Never stop learning

I often get asked when is the right time to move a green horse to a different bridle or training aid. While this can be a tricky question, it really comes down to knowing your horse. Getting them comfortable at each stage of training can take a varying amount of time depending on the horse and sometimes it takes some trial and error to find out what they are ready for. In this video, I talk a bit about stepping your green horse up into a leverage bit for the first time from a snaffle. The first time I use a bit with leverage, I will usually start with something that is pretty mild so it isn’t too intimidating for them. I really like this “baby correction” that is shown in this video. It is very light weight, has a low port, and short shank so it is pretty soft on their mouth. The first time you put a leverage bit on your horse they will be introduced to new pressure points that the snaffle does not touch- the chin & the pole. It may take them a little bit of time to get used to this new feeling, so make sure to be patient and forgiving for the first couple rides. You will find out quickly if this is a transition that your horse is ready for- but more than likely if you have taught them how to be soft & accepting of pressure in a snaffle, then this shouldn’t be too big of a step for them. You might even find out that they like the correction better than a snaffle, so don’t be afraid to play around with bits to see what your horse likes best.

For me, a big part of a horse getting broke is being able to ride them off of my feet. This is something that take consistency over many training sessions (think months & years) to perfect. Whether the horse is young & just starting out or older but hasn’t been trained off of your feet, I start them out the same way. First, I just want them to understand that if I squeeze my calves that means to come back to me. In the beginning it may take more than a calf squeeze, you will probably use your feet/spurs to squeeze and then pull them to a stop with your hands. After repeating this exercise several times, your horse may start to slow down or even stop when you come in with your feet. As the horse progresses, I begin to get lighter with my cues while still expecting the same result. Now, this doesn’t mean that every time I close my legs I want my horse to stop, but they are starting to understand the concept of bringing their body back to me when I cue them with my legs. This is just the very beginning of their understanding of how to ride more off my leg cues, rather than everything coming from my hands.

It is pretty common for a green horse to want to use your hands as a balance point for their body. They might also to understand the concept of bringing their body back to you when you pick up your hands. Both of these things lead to a horse that is heavy on the forehand and pulling on the bridle. It can be easy to get into a battle of tug of war with the horse, but no one is really winning in that fight. So how do we teach our horse to balance their body on their own and not lean on our hands? I like to do this by moving them laterally off of my hand and leg. They may be rather resistive at first, especially if they are accustomed to being able to pull on your hands. But after some time & consistency, they will learn that leaning on your hands will lead to more work. As I tried to demonstrate in this video, I worked on moving the horse around at both the trot and lope when he would get heavy in my hands. I am working towards a horse that can be ridden on a draped rein, so I want to teach him how to carry his body on his own.

As a continuation of the previous video on how to work on transitioning your green horse into the jog/trot, this video will be going over working on the lope transition. Once again, we are looking for our horse to use their hind end to step up into this transition rather than lifting or running into the lope. Sometimes when our horse is very green, it might be a bit of a struggle to get them into the lope at all. But as the horse becomes more broke, learns your cues & how to use their body, we can begin to focus on this transition more. I like to teach my horses how to set themselves up for the lope before departing into that gate. They should move their hip over and begin to step up with their inside back leg, taking that first step into the lope with the hind end engaged. Again, this is something that takes time for them to understand but I focus on these principles from the very beginning. Hopefully this video will give you some takeaways to work on with your horse at home!

When I am training a green horse, I like to think about my end goal for that horse so I can begin teaching them skills in a way that will move us toward that outcome. Focusing on how my horse transitions from one gate to another is very important to me. Any event I end up showing them in in the future will have upward and downward transitions. So, I like to begin teaching them how to move between gates in a smooth and collected manner. In this video we are just talking about moving up into the trot, both from the walk and the stop. I like my horses to round their back and step up into the trot from behind, rather than using their momentum or lifting their front end into the trot. This is all part of teaching your green horse to understand collection and holding their body on their own.

