The Enlightened Horseman

A Quick Pic

2009-12-18T00:02:00.000-08:00

Trail Riding

2009-11-25T16:12:00.000-08:00

I was at the feed store the other day and over heard a couple of people talking about horses. One asked the other what type of riding she did, and she said, "Just Trail Riding." Quickly the person who asked said, that's cool, and then began to talk about her exploits in competition and eventing.This made me start to think about recreational trail riding and how it can be considered less serious

Getting On

2009-08-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

There is a local state park where I live that uses volunteers to patrol the park. The volunteers serve in a variety of different capacities from docents to mounted patrol. I thought it would be fun to volunteer to be a member of the mounted patrol so I asked them what the requirements were.They gave me a list of requirements that ranged from being able to ride your horse at a walk, trot, and

Command or Control, a Ground Based Review

2009-07-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

In a previous post, I mentioned how important it was to understand the difference between Command, and Control. As a quick recap, I have to restate that Control of a horse is an illusion. Control of the horse is the province of the horse alone. It is the rider's task to teach the horse to control himself. When this is achieved, the rider may assume command. But many have mentioned that they do

Cross Training

2009-07-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

When most people think of Dressage, they think of competition, judges, and scores; precise movements with rhythm, cadence, and balance. Few things are as beautiful to watch as a Grand Prix dressage test but I would like to suggest that we look beyond pleasing judges and audiences and start looking at the purpose of these movements. I don’t speak French, but I am told that Dressage means training

Brakes

2009-07-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Perhaps one of the most common complaints about a horse is that he is hard to stop. A horse that is reluctant to stop is not only an annoying ride, it is unsafe. I find it interesting that aside from a few sprightly dances and a little cavorting in the pasture, horses are generally sedentary animals. They will quietly saunter across the pasture until they find the perfect spot for grazing.

Bomb Proofing

2009-07-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Lets face it, no Horse is really bomb proof. But maybe grenade proof will suffice. Some horses have a temperament that is more conducive to being calm under pressure than others. These, so called, easier horses can lead us to believe that all horses should act the same and learn as quickly. But that is simply not true. There are some horses with a nervousness that is very difficult to mitigate.

Barn Sour, take him back and work him

2009-06-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

Many people do not bother to teach a horse not to be barn sour until they are returning to the barn after a long trail ride with friends. It can be done this way, but it is certainly the more challenging way to teach a horse this particular lesson. For me, it is much easier to fix barn sourness, by dedicating specific lesson times to this difficult problem. It is interesting that, as riders,

Catching the Uncatchable Horse

2009-06-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

An interesting thing about training horses and being online is that I get a lot of questions about various topics. Ok, well that might not be so interesting, but what really is interesting is that when I get a question from someone out in cyberspace, it almost always coincides with an issue that I am currently working on with a horse. A few weeks ago I was commissioned to rehabilitate a horse

Freedom

2009-06-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

The Bigger the Restraints The Bigger the WreckMany might get the impression that I do not believe in the use of tack. This is NOT true.There is a time for such things as there is for almost everything. I firmly believe that there are no bad horses, only bad riders. And there are no bad techniques, only bad timing, and no bad equipment, only bad applications. Riding a horse without a saddle is an

Came off my Bucking Horse, should I get back on?

2009-06-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

It has been my experience that when a horse develops a bucking habit, it is usually because there were shortcuts taken in his starting process. Although there are many competitions that showcase horses being broke within a few hours, that is really not the best way to create a reliable and safe mount. I am not adverse to top horsemen showcasing their skills in this way, but if you were to ask

Command or Control

2009-06-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

When the Reins are Gone, All that is left is your Relationship When I speak of controlling a horse, his hindquarters, forehand, or any other part of the horse, I am not speaking in the physical sense. Physical control of the horse should be the domain of the horse. A rider may believe that he has physical control but that is only an illusion. In fact, a rider is only in control in so much

Practice Staying On

2009-06-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

Are Horse and Rider connected by Tack, or Trust? The biggest concern a rider, who lacks confidence, may have is falling off. So the biggest way to build confidence is by training a student in the fine art of staying on a horse. Oddly enough, students are often expected to get good at this skill simply by osmosis, and without specific drills or exercises. People will practice all manner of

Finally, the Impulsion, Collection Connection.

2009-06-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

Robin and a Random ChestnutNow that Impulsion is well understood and the anatomic mechanics of Collection have been explained, all that remains is to make the connection between the two. The relationship between Impulsion and Collection is simple and elegant. Simply stated, Collection is a measure of Impulsion with respect to the horse’s velocity. Thus:Collection = Impulsion/Velocity But if,

Impulsion Understood? So what of Collection?

