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Category: TRAINING TIPS

The Big Green Horse Eating Machine

March 5, 2014
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| Categories: TRAINING TIPS

Our question this week comes from Ducka Kelly.  She asks, “How do I get my horse past the bulldozer that is blocking the trail that we wish to ride?”  Great question, Ducka! We’re going take this in stride as any object or obstacle that the horse views as threating. First, as we have in all responses to the previous questions, we want to look at it from the horse’s perspective.   As the horse looks at the bulldozer he figures it as a threating obstacle that he could easily avoid by going the other way.  To condition the horse to accept

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The Big Green Horse Eating Machine

March 5, 2014
| 1 Comment
| Categories: TRAINING TIPS

Our question this week comes from Ducka Kelly.  She asks, “How do I get my horse past the bulldozer that is blocking the trail that we wish to ride?”  Great question, Ducka! We’re going take this in stride as any object or obstacle that the horse views as threating. First, as we have in all responses to the previous questions, we want to look at it from the horse’s perspective.   As the horse looks at the bulldozer he figures it as a threating obstacle that he could easily avoid by going the other way.  To condition the horse to accept

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Stand Still, Please

February 28, 2014
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| Categories: TRAINING TIPS

Here's the question we're answering this week: "How do I get my horse to stand still while I am mounting on a loose rein without flexing his head around?" First, lets understand things from the horse’s perspective. I know, we say that a lot, don’t we? But our good friend Tom Dorrance said that you have to work the horse from where he is.  Having said that, understand why the horse may be moving.  Have we taught him to stand still without mounting?  Are his feet equally spread out to insure balance on his part as we pull ourselves up

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We Call it “Attitude”

February 19, 2014
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| Categories: TRAINING TIPS

This week we’re talking about “attitude.” We received three different questions over the course of last week about different horses with “attitude” issues—we heard about one rearing horse and two pinny-earred mares. After reading about each of the individual situations you might feel that there is no comparison but, in the horse’s world and in my understanding of what’s going on without seeing it in person, leads me to feel there is a little panic or frustration going on with all three horses. Let’s talk first about the behavior exhibited by the rearing horse who has a habit of rearing in

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Get Back Here!

February 11, 2014
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| Categories: TRAINING TIPS

On countless occasions I’m asked,  “why does my horse run from me when I’m trying to catch him?”  Not being able to catch your horse is really frustrating. Chasing your horse, boxing him in a corner, or using a treat or feed bucket is a very unpleasant way to start the day with your friend.  It seems that many owners, as well as myself, in the past have experienced this feeling.  Let’s look at what might be going on in the horse’s mind as well as his surroundings. First, let’s address things from his viewpoint!  When you start into the

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The Odd Couple: Part Two

March 19, 2013
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| Categories: TRAINING TIPS

Last month we talked about the difference between predators (humans) and prey (horses), and why a horse might have concerns with a predator-prey relationship.  This month, we want to further that understanding; we’ll explore how we can adapt the horse’s perception of humans to foster a training style reminiscent of the herd dynamics he’s familiar with. First, it’s important to understand the horse’s brain and the difference between the two sides—the responsive side of the brain, which responds to external stimuli in a thoughtful, calculated manner, verses the reactive side, which provides instinctual, knee-jerk reactions. As humans, we are already

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The Odd Couple: Horses as Prey and Humans as Predators

February 20, 2013
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| Categories: TRAINING TIPS

At Bar T Horsemanship, we’ve started over 30 feral horses, or mustangs. Having worked with so many undomesticated horses has given us a very unique perspective on horses as prey animals, in their purest form. We’ve all heard them referred to as prey animals before, but do we really have an understanding of what that means and how we can work together? The Prey Did you know that horses’ minds and bodies are constructed in a way that aides in their survival as prey animals? Take for example their eyes. Horses have monocular vision, which means that each eye is

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The Odd Couple: Horses as Prey and Humans as Predators

February 20, 2013
| No Comments
| Categories: TRAINING TIPS

At Bar T Horsemanship, we’ve started over 30 feral horses, or mustangs. Having worked with so many undomesticated horses has given us a very unique perspective on horses as prey animals, in their purest form. We’ve all heard them referred to as prey animals before, but do we really have an understanding of what that means and how we can work together? The Prey Did you know that horses’ minds and bodies are constructed in a way that aides in their survival as prey animals? Take for example their eyes. Horses have monocular vision, which means that each eye is

Read More›