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https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel.atomTroxel Helmets - Equestrian Blog2019-10-07T16:10:00-04:00Troxel Helmetshttps://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/the-importance-of-helmets-when-riding-a-mule2019-10-07T16:10:00-04:002022-11-09T11:16:25-05:00The Importance of Helmets When Riding A MuleChristine Lee

Guest Post by Steve Edwards

It’s Not a Matter of If…

Falling off a mule or getting bucked off is only a matter of time. So, when you fall, you need to be protected. Mending a broken arm or leg is tough but it’s done all the time. Mending a head injury, not so easy.

Statistics show that riding is the leading sport with cases of traumatic brain injuries in adults. That means more cases of brain injuries among adult riders are reported than among adult hockey and football players! If true for adults who have more experience riding, what do you think it means for children? For goodness’ sake, put a helmet on your kids. And with these statistics, put one on yourself too.

Don’t Rely on a Stable Animal

Plenty of mules have been trained well. They follow your command and seem like the gentlest creatures on earth. But they are still animals with a strong sense of fright and flight. When they get spooked, they will buck, rear, or kick. Notice I said when they get spooked. It’s not a question of ‘if’.

Let me tell you about a heck of a wreck I had recently! My normal mule over at the Andrada Ranch refused to be caught. But this older gray mule came over to me. So, I got him tacked up, and he was listening to me well, doing a great job. My dog, Jess, runs by the mule on the left. The mule jumps up in the air and kicks hard with his left rear foot. Thank God he didn’t get Jess.

Although I stayed on the mule, I felt like I was broken in two, like someone had hit me with a 2x4. The pain was incredible, and I hadn’t even fallen off the mule!

I continued working that day, and we moved 150 head of cows down the mountain to the arena. That same day, two guys were riding colts, and both of those colts blew up, too.

The next day I caught Rocky, and we caught another 50 head of cows. When we got back, I was still not feeling good. Afterward, I realized I was black and blue. When I called my doctor, he told me I was done. I couldn’t ride anymore for a while.

A Wreck Can Happen to Anybody

So, let’s think about what happened. That was a 20 plus-year-old mule, a seasoned mule. He’s been all over the mountains. Yet a dog startled him and he blew. Then you have two seasoned riders, good riders who had been riding those colts for six months, yet those colts blew.

There was another wreck that day. One of the mules, Dan, is unflappable. Yet a young man dropped a rein. When he bent over to get the reign, the movement startled Dan, and he ran. The young man was able to get him stopped, but not before skinning his face against a tree.

Look folks, Fluffy can hurt you real easy and real bad. I am a seasoned rider and I have had 32 broken bones and two replaced hips. Accidents can and will happen. People get hurt.

Don’t let your children get a head injury because they don’t want to wear a helmet. Make them put the helmet on or don’t let them ride.

Final Thoughts on Riding with Helmets

I encourage you to get your children riding mules and donkeys. They are great animals and can teach your children great life lessons. But remember, your mule or donkey is not a pet like your dog. The mule will blow up - it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when the animal will get spooked.

I encourage you, parents, to wear a helmet, too. Set a good example for your children by wearing a helmet and following good habits around these animals. Pay attention to the mule’s body language and respond appropriately. When you show the proper way to work with these animals, your children will do the same.

I’m Here to Help

It is my pleasure to help new and experienced mule owners find comfort and safety when riding. If you have any problems with your mule or donkey, send me an email, including photos and videos, and I will help you find a solution. Also visit my website, muleranch.com, for lots of free information to help make your time in the saddle more productive and less stressful. Happy Trails!

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/how-to-regain-your-confidence-after-a-horseback-riding-fall2019-07-26T14:02:00-04:002022-11-09T11:08:38-05:00How To Regain Your Confidence After A Horseback Riding FallChristine Lee

Most equestrians will experience a fall at some point. Maybe your horse got spooked or you lost your footing. Either way, it's scary, unnerving and can really rattle your confidence. So, how do you recover and get back in the saddle?

We asked our riding community for their best tips on how to regain confidence after taking a spill. Take a look through some of their suggestions below and reach out to us on Instagram or Facebook if you have more to add to the conversation.

And most importantly, always wear a certified equestrian helmet whenever you ride. Accidents happen and wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of death or disability from a riding-related blow to the head by 80%.

Start on the ground. Brushing, walking, lunging, snuggles, cookies. Then move on to a very steady eddy confidence builder type horse. Eventually, you’ll start to find yourself again. It sucks when this happens. —Amelia O.

I put my all-time fun favorite music on and blast it while I'm riding. Seems to help relax me and then my horse. —Catherine M.

Groundwork.....built my confidence working with my horse with leading, yielding etc....gave me the confidence I needed to get back in the saddle. Then I started in an arena....feel a lot better now, even though I still get anxious, I overcome it quicker! —Marge Ashton T.

I took lessons on a different horse that I trusted. I had the trainer work with the horse I came off of. Took my time and didn't rush anything. —Ann H.

Take your time. Don’t feel pressured to get ride back into it. A good way to start is with some stuff on the ground. Just take your horse for a walk and brush them. Work with their grounds manners. Start building that bond back between you and your horse. Then go to lunging, I personally prefer free lunging. It continues to rebuild that bond. Then do baby steps to getting back in the saddle just saddle the horse and sit in the saddle don’t rush it if you don’t feel like it. Then the next day saddle up and walk around then trot then lope. But the key is to go at your pace and don’t rush it falling off can be really scary and I don’t know how bad it was but the best thing to do is get back in the saddle. Don’t let this wreck rule you. You can do this! —Meghan G.

I was petrified. I got back on and just SAT in the round pen. Did this two or three times. It comes back but it takes TIME. Don't rush the recovery. —Ian T.

Just ride start slow and don’t worry who is watching do your own thing and you will get there. My daughter was thrown and broke her leg. When she started riding again we had to hide so she didn’t know we were watching and she slowly has built back up. —Majorie T.

Just remember that you weren’t scared before the accident. —Darby P.

A riding lesson with a trusted instructor always helps me! —Meghan P.

When you fall it is a great learning curve. If you need to, start off just by brushing the horse everyday then put the saddle on and walk around in the arena. If need be, have some friends help or watch out, then move on to a trot/canter. When you are in the walking stage, try walking over poles. Also, watch some videos of doing Liberty work with your horse.... —Rylan A.

Start slow and on a very quiet horse with an experienced person helping you. I lost my confidence after my horse dumped me and couldn't go faster than a walk for almost two years. It took getting into a riding class to get my confidence back, because I knew the instructor wouldn't put me on a horse I couldn't handle and I knew all the horses were calm and safe. —Louise K.

It depends how bad your fall! Start slow and go at your own pace. Just walk and trot at first until you gain more confidence. I was bucked off while cantering once and had a concussion and torn shoulder. If you are injured don’t get back on lol! Thank goodness for my helmet because it was crushed! —Gracelynn H.

The biggest thing that helps me get my confidence back is by being consistent and if you need taking baby steps. I can't count how many times I've come off my gelding but I always get back on and take my time to get back to where I was. Patience is something that a rider must have, and it takes time to build up confidence again, so with patience and taking things slow anyone can get back on and ride. —Emma C.

Ride a horse that is bombproof! I started riding the old mare that is the trusty kid/ noon stead after I fell off and was drug by a horse. —Jessica C.

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/cha-podcast-solving-common-under-saddle-training-issues-the-chemistry-of-a-helmet2019-06-07T12:44:00-04:002022-11-09T11:06:42-05:00CHA Podcast: Solving Common Under Saddle Training Issues & The Chemistry Of A HelmetChristine Lee

Troxel Brand Manager, Jenny Beverage teamed up with Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) and Horses In The Morning to talk about our favorite subject: helmets!

In the episode, Jenny talks about the chemistry of a helmet, how a helmet works and who is most at risk when riding. Jenny's segment starts around 15:35 minutes.

CHA Instructors Terry Williams and Teddy Franke also provide pointers for riders to overcome common training issues like incorrect leads, missing leads or kicking out at the canter, and spooking Listen to the complete podcast below.

Listen Now

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/checking-your-gear-5-tips-to-ride-safe2019-06-06T22:11:00-04:002019-06-06T22:34:40-04:00Checking Your Gear: 5 Tips To Ride SafeChristine Lee****

Checking your gear is an important part of preparing for a safe ride. As you think about all of the trails you want to explore, the competitions you plan to compete in and the skills you want to practice and improve on, we should not only evaluate our horse and tack but our riding apparel as well, specifically our helmets to make sure they are in good working order.

Here is a Quick Helmet Check-Up list to run through as you get ready to buckle up:

1. How Old Is Your Helmet?

It's a good rule of thumb to replace your helmet at least every five years from the date of purchase. All active gear will suffer from differing degrees of normal wear and tear, depending upon the user. Equestrian helmets used by a rider for 150 days a year will, by comparison, wear faster than gear used by a weekend rider. Due to evolving standards, technologies and the potential for unseen material deterioration, it is recommended to replace your helmet at least everyone five years.

2. Have Your Experienced A Fall With Your Helmet?

ASTM/SEI certified equestrian helmets are designed for one impact event. When you take a fall, your helmet absorbs energy by crushing and extending your head's stopping time to reduce the peak impact on the brain significantly. Once your helmet has taken an impact, those energy absorbing capabilities are spent and cannot offer you the same protection again.

3. Have You Cleaned Your Helmet?

Helmets should be wiped down with a soft towel and soapy water then air-dried. Compressed air works great for cleaning the air vents and channels. All Troxel helmets come with a removable and washable headliner which you can hand or machine wash and air dry. Do not use solvents or chemicals to clean any part of your helmet, as they can destroy protective coatings and compromise the structural integrity of the helmet. You want your helmet to look it's best and a quick clean will do the trick!

4. Have Your Checked Your Helmet's Fit?

You want your helmet to fit snug around your head and sit level on your head just above your eyebrows. Troxel helmets have FlipFold tabs that are integrated into the headliner that can be turned under to offer more padding if needed. Your helmet also comes with either a DialFit or SureFit comfort system to further personalize fit and comfort.

Next, adjust the slide glides on the retention system webbing to form a "V" under each ear and adjust the chin strap to be snug under your jaw. The retention system is what keeps your helmet in place during a fall. It's very important to have your helmet fit snuggly in place to perform as it is intended to do.

Watch our Quick Fit Tip video to learn more or see our [Helmet Fitting Guide](/content/pages/helmet-fitting%20 "Helmet Fitting Guide"/index.html).

5. Where Are You Storing Your Helmet?

Helmet Tote Bag is a great option for easy transport and storage.

It is important to choose an ASTM/SEI certified equestrian helmet to ride in. For equestrian helmets, SEI has selected the ASTM standard F1163-15 to evaluate helmet performance which are tested at independent labs. Certified bike or ski helmets are certified to a different standard and do not offer the same impact speed, height or type of impact surface.

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/cha-podcast-fitting-helmets-creative-ways-to-get-more-boarders-students-campers-and-horses-in-training2019-04-24T17:30:00-04:002022-11-09T11:04:52-05:00CHA Podcast: Fitting Helmets, Creative Ways to Get More Boarders, Students, Campers and Horses in TrainingChristine Lee

In the episode, Jenny shares the top four things you need to know about fitting equestrian helmets. Jennifer Eaton from the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) also joins to give listeners great ideas on marketing summer programs to new and existing customers and, Molly O’Brien from the American Horse Council shares how you can take advantage of the Time to Ride program to grow your business. Listen to the complete podcast below.

Listen Now

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/cha-podcast-choosing-a-helmet-clipping-101-and-horse-s-coat-mane-and-tail2019-04-24T17:01:00-04:002019-04-25T12:06:17-04:00CHA Podcast: Choosing a Helmet, Clipping 101 and Horse’s Coat, Mane and TailChristine Lee

Troxel Brand Manager, Jenny Beverage teamed up with Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) and Horse Radio Network to talk, what else, helmets!

In the episode, Jenny shares her top tips on what to look for when purchasing a helmet. Tip #1: Above all else, make sure your helmet is ASTM/SEI certified.

Then CHA Certified Instructor Keli Wakeley guides listeners on clipping your horse and finally CHA Master Instructor Anne Brzezick addresses everything for the care of the horse’s coat, mane and tail. Listen to the complete podcast below.

Listen Now

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/introducing-troxels-new-logo2019-03-25T11:39:00-04:002019-03-25T11:41:20-04:00Introducing Troxel's New LogoTENELEVEN ADMIN

Troxel Helmets brought the first ASTM approved equestrian helmet to market in 1992. Now after 27 years of being an industry leader in innovation, we’re transforming ourselves.

Today we’re announcing our new Troxel logo. Our website, social media accounts and emails have already adopted this new aesthetic and soon all Troxel helmets will feature our new branding.

Our design goal was to better match how we look at our values and the riders we serve. Our mission at Troxel has always been to empower and protect equestrian athletes. And our product line has shifted in recent years to incorporate more options for english riders, western riders and performance athletes. So, our team worked to create a logo design that felt strong, powerful and inspiring.

We adopted a new, athletic Troxel wordmark logo design that is prominently featured on the front of most helmet styles. We also chose a font that exudes a clean, modern feel and stuck with black and white packaging and brand elements to evoke the strength and determination of our riders.

But, we didn’t arrive here easily. We went through hours of creative brainstorming to find the right fit. Check out some of our initial sketches and logo iterations below.

“Troxel has undergone a rebirth in the past few years. We’ve expanded our product line and really honed in on the wants and needs of western riders and performance athletes. We wanted a logo that symbolized this change in brand culture,” said Jenny Beverage, Troxel Brand Manager. “We’re so pleased with the end result and have received lots of positive feedback from riders already! Everyone loves that our name is back on our helmets and our retail partners have commented that the new logo is athletic, bold and looks great on helmets to accessories like our new helmet bags.”

We hope you like the update! Look for more product and brand developments in the future as we continue to evolve and expand as a company to better serve the needs of our riders. And don’t forget to let us know your feedback on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/whatthehelmet-your-next-goal2018-08-24T12:31:00-04:002019-03-21T12:51:02-04:00#WhatTheHelmet Your Next GoalJenny Beverage

“After having my head shaved and four screws inserted into my skull, I quickly realized that I would look cooler in a helmet than I did leaving the hospital! The outpouring of support has been amazing!  I constantly hear from fans that they were afraid to wear a helmet for fear of being judged by their peers and that I inspired them to change.”-Fallon Taylor

Being an influencer and encouraging others to go against the grain is one of the most uncomfortable things we can make a decision to do.  When you look back and see the legacy you have created and positive influence in people’s lives, it will have made the struggle worth it.  Sometimes the end goal is too far away to make the journey feel worthwhile.  When you really believe in something though, you stick to it.

It takes a lot of fortitude to resist fear and discomfort so that you can live according to your values and to support something you whole heatedly believe in.  To firmly believe in something, and walk the talk, takes strength beyond measure but it can be the positive impact you leave in this world.  Just as you make the small decision to saddle up and practice rather than go to the movies with friends, you make the decision to work towards something you believe in.

What are your goals?  Are they to improve your run time or score?  Make it to the State Finals or National Finals?  Is it to try a new event or season a young horse?  Having clear goals helps you to navigate decisions throughout the year to be able to accomplish them.  You can dream big or small but put your dream on paper so it can become a goal!

Fallon Taylor has goals both big and small.  Every successful athlete does.  Besides her competition goals, personal goals and business goals she also has a goal of leaving a legacy in the sport of rodeo beyond winning her World Championship buckle.

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/my-horse-wont-stay-on-the-rail-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2018-06-25T12:47:00-04:002018-06-25T12:51:54-04:00My Horse Won't Stay on the Rail- Guest Post by Julie GoodnightJenny Beverage

My Horse Won’t Stay on the Rail

By Julie Goodnight

Horses are smarter than we give them credit for and any horse that’s been around an arena more than once, has figured out that it’s a much shorter distance around when they cut corners and leak in off the rail. No horse stays glued to the arena fence unless he is well-trained and obedient. All horses feel the pull of “gate gravity” or “barn gravity,” but only the horses that think they can get away with it will act on that feeling.

If you feel like you are constantly steering your horse back to the rail or pulling his nose to the outside as you go around, you’ve got a disobedience problem. Chances are good that your horse is a step or two ahead of you, and while you might not be fully aware of the dynamics of this situation, your horse almost certainly knows exactly what he is doing. Horses are pros at manipulating the behavior of others—and that includes you.

I could write 10,000 words on the mechanics of how to train your horse out of this problem, but it would do little good if you don’t have an understanding of the dynamics happening between you and your horse.

If your horse is cheating you by not staying on the rail, cutting corners, speeding up on the way back or refusing to go over an obstacle, you need to take a deeper look at your role. First, you must understand what the underlying motivations of the horse are and how you got to this point. Then you must figure out a plan for what’s next, how you will change your horse’s behavior and change the way you ride.

Define the Problem

Assuming you are riding a trained horse, you need to realize this is not a steering problem. An obedient horse goes on the exact path dictated by the rider, at a speed chosen by the rider, without argument or micromanagement. A horse that is leaking into the middle from the rail, cutting the corners, pulling toward the gate or stopping at the gate is disobedient to the aids of the rider. The first step in fixing this issue is to recognize it as disobedience—to become aware of your horse’s behavior.

How ever your horse is acting now, there’s a reason why he is acting that way—he has a motivation. To effectively train a horse, it helps to be aware of your horse’s motivations. Why is he coming off the rail? Why is he stopping at the gate? Is he trying to get back to the barn/herd, is he trying to get out of work, or does he simply think he can go wherever he wants, whenever he wants? These types of behaviors are generally motivated by a desire to get back to the herd and/or to get out of work.

