There are so many opinions and methods on horse training and they do work – it’s just that not all training methods work on all horses; however, there are some methods that will work on all horses. You need to evaluate every training method before you use it to see if it will work for you and your horse. One way I evaluate a training method is that it must pass my 3 rules:

#1       I cannot get hurt
#2      My horse cannot get hurt
#3      My horse must be calmer after the lesson than before it began

     I really think and plan the lesson before I begin – I start with a goal in mind – I’m going to take ONE thing and make it better. I think of every scenario that could happen if things don’t go the way I had planned – can I get hurt doing this? If the answer is yes – then I rework my lesson plan. Could my horse injure himself? I am responsible if my horse were to get injured due to a poorly thought out lesson plan. I cant avoid wrecks entirely, but I can do my absolute best by evaluating each situation, not rushing my horse or taking him to a level I have not prepared him for adequately. If my horse is calmer after the lesson than before and completely relaxed, and he is responding to my cues, then he is telling me he understands.

     Never turn your safety over to someone else. No matter how much you think the person knows- if you are not ready, then you are not ready.

     Be careful not to develop a false sense of security. If your horse has responded well to your requests in your round pen, this does not mean he is ready for trail. Just because you can ride your horse does not mean your horse is safe to ride. I want to find the holes in his training BEFORE I take him out on trail so I will run through all of the following steps to see where he’s at. Once my horse is responding well to me in the round pen which means I have established control on the ground as far as inside and outside turns, leading without tugging or pulling or running over me, I can back him up with light commands, he will come to a halt with the voice command of “whoa”, then I begin to sack him out to plastic bags, tarps, and ropes dragging from the saddle. Once he is comfortable with this, then I move on to bridle work from the ground. I practice getting him to give to the bit, getting control over the individual body parts, shoulders over, side passing, disengaging hips, and ground driving – once he understands and is calm with each of these lessons, then I move to the saddle. When I can mounting safely and have him stand still, ride at the walk, trot and canter, and safely stop my horse at the walk, trot and canter, then we move to my arena.

     In my arena we start working on getting control of the five body parts from the saddle – the head, neck, shoulders, rib cage and hindquarters. I work on the elevation of his head – I don’t want his head higher than mine – he is looking for something to spook at – I want him to break at the pole – to get off the bit; I want shoulder control so I can start teaching him suppleness, how to side pass, etc., I want control of his hindquarters so I can disengage them at any gait. If I come unseated in the saddle I want him to stop. I practice this at the walk, trot and canter. I want him to slow down when I slow my energy down and I want him to stop off my seat. I want control, I want him to perform specific actions on cue and when he understands theses guidelines, he will have a greater sense of security. Horses feel safer when they have boundaries and understand the tasks they are given to perform.

     I build as solid a foundation as I can before we head out on trail. I cannot keep my horse from spooking out on trail, but I can certainly guide my horse through the spook safely if my foundation is solid.
I don’t make excuses for my horse. If he pins his ears, kicks out, bites, or charges at me in his stall, I don’t say, “ Oh, my horse is having a bad day” – I recognize these behaviors are unacceptable and they are corrected. Unwanted behaviors can come in all shapes and sizes – what may seem small can turn into a larger and more dangerous problem if it is not taken care of.

     When you think you have practiced enough, practice just a bit more. Look at your expectations – are they realistic? You can expect your horse to be perfect when you are perfect in every aspect of your life. Practice to improve your partnership with your horse and by taking the time to do so you will increase your chances of staying safe. Evaluate your training methods to ensure the safety of your horse. And above all - have fun.