2009-06-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

The next thing to fully understand before delving too deeply into the subject of Collection is a bit of anatomy. A full course in anatomy is not necessary but some concept of it is required if one is to understand the physiological effects of Collection. First it is important to recognize that the average horse carries about sixty percent of his weight on his forehand. An untrained horse

Impulsion, What is it?

2009-06-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

Few subjects about horses are as misunderstood as Collection. If you asked a group of riders to explain Collection you will often get a multitude of responses. But persistence will yield at least two answers more common than the rest. One is that Collection is when the horse reaches deeply under his body with his hind legs, thereby assuming a greater portion of the horse’s weight. The other

A Jumping Exercise

2009-05-31T07:53:00.000-07:00

I recently had a conversation about jumping. The person I was speaking to echoed many concerns that people have when learning how to do this. Jumping can be nerve wracking and is often dangerous, but it is also a very enjoyable and sometimes necessary part of riding a horse. Aside from competitions where jumping is the sole purpose, there are many occasions on a trail where it may be necessary

More on Lighter Cues, Lightness is when bridles are no longer needed.

2009-05-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants a lighter horse. Light on the forehand, light on it's feet, light to the touch, and most importantly, light on the reins. Yesterday, I was working on getting my horse lighter and found myself starting to play tug-of-war. As usual, when I catch myself doing that, I remind myself that pulling harder will get me no where and that the timely release is all important. And of course

Minimize your Cue, Lighten your Horse

2009-05-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

A common and irritating habit that horses have is that of being, what some people refer to as, "Hard Mouthed". Others call it "Not Being Soft" or "Heavy on the Bit". These terms describe a horse that will not give to the bit when asked. When this occurs, you will often hear students complain that they have to pull very hard on the rein to get a response.This is a difficult problem and I have a

Training Trail Rides

2009-05-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

The day was sunny, windy, and cool. Pretty much a typical day on the Beach in Central California. The weather here is so consistently good that I often forget how good we have it until I travel. Today was a day for a group trail ride that my friends and I do every few weeks. These are special trail rides where we engage in activities for the purposes of training and improving our mounts. One

Leadership, by Example, or by Exception?

2009-05-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

Many believe that riding a horse is a matter of knowledge. This may be true but it is also a matter of skill. The difference is that skill not only takes some degree of repetitious practice, but also physical capabilities that involve fitness. This is not to say that a rider must be a fitness fanatic. But it is important for the horse and rider to be a match, not only with regard to training

Operant Conditioning

2009-05-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Operant Conditioning. Today I am going to try to tackle the concepts of Operant Conditioning or OC. Somehow, I wonder if I am crazy to try it, considering all the controversy about it, but I hope that if I remain neutral enough, I may be able to shed some light on this, often confusing, subject. Before I start on OC, I should start with Classical Conditioning. The concept of Classical

Video as promised.

2009-04-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, here is a very quick and dirty, (perhaps too dirty) video on how I think a horse should lead. It incorporates a quick test to see if the horse is sufficiently halter broke, (in my opinion) to learn to load into a trailer. Only trouble is, my horse failed the test. Bummer. But of course, that just means that I will eventually have to make another video showing how I fix the problem, and

Partnership

2009-04-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

The Golden Principle As different trainers attempt to codify various training principles, the desire to arrive at the “Golden Principle” from which all other principles are derived, is natural. For the Enlightened Rider, the Golden Principle is that:A Horse and Rider should be Partners This most basic and

Trailer Loading Mistakes and How to Avoid them

2009-04-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Trailer Loading can be one of the most stressful and frustrating activities with a Horse. And to top it off, for many, it can be a total mystery how some people have Horses that will simply walk in, and yet, they cannot seem to help you with yours. For the most part, Horses learn to trailer load fairly early in life when they are being started by professional trainers. Occasionally you will

My Basic Approach

2009-04-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

This text covers my personal opinions on horsemanship as it pertains to the training, and riding of horses. It is not a criticism of anyone’s methods or a promotion of my own personal techniques. It is, instead, intended to promote a more enlightened approach to horsemanship. An approach based, not on methods or equipment, and certainly not on technique, but on perspective and attitude. The

Welcome

2009-04-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you looking for answers to questions about Enlightened Horsemanship, or for those looking for answers regarding horse training, or behaviour, I hope this site will serve you well. I will be posting different articles (and hopefully video) over time that will mostly reflect my approach and philosophy regarding the riding, care, and training of horses.In these articles, I hope to be