Being aware of your horse’s disobedience, and treating it as such, is often enough to stop this kind of behavior. Acknowledge his behavior as disobedience and let him know, you know. Once a horse realizes you are onto his antics, he’ll often stop doing it. Once you are aware, his tricks don’t work so well. Understanding his motivation is important because it dictates how you will respond. If he’s trying to pull toward the barn, you want to make sure that he ends up farther away from his objective as you correct him. Correct him in such a way that he loses territory, doesn’t gain it.

How did we get here?

Horses are masters at subtle disobediences that often go unnoticed by the rider; but the horse knows exactly what he is doing. If you have put him on the rail and he starts pulling toward the middle, on the very first step toward the middle, he became disobedient, whether the rider noticed or not. Often the rider, blissfully ignorant of the horse’s disobedience, simply steers the horse back to the rail, without addressing the disobedience; then the pattern starts again.

Soon, the rider is going all the way around the arena, with the horse’s nose pulled toward the rail, while his body is leaking in to the middle of the arena; he’s counter-bent and still not on the rail. When the rider tries to hold the horse on the rail with the outside rein (or hold the horse in a certain speed), she becomes complicit in the horse’s disobedience—it is a co-dependent relationship. Your horse is constantly threatening disobedience, and instead of addressing the disobedience, you are treating it as if the horse just doesn’t know where he is going. The problem is, the horse knows exactly what he is doing.

The horse that is cutting corners, leaking off the rail or slowing/stopping at the gate, is essentially saying to the rider, “I don’t want to do that; I want to go over here.” Often, the rider is so busy on her own agenda (working on something herself), that she does not hear what the horse is saying and so she simply steers back to the rail. The problem is, that this sets up a compromise with your horse. He cuts the corner, you steer him halfway back (without scolding his disobedience), then you say, “Well, at least I got him halfway back to the corner,” and go on with your ride. In this moment, you have just compromised with your horse, letting him know that he does indeed get a say in the direction you go. This is a bad precedent to set and it will surface every time you ask your horse to go somewhere he doesn’t want to go. Compromising with a horse on direction or speed is a bad idea.

Where do we go from here?

First you must become aware of your horse’s behavior and motivations. Just becoming aware of it will make your horse less successful. Once you are aware of your horse’s manipulations, you will be able to correct him in a timely manner—at the instant he makes his first move. Also, with an understanding of his motivations (Where is he trying to go? Why?), you’ll be able to correct him more effectively, making sure your correction does not inadvertently give him what he wants.

Secondly, don’t treat this as a steering problem and don’t ever hold your horse in a speed or direction. Treat it for what it is, a disobedience problem. Instead of just cueing or steering the horse back to where you asked him to go, scold him for being willingly disobedient. Allow your horse to make the mistake (instead of holding him or preventing it), then correct him when he does. Let him know that you disapprove—often this can be accomplished simply with your voice.

Horses will work hard for your approval, but only if he is occasionally admonished. You should have clear expectations of your horse (go on the path I dictate, at the speed I chose), and never be afraid to let him know when he falls short of your expectations. How much pressure your scolding will require depends on the horse and how egregious his discrepancy—it may be as benign as a harsh word or as sharp as a tap with a crop or spank of the reins.

Finally, scientific research has shown that it is far more effective to use “replacement training” to change a horse’s behavior. Replacing one behavior (an undesirable one) with another more desirable behavior, is far more effective than trying to distinguish the undesirable behavior through punishment. Once you understand your horse’s disobedience and his motivation, it will be easier to know how to replace that behavior with a better one.

For instance, if my horse is coming off the rail, trying to get into the middle of the arena, I will place him on the rail on a clear straight line, then lay my hands on his neck to neutralize the reins (and make sure I am not inadvertently holding him on the path). At the first moment my horse makes a move toward the middle (on the first step), I will sharply pick up the outside rein and turn the horse right into the fence (away from his objective) and proceed on the rail in the opposite direction. After a few times of this—the horse steps off the path and I turn him abruptly into the fence (opposite direction of where he wants to go), every time my horse starts to take a step into the middle, he will immediately think about turning into the fence and he will get prepared for that by taking a step toward the rail. Now every time he thinks about coming into the middle, he takes a step toward the rail. Replacement training is highly effective with horses and it works fast.

Once you understand your horse’s subtle disobediences and the motivations behind his behavior, it’s far easier for you to call him out on it. In many instances, just having that awareness (and letting your horse know you know) is enough to resolve it. Knowing your horse’s motivations in the undesirable behavior will help you devise an effective replacement—if your horse wants to turn right, you’ll turn left; if he wants to get away from something, you’ll turn toward it; if he is trying to get toward something you’ll turn away from it.

Don’t be complicit in your horse’s disobedience by holding him on a path or holding him in a speed. Never be afraid to let your horse make a mistake—it is through correction of the mistake that he learns. When you try to prevent the mistake, he doesn’t learn anything, and you end up in a codependent relationship with your horse. Instead, be aware of your horse’s intentions and recognize the moment he becomes disobedient to your aids. Soon, you will have a well-behaved horse who is responsible for and accountable for, his own behavior.

Enjoy the ride,

Julie Goodnight

Trainer and Clinician

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/ride-yourself-out-of-rough-spots-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2018-06-25T12:40:00-04:002018-06-25T12:44:44-04:00Ride Yourself Out of Rough Spots- Guest Post by Julie GoodnightJenny Beverage

Think Forward: Ride Yourself Out of Rough Spots

When was the last time you felt a lack of control while riding your horse, even if only for a moment? Was he spooked? Did your horse freak out because the other horses took off? During a tantrum your horse threw about leaving his herd mate?

In the moment of panic—let’s say right after your horse spooked at a rabbit—most riders grab the reins and clench hard when they first feel a lack of control. Often, they fail to shorten the reins first, so the reins are too long, causing the rider to lean back, hands flailing and out of balance too. With white knuckles the rider clenches on the reins (inadvertently clenching with her legs too), as the horse dives into the bit, stiffening his neck, leaning on the rider. This scenario rarely pans out well for the rider.

Let’s look at this same scenario from the horse’s point of view (hPOV). I was going down the trail just fine, as commanded by my rider; I was obedient, my head down, no pressure on my mouth, and I was eating up the ground like a good trail horse. Out of nowhere, that evil rabbit jumps right at me! OMG! It coulda been a mountain lion! Suddenly my rider screams and grabs the reins, jerks my mouth, ouch! Now she’s scared, I’m scared and my mouth hurts! Rider keeps pulling even after I stopped, wrapping that jointed bit right around my tongue and jaw. Double ouch! I stiffen the muscles on both sides of my neck and lean on the bit to protect my mouth. Panicked, I do what I do best—run for home, running toward safety as if that bit wasn’t there.

There’s no doubt that being out of control on a fractious horse is a terrible feeling and the tendency to stop is huge. But with horses being flight animals, it usually works better to keep them moving, ride proactively and re-establish control through purposeful movement. Horses are also comfort animals, so rest (after hard work) becomes a huge reward. One of the oldest wisdoms of horsemanship (thousands of years old) is, “Forward motion is the basis of all training.” Without willing, free and forward movement, the horse cannot be trained.

Horses respond well to confidant authority. Horses are animals that are habitual in their behavior and remember their training, even though at times they may need a little reminder. Being a proactive, confident rider is what your horse needs and wants. If you are rider that tends to panic when you feel a loss of control, there’s a dynamic between you and your horse that needs to change—and you are the only one capable of introducing that change.

Here are my best three tips for how to become the confidant, proactive rider your horse needs.

#1 Stay present in the moment. Don’t allow your mind to shut down in panic; be observant of your surroundings (it’s your job as the leader, you know). Don’t start shutting down, grabbing the reins and thinking about all the things that could go wrong or have gone wrong before. Be aware of your horse and what he needs from you—it’s not his job to make you feel safe; it’s your job to make him feel secure. Take a deep breath (and many more). Keep your eyes active and aware, taking in information in your environment. Relax the reins. Ride the horse beneath—you not the one in your head. Don’t read things into the situation that aren’t there. Allow your horse to calm down; don’t’ keep him in an anxious state just because you’re anxious. Remember, he can calm down and become obedient just as quickly as he spooked, so let him.

#2 Think and ride through the situation, like you know how to do. Immediately start asking your horse to go somewhere and do something—trot, turn right, turn left– preferably using up some oxygen as you do (think working trot). It’s what your horse knows how to do (stop, go and turn) and it will get his mind back in the game faster. As soon as you start asking him to go somewhere, doing what he knows how to do, he feels a since of normalcy and starts relaxing. That’s your cue to relax and soften the reins, sit back and take a deep breath. Controlling forward movement is much easier than trying to staunch it. Moving forward relaxes a frightened horse and then, letting him stop and rest when he relaxes, rewards his relaxation and compliance. It’s a win-win.

#3 Ride with a destination in mind. Be purposeful—look where you are going and ride with determination. One of the first things that happens when a rider panics is that she looks down and loses all focus as her mind shuts down and she stops riding. Horses are masters at determining your level of determination and intent—they can see it or feel it in your body language and posture. When the rider shuts down, the horse learns he can do whatever he wants. Always look far past where you plan to go and ride like you have a plan; Look about 10 seconds ahead of your horse, seeing your specific route and focus on a destination. Your horse will feel your intent and respond accordingly. Don’t compromise; accept nothing less than 100% compliance. Once you have asked a horse to do something, you must follow through on the request. If you start a turn and then abandon that request because your horse didn’t respond, you just trained him to ignore your request to turn.

When you become a more proactive and confidant rider, the hPOV will change drastically:

I’m going down the trail like a good horse, the reins are slack, my head is down, and my rider is happy and I feel good. That evil rabbit jumped at me and I freaked at first, but right away, my rider rubbed my neck told me I was okay and she went right back to riding like nothing ever happened; I took a deep breath and we rode off toward something more important than that silly little rabbit. I feel safe with my human, she’s clearly in control of the entire universe and I know she will take diligent care of me; I’m just along for the ride.

Remember, all riders have moments of doubt, nerves or uncertainty. Riding a thousand-pound flight animal is no little thing. But it’s important to keep in mind that there is a living, breathing, thinking animal underneath you, who is going to respond to your actions, for better or for worse. Learning to keep your mind engaged and present in the moment—thinking through the situation and riding purposefully—will get you out of most sticky spots with your horse.

Enjoy the ride,

Julie Goodnight

Trainer and Clinician

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/horses-give-more-then-they-get-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2018-06-25T12:35:00-04:002018-06-25T12:40:46-04:00Horses give more then they get- Guest Post by Julie GoodnightJenny Beverage

Julie Goodnight takes on topics you want to know more about in her online training library—part of her ever-expanding Horse Master Academy ( JulieGoodnight.com/Academy ) now with a free access membership to help you search for many training articles, videos and more!

For more thoughts from Julie, watch Horse Master with Julie Goodnight each week on RFD-TV or catch the show online anytime at JulieGoodnight.com/Academy . Find more videos at YouTube.com/juliegoodnight and follow her on Instagram at Instagram.com/juliegoodnight . Check out her full list of clinics and events at: JulieGoodnight.com/calendar .

When you own horses, and especially if you keep them at home, sometimes it seems like your whole life revolves around doing their bidding—food service, housekeeping, valet service, maintenance. Most people who dream of bringing their horses home (after boarding them forever) are stunned to discover they have even less time to ride. Why? Because of all the other chores that need doing! But as much as we like to complain, it’s been my observation that horses do far more for us and our essential well-being, tan we could ever do for them.

Recently, I sat down to make a list of some of the valuable life lessons that horses have taught me in my lifetime and the list is weighty. It’s a good list for me to check in with every now and then, to remind myself of the lessons and to use as evidence for why parents should not just allow, but encourage their children’s interest in horses. From horses, I have learned to live in the moment, to have a keen awareness of myself and others, to develop my leadership skills, to be very disciplined in my life and have high expectations.

Horse Time Vs. Human Time

Horses are always present in the moment; humans, not so much. People tend to dwell in the past and think about the future but are often not present in the moment. We spend so much time thinking about what happened to us before and what is going to happen next, that we often miss the importance of the moment and fail to respond. I see this on a regular basis in my horsemanship clinics, when riders are afraid or having trouble controlling a horse—the memory of what happened before pollutes the mind and the riders are so busy thinking about what may happen later, that they miss important signs from their horses or freeze up on the horse instead of just riding through the situation.

Horses don’t think in the past or the future, only in the now. From horses I have learned this important lesson. As a professional horse trainer, I had to learn this skill early on—to trust the horse, to be present in the moment, to hear his concerns and to ride through the rough spots. Life is much more enjoyable and productive when I am present in the moment.

Time has no meaning to horses. After decades of training horses, I know with certainty that slower is faster when training horses. Even in this day and age of horse training contests that focus on speed of training-- be it a few hours, a few weeks or a few months, most professional trainers agree that slower is always faster with horses. The more time I take, the more I break each step down into its smallest component, the slower I move around my horse-- so that I see the instant my horse first responds and give him the best release, the more patience I have to allow the horse to think and decide for himself, the faster he learns and the more solid his foundation of training. When a situation gets tough on a horse, I want to be able to rely on my horse’s solid foundation, the seamless communication we have developed through time and consistency, and the strong trust he has built in me.

Awareness

Being a prey animal and a flight animal, a horse’s awareness of his environment is keen. Being animals that communicate primarily with gestures and postures, they can read other animals—including humans—with accuracy and speed. Horses are also biologically wired to be aware of and mimic the emotions of the animals around them. To be effective with horses and for horses to be comfortable around me, I learned at an early age to be aware of my body language and to use it to convey the right message to the horse—one of strength, calmness and confidence.

Because horses are quite emotional animals, having more or less the same emotions as humans (except perhaps more honest and less complicated), I’ve learned to be honest with myself about the emotions I feel, to be aware-of and in-control-of my emotions at all times around a horse. If I l let my emotions take control of my thoughts and my posture, things devolve quickly. When I remain positive in my thoughts (mind) and confident in my posture (body), my emotion is good (spirit).

Because horses mirror and mimic the emotions of the animals around them, when the rider (or handler) is frustrated, the horse is frustrated; anger is met with anger (and trust me, you don’t want to fight with a horse, if you can help it); fear causes fear; and trust leads to trust. If a human’s emotions are out of control, things generally don’t go well when they are dealing with a horse. But then again, the same can be said of life in general. From horses, I have learned to be true to others and honest with myself about my emotions, and not let negative emotions take control of my body and mind.

Leadership

To a horse, his very survival depends on being accepted into a herd with a strong, fair and competent leader. It’s one of his strongest instinctive drives—to be with the herd. Horses always recognize a strong leader, apparently much better than us humans do. Horses crave strong leadership and are drawn to it like a magnet. Hierarchy is linear, with one horse at the top. There is never a void of leadership in a horse herd; when a leader falls down on the job, another horse will immediately assume the leadership role.

Even as a young, shy, introverted child, I was able to develop strong leadership skills from being with horses; these skills have served me well in my lifetime and not only with horses. This is not a lesson that comes easily or naturally to some people and the relationship with their horse will always reflect their leadership ability—for better or worse.

To get very far with horses, you must learn to accept accountability for your own actions. In every clinic I teach, I hear people say things like, “my horse has a problem with [fill in the blank—spooking, running away, standing still, lead changes, etc.],” when the problem very clearly lies in the rider’s own deficiency. The sooner the rider accepts that the horse’s performance problem is actually her own, the faster the performance of the horse improves. Like any good leader, when her followers struggle, she must step-up and take responsibility.

A leader has the responsibility to keep her charges safe and to make good judgments. Always. This is all your horse wants from you. If you make a decision, intentionally or not, that results in your horse getting hurt or feeling unsafe, you have fallen on your responsibilities as the leader and eroded the trust he placed in you.

I’ve had many truly alpha horses in my life—their beauty, intelligence and strength of character enthrall me—and from them, I have had the best examples of leadership from which to learn. From them, I have honed my own leadership skills and forged incredible partnerships with some very dominant horses. The power of horses to make us better people is unlimited.

Discipline and Authority

Discipline simply means training individuals to follow rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience. Most people I know are law abiding citizens, willing to obey the laws of our society because it’s the right thing to do and because it is a pact amongst us that insures we have a peaceful and safe existence. While the threat of punishment may be required for some people to obey the law, for most of us, the punishment is not something we’ll ever experience and we voluntarily and willingly comply. We have high expectations of ourselves and others and we strive to teach our children to be law abiding and productive citizens.

With horses, I think of discipline using punishment more in terms of teaching a horse what NOT to do, like bite. An undisciplined horse is not only unpleasant to be around but it is also unsafe. A horse that bites, slams you with its head, shoulders into you and runs over the top of you is untenable and entirely unnecessary. It’s incredibly easy to teach a horse to have good manners and follow a code of behavior. Unless a horse has been taught to be an outlaw or has been taught to disregard rules and authority, they are generally willing and happy to follow a code of behavior and punishment is rarely needed. When a horse owner has no rules, no expectations or code of behavior for their horses, the result is a  dangerous horse, that will require discipline and punishment to retro-actively teach him proper rules of behavior. But let me be clear, this is not the fault of the horse that he has become a criminal; it is the fault of the owner/handler for not imposing rules, order and discipline.

While "discipline" may have a negative meaning to some, being "disciplined" generally has a positive connotation. Being disciplined means having a controlled form behavior or way of working. In my personal life, I strive to be more disciplined in all things—I work out daily, watch what I eat, strive to improve my work habits and productivity, try to better myself and be a better person to others.

A disciplined horse is an amazing animal to be around and to have as a partner. Horses crave rules and structure; they are animals that seek out acceptance into a herd because of the safety, comfort and order the herd represents. For these reasons, it’s incredibly easy to teach a horse to follow a code of behavior, to work hard to be accepted and to respect authority. I have learned to have high expectations of my horses and even higher expectations of myself.

