Five Things to Do to Correct a Spooking Horse

You know the drill, a horse sees a dog barking and he spooks.  The wind blows a bag and the horse will spook.  A car drives up the driveway and there he goes again.  This is extremely common behavior and can be corrected.  Horses are prey, and their instinct is telling them that they are going to get eaten.  They also have instinct to trust the herd leader.  If you are the herd leader then they will not worry about the goblins in the mailbox because you the herd leader are always in control and make the herd feel safe.
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1)   Exude confidence. A horse can feel what you feel, if you feel nervous or scared your horse will feel that.  If your horse scares you every time you ride him that will create a snowball effect and the two of you will feed off of each other’s fears.
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2)   Go back to the basics of groundwork. If your horse is jumpy on the ground, he most definitely will be just as jumpy in the saddle.  Something is missing from your program, fill in the missing parts and then take it to the next level of riding.
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3)   Longe your horse. Longe him with a purpose, don’t just let him run around in a circle dragging you all over the place.  This type of behavior is counter-productive and will not allow your horse to feel confidence that you are not only the herd’s leader, but an excellent one.
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4)   Practice, practice and then some more practice. Don’t expect to go out to the barn once and a while and for your horse to have gotten better.  The only way for your horse to get better is by putting in lots of time on the ground and in the saddle.  Expose your horse to as many scenarios and things as possible.
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5)   ABT – Always be training.  If you are not training your horse you are un-training your horse.  Start being the leader from the moment you get your horse from the stall or pasture until the moment you put him away.
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If you do these five things, and do them correctly I guarantee you will no longer have a spooking horse, but a calm confident friend.

Keep A Horseback Riding Journal

Does your Riding Instructor tell you the same thing over and over?  Are you not correcting your mistakes? The best way to tackle these problems is to write it down in a Riding Journal.  Then, think of a way how you can make the correction and write about it.  The best students in school take notes.
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I'm a big planner, I like to pay attention to the details especially when training horses.  Even if you are not to the point of  training a horse, but you yourself are in training I would suggest you keep a training journal.
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If you don't want to bring a big journal to the barn, at least bring a pocket one and jot down some notes about your ride.  You may see some similarities that can give you some insight to become a better rider.  Another thing to add to your horse journal is vocabulary words.  As we all know, in the world of horses there is an entire language to learn.  Write down new words and their definitions in your journal.
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Types of Journals:

• Spiral Bound Notebook - this type of journal is cheap and easy.  You can pick one up anywhere, and start writing!
• Three Ring Binder - This is a great type of journal because you can rearrange it any way you would like.  You can add in training articles that you find online or in magazines.
• Pocket Notebook - a great little book to keep in your pocket when you ride so that you can jot down notes.
• Blog - You can blog your riding and training progress and have it as private or as public as you would like!
• Electronic - Using google docs or Microsoft word, you can make a great electronic journal

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Whatever type of journal that you chose doesn't really matter just as long as you choose one!

Horse Quote of The Day - Fredi Castro

“Each time you ride your horse, he’s a different horse, ride it that way.” - Fredi Castro

I thought that was a brilliant statement. What he means is, every day is different. Don’t get on your horse today thinking he is going to be the way he was yesterday. Always start with a fresh mind. a light hand and light leg, you can always build from there. Don’t start out with heavy cues, because where do you go from there?

Reader Question - Teaching A Horse To Tie

Recently I had a reader question about tying a horse, and I think it's a great question so here it is complete with my answer.

Hello, Deanna:
My daughter and I are in the position of selling our horse we've spent a lot of love on. But, I am finding that we have allowed an important part of her training to go unattended. Our mare doesn't tie. She was abused nearly to death (as a filly) by attempting teaching her to tie with a stud chain under her chin and one over her poll at the same time. In large part because of her history we have not forced her to tie. We have been at boarding facilities that discourage tying and offer cross ties instead which just allowed us to overlook this issue. We have just never required that she tie solid, she cross ties quite comfortably, but sets back in a panic when tied. She is very well trained with precise showmanship skills and is VERY easy to handle and show and quite respectful with soft responsiveness in every other area of her training.
I really hate the thought of allowing her to hurt herself through thrashing and pulling back with that much force. But I am feeling the pressure to tackle this now. We have lost at least 1 sale because the prospective buyer wouldn't have a horse that couldn't tie. If you have any tips that might help us overcome her very real fear of being tied we are open to suggestions.
Thank you for your help.
Jeanette

Hello Jeanette,

Thanks for the question!  What a shame your mare was abused so badly when she was learning to tie.  I would never ever tie a horse with a stud chain, how awful for her.  I completely understand your concern for her injuring herself that is really dangerous behavior for herself, which you already are aware of.