I love how a horse looks when it is freshly clipped and ready to leave for a show. Everyone has their own little routine when it comes to clipping, so I thought I would show you mine. When it comes to grooming and how a horse looks before going to a show, I am pretty picky. I like for all guard hairs on their face, as well as the bridle path, to be clipped with a 40 blade. I think this gives the cleanest look possible and I will touch up these areas at the show as needed. Under the jaw I will use a 10 blade to trim the longer hairs so I don’t leave obvious clipper tracks. For their legs- I will use a 10 blade on all non-white legs & a 40 blade on any socks or stockings. I think clipping the white hair closer makes it easier to touchup with spray without making it look cakey. However, if I am going to a smaller weekend show, I will usually clip their white with a 10 blade and only touch it up with spray at the show if I really have to. I will also use the 10 blade to go around and touch up any long hairs they might have on other areas such as their hocks.

I hope you found this video of my routine helpful!

It is very common for your horse to begin anticipating the lead change, especially when it comes to a Western Riding pattern. All Western Riding patterns, within AQHA, will consist of two parts - the line & the crossovers. The line can be an area where your horse may begin to surge, anticipate, or lose connection with you as the rider. This video goes over one method of schooling your horse to help prevent anticipation down the line.

There can be many ways to go about this, but the method I am using here is to stop the horse off my leg cues and back him up when he begins to surge forward or anticipate. I try to stop him off of my leg/foot cue first to reinforce the idea of him coming back when my leg squeezes rather than getting too forward. If they won’t stop off your foot cue alone, then you can come in with your hand to pull them down into a stop & back. I don’t ever say the word “woah” when I am schooling in this manner. That is because I am trying to encourage the horse to think about coming back to my aids, rather than just stopping. This method may not work on all horses, so I will go over in another video some other ways to deal with anticipation to the lead change.

Finding creative ways to set up your trail poles at home can be difficult. I sometimes find myself getting stuck in a rut of what obstacles to set up, so I like to set up something a little bit different that you might not necessarily see at a horse show. This obstacle is a great example of something that can be practiced multiple different ways, at different gates, and doesn’t require that many poles. This obstacle is set using 12 ft poles and each space is set at either 6 ft or 12 ft so that everything can be practiced at either the trot or the lope. You could even practice these poles at a walk if you wanted - but take into consideration that 6 ft might be a somewhat awkward distance for your horse, so I aim for either 3 small steps or 2 larger steps in each space. I elevated some of my poles for a bit of added difficulty, but you can also just practice with ground poles.

Try this obstacle the next time you need a little bit of creativity in your trail routine!

Trail can be an overwhelming event to practice for. It is a lot of work to go out and set poles, and most people wonder- where do I even start? Very rarely do I ever set up a whole trail pattern in my arena, usually it isn’t more than a few poles. So, I decided to film this video so you could have some inspiration of a few different ways to set your poles at home. This will help you work on the basics of maneuvering your horse through a straight set of poles, while working on finding your spot, number of strides, and rhythm. Even if this is something that is fairly elementary for you and your horse, work on how your horse gets to the poles and where you want them to place their feet. You can always elevate any of these poles to add an extra level of difficulty if you would like.

I LOVE the look of a thick, fluffy, fake tail in a horse. When purchasing a tail there are many different options to choose from, & the cost will vary depending on what you choose. There are different types of ways to secure the tail, lengths, volumes of hair, & whether you want the ability to add weight. A 1lb tail isn’t going to be as full looking as a 2.5lb tail, but it will also depend on how much tail your horse has naturally. One other important thing to consider is that a 2.5lb tail that is 35” is going to be fuller than one that is 39”. That is because they each have the same weight of hair, but since one is 4” longer it won’t be as big around. Lots of things to consider when buying a tail! Regardless of what you choose, this video will show you a little hack to help your tail look full & fluffy.

To go along with my other video on how to band your horse’s mane, now we will go over how to band their forelock. Some people have different styles on how they like their horse’s forelock banded, so this is just how I prefer to do it. Most horses have their forelock secured in some fashion, but some people choose to leave their horse’s forelock loose and that is okay too!