Just the other day, I met a woman whose young daughter was starting to take riding lessons—even though they were a decidedly non-horsey family. (The idea was being promoted by and facilitated by her grandmother.) Knowing I was a horse professional, she started the conversation by saying, “Even though we’ll never lease or buy a horse….” What followed from me was desperate attempt to make her see the incredible value that horses would bring to her daughter’s life. Far beyond the fun she will have riding a horse, her daughter will learn to focus on the present moment, to have a keen awareness of herself and those around her, to be disciplined, and to have high expectations of herself and others.

I have spent half a century with horses, and I’ve learned a lot. Yet the older I get, the more in awe of horses I become—and the more important the life lessons that I learn.

Enjoy the ride,

Julie Goodnight

Trainer and Clinician

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/whatthehelmet-adapt-and-overcome-to-be-a-champion2018-06-11T15:15:00-04:002023-11-15T10:59:14-05:00#WhatTheHelmet Adapt and Overcome to be a ChampionJenny BeverageMore

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There are many things that can happen in life, both good and bad, but how we handle all life throws at us shapes who we are.  When we step up on our horse for a practice run or performance, none of us want to think that something bad is going to happen.  We are visualizing the perfect run and are focused on the task at hand.  Even with our intense desire for everything we have worked for to go right every time…it just doesn’t!  Life in general is full of a lot of variables but when we add horses, cattle, tack and questionable arena footing to the mix, we end up with several factors that are ultimately out of our control.  It’s up to each of us to adapt and rise above any challenge that comes our way to make the best ride we can, given the circumstances.  Sometimes this involves making a decision to better prepare and protect yourself and your horse from injury.

World Champion Barrel Racer Fallon Taylor did just that by adding a helmet to her gear after a terrible accident on a young horse that left her with a broken neck several years ago.  Fallon sustained a four-place skull fracture, broke numerous facial bones and broke her C-2 vertebrae—the same injury that paralyzed late actor Christopher Reeve—from the accident. While she’s made a complete recovery, Fallon still suffers from migraines and short-term memory loss and has had to make adjustments to continue her riding career, including wearing a riding helmet. “After having my head shaved and four screws [inserted] into my skull, I quickly realized that I would look cooler in a helmet than I did leaving the hospital!” said Fallon.   “The outpouring of support has been amazing!  I constantly hear from fans that they were afraid to wear a helmet for fear of being judged by their peers and that I inspired them to change.”

Fallon made the decision to rise above and adapt after life threw her a big challenge. She later became a WPRCA World Champion Barrel Racer and turned this positive life event into her worldwide stage.  She has taken what life threw at her, owned it and then turned it into her legacy.  We all have the same power to create our own legacy and live up to our full potential.  Just as Fallon continues to lead the way in breaking the stigma of wearing a helmet in professional rodeo, we all have the chance to do the same in our life.  It doesn’t have to be a big change or ground breaking position, as long as it’s an adaption that will help to get you or your team to its next goal.   As we all take in life’s ups and downs, remember it’s how we handle them that shapes us into the people and competitors we are every day in life.

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/trail-ride-survival-guide2018-04-18T11:04:00-04:002023-11-15T10:55:43-05:00Trail Ride Survival GuideJenny BeverageMore

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Even if you haven’t had a big wreck with your horse, you’ve imagined what can happen out on the trail. You’ve felt your stomach tie in knots as you headed up a steep hill, passed through deep water, came upon wildlife or bikers or worse, seen a friend slip or fall with their horse. Those moments of fear aren’t bad and shouldn’t be dismissed says Julie Goodnight natural horsemanship trainer and host of Horse Master with Julie Goodnight. “Fear is a natural response,” she says. “It can keep you alive. With horses, it’s always important to think ‘what is the worst-case scenario?’ If you know what can happen, you can make plans to avoid it.”

Prepping for a trail ride is no different and there are some things we can do before our ride to be better prepared if something challenging happens.   A simple check list before you head out is a great way to be more prepared for an unexpected event.

Before You Head Out on a Trail Ride:

1. Leave word with someone where you are going and when you will return
2. Slather on the sun screen and insect repellent (make sure your horse is comfortable too)
3. Put your cell phone, pocket knife, a protein bar, and card with your name, emergency contacts and any medical information that first responders may need on your person (not on your horse, which you may become separated from)
4. Buckle-up with an ASTM/SEI certified equestrian helmet
5. Attach some form of ID on your horse with your contact information (a luggage tag or dog tag works great)
6. Look over your tack and horse one last time before mounting up

Now if you’ve read through this list and think “that makes sense BUT…..I have a safe, well-trained horse and don’t need to add a helmet to my trail gear”, Goodnight lends this wisdom, “You’re in an uncontrolled environment with unmanaged footing. Even the best-trained horse isn’t guaranteed not to slip or fall. Where I trail ride, there’s more of a chance that your head would hit a rock if you do fall off on the trail. It just isn’t worth the risk.” Adding a helmet to your trail gear is an effective way to prevent a severe head injury or death and Troxel has a lot of really great helmet options available to trail riders.

A recent study by the journal Neurological Focus found that horseback riding is the leading cause of sport-related traumatic brain injuries, ahead of football, rugby, and skiing…let that sink in.  Additionally, an estimated 70,000 people are treated in emergency rooms because of horse related injuries every year.

Our brain is one body part that is not easily fixed if damaged! ASTM/SEI certified equestrian helmets provide a highly effective means of absorbing much of the impact with the ground or objects such as a rock or a horse’s hoof.  Helmets are certified for their ability to absorb energy, cover your skull and stay properly in place during a fall. Cowboys in the past were paid to spend their days in the saddle and evolved much of their gear to protect themselves and their longevity by wearing gloves, bandanas, chaps, and using tapaderos.  We can do the same by adding helmets to our trail riding gear.

Troxel has worked tirelessly over the past decade to create several western style helmets with visors that offer sun protection, large vents to increase air circulation and various materials and graphics on helmets to make them more appealing to trail riders.  Troxel also has many different types of fit and comfort systems all packaged in a lightweight and comfortable helmet for long hours in the saddle.  You can find a Troxel retailer or browse trail riding helmet styles at www.troxelhelmets.com

Ultimately wearing a helmet is a personal choice but it can be the most important piece of your trail riding gear.  Also, remember when you’re back from your ride—call your friend, spouse or kids to check in and let them know you made it back safe and sound.

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/whatthehelmet2018-04-18T11:01:00-04:002023-11-15T10:57:40-05:00#WhatTheHelmet How it All Began!Jenny BeverageMore

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It’s been over three years now since Fallon Taylor stormed into the Thomas and Mack Arena at the WNFR in Las Vegas wearing a helmet.  #WhatTheHelmet was born and Fallon Taylor made WNFR history by winning the 2014 Barrel Racing World Championship, all while wearing a helmet.  Although helmets are not commonplace yet at most rodeos or western riding events, more riders are making the choice to buckle-up before they mount up.

Most bull riders are protecting themselves with helmets during their rides and more equestrians who also appreciate the western lifestyle are following suit.  “When you ride a bike, motorcycle, go snowboarding or do other wild things, people don’t look at you like you are crazy for wearing a helmet.  We ride 1200 pound animals on hard ground…..think about it, it doesn’t seem all that crazy to wear one!” exclaims Taylor. “Trading your cowboy hat for a helmet while you’re on your horse doesn’t make you any less of a cowboy or cowgirl” and Taylor has helped to pave the way for others in her sport to proudly wear a helmet.

So #WhatTheHelmet why isn’t everyone wearing one?  Deciding to wear a helmet is a personal choice. We all understand the risks surrounding riding horses.  We also understand that, for the most part, helmets are effective at preventing death and debilitating head injuries.  But change isn’t easy and traditions die hard.

A recent study by the journal, Neurological Focus found that horseback riding is the leading cause of sport-related traumatic brain injuries, before football, rugby, and skiing. Additionally, an estimated 70,000 people are treated in emergency rooms because of equestrian related injuries every year.

Fallon Taylor and Troxel Helmets, the world's leading provider of ASTM / SEI certified equestrian helmets, have been helping to break the misconceptions and stigma around wearing helmets while riding western.  The trend toward helmet use is continuing to grow and when you decide to try one for yourself there are various styles, fits and price ranges to choose from.

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/magic-and-mystic-clinics-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2018-02-28T11:46:00-05:002023-11-15T10:57:46-05:00Magic and Mystic Clinics-Guest post by Julie GoodnightJenny BeverageMore

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Julie Goodnight takes on topics you want to know more about in her online training library—part of her ever-expanding Horse Master Academy ( http://signin.JulieGoodnight.com ) now with a free access membership to help you search for many training articles, videos and MP3s!

For more thoughts from Julie, watch her Horse Master TV show each week on RFD-TV or catch the show online anytime at TV.JulieGoodnight.com and please subscribe to the free YouTube channel at http://YouTube.com/juliegoodnight and find her on Instagram at http://www.Instagram.com/juliegoodnight . Check out her full list of clinics and appearances at: JulieGoodnight.com/calendar Julie talks more about clinics and what to expect and how to prepare.

For some, attending a horsemanship clinic with a particular clinician, is a bucket-list item that they work toward for years. For others, attending horsemanship clinics with teachers who are leaders in the field is a way to further their careers and boost their horsemanship. And then there are the “clinic junkies,” who spend a good portion of every riding season trying to bag as many clinics as they can. (One summer, my husband attended eight different clinics! He also won a year-end award for most-improved in the ranch horse association, so it paid off!)

In theory, attending a horsemanship clinic—either as a rider or spectator—should be an inspiring, motivating and fulfilling event.

It's a time to observe, explore innovative ideas, and immerse yourself in your passion; an opportunity to learn from a renowned professional, expand your horsemanship and grow as a rider. Sadly, not everyone has a blissful experience at a clinic. Choosing the right clinician, getting organized ahead of time and preparing yourself and your horse will set you up for success.

I’ve been teaching horsemanship clinics for a couple decades now, but I certainly didn’t start my career as a clinician.

I first started teaching riding lessons when I was 16, assisting at a small boarding and lesson farm in Florida. My introduction to group riding lessons came a couple years later when I taught for two summers at a youth camp—two of us taught five 1-hour lessons, 40-50 students a day, six days a week, all summer long. By the time I was 19, I was quite proficient at keeping order and managing traffic flow in an arena full of horses and riders. Little did I know then, I would draw on this experience 20 years later.

Although my passion for horses had more to do with studying behavior and science-based training techniques, I realized something important early on in my career. I could be the best horse trainer in the world, but it wouldn’t matter if I couldn’t teach the rider or handler to have the same success with the horse. So, as I honed my knowledge and training skills, I also had to hone my teaching and communication skills. After all, horses don’t pay the bills—people do.

Like most "horsemanship clinicians," I spent years—decades, really—teaching individuals and small groups and developing my skills as a horse trainer before I started teaching clinics. I stopped teaching lessons to individuals more than a decade ago, and for the past 15 years I’ve been teaching horsemanship clinics from coast to coast and abroad.

Through my work with the Certified Horsemanship Association, I am still actively involved with educating and certifying riding instructors, but conducting horsemanship clinics now is my main gig.

How is a Clinic Different from a Lesson?

Clinics are typically taught by someone who is an expert in a particular area of horsemanship, with the experience and depth of knowledge to manage any situation. They are usually taught by someone with a higher level of expertise and/or contains content you would not normally get in a riding lesson. Horsemanship clinics are limited in availability and may require you to travel with your horse. They tend to be costlier in time and money than lessons, but for a great clinic it’s money well spent!

Not only will a horsemanship clinic connect you to a higher level of training or expertise, it is an opportunity to get an objective evaluation-- of your riding, of your horse’s training, your tack, your goals-- from a professional who has a broad perspective from working with hundreds or thousands of horses and riders, and who has no preconceived notions about you and your horse. Sometimes these objective and experienced eyes will pick up on things that you haven’t, offer innovative ideas or remove roadblocks.

The format for horsemanship clinics can vary a lot, depending on the riding activities and the clinician.

They may be discipline-specific (dressage, jumping, cutting, barrel racing, trick training) or more general in nature (groundwork, riding, colt-starting). Most of my clinics are general horsemanship, which means we address everything from groundwork, to leadership skills, to riding skills, to improving the performance of the horse in any discipline.

Some horsemanship clinics will be taught like a series of private lessons that are given in front of an audience, over a PA system. Dressage clinics are usually that way—the clinician works with the riders one at a time, one after the other, and others pay to watch, observe and learn. The one-on-one attention is less pressure than riding in a large group of unknown horses, but the rider is under a microscope from the clinician and audience. The number of riders that can be addressed in one day is also very limited.

Other clinic formats will have all the riders in the arena at the same time, with the groups as large as 10-20 riders. Performing in a large group in front of an audience brings unique challenges for both the horse and rider. It also has the potential to greatly expand the training and confidence of both horse and rider. Inexperienced horses can be overwhelmed at first—excited by all the unknown horses, and nervous in a new setting.

It’s the role of the clinician to help the horses settle in and teach the riders how to cope. It’s an excellent experience for a young or green horse and should advance their training significantly.

Another unique quality of a horsemanship clinic versus a riding lesson is that there are usually auditors—spectators who have paid to observe the clinician as she/he works with the horses and riders. This can be nerve-wracking for the riders (and for the horses when the spectators laugh, applaud or open an umbrella), but is an excellent and cheap source of information for the spectator.

Auditing horsemanship clinics is an excellent source of continuing education for riding instructors and horse trainers, because it allows you to observe all the different horses and see how the clinician adjusts the techniques to the specific needs of the student.

Finding the Right Clinic

Before signing up for any clinic, you should already have an idea of your purpose, your goals and what you hope to achieve. Is it to gain experience for a young horse, to get continuing education as a professional, to upgrade your performance, to build a better relationship with your horse, or to have a fun time with friends and horses?

Narrowing down the clinician you hope to work with, the discipline you want to focus on and the budget and time frame you must work within will help you sort through the options as you research the opportunities available in your area.

It’s possible you’ll have to travel a significant way to reach an in-demand clinician, so you’ll have to consider cost and travel logistics. To a degree, supply and demand will dictate the cost of the clinic. Popular clinicians usually come with a higher price tag—and their clinics may be hard to get into because of the high demand. On the other hand, last-minute cancellations can result in a discounted spot. Or, up-and-coming trainers may offer great deals on clinics—just because they aren’t a household name doesn’t mean they aren’t a fabulous trainer and teacher.

If your goals are competitive or focused on a single discipline (like jumping or cutting), narrowing down your options by networking through breed and discipline associations will be easy. Competition-focused clinics are more available, and tend to be more widely promoted.

If you are hoping to attend a clinic for more general reasons—to advance your horse’s training, to improve your riding, to gain confidence—you may have to do more research to find the right clinic for you and your horse.

Beyond expertise and notoriety, the clinician should have other qualities that compel you. Ask around to discover the “word of mouth” reputation of the clinician, preferably from someone who has ridden in one of their clinics. Is the clinician hard-core and driven, supportive and friendly, slow-paced or fast-paced, humble or egotistical, easy to understand or cryptic, witty or dry?

Try to find a clinician whose personality and style of teaching meshes well with yours. If you are a hard-driven competitive rider, you may love the intensity of a high-pressure clinic. If you are timid, inexperienced (you or your horse) or lacking confidence, a demanding clinician may not be an appropriate choice.

Preparation of Horse and Rider

To get the most from a horsemanship clinic, you’ll need to be organized well in advance and have plenty of time to prepare your horse mentally and physically for the experience—it may require up to 6 months to a year of planning. Travelling with your horse—sometimes across state lines—on a multi-day excursion is no small task. For your horse it means sleeping in a strange stall, and being required to perform new skills in a cavernous arena surrounded by strange horses.

Larger horsemanship clinics can offer excellent “seasoning” opportunities for young horses, and a great bonding experience and sense of achievement for a horse and rider.

Often people arriving at a clinic for the first time with their horse are surprised that the horse is excited/nervous/exuberant/misbehaving/downright disobedient; often shocked because the horse “never acts that way at home.” A horse’s ability to function perfectly at home—with familiar horses and people—sometimes has little or nothing to do with their behavior in an unfamiliar setting.

It pays to make a few smaller trips with your horse ahead of time to give him a little taste of “life on the road.”

I am never concerned about horses having emotional meltdowns at the beginning of my clinics—to me it is a great “teachable moment.” I relish the opportunity to make a horse feel better about his situation—to educate that horse, bring him into a compliant and contented frame of mind and show the owner what the horse needs. This can happen really fast in a clinic under the right tutelage, and we see some dramatic changes in horses.

Make sure your horse has the appropriate level of training for the program being offered—be that high or low. Just as it would be unfair to bring a barely-broke 2-year-old to a high-level dressage clinic, or an 18-year-old trail horse to a stadium jumping clinic, it would be inappropriate to bring a world champion reining horse to ride in a colt-starting clinic.

Many horsemanship clinics offer novice and advanced levels; keep in mind it is both the horse and rider’s ability that must be considered.

Both the horse and rider should also be prepared for the physical demands of the clinic. Depending on the type of clinic that you attend, you and your horse may be under-saddle for longer periods than you normally ride. It’s unfair to your horse to go from little or no riding to 5-6 hours in the arena for two or more days in a row.

If you sign up six months ahead of time, even just riding twice a week is enough to get you and your horse prepared. Showing up at a clinic having not ridden much in preparation might be a waste of money (if the horse gets sore or the rider cannot continue), and could be a recipe for failure.

A horsemanship clinic with your horse can be an incredible experience that will boost your horsemanship, your sense of achievement and your confidence. It should leave you with a renewed passion, eager to get home and try all the new techniques you learned. If you choose the right clinic for you and your horse, plan ahead, get organized, and prepare, you and your horse will both be set up for success!