Even if a horse never experienced anything negative they still can have a problem when tying.  The reason for this, is even though our horses are domesticated the wild instinct is still there.  If a horse was trapped (which is basically what they are when tied) they would become easy prey for a predator.  So when a normally docile well trained horse feels that their life is in danger they can absolutely lose their mind and fear for their life.  Your mare is also experiencing fear but for other reasons.

For me a horse that won't tie will not make or break the sale because I know the horse can learn to accept it.  But not everyone feels the same way, so here's what you should try:

• Work in an enclosed arena.
• Invest in a blocker tie ring.  The tie ring is $24.99 but well worth it.
  
• Use a smooth and long lead rope and tie the mare to the ring.  The reason it should be smooth, is so that the horse can pull through the ring and not feel trapped.  A long lead rope will help with that too.  The horse will pull the lead out long, but not completely become untied.
• Practice sacking your horse out while tied.  The horse will soon see that she can move her feet and that there is nothing to fear.  

This will need to be done over and over again until she has confidence that nothing bad is going to happen to her.  Your mare will begin to relax and realize there is nothing to fear and she is not going to have pain inflicted on her while trapped.

In my barn I use the blocker ties but in the spots where I don't have them I use bailing twine.  I tie bailing twine to my eye hooks that are attached to the post and then I tie the horse's lead rope to the bailing twine.  This way, if the horse freaks out he or she can break free without getting injured.  There is a never ending supply of bailing twine so I just tie a new piece when an old one gets broken.  I just continue to replace the twine as needed.  If the horse just keeps breaking the twine right away and does not stop the pulling back, it's time to take the horse to the tie ring.  But that doesn't usually happen.  It may break the twine every now and again, but the times become very far and few between.

I hope this helps, and you are able to find a buyer for your mare.  Let me know how it works out!

Deanna  

A Flame Faced Pony

I was at the horse sale, and they had 200 ponies come through.  I don't know if I was allowed to take pictures or not, so I snapped only one with my phone.  I really like the black pony with the white face.  His markings looked like flames on his face.  Whether that meant he was a demon or he was born to be a tiny barrel racer, I don't know but he sure was cute. 

There were also about 15 pony foals.  Fredi already said that when Cristino gets older he's getting two of them.  I read about a five year old boy who's father is a horse trainer and the kid has his own pony training business.  This kid trains them and then runs them through a sale. There are a lot of people that want to buy the kid's ponies and they come from far and wide to buy them because he does such a great job training.  How cute is that?

They say ponies are much harder to train than horses.  Is that because they are untrained, or are they really mostly pigs?  Most of my experience with ponies was when I was very young so I thought they were great.  I started riding the big horses exclusively at the age of ten so I don't really remember.  I guess I will find out, because I am taking a young un-broke pony into training for a client on Thursday.  I have been wanting a pony for about two years so this should be interesting.  The last pony we were training got the boot after a few weeks, we decided he wasn't worth it.  The pony tried to scrape Fredi off on the fence, he was downright nasty.  He belonged to an eight year old girl, and he wasn't suitable for her so he was promptly sold. 

Maybe in a few years the flame faced pony and I will cross paths again and this time we will take him home for our little cowboy.

Modified Dismount

I am always reading how to become a better blogger.  I recently read a post (forgive me but I forget where) that said it when blogging you shouldn't say how fat you have become and then post the pictures to prove it.  I thought that was hilarious since I just posted my fat pictures a few posts ago.  It probably is a mistake, but hey whatever I'm human.

Now I am including some video documentation.  It's not just to say hey look how fat my you know what got, I am doing it because I know riders come in all shapes and sizes.  This is a dismount that I started using years ago when I injured my left knee.  

The modified dismount sure has come in handy for my students that have had injuries, are small, or just had trouble dismounting the traditional way for one reason or another.  

