Horse Training, Reward Your Horse

When you are horse training, reward your horse for trying. This does not necessisarily mean give the horse a bag of carrots for doing the least little thing. Horse training can be made more fun for the horse by offering a simple ‘good boy’, or a pat/stroke on the neck.

When dealing with horses each time you touch, groom, ride, or otherwise work with your horse you are horse training.

Simple Horse Training Techniques

One of the simplest ways to get a horse to do what you want is to reward it for good behavior. This may not be as simple as it sounds. I tried this experiment recently with a student of mine.

photo credit: bclark

I asked her, “What is the colour of the ground?”

“Brown”, she said.

“Wrong”, I said. “What colour is the ground?” More forcefully now

She looked at me quizzically. “Black?”

“No, wrong again. WHAT COLOUR IS THE GROUND?” I shouted

She stopped and said, “I don’t know what you want me to say. It looks brown to me.”

“How do you feel? Do you know what colour the ground is? Do you want to answer the question again?”

It Is the Horse's Best Guess

She responded that she did not want to answer again because she didn’t know what I wanted. She said she THOUGHT the ground was brown.
photo credit: libertygrace0

The point being this adult, educated person to whom I could speak and discuss things, was angry and dumbfounded because she didn’t know what I wanted and didn’t want to answer the question any more because she didn’t like how she felt. She did not want to respond because she didn’t know what I wanted.

Imagine how the horse feels if each step at a walk or trot they get told, wrong – more forward – wrong – to fast – wrong – turn now – wrong – wrong -wrong.

If I would have told my student – “Brown is pretty close, but not the colour I’m looking for. Try again.” HOw do you think she would have responded? I think she would have enjoyed the guessing game and tried to figure out what colour I was looking for.

Same thing for the horse. As soon as the horse starts to do anything remotely correctly – reward your horse for a job well done. After all it is the horse’s best guess to the questions we are asking him. How does the horse know to move its body when we touch it with our heel if we haven’t shown the horse with a positive reward, what we want.

Horse Training Rewards

Listening to your horse when performing horse training exercises is important to understand the reward you need to give the horse. Even if response you get from your horse is not the exact thing you want, the horse should be rewarded for trying. After all it is the horses best guess of what you want.

Horse Training, Reward Your Horse

photo credit: andreavallejos

Horse training rewards may be as simple as a voice ‘good’ or eatible treats like carrots. Often within a horse training session a reward can be not asking the horse to do anything. Just to relax, such as performing a free walk.

It can also take the form of the release from pressure. For example when you squeeze with your legs to ask the horse to go forward, as soon as you feel the horse moving forward – you stop squeezing with your legs. He knows – you squeeze – he moves – you stop squeezing. That is the reward – the stop squeezing.

 What to Do Next With Your Horse Training

Next time you are riding and training, and your horse gives you something close to but not exactly what you want – Reward him/her and see what happens. You may be surprised s/he will be more willing the next time to offer you what you ask for if you offer a reward to your horse.

How do YOU reward during your horse training sessions? I’d be interested to know what you do to encourage your horse to perform his/her best.
~Laura

Thrush Treatment - Most horses have bacteria and fungus growing in their hooves

photo credit: carterse

Hoof thrush is a smelly condition of the horse’s hoof characterized by the following major symptoms:

1. Distinctive (emphasis on stink) odor. When picking out the horse’s hooves the smell can be identified immediately.
2. Characteristic black goo. When cleaning out the feet there is a slimy black goo that is present. This is noticed in the cleft of the frog, grooves and sometimes on the sole. The black rotten material is caused by a bacterial infection which develops when the hoof is subject to long periods of dampness.
3. Lameness in the affected hoof. Some horses appear to have solid healthy hooves and then underneath there can be a layer of rotten hoof material.

What Causes Thrush

Most horses have bacteria and fungus growing in their hooves. Some horse owners do not notice that their horse’s are a ‘bit thrushy’ and the natural balance of the horse combats the thrush. If the bacteria, fungus or living conditions within the hoof become unbalanced, the fungus can grow and cause the smelly thrush to proliferate and disintergrate the horse’s hoof.

If we, as horse owners do recognize it, we usually are unable to completely obliterate the presence of thrush within the horse’s hoof.

Some Treaments for Thrush

Some common Thrush Treatments include:

1. Daily picking out of the horse’s feet. This includes picking out manure, rocks and mud from the clefts and grooves within the foot.
2. Scrub the hoof with soap and water. Simple scrubbing with soap and water will dry the area and stop the spread and growth of the fungus/bacteria associated with thrush.
3. Keep the horse in a dry area. Clean bedding and a well drained paddock can keep the horses feet dry so it will not provide the horse’s hooves with an environment that thrush thrives in.
4. Application of commercial preparations. Copper Sulphate preparations, Thrush buster and other remedies can assist horse owners with thrush treatments.

