I have been training horses professionally for over 17 years.  Over this time I have developed training techniques that work for me.  My training style includes lots of miles behind cattle.  I believe that it is these hours when a horse is in his natural environment, doing what comes naturally, that give a horse a sense of confidence.
 

Acceptance vs. Tolerance
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There is a difference between acceptance and tolerance. I want my horses to accept what I am asking from them. I don’t want to stop training when the horse is only tolerating what I am asking.  Tolerance only lasts until the opportunity comes to quit tolerating and the horse quickly “comes untrained”. A horse that accepts what I ask has a trainable, open attitude and disposition. I want my horse to want to work for me, not be forced to work for me.  When you want to work with someone it is probably because you have been treated well, fairly, and with respect and concern for your needs.

It is the same with horses.   They need the trainer to respect them and be concerned with their welfare in order to maintain a good attitude and acceptance
of training.

 
 

 

Feel
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A good bit of horse training is based on feel.  I want my horse to
feel of me.  I want him to be aware of me. When I want more
forward momentum, I want the forward position of my body to
be all that’s needed for my horse to respond.  When I want to
slow down, I move my body in a corresponding way, and my
horse responds by slowing down.  

 

 

 

 

Progressive Training
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I like to think of my training as “progressive”. When working with horses I feel that
progression is very important.  For example, I may quit early today on a very sensitive
or touchy colt and not do all the things I had planned.  If the horse made progress,
then I have attained my goal for the day.

I feel it is better that training focus on progress more than achieving specific
maneuvers in a specified time.  Pushing a young colt beyond what he can
mentally handle often results in bucking and problem behaviors- usually
resulting from fear. If a colt is scared, their training may actually digress. 
And all that pushing was a waste.  I like to quit for the day as we are progressing forward.

 

 

Early Handling
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I believe if a colt is not handled correctly at the start it can take months to try and “fix” the mental state of the horse.  I sometimes wonder if the horse's potential is ever reached when this happens.

I think problem horses are sometimes misunderstood.  What some may call a “bad” horse, may be a horse that is extremely sensitive and more expressive than the owner is used to. 


With a very touchy colt that has never been ridden, I might just step on that horse for a day or two and not actually try to “ride” him. I get a lot of horses that have been rushed and pushed too far.  They almost always are more scared of bucking with you than you are!  I have found that short sessions, when I don’t do very much, really helps these horses gain confidence in the human.

I’ve noticed if I’ll handle a horse this way at the start, in a few days or so, they will trust me enough  to carry on, and often surpass my expectations in 2 or 3 weeks.  In other words, sometimes we progress faster when we start slower. Do less and get more.