A banded mane is extremely common at many of the stock breed shows. Although it is generally more common in the western pen, most horses that show in the all around classes will show with a banded mane. Banding helps keep the mane tidy and shows less movement, but it also adds a touch of style to your horse and has become a breed show standard. This video will show you how the bands are placed in the horse’s mane to achieve this look.

This is the second part of the trail pattern we are practicing for the AQHA World Show. In this video we will be covering more of the slow obstacles that you will encounter in a trail pattern. Each piece requires its own technique, so this video will show you how I approach & navigate those obstacles.

In this video I have set up the first part of a trail pattern from the AQHA World Show. We have set up this pattern at home to get in some extra practice before heading to the show. If your patterns are released ahead of time & you have the ability to set up the pattern at home, this is a great way to practice the pattern free from extra distractions and traffic. It can be very difficult to practice at the show with other people also trying to practice the same obstacles.

When I am practicing my trail pattern, I like to do things a little out of order to keep my horse listening and honest. If you always practice the pattern as it is written, your horse may start to anticipate the next maneuver in the show pen.

If you are looking for resources on trail pole spacing, check out the AQHA Rule book to find the exact guidelines. This will help you space your poles correct & to know how they will be set up at the show.

Executing a proper square corner can help your horsemanship scores, but it also has great benefits to your overall control of your horse's body parts. Teaching your horse to move their outside shoulder around while also standing up through their inside shoulder will be greatly beneficial for teaching and/or cleaning up their lead change. For the horsemanship specifically, performing a very precise square corner can help give you the extra edge on your opponent. This video will go over tips to help the presentation of your square corners, as well as how to school your horse to sharpen up the corner.

A dull showmanship horse isn't a lot of fun to show from an exhibitor standpoint. So, how do we make our horse lighter in the showmanship? It can be extremely difficult because we are not strong enough to get in a match of tug-a-war with our horse. And the more we allow them to be heavy and dull, the more they will think that is an appropriate behavior. In this video, I am using a short whip to tap the horse forward when I pull forward on the chain. I want him to start to associate that being lazy & allowing me to pull him around is not the appropriate response. Every time I pull him forward with the chain, if he does not move forward off that pressure then I tap him with my whip. The goal is for him to move his feet. You will see me also lunge him in a small circle to encourage him to move his feet & show him that being lazy isn't the easy way out, it actually elicits more works. If your horse is predisposed to being dull in the showmanship, you will more than likely have to revisit this topic frequently. If it is in that horse's nature to be dull, then that is the response they will always want to revert back to. So be prepared to continue this practice, even as your horse begins to become more finished at the showmanship.

As we teach our horse to pivot for the showmanship, it is very important they are keeping a straight body position. I horse that pushes out in their rib cage will probably end up moving their pivot foot. In this horse's case, he wanted to move his hind end around towards me when I moved his front end away from me. This did not come as a surprise to me because he does the same thing under saddle, and it is something that we have been working to improve. When I am riding this horse, I use the side pass to help control his rib cage and try to keep him more still in his hind end. I decided to implement the same maneuver from the ground to see if it would improve my showmanship pivot. I would say it is certainly moving us in the right direction! I recommend using some sort of barrier, like a fence, to help them understand that you want them to move sideways away from you rather than forward or back. As they begin to understand this concept, you may not have to rely as heavily on the fence. Whether your horse is finished at the showmanship or just starting out, I think this exercise can help them stay more correct in their body throughout the pivot.

As you saw in the previous video, "First Day in Draw Reins", we have started to use draw reins on this horse to help him balance his front end and find a little bit more shape in his body. He has now been riding in draw reins for about a week & we are now asking for more collection from him at the lope. This horse is familiar with the concept of collecting at the trot/jog, but as we move up into the lope this skill has to be relearned. As he has gotten more comfortable in draw reins, now I am asking his to soften his face and shape up his body for just a couple strides at a time. When they are learning a new skill like this, it is important to remember that they will only be able to hold it for a few steps or strides at a time. They must be allowed to make a mistake before we come back in to put them in the correct position. I am just beginning to teach this horse that how he carries his body & moves his legs is important to me. This will be a long process with many repeated corrections before he is ready to hold that position on his own.

