Training Programme

We train at the horse's pace. We don't rush horses through a set programme in order to finish on a certain date.  All horses are individuals and flexibility within the programme to take your horses particular needs into consideration is of paramount importance.  ‘Problem’ or difficult horses may take much longer to accept the training process.

This type of training is not an exact science that we can manage on a calendar. Our training program takes into consideration the horse's mental, physical and emotional well being. We work to build trust and confidence and bring your horse through the program in a way that keeps him calm while activating the ‘thinking side’ of his brain, rather than overwhelming the horse and making him anxious and tense.

A brief summary of our program, adjusted for the individual requirements of your horse, includes, but is not limited to:

Accept being caught/approached in pen/round pen.  Work on lunge line or at liberty to achieve ‘join-up’.

Halter, touch all over body and legs. Pick up all four feet, hold briefly (increase duration as training progresses). 

General grooming; including cleaning feet.  Bathing, hosing legs.  Introduce fly spray.

Lead respectfully in hand in walk, near side and off side.  

Teach yield to pressure in halter. 

Safely introduce tying.

Teach groundwork exercises including:  a) yield hindquarters, b) yield forehand, c) backing up, d) circling to the right and left at walk and trot, e) pass through a narrow space to the right and  left, f) send through ‘gate’, g) walk over trail bridge, h) side-passing, j) changing direction while walking and trotting circles

Introduce trail course obstacles and apply groundwork techniques to successfully negotiate obstacles.

Introduce loading/unloading trailer work.  Stand tied in/at trailer, with/without companion horse.

Lead respectfully in hand in trot, near side and off side.

Desensitize with flags, bags, rope, slicker and saddle pad all over body and around legs.

Stand tied to patience pole for short duration (increase duration as training progresses).

Progressively use rope around girth area to simulate girth/cinch being tightened.

Continue desensitizing, and standing tied.  

Desensitize to rope around legs and progress to leaving halter and rope on while in a safe location (closely monitor horse’s reaction and DO NOT use a rope halter, preferably use old equipment which will break if horse gets tangled up and/or panics).

Introduce bridling with snaffle bit for short duration (increase duration as training progresses). 

Saddle up briefly.

Perform all groundwork exercises while wearing bridle and/or saddle, stirrups up and down. Desensitize with all items listed above while saddled.

Walk and lunge around the facility while wearing bridle and/or saddle.  Safely and progressively introduce long-lining/driving lines; work with and without saddle/bridle, in round pen, arena, then around facility.

Begin teaching yielding/flexing with a halter and lead rope and yielding/flexing to the bit with a snaffle bridle.

Lunge and long-line obediently in round pen while fully tacked up, walk, trot and canter.   Lunge and long-line obediently in arena while fully tacked up, walk, trot and canter.

Introduce mounting step, near side and off side.

Round pen:  Stand horse next to step with handler on step or round pen panel, near side and off side, progress to rubbing horse all over, leaning across, waving hands etc. being sure to make contact with hindquarters/croup.

Step up with foot lightly in stirrup, both sides.  Apply duration and pressure progressively.

Lean and lay across horse, increase duration gradually.

Mount briefly, sit still, dis-mount.  Repeat; increase duration as training progresses. Introduce rubbing all over while in saddle.

Walk under saddle, trot under saddle, canter under saddle. 

Repeat all above exercises in arena.

Work to be able to mount and dismount on both near and off side.  Horse must remain quietly and calmly in halt while being mounted and dismounted.

Under saddle work on progressive and direct transitions, halt, standing still, sitting and posting trot, canter leads, negotiating trail course obstacles. 

Work on refining lightness and responsiveness to leg yields, side-passing, turn on the forehand and turn on the haunches from the saddle. 

Progress to working over ground poles, small cross rails, and further lateral work, within and outside of arena.

Trailer to other facilities (shows, boarding/training facilities, etc.) for more work under saddle and to gain further confidence in accepting unfamiliar environments, quietly standing tied at the trailer and being with other unfamiliar horses.