Check it out!

Reader Question: Question on R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I had a reader question recently that I thought was quite timely as I have been thinking a lot lately about R-E-S-P-E-C-T and horses. 

Hi Deanna

I am a faithful reader of your blog. I wrote to you for the first time about longeing my rescue horse and how to stop her from cheating on the circle and changing directions and found your advice perfect and immediately affective. So I had to write you again...

I have a second question, the Woman who helps me work with that rescue horse has a quarter horse arab up for sale, I have been riding him and happened to fall in love with him and have experienced that once in a life time fit. She gifted me the horse, I know I’m in shock too.

She had let 10 buyers go by and said when she saw how we clicked and bonded that it was more important that he be loved the way he deserved to be loved rather than selling him to the highest bidder. He is by far the most eager and loving horse I’ve ever owned.

He is obedient, will go where ever when ever and through what ever I want. He is the first horse I have honestly ever trusted with not one vice till now.
He always has to touch me by either licking my hand, smelling me, or just touching me with his muzzle, he is 15 and was born at the ranch and very affectionate and fond of people as are all of Jill’s horses.

He is like a guard horse and wont let any other horses near me if he can help it (only while I’m in the pasture with him).

I have spoiled him rotten with something always being in my hand for him...as I’m sure you have all ready figured out what my problem is..lol.

I have stopped giving him treats, it kills me but I have too because now when ever I enter the pasture he comes to me right away and is all over me looking for the goodies and does not believe me when I tell him I have none.

Today I almost lost my fingers, my ear, and my boobies hahaha.

So I’ve created this monster now how do I turn him back to the gentleman he used to be?

Just a note, Jill in the 15yrs that she owned him rarely if ever treated him, once in a while they would get carrots in their buckets and occasionally a piece of a carrot after a good ride.

I’m afraid I have spoiled him into alpha horse when I am on the ground with him. I have a good sense of timing when it comes to pressure and release or take and give but I don’t know what to do on the ground to stop this mouthing.

He’s like a puppy that wants to lick everybody all the time. I have stopped washing my hair with my apple shampoo (please don’t ask).
HELP!

Carolyne

Hi Carolyne,

I’m so glad I could help you with your longe line problem!

How great is it that she gifted you the horse? That does not happen everyday so the two of you must really have something special.   

I think this is a great example of how treats can bring out the dark side on even the most well behaved horse! 

I can say don’t do this or don’t do that to a client and it won’t always hit home until they see the “why”. Once we make a mistake with a horse that has a negative effect we learn much faster and with more understanding.   Horses really are the best teachers!

One of my students has a horse that loves to nibble on her, and she was telling me about a trainer who uses treats to train the horse to stop being mouthy. Right away a red flag was raised, and I said, “Treats often lead to aggression in horses”. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but even the most wonderful horse can turn on you when given treats by hand.

Horses are completely different than most other domesticated animals. 

Horse’s need to be periodically put in their place just the way the herd leader establishes his dominance by knocking the offenders around.

So with that established, we can get to the “fix” for the problem.

A few things that I use to rehab a biter:

1. Never allowing the horse near my hand or any other body part without my initiation
2. I “bite” the horse back with my hand
3. A good knee/thigh to the belly
4. Consistency

A horse that bites and is not a pig will give you some signals before he bites you. 

It all begins with a turn of the head.  I like my horses to keep their head facing straight ahead in a ready position when I am working around them. A bite begins with a look, then maybe a lick, and then maybe a lip nibble, and then the actual bite. Sometimes it's just a look with no other signs.  So if you keep the head away from your body and looking straight ahead you should be safe.

If I want a horse to turn his head in my or any direction I ask him to do so, I don’t allow him to do it on his own. 

This way I am in control and safe. I continually correct a horse when he turns his head to the side without being asked. How I do this is, keeping the lead rope in my hand when his head turns, I simply straighten out his head again. Using my hand, I touch the side of the horse’s mouth with my lead rope and push his head straight.  My hand does not touch the horse, the lead rope does.  This is something that I do with every horse. I like my horses to stand at attention when I am around, waiting for their next instruction. It’s much safer and enjoyable for all parties involved.

If a horse bites or threatens to bite at me I will make my hand into a claw, and intercept at the side of the horse’s mouth allowing him to "punish himself".  