When beginning to ask your green/young horse to find collection & shape, don't get the two concepts of head set & shape confused. I rarely ever focus on their headset directly, but rather their body position and how they are driving from the hind end. In this video, every time I ask for this horse to soften through my hands, I am also pressing him forward with my feet. Through the combination of my hand & leg pressure, I want him to soften his face, lift his shoulders, round his back, & drive from his hind leg. There is a lot to focus on here. It may take a little while for your horse to fully understand what you are asking them to do, but that's okay. Continually repeat what you are asking from your horse, making sure to release every time they give you a correct answer.

Getting your horse to understand the pivot is similar to the backup. They need to be respectful of your personal space and move away from you when you move towards them. When first teaching your horse how to pivot for the showmanship, I like to focus on this concept with just a few steps at a time. I concentrate primarily on the front feet, not putting as much focus on the need to hold a pivot foot behind. While holding a pivot foot is incredibly important in the showmanship, there is only so much your horse can focus on when you are first teaching them a new skill. I ask for them to cross over their front feet, just a few steps at first, before stopping and then walking off to start again in another spot. Your horse should start to pick up on this concept, so you can continue to add a couple steps at a time. Really make sure to pay attention that your horse is moving their shoulder and rib cage away from you in the turn, keeping a relatively straight body position. You don't want your horse to just move their neck away from you, leaving them with their shoulder out of alignment and a bent body position. Having their body in the correct position will greatly impact how well they hold a pivot foot down the road. So while we are not directly focusing on the pivot foot at this stage, getting their body in the correct position now will greatly impact how much emphasis you have to place on the pivot foot later.

The running martingale is another great training aid that is very commonly used across many different disciplines. You can adjust your martingale to change the amount of input it has on your direction of pressure to the horse's mouth. The martingale is fairly non-invasive, and I really like to utilize this tool on younger/greener horses. You can find a running martingale at just about any tack store, but in a pinch you can also just make one at home using a piece of rope, a couple rings, and a snap.

If you have not watched the "Introduction to Draw Reins" video, go ahead and check that out first. This video is here to provide a little more information about draw reins and how to use them. Be sure to watch "1st Ride with Draw Reins" next to see me take a horse through his first ride using draw reins!

Draw reins are an excellent training aid that you can utilize with your horse for several different reasons. Across many different disciplines, draw reins are used for different purposes. I like to utilize draw reins in my training to help the horse find a round shape, as well as allowing them to use the rein to balance up their front end. While draw reins can be extremely useful, they don't always work on every horse and they aren't meant to be used indefinitely. I hope this video provides some clarity on the use of draw reins and whether they would be a good fit for you and your horse. Check out the "Follow-Up on Draw Reins" video to get more information on this training aid, or the "1st Ride with Draw Reins" video to see my complete first ride with a horse in draw reins.

Draw reins are a great tool that we can use to change the direction that the reins are applying pressure to the horse's mouth. However, they can be misused and not all horses are ready to be ridden in draw reins. You want to make sure that your horse has a good concept of body control before putting draw reins on. Unlike traditional reins, draw reins don't have a firm stopping point. As you continue to pull on the draw rein, the rein will run through the snap connected to the bit and pull the horse's head in tighter. This can cause panic in some horses and can be a danger if the rider is not experienced with this training aid. I like to tie a knot on either side of my draw reins to provide a hard stop. I recommend you do this as well.

In this video, you will see this horse's first ride in draw reins. It doesn't really look like anything monumental & it shouldn't be. We want to introduce new concepts and skills to our horses slowly and in a manner that is going to make a positive experience. I am using draw reins on this young horse to give him something to help balance himself as he learns to carry his body. I am not using this tool to ask him to put his head down, rather he is being asked to round up with his neck & shoulders up. Hopefully this video gives you some insight about whether draw reins will be a good fit for you and your horse, as well as how to introduce them if you want to give them a try.

