 |
Quick Search |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The Best Horse Advice Ever |
|
For almost all of us, along life's way, we've gotten some sage advice, whether it was
about life, love, money or something REALLY important like horses!
Liverystable.net asked the question "What's the best horse advice you've ever gotten?"
Our users gave us some great advice, which we'll now happily share with you. Hopefully
you'll get something useful out of what we've posted. Thanks to everyone who submitted
their advice and to our five lucky winners of the Kevin Wescott trailer loading video, we
hope you enjoy and learn from them!
A trainer once told me to always be prepared to work with horses "in horse time". That
means, don't be in a rush to fit everything into your agenda with horses. You have to give
them time to adjust and learn, no matter what you are doing with them. A friend of mine
always had a hard time getting her horse to load into the trailer, and it was because she
never spent time letting the horse get prepared and accustomed to getting into the trailer.
Watching her pull, push, and whip the horse to get him loaded was frustrating, knowing
that force and fear tactics might accomplish the job, but letting the horse discover that he
liked being in the trailer and decide to load with minimal cues would have solved the
problem for the lifetime of the horse. It takes time, and patience is key.
-Laura M.,Colorado
"It's 95% rider error" This is so true. We sure like to blame our horses, but in reality, we
are usually giving the wrong cue, mixed signals, or improper training. Much as I'd often
like to berate the horse for doing something wrong, this reminds me to step back, take a
deep breath and re-evaluate the situation. What did I do wrong?
-Tanya H., Idaho
I learned a lot about horses from my older sister. One of the best things she ever told me
was "Get back on when you fall off." For people who didn't grow up around horses, this
is more difficult, but it is a good rule nevertheless. A lot of people let one incident ruin a
lifetime of fun because they can't face their fear and make the ride end in success. This
advice isn't meant to get inexperienced riders on horses that are too much for them, but if
your pony has an ornery moment and leaves you in the dust, isn't it rewarding him to
return him to his pasture and never ride again? Get back on, and with your determination
you'll feel your confidence come back.
-Jennifer H., South Carolina
Someone once told me that training horses is just like training kids. You have high
expectations, you get great results; you have no expectations, you get no results. You
need to stay consistent with your rules, stay calm in your correction, and stay sensitive in
your rewarding. Release of pressure is the best reward to use when teaching a horse
something new. And just repeat things consistently until you get the results you want.
-Jim B., Oklahoma
I like what Monty Roberts says, Heart rate up, learning down. Heart rate down, learning
up. Staying calm and relaxed with the horse really promotes understanding.
- Renee L., Texas
For me, the old training slogan "The long way is the short way" is the best advice I've
heard. If you take the time to do things right when training a horse, even if it takes longer,
you will have fewer problems later on. I always apply this to my training methods, and
take pride in knowing that I've given my horse a solid foundation.
-Rebekah S., Illinois
Some of the best advice in the world also carries over into the horse realm: always be
yourself and be true to who you are. My mom taught me this, and I have valued that piece
of advice all of my life. There are a lot of opinionated and conceited people in the horse
industry, and it would be so refreshing if we all would just "come down off of our high
horses" for a minute and remember where we each started out with horses, knowing
nothing, and give some of these beginners a break. If our goal were helping out the
uneducated rather than act like we're so much better than they are, we would accomplish
a lot more for the good of the horse.
-Carolyn S., New Hampshire
Always put your horse's health and well-being before winning a ribbon.
-Nadine T., Oklahoma
My trainer told me "Trust your instincts." She taught me how to read a horse and see
what is going to happen before it does. Some accidents are totally unforeseen, but if you
hear a nagging voice in your ear saying, Better not try that...it is usually best to listen to
that inner voice. Learning to read a horse and understand how they respond will help you
a lot in riding. And don't do it if your instincts say not to.
-Sydney P., Oregon
My parents always said, "Ride hard or go home." We are a very competitive family, and
this has been our motto through 4-H and High School Rodeo. I love barrel racing, and if
you aren't going to ride hard, you may as well not bother entering!
-Kristin W., Oklahoma
An old saying I've heard is: Green on green makes black and blue. Don't put an
inexperienced rider on an inexperienced horse; it's just asking for trouble and doctor bills.