Instead of biting me, the horse gets himself poked, and realizes that it’s not much fun to try and bite me. This is more for a passive horse.   It may not work the very first time, but keep it up and he will soon learn to stop nipping at you.  

*Note: After I do this, I usually wave my hand several times in front of the horse's face to make sure he is not afraid of my hand.  I want him respectful of my space, not fearful.

With a more aggressive horse you will probably need to use method number 3. 

I find this one especially effective on a cinchy horse. It the horse turns to bite you, lift your knee hard and give the horse a knee under the belly. When done correctly, you should only have to do this once.   Don't worry, you won't hurt him it's more of a wake up call than any pain.  Your knee does not have the same amount of power that another horse has and you certainly don't have a hoof at the end of your knee to deliver a powerful blow.

And finally, be consistent it will help the horse to stop the behavior much quicker. Remember to keep his head away from you, and correct him every single time he tries to turn his head, with no negotiation. Have the attitude, "I said it, I mean it, and you’re going to do it!" toward the horse.  I would hate for you lose a finger, an ear or especially a breast (OUCH)!

How to check your work:
If your horse is visibly frightened of you, then you are being much too aggressive.  Back off and take it down a notch.  
If your horse is not responding, or you have to keep doing it over and over again and he’s not improving then you are being too passive.  Take it up a notch.
If you horse stops biting respects you and is calmer, congratulations you just rehabbed the biter!

If at first you don't succeed try try again.  Think of how long it took him to become this way, it will take some time to retrain him to be that gentleman he used to be.  Keep up the great work Carolyn you are a great asset to your horses.

PS.  I know exactly what you are talking about with the apple shampoo ;) !

Deanna

No Work is Better Than Bad Work

If anyone out there doesn't temporarily have time for their horse, rest assured it's OK for the horse to have a break from work once in awhile.

Sometimes the thinking is, "maybe I can get someone else to ride my horse so that he can get some exercise". That is not always best. When you let your horse sit around without exercise, when you go back to riding, that horse won't have learned all kinds of new bad habits. It will have the old ones, it will probably be more lazy and easily distracted, but it won't be messed up from someone else riding it.

There is of course the exception when the person riding the horse is a good rider, or the inexperienced rider is in a lesson situation. Then the horse will be getting some good training. Any horse can go bad no matter the age or attitude of the horse. It all depends on the rider. When it is your horse you will be doing your best to make the horse his best, this may or may not be true of someone else who does not own the horse.

A horse is a mirror of it's rider, don't think you are doing the horse a favor by allowing someone without enough experience ride your horse unsupervised. The horse you get back will not be the one the one you loaned out for exercise. So in a nutshell, no work is better than bad work. Just turn him out and let him be a horse for awhile.

Deanna

Riding Is A Partnership

I would like to add some of my thoughts as they relate to my last post, Bareback & Bridleless - Stacy Westfall.

I am really big on achieving complete control over every part of a horse’s body. A broke horse will give me control over his body from his ears to his tail. I want to be able to control every step my horse takes.

But, riding is a partnership. So while I am able to control every step that does not mean I have to control every step.

I think that is very clearly demonstrated in the video of Stacy during her freestyle reining run. She worked the pattern with her horse, and he obviously wanted to do what she asked without any resistance.

Just because we are able to control every part of the horse’s body, does not mean we do not give up some of that control to the horse.
Once the horse learns his job, get out of his way and let him do it. This is not to say when he makes a mistake we are not there to immediately correct it, but we should be able to sit back and give subtle guidance and allow our partner to show off his skills.

That is why the best horse and rider teams make riding look so easy. They are operating as partners, working toward the same goal in harmony.

A simple example of what I am talking about is, say you ask your horse for a lope departure.
You allow him to try and lope off without support from your hands. Sure, he may throw his head up in the air, or get the wrong lead, but that is when you stop him, try it again, and this time give him support with your hands.
Then, try it again, and allow him to try and lope off without the support of your hands. Pat him when he gets it correct, stop him and help him try it again with your help when he does not get it correct. I never give up giving some gentle guidance with my legs, but I do not always need to be guiding the horse in his mouth.

