If you are starting here, you have missed her first 4 months of training. See The Trouble With Ariel to start at the beginning. ARIEL HAS GRADUATED from her small enclosure and joined her friends in the big paddock again! She has progressed from a crazy, wild little horse to a compliant, manageable horse during… Read More No Trouble with Ariel – A Kristull Chronicle
Changing Sides The Goal: The horse moves his body so that you can reach one side of him and then adjusts so that you can reach the other side while you stand in one position. A great exercise to soften your horse to moving away from a muzzle pressure. It makes grooming a breeze. It… Read More Training Exercises: Changing Sides
How are you going to rob a bank? Now that you are spending more time with your horse up close and personal, it is time for more de-sensitizing. He’s met your training tools. He’s learned to wear a halter, move away from you, move around you, and move his head up, down, and sideways at… Read More Training Exercises: More Desensitizing
What is the difference between a Cold Blood Horse and a Hot Blood horse? In my experience, horses can be loosely divided into three categories according to their temperaments. Generally speaking, the Coldblood Horses are the draft breeds. This includes such well-known breeds as the Percheron, Belgian, Clydesdale (right), Icelandic and Shires. They were developed… Read More Training Theory: Cold Blood vs Hot Blood Horses
When to wean a foal? We believe that the dam has a huge influence on her baby’s actions and reactions, so we leave our foals with their dams until 6-7 months old. This decision is predicated on the fact that the mare is healthy, has superb temperament, is easily handled, and is relaxed in all… Read More Weaning a Foal
Equine PTSD. Horse abuse pulls on anyone’s heart strings. It usually comes in the form of neglect and malnutrition or is practiced as unpredictable or traumatic physical punishment. Horses with true PTSD need special care. Their reaction to stress is usually exaggerated, frantic, not proportional to the stress a normal horse exhibits. Some researchers posit… Read More Horse Problems: Training The Abused Horse
The side-pull or “breaking hackamore” is used completely without a bit. Generally, it is used when a colt is first broke to take a rider. It offers good lateral control without confusing him with a bit or damaging his mouth if hard pulls are necessary. The pressure is on the rope nose piece that can… Read More Side Pull Bridle
It is a good idea with a young, inexperienced horse to work with his mouth before introducing a bit. Play with his lips. Put your fingers into his mouth, massage his bars, rub his palate. This can be done with newborn foals during the imprinting process or on an older horse who has not had… Read More Introducing a New Bit
It can be highly irritating to be taking a long, slow, beautiful trail ride and have your horse continually diving to the ground for a morsel of grass or grabbing tall grasses from the side of the trail. It jars you every time, and can whip the reins right out of your gentle, relaxed hands.… Read More Horse Problems: Horse Eats on the Trail
Bitless Bridle “Less pain means more brain” The bitless bridle is slowly becoming popular – particularly among natural horse trainers and western riders. However, it is not yet accepted by all disciplines (much like barefoot horses). The world of horse training is very slow to change, and many, many riders equate the bit with absolute… Read More Bitless Bridle