Horse Training DVDs

One of the first steps in training a horse is to teach him to longe. The longe line is the best place to train a horse many of the basics, from learning its transitions to accepting tack, and even accepting a rider for the first time.
To begin with, you need a horse that knows how to lead without difficulty. Ideally, you should have worked on leading your horse from both sides before beginning longe line training. You horse should also be at least two years old before learning to longe as the constant circle work is hard on the joints.
The first step is to teach your horse to go forward from the whip. Start off with a longe line attached to the side ring of your horse’s halter. With your line in your left hand and your whip in your right hand, face your horse’s shoulder. Now ask your horse to walk on as though you were leading him. Say “walk on”, and walk beside him, facing his shoulder. If he does not walk forward right away, give him a gentle tap with the whip on the quarters.
Continue this until he is walking forward from your verbal command, and halting when you say “Whoa”. Don’t worry about the direction you go. Going in a circle will come later. It is more important that your horse understand that a combination of whip and voice means to go forward. Be sure to practice in both directions.
Now that he understands “walk on”, try stepping back a bit from your horse. Give him around 10′ of line, but continue to walk along with him. At this point you should still be able to touch his quarters with your whip, but should no longer be right up against him. Keep facing towards his shoulder as you work. Practice your walk/halt transitions until he is comfortable with the new distance.
As he gets the hang of things, start giving your horse more line. You will want to keep the line relatively short, around 20-25′ in length, until he is experienced on the line. Do not progress to the trot until he is 100% confident at the walk. It is important that he understand both the upward and downward transitions at the slower gaits before you move on to faster gaits.
When you and your horse are ready, you may ask him to trot. It helps if you have introduced him to trotting on the lead line before trying on the longe, but as long as he understands that the whip means to go forward, it should not be hard to get him to move on.
By using a combination of your voice and the whip, ask him to go forward into the trot. If he does not understand right away, ask again, using a bit more whip. If he still does not get it, try shortening your line enough that you can actually tap him with the longe whip when you ask him to trot.
Any forward transition should be praised, even if it isn’t what you asked for. If your horse should break into a canter, let him go around the circle once or twice before bringing him back to a walk and trying again. Be sure to give lots of praise when he gets it right. Like all animals, horses love to please, so they need to know when they have done something well.
It takes time to teach a horse to longe. Keep your sessions short and don’t push too far at a time. Young horses have very short attention spans, and should not be worked for more than 15-20 minutes at a time. It is better to do several short sessions over a week than to push him for a long session, and then leave him for several days.

Tags: Gelding, Horse, Horses, Mare, Sale, Stallion
Posted in Articles | 65 Comments »

When shopping for horses, it can be scary how expensive they can be. But what makes at $10,000 horse so different than a $1000 horse?
Price reflects many aspects of a horse’s value. Sometimes the difference in price is upheld by standards such as training, bloodlines, and performance history. Other times the difference in price is purely a product of the owner’s situation, and how badly she needs to sell.
Let’s start out with the basic cost of raising a young horse. First of all, you need to have a broodmare. This broodmare could cost any amount, so instead of building that cost into the foals, we will just assume the costs of her upkeep. A mare is in foal for 11 months. She then needs to nurse that foal an additional 4-5 months. This makes about 16 months of mare-care a part of a foal’s cost. Let’s assume a cost of $200 a month for basic mare care, bringing the total to $3200.
You need to pay a stud fee to produce the foal. Stud fees range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. An average stud fee for a decent, but not spectacular stallion is around $1000. The costs of breeding a mare usually works out to around $500 a cycle, and most mares average 2 cycles to conceive. This makes the breeding cost $2000.
Once the foal is weaned, the basic cost is a minimum of $5200. This does not include any extra fees related to the vet, farrier, or other emergency costs.
Let’s move forward a few years to a three-year-old, ready to be started under saddle. By three years old, a young horse has 31 months of care on its own, plus the initial breeding costs from its dam. So at $200 a month for its care, we are looking at $6200 basic care, plus $5200 breeding costs. A three-year-old’s value is now $11,400, without any training or emergency costs.
Training averages $1000 a month. So, if we add three months of training to a young horse, we have just raised its value to $14,400. So, now we have a green youngster, who goes walk/trot/canter and has not been shown.
To show a horse, it needs to be kept in training. There are also the additional costs of memberships, passport, entry fees, trailering, show grooming, etc. In no time at all, the actual costs of raising this show horse has grown to well over $20,000.
So, now it is clear that raising a young horse is very costly. Sadly, it is rare to get those costs back when selling. There are ways of cutting costs to make the margins a bit smaller. For example, skipping vaccinations saves on vet fees, leaving the horses out on pasture without handling saves on grain, bedding and labor. Sticking the mares out in the field with the stallion and skipping ultrasounds and other veterinary care for foaling also saves a bundle.
When considering a horse that is for sale, it is important to keep in mind the costs of getting that horse to where it is. An inexpensive horse may have had crucial aspects of its upbringing neglected. On the other hand, it could merely be inexpensive because the owner is desperate for money and needs to sell.
Horses are very expensive animals, and it can be very difficult to understand the differences reflected in price. Be sure to ask the owner many questions about their horse, and keep in mind that a higher price often reflects better training, better care and generally a better upbringing.

