08/11/2025
Our moto when training horses is āPatience is Keyā
If you want a quick fix - donāt send them to us! Your horse will Thanku for it if u give them time!
This written piece explains it beautifully!
Donāt rush your training!!
Work with your horse not against them!
Be Patient When Schooling Your Horse
If horses came with an instruction manual, life would be a lot easier. But they donāt, and thatās probably just as well, because half the fun (and half the grey hairs) comes from figuring it out together.
When we ask a horse for a shoulder in, a circle with bend, or even a simple halt, we know what we mean. The horse, however, does not. They havenāt been studying the FEI rulebook in their spare time. To them, itās just their rider suddenly asking for something peculiar and theyāre left to wonder whether itās worth co operating or if a polite wobble (or a not-so-polite hop) might be easier.
Itās rather like asking your granny to master TikTok overnight, sheāll get there in the end, but youāll need a good dose of patience while she works out which button does what.
A new movement feels strange to the horse. Muscles protest, balance shifts, and for a while they look more like a shopping trolley with a wonky wheel than the graceful athlete you were hoping for. But with repetition, rest, and a bit of encouragement, things improve. What was once awkward becomes elegant provided we donāt rush them.
Patience is the riderās greatest tool, though many of us misplace it as soon as the horse starts arguing. It is not the horseās job to know instantly. It is ours to explain kindly, to reward the smallest try, and to resist the temptation of ājust one more timeā (which always ends badly).
Good schooling isnāt about drilling or demanding perfection. Itās about communication, fairness, and yes keeping your sense of humour when things go badly. Because when your horse decides that leg yield means sideways towards the gate and not across the diagonal, sometimes the best you can do is laugh, regroup, and try again tomorrow.
Give them the time to work it out. Horses taught with patience today become the willing partners of tomorrow. And if they test your temper in the meantime? Well, thatās horses for you always reminding us that the learning never ends on either side of the saddle
Michael Duffy 2012 Dublin Horse Show.
