Did you ever wonder how much training it takes to stand still and why is it so important for a horse to know how to stand still and relax?
One of our handmade Sidepulls just found a new home in Switzerland.
Thank you, Corinne. 🙏
If you, too, want to give a new home to one of our handmade Sidepulls, send us a message, and we will be more than happy to help you choose the option that best works for you.
Our Sidepull is available in a variety of colors, with split or loop rains and a choice of leather or Bio Thane (vegan leather) headstall.
This particular Sidepull has a blu inner-color nose piece, a 3m loop yacht rope rein, and a one-ear leather western headstall.
The Horseman Forsman Sidepulls are designed to fit more like a Bosal, that's why they have a certain stiffness to them, to hold their shape, but are very soft and comfortable for the horse. The only contact point with the horse is to be on the ridge of the nose, and the chin strap should be loosely adjusted.
The Sidepull should be used as a signal bridle, not a tugh and poll device. We have been training, re-schooling, and riding our horses solely with Sidepulls for the past 30+ years and the result is a featherlight and very relax horse.
If you have any doubts or are unsure about how to use a Sidepull, please stay tuned and join one of our live online courses.
ROLLBACK, or ROLL AWAY
This exercise, should not be overlooked in the training of a "western" horse in particular. Surprisingly, it has also proven beneficial for dressage, jumping, and other equestrian disciplines, because it teaches the horse to circle, stay between the reins, to rate his speed, be soft and supple, get his hind quarters in the ground, stop hard, get his hind feet up under himself. It also makes the horse featherlight in the frontend. collect, and pick up the correct lead. Later, when the horse is more proficient at the 180 degree turn, it is very easy to turn the horse 360 degrees. Called a spin.
In today’s frantic quest for instant coolness, social media recognition, and immediate pleasure, many of us focus solely on the final results. We often view horses merely as tools for entertainment, much like motorbikes, boats, or golf clubs. In doing so, we forget that horses are sentient beings with their own needs and timelines. People often overlook the reality that the horses showcased on social media—those performing impressive turns, getting low to the ground, jumping high, or executing a perfect piaffe—have been specifically bred for these skills. Moreover, these horses often cost as much as a house, and their training expenses can rival those of a luxury car.
The riders of these well-trained horses invest countless hours in riding, learning, and exercising them. However, social media often fails to highlight the effort required to achieve such results. As a result, many people underestimate the time commitment involved and are surprised when their horse doesn’t perform immediately. This misunderstanding can lead to blaming the horse, ultimately resulting in the horse being mistreated, sold, or, worse...
But what if we decided to rebel against this mindset?
What if we chose not to seek instant social media approval anymore?
When you become a rebel and step away from this trend, your gratification, self-confidence, and happiness can be
Akhal-Teke mare
Just a few weeks ago, we met Guido, the breeder and owner of Akhal-Teke horses.
His prized broodmare, Menta, was suffering from a foot abscess and needed urgent treatment.
Menta, an 8-year-old mare, had spent the first 6 years of her life in the mountains, wild, before Guido purchased her two years ago.
She had only started to be handled after Guido acquired her.
Unfortunately, a veterinarian with the wrong energy and little experience in handling horses frightened Menta, making her dangerous around her head, neck area, and feet. This made it difficult and dangerous to halter her, and impossible to doctor her.
Guido has been trying to help Menta regain her confidence in humans, but without the proper knowledge and the impossibility of finding a knowledgeable professional to re-educate her, the problem worsened.
Menta became aggressive and dangerous.
She had even reared, pawed, and attacked a veterinarian.
After just a week of working with her and communicating using universal horse language, without any physical or psychological violence or humiliation, she became a different horse.
Calmer, more trusting, harmonious, and happier. She can now be haltered, have her feet lifted, and be doctored with no problem at all.
This is just the beginning, and with further work, Menta can only improve. She will now remain problem-free for the rest of her life, all because her loving owner challenged himself and was willing to learn new knowledge to treat his mare with fairness, respect, and dignity as she deserves.