It’s all about working as a team, with the rider as the teacher and not merely a dictator. Once you establish yourself and your horse as a team, you will be a happy rider, have a happy partner, and your riding will appear effortless.

Happy Partnership!

Deanna

English Equitation - The Back Up

Here is Gabrielle backing her gelding Jesse at the end of their class. The following information can be applied to any class that you may be asked to back the horse, not just an equitation class.

Rider: Equitation
First I’d like to say Gabrielle’s position looks great. Her ear, hip, and heel are in perfect alignment. She has a nice soft bend in her elbow. I would also like to note how calm and relaxed she looks.

I would ask that she elevate her chin slightly, and look ahead instead of down at the horse. At home, it’s fine to glance down with your eyes, but while showing I like to see riders are able to feel the position on the horse rather than have to look and check the position. I would also say to shift her shoulders slightly back. By bringing her shoulders back (approximately one inch) that will help her lift Jesse up off of his forehand. When she brings her shoulders back slightly her hands will be a bit farther apart and be more effective. I like to see a riders hands shoulder width apart.

Horse:
Equitation refers to the rider, and the horse is not being judged per se, but if there is a tie between two equal riders, the one with the more correct horse will be placed above the other. A more correct horse will also showcase the rider better so we need to fix a few minor things with the horse as well.

When you look at Jesse, besides being cute and having a beautiful hair coat, his mouth is gaping because he is resisting his riders cue for the back up. If you look at the front legs of the horse it appears that he has most of his weight on his forehand. He is being heavy on the rider’s hands. This problem is fairly common with a lot of horses.

What I would like to see is the horse shifting his weight back onto his haunches, lifting his shoulders and becoming soft in the mouth as the rider asks him to back. During this process, the horse’s back will lift and his momentum will move backward instead of downward where it is headed in this picture.

The Fix:
Once the rider has fixed her position, she should lift the horse’s head and ask him to back. I know, I am always preaching head down, but first we need to lift those shoulders, and then we can lower the head. In the above photo, the horse has his head down where it belongs so it would almost appear correct, but the rest of his body is not in the right frame.

A horse may know each time he is asked to back the rider wants the head down, so he uses his head down position as an opportunity to fight the back up. The goal should be the moment you ask the horse to back up; he backs without any fight involved. This way you can also maintain that beautiful position in the saddle.

When you lift the horse up, his weight will rock back onto his haunches. As you lift the horse, gently pull and release with both hands to back him off of the bit. When the horse is backing correctly, you will feel him underneath you. What I mean by that is you can feel the front of the horse is very light, and the back of the horse is moving under you and backing.

Once you have the horse lifting his shoulders, work the head back down into a lower position. The horse may revert to his old habits, if he does, just lift up the shoulders again. You will probably have to move your hands out of your comfort zone, but remember, you are training at home not being judged in an equitation class. To recap, bring the horse's shoulders up and his head down, keep practicing until you can do both at the same time.

The final step will be to back the horse in this collected position with your hands quiet and steady in the desired position.

The Back Up Cue:
Once you have fixed the problem, your back up cue will be simple. To cue the horse to back, hold the horse back with your reins by bending your elbows. When you feel a shift of weight backward, start to see saw your hands gently back and forth backing the horse off of the bit. At the same time, gently squeeze and release your legs to help the horse move his hind quarters backwards, as he lifts his shoulder and rounds his back maintain soft contact with his mouth.

Trouble Shooting Tip:
If your horse refuses to maintain backward momentum, you may be using too much leg. Too much leg would result in your horse becoming confused and thinking you want him to stop or to move forward.

Tune in next time for English Equitation, Part Two.

Thanks Gabrielle and Jesse!

Deanna

"The Power Of The one Rein Stop"

The Story of Dundee

I got a call from a friend of mine named Lisa over the summer. She said she had this horse that she wanted to get rid of. Lisa is a dairy farmer, and the horse was supposed to be for her daughter. Her daughter really isn't into horses, she really is into showing her calves.

I told her "I need another horse like I need another hole in my head!" She went on to explain, that the horse isn't good on trails, and that is what they want her for. She also said, that she was going to run her through the sale (horse auction) to get rid of her because the horse was breaking through the shed, and had eaten an entire garbage bag full of feed. How the horse didn't founder I will never know. I told her my husband and I would come over to have a look at her, perhaps she would be suitable for someone else. I hate to see a sound animal get sold for slaughter.

