If you are interested in learning more about horses, have you been listening to the Equine Industry Experts on Horse Chats? Dr Andrew McLean discusses ten training principles for interactions with horses, based on his research and standing as non-negotiable obligations for trainers to maintain optimal welfare and optimal training efficiency in trained horses. Or his brother Jonna McLean giving a series on training foals from initial handling through to leading, loaning and stress free weaning . . . keep listening as he continues the series through to riding and training the competition horse. If you would like stories with a difference, learn how David Simons left school to work on a cattle station where he rode up to 12-14 hours a day, breaking in seven-year old horses and some … [Read more...]
Have You Been Listening to This?
7 Tips to Increase Horse Riding Confidence
If you don’t seem to be as motivated as you once were, or have simply lost confidence then here are seven quick tips to get you going again Only ride nice horses Be easy on yourself. If you are not looking forward to riding, it may be because your horse is not the right one for you. Know your horse on the ground first Confirm that your horse can go forward, backwards and sideways, canter on the correct lead and pop over a jump. Horses should have a basic understanding of these requirements before you ask them when you are riding Set Goals Setting riding goals and realising exactly what is possible might just give you the motivation to ride Mindset & visualise Once you have set your goal, visualise it. Don’t just visualise it once, … [Read more...]
What Do Vicki Roycroft, Monty Roberts and Dr Andrew McLean have in common?
If you guessed that they are all world class professional horse people, you are right! Vicki holds the record for the first female Olympic athlete to compete in both showjumping and eventing, Monty travels the world teaching his Join-Up method and Andrew is another international expert who has used evidence based scientific research to improve horse training and welfare. All are Equine Industry Experts and these three are all guests on the 'Horse Chats' podcast. If you would like free education from world class trainers, click on the link below and subscribe. https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/horse-chats/id1291293396?mt=2&i=1000392871574 Make sure you subscribe, there are more international experts coming your way! Happy Riding, Glenys :) … [Read more...]
Horse Steps, Strides, Gaits and Paces
Do you remember how complicated it was learning about horse steps, strides, paces and gaits? Just when you thought that horses could walk, run and gallop you learned that when horses ran it was called trot and somewhere in there was canter. Great, now you know the four natural gaits of the horse, or are they called paces? So you consult your trusty horse book only to find that horses have... wait a sec, the other trusty horse book said there were four natural paces of the horse and now this one has included stepping backwards. You read a little more and find that a horse has steps in the walk and trot and strides in the canter and gallop. Is that right? In human terms a step is putting one foot in front of the other and a stride is a longer decisive step. Yet the stride in horse … [Read more...]
Ten Reasons Why You Should Look Up When You Ride
There was an old poem that my grandmother used to tell me about holding my head high and always looking between the horse’s ears when I rode. While I can’t remember the poem (and I don’t agree with ALWAYS looking between the horse’s ears), I do agree that the habit of looking up is certainly one that will influence riding ability. Listed below are 10 reasons why looking up will positively influence your (or your students’) riding ability. To see other riders and horses Have you ever been at a competition or riding in a crowded area and had to avoid riders who are looking down. They are probably lucky that you have been considerate enough to avoid them, but watch for long enough and they will have a collision or near collision with another rider who is looking down. … [Read more...]
Horses and Happiness
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
Working Student Needed
Are you looking for a live in working student position in a horse business? This is an opportunity to train for Horse Riding Instructor qualifications with OnlineHorseCollege.com including ‘hands on’ training and assessment for all practical components on your course. For further information, please click on the link below http://www.birsaddleclub.com/working-students … [Read more...]
Your Gift ‘On Horsemanship’ by Xenophon
At Online Horse College, we are partnering with a PhD student to develop courses for Equine Assisted Learning courses. As part of her research, she would love to survey you about your coaching and learning styles and as a reward for your input we have a gift for you! Xenophon is one of the earliest riding masters, training horses through kindness and reward. Topics include his teachings on selection of a young horse, breaking colts, selection of the older horse, care of the horse and grooming, handling correctly and safely, mounting, riders position and training the rider, advanced training of the horse including jumping and cross country and much, much more... If you would love a copy of this book, simply complete the one page equestrian coaching survey on the link below to … [Read more...]
Horses And Their Imagination
What was that? Aasifa pricked up her pretty little Arab shaped ears. Talisman pricked up his long thoroughbred ears and snorted. Zamizin pricked his ears, snorted and held his tail up. It was important that he held his tail up high so everyone could see that it has been broken in a floating accident. He had survived so he really must be the bravest horse in the herd. Trendy trotted up to the front of the group, not because he thought that he was the bravest but because he wanted to make sure that if it was terribly scary then he wanted to be the fastest to get away. Just in case whatever it was had a particular hunger for fat leopard appaloosas. “It must be a bunyip” said Aasifa who had told everyone about the mythical Australian creatures where she used to live. “There are … [Read more...]
Looks Like The Joke Is On Us!
When you mix with people who are from outside the horse industry, do you feel like they are talking another language? You know that you are highly motivated and serious about horses, but now you can have a bit of a laugh about yourself and pick up on the views of ‘outsiders’. If you are looking for a top quality horse read, check out this hilarious new book from Funny Horse Cartoons and download your free copy now! Funny Horse Cartoons Download Your FREE Copy Now! Pick Up Your FREE Copy Of Funny Horse Cartoons Exposes the Truth! Name*: Email*: Country*:AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamas, … [Read more...]
