What type of horse does it take to make you happy? What has to happen to make you feel grateful for your horse? Second Horse To some one who learnt to ride on their first horse, happiness can be a younger, more energetic horse. Teenager To the teenager who has fast growing legs, happiness is a taller horse. Retired Stockman The old stockman who has spent many long days in the saddle when he was younger, happiness could be riding his favorite horse who has grown old with him. Competitor To some competitive riders, happiness could be a horse that was prettier, less resistant, straighter moving, had more collection, was more athletic, was a more accurate jumper or else was a faster, bolder horse. Dreamers While many people are searching for that special horse that will … [Read more...]
Horses and Happiness
10 Tips To Improve Your Horse’s Results
There has been a lot of research about visualization to assist you to achieve better results in your horse competition and equine performance goals, but there is more to it than that. These tips will help you improve your own and therefore your horse’s behaviour and performance. While there might be some reference to competitions in the tips below, these tips can relate to other activities (either mounted or unmounted) with your horse. 1. Clear Picture of Horse’s Performance and Behaviour Is there a clear image in your mind where your horse is performing well? This would be some time in the future either at an event, a special place or at home. How does it feel? Have you made an emotional commitment and do you feel the emotional energy when you are in that picture? 2. … [Read more...]
10 Reasons Why Equestrian Competitive Riders Should Take A Second Look At Gen Ys/Millennials
Do you wonder why the up and coming Generation Y seem to be a higher quality of competitive equestrian riders than previous generations? What have they got that older competitors didn’t have when they were the same age? (Depending on who claims the research, Gen Y - also called Millennials - could have been born anywhere between 1980 and 2004.) It is common knowledge that Generation Y are the most educated, entertained and materially endowed generation in history, but what makes them better competitive equestrian riders? 1. Gen Ys love their sport Compared to previous generations who have a higher reason for engaging in sport because they want to keep fit and healthy, Gen Y’s look for a sport to engage in because they enjoy it. This generation has a higher participation rate … [Read more...]
Help! I Have So Many Horse Chores!
When you are flat out working and also have family commitments there are sometimes you barely have time to ride, let alone catch up on the many chores around the stables that should be done. Your gear needs a clean, you saddle cloth and bandages need a good wash, the manure in your paddock is piling up and the mice love the amount of grain on your feed room floor. The weekends are busy with kids to organise, competitions and other commitments. Sunday night comes around and you feel like there are more horse chores to do there were at the beginning of the weekend It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the horse chores there are to do. Don’t worry; you don’t have to catch it up all at once. Just focus on the most important task until you have a well-run, efficient stable. That … [Read more...]
Horse Vision – Interesting Facts that Affect Horse Behaviour
What it is about horses’ eyes? Your life can be in turmoil, full of stress and worries and then . . . you look into the eyes of a contented horse, really look into them, and it can have such an amazing effect on your day. A large eye has a much more powerful effect, and horses have eyes larger than any other land mammal. The more we understand the way that horses use their eyes, the easier they are to train and much of their natural behavior is related to their eyes. Blind Spots For instance, they have both monocular vision and binocular vision with a range vision of 350 degrees. Their ‘blind spots’ are just in front of their eyes and behind their head, over their back and their tail as shown in the image at right side*. When we are working around horses, we must … [Read more...]
The Horse’s Point of View
Sometimes you just need to look at things from the horse's point of view. "My horse just won't lead in the trot" Could be that he is happy to follow you in the walk because he is confident and there are no confusing messages. But then when you start pulling on his head and jumping up and down in front of him or waving your arms around, he gets worried about the extra pressure on his poll and mouth. He then has to put his head up in a defensive position so that your newly growing limbs won't hit him around his eyes. ---oooOOOooo--- "My horse just won't stand still when I mount" It may be that because he is not well balanced and well prepared he finds it easier to move his legs to counteract the weight as you scramble up. Other times it also could mean that as … [Read more...]
Starting a Horse Business is Not Just About the Money
Starting a horse business is not just about the money. Horse people understand that. If it was only about the money, there are lots of other types of businesses that have a better chance of providing a higher income, more sociable hours and better conditions. Who else but a horse person would slosh about in the mud putting on extra rugs, put their hard earned savings into their business to pay the astronomical bill for horse feed orstay up all night with a mare so they can witness the birth of a new born foal. Then be so excited that they don’t sleep for another 24 hours anyway! Horse people understand that having a horse business really is a labour of love that stems from that special connection between man and horse. But while starting a horse business in not just about … [Read more...]
