An important thing to remember about this type of mental training is that you should always practice with a successful outcome in mind. Do not practice anything with a failure outcome. Ride through the scenario in your brain and visualize a successful outcome. When you practice success, you can experience success. Learning how to control your emotions in the saddle can help you become the confident leader your horse needs you to be. Develop Your Signature Drill Mutual/selective grooming: Take a couple of brushes and a handful of treats into the field or school and allow your horse to roam freely. When they come over to you reward them with a treat and give them a groom. In this way they can decide when they are feeling overwhelmed and walk away. This reduces tension as the horse is not struggling to get away from you. This exercise will also encourage your horse to come up to you in the field and be easier to catch. Here’s a pop quiz. Let’s say you’re riding along the trail on your horse, and a deer startles in the brush ahead of you. What is your horse feeling in that moment, and how is he reacting? Imagine if you could predict how he might respond in that situation, and in that split-second between the startle of the deer and his reaction, your mind, your body, and your cues are already moving one step ahead of him. If you could do that, wouldn’t you feel confident? When you always know what’s about to happen next, and how you’ll respond to it, you can feel self-assured in any situation, whether you’re holding the lead rope or the reins. Developing a signature drill can help you regain control of your horse’s body and his mind when things don’t go according to plan. Spend Your Time Intentionally

Horse Explorers Coach Handbook - British Horse Society Horse Explorers Coach Handbook - British Horse Society

It is important to establish a dialog with your horse, get to know their body through massage and grooming and always listen carefully to any advice given to you by your vet or physiotherapist. the only thing that concerrned me was the farrier - has your youngster never seen one or was it just this particular time? i dont c the need to shoe him if his feet r ok and coping with any work u are doing now. i am hoping to keep reds feet barefoot permanently. i just get him seen by the farrier every 6 weeks even if he doesnt need any work to get him accustomed to it.

You can achieve the Horse Explorers awards at your local Approved Centre where they will match you to a horse to ensure your lessons are suitable to your experience.

Knowing Your Horse by Emma Lethbridge | Waterstones Knowing Your Horse by Emma Lethbridge | Waterstones

By using this service, you agree that you will only keep content for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services Or you’re not sure if they would be suitable, don’t worry. There are BHS Approved Riding Centres throughout the UK that deliver Horse Explorers awards with their facilities and horses.When they come in from the field which parts of them are dirtiest; that usually means they’ve spent extra time rubbing that spot in the mud! Your horse should be getting the idea now. Move the object around into difficult places for your horse to reach. Ideal time to try some stretches.

Know Your Horse - Horse and Rider Become a Confident Rider and Know Your Horse - Horse and Rider

There are two more things that I think are critically important for the confident rider. The first is that you should always act with supreme confidence around your horse. I have zero tolerance for arrogance, but your confidence communicates your leadership to your horse. When your horse feels led, he feels safe. The key is in understanding their body language, which will help you make a connection with them and be able to read what they are feeling. Here are my favourite exercises that can help: Horses are very emotionally sensitive animals so whatever you’re feeling they probably already know, even if you’re not sure yourself! It is one of the reasons that horses make fantastic therapy animals. Once you’ve found a likely spot watch their face closely for a reaction. A happy horse looks loose, eyes partially closed, swaying, loose soft lip and relaxed ears. An unhappy horse looks tight or worried. If your horse appears unhappy move to a different area and continue the exercise giving them plenty of treats and positive affirmations. Or you’re not sure if they would be suitable, don’t worry. There are BHS Approved Riding Centres throughout the UK that deliver challenge awards with their facilities and horses.I'm an experienced Animal Behaviourist, Trainer and Enrichment Expert from Ruffle Snuffle®. I'm also a published Author and award-winning business woman. Please list any fees and grants from, employment by, consultancy for, shared ownership in or any close relationship with, at any time over the preceding 36 months, any organisation whose interests may be affected by the publication of the response. Please also list any non-financial associations or interests (personal, professional, political, institutional, religious or other) that a reasonable reader would want to know about in relation to the submitted work. This pertains to all the authors of the piece, their spouses or partners.