Tags: Gelding, Horse, Horses, Mare, Sale, Stallion
Posted in Articles | 3 Comments »

Most horse owners are not looking to merely become friends with their horse. They also expect to be able to ride that horse, and to train it to be suitable for their needs. This all-important step is where you begin to push the limits of the bond you have created.
Once you have established a good relationship with your horse, you can get started on training him. If your horse is already reasonably well trained, this can be fairly easy. On the other hand, even well trained horses can offer some surprises.
Start out with something your horse knows. Keeping the balanced relationship you established on the ground, work with your horse, practicing the skills he learned before he knew you. This will give you a chance to see what he is like when asked to work, without the added stress of asking him to learn new things.
If your horse is resistant, you will need to take some time reestablishing your lead mare position, showing him that you are the boss of the situation. As soon as he begins to accept that dominance, return to the friendly relationship you developed on the ground.
Do not be afraid to stand up for yourself. Your horse must believe that you are the bigger, stronger, more dominant member of the relationship. This is far more important than being his friend. Friendship comes after a horse knows his place in the herd. It is impossible to be friends with someone you are constantly trying to dominate.
Once you and your horse are comfortable with what he already knows, it is time to start adding something new. All training should be done in small steps. Horses learn best by repetition, so take the time to teach him, one step at a time, repeating that movement until he is confident before moving to the next.
It is perfectly normal for a horse to resist training, even when in a good relationship with his owner. At first, your horse will not understand what you are asking. In fact, much of his apparent resistance may be his attempts to figure out what you want. For example, if you merely pull on the rein to tell the horse to turn, at first he might pull back. This is not because he is fighting you. Instead, it is because he is trying to figure out what you want – you pulled, so maybe you want him to pull back. Eventually he will discover that pulling back does not relieve the situation, and he will try something else.
Be patient with your horse as you train, but maintain your dominant role in his life. Do not allow him to disregard any boundaries you have established. Happy horse-human relationships are built from these boundaries. Without them, you just have a big, scary animal, who can hurt you without effort.
Lastly, this simple three-step process of forming friendly and professional relationship with your horse is pretty easy to implement on practice if you treat your horse as a partner, without being an overpowring personality. Remember that the horses, just like the dogs, are companion animals that understand and respect partnership.

Tags: Gelding, Horse, Horses, Mare, Sale, Stallion
Posted in Articles | 16 Comments »

Once you have established boundaries, you can begin to become your horse’s friend. Even in herds where there is a strongly dominant mare, you will see that many horses develop strong friendships with one another. In fact, dominant mares often choose a second-in-command to carry out her duties, so that she can enjoy the good life.
Your horse needs to become your second in command. This means that while he must always obey you, he can also think for himself and act in the best interests of the herd. He gains a sense of self esteem that allows him to offer his best, and to trust in your decisions in a way that a complete subordinate cannot.
A horse with a healthy sense of self is far more enjoyable as a companion than one who relies on you for everything he does. In fact, many low-ranking horses are timid in nature and are so busy avoiding abuse from the rest of the herd that they barely care for themselves.
To create this bond, spend time with your horse in a low pressure environment. Go for walks with him around the property and let him graze on the rich grass. Spend time grooming him and find those itchy spots. Play games in the arena, chasing him and setting up small obstacles for him to go over.
As your horse begins to learn your limits, and see you as a friend, you will find that he will trust you. Instead of trying to take things into his own hands, such as taking off when something spooks him, he will learn to turn to you for guidance.
This process is impossible without having first established boundaries. If your horse feels that he can push you around, he will continue to try to establish dominance over you. If he is more of a timid sort, he will feel that you cannot be trusted in an emergency, and he will turn to his own defenses should anything go wrong.
But with strong boundaries, and a well developed friendship, you wind up with a balanced relationship where you are the leader, and your horse is your happy second in command.
After you feel like the relationship between you and horse is ready for the next step, you can start adding some work to the relationship. It is highly recommended to avoid horse training until you complete the bonding step and really feel like you are ready to move on.
The problem is that if the horse isn’t ready for the next step it may result in undesirable behaviour and attitude, which is not acceptable if you are looking to develop a strong partner in horse competitions, shows and other events. The other factor is that it is always more challenging to “re-train” a horse, rather than begin training from the ground up.
Applying these simple techniques will allow you to bond with your horse, which is a very important step before starting training or other horse activities.