Good Horsemen and Butchers
A friend of mine walked into a butcher shop in a small town on the way home from the National Dressage Finals. The butcher saw they were travelling with horses, and boasted that he used to ride when he was younger. There was a local pony club day on in the town that weekend and the butcher went on to complain that ‘riders these days’ don’t do anything, they just sit there and look pretty. He said that dressage riders were the worst. My friend was very excited! “Isn’t it wonderful that people think riders can sit there and look pretty while the horse does all the work? Ultimately, isn’t that what good horsemanship is all about?” A good horseperson works quietly with their horse, giving signals that only other good horse people recognize. They see potential problems with horses … [Read more...]
A Guard Dog Trainer Taught Me About Horses’ Eyes
The guard dog trainer was watching a young excitable horse who was being a bit cheeky while being lunged. The man had previously told me that he had very limited knowledge about horses so I was explained that the horse was not naughty, just being a bit fresh and playful. I explained that once the horse had the initial play then he would be fine to ride. The dog trainer replied “Yes, I can see that in his eyes”. I knew I should listen as I could learn from this man. He went on to explain that although all animals were different, they have very similar expressions in their eyes. He explained that he liked a soft kind eye, the type of dog who thinks that being a guard dog is a game. The type of dog that can play with the kids but on command can also be very protective of them. A mean … [Read more...]
Three Ideas For Horse Business Extra Income Streams
I have been asked if it is better to have agistment/livery/boarding or to give lessons. In most cases, my answer is ‘What do your customers want?’ The majority of horse businesses are small businesses, not large franchises or multi-national companies with a rigid ‘one size fits all’ policy. This gives the owners the flexibility to continually meet the needs of the customer. In an environment where a horse business can offer customers both lessons and a place to keep their horse, there are so many additional services and streams of income that their customers may require. Simply ask your existing customers what else they would like to see in your business. As long as each idea is financially viable and doesn’t impact negatively on another part of your business then why give your … [Read more...]
5 Tips To Gain Confidence With Horses
Great horsemen through the ages are admired for their ability to ride spirited horses at speed, over fences and through difficult terrain. Even today we love our Olympians and their equine partners, and admire their ability to take calculated risks, brimming with confidence to make it all look so easy! Many people ask me about confidence, how to gain it back after a bad experience, a long period out of the saddle or even how to gain confidence initially. It takes persistence but if it makes you feel any better, even Olympians had to learn the basics. Despite the saying ‘they were born in the saddle’, every-one needs to learn how to rise to the trot, have their first canter and go over their first jump. These five tips (plus a bonus) below talk about the main situations where people … [Read more...]
Do You Want Your Riding School Business To Have a Higher Income?
You can create a higher income for your riding school without buying more horses, equipment or riding areas by simply filling in non-peak lesson time using the existing facilities. That itself is a fairly simple statement, but the real question is how do you fill in non-peak lesson time. Most riding schools are often quite busy on Saturdays, Sundays, after school as well as school holidays. If they have floodlights, these lessons can go on into the evening. During the day and during the week are usually the quieter times for a busy riding school. This is because traditionally the majority of riding school students arealso school students or people who work in a Monday to Friday job. You might need to think a little ‘out of the box’ to fill in those non-peak lesson times. What type … [Read more...]
Three Rules for Profitable Horse Businesses
Q. How can I make my horse business profitable? Everyone wants to be well paid for doing what they love, especially if horses come into the equation. However many horse businesses do not run at a profit and often need to be supported by another income to justify their existence. Profit is not the cash generated, but the income after the expenses have been calculated. For a horse business to become profitable, these three rules must be followed and are the basis of all profitable businesses. Then, usethe tip to change a profitable horse business to a very profitable horse business to open your mind to the possibilities. . . Know your expenses List everything, including all the fixed expenses that are often forgotten. This could be the rent that needs to be paid each … [Read more...]
Your Number 1 burning question about horses.
Hi! People from all over the world have told me that they love the newsletters I’ve been sending you. You’re welcome! Now I’d love to ask you a favour . . . Please let me know your #1 burning question about horses, horse business and equestrian coaching Then I’ll answer the most common questions that are sent to me in future newsletters Simply comment to this post with your question… I look forward to hearing from you. :) Happy Riding, Glenys : ) … [Read more...]
How I Pick Tradesmen For My Horse Property
Sometimes a job needs to be done on the property that I have no expertise in. I mean, even if I could put a roof on a stable or repair the hot water system, why would I want to? That is not my area of expertise and not my area of interest. If you are a horse person, I am sure you will understand. Horses are the priority. They need to be happy, healthy with the correct amount of work and training. Students need my focus on their lessons and they need to run on time because they are busy people as well. As I am a member of Bartercard, that is where I look first. (If you don’t already know about Bartercard, please click here). But there are usually lots of tradesmen who are Bartercard members in my area to choose from, so I need to decide who is going to be the best for the … [Read more...]
