Horse Training

Horse training is a mental game played in a physical medium. Here at Meredith Manor, we use a system we call heeding to teach students the rules of the mental games they play with their horses. They learn how to use corridors of methodically applied, horse-logical pressures to show, ask, and eventually tell their horses what shapes they want them to take.

Over the years, I’ve had to unlearn a lot of what I learned when I started working with horses in the 1950s. I’ve changed my training methods so completely that I consider myself a born-again horseman. I owe my conversion to the horses that were generous and forgiving enough to tolerate the rough and ready handling methods in vogue when I started training while I figured things out.

When some students first arrive here at Meredith Manor they don’t see the point of the ground work we call "heeding." Moving their horses around on the ground doesn’t seem very exciting. They’re impatient to get in the saddle and start riding. They might jabber something about "respect" or herd hierarchy or some other mumbo jumbo if I pushed them to come up with a reason why the ground work was important. But they really don’t see much connection between how they, say, lead their horse from the barn to the arena and how they ask that horse to canter.

I was young and pretty cocky when I started working with horses. Back then, I figured that the first thing I had to teach a horse was that I was the top dog. Then it was the horse’s job to pay attention to me and do what he was told. Like a typical person, I was always thinking about the end result I wanted and jumping right to telling the horse what to do. If he didn’t do what I wanted, I’d go to enforcing my supposed authority and make him do it. The horse had to acknowledge me as the leader and understand that if he didn’t do what I wanted, there were going to be consequences.

There are probably as many jokes about getting a mule’s attention with a two-by-four as there are pickup trucks in Texas. When you are teaching your horse to heed, you must keep bringing its attention back to you. But you don’t want to use a two-by-four. You don’t want do a lot of exciting or loud things that will cause the horse to do a lot of exciting or loud things. You want to use body position and body language that is noticeable to the horse to keep its attention or send it in the direction you want. I call this "heeding."

At some point in its training, something will startle or frighten an energetic, red blooded baby horse and he will rear or pull back or run sideways while the trainer is leading him. Or he may jump around just because he’s young and he’s feeling good. Or maybe he’s challenging his trainer like he would another horse in the herd just to see who’s who in the pecking order.

Getting a horse to stand still is all about getting its attention. Heeding teaches you to keep your attention on the horse so that the horse will keep his attention on you. Once you have the horse’s attention, you use your body position to create pressures or shapes that, in turn, create a feeling in the horse that he should move forward or left or right or stop. You can also direct him to stand still in one spot while you work around him or the farrier works around him or you want to put on his saddle.

When you are trying to get a horse’s attention, the first thing you go for is his ears. Once an ear swivels in your direction, you’ve got his attention. It may take a little longer before he turns and faces you or before he walks up to you. But those bigger movements start with that little tiny movement of his ear.

When you first start teaching a horse to heed, you use a corridor of aids or pressures to create a feeling in the horse of where you want him to move. As the horse’s understanding increases, the handler can not only change the direction of the horse’s strides but also their length, speed, and cadence.

Many of you may be familiar with the use of long lines for ground driving and training or re-training your horse to respond to the bit. This article is for those who don’t know how to use them, or for a review for those who may have not used them in a while.

The following information for halter breaking the foal can be applied to any horse that will accept you touching it and will accept the halter. If your horse is halter broke and doesn’t lead well, you can use the method below to improve its response.

You have halter trained your horse or foal, but every time you turn your back it tries to bite you or it steps on you when you are leading it. Now what?

You have halter trained your horse or foal, but every time you turn your back it tries to bite you or it steps on you when you are leading it. Now what?

You have halter trained your horse or foal, but every time you turn your back it tries to bite you or it steps on you when you are leading it. Now what? This article deals with horses that lag behind while leading.

Here is an exercise called the heart. Work on this for a couple of weeks and you will gain a lot of control.

Learn to tie the quick release safety knot, always tie your horse with this knot and NEVER leave it alone while it is tied.

A lot of people think you train horses with equipment. This is one of the biggest MythUnderstandings out there. Try this bit, try that bit. If those don’t work, try a thinner bit or one with a longer shank. If those don’t work, tie that sucker’s head down or crank him in with draw reins.

Each horse needs either a firm; insistent approach, such as a pressure/no pressure method, or a gentle approach. A bossy horse would require the first method, and a more timid horse would require the second method. Other horses may need a combination of methods.