Tags: Gelding, Horse, Horses, Mare, Sale, Stallion
Posted in Articles | 11 Comments »

With prices of horses at an all-time low, more and more people are considering the auction as a place to purchase their next horse. Perhaps they are seeking the joy of rescuing a horse from an uncertain fate, or maybe they are just looking for a bargain. Either way, it is important to know what you are doing when looking at horses for sale through auctions.
If you can only afford one horse, and are not prepared to manage a horse with issues, you should steer clear of auctions. No matter how good a deal you may find, it is far too easy to get stuck with something you have no purpose for. Even worse, you might get stuck with a horse who is unsafe.
If you know an experienced horse person, bring him/her with you. It is far too easy to miss something if you do not have the experience. The more auction experience you have backing you, the better your chances of buying a good prospect.
When looking at horses at an auction, keep in mind that the horse that looks nicest, may not be the best horse at all. Many times horses that look too nice to be at a sale, are, in fact, too nice to be at that sale. There is always a reason a horse winds up at an auction, and you need to look for it. Sometimes there is a soundness issue, sometimes the horse is not mentally sound. Beware the perfect-looking animal that doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the stock at the sale.
Sometimes the best deals can be found in young horses who look a little worse for wear. Make an effort to look past the ribs, and consider the overall structure of the horse. A dull coat is usually a sign of poor nourishment, something often solved with a bit of TLC.
Look for a kind eye, not dull, but aware and alert as you visit him. Beware of horses who present their quarters towards your, or who hide at the back of the stall. Also beware of horses who seem too calm, or even dull as they may have been tranquilized before the sale.
Another type of horse to consider is the older horse, who may not have as may years ahead of them, but could still be well trained and perfect for the pleasure rider. Many older horses are dumped by riders who want to go further with their riding career, or by schools who no longer have any use for them.
If possible, watch the horses being worked under saddle. Unless you know someone who can train, don’t take home a horse you have not seen ridden. There is usually a reason that they are left untried. Some auctions will allow buyer to try the horses. If you are a competent rider, this may be a good idea. Be sure to wear a helmet, and consider a safety vest. You don’t know these horses and accidents can happen.
Consider any information you get on a horse with a grain of salt. While it may not be false, it may not be fully truthful either. Plan for the horse to stay in quarantine at least a week after it arrives home, and be ready to vaccinate and deworm it as soon as it arrives. Read up on any soundness guarantees or other policies that the auction may have, and make sure to take advantage of them as needed.
Finally, before bidding on any horse, set you maximum price. It is far too easy to get carried away with auction bidding. Only bid on horses you have looked at before they enter the ring, and stick to the prices you have set.

Tags: Gelding, Horse, Horses, Mare, Sale, Stallion
Posted in Articles | 15 Comments »

All basic training is built upon cause and effect. Horses can not think in a logical fashion. They cannot consider that something might happen because of something that occurred hours earlier. Instead they learn from immediate results.
Imagine an experiment where a bell was hung in a stall. The horse would have to ring the bell in order to get his dinner. If food were delivered each time the horse rang the bell, he would quickly learn to ring the bell when he is hungry.
Now, if the horse were to ring the bell, causing a person to come over, then to go to the feed room and prepare dinner, the horse would not likely make the connection. This is because there is too much time between the ringing of the bell and the delivery of the food. A horse can not logically think that their action of ringing the bell called the person who would bring food.
When training, it is essential to understand that horses need immediate, consistent reactions from their trainers to understand what is being asked of them. If a trainer is slow to respond, or reacts differently to the same response to the same cue, the horse will become confused and not learn.
Every cue we give a horse is a form of irritant to the horse. The horse will seek a way to make the irritant go away. For example, a squeeze with the leg is responded to by going forward. Once the horse moves forward, the rider stops squeezing. The horse thinks, if I go forward that tight squeeze will go away.
When a new lesson is being taught, a horse will try whatever he can to make that cue go away. If you are teaching a horse to turn, he will work to find a way to get rid of the pull he feels in his mouth. To so this he might try raising his head, he might try pulling back, or going backwards. As long as the irritation is there, he will seek a way to get rid of it. Finally, he will try the right solution, giving to the bit, turning in the direction the rider has asked for. The rider then will relieve the pressure on the rein, thus rewarding the horse. After a few tries, the horse will have learned that if he turns in the direction of the pull, the pull will go away.
This is why you can’t teach a horse by talking to it. You can’t chatter away and expect it to understand. That is not to say that a verbal cue can’t be established, but that communication needs to be direct and clear.
The same goes for chattering with the aids. If you constantly fiddle with the reins, the horse will not understand what you are asking for. He will try whatever works to get rid of the irritation, possibly resorting to misbehaviors like rearing or backing. After a while, the horse will decide that nothing can be done, and will stop listening to the aid.
Treat training is much the same, with the irritant being the desire to get the treat, and the release from the irritant being the successful capture of said treat. Many horses can learn tricks through treat training methods.
Whenever you plan to teach your horse something new, take the time to break it down into small stages that a horse can learn through cause and effect thinking. There is little that a horse can’t learn, if taught with patience and an understanding of how they think.

Tags: Gelding, Horse, Horses, Mare, Sale, Stallion
Posted in Articles | 9 Comments »