If your horse had a break in his training, his mental attention and physical fitness aren’t going to be up to par. The biggest mistake people make when bringing horses back to work is getting straight on them. They drag the horse out of the pasture, yank the girth up as hard as they can, jump in the saddle and kick him in the belly. Thirty seconds later, they’re sitting on the ground wondering why the horse dumped them. If your horse has had a break in his training, spend several days doing nothing but groundwork.

I have a saying: Two eyes are always better than two heels. If I want to teach you something, I need you to give me your eyes and your attention. If you’re looking out the window and staring at the people walking on the sidewalk or the cars going by on the street, all the information I am teaching you will go in one ear and out the other. But if you have your eyes on me, there’s a chance that what I’m telling you is going to sink into your head. Have you ever worked with a horse and came back the next day to repeat the lesson and the horse acted like he didn’t remember a single thing?

I'm Bri and, like many equestrians, have been obsessed with horses all my life. I grew up in Orange, CA riding/showing Western Pleasure with my grandfather from ages 7-15. With him I learned the finess and art of showing a quality show horse, however I lacked the basic knowledge of just riding on the trails and basic horse skills. That's when a neighbor started teaching me the rudiments of riding. She had a BLM Mustang named Starlight. In order for me to be able to ride her and take her out on trails, I had to learn how to ride her bareback and stay on. Thus began my horse education.

The only way the horse is allowed into your personal hula hoop space is if you invite him in. And you’ll only invite him into that four foot circle if you know you can get him out of it. Think of how you want your neighbors to treat you. You might like your neighbors, but you never want them to just barge into your house. You always want them to walk up to the door, knock and ask to come in. At that point, you can invite them in or you can ask them to come back at another time. You always want the option to turn them away.

The safety category of respect refers to your personal hula hoop space. This space is a four foot circle that surrounds you and serves as your safety zone. Whenever you are working with a horse, always imagine that there’s a four foot circle drawn around you —almost like an invisible electric fence. Unless you invite the horse into your personal hula hoop space, he should keep a respectful, safe distance from you. The horse should never come into the circle unless you invite him in. Most injuries people suffer while working with horses occur because the horse was too close to them.

When horses feel safe, comfortable and have enough food and water to sustain them, their next need is stimulation. Your horse needs to be stimulated both physically and mentally on a daily basis. As with many other things when working with horses, you need to balance between the mental and the physical. You have to keep things interesting for your horse mentally and provide enough physical activity to keep him satisfied. One of my mentors, Gordon McKinlay, once told me that horses need three things – long rides, wet saddle pads and concentrated training – in even doses.

Andalusians of Texas
April 24th and 25th
Belton Texas

When a horse respects you as a leader and uses the thinking side of his brain rather than the reactive side, you can stop worrying about getting hurt or not being able to handle a dangerous situation. Horses are big animals, and it’s only natural to be scared of them. A lot of people come up to me and say, “Clinton, I’m afraid to ride, I’m frightened to fall off, or I’m scared of getting hurt.” All of those feelings are very real and very healthy. Fear is your brain saying, “Hey, if you don’t stop doing what you’re doing, you’re going to get hurt.” I never tell people to ignore fear.

Jan 22-23 in Ft. Worth