How you teach your horse to back up in the early stages can be crucial to keeping them from forming bad habits. Each horse is going to be a little different, but the end goal should be the same regardless. To see an example of what a finished showmanship back up should look like, go check out my video in the "Fine Tuning the Showmanship" section. This video is going to show you how we are going to be teaching this skill to our horse on day 1. It is incredibly important that they learn to back up with a straight body position & without tucking their chin into their chest. We are going to accomplish this by teaching them to move backward away from our body pressure. Some horses may be more sensitive to this than others. The horse in this video is pretty dull to this cue, so it is going to take a little more push to get him to respond. Other horses may simply move off of your body pressure when you enter their bubble. They should start to pick up on this concept rather quickly, but it is important to remember to keep their body position straight before adding more speed. This is just day 1, so with some consistent practice the backup will start to look finished in no time!

When a finished horse is getting a little sluggish in the turn around, this is how I go about schooling it. Just because a horse turns around fast, doesn't mean it is necessarily good. I want to see a horse that is relatively straight through their body (with a little bit of inside bend), light in its front feet, and planted in the hind end. I like to utilize exercises like this circle drill as well as the side pass to get my horse moving the correct body parts. In this video you will watch me school this horse to take his turn around to the next level.

When I begin teaching a horse to set up, I begin by only asking them to move one back foot. Pick which back foot you want your horse to move & then stick with it. They will only be allowed to move this back foot from now on. I chose the left hind because it is easier to see from the set up position.

Work on asking your horse to move this foot, only just a step. I don't care what their front feet are doing for right now, just keep asking until your horse moves the desired back foot. When they do, make sure to say woah & praise them. Stand there for 5-10 seconds without them moving any feet, then walk back off again. You will continue to practice this exercise until your horse begins to demonstrate that they know which foot you are asking them to move.

When teaching a horse the showmanship, it is important to start with the basics and work your way up. You don't want to overwhelm them by practicing too many maneuvers on the first day. I like to start by working on the basic concept of softening to the chain. Just like when your horse is under saddle, they should be willing to give to pressure. Many horses resist and brace against the pressure at first, so I make sure to spend time teaching them how I want them to respond. When you have made some progress at the walk, then you can move onto the trot. Get your running shoes out, because this can turn into quite the workout. More than likely it won't be perfect after the first day but that okay. Just work on softening them to the pressure of the chain for 5-10 minutes and then find a good ending point. Consistency is key when your horse is learning a new skill, so make sure to go back out tomorrow to continue working at it!

These first few sessions can seem a little monotonous but stick with me. We are going to be covering much of the same information that we covered on Day 1. The key thing I am working on in this video is getting this horse to soften up to the pressure of the chain. His first instinct is to stiffen up and try to resist the pressure, so we are working a lot on just getting him to find a release to the pressure.

We are still working on the foundations of the set up, only asking him to move a foot or two at a time. This horse is beginning to connect my body position to moving his feet for a set up, but still does not know where to place them. That's okay, it is only day 2 of working on the showmanship.

A big component to the horsemanship is knowing how to exhibit your horse to the best of its ability. When your pattern calls for a lead change but doesn't specify whether to do a simple or flying, that leaves it up to the rider to pick what will be best suited for their horse. While it can be more difficult to make a simple lead change a plus-able maneuver, getting a zero for your maneuver score is much better than getting a penalty for a poor flying lead change. A flying lead change in the horsemanship doesn't need to be the winner of the western riding though. A good quality lead change is smooth & simultaneous, without any disruption to the rhythm of the pattern. A good quality simple lead change also should happen smoothly and stay on rhythm with your pattern, consisting of 3-4 trot or walk steps through the change. Practice the lead change both ways & decide what is the best option for you & your horse!

