Don’t be fooled, it’s not a magical space. The round pen is a training aid that should be used with caution, experience and understanding.
You approach your horse’s stall or paddock, only to be greeted by flattened ears, flared nostrils and a swishing tail, even threats to charge, bite or kick you or other horses around him. This aggressive body language is clearly threatening …
Horses naturally want to be balanced and stay upright. Unbalanced horses stumble, slow down or race around turns. If you can help your horse to be balanced through turns, he will be more sure-footed, confident, and able to perform better. …
If your warm-up consists of walking or trotting a few times around the arena, you’re not getting the best performance from your horse (or yourself). A good warm-up routine gets you both focused and ready to work – mentally and …
The most natural thing for a horse to do is to go forward. The most frustrating issue for many riders is having a horse that is not willing to go forward. So, what prevents a horse from doing what comes …
Whether you ride for pleasure or in competition, English or western, in speed classes or judged events, in the arena or on the trail, you have to ride corners, circles or turns. Wide turns or tight turns, the elements that …
My previous article (“Finding Frame” July/August 2011) described five different frames your horse can carry himself in and how each of those frames affects the development of his back, abdominal and hindquarter muscles. There are three healthy frames – long …