| Mistake #7 - Assuming You Can Get On Any Horse | | | | away from home (this is called "Barn Sour") it's likely |
| And Simply Ride | | | | because you don't have control over him. You can |
| Not all horses are the same. Some you can get on | | | | establish control with various techniques such as |
| and easily ride. Some are so green that you could be | | | | Doubling. |
| easily injured if you have little or no riding experience. | | | | Mistake #3 - Not Understanding How Horses Think |
| The ones easy to ride are typically older horses. They | | | | Horses do not think like dogs or cats. Horses are a |
| have been ridden the most and will be the most | | | | prey animal which means they run from scary things. |
| forgiving of a beginning rider's mistakes. The younger | | | | They have thousands of years of the "flight instinct" |
| horses will be the hardest to ride unless they have | | | | built in their brains. To successfully train them takes |
| been thoroughly broke. | | | | patience and understanding that they are naturally |
| Mistake #6 - Assuming A Horse Trainer's Technique Is | | | | fearful and cynical. |
| The Only Way To Train A Horse | | | | Mistake #2 - Not Knowing That Every Interaction With |
| When novice horse owners begin to experience | | | | A Horse Is A Training Exercise |
| problems with their horse, they go looking for answers. | | | | Every time you interact with your horse you are |
| The first place they look is in books. When the author | | | | training him. Even if your horse is well trained with the |
| of the book explains a training technique, the reader | | | | lead rope, you are training him every time you use the |
| assumes that's how it's done by everyone. But when | | | | lead rope. Even when you pet your horse, you are |
| they can't train their horse with that technique, they | | | | training him. Novice horse owners must think through |
| assume a dumb or untrainable horse. What novice | | | | what they do when working with their horse because |
| horse owners need to know is that there are typically | | | | they can easily and unknowingly affect a horse's |
| lots of ways to train a horse to do one thing. If you try | | | | behavior. |
| something and it doesn't work, try something else. | | | | Mistake #1 - Riding A Horse With Little Or No |
| Mistake #5 - Not Riding A Horse Enough | | | | Understanding Of Horsemanship |
| New horse owners experience problems with horses | | | | A typical novice horse owner will ride their new horse |
| not because the horse suddenly went sour, but | | | | not knowing horse-riding skills. It is important to have an |
| because they don't ride their horses enough. About the | | | | understanding of riding techniques because horses |
| best thing you can do to have a good horse is to ride | | | | react to leg pressure, how you sit in the saddle, |
| it and ride it and ride it. Don't ride him just once every | | | | whether or not the rider is tense, and a whole host of |
| couple weeks. Horses need to ridden a lot to make | | | | other things. |
| them a good riding horse. | | | | Let's face it. Horses need to be understood for a |
| Mistake #4 - Thinking A Problem With The Horse Is | | | | horse owner to be successful with his horse. The best |
| The Horse's Fault | | | | thing novice horse owners can do is learn how to ride, |
| Although a horse may have some problems, they are | | | | learn how horses think, learn what works good to |
| typically a result of the horse's owner. There are rarely | | | | shape horses' behavior, and understand that constantly |
| horse problems - it's more likely there are problem | | | | riding a horse is just about the best thing you can do to |
| riders. For instance, if you can't get your horse to ride | | | | have a good horse. |