by Cowgirl on September 30, 2015
We have reached another milestone in our horse life: we rode Cletus, our four year old buckskin gelding! If you remember, we bought him as a baby alongside his mother, Penny, in the fall of 2011. Last November, we sent him to the Rosebud Indian Reservation for a crash course in behaving under saddle….the trainer raved about him and said he was the best horse he’s ever trained. So then we brought him home and (due to me being pregnant and my husband being very busy) he stood around in our corral for almost another year. The good news is that we have been riding him this summer!
by Cowgirl on September 30, 2014
The riding part of the Kip Fladland Training Clinic that I went to a few weeks ago seemed to go so much faster than the groundwork part. Maybe it was because I’m not used to that much walking, I don’t know, but I was sure tired out! The morning’s work was good for us, as I think it gave us a really good focus for the riding part to follow.
Summertime is busy. I love summer, but there is just so much going on, so much garden work to do, so many kids’ activities, so many vacations….nope, I am not complaining! But here it is nearing the end of July, and I finally got my saddle out and dusted it off and discovered that my stirrups were still set long from the last time I rode it…which was back at the first of April when Penny bucked me off! We rode at the end of May in Idaho, but here a month and a half later, my own horses have not been ridden all summer. I am just now finally get back to it!
by Cowgirl on May 26, 2014
It’s not often I get to ride three different horses in one day—much less, ride new colts and just-started horses, which is one of my favorite things. I’m in Idaho, visiting my parents and sister, and besides enjoying family time over the Memorial Day weekend and following week, our goal was to put some rides on their colts. They have twenty head in their horse and mule herd, and they are so busy with irrigating their alfalfa fields, putting up hay, and caring for their cattle that training horses gets put off. So I am always anxious to get some horses started or do more riding when we visit
If you’ve trained a lot of horses, you probably already know that when you’re starting a colt, it’s not always a bad thing to let them buck. But I’ve talked to a few trainers who wholeheartedly disagree with me on the subject, and I’ve heard stories about people who have the mindset that letting a colt buck will ruin them and make them predisposed to bucking. My goal for this post is to weigh the pros and cons, explore the nature of the horse, and hopefully educate the reader.
by Cowgirl on July 24, 2013
Not every horse story is a happy one. I talked to someone yesterday who told me about a filly that was causing trouble, fighting with other horses, and when tied up would pull back hard and break halters every time. So they tied her with a log chain around her neck, trying to break her of pulling back….and so she broke her neck. That story left me stunned, with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can’t get away from. I saw this filly not long ago, a beautiful bay roan with a big white star on her face. And just like that, she’s gone.
by Cowgirl on October 13, 2011
I finally got a chance to test drive the new horse last night. We have been in the process of building new pens for our feeder calves through the summer, and all of the portable panels for my round pen were being used to complete the half-finished pen. So last weekend we finished up that project, which allowed me to set up my round pen and try riding the new buckskin mare for the first time. I was anxious to see if our craigslist purchase was a good find or a big mistake.
I’m a little baffled today. We brought a couple new horses home to train over the weekend, and last night was the first chance I got to work with Toby. He’s a solid Paint, nine year old gelding, supposedly greenbroke but too nervous and wild for my brother to ride, so he sent him to my place for some training.
by Cowgirl on July 21, 2010
The previous groundwork exercises will give your horse a good understanding of how he should behave under saddle, and the ground driving will establish a habit of giving to rein pressure and being controlled by the rider. So all that’s left is to climb on the horse, but there are still a few precautions to take and things to work through to make sure the horse is ready to accept a person in the saddle.
by Cowgirl on July 16, 2010
I have climbed on colts bareback with no headgear for their “first ride”. But I think I was lucky to not get into trouble with that. I have also ridden colts in a round pen with no headgear, while another trainer worked the colt from horseback, directing and turning the colt in the round pen. But if it’s just you working with the colt, my suggestion is to introduce the bit and work on him bending his head a little before you ride.
by Cowgirl on July 15, 2010
Putting the first ride on a colt is an amazing thing to experience. Much forethought and preparation will make it more successful, because there is a bit more to training horses than climbing into the saddle and hanging on. I would like to share some tips for getting that first ride to be a good one. Always keep in mind that every horse is an individual, and will have certain needs and weaknesses that need to be worked on.
by Cowgirl on June 28, 2010
I see a lot of round pens set up around the countryside today, and it makes me wonder if the people who have round pens really know what to do with them, or if they just have one because they have a horse? There are many uses for a round pen–whether you’re working on halterbreaking, lunging, separation issues, or just need a clean space to put a horse that’s recovering from an illness.
Join up is a round pen method that is meant to bring a horse’s attention to the trainer, establish a sense of trust, and get the horse to allow the trainer to handle it. A horse’s fear and natural flight instincts are what join up is meant to overcome, so that the horse willingly accepts a trainer’s presence, touch, and handling. It establishes a good foundation for all other training that will follow.
by Cowgirl on May 21, 2010
The round pen is a very valuable tool for anyone wanting to train horses. This article is to point out some things about the usefulness, purpose, and techniques of the round pen.
