All Episodes
Episodes
8 Reasons to train your own horse
Have you ever looked at your trainer riding your horse and wondered ‘why can’t I do that’? Or wanted your horse to do something, such as load on to a trailer, only to have to get someone else to help you?
If so, the...
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The Unhandled Horse
Making the first contact - where and how. Should I use food? Teaching the horse the first pressure-release lessons. Introducing positive reinforcement.
Desensitization (sacking out) - why should the horse be...
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Targeting Relaxation
To optimise horse welfare and rider safety it is imperative that we always target relaxation when training, riding, and handling our horses. The horse’s level of relaxation is directly tied to its emotional level...
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Race-2-Ride
Race-2-Ride - Making a good transition
There has been much in the press over the last year about the welfare of horses leaving the racing industry, raising questions about the sustainability and ethicality of the...
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Combined Reinforcement
Combined Reinforcement
We often hear riders say that they 'only use positive reinforcement' or that they do not use negative reinforcement, but it is also not at all unusual for the same person to state that...
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Self-Carriage
Self-Carriage
What do you picture when you think about 'self-carriage'? Many of us picture a horse, perhaps in a dressage arena, travelling in a certain outline and maintaining gait and direction. But in this article...
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Cold-Backed and 1st Saddlings
This is an important lesson for horses that have not yet worn a saddle or horses that are described as 'cold-backed'. It is important to explain the lesson to the horse and not just flood the horse.
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Trailer Trials
Trailer loading can often be difficult and the most common thing I hear is that the horse gets on, or part way on, and then rushes off backwards. Why is this happening? How do we help the horse through the lesson?
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Fit for work?
If your horse has had an injury, how do you know when it is ready to work again. Perhaps you could just do short lessons with it or lessons that only involved walking?
In this podcast we'll talk about what you should...
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The Round Pen
The round pen has a bad reputation among many people but it can be a very useful tool when used correctly. Here I'll discuss getting the most out of your work in the round pen and, as always, have the focus on doing...
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Emotional level basics
What do you do when your horse behaves perfectly at home and you take him out and it is a completely different story? What is happening in these situations and how do we go about fixing it? Is the horse being naughty...
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Long-reining Vs Lunging
Have you ever lunged your horse to 'get the edge off' and wondered if there was a better way than simply trying to tire your horse out?
In this episode, I'm going to discuss the advantages of long-reining over lunging...
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