Three Rewards for Your Horse
Have you ever noticed how when people ride their horses and reward them all the time, the horses go well for them? There are other riders who are always angry at their horses and give them a hard time. Keep a diary of everything that went well on your ride today, just the best three things and what you did to reward your horse. It could have been a softening of the reins allowing them to have a stretch and a break, a walk break or to finish the work session. When you focus on what went well and the rewards you give your horse on a regular basis, you look forward to your riding and training so much more. … [Read more...]
Understanding Horses
Have you ever had your foot stood on by a horse? Horses’ brains have been wired to remember the negative/ survival memories. These survival memories have evolved the need to remember danger, potential danger and to act as a herd when another horse is acting suspiciously. They don’t always have the same thought patterns as humans, so if we plan to ride them, train them, teach them and teach with them it is in our best interests to understand them as much as possible. The next time a horse shies, bucks, kicks out or even if one stands on your foot, then try to understand from their point of view what made them do it. Real horse people don’t blame horses; they only continue to deepen their understanding about them. … [Read more...]
How many horse ‘accidents’ can be prevented!
I just heard the police minister talking about how rarely a real ‘accident’ happens and that most are caused by preventable actions like drink driving, speeding and fatigue Many horse accidents can also be prevented. Accidents can be caused by unsafe handling and riding, mismatch of horse and rider/handler, inexperienced/ untrained instructors or complete lack of supervision by a competent person So . . . when you are about to do something with your horse, or give an instruction to some-one else about a horse . . . just take a moment to think about what could possibly go wrong and what you could do to make it safer That way, you can prevent those ‘accidents’ happening Happy (and safe) Riding, Glenys :-) … [Read more...]
Hendra Virus Vaccine
Attention: Horse Owners! Hendra Virus Vaccination Now Available! Australian horse owners received the news on 1st November 2012 that the vaccination Equivac® HeV vaccine was now available. The deadly Hendra virus has claimed the lives of 81 horses. While there is no known cure for Hendra virus, the Equivac® HeV vaccine will assist in breaking the transmission cycle of this potentially lethal virus. Media release Vaccine arrives to boost the fight against deadly Hendra virus Thursday, 01 November 2012 Download this media release as a PDF Brisbane, Australia – 01 November 2012: From today, Australian horse owners and the equine industry will receive an important boost in their fight against the deadly Hendra virus with the … [Read more...]
Uncharacteristic Behaviour in Horses
Price is always a consideration when buying an asset for a business. So when his owner told me that he was selling him cheap because he won’t ‘tuck his head in’ and he throws his head around even after his teeth has been attended to, I was interested. His mouth and back seemed fine so the next step was to ride him. Sure enough, as soon as he started to go forward with a focus on energy, rhythm and tempo with a few bending and flexing exercises then he responded positively. As I said . . . we have a lovely big chestnut school horse called Sunny. We were able to buy him at a very good price because I recognized that the throwing of his head was a response to him not being ridden correctly. The way he was being ridden was the real problem. Horses communicate in all sorts of … [Read more...]
First 5 Tips For Teaching Children’s Horse Riding Lessons
If you were one of the people who took our recent survey, THANK YOU! In particular, if you were one of the people who asked for some tips for teaching children then this series of tips for teaching children’s horse riding lessons has been written for you! 1. Keep Children Active And Moving Children like active riding lessons with maximum participation. Once they have learnt their A, B & C’s (attitude, balance and control) they generally love to canter and jump. They like to keep moving, but rather than having the ride go in single file behind one leader for the whole lesson try these suggestions - change leaders - go into and out of open order - leading files in succession to perform a specific arena movement - two rides in single file going in opposite … [Read more...]
The Olympic Question
How often do you meet young riders who want to ride in the Olympics? I love to encourage anyone who sets themselves high goals, but I also like to know if people are serious or if they are just dreaming. Some of the questions I may ask would be . . . what year do you plan to compete in your first Olympics? Tell me about your written step-by-step plan. Some one who is really serious about competing at an elite level could include regular visualization into their daily plan. In this visualization they would picture their lifestyle, what time they wake up, how many horses they ride and compete and what elite level competitions they would be ride at. They would have also worked out the finances for their competitive career and either have a sponsor/ owner or a sound, … [Read more...]
This Is A Good Example Why Lesson Plans And Training Plans Should Be Flexible And Adaptable
I remember the first time I taught Doris. She was a middle-aged woman, not particularly athletic and a little overweight. Her first three lessons were cancelled at the last minute so when the fourth lesson came around I was almost surprised that she turned up. She took ages to get ready and the lesson time was half over when she was eventually mounted. I knew that she was scared. Her breathing was rapid, she was shaking and her acknowledgement of hearing my questions was non-existent. I talked calmly to her about the horse she was riding, told her a couple of stories of other riders he had helped and just kept chatting to her in a one way conversation. Eventually she started nodding and communicating when I asked her a question. After another ten minutes or so (and after … [Read more...]
