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Encouraging Equine Motivation
I advocate training by non-edible reward as often as possible. It’s effective and long-lasting, and it encourages a horse’s motivation and builds his trust. But training by non-edible reward means...
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Soothing Anxiety or Rewarding Relaxation?
Let’s chat about training by non-edible reward a little more. It’s more effective and longer lasting than most other forms of training, motivates the horse to perform, and enjoys scientific backing....
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Back to Jumping
Some of the early articles in this brain-based training column were devoted to teaching True to jump. I got away from that goal temporarily for many reasons. Most important, I prefer to save jumping...
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Canter Poles
True is now comfortable and relaxed when trotting ground poles one at a time, in successions of four or six, flat or raised a few inches, and in various patterns. I especially like training with a...
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Pole Patterns
To add interest and build confidence, I like to introduce young horses to ground pole patterns once they’re comfy trotting and cantering straight poles in a line. You can find all sorts of patterns in...
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Raising Canter Poles and Finding a Distance
True and I have been cantering single and double ground poles lately, as described in the last couple articles. He is very good now at cantering a single pole, and (hooray) he remains calm and relaxed...
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Use Low Hops to Fix Basic Problems
True is getting more reliable by working at a trot and canter over low hops not much more than a foot high. I hope your horse is, too. Before we proceed to jump gymnastics, related jumps, and larger...
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Avoid Drills
True and I have been cantering low hops over the past few articles. Soon we’ll raise them and get to some two-foot obstacles—still quite low, but a little bit more demanding. We’ll also work on...
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Keep It Simple
I don’t mean “keep it easy.” Easy and simple are two different things. Nowadays, it’s common to start young horses over fences by setting obstacles that are needlessly complicated instead of simple to...
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Grounded
True and I have been working on hopping a wide variety of low jumps from a canter and (independently) starting over easy one-stride gymnastics. I had hoped to tell you about our latest efforts, moving...
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Assessing Trauma in Horses
Anyone paying a modicum of attention to horse sport the past two years knows that the equestrian industry is on the hot seat—with good reason. We have reached a level of knowledge and understanding of...
View Article12 Beezie Madden Horsemastership Quotes for Your 2025 Mood Board
Having stepped back from championship-level competition in 2021, four-time Olympian Beezie Madden is like the Tracy Chapman of show jumping. We don’t get to hear or watch her ride nearly as often as...
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Adding to Simple Gymnastics
Our footing is fixed, and True’s ready to continue with jumping gymnastics of the kind I described a few weeks ago. These are best explained in Jimmy Wofford’s classic book, Gymnastics: Systematic...
View ArticleMindset and Consequences
I love questions that get my mind whirling, and someone asked me a good one the other day: “How many repetitions are necessary for a horse to learn something?” Well, of course, the answer depends...
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Ouch! Equine Injuries
Equine injuries, drats! True came to me in pasture turnout the other day with two bleeding wounds—a double puncture and scrape to the front of his knee and a scrape up above that knee. If it ain’t one...
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Belly Deep in Snow
Horses’ brains need some variety in their activities. Because of that, I bring trail horses in for arena work at times, send jumpers out to explore the neighborhood, and teach True to handle all sorts...
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An Anniversary
First, to follow up from True’s recent injury, he is much better. All the swelling is gone, no further sign of infection, and the two open wounds are clean and healing. He can carry me at a walk,...
View ArticleConcussion Awareness in Sports Is Improving, But Not Necessarily for Female...
“How many helmets have you had to replace?” It’s a common, inside-baseball question among competitive equestrians. Because—let’s face it—most, if not all, of us have suffered falls and blows to the...
View Article40 Actionable Tips for Making It in Horse Shows (& Life)
The more we travel to shows, the more overwhelmed I am by the amount of money required to play our sport. My family runs Millbrook Farm in Elizabeth, Colorado, and my daughter Haley thrives in the...
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How “Rocket Pony” Ulyssa Found Her Calling
When Ulyssa was finally confiscated by law enforcement in March 2023 after years of living in less-than-ideal conditions, her future appeared uncertain. The 13-year-old pinto mare had been living...
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