TIPS FROM THE TRAINER ARCHIVE

“KEY TO MOVEMENT”

By Bill Walton, Trainer

The KEY to any movement is obtaining the correct body position of the horse, PRIOR to asking for the movement. Before this KEY can be used the RIDER must be taught to use their hands, seat or legs, as aids, to control different parts of the horse.

“BEING SAFE AROUND HORSES”

By Bill Walton, Trainer

“Horses are big, powerful, graceful and beautiful animals, but do not let that fool you. Because of their size alone they can be dangerous. Biting and kicking are not the only ways that can cause serious injury. For example, their 150 pound head and neck, accidentally swinging into your head can also cause serious injury. By teaching your horse good ground manners and also teaching yourself how to avoid possible dangerous situations, we can become better horsemen.”

"THE KEY TO COLLECTION"

By Bill Walton, Trainer

Horses should be ridden from the REAR to the FRONT not vice versa. The
Key to Collection is to teach your horse to be soft and flexible in the front end while asking them to raise their back and engage their rear end.

“CINCHING UP ”

By Bill Walton, Trainer

When cinching up the girth, be sensitive to the horse. The cinch should just be tight enough to get on without it slipping. After a little warm up check your cinch again and retighten if needed.

“BATHING HORSES”

By Bill Walton, Trainer

Horses in a thunderstorm will turn their tails to the wind and rain to avoid the rain blowing in their face. When bathing a horse do not spray their heads. Besides not enjoying it the spray might do damage to their eyes and ears. If you need to wash their heads use a sponge or towel.

"CORRECT UPPER BODY, SEAT AND LEG POSITION"

By

Bill Walton, Trainer

While sitting on your horse with a straight upper body, visualize (from the side) a straight line drawn through the middle of your shoulder through the middle of your hip and touching the back of your heel. This position will give a good foundation for both Western and English riders.

“TRAINING & LESSONS”

By

Bill Walton, Trainer

Having your horse trained by a professional does not mean the horse will perform correctly for you unless you are as skilled as the professional who you hired to train your horse. Horses are trained with consistent repetitive riding aids. It would be beneficial for you and your horse, if you would take riding lessons so you could continue using the same consistent riding aids.

“CHOOSING A RIDING INSTRUCTOR”

By

Bill Walton, Trainer

Riding skill level can be compared to building a House. (If you skimp on the foundation, the house may remain standing during the calm but it will start to falter during the storm.). To have the best chance of being successful, in Western or English, find an instructor that teaches correct, fundamental riding skills before you pick a specific event.

“FEEL & TIMING”

By

Bill Walton, Trainer

Good riders not only know the correct aids but also have good feel and timing. In any movement you have to know the aids for the movement. You also have to hold the aids long enough to finish the movement but not so long as to disrupt the flow of the movement. Without the feel and timing, the movement becomes mechanical and hesitant.

 

“HORSES ARE ALWAYS AWARE OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS,
YOU NEED TO BE AWARE ALSO”

By

Bill Walton, Trainer

(The following is a true story and is an example of why we must stay aware)

As the daughter led her horse down the alley, between stalled horses, her mother noticed a leg strap unhooked on the blanket of the horse being led. As the daughter stopped the horse the mother knew the horse was gentle and would not kick her so she approached the horse to hook the leg strap.

(Here’s the rest of the story)
Even though the stalled horse could not physically get to the horse in the alley he lunged at him bearing his teeth. Out of instinct the horse in the alley kicked at the stalled horse and ended up kicking poor mom! Thankfully she was not hurt seriously.

By

Bill Walton, Trainer

In the PERFECT RIDING WORLD, as soon as we applied the correct aid the horse would immediately, willingly, and softly respond to that aid.
In reality horses have their own way of doing things and sometimes the human way makes no sense to them so we have to teach the front, middle and rear of the horse to respond to our aids. The goal is to have control of each piece so the horse is balanced and collected. While riding we must not only get the correct response to the part we are working on but also be aware of what the other parts are doing.