Enjoy the ride,

Julie Goodnight

Trainer and Clinician

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/get-out-what-you-put-in-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2018-02-28T11:46:00-05:002023-11-15T10:57:46-05:00Get Out What You Put In-Guest post by Julie GoodnightChristine LeeMore

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Horsemanship clinics are intensive training opportunities, usually with an expert from another area. As a horsemanship clinician, I generally work with riders and horses I’ve never met, and usually on a one-time basis.

There are both pros and cons of working with horses and their owners only once. The obvious benefit is that I have no preconceived notions about horse or rider; I just see, evaluate, and work with the horse/rider in front of me to improve them both. Seeing everything with a fresh, objective pair of eyes often sheds new light on the subject. The downside for me is that I don’t get to see the long-range improvements made by the horse and rider, or know how the clinic impacted them.

Getting follow-up letters from clinic participants means a lot to me.

Of course, I love hearing how the clinic impacted their horsemanship, but even more valuable to me is hearing what was most beneficial to the participant. What were the best nuggets you got from the clinic? What really clicked with you and your horse?

Hearing these things from the participant’s point of view helps me improve my teaching skills and helps me know what helped them the most. For the clinic participant, putting it in writing helps her solidify what she learned and remember it for a long time.

This is a recent follow-up letter I received from a clinic participant…

Dear Julie,

I just wanted to say thanks again for doing your clinic in Colorado! Not only did I benefit, but my husband’s understanding of horses and horsemanship moved Light Years Ahead!!! You have been blessed with an incredible talent for teaching! You always find a way to explain things that others have made so complicated!!!

I wanted to let you know that when I rode my horse today I immediately put the following principles [that I learned at the clinic] to work:

Groundwork (esp. not getting ahead of my hand) Head down in the closet

Lunging and when he backed up because he didn't want to go clockwise, we just kept backing- twice around the ring!!! Finally, he got it!

The first 10 minutes of Golden Moments

Slow, easy figure 8s to relax him in the ring.

Keeping him between my legs--in the tunnel

I made a list of what I wanted to work on and what the discipline would be so that I would not hesitate to think about it. This has helped me SO VERY MUCH!!!

Thank You Julie,

Barb

Some of these things would make more sense if you had been at the clinic, but most of them are topics I cover in every clinic I do. Still, it’s good to know how people benefitted. Some stuff on her list—like “riding through the tunnel” (about using your natural aids effectively)—I only cover on certain occasions when I am in the mood to wax poetic. With a follow-up comment like Barb's, I am much more likely to teach this in more clinics!

Every horse and human arrive at the clinic with varying levels of riding, training and confidence behind them. It is my job as the clinician to adapt to the level of each horse and each person, be it high or low. My goal for each horse/rider/handler is to meet them where they are currently, and take them to the “next level,” whatever that looks like for that individual.

While Barb lists quite a few of the things she worked on at the clinic, there was a lot more content in the clinic than what appears on her list—these are simply the things that resonated with Barb and impacted her horse (and her horsemanship) the most. If every rider made their own list, we’d see a lot of variety!

You get out of a clinic what you are ready to learn. I am passionate about teaching horsemanship and training horses. I give as much of myself as I can at a clinic because I love helping horses. But I could give of myself even more—be the best teacher ever—and still, what the rider takes away from the clinic depends on what she puts into it.

If you go to a horsemanship clinic thinking someone else is going to do the challenging work for you—that the clinician is going to simply lay hands on your horse and miraculously cure him of his ills—you probably won’t get much out of the clinic. On the other hand, if you come to the clinic like a sponge—eager to soak up as much information as you can and open to trying new techniques—you will come home with your head swimming in new knowledge and the enthusiasm to get to the barn to work on it!

Write down what resonates with you. In making this list, Barb not only seated this new knowledge in her brain, she also sparked her enthusiasm and was motivated to do more with her horse. By sending this list to me, it both sealed Barb’s commitment to her horse and helped me grow as a clinician—to know what was most useful to my student and what caused the greatest change in the horse. For that, I am grateful.

I always encourage clinic participants to write down every meaningful thing they learn at a clinic. Why? No matter how valuable the information seemed at the time, you’ll forget it if you don’t write it down.

For myself, I always take a little pocket notebook when I ride in a clinic. Whenever it strikes me, I whip out the notebook and write the thought down. I have a whole box full of little butt-shaped notebooks with hundreds of gems of wisdom from every clinic I’ve ever taken. Occasionally I thumb through them and I get to learn the things I’ve forgotten all over again!

Auditing a clinic is also a valuable way to learn. It’s interesting to watch all the horses in the clinic, to see what the clinician sees, and to see how different horses (and handlers/riders) react and respond.

It’s extremely valuable to watch other people ride and do groundwork. You often see the mistakes another person makes before you see it in yourself. Often people watching the clinic relate when they see a mistake and say, “That’s exactly what I do!”

Come prepared—not perfect. Like any type of schooling or training, you only get out of it what you put into it. Occasionally, a rider comes to a clinic without having ridden her horse in a long time, and consequently, afraid to ride at the clinic. I often get the feeling that they thought signing up for the clinic would motivate them to ride more in preparation. Instead, procrastination kicks in, and before you know it the day of the clinic arrives and no preparation has occurred.

As the clinician, it’s still my job to help that horse and person as best I can—but if the student abdicates all responsibility for learning, there’s little I can do to help.

For others, registering well ahead of time for a horsemanship clinic gives them time to get in shape, set realistic goals and arrive at the clinic ready to soak it all in and soar right up to the next level of horsemanship. Registering for the clinic early forms a commitment of time and resources to the endeavor, and motivates the student to be prepared and eager for the opportunity.

Come ready to learn, and bring a pen. Whether you attend a horsemanship clinic as a spectator or a participant, arrive with an open mind, a positive attitude and a blank notebook to write in. Think out your goals and your questions ahead of time so you are armed and ready to get the most out of the clinic. At the end of the day, write down the significant things you learned, how you did it and why it worked.

After you get home, reflect on the experience for a few days. Make a plan—like Barb did—to utilize your newfound knowledge and for putting what you learned to work with your horse. You don’t have to share your follow-up plan with the clinician, but if it’s me, I hope you will!

I’d love to see you at one of my horsemanship clinics this year, and I promise to give you and your horse the best experience I can. For more information on my 2018 clinic tour and the fabulous Getaway Clinics I am doing in both Colorado and Ireland this year, visit JulieGoodnight.com/Clinics.

Enjoy the ride,

Julie Goodnight

Trainer and Clinician

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/riding-in-the-moment-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2017-12-05T15:23:00-05:002023-11-15T10:59:39-05:00Riding in the Moment- Guest post by Julie GoodnightChristine LeeMore

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Troxel Athlete and Horse Master Julie Goodnight is the popular RFD-TV host of Horse Master airing Monday nights. Goodnight travels the USA sharing her no-nonsense horsemanship training with riders of all disciplines. Goodnight has ridden in many different saddles -- she's experienced in dressage and jumping, racing, reining, cow horse, colt-starting, and wilderness riding. Goodnight grew up on the hunter-jumper circuits in Florida, but is now at home in the West. She and her husband, Rich Moorhead, live in the mountains in Salida, Colorado. Both love versatility ranch horse competitions and riding cow-horses.

For more thoughts from Julie, watch her Horse Master TV show each week on RFD-TV or catch the show online anytime at TV.JulieGoodnight.com and please subscribe to the free YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/juliegoodnight and find her on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/juliegoodnight. Check out her full list of clinics and appearances at: JulieGoodnight.com/calendar. Here Julie covers riding in the moment.

One thing horses are really good at is being present in the moment. People, not so much. We tend to carry baggage from the past and stress about the future, but not stay present with our horse in the moment. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could stay present and thinking in the moment and ride through any sticky situation with your horse?

Riding an unfamiliar horse, or riding in a new situation like a clinic or a big trail ride, or when riding a horse that was less-than-trustworthy in the past, are typical times when I see people lock up and shut down on their horses. When the rider shuts down, the horse’s behavior deteriorates under the pressure of a fearful, untrusting and clenching rider. It goes something like this...

The horse triggers an emotional response in the rider, then a chain reaction of events occurs between the rider and the horse, which results in gasping, clenching, hollowing and bracing on the part of both rider and horse. Pretty soon the rider has a death grip on the reins, pulling back and manually steering the horse’s nose every inch of the ride, instead of guiding direction and letting the horse move forward and do his job. Soon the horse is high headed and defiant; rooting the reins and starting to act like a bull in a china shop. Resistant behavior in horses tends to amp up fearful behavior in riders, leading to more clenching, gasping and hollowing. And the downward spiral continues.

Riding in the moment is not the same as having no fear. It requires the mental discipline to be aware of your surroundings, objectively reading your horse’s mood and responsiveness, trusting your horse to do his job but being prepared to react if he doesn’t. Riding the horse that is beneath you means that you are present in the moment with him, not thinking about what could go wrong or a past incident. It means responding to your horse with both praise and admonishment as needed, and giving him every opportunity to be a good horse, not doubting his every move.

Riding a thousand-pound flight animal certainly comes with risk; there’s nothing we can do to totally eliminate that but when all you think about is what can go wrong, it affects your riding in very negative ways. The horse becomes anxious and resistant, which generally increases the fear in the rider, creating a snowball effect. The keys to riding in the moment and riding through problems are to have awareness, to think through and ride through it, to have a deep and anchored seat and to be relaxed but prepared—with both physical and mental skills.

Prey and the Herd Mentality

It’s hard for us to remember, but horses are prey animals and they worry about their safety a lot. That’s one reason why they crave strong leadership and authority—it makes them feel safe. The leader of the herd is responsible for keeping the herd safe, leading them to food and water when it’s time and maintaining order in the herd. It’s only possible for your horse to think of you as the leader (and therefore be confident going anywhere with you) if you act this way—thinking through the problems and taking charge. When the rider is scared, dodgy, and unaware of things going on around her, it worries the horse.

Horses also have an incredibly strong herd instinct, known as gregarious behavior—they are instinctively drawn to the herd. Because horses are both prey and herd animals, they are hard-wired to adopt the emotions of the animals around them—when one horse in the herd startles, they all do. This emotionality carries over to people as well. When the rider gets fearful, the horse knows it and can’t help but feel anxious too. If the rider is constantly thinking about what can go wrong, the horse becomes suspicious and anxious too.

The horse looks to his rider to set the tone—be it relaxed or tense; confident or insecure; leader or follower. It would be unreasonable to say you should never to have any fear or anxiety; that’s impossible. But what is possible, is not to let that emotion creep into your body language and your actions and succumb to the paralysis it can cause. Having good mental discipline and an awareness of your posture, your body language, your eyes and your breathing, will help settle your horse and give him more confidence in you.

Presumptive Leadership

To be a strong and confident leader for your horse, you need to develop a presumptive quality in your demeanor—presume everything will go well, presume your horse will respond as he is trained to do, presume that your horse agrees you are the one in charge and that you have complete control. Horses really dig that kind of strong leadership.

Set a positive tone for the ride-- visualize the best outcome; keep your eyes engaged and ride with a destination in mind—be a proactive rider, not one that devolves into a clenching, gasping, red-faced mess. When things go awry, ride forward—go somewhere—take action—redirect your horse. Don’t pull back, clench the reins and try to stop the ride and get off.

When something scary happens on your ride, divert attention rather than focus on the scary thing. Perfect the art of shifting gears and doing something else, not stopping in paralysis. Riding forward is usually better than stopping since forward motion is the basis of all training. Since horses are flight animals, they generally respond better when they are moving than when forward motion is inhibited. When a horse is anxious, it’s generally easier to control the forward motion of the horse than it is to stop all motion and try and contain it.

Look around, find a destination and ride there. Ask the horse to move forward then direct that movement. Throw in some turns and changes of direction to establish even more control. Be a pro-active rider in times of stress, not a victim.

Be Prepared but Relaxed

When you have the riding skills and mental skills you need to control a horse in almost any situation, it will give you great confidence. This has a positive effect on your horse as well, because when you are confident in yourself, your horse feels more confident in you too. When you have confidence in yourself, your horse is far less likely to challenge your authority (see the comments above on being presumptive). The riding and mental skills needed, include having a balanced position in the saddle with an anchored seat, keeping your eyes up and focused on your environment and staying objectively aware of your horse, breathing deeply and rhythmically, and knowing effective emergency stopping techniques.

Beyond basic riding position (ear-shoulder-hip-heel alignment), having a deep and anchored seat means that you are sitting back, weighted in your heels, your lower back is in a “J” shape and your joints are loose and relaxed. From this position, almost nothing can get you off the horse. But fear and anxiety will do the opposite to your position if you allow it—your back hollows, you perch forward, your heels come up, your joints stiffen (causing you to bounce and your horse to hollow his back and throw his head up), you clench the reins and pull yourself even more forward—all of this is transmitting fear and panic to your horse.

Develop your mental skills so that when the going gets tough, you automatically sit back, round your lower back, get weighted in your heels, keep your eyes up and engaged and your breathing deep. Ride pro-actively and go somewhere!

It’s also important to develop your riding skills and have a full understanding emergency stopping techniques and when to use them. Learn the one-rein stop for times when your horse is acting up or getting a little frisky; however, the one-rein stop should not be used when a horse is bolting because it could cause him to trip and fall. The emergency stopping rein (a/k/a the “pulley” rein) is an important skill that all riders should learn.

The pulley rein is like a one-rein stop, except the outside rein is fixed and locked on the crest of the neck, so it will not cause a turn. When executed properly, the pulley rein generates leverage and will allow the rider to stop any horse on a dime. It’s not often taught because not all instructors/trainers know it and because the practicing of it is hard on the horses. However, if you don’t practice the maneuver, you certainly won’t be able to employ it when your horse is bolting. You can read articles and watch videos about the pulley rein JulieGoodnight.com/Academy.

Awareness, Knowledge and Skill

When it comes to riding horses, nothing gives you more confidence than knowledge and skill. Being aware of your environment, being balanced in the saddle and anchored in your seat, staying in the moment, being aware of your horse’s behavior, riding proactively, with purpose and intent will get you through almost any tricky situation with a horse. Armed with knowledge, skills and mental discipline, you will have the confidence you need to get the job done!

Enjoy the ride!

—Julie Goodnight

Trainer and Clinician

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/slower-is-faster-with-horses2017-12-05T15:19:00-05:002023-11-15T10:59:40-05:00Slower is Faster with Horses- Guest post by Julie GoodnightChristine LeeMore

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Let’s face it, we’ve become a society of instant gratification. From fast food, to fake nails, we like immediate results. Unfortunately, this quest for instant results carries over to horsemanship too, from flying lead changes, to side-passing, to collection. These are skills that riders everywhere hope to master, yet aren’t willing to “do the time.”

Horses and riding sports don’t mix well with instant gratification. Riding is a sport that takes years and decades for the human to master. And horses are not animals that react well to rushing and cutting corners. In most cases, slowing down will get you there faster with horses. When training is rushed, and important steps are missed, mastering even the simplest skill can seem impossible.

Without question, when it comes to training horses, cutting corners always results holes in your horse’s training, which will come back to haunt you at the most inconvenient time. Undoing poor training is much harder and way more time consuming that training an untarnished horse the same skill. Cutting corners will cost you more time in the long run, which is why for thousands of years, horse trainers have known that slower is better when it comes to horses.

Horses are Fast Learners. People … Not So Much

Although horses are incredibly fast learners (a by-product of being flight animals and prey animals), there’s a significant difference between acquiring a new skill and mastering that skill. The challenge with horses is that how fast they learn and how fast they master any given skill is directly related to the effectiveness and consistency (skill level) of the rider or handler.

Because horses are prey animals, they are highly sensitive, and they feel all kinds of pressure (physical, mental, environmental) keenly. Therefore, we apply pressure and release it to train them (negative reinforcement refers to the removal of pressure). Two factors dictate how quickly the horse learns: timing and pressure. A timely release/reward comes within one second; using adequate pressure—neither too little nor too much—requires excellent judgment and ability from the rider. With good timing and adequate pressure, the horse learns rapidly. If the horse isn’t learning fast or is learning the wrong things, you must consider the human side of the equation.

Because horses are such fast learners, they unfortunately learn the wrong things just as quickly as they learn the right things. The horse may learn to perform the skill incorrectly because the rider inadvertently released the horse at the exact wrong moment. I see this a lot in teaching complex maneuvers like pivot on the haunches. The horse takes one or two good steps in the pivot, then the rider gets greedy and asks for more, then the horse steps incorrectly and the rider releases him. I see riders asking for collection or some sort of headset, but instead of releasing that horse the instant he’s giving the correct response, they hold the horse too long until he starts resisting, then they release him, training the horse to throw his head up.

Whatever your horse is doing at the moment you release him, is what you just trained him to do. “My horse is having problems with this,” is code for, “I taught my horse the wrong thing.”

Why Slower is Faster

Getting in a hurry rarely works with horses. Their perspective of time is much different from the average human, who tends to think in the future and dwell in the past, but is rarely present in the moment. We always have a plan, an agenda and a schedule to adhere to. Horses don’t.

Horses are very much here-and-now animals. We humans stand to learn a lot from horses on this subject. Have you ever tried to train a horse to trailer load when you had limited time to load  and get somewhere? Have you ever had a normally easy-to-catch horse stick his tail up in the air and run around for twenty minutes on the day you were pinched for time? I rest my case.

Sometimes going slower with horses is very literal. Slowing down your body language and reactiveness when you are doing groundwork, will almost always have the effect of softening the horse’s response. Slowing down your hands when using rein aids, literally moving them slower, will improve the responsiveness of your horse. Try it.

Going slowly in the training of a horse means that we take small baby steps; we walk before we run and we don’t skip steps. We follow the important tenants of classical horsemanship, which have proven to be a successful recipe for training horses for thousands of years. We teach foundational skills before asking for complex maneuvers. Trying to teach a horse collection, before he has mastered the most fundamental skill of a riding horse—to move freely and willingly forward—will never work.