Bartercard for Horse Businesses
Do you use Bartercard in your horse business? If not, then why not? I think the best way to describe Bartercard is that it is like a secret little family business where everyone recommends and uses other people in their family business. Then the businesses grow with each other. Just think of the saying ‘You scratch my back and I will scratch yours’ But don’t worry,it is legal! In fact Bartercard is not a little business, they operate in quite a few countries around the world. The Bartercard community is a great way to increase the size of your business by filling in those spots for extra services or to sell extra equipment that might normally be hard to move. Everyone trades in Bartercard dollars and they trade with other Bartercard members. Many Bartercard members have an … [Read more...]
Starting Green Horses and Green Riders
The A, B, & C’s So much has been said about the need to of the correct way to start of youngsters to the saddle, with progressive training so the green horses have the right attitude, are well-balanced and able to understand the communication between rider and horse under saddle. This could be called the A, B, C’s of teaching horses to accept the rider. What about correct way and the A, B, C’s of teaching beginner riders to ride the horse? Green riders also need to be educated with progressive training so they have the right attitude, are well balanced and are able to communicate with their horse. A = Attitude Green horses or young horses need the correct attitude. This must be a mixture of confidence and respect. They should have the confidence to trust people, even when their … [Read more...]
7 Tips for a Safe and Efficient Horse Property
Is your horse property set up so you can safely and efficiently carry out your regular horse routines to care for your horses with a minimum of fuss? Even if your horses are not your business, the ability to work efficiently and effectively will maximize the time you spend with your horse to achieve a much higher level of results. One of the most obvious examples is how your horse property is set up. I have seen and worked on many, many horse properties, some very efficient and others a continual waste of time. Money doesn’t seem to be the problem, the safety and efficiency of horse properties seems to be based on the horse sense of the person who set them up. Some of the properties I have worked on have been very beautiful, picturesque and an artist’s dream. I have known owners … [Read more...]
Developing an Eye for a Horse
It takes time and experience to develop your sense of vision around horses. There is an old saying... "The eye of the master makes the horse fat". Put simply, the 'master' was and experienced knowledgeable horseperson. An experienced horse person can walk into a stable and in a second and know that a horse is too thin, too fat, lame, sick aggressive or sour as well as many other aspects of the horse's health and personality. An experienced instructor will pick up wrong canter leads and incorrect diagonals in a flash while they are teaching a group of riders. At the same time they will be giving individual instruction to each of the riders to improve their skills. As the riders improve their skills the horses will be working happier and more correctly the longer the experienced … [Read more...]
What Horse Riders Want vs What They Need
As a horse riding instructor there is often a balance that must be maintained while teaching between safety, education and enjoyment as well as the balance between teaching what riders want vs what riders need. A good instructor will say that safety comes first with horses and while I agree to a point, there is a balance. After all if you would like to be guaranteed that a horse won’t stand on your foot, then stay away from them. The same goes for falling off. There are no guarantees. Don't get on a horse if you would like a guarantee that you won't fall off. Speed and jumping usually increases the risk with horse riding, yet we teach, compete and find a great deal of natural adrenaline from jumping and riding in the faster paces. Horse riding lessons should include both education … [Read more...]
What learning style do you use to learn more when learning about horses?
Finding the right horse-riding instructor Knowing and understanding your type of learning style is a great start to finding the right horse-riding instructor. When you find one who understands your learning style and adapts their lesson to match, they you can progress your understanding of horses and riding much quicker than having a horse-riding instructor who teaches uses different techniques to the way you learn best. Simple learning styles When we talk about learning styles and ways to process new information, we can use the simple terminology below. visual verbal (auditory) active (kinesthetic) We can even divide the visual learning style into pictures and words to provide a greater depth of understanding of the types of styles we can use to learn to actively ride and … [Read more...]
7 Tips For Teaching Beginners On The Lunge
People learn to ride in many ways and are instructors have developed many different routines and procedures to teach their beginner riders. The more experienced the instructor is the more the procedures are fine tuned so that the beginner rider remains safe while learning to ride in the most efficient manner. I am a strong believer in teaching beginners on the lunge. They can focus on gaining their balance and confidence while the instructor focuses on controlling the horse in a pace that is most beneficial to progress the skills of the rider. As soon as the beginner rider is able to walk and trot without balancing on the horses’ mouth and thumping them in the back then they can progress to the next stage of riding without the lunge in a confined area. When I teach instructors or … [Read more...]
