The other day someone asked what the worst advice was that people got abou training their horses, so I was curious as to the best people got about training and riding and caring for horses.
Please serious answers only.
Thanks for answering.
Happy riding!!!!! :-DWhat's the best horse advice you've ever gotten about training?
i saw your question earlier, and i saw all the trolls...how annoying lol. i started to submit my answer when i saw it had been deleted so here's what i put before:
';dont sell your horse';
i was sooo close to selling my horse. we werent getting along, we had dominance issues, he wouldnt listen to me, he would plow me over instead of going around me, and neither of us were seeming to have any fun (not to mention the up front cost!, especially when things weren't going well) but weve bonded so much since then, and we're such a match %26amp; i love him to bits :) im so glad i didnt sell
edit: i see that this says training advice, so my best advice would probably be..if someone screws up 99% of the time, its you and not the horse. usually the person is giving the wrong command or doing something confusing so dont blame the horse.What's the best horse advice you've ever gotten about training?
When breaking in/starting a horse 99% of people do NOT spend nearly enough time teaching a horse to stop. The horses brakes can be the difference between life and death, and many dangerous situations in between and yet people skip over this part of the learning process in a rush to move onto more exciting stuff. Alot of people also make the mistake of thinking that stopping to often or spending too much time on this and backing up will cause a horse that won't go forwards but this isn't the case.
It's simple: don't rush.
I have seen SO many horses ruined by doing too much too fast. From ring-sour horses with heaps of behavior issues to horses with actual physical issues like arthritis, going too fast will ruin your horse.
Starting anything under 2 1/2 under saddle is a huge risk- you're basically guaranteeing that the horse won't be sound when it's older.
Doing too much too fast in the way of jumping can ruin a horse's joints.
Rushing also makes horses ring sour, gate sour, difficult to catch in the field, biters, cribbers, weavers... all sorts of horrible issues are caused by rushing the horse!
The best training advice that I've heard over the years actually came from my dad. I was working with a mustang gelding who thought he controlled everything I did. I came home so frustrated one day because I thought that I had tried everything with him. My dad told me that if you want a horse to listen to you, you have to listen to them. Then next day I spent 5 hours watching the horse, talking to him, and just seeing how he acted in different situations. I've had that horse for 3 years now and he and I are inseparable!
Well, I kind of figured this out myself, but then I heard a top level dressage rider say it too, ';When you're riding (or training) a horse, ride him like he's the best horse in the world.'; That I take to mean have faith in your horse, believe he that he can do it, and you'll be amazed at how smart he becomes! And how light-hearted you become!
If you doubt your horse then you stop searching for ways to teach him --you give up on him.
My other favorite is a quote I like to keep in mind while riding--it was a reference to Nuno Oliveira the great Portuguese classical riding master, ';He rode his horses like a king, so they carried him like one.';
Aside from Carl Sandburg's poetry, the best advise comes from Bill Dorrance and Leslie Desmond, ';True Horsemanship Through Feel,'; and Mark Rashid's excellent books. The older people who helped me have unfortunately for young riders, passed on. Bill Dorrance, bless him, found a way to get a book written and Mark Rashid is writing some excellent books. What happens between me and any horse is a product of my thinking and how I am communicating. A horse can feel a fly on his skin, and communicates with other horses without a word. How much better can he read you if only you are clear in your intentions and quick to reward the slightest try?
Happy Trails
HorseFeatherZ
'Your horse is a reflection of you..' Meaning, if your horse is doing poorly, then it is most likely your fault, not the horse's (after you rule out any truly medical/physical reasons of course). My farrier said this to me when I was 10 and having A LOT of trouble with a horse I was riding. Any time I am having trouble with a horse I'm working with since then, I think about this and correct what I am doing, generally it fixes the problem right off the bat.. This has saved me from many of the problems other people have I think.. Its such simple advice and its so very true I think. :)
Always stand at a 45 degree angle. It takes time and patience. Don't get mad at the horse because it's not the horses fault its your fault. If you think it's the horses fault step away and rethink about it and go back and try to work it out. Don't get on a horse if you feel unsafe it wont do you any good lol. And there are a lot more Great advice I've picked up in the yrs I've been working with horses.
';Listen to the horse.';
I don't think there's anything more important than that in anything involving horses. when the horse won't do what you ask, they're almost always trying to tell they're in pain, scared, or they don't know what you are asking. Horses can teach us a lot, too. they are most definitely more intelligent than humans.
in most ways.
sometimes they can be downright stupid xD. the school pony i ride sometimes got himself stuck in another horse's cross-ties when he tried to make a run for it in a western saddle... you can imagine how that turned out. silly blaze.
The best advise I got was to do your homework about training. If there is a specific thing you want to teach your horse learn about it yourself. Learn what the benefits are to teaching a horse to do what it is you want him to do. That way you will know when you start to teach him whatever it is you want him to do if he is getting the hang of it.repetition is your best friend. Pain is not. I was found that listening, watching and just being with your horse will tell you if he will pick things up quickly. When I taught my stallion to start working under saddle it was a piece of cake. I worked slowly, was kind to him, knew his limits And I was riding him in days after he was saddled for the first time. But don't over do it. If your horse is young think of it as just that, a youngster.They have short attention spans. short quick lessons when the horse does what you want him to do stop. don't drill and drill it into him. move on and come back to what he has just learned chances are he'll remember. Then it's time for reward. 'This approach has helped so many times.Correcting with a crop or whip does nothing but make the horse dread lessons. the only thing the horse will focus on is the whip and the pain it caused and you will get no where. Happy Riding!
The best advice I have ever been given was by the late and great horse trainer Ray Hunt. He said
';Make the right things easy, and the wrong things hard.';
I have tried to apply this to every situation and long as you keep this basic principle all other questions come in time.
Wow it's really tough actually... I think the best one is never, go behind the horse. Who knows what might happen. My cousin went behind a horse because he thinks he's SO funny to scare the horse. Instead... the horse kicked him in the face. But he's recovering.
your only as good as your worst problem
Meaning that your only as good as something you cant do very well and need to practice more of its mostly for dressage that i got that comment from my coach but for some reason i have always remembered it lol
you can walk behind a horse contrary to some of these answers, but you put your hand on it as you do so it knows you're there...
otherwise you can get kicked in short order.
The key is patience and consistency and never get angry at the horse. Most likely its your fault from giving confusing commands.
Most likely the problem your having is 99.5% the riders fault, and only .5% the horses!
Horses learn by repetition.
I'll never forget it and it has helped me train some super horses.
The same advice I give on a regular basis. Find a trainer who knows how to solve your problem.
make sure that when you get a horse it dosnt come from a horse mill. look up on where the store got the horse.
Never end a riding day in a bad mood. End it on a good note. Oh, and thumbs towards the sky.
when you jump cross country down hill or down a bank... think eat the birds and you will sit up straight. lolz its true. you will
Don't push a horse too hard. It will only make him stubborn and hard to handle.
Never stand behind a horse. =)
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