There are many seemingly simple skills of a riding horse that riders are often impatient to learn, like collection, flying lead changes and side passing. Rarely have I done a clinic (in the past 30 years) where a rider didn’t state one of these skills as a desired outcome for the clinic. Each of these skills require the horse (and therefore the rider) to master many foundational skills, a pre-flight checklist so to speak, which may take weeks and months to achieve. Only the most dedicated riders will devote the time needed to build the proper foundation for that skill and not get frustrated with how many steps are required to get there.

Stages of Learning

For both humans and horses, when mastering a new skill, there are stages of learning that describes how the individual typically advances through a predictable series of learning stages before mastering the skill. At first, the student (two-legged or four-legged) is halting and uncertain is using the skill, but gradually, through practice and guidance, the individual becomes more proficient and confident in the skill.

When we partner with horses, both horse and human are sometimes learning the skill for the first time together, and both animals have to move through the stages. With horses, it usually works best when one individual has already mastered the skill. In other words, if the rider does not know the skill, let’s say how to cue for and ride the canter, she will move through the stages must faster on a horse that has already mastered this skill. If the horse knows nothing about cantering with a rider on its back, it’s best trained by a rider that has already mastered cueing for and riding the canter.

The hierarchy of learning a new skill involves acquisition, fluency, generalization and adaptation. While this is common knowledge among educators of humans, it’s also highly applicable to the training of horses. Let’s look at the most fundamental skill of a riding horse—to go forward.

The very first time we ride that young horse, we have to teach it to go, turn and stop, but at first, he knows absolutely nothing. So, you flap your legs, cluck, wave your arms and otherwise apply pressure until the horse takes a step forward—then you immediately release the pressure, praise, and hopefully the horse learned something. The next time you ask that horse to move forward and it only takes a little wiggle of your legs and a couple clucks before he steps off, your horse has just acquired a new skill.

The next phase the horse moves through is fluency, and that will take some time; how long, depends on the skill of the rider. Although the horse has acquired the skill, he is still tentative and slow to respond. As he becomes more fluent, his response time increases, your cues get lighter, and he becomes more confident. Now the horse moves off with a slight closing of the rider’s leg.

Then we reach one of the most challenging and time-consuming phases when it comes to training horses, and that is generalization. This phase is not complete until the horse can perform the skill in any situation or any setting. No matter where you are or how emotionally your horse has become, he still responds accurately and promptly to the cue and performs the skill. Since horses are very location-specific in what they learn, having to perform the skill in many various locations requires a lot of time and effort. You can train a horse to perform to a very high level at home and practice for years, then take him somewhere else to perform, only to have him fall apart and become nonresponsive (or worse). A generalized horse is what we call a “seasoned” horse—he’s been hauled around and learned to perform his skills at the same level away from home that he does at home. This can take years.

Adaptation occurs when the horse or human is so accurate and confident in using the skill, that it can be applied to new and unique situations and the horse will adapt his skills to the demands of the new situation. Think about the high-level cross-country jumping horse, who adapts the jumping skills that he learned in an arena starting with ground poles and cavaletti, and now he gallops boldly through a course he has never seen, jumping huge, scary obstacles, landing blindly in potentially hazardous footing like a water obstacle. He can adapt his jumping skills to any type of obstacle, in any situation, even one he has never experienced.

Teaching Complex Maneuvers

Complex maneuvers are almost anything that we teach a horse beyond stop, start and steer. Advanced maneuvers generally require putting two or more foundational skills together to perform the maneuver, like collection, leg-yielding, side-passing, pivots on the forehand and haunches, lead changes, jumping, rollbacks, and the like.

One of the earliest complex maneuvers we encounter in the training of a riding horse is the canter departure. Before that horse learns to step off quietly and smoothly from a walk into a canter on whichever lead asked, there are many smaller steps which take time to accomplish. Knowing what the smaller steps are, being able to break down that skill into the smallest steps, and being willing to spend whatever time it takes at each step of the way, are the hallmarks of success in training horses.

Precursor skills always exist in complex maneuvers. For instance, before a horse and rider can flawlessly perform a flying lead change on command, they must both be able to execute walk-to-canter transitions on the correct lead 100% of the time; halt-to-canter transitions, dead-leaded; collection at the canter; an obedient and balanced counter-canter; haunches-in walk, trot and canter; leg yielding walk, trot and canter; etc. When you take the time to accomplish these lesser skills, flying lead changes are easy.

Because horses are very fast learners, acquisition of a skill can (and should) happen fast. But one response, does not a habit make. How fast a horse moves through the stages of learning is directly proportionate to the talent of the rider. Whether it takes a day, a week or a month to get fluent in a skill, fluency must occur before moving on to the next phase. This is true of each smaller step or precursor skill. When you try to fast forward though any stage of a horse’s training by skipping steps, you end up training the wrong response to the horse.

For all the complex maneuvers that we train horses to do, physical strength, stamina and coordination are required—that takes weeks and months to develop, not hours or days. While most of the maneuvers we ask horses to perform are movements they can do naturally, packing the weight of the rider (who is often getting in the way of the horse) makes it much more difficult for the horse. Pushing a horse faster than his physical strength and coordination can develop generally results in a burned-out horse, an injured horse, or both.

It’s no wonder that slower is faster when it comes to horses and learning to ride. When both the horse and the rider are learning new skills together, it will take even longer. It’s important to strive for correctness in training, which means releasing at the right moment, and making sure that you are giving the correct cues and training the correct response. Quality versus quantity.

Beyond precision, it’s important to be patient, to slow down your actions and expectations—to walk before you run. The ability to break down complex maneuvers into the smallest steps and then refine each step, to build a solid foundation, is one of the most crucial factors in successful horse training. This requires a lot of knowledge and a high skill level; if you do not possess the knowledge and skills yourself, you need help from someone who does. You can find that help online, at JulieGoodnight.com/Academy.

Enjoy the ride!

—Julie Goodnight

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/top-five-concerns-for-winterizing-your-horse-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2017-11-10T17:08:00-05:002023-11-15T10:59:40-05:00Top Five Concerns for Winterizing Your Horse- Guest Post by Julie GoodnightJenny BeverageMore

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I grew up in Florida, where the main riding season is the winter. Our main chore to get ready for winter was body clipping the horses, to get rid of the winter coat they were not going to need. For the last 30+ years, I’ve lived in the mountains of Colorado, at an altitude of 8000 feet, where the winters are long and cold and preparing your horse and barn for the winter comes with some important concerns.

Depending on your climate, your barn and the facilities you have to work with, preparing for winter may mean a lot of work! We all have unique challenges in the winter that may vary from dealing with ten-foot snow drifts to dealing with eight inches of mud, but my first concern is always making sure my horses will be comfortable for the long winter ahead.

While winters here in the mountains are long and hard, with temperatures well below zero at times, it’s not that bad everywhere (and much worse some places). Whether your winters are mild or wild, you might find a few things to think about, as you prepare your horses for winter. My biggest concerns to prepare my horses for winter are transitioning the horses’ diets, winterizing their water sources, preparing their hooves, checking their parasite status, and organizing blankets.

The Grass is not Greener

My horses have free-choice access to hay and/or grass 24/7, but late in the summer as the grass starts losing its nutritional value, the horses start transitioning themselves to more of a hay diet. Since Fall comes early here, by mid-August, the horses start eating more hay and less green grass, all on their own. Since we offer both hay and green grass to the horses in the late summer, they will slowly transition themselves to an all-hay diet by the time the grass goes dormant.

Unlike the Spring, when we must be very careful transitioning the horses from an all-hay diet to an all-grass diet, in the fall the transition is easier. However it’s done at your place, it is important to make any change in diet gradually. Whenever we are changing a horse’s diet, we always put them on a pre/pro-biotic like Proviable throughout the transition period, to aid in digestion.

After over thirty years in the horse business, I’ve learned many hard lessons about buying hay. First, I always buy a year’s worth of hay in the fall. I will not take the chance of running out of hay in the spring when hay can be very scarce and expensive. I will not buy hay right out of the field. It’s not fully cured until it’s been in the stack for 30 days. Some hay can look absolutely beautiful for a few weeks after it’s baled but can turn bad in the stack thirty days later if it was baled with too much moisture.

For my horses, I buy straight grass hay, top-quality, no rain on it. We buy large bales, which are a challenge to move around, but the cost savings is significant. I’ll also buy a few tons of small bales so that when I travel with my horses, I have some hay to take on the road.

I’ve found that hay prices are lowest and most stable in the fall and I can usually find the best quality then too. An uncomplicated way to budget your hay is to plan on using 1/3 a ton per horse per month; so, three horses are going to consume about one ton a month. I like to buy 10 months’ worth of hay in September; that should take me through July, when the new crop comes in and when the grass is in full swing. If you may have spoilage, add 10%. If your herd numbers fluctuate, overbuy your hay. If it’s well stored, hay will retain its nutritional value for up to a couple years after it’s baled. So I’d rather have extra hay in the Spring (when hay is the most expensive)—I’ll be sure to use it up first before I start feeding the next year’s crop.

Winterizing Water Sources

Frozen water sources can be one of the biggest challenges in winter horse keeping. Just like us, it’s easy for a horse to get dehydrated because he is not drinking enough water when he is cold. Dehydration is a huge factor in colic, so I do everything I can to make sure my horses are adequately hydrated all winter long, including heating their water and adding an equine drink mix like Rein Water, which encourages drinking.

As the nighttime temps drop below freezing, we hang heated water buckets in the stalls. I prefer not to have automatic waterers in their stalls, so I know exactly how much water each horse consumed overnight. For the horses that stay outside, we have heated water sources too, but there’s no way to monitor individual consumption. Since the heated water sources are covered, it’s important that someone checks it twice a day to make sure it is not frozen or malfunctioning another way (like having an electric current running through the water).

If you are using stock tanks and tank heaters, make sure the heaters and wires are all functional and protected so that the horses will not break anything. Horses can be a real nuisance when it comes to fiddling with wiring and contraptions, especially on a water tank. They tend to hang out at the water source and can easily get bored or frustrated and start playing with the heater. If your winters are mellow, with little freezing at night. Then maybe all you need to do is break a little ice in the morning. Just keep in mind that the colder the water, the less your horse will drink, so consider heating some water for your horse.

Finally, all the hoses, the wash rack and implements must be thoroughly drained and put away for the winter. If you must use hoses in the winter to fill water tanks, it’s a huge chore in cold climates. Hoses must be drained twice to make sure they are usable the next time. Without fail, someone will mess up and you’ll end up with frozen hoses sometime during the winter. If so, just coil the hose and dump the whole thing in your heated stock tank. In no time, it will be thawed and you can drain it (much faster than dragging it in your house).

To Shoe or Not to Shoe?

Right behind food and water, I have a huge concern about getting the horse’s feet ready for winter. This can be complicated because each horse has unique needs and will be used differently over the winter. Without question, it is better if horses can be kept unshod, especially in the winter. Their hooves are healthier when unshod and they are less likely to slip on the ice or develop snowballs on their feet.

In cold climates like ours, we must be very careful with hooves as we transition from fall to winter. Some of our horses are shod in the summer, because of the demands of hard riding on rocky terrain. If you wait until the last minute to pull their shoes for the winter, their feet are very tender when the ground freezes hard and the horses can get dangerously footsore, even slightly laminitic. I want to pull their shoes well before the hard freeze, so their feet have time to toughen up before the ground gets rock hard. This is always a difficult choice for some riders who really enjoy trail riding in the fall and want to leave shoes on as long as possible. I prefer to pull shoes early if I can and use hoof boots on the trails so that the horse’s feet toughen up before the ground is frozen hard.

My first choice is to leave all the horses barefoot over the winter and for as long as I can. Most of my horses will go at least five months without shoes. However, some of our horses have therapeutic or corrective shoeing and they will stay shod, with special shoes and pads, usually on the fronts only. Sometimes we have horses that are in performance training and will wear sliders on the hinds, so we’ll leave them bare in the front and shod on the hinds. If horses are shod during the winter, we use snow pads on them to prevent the hard ice-balls from forming on their feet.

Does Your Horse Need a Blanket?

The short answer is, probably not. Horses are unbelievably adaptable animals and are well-equipped to deal with almost any climate. Did you ever hear of the cartoon, “South Park?” It’s a real place, not too far from where I live, and there are few places in the lower 48 that have a harsher winter. 25-30 below zero for weeks on end, deep snow and howling winds. Yet all winter long, you can drive through that valley and see hundreds of horses, unblanketed, doing just fine. If they have food and water and a windbreak, they are happy. For the most part, horses do not need blankets, but there are some situations when it’s a good idea.

First, in extreme weather, we always cover our geriatric horses (or any horses that are unhealthy or skinny). Horses need to eat more in the winter because they expend a lot of energy to stay warm. When a horse is barely keeping his weight without the cold, he may need some blanketing help in the coldest weather.

Keep in mind that when you blanket a horse and compress his haircoat, he loses some insulation value. Once you start blanketing a horse, you may need to continue. If you are flexible enough to only put the rug on just during inclement weather and leave him uncovered in the better weather, his winter coat may stay fluffy. But if you leave that blanket on for days or weeks on end, his coat will compress so much that you’ll need to leave him blanketed. Often, it’s best to leave it to nature and let the horse’s winter coat do its job.

Some of my horses stay blanketed all winter long. But make no mistake about it, this is entirely for human convenience, not because the horses need it. We ride our horses year-round, but from November through April, we are generally riding inside. For ease of use and for aesthetic reasons, we like to keep the winter coats as short as we can, so we keep them blanketed, starting early in the fall. Riding inside, in a warm indoor arena, horses with a full winter coat will get soaking wet and it’s impossible to get them dry before nightfall. Sometimes we trace clip the hair coat to manage the sweating and keep our horses dry when we ride. Blanketing and keeping their hair coats short, helps us manage the winter riding (and keeps them looking good for photo shoots too!).

Most horses don’t need blanketing, no matter how cold it is. However, it’s nice to have the choice, so we keep a good heavy, waterproof rug for each horse (we actually have sheets, mid-weights and heavy weights for each horse). I’ve bought hundreds, maybe more than a thousand horse blankets in my lifetime and I’ve learned through experience that you get what you pay for. Spending a few hundred dollars on a top-quality blanket is money well spent. Keep in mind that your horse will do its best to destroy the blanket; you’ll go through 3-4 cheap blankets before you replace one high-quality rug. I also want a winter blanket that wicks moisture, has a turtleneck and utilizes high-tech materials. We can usually get 3-4 years or more of use out of one heavyweight rug.

Check for Parasites

I do not de-worm my horses unless they need it. We do fecal egg counts in the Spring and Fall. If the report comes back negative for worms, we do not give them a de-wormer. If a horse shows a positive result, we will de-worm that individual accordingly. The fecal egg count is easy and no more expensive than the cost of a de-wormer if you send it to a lab. I do not want to give my horses any chemicals or medications they do not need, so the fecal egg count is a wonderful way to go.

You can do the egg count yourself (find instructions online) or you can order a testing kit and send it off to a lab. There are many sources available now, so just google it and figure out the best option for you and your horses. If horses are kept in very sanitary conditions and de-wormed as needed, you’ll find you have far fewer parasites to deal with.

If I did not do fecal egg counts, I would de-worm all my horses with ivermectin after the first hard frost. By waiting for the hard frost, your hope is to take care of the last of the parasites before the winter kill. If I only de-wormed once a year, I’d do it in the fall after the first hard frost. But honestly, it’s been a few years since any of our horses have been de-wormed because the reports come back clean.

Around here, winters are long and hard, and horse keeping can be a real challenge! Being prepared around the barn and getting your horse ready ahead of time will help a lot. Every climate and every facility has its own set of challenges in winter and summer and as the years pass by, we learn how to manage it better. If you’re new to horses, it pays to ask more experienced horse owners in your area what they do to get ready for the seasons. It helps to get ideas from others but it’s up to you to make the decisions on what’s best for you and your horses.

Enjoy the ride!

—Julie Goodnight

Trainer and Clinician

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Troxel Athlete and Horse Master [Julie Goodnight](/content/pages/julie-goodnight "Troxel Athlete Julie Goodnight"/index.html) is the popular RFD-TV host of Horse Master airing Monday nights. Goodnight travels the USA sharing her no-nonsense horsemanship training with riders of all disciplines. Goodnight has ridden in many different saddles -- she's experienced in dressage and jumping, racing, reining, cow horse, colt-starting, and wilderness riding. Goodnight grew up on the hunter-jumper circuits in Florida, but is now at home in the West. She and her husband, Rich Moorhead, live in the mountains in Salida, Colorado. Both love versatility ranch horse competitions and riding cow-horses.

Dear Julie: This may be a very odd question, but I was curious how many times have you been kicked or caught in the crossfire in your training career? I’ve been kicked three times, but tonight I got kicked square in the pelvis by a dominant mare who was going after my mare while I was putting a halter on her. I saw it start to happen, but couldn’t get away fast enough. It is the first time I have considered throwing in the reins because it frustrates me so much.

First Time for Everything

One of my earliest memories is of getting kicked by a horse. It was circa 1965. I was 5 or 6 years old and my dad was feeding the horses who had lined up in their tie stalls for their grain. I was watching my dad feed as I wandered aimlessly around the barnyard—right smack into the kick zone of the food-aggressive gelding. Lightning fast, he kicked me square in the stomach—throwing my little stick figure up into the air and landing flat on my behind unceremoniously in the mud. It was the first (but not last) time I got kicked and also the first (but not last) time I got the air knocked out of me. It was, however, the very last time I laid eyes on that gelding. My dad never tolerated unsafe horses. Nonetheless, wrong place, wrong time. Entirely predictable.