How to Mount and Dismount a Horse
Everyone knows that you don't mount a horse holding onto the cantle (back) of the saddle! The saddle tree twists and the risk of damaging the horses back increases. In addition, if the horse moves off as you release your hand to swing your leg over then you could asking for trouble if he moves off and you lose your balance. But exactly how do you mount and dismount a horse? If you are an experienced horse person, you have probably been asked this question a million times! I know, I know, everyone who has ridden any type of horse should know how to mount and dismount a horse. After all, how do they get up on the horse and down off the horse if they spend any time at all in the saddle? Maybe the question should be ‘how should you correctly mount and dismount a horse?’ However before … [Read more...]
Did Michael’s Horse Save His Life?
Michael was out riding one day when his horse was spooked by a gunshot. The horse bolted and threw Michael who then required x-rays. While his doctor was examining the x-rays it was revealed that Michael had cancer.Did the horse save his life?This question is asked along with many more about the way horses can naturally heal stress, depression and other illnesses by simply communicating with people in the book ‘Healers with four legs and a tail’.Michael Hay has agreed for readers of Online Horse College articles to have a free download. More information can be read about ‘Healers with four legs and a tail’. … [Read more...]
Healers with Four Legs and a Tail
I have just read a lovely book about using horses for rehabilitation during or after a serious illness or depressing situation. The author Michael Hay writes about this natural but different approach in a way that provokes much thought into the way we use our horses and making sure our perspectives are in the right mind.His approach looks at the healing ways of horses, the way they naturally reduce stress and compares the basic needs of the horse to our basic needs. Michael has kindly allowed me to give you a free copy of his book ‘Healers with Four Legs and a Tail’ which can be downloaded here Enjoy the read, Glenys :) … [Read more...]
Teaching New Horse Riding Skills in Four Stages
In the same way that the beginner horse rider learns to mount a horse or rise to the trot, the four stages of competence apply to more experienced riders as well as horse riding instructors as they progress through their training. In this article we look at the four stages a beginning horse rider learns when they rise to the trot and compare them to a horse riding instructor learning how to control group rides safely. These skills can be broken down into four stages of competence. Unconscious incompetence Conscious incompetence Conscious competence Unconscious competence 1. Unconscious incompetence This stage of any skill could apply to the general public who do not have knowledge of a specific horse riding skill (like rising to the trot), do not realize that they … [Read more...]
Where is the best place to be positioned when teaching horse riding?
As you start to become more aware of teaching styles of horse riding instructors, you will probably be looking at the positioning of the horse riding instructor. Some are teaching standing up, sitting down, on a horse, inside the circle, outside the circle, in the arena, outside the arena and many other positions. Many of my trainee equestrian coaches ask the question “Where is the best place to be positioned when teaching horse riding” Before this question is answered, I like to explore the benefits and drawbacks of some different teaching positions with them. Teaching horse riding on a circle Standing in the center of a circle when someone is teaching is great for explaining details, giving immediate feedback and for giving confidence to the nervous rider. However as soon as you … [Read more...]
Free Video Assessments About To Expire!
Thanks to all our students who have sent in their videos on horse care, riding and teaching for us to assess. There has been no charge for our current students to send us these videos to review, however this has been a strictly limited offer and it is about to expire! If you are thinking of enrolling in one of our courses, unless you are quick to enroll (before December 2013) you will no longer have access to this offer. Don’t worry; if you enroll before the December then your video assessments will be free for your current enrolment! If you don’t plan to commence study until next year, that is ok. Simply enroll now and let me know that will start your course some time next year. If you would like to talk to me about your equine career then please email me on Glenys (@) … [Read more...]
Frustration From Horses or Passion For Horses?
I love technology when it is working well but find it very frustrating when it isn’t! I can do some of the basic stuff, but if the wrong button is pushed or a misdirected technical genius makes a website go down then I am not interested in fixing the problem and refer it to the Webmaster. Some people are like that with horses. They become frustrated with them and are not interested in fixing the problem. The only problem is that horses aren’t machines. They live and breathe and there is always a reason for doing what they do. If a resistance or an evasion is not corrected immediately, it can become a habit. As much as I am not interested in fixing technology, I am absolutely passionate about fixing horse problems. Last week one of my students bought a lovely horse as a … [Read more...]
Risk Management Plan
Let’s face it, riding is a high risk sport. Horses can Horses are unpredictable by nature and act on instinct, which could involve biting, kicking, shying and rearing. I know I could write a complete book on risk management in the horse industry but I don’t have time today. To get you thinking, usegood management and horse sense to implement these five steps that will help you minimize this risk. 1. Identify the Risk When you are working around horses, be constantly aware of your surroundings and the horses’ behavior. If you look closely there could is risk everywhere, with horses, financial, environmental . . . the list goes on . . . 2. Evaluate the Risk Let’s take this one as an example . . . Horses are more likely to be fresh if they have had restricted movement such as a … [Read more...]
