11/25/2025
Learning skills and exercises for training horses is only the beginning.
Whether you start colts or do dressage or do cow work or whatever, learning skills and applying exercises is only the starting point.
The important part comes next…
Learning when, how much and how often to apply those things. Basically, learning the valuable skills of patience. And patience is the ability to wait for something of value, while maintaining a good attitude.
The most common thing that happens with horse training is once we have a process, we want to expedite that process. This is where we assume “more pressure will make them smarter”. Doing more, doing it faster and not taking the time to dwell is the quickest route to regression.
But…
This often leads to horses falling through the cracks!
This is where trainers send a horse home because the horse isn’t “progressing”. Or an owner sells the horse because he’s not talented or not a super star. Basically, the fix is “send him down the road” and get another one, a better one. Not wrong but it’s also not a sustainable solution.
This is also where contraptions and gadgets are used. Harsher bits, sharper spurs, head trapping gear and leverage devices are all being pulled out because the horse “needs” them.
Horse runs off doing basic groundwork? Tie him high to a tree or a post or ceiling so he can’t 🤦♀️ Kidding, that’s ignorant advice, dont do that.
Now that you know how to train a horse, learn why the training process has bumps in the road. Instead of mindlessly reaching for gadgets and pulleys, step back and fill in the gap of why. Learn why the horse is resisting, and help him understand what you want. This is real horse training.
Horse training doesn’t have to be touchy feely and cosmic but good relationships revolve around 2 way communication. Walking in the pen and having the attitude that your horse does what you tell him to (or else), will lead to a lot of tension. You may get submission but it’s lined with tense helplessness.
Your basics are your foundation for the good stuff. Very simple skills, turn into big impressive things with quality time and effort. There are no shortcuts.