Whenever someone asked, “Does this horse kick?” my father always said, “All horses kick, all horses bite, all horses strike.” That’s a simple fact of horse behavior—Horsemanship Safety 101, if you will. What I would add is that generally when you get kicked, it’s because you were too close to the kick zone when you shouldn’t have been. I know for myself personally, every time I’ve been kicked (and yes, there have been many—far too many to count), it was because I was doing something I shouldn’t have. Also, I would say, that which does not kill you makes you stronger!

Whose Fault Is It?

As I said, I’ve been kicked too many times to remember the number. Anyone who has worked with as many horses over as many decades as I have—handling colts, starting young horses under saddle, desensitizing, catching, gentling, doctoring, loading in a trailer—has been kicked too many times to remember each one. Still, some incidents stand out to me (for the sheer stupidity of my actions which resulted in me being kicked). The good news is that we learn (hopefully) from each stupid mistake so we won’t get kicked that way again!

Another kicking episode that stands out in my memory, was the time I got kicked in the thighs by double barrels, coming from a shod 17-hand black Thoroughbred. His name was Magic and he was a kind and gentle OTTB gelding that belonged to a friend and client. He occupied the biggest stall in my barn (12×14), yet he made it look small. The door out to his run was wide open, but he barely fit out of it (the old barn being built for much smaller horses). I was in the middle of morning chores and his head was buried deep in the feeder as I walked by his stall. I looked at him, eye-to-eye, as I spoke a gentle, “Good morning big guy,” to him. I opened his door, speaking to him again as I reached out to touch his side and move him over so I could grab his dirty water bucket. Whaphumph!!

Although I was absolutely certain that horse had seen me, heard me and understood me to be opening his stall door, when I reached out to touch him I startled him—and he kicked out with both his hind feet. They landed square in the middle of both my thighs and sent me sailing out of the stall, slamming my back into the wall on the other side of the barn aisle. In one huge movement, he kicked me out of his stall and exploded his 1100-pound, 17-hand frame out of the tiny stall door, into the run. Even as I was flying backward out of the stall I knew I had done something stupid—made some unreasonable assumptions—and that this kind and gentle horse was not at fault. The good news is, I will never make that mistake again.

Is Getting Kicked Part of the Sport?

Although horses generally choose flight in response to a threat, they are perfectly well-equipped to fight. Kicking is one of three defensive or offensive “weapons” of the horse, and it is the least deadly. Biting and striking (lashing out with the front feet) are much more dangerous, but fortunately, we see these behaviors less. Horses sometimes kick aggressively (usually backing up and kicking with double barrels, squealing at the same time), but most often kicking is defensive in nature. You see it all the time when a dominant horse comes after the subordinate horse. The subordinate will kick out to buy a little time as he runs away—much like he would kick and run from a predator.

Horses kick at each other all the time, mostly as a gesture or threat. They pull their punches a lot and tend to make contact when they want to. Generally, when they kick at each other (or at you), it is more of a threat or warning and less intent to injure. Often, when they do make contact with a kick, it is to a fleshy or meaty area that can take the punch better. But their aim is not perfect and it is not hard to get caught in the crossfire between two or more horses, as in this case.

Sadly, most people that have been around a lot of horses for a lot of years have gotten kicked, stepped on or bit. Although I do not believe getting hurt must be a part of this sport (and I believe that most incidents are preventable), getting bumped, bruised and pushed around comes with the territory. Still, if you are smart and learn from your mistakes—and if you keep safety as your highest priority—you will be less likely to get hurt. My father taught me that when it comes to horses, always plan for the worst-case scenario. The more experience with horses you have, the more worst-case scenarios you’ve seen.

Getting Smarter

In most of my clinics, I physically show people the kick zone of the horse, so that they are aware of exactly where it is at all times. The horse can reach forward with the hind foot, almost to his front leg; he can reach the full length of his leg to the side; plus, the full extension of his leg back. That makes about a 3- to 4-foot half circle around the hind leg of the horse that is within his kick zone. To be safe around horses, you must always be aware of the kick zone and when you have entered it. For instance, when I clean my horse’s front feet, my head is right in the kick zone. That doesn’t mean I never clean his feet, but that I am aware of it and monitoring the horse while my head is at risk.

When you are doing groundwork with a horse and when you are entering a group of horses to catch one, you have extra risk of getting kicked. We do groundwork with horses to move them around and control their space, like a dominate horse would. Often in the earlier stages of groundwork, the horse may feel threatened by the handler. So it is not only normal, but to be expected that the horse will kick out. If you get kicked while doing groundwork, you were in the way and it is your fault—not the horse’s.

Another memorable time I got kicked very hard, was doing circling work on a 20-year-old beginners’ school horse. I assumed that this gentle old horse wouldn’t kick, but I was wrong. I stepped right into the kick zone, then shushed her with the flag. Then she shattered my assumption (but thankfully not my leg). It hurt a lot (and embarrassed me more), but it was an important lesson to learn—and one I share with my students every time I teach circling work.

Going to catch your horse in a group of horses is one of the riskiest things you’ll do around horses, especially when you are not familiar with all of the horses or the pecking order of the herd. I’d suggest taking a flag or a whip to keep the other horses in control while you catch your horse. Take your time and keep the other horses away—they should respect your space. If not, chase them off with the flag. Your horse will come to understand what you are doing and should cooperate.

It Is What It Is

Kicking does not make a horse bad. It makes him a horse—and all horses kick. We know that, we should expect that and we should take precautions to keep ourselves safe— All. The. Time. There are sometimes when a kicking response is more predictable, and other times when it can seemingly come out of the blue (usually because we missed the warnings). But the horse’s kick range is a finite space; all you have to do is know where it is and stay out of it. I’m not saying that with this knowledge and awareness, you’ll never get kicked again. But by being smart, owning your mistakes (which is the only way to learn from them) and erring on the side of caution, it will definitely make you safer!

Enjoy the ride!

—Julie Goodnight, Trainer and Clinician

Photo Credit: By Melissa Arnold

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Recently at one of my clinics, a rider told me that three different trainers told him flat-out that his horse did not like him. He was hoping that the clinic would help him understand if the horse would ever come to like him or if he should get a different horse. I was hoping that the clinic would help me understand why a trainer (let alone three of them) would say something like that to anyone, let alone their client.

We know horses are very emotional animals, and we know them to also be very relationship oriented. The question is, what does your horse think of you? And what are the signs that tell you? People say all the time, “I want my horse to like me and I want my horse to trust me!” All the “want” in the world won’t make this happen. Learning to read the signs from your horse that indicate his emotional state—and asking yourself what you are doing that is causing this reaction—will get you where you need to be.

What horses want the most is security and comfort. They love things that make them feel safe, like clear rules and expectations, consistency and strong leadership. They love to rest, they love to be praised for a job well done and they love it when you take all the pressure off of them. Horses don’t like you or dislike you randomly. They react to how you make them feel—safe and content or anxious and uncomfortable. Analyzing the mistakes you make and the reactions of your horse will help you find the answers and bring your relationship with your horse to a whole new level.

Do Horses Like People?

In the case of the owner who was told that his horse did not like him, I personally found that to be ridiculous, but I gradually came to understand what was going on. It wasn’t a matter of who the horse “liked” and “disliked,” it was a matter of riding skill and how the horse reacted to the rider’s mistakes.

It was a young Quarter Horse gelding, only 3 years old and working very well under saddle. He had been trained and ridden a by several different pro-riders since he was a 2-year-old. This is a great start for a horse, and it certainly showed in this horse’s performance at the clinic. He was cool as a cucumber and keeping up with much older and more experienced horses. The reason why this guy thought his horse did not like him was that the horse was showing some signs of frustration when he rode—but not when the trainers rode him.

When a young horse is ridden primarily by pro-riders, that level of rider becomes the norm for that horse. They are highly sensitive, fast-learning animals—and they come to know the patterns, routines and idiosyncrasies of the rider fast. Of course, the pro-rider is generally very balanced, using light aids, and very consistent in her cues and expectations of the horse—giving praise and rest when earned, and correcting the horse fairly when needed. The pro-rider that is very accustomed to riding green horses also knows what to expect and knows how to avoid problems. This consistency and confidence of the rider is palpable to the horse and results in a confident and compliant horse.

I learned a long time ago that when starting colts it’s a good idea to have more than one person ride the horse, so that the young horse comes to understand that there will be different riders, who cue and ride differently. When a horse is only ever ridden by one person as a youngster, and that one person is a highly qualified rider, the horse rightfully may come to believe that all riders will be exactly this way. Then at some point, when the new rider comes along and cues differently, holds the reins tighter, and gives conflicting and confusing signals, the horse is shocked and frustrated.

Signs to Look for in Your Horse

Horses are all quite different in their temperaments, so their reactions to a new and/or lesser skilled rider may range from mild frustration to downright anger and revolt. Some horses have a strong sense of right and wrong, fair and unfair. These horses tend to be less tolerant of the rider’s mistakes. Like people, some horses have the patience of a saint, while others, not so much.

When a trained horse becomes frustrated with the rider, the signs may be as subtle as a shake of his head or tensing/hollowing of his body, or as blatant as swishing the tail, kicking out or flat out refusing to do what the rider asks. As his frustration with a lesser skilled rider grows, he may start shutting down, refusing to move forward, diving toward the gate or center of the arena, or running right through the bridle—no steering, no brakes. These are all signs that the horse is frustrated with the rider and feels like he is being treated unfairly.

This nice QH gelding did not dislike his owner—he just wished he rode as well as the trainers. The horse never acted out badly, he was just happy when the trainers rode—and a little frustrated when the novice owner rode. When the rider made a mistake—like pulling back on the reins when he wanted the horse to go forward—the horse would get understandably frustrated and shake his head or swish his tail in irritation. This does not mean the horse did not “like” the person; it meant he needed to learn to ride better and own his mistakes.

Fortunately for us, horses don’t stand around the water cooler and decide which humans they like and dislike, or who did what to whom. They live in the present moment and they react to your actions (good or bad). They learn to trust you—or not—based on your actions, not whether they like you. They get frustrated or irritated—or they become content and relaxed—based on what you do. That’s why most of the time when we are having problems with trained horses, we have to examine our own actions—not blame the horse.

As the clinic progressed, I worked with all the riders to develop a balanced seat and to ride with all their aids—not just their hands. In fact, we worked on controlling speed and direction without using the reins, cueing lightly and consistently and having proper position in the saddle and moving fluidly with the horse, having clear and reasonable expectations of your horse and following through with consistency. The young gelding worked very well for his proud owner, and at the end of the clinic I asked the rider, “Do you still think your horse doesn’t like you?” Seeing the huge smile on his face as he kissed his horse smack on the lips, told me all I needed to know. Maybe it was my imagination, but in this moment I thought I saw a twinkle in the horse’s eye that said, “Thank you (for fixing my rider).”

Enjoy the ride!

—Julie Goodnight, Trainer and Clinician

Photo Credit: By Melissa Arnold

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Horses know good leadership when they see it because their lives depend upon it. We probably all agree that the ultimate relationship with a horse is one in which the horse looks up to you, wants to be with you and feels safe and peaceful in your presence. But all the groundwork and relationship building exercises in the world won’t help you develop this relationship unless you present yourself as a competent leader at all times.

In every clinic that I teach, people ask how they can get their horse to trust them more, yet I see them constantly doing things that show their horses that they lack judgment and make poor decisions. It’s funny that horses see this so clearly, but humans—not so much.

Your job as the leader is to watch out for the safety of your followers. Every time you give a horse a reason to question your judgment--because you’ve put him in a situation he perceives as unsafe--you’re chipping away at his faith in you.

Here are three common mistakes I see people making every day with their horses that give the horse good reasons not to trust their judgment and leadership. Watch for these mistakes closely the next time you interact with your horse; make sure that you are the leader your horse deserves.

1.) Putting the Horse on a Collision Course

An obedient riding horse goes in the direction you dictate, at the speed you set, without argument. The problem is that horses are much more spatially aware than humans. Horses worry about the other horses in the arena and they expect the leader to watch ahead and prevent any potential horse-to-horse collision or conflict.

Most people are so consumed with themselves, that they are oblivious to their surroundings, including what the other horses are doing. Your horse always recognizes your lack of awareness, because his safety depends upon it. He sees the hazard even when you don’t.

I often see this when people are longeing or circling in an arena where there are other horses. First of all, let’s be clear on this, longeing a horse in an arena where horses are being ridden is dangerous and should never happen—that’s a pretty basic safety rule. At clinics, when everyone is doing circling work (and no horses are being ridden), people will still put their horses on a collision course with another horse. The horse always sees it; the person seldom does. If you do this, your horse starts doubting your judgment.

I also see this in the arena when all riders have their own agendas. The smart riders (and the good leaders) are looking well ahead. But invariably, there will be riders totally focused down on the horse’s withers, concentrating only on themselves, not even aware of their own horse let alone the other horses in the arena. Being aware of danger in the environment is such a basic job of the leader that it is hard for your horse to think of you that way when you are failing at such a basic task.

2.) Putting the Horse Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Your horse may view any given situation much differently than you and he sees danger where you may not. We, as humans, tend to analyze, rationalize and justify the situation, while to your horse it’s simple—it’s either safe or not. I often see riders and handlers put their horses in very precarious situations, with seemingly no awareness that it was risky for the horse. Perhaps the rider had no awareness of how the horse views the situation. Or perhaps the rider made an executive decision to override instinct and go into an unsafe situation anyway because her logic tells her it’s safe (logic that the horse may not possess).

This happens at my clinics while we are working on teaching the horse to step back with a subtle hand signal. I always catch people backing their horse into a solid fence or worse, another horse. He knows it to be wrong and unsafe. People get so caught up in the exercise of teaching the hand signal, that they lose all awareness of the surroundings and abdicate all responsibility for leadership.

Similar examples from the ground include asking a horse to step into a trailer, then standing right in front of him so he would have to bowl you over in order to comply. He’s pretty sure he’s not supposed to do that. Or asking the horse to trot on the lead line, but remaining right in front of him so there’s nowhere for him to go without running into you. It feels like a trap. When riding in a group, it’s your job to keep your horse safe. Still, I see riders pass between a horse and the fence. Entrapment! There’s a reason fundamental safety rules exist—and it’s a fundamental rule to never pass between a horse and the rail. Horses can be very opportunistic when it comes to aggressive behavior and many horses will kick, given this opportunity. Your horse knows that as well and he has good reason to question your judgment when he is the one that will likely take the blow.

3.) Asking the Horse to do Something, Then Punishing him When he Does

Horses, by nature, are very willing animals that instinctively seek out approval and acceptance from the herd leader. When you are a fair and consistent leader, your horse will work hard to please you and will feel safe and content in your presence. When you notice his efforts and praise him for giving of himself, then your relationship kicks to a whole new level. There’s no limit to how hard a horse will try to please you when the right kind of give-and-take relationship exists.

We humans tend to fall down on our leadership in some very gut-wrenching ways to the horse. Often I see riders give a cue to the horse, then inadvertently punish him for responding to the cue. The most common example of this occurs in the canter departure. The rider may lack confidence. The horse is cued to canter, then hit in the mouth with the bit when he does (because his head moves into the bit in that moment). It hurts his mouth and scares him, leaving him with the feeling that he is being punished for doing what was asked.

Sometimes I see riders miscue their horse then admonish him for responding to the cue given. Then the rider wonders why he suddenly stopped responding to that cue. A perfect example is seen frequently when the rider, with two hands on the reins, asks the horse to turn with the inside rein, then starts pulling on the outside rein too, effectively pulling the nose in two directions at the same time. Pulling on two reins to turn puts incredible undue pressure on the horse’s mouth. It appears to him that you asked him to turn, then penalized him with the outside rein when he did. In that moment, the mistake was the rider’s (it’s the leader’s job to be clear in her directives). The horse did exactly what he was told to do then was admonished for trying.

Being a good handler and good rider takes a lot of time and effort and a lot more awareness of the horse. The more we can think from our horse’s point of view, the deeper our level of understanding of his behavior and the more rewarding the relationship with the horse. They are complicated animals, perceiving much more about us than we do about ourselves. That’s what makes horses so therapeutic to our souls.

Seek out help and have others watch you—they’ll catch on faster than you about what cues you may be giving the horse. They’ll see what you can’t. Let your horse guide you. He won’t lie to you; he either thinks of you as the leader or not. If he’s resistant and argumentative, he probably has a good reason. If he trusts you and looks up to you, you’re a good leader.

Enjoy the ride!

—Julie Goodnight, Trainer and Clinician

Photo Credit: By Heidi Melocco, Whole-Picture.com

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/what-to-do-after-a-fall-aqha2017-07-21T18:17:00-04:002023-11-15T10:57:17-05:00What To Do After a Fall: AQHATENELEVEN ADMINMore

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If you ride, sooner or later, you're going to "hit the dirt." The cowboy way has been to "get right back on that horse!" If we didn't, we were told, we'd lose our nerve or teach the horse a bad lesson.

Turns out, that's no longer the best advice. In fact, recent research into neuroscience and horse training has taught us that a little time out may be beneficial for both.

We recently partnered with the American Quarter Horse (AQHA) to give riders more insight on what to do after a fall to prevent injury and keep you and your horse healthy. Read the story or view the full magazine.

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/trust-your-intuition-to-avoid-injury-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2017-06-29T14:06:00-04:002023-11-15T10:55:24-05:00Trust Your Intuition to Avoid Injury: Guest Post by Julie GoodnightTENELEVEN ADMINMore

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“Try That One More Time.” When it comes to horses, these words are often looked back on with regret. They’re often the words muttered right before something goes terribly wrong. Words matter. Sometimes we need to listen to the words that come out of our mouth and to listen to the voice inside instead.