When the judge sees you standing at the start cone, you want them to have a good first impression before you even start your pattern. Having excellent body position will help you attain this. In the horsemanship, along with many other pattern classes, you will have what is called a F&E score. This is basically extra points that you can earn based on the judge's initial impression of you as a rider. Becoming a strong horsemanship rider is something that can take many years to master. This video will give you an outline of what a proper horsemanship position should look like so you can aim to achieve the same thing!

The turn around, or pivot, is a key maneuver to any horsemanship pattern. Here I will go through how I begin to teach a horse to do this maneuver. This horse is 2 years old and has no concept of the horsemanship at this point in his training. However, this is something that I think is important for all horses to know regardless of whether they compete in the horsemanship.

To me, a good turn comes from having control of your horse's outside shoulder and rib cage. I like to focus on having my horse move away from the pressure I am applying with my leg and hand, rather than pulling them around to the inside. In the very beginning, I will work on just walking in a small circle while asking my horse to take a couple steps across with their outside front foot. I want to maintain forward motion & just feel them move their outside shoulder over slightly. As they gain a firm understanding of this concept, I will continue to raise the expectation and ask for more steps. This is something that can be accomplished in one ride, but other horses may take longer to learn these cues. Have patience & take your time. Think of this as the foundation of your turn around & you want it to be rock solid; don't leave any holes.

The back up can be a tricky maneuver to teach, but when done correctly it can add a lot of style to your showmanship pattern. We will go over how you can school to back up to keep your horse straight & moving off of your body rather than your hand.

Work on having your horse respect your personal space. When you start to move towards them, they should move away from that pressure. A lot of people want to go straight to their hand & the chain to get their horse to back up, instead think about what their shoulders are doing. By backing them up off their shoulders rather than their chin, you will be able to accomplish a lighter & straighter back up.

When you come across a trot to walk transition in your showmanship pattern, there may be more to that transition than what you read on paper. Your showmanship pattern should flow like a dance and follow a consistent tempo. Don't let this transition be a hiccup in your dance, smooth it out with these tips to seamlessly go from one gait to another.

The set up is the presentation of your horse, so you want to make sure they look their best. Not only should their feet be square, but their legs should also come straight down from their body. Make sure you are presenting them in a flattering manner. Work on being able to move their feet where you want them, not just to a square position. Excellent foot control comes from a lot of practice, so don't be afraid to repeat this exercise many times throughout your practice sessions. In this video you should gain a better understanding of the set up and how to improve this skill with your horse.

Square corners can be challenging, so here is an exercise you can do with your horse to improve this maneuver. I like to see a horse execute a square corner as it would with a rider- slight bend through its body, shoulders up, & a straight spine before & after the corner. This can be more challenging to teach from the ground though. By practicing this drill, you will be teaching your horse that the chain is not only connected to their chin but also the rest of their body. By pulling them to the side behind you, you are asking your horse to move its shoulders and rib cage over in a side pass motion. The goal is to teach your horse to keep their shoulders up through the square corner, rather than leaning into the corner.

The showmanship set up is a key maneuver that you will perform at least twice in the course of a pattern. The key to having a good showmanship set up is to gain excellent control of your horse's feet. Focus on moving your horse's foot where you want it to go, not necessarily just to the correct potion. Find a rhythm with your horse and try to keep the set up to 2-3 foot movements.

Softening is one of the foundational tasks we ask of our horses. This is a key component to not only teaching your horse to change leads, but also having a smooth finished change. Make sure you can ask your horse to soften at both the walk and the trot before moving to the lope. Similarly, you should be able to have excellent control of your horse's shoulders at these slower gates before moving onto a lope.

We are actually asking for the lead change now. Follow along through the process of putting together the steps we have worked on so far. We will be setting up for the lead change as well as talking you through the process of asking for the lead change. Also how to handle a horse that thinks too much about the change.

It is totally normal for your horse to start to anticipate the lead change. It is your responsibility to manage that anticipation in a manner that is productive. Change up the process and encourage your horse to remain soft. You may need to take a couple steps backwards and that's okay, review the topics we have already covered before coming back to the lead change.