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Stops On A Fast Cow Can be Harrowing!
I receive some form of this question a lot: “What advice can you give an amateur cutter who becomes very anxious and feels out of control when the cow takes off running when practicing in a large round pen … and your biggest fear is the unexpected STOP. Any advice or...
Riding Smart 11-13
This is a continuation of riding smarter not harder horsemanship skills. Here are Tips #11-13 • Be creative. I usually try to teach my horses something a certain way, but if I'm not getting through by the third attempt, I take a different approach. In other words, I...
The Rhythm of Working a Cow
One challenge in working a cow, is to get all of the pieces of accuracy, form and rhythm to stay correct … no matter the speed of the cow. This video is a great example of the pretty form and rhythm we all aspire to achieve as we work a cow. Below the video, I explain...
Walking Through Difficult Emotions
Staying home for the past few weeks has given me, probably like you, some time to reflect. There are a couple of powerful ideas that are central to personal performance training that not only work with our horses but also in our daily lives. I want to share them here...
Reining Essential 5 – Troubleshooting Whoa
Teaching a horse to stop brings out all kinds of problems, not because the horse wants to be bad, usually it’s our lack of timing, and balancing on the reins that causes their resistance. Troubleshooting. Common problems in basic stopping, and how to fix them: • Not...
The End of the Turn
Most cutting pictures are similar to the one above because they capture a beautiful deep stop at the beginning or middle of the turn. A lot of herdwork and cutting instruction has to do with how to sit and use your feet before stops and during the middle of the turn....
Reining Essential 5 – Whoa
Your horse’s willingness to stop when you say “whoa” is essential for control and basic training. It also provides the foundation for one of reining’s most thrilling maneuvers, the sliding stop. But first, we’ll have to be satisfied by an attempt from our horse, at...
Riding Smart 8-10
In previous articles, I’ve shared 7 tips for Riding Smarter Not Harder. Now, here’s 3 more! • Develop great timing. Remember — horses learn from the release of pressure, not the application of it. When you release pressure (either from your legs or reins), your horse...
What Separates Riders
It was a chilly and wet day in South Texas. So I decided to take a trail ride. I was thinking about what separates people regarding those who maintain confidence and succeed, and those who don’t. This article has the tales of two athletes that tell that story. I heard...
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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.
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