I strongly believe that most incidents with horses are entirely preventable and if we consider an incident to be an opportunity to learn, not a failure, then we get safer and more effective with horses as times goes on. If you think about incidents as “freak accidents,” you’ve lost the opportunity to learn, grow and improve. There’s always a cause and effect; there’s always an opportunity to learn and grow as a horse person. Recently, I had a message from a rider that was sadly an all-too-familiar refrain. Here’s what the message said:

I had been riding seven months and was posting while trotting and doing 20-meter circles and reverses. We had ridden over an hour. It all clicked that day. I ended with a canter. The trainer wanted me to canter one last time. My intuition said no. I told myself to just do what she said. As we are cantering she (the trainer) is yelling use the crop, use the crop. [The horse] got scared, did a 360 and went into a full run. I hung onto the mane with one hand as she instructed then finally I fell.

I couldn't move. [The trainer] tried to pull me up. I told her not to. She assured me I was ok and the breath was just knocked out of me. I finally was able to get up in searing pain. She had me get back on and post and trot. I did, like a fool. All bent over, I untacked, put him up, drove home two hours. My husband rushed me to the ER. I had broken T-12, crushed L-1, fractured my whole vertebrae and had a concussion. I was told I missed paralysis by 1/8 inch. For three months I couldn’t lift more than the weight of a coffee cup. Riding brought me so much peace and joy --before this incident.

There are quite a few lessons to be learned here. Falling off is part of the sport and can only be entirely avoided by not riding, but while it’s a rough and tumble sport, I do not believe serious injury has to be a part of it. If we learn to not push the limits of our horses and our own abilities, if we learn to pay attention to that inner voice that often warns us when things aren’t quite right and if we let go of archaic and egotistical approaches, the risk goes way down.

Words Matter

I’ve seen many horse wrecks that started with the words, “Let’s try that one more time…” In several decades of work with the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to safe horsemanship instruction, I’ve learned these words to be a red-flag warning. What those words really mean is, “Even though I think we’ve already done this enough, and even though I think there’s a chance we’ve already accomplished what we needed to, let’s get greedy and do it one more time.” When it comes to horses, this kind of approach often backfires.

I’ve learned this important lesson myself over the years and I can think of more than one instance where ‘trying it one more time’ was the worst possible choice and resulted in a wreck and/or an injury to a horse or a rider. When we say things like, “one more time,” or “I’ll try,” or “maybe we should,” there is an unstated concern that something might not go right. When you hear words like that, why not complete the thought and consider why you need to do it again, what good can come of it, why do you think you might not be able to do it and why are you not sure of what the right thing to do is? Maybe just stepping back for a moment and reconsidering isn’t such a bad idea.

When you let words of doubt creep into your vocabulary, like “I’ll try,” it really means you don’t think you can do it. You are doubting yourself and giving yourself an escape. The problem is that horses respond to your level of confidence and determination, be it high or low. When you use words like “if” and “try,” you erode your own confidence and your horse may respond negatively as well—by challenging your authority or losing his own confidence. When you feel the need to use doubtful words like try, if, or maybe, just take a moment to consider why you feel that way. Is this a smart thing to be doing? Are you prepared and qualified to do it? And what good can come of this or what can go wrong? If the answers are affirmative, go for it and drop the ‘try.’ I AM going to do this! If any of the answers are less than affirmative, maybe rethinking or thinking it through, is not a bad idea.

Trust Your Inner Voice

When people are describing bad incidents with their horse, I often hear them say, “I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but my trainer/spouse/friend pushed me, so I did.” Our inner voice of wisdom is important and although it may not always be right, it’s worth at least considering. Far too often in hindsight, it seems clear that had you listened to that inner voice, the wreck may not have happened.

It’s important to hear, respect and consider your inner voice and to take responsibility for your own self—don’t abdicate that responsibility to anyone. Don’t let others pressure you into actions that you don’t feel good about. You know yourself and your horse better than anyone. You know your capabilities and you know where you are emotionally in that moment better than anyone. Yes, sometimes it’s helpful to have someone to gently push you into things you aren’t entirely comfortable with, but no one has the right to pressure and cajole you onto something you are not prepared for.

If you have realistic goals and an objective view of both your and your horse’s capabilities, then you should be confident in your own decisions and not let yourself cave into the pressure of others. Remember, your trainer works for you, not the other way around. Make your expectations and needs known and don’t be afraid to stop, look and listen when you hear that inner voice of warning.

Let Go of Archaic Notions

The idea of getting back on the horse that just bucked you off, is rarely a good idea, in my opinion. Whether you got bucked off or just fell off, chances are you are not in the best frame of mind to get back on that horse. Chances are also good that your horse is not in the best frame of mind either—he’s probably scared or anxious and something led to the problem to begin with. The adrenalin rush that comes from this kind of incident can often mask injuries that you may have sustained and getting back on may make the injuries worse.

When a rider comes off the horse, we’ll call it an “unscheduled dismount,” I prefer that she take a break, sit down and rest, get checked out medically if needed, get control of her emotions, debrief the incident, and only think about getting back on when ready. Maybe that’s today; maybe not. Often, I’ll get up on the horse after an incident, to settle it and let the rider see what’s going on. If the rider feels strongly about getting back on, that’s fine and I will support her as best I can. But no one else has the right to tell you to get back on. Not your husband, not your friend and not your trainer.

Again, take responsibility for yourself and don’t let yourself be pressured by others at times like this. Before getting back on a horse after an incident, think it through. What good will come of this? What would have prevented the incident from happening? Is my horse injured, physically or emotionally? What needs to change with my horse or with my own skills or equipment, to prevent this from happening again? Taking a little break—rather that is for an hour, a day, a week or longer, is not necessarily a bad idea. Think through what happened, how you may have prevented it, and what you would’ve done differently if you could. Armed with this kind of knowledge, you will come back to riding with more confidence and a plan to not let that happen again. Always give yourself time to heal—both physically and emotionally, after any kind of scary incident with a horse.

The sport of riding is a challenging and exhilarating sport that comes with a certain amount of risk that cannot be entirely eliminated. But we don’t need to add to that possibility by doing foolish things and taking unnecessary risks. This is a sport that takes years and decades to master and getting in a hurry and cutting corners rarely pays off. The same thing is true of training horses—generally the slower you go, the better the outcome.

Be patient in developing your skills and your horse’s training. Work with trainers that are supportive of your needs, listen to what you have to say and make good decisions. Learn to trust your inner voice and hear what it has to say. Let your rational mind be the judge of whether or not that inner voice has a point; don’t let someone else make that judgment for you. And finally, when a rider comes off a horse, take the safest and smartest approach—get medical clearance, take a break, debrief the incident and make a smart plan to get back in the saddle safely.

And don’t forget to enjoy the ride!

—Julie Goodnight, Trainer and Clinician

Photo Credit: By Heidi Melocco, Whole-Picture.com

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/top-3-mistakes-to-avoid-when-getting-back-in-the-saddle2017-06-12T12:53:00-04:002023-11-15T10:59:37-05:003 Mistakes To Avoid When Getting Back in the Saddle: Guest Post by Julie GoodnightTENELEVEN ADMINMore

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For many of us, the winter months are not conducive to riding, due to frozen ground, inclement weather and/or mud. And whether we like it or not, sometimes life gets in the way of our riding plans—your horse gets hurt or you have a personal situation that causes an extended layoff for your horse. One way or the other, your horse may go months with no riding at all. As a result, the horse may get little handling as well. This recipe—no riding and little handling—doesn’t always result in sweet rides in the spring or a delicious comeback to riding.

What we love most about horses is that they are not machines. They are thinking and feeling animals, capable of forming an athletic partnership and a bond with their human. But because they are not machines—and because our relationship with them matters—we can’t just ignore them for months and then expect them to step right back into their role as your perfect horse.

To make sure your spring “comeback” goes smoothly with your horse you need to plan ahead. Avoid the missteps that I hear about often when talking to horse owners at clinics and expos. Avoid making the mistakes that may leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Instead, try this recipe for a sweet summer of riding.

Take Time to Reconnect with Your Horse

If your horse has been turned out with a herd over the winter—or if he has had little interaction with people for a while—his herd instincts may be stronger. His focus may be on the herd—not on you—and he may fret when you take him away from his friends. This is perfectly normal, instinctive behavior for horses and it’s unrealistic to think otherwise. To have the kind of relationship with a horse where he is focused on you—and happy to leave the herd with you—requires work in the beginning of the relationship and steady maintenance thereafter.

Plan ahead as your riding season approaches and spend some time reconnecting with your horse. Groom him, do some ground work and take him on some walks away from his herd. Depending on how strong your relationship was last fall and how trained/experienced your horse is, plan on spending at least 3-6 days just getting reacquainted with your horse. I like doing lead line exercises to reconnect with my horse and remind him of his manners and my expectations of him (check out my Lead Line Leadership video at Shopping.JulieGoodnight.com).

Check Your Tack and Saddle Fit

Don’t get carried away with riding until you have taken the time to inspect all your tack for needed repairs and maintenance, as well as checking the saddle fit on your horse. A horse’s body shape changes a lot every year. If you’ve ever had young horses you already know that. (As weanlings, if you watch them closely it seems like you can actually see them grow.) Think about the changes in the human body from birth to the end of life. A horse’s body goes through those same changes—only three-four times faster.

If he has not had much exercise over the winter, he may have gained weight and/or lost muscle toning, which can have a big effect on saddle fit. Take the time to analyze your saddle fit at least once a year and especially after your horse has had an extended time off. You may need different padding or adjustments. Last year, my horse Eddie (still filling out at the age of 7) outgrew his regular width tree and needed a new saddle. That’s not the answer I was hoping for when re-assessing his saddle fit, but I can’t bear the thought of working him in a saddle that causes discomfort.

Don’t forget to clean and condition your saddle and bridle, and check all the places where metal meets leather and all fasteners to make sure they are strong. Often the smaller parts of your tack—like latigos, leather ties, Chicago screws, and straps—need replacing or fixing. Make sure your bridle is clean and comfortable and the bit is the right size. Eddie also went from a 4 ¾ inch bit into a 5 inch (the standard size for a horse). But I would’ve changed his bit anyway since his training had advanced so much in the past few years that he was ready for a different bit. As horses progress in their training, they have different needs in bits too. You may find that the bit that worked well for your horse a couple years ago now makes him unhappy—he’s leaning, pulling, chomping, tossing his head, or running through the pressure. These are all signs that a bit change may be in order. Check out the “Bitting Assistant” from Toklat at JulieGoodnight.com/bits.

Avoid Doing Too Much, Too Soon

After a long, cold winter and too much time spent indoors, it’s easy to want to jump back into riding right where you left off in the fall. But the reality is, both you are and your horse need some time to get back into riding shape—and the older either you or your horse are, the more time you each may need. Both horses and humans get out of shape really fast when not getting exercise; and for both species, the activity of riding (or carrying a rider) uses special muscles. You both need time in the beginning—shorter rides with greater frequency—to build strength slowly.

Your horse also needs time to get used to his tack again—to get “hardened” to the cinch/girth, the saddle and the bit/bridle. If you had gone for months without wearing anything but slippers on your feet, you’d have to get used to wearing heavy boots again over subsequent days to avoid getting sore feet and blisters. Just as you would never want to hike all day in brand new hiking boots, your horse needs time to get re-accustomed to the feel of the saddle, the weight of the rider and the bridle on his face.

Finally, if you’re coming back to riding after a long layoff, think of reconditioning your horse’s training and mental focus as well. Don’t expect him to respond perfectly to cues he hasn’t thought about in a while. Don’t jump right in, asking your horse to perform the most difficult riding maneuvers right on the first try. Even if it seems like he’s just as responsive as the last time you rode him, asking for too much too soon could lead to problems. Start by doing easier stuff and focusing on fundamentals. Make sure you acknowledge and reward your horse when he tries—whether it was brilliant or not—so that you recondition his spirit and willingness as well.

By setting realistic expectations, planning ahead and building up slowly but methodically, your “comeback” will go smoothly and your horse will be happier. Remember, your horse needs the same time that you do to get in condition—both mentally and physically. Be fair to yourself and be fair to your horse. With quality ingredients and careful preparation, your riding season will be cake!

Enjoy the ride!

—Julie Goodnight, Trainer and Clinician

Photo Credit: By Heidi Melocco, Whole-Picture.com

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/helmets-in-rodeo-an-announcers-view2017-04-17T11:44:00-04:002023-11-15T10:57:22-05:00Helmets in Barrel Racing? An Announcer's TakeTENELEVEN ADMINMore

]]> In our line of work, we hear from a LOT of riders. Often they'll share with us what made them first start wearing a helmet, be it a simple accident or near fatality, while others will tell us about their recovery after a fall. But, it's rare that we'll hear from someone outside the ring.

That's why we were especially moved when Jim Wahlenmaier, a barrel race announcer out of Abilene, Texas reached out. Jim has witnessed thousands of races in his life and has a unique perspective on how the industry is changing. Here, Jim shares his thoughts on helmets in barrel racing including a moment he witnessed firsthand where his wife took a particularly scary fall.

Dear Troxel Helmets,

I have been an announcer for several years and have seen quite a few accidents in the barrel racing world. When helmets came out a few years ago, there were very few who really grasped the fact that a helmet could save them from a major accident or even worse a fatality. They weren’t really as “cute” as those cowboy hats.

A year ago, I made my wife start wearing a Troxel helmet. Three weeks ago her horse slipped going around the first barrel and when the horse got up its front hoof hit her head and the rear feet got her in the abdomen and legs. She ended up with a broken thumb, a lot of bruising and a whiplash.

I was announcing this race and when she went down and didn’t get up my heart dropped and I jumped out of the announcer’s booth and ran to check on her. She was taken to the ER and checked out. We didn’t realize until later that the horse had hit her head until after watching the video. We then looked at her helmet and we could see where the hoof hit it. The Troxel helmet probably saved her life or at least saved her from being hurt more severely.

I encourage everyone to wear a helmet when riding, no matter if you are in competition or just riding around the house. You never know when that one time it might happen to you. Please, please encourage everyone to wear a helmet. Thank you Troxel for making a superior product for the safety of riders.

Regards,

Jim Wahlenmaier

WARNING: THE VIDEO FOOTAGE BELOW IS GRAPHIC AND MAY UPSET SOME VIEWERS

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Have you ever been involved in an equestrian accident? Please share your story with us, and we'll post in the [Headsmart Testimonials](/content/blogs/testimonials "Headsmart Testimonials "/index.html) to help promote rider safety. Be sure to include a photo!

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/feeding-transitions-in-the-spring-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2017-04-14T15:19:00-04:002023-11-15T10:59:36-05:00Feeding Transitions in the Spring: Guest Post by Julie GoodnightTENELEVEN ADMINMore

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My horses claim about 10 of our 15 acres of land, which you’d think would be plenty for half a dozen horses. Our house, barns, arenas, offices, and a warehouse are squeezed into a corner of the property and the rest of the place is procured and manicured just for the horses.

We have about 10 irrigated acres, which is like Park Avenue real estate in the West. But living in the high mountain desert as we do—even with irrigation water—it’s only enough pasture for what I fondly refer to as “recreational grazing.” (Meaning, it doesn’t help my hay bill much, but it sure makes the horses happy!)

Winters are long and hard here in the Rocky Mountains and the grass only grows from April through August. The rest of the year it is decidedly brown. Keeping the grass green is a challenge in this climate and horses are sure hard on the land. Keeping the horses healthy while eating that green grass is also a challenge and a labor of love. Come springtime, managing the pasture for the health of the fields while transitioning our horse’s diet from hay to green grass, without stressing their digestive health, requires some serious planning, as well as detailed execution.

Baby Grass is Delicate

Horses’ teeth and hooves are not. While we may turn our horses out in the fields late in the winter before any new growth starts, and let them browse the dead grass, at the first sign of green shoots, the horses are eighty-sixed from the pastures. For the next month at least, until we can see the first signs of seed heads on the short grasses, we keep the horses totally off the fields. This allows a good head of growth in the pastures and will establish the grass for the whole summer. Horses will paw and dig and gnaw for the first delectable shoots of green grass and they are incredibly damaging to young grass. Keeping them off the fields early on makes the grazing last longer at the other end of the summer.

Over-eaters Anonymous

Once the grass is healthy and ready for grazing, our focus shifts to managing the change in the horses’ diets from dry hay (almost a year old by now) to fresh green grass. Between over-eating and the drastic change to the horses’ delicate digestive balance, it pays to be very, very careful. My horses have access to an all-you-can-eat grass hay buffet, open 24/7. That way their digestive tract is always full—the way nature intended.

When I am ready to start turning them out to the pasture, I wait until late in the day, when their bellies are already full and when the sugar content is low in the green grass. Our horses are programmed to come in the barn at night, so we’ll turn them out an hour before their bedtime. That way they only eat a bit and then they’re ready to come in at the normal time.

Over the next 3-4 weeks, we’ll turn them out a few minutes earlier each day, as they gradually shift from mostly hay to mostly green grass diets. In colder climates like ours, early morning grasses can be hazardous to horses with metabolic issues, so in the spring and early summer, we avoid letting the horses into the fields before mid-day. During this time of transition, we are watching the horses closely for over-eating—as some will do—especially when they have been deprived of the delicacy for so long.

We also keep the horses on heavier than normal doses of Proviable, a pro- and pre-biotic. This helps stabilize their digestive tract and is especially important when horses are undergoing any kind of stress—whether it is a change of diet or a road trip or arduous training.

Since our horses are all in training—worked or exercised on a daily basis—I don’t really have any concerns about obesity. I find my horses are so much healthier and content when they have 24/7 access to a low-protein grass hay. While some horses might put on a little extra weight in the beginning, once they realize the food will always be there they slow their eating way down and go back to a healthier weight. As they switch to more and more green grass the horses will definitely put on a few pounds, but they also get a sheen to their coats and are happier.

In nature, horses put on weight in the summer when the foraging is better, then they lose weight over the winter when it’s slim picking. Their biology is designed this way and this cycle triggers other things like shedding and ovulation. I want my horses to lose weight over the winter and put it back on in the summer. Some horses have major health issues related to obesity because they put on more weight every summer but never lose it in the winter. Consequently, they get fatter and fatter every year. The easiest time to get the weight off a horse is in the winter.