My husband and I stopped by the farm, and there she was in all her glory.



Not much left of a tail, I suspect the calves snacked on it. She was the FATTEST horse I had ever seen. She had two shoes left on her hooves, but they were hanging on by about two nails. Her other two shoes had already fallen off, but took part of the hoof with them. I went out to the pasture to see what she was like, and from what I could tell this bomb of a horse was at least "bombproof." I liked her kind eye, and I told Lisa "Let us take her home, and see what she can do. Maybe I can find a home for her." My husband and I had a few moments to discuss it before I asked to take her home. His logic was sound, "She's going to be sold for meat, and at that weight she will bring a good price." We knew we didn't want that for her. If I at least got her in shape, maybe a rider would buy her if she ended up at the sale.

Dundee started her training, and she knew NOTHING. She didn't even know how to turn. She was greener than grass. BUT, her saving grace, she was smart and bomb proof. She was safe, I knew she would be great for even a beginner. Within thirty days, we had her trained on the longe line, direct reining, indirect reining, and trail riding without any problems.

Lisa called and said, "My husband said we need to get her sold, so if you don't have anyone to buy her we are going to run her through the sale." I didn't want her to go to the sale, but I knew she wasn't the same fat horse anymore and maybe she would be bought by a rider.



It turned out I did find a buyer for her. As you can see from the picture, Dundee remains at the barn with her new owners Kenley and Jenna. She is a perfect match for the two little girls. She helps them gain confidence because of her calm consistent attitude and gaits. They in turn, love her, take care of her, and made her a part of the family.

I love it when a story has a happy ending!

Why Do I Have To Ride Correctly?

Riding correctly is healthy for horse and rider. If you ride your horse correct, he will get stronger. If you ride your horse incorrectly he will eventually break down.

By riding with proper posture as rider and proper collection for the horse each ride will be like the horse and rider are working with a professional trainer at the gym. Building the muscles and strength training the entire body.

By training with good communication between the horse and rider, the mental state of the horse and rider improves. You will have more of a sense of accomplishment. You and your horse will have less stress, more security, and higher self-esteem.

Riding incorrectly with poor posture leads to the body breaking down. This goes equally for the rider and the horse. Just picture yourself lifting and carrying heavy weights. Thirty pounds in one hand, and twenty pounds in the other, lifting with your back instead of your legs. Now imagine that you do this every day. Even though you are working out, you are harming your body instead of strengthening it. You may not feel it when you are younger, but as the years go by those aches and pains will start to make themselves known.

This is what happens to a horse who continually carries an unbalanced rider, keeps all his weight on the forehand, lets his belly hang out without supporting his back, and goes through his exercises incorrectly year after year. Horses are strong, and it is their job to deal with a rider who is learning, but it is our responsibility to do the best job we can do to improve our riding. That is healthy for our bodies, and the horses body.

When we constantly have miscommunication with a horse, it results in stress. Imagine you speak only English, and were working on a complicated project with someone who spoke no English what so ever. You both want to be able to communicate, but it would be extremely difficult, scary, and stressful. The same is for the horse and rider when they do not speak the same language of communication.

This is why I feel it is necessary to learn to ride correctly. So it can be fun and safe for the horse and rider. Over the years, you and your horse will age more slowly and have more peace and respect for one another.

You will have to find your own path to communication, balance, timing, and feel with the horse. Hopefully I can be here to help you achieve that goal in some small way. That's really my mission, to hopefully say something once in a while that will turn on a light bulb, or at least give a rider some insight into why they must work so hard to be the best they can be doing what they love.

Until next time,

Deanna

Deannaisms

I am sure you will notice, there are many things a riding instructor will say over and over to many students. Most riders make the same mistakes, it's natural and part of learning. The following quotes are my usual sayings:

"Release, Release, Release. If you don't release that horse will ignore you."

"Sit tall, and keep your heel down especially when you use your leg."

"Don't blame the horse. If your horse won't do what you are asking it is because he found a hole in your riding. He is doing you a favor and giving you an opportunity to learn."

"Enjoy the journey to becoming a better rider and give yourself a break."