Other considerations are:
Make sure your horse has adequate room to move. This provides their hooves with beneficial circulation which encourages blood flow and this in turn prevents thrush.
Have a correct diet. your horses diet may effect its ability to fight off thrush. A low carbohydrate diet, and a ‘natural’ grass (not alfalfa) fed diet will help prevent thrush. Horses fed rich diet are more likely to sustain a thrushy hoof.

Your Horse Should Stand Still Without Fidgeting

photo credit: andreavallejos

When performing your dressage horse training one of the most ellusive movements is a square halt. If your halt is not well defined and performed correctly, it will put a bad flavor in the dressage judges ‘mouth’. There are a handful of things that can go wrong. Here are the top 3 errors that dressage judges do not want to see in the competition ring.

Top Three Things That Go Wrong with Your Halt

Number 1 – Horse Not standing Still

While halted during your dressage test, your horse should be motionless. This means no:

1. head tossing
2. fidgeting
3. moving legs
4. stepping forward/backward

To prevent your horse from moving, make a halt a part of your dressage horse training. If, as a horse trainer, you include it as part of your regular routine, then the halt will not be a rest period where the horse can goof around, but rather a dressage movement.

While riding use your legs softly against the horse’s sides and keep the horse at attention to prevent fidgeting and moving. Re-inforce positive actions with ‘good boy/girl’ so the horse understands that standing still is required.

 Number 2 – Horse Not Square at the Halt

While halted the dressage horse should keep equal weight in each leg. It is important to have a square halt so the dressage horse will be able to perform a quality upward transition from the halt. If your horse is not engaged through the halt, your upward transition will be sloppy and the horse will not be able to use himself properly. Improving your horse’s engagement will help prevent the following:

1. Hindleg or hindlegs left behind
2. forelegs not vertical
3. hindlegs wide
4. horse is crooked

If your horse is not truely engaged he is likely to leave a hindleg out behind or halt in a crooked fashion. The dressage judge wants to see the centre line of the dressage arena be right in the middle of the horse’s chest. The horse should stand with each leg equal distance from the centre line. If you horse stops crookedly, then one leg may be closer or even on the centre line.

Continue to ride and strengthen your horse by performing transitions and riding your horse forward to strengthen the horse’s hindquarters. By strengthening your horse’s hindquarters and hocks, it will help develop a square and balanced halt.

Number 3 – Horse is Resisting the Bit at the Halt

Sometimes, as you perform your halt, horses root and pull at the reins to help balance themselves through the transition. The horse should remain in balance with his poll the highest part with his nose slightly in front of the vertical. The horse should remain attentive and supple through his whole body including his mouth and neck.

If you pull the horse to stop, it will balance and pull back on you. Rather than pulling back to a halt, thisnk of pushing your horse forward to a halt. This way you will continue to ride your horse forward and will encourage the horse to keep his hind legs engaged underneath him.

Dressage Saddle Vs General Purpose Saddle

Riders need to ensure that their saddle, dressage or general purpose, fits their horse correctly. In the undersaddle portion of a hunter class some people like to use a dressage saddle. You will occassionally see them being used and some judges frown on them. If however, your horse is fitted and is comfortable with a dressage saddle then why not show him to the best of his ability.

Dressage Saddle Vs All Purpose which Horse Saddle Should I Use

A dressage saddle in the hunter under saddle class is frowned on because the hunter classes are meant to show horses that are suitable for hunting and the history is, horses in the undersaddle classes are represented of those horses coming from a days hunting or going to a days hunting. If you are expected to be hunting, or have hunted in the field, then you would most likely have a jumping style of saddle.

A dressage saddle is designed with a deeper seat and places the rider in a more up-right postion. Jumping and doing a 2-point, jumping position in a dressage saddle is difficult.

Consider a General Purpose Saddle

If you are new to showing and want to do some dressage as well as some jumping investing in an a

General Purpose Saddle May Be all That is Necessary

General Purpose saddle may be the answer. A General Purpose saddle can provide the necessary support and shape to satisfy most sizze of rider and horse.

For local shows and events, a general purpose saddle is acceptable. Just ensure that it fits the horse comfortably. A general purpose saddle with excessive knee roll or an excessive forward cut is not recommended.

The best option is a saddle that fits you and your horse properly.

Got a question you would like to ask? then feel free to send us an email. We’d be happy to answer your questions!

~Laura