Commonsense Horsemanship

By learning to recognize and understand your horse’s expressions you can more easily identify when it is appropriate to move your horse forward with its training process as well as when to wait and allow it more time to understand the concept(s) being taught.

Today, many homes are not only raising children but pets as well. Naturally kids delight in hugging, petting, and playing with their animal companions. However many children consequently grow up believing that all dogs are gentle friendly and loving like their own pets. This belief can lead to a dog attack simply because those children were never instructed that it’s not ok to approach all dogs.

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Understanding and applying common sense horsemanship is as easy as counting to three:

1. There is 1 thing you must know.
2. There are 2 things you must teach.
3. There are 3 things you must demonstrate.
   1. Although it may sound trite, it is essential to know what it is you are wanting from your horse. If you don’t know you can’t expect your equestrian partner to figure it out either.
   2. There are two important lessons that all horse owners and handlers must teach: how to relax and how to give to pressure. Everything regarding proper horse training revolves around these two things. Whether we are leading grooming tacking or riding our horse must be able to relax and give to pressure in order to accomplish the many things we ask of them.
   3. Lastly, the three things you must be willing and able to demonstrate are: patience, leadership, and a solid sense of understanding. This is no quick task as it definitely takes time and a personal commitment to develop these skills. There are no shortcuts, no quick fixes, and no easy solutions. Simply put, you can only get out of a relationship what you are willing to put into it.

By following the three step approach you can master common sense horsemanship!