"It takes one year to train a horse, and five years to train a rider. If that rider doesn't ride five days a week, it could take longer. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Some riders have natural talent, some have heart, some have both. No amount of natural talent will help a rider become great if he doesn't have heart. It's up to you to determine your ability."

"It looks easy when I ride? It is now. I am still working you just can't see it. I spent many long hours riding many horses sweating our butts off, or freezing our butts off, taking notes, journaling, thinking and rethinking learning how to ride. Always saying to myself, what am I doing wrong? You can reap those benefits too if you refuse to give up! All you need is lots more wet saddle pads and the determination to learn."

"Learning to ride correct isn't easy. Did I ever tell you it was easy?"

"Nothing worth having is ever easy. You will never truly appreciate something that came without a price."

"Legs! Use your legs!"

On turning: "Look, leg, hand, in that order."

"The kick is not the cue, the touch is the cue. The kick is punishment, so don't cue your horse with a kick to walk, jog, trot, lope, or turn."

"I'd stop saying the same thing if you made the correction!" I say this after a rider says "I know, you always say that!" Then we both laugh.

"As soon as you fix one problem, the horse will find another weakness of yours. Don't be discouraged, enjoy the challenge. When the day comes that he can't find any of your weak areas you will probably get bored."

I hope this gives all you riders out there some inspiration. Remember, if you are doing your best then you are doing a great job. Keep it up!

Deanna

Pit Bulls, Motorcylces, and Ponies Oh My!

Today my husband and I went out for our weekly trail ride. Gone are the days when we would be able to ride horses on the road without a car in sight.

Today we took a new route and it was every two minutes that we were passed by a car or a motorcycle. Not only that, but the fields that we could walk through are now housing developments. We got barked at by a pit bull, which wasn't a problem. Even with the tractor trailers flying down the highway the horses didn't flinch. We were in a field, not actually riding down that highway, but only about 20 feet away from the tractor trailers. Do you know what scared the horses? No, not the Harley Davidson's... It was the ponies!

Two sweet little ponies in a field, and the horses were balking and snorting. I am always sacking out the horses exposing them to every possible distraction. They don't mind cows, deer have jumped out in front of us on the trail, and not a horse batted an eye. We cross running water, and pass by active construction sites and no hesitation from any of the horses. When you are teaching beginners it is best to bombproof your horse, so I am always finding new ways to sack out the horses.

Banging on the metal in the indoor arena while longeing is one of my favorite tests to see how relaxed the horse is. If he doesn't pay attention to the huge noises I figure he will be quiet if a truck pulls up to the barn. Today was extremely windy and the coldest day we've had all summer so I am sure that had a lot to do with those ponies looking like goblins. I didn't expect them to be so scary. I just found my new challenge for the lesson horses, pony exposure!

It's good to get out of your comfort zone and enjoy the fall with some trail rides. It's relaxation, and you are still training. If you regularly ride on trial rides, find some new scenery. When you take a horse out on a trail ride it's a good way to make him feel like a horse. When they get out in an open field, I think you can see the horses smile. Keeping them inside going in circles all the time I can't imagine the heart of the horse is completely content. Don't get me wrong, I know they love their work, and I love to work in an arena. But they (and us) sometimes need to get out and walk straight lines, cover some ground, see new sights. Then the arena work will be fresh again. In the process of leaving the barn and enjoying the countryside you will surely learn something new about your horse, even if it's just that they are afraid of tiny little ponies.

Happy Trails!

Deanna

The Professional Horse Program

Now you can participate in Deanna Castro's Professional Horse Program regardless of your location.

Through this program you will:

• Learn to Improve the Communication Between You and Your Horse
• The Trinity of Horseback Riding Balance, Timing, and Feel
• Advanced training techniques for groundwork, manners, and longeing
• Choosing the Right Equipment for your horse and training needs
• Horse Psychology
• And much more!
  

For those of you fortunate enough to be located in or near The Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, you will be able to train and ride at The Riding Academy.

Services available through The Professional Horse Program:

Horse Training
Riding Lessons
Instructor Training Program - Professional Horse Certification

• Private
• Semi-Private
• Group
  

Clinics - Coming Soon!

Video Lessons
30 to 45 minute video includes critique and plan of action.

Thank you for your interest in The Professional Horse Program.

For more information email inquiries to info@deannacastro.com