Keeping it Green

Our pastures require a fair amount of maintenance during the spring and summer. Early in the spring, before the grass starts growing, we drag/harrow the fields, to break up the manure clumps and pull out some of the thatch (and every five years or so the fields need to be burned off to get rid of the thick thatch). Since we spread the manure from the stalls and paddocks in the fields, the harrow helps break it up, providing a smooth layer of fertilizer to the grass. Recycling manure is great for the growth of the grass; adding a commercial fertilizer is even better, but much more costly.

We start irrigating the pastures as soon as the snow melt starts and the ditches are running. We use flood irrigation—a manual process that involves damming the ditch and flooding the fields with water. We only have access to the water on certain days (since we share it with others), so our whole lives tend to revolve around irrigation days. Water is a big deal in the West; water rights are very valuable and never taken for granted. We have to work the water through the fields to make sure every nook and cranny is covered; the water is far too precious to waste even a gallon.

We also mow our fields once or twice during the summer. Horses are very particular about the actual plants they eat, selecting the tender sweet grass and leaving the weeds and other kinds of grasses. By mowing (with the blades set as high as they go) we chop off the weeds before they seed and the grass gets stronger. When you mow grass before it seeds out, it grows even harder, trying to get to seed. Keeping our fields mowed improves the growth and quality of the grass while discouraging the weeds.

A Labor of Love

Maintaining the pastures is a lot of work, but like most things in life, if it’s important to you it’s worth working for. Seeing the horses content in the field, basking in the sun and picking and sorting through the plants to find their little treasures more than makes up for the work we put into it. Seeing the shine and dapples in their coat that only green grass gives a horse pleases my eye and puts a smile on my face.

There’s a reason why horse enthusiasts tend to be hard workers—it takes a lot of effort to keep horses happy and healthy! But the end result makes me forget about the extra work and gives me the satisfaction of doing the best I can do for both the horses and the land.

Enjoy the ride!

—Julie Goodnight, Trainer and Clinician

Photo Credit: By Heidi Melocco, Whole-Picture.com

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/avoiding-feed-time-frenzy-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2017-04-10T16:22:00-04:002023-11-15T10:59:35-05:00Avoiding Feed-Time Frenzy: Guest Post by Julie GoodnightTENELEVEN ADMINMore

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If you keep your horses at home, you’ve probably already developed a routine that makes your job efficient and keeps the horses happy. But if you are new to this, or are looking for helpful hints to make your horse life easier, I’d like to share with you the ‘tricks of the trade’ that I have learned over the decades.

Feed time can be very stressful for the horses, especially when they are only fed twice a day. Nothing could be more unnatural to the horse, since he is designed to eat small amounts all day long. His digestive system is designed to always be full, so when he is fed two lump-sum meals that he finished within an hour or two, his stomach gets empty and he now has 6-8 hours or more to worry about when his next meal is coming. In addition to digestive and emotional stress, horses may also learn to act aggressively or rudely, which is reinforced as soon as you feed them. So it’s important to do what we can to alleviate the stress, by developing a good feed-time routine.

Keep Their Bellies Full!

My horses have free-choice access, 24/7, to a low-protein grass hay (tested at 9% protein). When your horses have free-choice hay (only grass hay and never alfalfa), it removes almost all the feed-time stress; there is little to no fighting over food; horses that previously would chase other horses off and hoard the food will eat side by side with their herd mates. I often look out in the paddock and see all of our horses eating from the same pile, with their noses virtually touching. Because horses know they can eat whenever they want and never worry about having enough food, they take turns at the feeders and they never gorge themselves.

Free choice access to grass hay brings a lot of peace and tranquility to the herd, helps keep mental stress low and is critical to digestive health. I find that we have much fewer problems with colic and ulcers with the horses on free-choice and we have no problems at all with obesity. If you are not in a situation where you can give them free-choice hay, you should feed hay in sufficient quantities that he always has a little bit left over before the next meal comes or feed more often than twice a day. If the hay you feed it too high in protein or so sweet that your horse may over eat, try using a slow feeder, such as the Savvy Feeder, that will slow your horse down and help him savor the hay all day long.

Follow a Consistent Routine.

Horses love to know what is coming next and they love routines. It makes them feel safe. Develop your feeding routine in such a way that the horses can anticipate it and so that they will help you get the job done. Everyone’s situation is different and there are many ways to make it more efficient, but I will tell you our routine and why it works.

Half our horses stay outside in the paddock all day and all night, while the other half (our performance horses) are out all day and come into stalls at night. We do this for several reasons. One is that our performance horses frequently travel and have to stay in stalls when they do, so we want them accustomed to and comfortable with that confinement. Also, in addition to their free-choice hay, each horse gets special supplements and some get medications, so separating them makes it easier to feed a customized diet. All our horses receive daily doses of Cosequin (a joint health supplement), Wellactin (an omega 3 fish oil for their coats, immune systems and cardiovascular health) and Calxequin (an all-around vitamin supplement). Additionally, some of our horses get Proviable daily (a high-quality pre- and pro-biotic for digestive health) and occasionally one or more of our horses are also receiving some medication in their feed.

Each morning at the same time every day, the horses are all given a token amount of grain to carry their supplements. Most horses do not need any grain if they are receiving adequate amounts of hay. Hay or grass forage are considered “roughage,” while grains and complete feeds are considered “concentrates.” I personally like to avoid concentrates as much as I can but to get the horses to eat the supplements, we give them just a handful of whole oats (no additives or processed feeds). While they are eating their grain, we are taking off blankets and opening the alleyway to the paddock so that when they are finished, we can just open the stall door and let them trot out to the paddock by themselves. They will all spend the day out there together, munching contentedly when they want, napping in the sun and playing together.

Once the horses are all out, we clean the stalls, wash and fill the water buckets, load up the hay in each stall (so the stalled horses have all the hay they want at night) and prep the night-time grain and supplements (but leave it in the feed room so it doesn’t get eaten by the dogs). By 10 o’clock each morning all the chores are done for the whole day and the only remaining feed-time chore is to open the gates and let the horses in.

At 4 o’clock each afternoon, we place their previously prepared grain/supplements in the stall (I always feed hay and grain from the ground level, which is more natural and healthier for their respiratory systems, than putting it in a raised feeder). We close the barn doors to the outside, open all the stall doors, then open the gate to the paddock to let the horses in. Because we use the same routine at the same time every day, the horses are lined up to come in and they march right into their stalls.

Keep It Simple!

A horse has very simple needs when it comes to nutrition—they need roughage (10-20 pounds a day), water (10-15 gallons a day) and free-choice salt. I keep a Redmond all-natural sea salt lick in each stall and I keep several “rocks on a rope” in the paddocks, near the waterers. We also hang two water buckets (heated) in each stall and one of them has “Rein Water” mixed in—it’s a mineral mixture that horses love. It not only encourages them drink more, but it also helps the water taste familiar when we are on the road. I prefer to have buckets in the stalls and not automatic waterers so that I know exactly how much water each horse consumed overnight.

Train Your Horses to Help.

I’ve taught my horses to come in the barn when I call them. It’s easy to do. Just use a unique call or whistle every day before they come in for feed. To get started, you may have to shake a grain can after your call and let them have a taste as soon as they come. Soon, the call or whistle itself will get them in. Use it every day so it is like a dinner bell. Then, even if I need to bring them in early, my call will always get their attention. If one horse learns it, the rest will likely follow and teach the new horses what it means.

If you let your horses march themselves into the barn and stalls, do it in the same order everyday so they know what to expect. Soon they will be lining up in order and not vying for position. The more consistent your routine is, the better the horses will respond.

Make sure your horses do not act aggressively or display dominance when you feed them. If you must walk into a pen with feed, use a flag to make sure all the horses stay back and do not try to grab feed out of your arms—this is dominant behavior and very dangerous. If a horse is inside a pen or stall and you do not have to go in to feed, he should still be patient and polite. If he is acting aggressively or rudely, do not feed him in that moment. Use a flag to back him up and wait until his ears are forward before you throw the feed in. If you feed him while he is acting poorly, it reinforces that behavior and turns it into an engrained habit.

Keep in mind that horses establish dominance in the herd, in part, by taking away food from others. If the horse ever comes to believe that his aggressive antics are causing you to feed him, then in his mind, every day you are proving to him he is dominant. Make sure your horses are acting appropriately in the moment that you feed them to help avoid dominance issues.

Whatever your horse-keeping situation is, there are probably things you can do to make it more time-efficient, easier and less stressful for your horses. Keeping a routine that is strictly adhered to by everyone that does the feeding chores, will help train your horses so that they cooperate in the process instead of interfere. If you have some great ideas for avoiding feed-time frenzy, I’d love to hear about them here in the comments!

Enjoy the ride!

—Julie Goodnight, Trainer and Clinician

Photo Credit: By Heidi Melocco, Whole-Picture.com

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/how-to-choose-and-fit-the-right-helmet2017-03-16T12:24:00-04:002023-11-15T10:55:43-05:00How to Choose and Fit the Right HelmetJenny BeverageMore

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Equestrian helmets are more popular than ever. Every year more riders are on the hunt for this new piece of equipment. With so many helmets to choose from, it can get a bit overwhelming!

The team at Troxel has some great tips to help you find the right helmet:

#1 Certification: helmets are subject to drops, sharp and blunt blows, and tested for harness strength. It’s important to choose an ASTM/SEI certified equestrian helmet. All Troxel helmets are ASTM/SEI certified.

#2 Budget: all helmets that are ASTM/SEI certified will offer comparable protection.  Appearance is the main factor for cost differences between various models, sometimes comfort features like fit systems can play a role.

#3 Fashion: Troxel has a comprehensive line of western helmets from the more traditional leather covered Cheyenne, or the athletic line of barrel racing inspired Fallon Taylor and FTX styles, to the subtle Rebel and Spirit options.  Whichever Troxel helmet you choose, rest assured you are getting a high quality helmet designed after decades of real life feedback from riders like you.

#4 Fit: It’s very important to pick a helmet that is very comfortable on your head because if it’s not, you are less likely to wear it! Check out Troxel’s helmet fitting guide and video to help you make the best decision.

]]> https://www.troxelhelmets.com/blogs/troxel/a-horse-s-sense-of-fairness-guest-post-by-julie-goodnight2017-02-22T17:26:00-05:002023-11-15T10:59:34-05:00A Horse’s Sense of Fairness: Guest Post by Julie GoodnightTENELEVEN ADMINMore

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Troxel Athlete and Horse Master [Julie Goodnight](/content/pages/julie-goodnight "Troxel Athlete Julie Goodnight"/index.html) has more than a quarter-century of horse training experience. Her varied background ranges from dressage and jumping to racing, reining, colt-starting, and wilderness riding. Her training and teaching techniques are frequent features of Horse & Rider, The Trail Rider and America's Horse and she makes frequent appearances at horse expos, conferences and clinics.

Julie Goodnight takes on topics you want to know more about in her online training library—part of her ever-expanding Horse Master Academy and television show, Horse Master TV. Check out her full list of clinics and appearances at: JulieGoodnight.com/calendar, subscribe to her YouTube channel or follow Julie on Instagram.

“Does my horse have a sense of fairness?” Recently, one of my Interactive Academy members asked me this question—a question that no one has ever asked me during my forty years of teaching people to ride horses. I’ve been working with this rider for a while now. She’s working through my 12-month curriculum with her horse to help improve her own horsemanship, as well as advance her horse’s training. Those endeavors involve improving your own leadership skills. Considering her leadership skills led to the question. So, does a horse have a sense of fairness?

Your horse’s point of view, on any given subject may be (and probably is) quite different than your own. What your horse views as unfair treatment may surprise you. But fairness does not exist in a vacuum—it is always relative to other factors. We get caught up in our own, singular point of view, and fail to consider all the factors. What seems perfectly reasonable to us, may be viewed as grossly unfair as another.

Leadership is not just about your actions or intentions; it is also about your honesty, integrity and fairness—including admitting your own mistakes and taking responsibility yourself if your followers fall short of your expectations. Authority is not the same as leadership—just because you have authority over others does not mean that they have a desire to follow you or accept you as their leader.

Horses most certainly have a sense of fairness, just as they are good judges of leadership and trustworthiness. Because they are herd animals, they are mindful of leadership, hierarchy, rules, and ramifications of behavior. They are instinctively drawn to strong leadership, with a compelling desire to be accepted in a herd and a profound fear of banishment from the herd. Horses thrive when leadership, rules and structure exist and they flail in the absence of it.

That’s not to say a horse never does anything wrong or that he would think any discipline was bad. He knows when he is breaking a rule or pushing a boundary and he usually responds well to fair punishment. But when rules are unclear or inconsistently enforced, when you say one thing but then do another, when you inadvertently punish even though no punishment was intended, or when the punishment does not fit the crime, a horse will feel that they are being treated unfairly, and his trust in you diminishes.

How would you know if you horse feels like you are treating him unfairly? This is what varies greatly with horses—given his natural temperament, he may react strongly or not at all to any perceived injustice. Reactions from the horse may range from a slight tensing and lifting of the head, to shaking the head, refusals, running through the bridle, crow-hopping, bucking, or shutting down (becoming non-responsive). Of course, there could be many causes for these type of reactions in a horse, but whenever a horse is frustrated, it’s always important to consider your own actions, and how they may be viewed by the horse. After all, none of us is a perfect leader for our horses.

Here are some common scenarios where I see people treating their horses in ways the horse may consider unfair…

Unfair Treatment #1

Ask him to do something then punish him for doing it: An easy way to test your horse’s sense of fairness is to cue him to canter, then hit him in the mouth with the bit when he does. How he reacts to that will tell you how tolerant he is. This happens far more often than you think, in all levels of riders. Sometimes it’s related to lack of skill; other times it is reactionary—a rider fearful of the canter often snatches the horse up as soon as they respond to the cue. From the horse’s point of view, you asked him to do something then you punished him for doing it. Responses from this kind of conflicting signal can range from a small shake of the head, to crow-hopping, to a refusal to canter for you anymore, to flat-out bucking. But usually it is the horse that is blamed; not fair, nor is it honest, from your horse’s point of view.

Unfair Treatment #2

Asking for one more time: Let’s say you’ve been working on something very challenging for your horse—like jumping gymnastics. Maybe you start with just a few rails up in the line of jump-very-stride obstacles and gradually you add more until it is a very challenging and strenuous exercise. After some stops and starts and failed attempts, your horse finally goes through the full gymnastic correctly. You are thrilled! So what’s the first thing you say? “Let’s do that one more time.” You know what happens next. He’s already given you his best and that wasn’t good enough; now he’s tired and emotionally spent and you ask for more. Things fall apart and what should have been a great training session turns into a salvage effort. Fairness would dictate that you recognized your horse’s best effort and let him rest on that, rather than feed your own greed.

Unfair Treatment #3

Setting the horse up for failure: This is the actually the real, unedited scenario that stimulated the whole discussion on fairness between my Interactive member and myself. “The last time we went to the arena, there were about 15 of us in there at once – usually, I have the place to myself, or maybe one other rider. This was a big test I thought – thinking about how anxious he was on the first day of the clinic [she’s referring to a clinic she took with me, 6-8 months ago, when he had come uncorked]. He did great! He stayed focused and listening to me. The only negative was when we were done, I loaded him up – no problem. So I decided to practice unloading and loading since we were a little tired and away from home. He decided no. A nearby rider gave me some help. This made me think about fairness. Was it unfair to finish and then ask for more?”

Yes, it was unfair. Clearly the horse had given of himself, worked very hard and done the right thing. He had every reason to believe he was done and would receive the kindness of comfort from his leader that he had a right to expect after a job well-done. Instead, he was set up to fail; he was set up to rebel. After all, he had already loaded once without resistance. Was that not what you wanted? Authority should not be exploited. My father often said, “A well-trained horse that trusts you, will jump over a cliff if you ask. But that might be the last time he trusts you and it might be the last time you get to ask.”

Does an impatient horse need to learn more patience? Yes. Should we expect perfect patience of him in every situation or at the same level we do another more patient or more experienced horse? No. Should we make him jump through hoops when he is most anxious or most aggravated, just for the sake of seeing him jump through the hoops? No. Should we ALWAYS set him up for success? YES! A good training exercise sets the horse up for the greatest chance of success, not throwing challenges at him one after the other with the intent of making him fail.

A good leader does not expect his followers to do things beyond their capabilities. Yes, you want to push your followers to be the best they can be, but you cannot make them be something they are not or live up to an unattainable expectation. Everyone wants the feeling of a job well done. If we think our horse may not be capable of giving us what we want in that moment, it’s best not to ask. Do something else instead. Come back later and address it when the chances of success are greater or when you have removed other obstacles.

While your expectations should be high, you are not trying to find your horse at fault and it is not about you, but more about what your horse is capable of giving. It’s about asking him to try and then recognizing his try, even when it is not perfect. Every horse is different and what may seem like an awesome response from one horse may be nothing for another horse.

It’s good to have high expectations; just remember that expectations lead to disappointment, so make sure your expectations are realistic and attainable. Your horse will rise to your level of expectation, be it high or low. Have high expectations, and recognize your horse’s efforts honestly and fairly.

Join the academy and get my one-on-one feedback as you work with your horse: HorseTrainingHelp.com

Have a good ride,

—Julie Goodnight, Trainer and Clinician

Goodnight is proud to recommend Myler Bits, Nutramax Laboratories, Circle Y Saddles, Redmond Equine, Spalding Fly Predators, Troxel Helmets, Bucas Blankets and Millcreek Manure Spreaders. Goodnight is the spokesperson for the Certified Horsemanship Association.

Photo Credit: By Heidi Melocco, Whole-Picture.com

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