train for.

The Public Park and campground we now take out commercial trail rides at has a number of narrow bridges that are 5 feet wide and up to 150 feet long going over canyons. It never takes more than a minute or two to get a new horse to go over any of these bridges with no horse going in front of them. We do nearly all of our training with only the one horse present unless a problem is encountered.

We train them all the same, whether they are to be shown, trail ridden in places they have never been or trained for Police work. When we get them 'really broke', we expect them to go everywhere we point their heads.

We get a really solid 'forward on demand' instilled in them. We get them where they stay between the rider's legs and between the reins. This means there is little or no spinning around or dodging sideways until we encounter something really different. It means that the horse has learned to respect the rider's leg when they 'push' against it, a little 'bump' from the leg straightens them right back up. It means they do not 'stall out' or try to 'duck around'.

We start out with approaching little things that we know the horse would rather not pass (not go across or over at first). I know where there are several blackened tree stumps, big rocks, dead fall trees, old metal culverts that have been exposed, signs and billboards, etc.

I try to ride right past them knowing that the horse wants do something between run sideways to bow up and spin around or dance around as far away as possible. The horse usually doesn't, but I can tell he would like to. He is not relaxed or happy about going by. I don't really push one to pass close by at first. I just go past as close as I can without letting him stop. Just as soon as he passes the booger, I turn him back sharply toward it and pass it again only it will be on the other side of him.

I ride him back and forth as many times as it takes for him to drop his head and walk by without making me touch a rein or put a leg into him. It may take 5 minutes and it may take 2 hours. It takes as long as it takes and he gets no relief until he quietly walks right on by. I believe it is this routine that teaches a horse to ignore later boogers. While you cannot directly punish a horse for spooking without having a negative effect on training, you can make one pay a very high price for it. More importantly you can teach a horse that all pressure will be taken off when he trusts you and goes where you point his head.

Many people trail ride and they are so afraid a horse will spook at something that they sort of get past it (if they get past it at all) and the last thing they want to do is to go back and forth and go past it 40 more times. If you want a horse that ignores everything but you, you may have to do this to become the most important influence in his life and to have his complete confidence in your leadership.

I cannot tell you exactly why this works as well as it does to make a horse give up spooking, but I can tell you that just about all of them do.
 
#64 ·
Wow. Going back and forth by a scary object actually works, on every horse I've tried it on so far. Last night my horse was looking at the row of signs my mom has in the ditch, and I walked her back and forth by it a dozen times, and by the end, I was weaving her in and out of them without a moment's hesitation.

Cherie, how do you teach a horse to go through water? I mean, how exactly do you teach the horse to go wherever you point its head without question? I'm asking this because I was on our older pony a few days ago, and we came across a little creek. She didn't want to go across but I knew she's crossed water before and so didn't want to let her win. She resisted for a few seconds but eventually went through pretty easy. On my riding horse, she has a history of aversion to water (even though I KNOW she has crossed it when she was being broke), and I know she would put up way bigger of a fight/refusal than the pony. Not rearing or bucking or anything, just stubborn and refuses, and she puts up a long, long argument. I know she shouldn't argue me on anything, but how do I teach her not to?
 
#65 ·
I’m currently re-training an ex-harness racer. She is 16 years old and extremely mild-mannered. Not much scares her, but she is extremely interested in everything around her. She likes to look and for now, I let her. If I’m in the round pen and she feels the need to stop and look at something weird, like a leaf or a fence pole, I let her. But the catch is: I count to 30 and then we move on. We move on my terms. If she still needs to look a second time, I make her circle and then we stop for the count of 30. She gets two times to look at anything, and then we move on. Most times, she only needs the first look and then she never looks at the object again. She goes where I want, she does what I ask… but sometimes, her curious nature needs to be indulged. At the point in time, she’s beginning to understand that playtime ends when the halter goes on. If I’m on her back, she’s all business. Even though she’s green as they come, she never puts a foot wrong. She’s definitely one of those rare horses that look out for their rider and once she’s completely sure what I’ve asked of her, she commits it to memory. She’ll make a wonderful trail horse someday, just because she is naturally calm and completely willing to go along with whatever her handler asks.

I guess I fall in between the perspectives. I like to let a horse look, but at the same time, I’m not going to let them look forever. She looks on my terms and goes when I ask. I give her the change to look if she needs to, but she gets 60 seconds TOPS. She will go wherever I point her and she will not fuss about it, but at the same time, she is not a dead head. She has a lot of spunk for an old girl, but enough sense to keep it under wraps while she’s working.
 
#66 ·
Cherie, I have a question. How should I handle it when my mare stops dead and refuses to go forward? Last time she did it, I just kept kicking her for a LONG time until she took a few steps, and then I immediately moved her into a faster pace. It made me pretty nervous when she did this, just because she's a really sensitive girl and I hardly ever have to use more than a little leg with her, so full-out kicking her was a bit of a jump. I made sure to grab a handful of mane in case she reared or did something else.

Thanks for any advice! I'm really hoping in time I can transform her into a fearless trail beast! :)
 
#67 ·
Wow. Awesome post, Cherie. :) Everything you said makes so much sense. You've inspired me to get back on my horses and start riding again. They're not bad, I just lack the motivation. Heh...

Does that same method work with herd-bound horses? Getting them to focus solely on the rider, I mean. My one horse is fine by himself, but my draft horse goes crazy when I take his buddy away. The weird thing is, he never had that problem when we boarded at a stable. I used to take him on the trails alone and he was perfect.

But since we moved home and it's just the two of them (plus a friend's horse, but she should be leaving soon), he's inconsolable when I take Victor away. I'm just wondering if I can get him to listen to me and not worry about the other horse.
 
#68 ·
Hello Cherie,

I have been reading this thread with great interest. My focus is to create a trail horse like you describe. Can you recommend a book(s) or web site that teaches the techniques you use in your training? I'm especially interested in instilling confidence in my horse, as well as myself, as the rider.

Sorry if you have already answered this in a previous thread.

Thanks!
 
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