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