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Having trouble controlling your horse?

When training your horse you must have an understanding of what you are trying to achieve and how you are going to achieve it. At a minimum you must have the Basic Riding and Handling Skills with a solid safe seat.

Sounds simple enough doesn't it. For example, did you know the bit is not used as a cue to stop. When you ask your horse to stop you pick up on the reins last – they are a tool to motivate your horse to respond to the ‘stop cue’ not a cue to stop… YES I Hear you say, I knew that... but are you consistent with your cues and send your horse the same pre-cue, cue and motivation every time?

It is important to know and follow the basic principles and have a system in place.

Always be consistent with your cues. Horses are a condition and response animal, which means they learn from repetition. This learnt behaviour may take 200 or 2000 repetitions depending on how and what is being taught. Consistency is VERY important, hence the reason for you to have a solid system to follow. Your horse will be aware of very subtle difference so you must be consistent.

All training is based on the pressure & release. This pressure and release is both physical and mental. Again it is essential that the trainer understands this principal.

A key to this is to teach your horse one cue at a time, reward the littlest of tries and never finish off a training exercise if you have received the incorrect response to your cue. This will speed up the learning curve. Never ask your horse for too much. This will only slow the learning curve.

As a rule if your horse is misbehaving it is the result of miscommunication, confusion or frustration (as a result of the breakdown in communication).

Correct training from an early stage will provide you will a well educated horse that can be trained on for any discipline. It's far easier to teach the horse something new than to undo a learnt bad habit

Recommended reading:

• Horse Training, Steve Brady’s Formula for Success
• Steve Brady Horsemanship, Basics