The Truth About Desensitisation

The most misunderstood part of horse training is the idea that you have to  get horses ‘used to’ new things. Many trainers advocate to keep exposing  horses to things that frighten them and they’ll eventually ‘get used to  it’. Others say, when a horse is frightened of something, just keep  frightening him with it and … Read more

How to Catch a Horse

If you walk into the paddock and your horse runs away, guess what? Your horse isn’t bad, naughty or disrespectful. It’s absolutely nothing to do with being his leader or showing him that you’re the alpha horse. The plain fact is, your horse is worried and nervous and doesn’t want to come near you. Never … Read more

Pulling back when tied up

Last week, I read an article in an old issue of a prominent horse magazine on tying a horse for the first time. There were graphic photos of a terrified horse pulling back and fighting against a post. The article recommended the use of hobbles and ‘special’ headstalls while the horse pulled back. Here’s my … Read more

Teach your horse to mooove forward

The same theory applies to your horse. Instead of cow; think horse. If you want to move a  horse or cow forward, you must apply pressure on his rear end in the ‘flight zone’. Pressure in front of the ‘point of balance’ will  move a horse or cow backwards. This is a very simple concept. … Read more

Feedback

Our feedback is both heartwarming and encouraging. I’d like to share this letter that arrived in the mail today.  Dear Neil, Thank  you and your wife, without whom I doubt you could have written us  another book. I can only imagine your frustrations between books. I am  stunned when people comment on our horses / … Read more

Advance and Retreat and Learning Theory

In my opinion, advance and retreat is the key to introducing everything to every horse without frightening them. Equally, when a horse has previously been frightened by a specific item, advance and retreat must be used to overcome the bad experience. When advance and retreat is used, two components of learning theory are at work: … Read more

The Horse as a Prey Animal

Every time I pick up a horse magazine, I read that horses are prey animals and humans are predators. Many articles say horses are ‘naturally’ afraid of humans because humans are predators. Others say it’s ‘natural’ for a horse to buck when the saddle is introduced, because a ‘dead animal’ is being strapped onto their … Read more

Teach your horse to stop

We should try to use as little unpleasantness as possible at every phase of horse training. Everyone thinks horses stop when you pull on the reins. However, before you apply pressure on the bit, bring your legs on and sit in the stand and relax position. If your horse is ‘giving’ and ‘listening’, he’ll understand … Read more