Our Blog
The eyes have it
A while back, I did a personal performance clinic in Florida at an English barn. They invited me to ride one of their jumpers over some low jumps at the end of the day. FUN! In the clinic, I discussed the importance of keeping our eyes up. I coached the riders to do...
Collection
When a horse is soft (resistance-free) in the face, you can communicate through his whole body right down to his feet through your reins and seat. I always strive to “connect their lips to their hindquarters” meaning that when I picked up a rein, I could feel them...
Getting a Cow to Turn Away for the Quit
In this video, I discuss five essentials of good herd work and show examples of: Driving forward for the cut Pausing and then moving across the pen with the flow of cattle Using the cow-side leg during the cut Keeping your horse on his haunches as you make the cut...
Fencing
We used to think “fencing” (using the fence as a barrier to help get a horse sliding in his stop) made a horse bracy in the front end. But I think we just weren’t doing it correctly. Done properly, fencing can help teach your horse to run straight and true. This is...
Sworls
I thought it might be a fun change of pace to explore the myth vs fact of sworls in our horses. Sworls are pinwheeled patches of hair that grow in the opposite direction, on the face. On other parts of the body, they are called cowlicks. Interestingly, the brain and...
Podcast: Nerves in Horses and People
Hi, it’s Barb. I was thinking about this challenge of ‘nerves’ that’s a tough one. And if you think you’re the only one, believe me, you’re not. It’s a challenge most of us have. And I was thinking about it in the context of our horses. They get nervous, too. I...
How Horses See
I thought it would be an interesting detour to explore how horses see, and how that relates to our understanding them when it comes to training. Horses evolved in open grasslands. They’re designed to be awake and grazing day and night. They have excellent low light...
5 Tips for Making the Cut
In this video, I discuss five essentials of good herd work and show examples of: Driving forward for the cut Pausing and then moving across the pen with the flow of cattle Using the cow-side leg during the cut Keeping your horse on his haunches as you make the cut...
Essential 7: Pivot Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting. Common problems in the pivot, and how to fix them: • Too much bend. This is caused by trying to pull your horse around with the direct (inside) rein, so overbending his neck. We resort to this when we can’t make his shoulders move. This will actually...
Get our free biweekly articles and videos with strategies used by two of the world’s most successful professional women who competed in Reined Cow Horse and Cutting.
These are the same powerful ideas that we’ve used to train, ride and show our own horses… and they can work for you, too.
By submitting this form, you are agreeing to receive Be Unstoppable messages from Barb and Sandy.