5 steps to successful training
5 Steps to Success When Working With Horses.
I talk a lot in my clinics and lessons about the need to structure training sessions with our horses to ensure we maximise the benefits, that we are constantly refining and improving the relationship and developing their level of training. We are all limited on time and it's important that we spend the time we do have with them productively. Here are 5 steps that I always try and be mindful of when working with my horses.
I talk a lot in my clinics and lessons about the need to structure training sessions with our horses to ensure we maximise the benefits, that we are constantly refining and improving the relationship and developing their level of training. We are all limited on time and it's important that we spend the time we do have with them productively. Here are 5 steps that I always try and be mindful of when working with my horses.
1. Get Off On the right foot !
When we bring our horses in to the arena or where ever we are going to ride that day the most important thing is that our primary focus is making sure that our horses are calm, relaxed, focused and comfortable. There is no point moving on, until this is the case, as the potential for any information we wish to impart to be retained is going to be greatly diminished. Whether it be starting with some groundwork or riding, my primary focus is just trying to get along with the horse I’m working with allowing him to get comfortable and relaxed before I start to ask anything of them. This might take a few minutes or may take a few weeks, and be the only thing you end up working on for a little while, but until this is established we will be running in to problems.
2. Have a plan.
I’m not strict with my plan and I’m careful not too drill them but once I have gone through my warm up and made sure they are comfortable then I want to have a plan in my head of what that session is going to focus on. Every session that I work with a horse I want to spend time working on my body control exercises yielding their heads and necks, shoulder, rib gage and hindquarters and checking them out in both directions. Ideally I’m also going to work through all the gaits, walk trot and canter. If I find that there is one area where they are struggling more than another then ill spend more time on exercises that help improve that.
3. Make the sessions fun and relevant.
There is this attitude that schooling only happens in the arena and it involves repetitively going around in circles for 45 mins until everyone has had enough. This is not only boring for you but also does nothing to improve your horses attitude towards work. I like to spend as much time out of the arena as possible. When I can I want to be out on the trail or working in my obstacle field where I have exercises and equipment set up that makes the exercises relevant to the horse and where they can see purpose in what we are trying to do. We have access to cattle, which are a great training tool, but a lot of these exercises can be replicated with a willing friend and things that we often do during my horsemanship clinics. Obstacles, tarpaulins, cones and poles are great pieces of equipment to help give purpose to your training and ultimately help speed up the learning process.
4. You’re always training them
Because of the way horses have evolved they are always very mindful of their situation and live in the moment. As a result they are constantly taking in and processing information and will be learning from you whether you’re intending for them to be or not. From the moment you make first contact they’re evaluating and trying to make sense of the information you are providing. With this in mind we must try and make every contact we have with them a positive one. One where we reaffirm the parameters of our relationship, where we leave them feeling positive about us and what we did. We must always be seeking to improve and refine ourselves as horsemen and woman constantly striving to improve and develop and to offer quality in everything we do.
5. Leave them on a good note
At times we are all guilty of pushing for too much. We need to aim to see improvements and not try and perfect everything in one day. I remember Craig Cameron saying if we look to improve them 1% each day than after 100 days they will be 100% better and there is a lot of truth in this. I also want to make sure that when my horses write my report card that day that they have positive things to say about what we did. If we can make sure that the last thing we do is easy and positive then this will be the lasting memory of that day’s session.