Every horse, even the most dangerous and aggressive ones, is only the product of mishandling by humans.
Horses are not naturally mean; they become that way to defend themselves.
As prey animals, their actions are geared towards survival.
Humans are often the cause of horses being mean, aggressive, stupid, lazy, or rebellious, and this can be due to our lack of knowledge and experience, rather than intentional mistreatment.
We need to understand that horses are h
"Impara il linguaggio dei cavalli, e potrai fare cose meravigliose!"
Come prendere un cavallo severamente traumatizzatao e portarlo da questo a...
...diventare un compagno di avventure rilassato, sicuro di sé ed affidabile.
Ma come facciamo a farlo?
Parlando il loro linguaggio, usando metodi di addestramento basati sull'Etologia e...
...su antiche tecniche di popoli autoctoni...
...crescendoli in un ambiente naturale appropriato alla specie...
...solleticando la loro curiosità e rendendo l'addestramento piacevole e divertente...
...variando il luogo dove facciamo addestramento...
...mantenendoli elastici e ginnasticati nel corpo e nella mente...
....dandogli fiducia e libertà durante l'addestramento...
...dandogli il tempo di riflettere...
...il risultato, è un livello di connessione e legame con il cavallo, che non avresti mai immaginato fosse possibile!
Stallone maturo, parcheggiato nell'arena, con a qualche metro una cavalla con puledro liberi, anch'essi nella stessa arena.
Domanda:
"Stefan, perché fai queste cose?"
Risposta:
"Well... Non sarei un granché come addestratore di cavalli se non posso parcheggiare un cavallo, inclusi stalloni, qui o da qualsiasi altra parte, anche quando c'è una cavalla con puledro a pochi metri.
É imperativo poter parcheggiare qualsiasi stallone, senza legarlo, e poter mettere una cavalla qui e una lì, o anche due stalloni, uno qui e uno lì. Se non posso farlo allora vuol dire che non ho controllo e vuol dire che non sono un addestratore di cavalli, o un trainer.
Perché vuol dire che i cavalli che addestro, lavorano solo in determinate circostanze, e questo non è addestramento di cavalli.
Come posso lavorare, o anche solo andare in passeggiata con gli amici, con il mio cavallo, se posso solo montarlo o lavorarlo solo in certe specifiche situazioni?
Dunque che vita è questa per il cavallo?
E che vita è questa per me?
Una vita in cui non posso pienamente godermi il cavallo e il cavallo non può pienamente godersi la vita! "
- by Stefan Forsman -
"5 year old mare we are reschooling.
The mare lives outside. Perfectly calm horse outside and in the arena.
But once in the round pen, alone or with a person this is what happens.
STOP CHASING HORSES IN THE ROUND PEN!
It stress them, it psycologicly alienates them from the human in the center, brakes the trust in the human.
95% of people that now days work horses in a round pen, do it mechanically without knowing how to read a horse, and this is the result"
- by Stefan Forsman
Remember that a horse is not born knowing where to put his feet.
Most of today's horses, that live in a stall and only go out on flat land, do not know "how to use" their feet.
You have to teach them, train them to be "feet smart" and you will have a safer and more harmonious horse!
- by Stefan Forsman
"Saper stare fermo é il segno di un cavallo paziente e rilassato.
Ho veramente voglia di corrergli dietro ogni volta che devo fare qualcosa?
E se non c'è un posto dove legarlo, come faccio?" - by Stefan Forsman
"The Circle"
Many of us can agree that riding in circles in an arena is probably one of the most boring activities to do and watch, without a doubt! However, it is one of the most fundamental building blocks in training any horse. So, why is riding in circles so important?
Riding in circles teaches the horse to:
- Be calm
- Be balanced
- Rate speed
- Be attentive
- Be responsive
- Ride straight lines
- Save energy
- Collect itself
- Build muscle
- Develop patience
And much more.