-Fiona T., Washington
When I was first starting to compete, my trainer told me "you can't love 'em if you're
gonna ride 'em." I thought that sounded incongruous, since the whole reason I started
riding horses is because I loved them and wanted to be around them. But with his advice,
as I started getting better and better, the love began fading away and the need to compete
and win outweighed the fun of just riding. I was controlled with the desire to have the
horse work for me, and subsequently bought and sold a lot of horses because they didn't
turn out to be the show horse I wanted them to be. I sent a lot of really good horses down
the road because I stopped loving them and just pursued showing. It got under my skin
like a sickness, and I truly couldn't see beyond it. Years later, I have returned to my roots,
and I really don't show anymore. I learned the hard way that the best advice is to love the
horse first. If you can't compete and have fun even when you lose, then go back to just
riding. I love my horses to pieces and their hearts are pure gold - they aren't the best show
horses, but that is of little concern to me anymore. I've learned through experience not to
pass along a truly wonderful horse...learn to love the ones you have.
-Amanda L., Ohio
I like the advice my trainer gave me one time: "You're a better rider than that - you have
to trust your horse that you both can accomplish your goals." Whenever I get frustrated or
feel like I can't do what is asked of me, I remind myself of that.
-Tracie J., Kentucky
Toes forward, heels down!
-Amy R., New York
"Practice to play, not play to practice. Practice at home and then you get to enjoy playing
at the show, instead of worrying about how your horse will perform. I have this on a sign
in my barn to remind me everyday what it takes to be able to go out and have a good
show. Best advice I ever got.
-June K., Ontario
Run faster, jump higher, and live longer! A very old horse trainer taught me that when I
was young. Now I am the old horse trainer, and I've considered it to be good advice.
-Mary O., Florida
"If you are going to lose, look good losing." At least look the part. Look like you
practiced, you know what you are doing, and that you gave it your all. You may not win,
but you, your horse, and everyone else will know it wasn't because you didn't try.
-Stephanie J., Texas
There are two golden rules with horses: 1. It doesn't matter how well you know the horse,
never turn your back on it. 2. When riding, wherever you look is where you will end up,
so if you always look at the ground, eventually you will end up down there. Those were
two of the first things I was ever told, and they hold true to this day.
-Lisa M., Virginia
My dad told me to respect a horse and watch what it is saying. I've seen a lot of horse
accidents, and so many could have been prevented if people had just read the horse's
movements and attitude and kept themselves from harm. At the same time, a lot of people
are scared of horses, and if they would just watch and familiarize themselves to the horse
as a whole, they would be a lot more comfortable and confident around horses.
-Peggy G., Massachusetts
As a barrel racer, the best advice I have ever received was to relax and breathe. Some
people have an unconscious habit of holding their breath while they run barrels, then
afterwards they are out of breath and cannot remember their run. When you learn to
control your breathing, that fifteen second run feels like an eternity to you because it
seems to play in slow motion. After your run is over, you can look back and see what you
did right or still need to work on.
-Rachel V., Tennessee
The best advice I have ever been given is just use common sense. It's not a great saying
or anything, and not all that specific, but really common sense is all you need. Your
conscience will tell you things like: don't walk up behind a horse that doesn't know you're
there. If you just think, that's a pretty good start right there.
-Josh N., Texas
Always end your ride on a good note. If you had a difficulty during your ride, either work
through it, or go back and reinforce something your horse is already accomplished in, so
that you can finish well.
-Debi T., California
You aren't a real rider until you've fallen off a few times.
-John S., Georgia
A good rider can make a bad horse look good, but a bad rider can make the best horse
look bad.
-Renee P., Nebraska
Soft heart = soft hands. Soft hands = soft mouth. It isn't the bit, but the hands on the reins
that determine how soft a feel you have.
-Hope R., Illinois
If you aren't comfortable in a situation, get off the horse. Trust your instincts, if they tell
you that you should get off the horse for a moment, you should. Just make sure you get
back on.
-Chris T., Iowa
More Horse Articles
|
|
|
Advertisements