Teaching a Young Horse to Move Forward

Oh, there you are! So I heard you were maybe looking for some help on teaching a young horse to move forward. Well lucky for you, I'm here! And I'm going to be teaching you a couple of tips and tricks for a stubborn horse on a leadline.

Ok, so why is it even important to have a relationship with your horse? Well if you want to ride or even just do some groundwork with your steed you absolutely need a relationship so you and your horse know that they can trust each other otherwise you both could get seriously injured, and that's always horrible. A couple of ways to build a bond is always being part of your horse's daily life. It also helps with later training such as leading, but with training no matter the bond there will always be issues like…

Horses planting their feet and not moving is often spoken about but have you ever heard how to actually correct this issue. Well, once again I'm here to tell you that there is a solution, although it may feel like the end of the world when this happens (and trust me I understand this same issue is happening to my 2-year-old baby horse). Anyways, one way to correct this issue is by holding your lunge whip and lightly tapping on the butt/hip area while clicking. If that still doesn't do anything then we're going to move a little up towards the shoulder of the horse. Once you are properly positioned, lightly tap once more. If your stubborn steed still isn't moving by now then slowly move your whip down the side of the body while the whip is still touching the horse. Once at the front leg of the horse tap a couple of times. Now, this may also be the commands so I suppose we should talk a little about that too...

So your horse isn't listening to any of the commands you have given to them...that is an absolutely horrible habit that could possibly end up in serious injury or death...and who wants that?!? So, whenever you're giving these commands make sure you're asking then releasing (we call this give and take). If they listen it's like getting then giving, getting then giving. You can't expect your horse to understand everything the first time they try so make sure your patient and kind no matter the scenario. It is also so very important to be consistent and persistent. Training horses, especially youngsters, is a tiring and frustrating journey but in the end, will fill you both with a rewarding bond of trust and love! A side benefit is personal growth in yourself because you learn patience and determination as well as the organization and staying calm and relaxed in an intense situation. We could all use some of that!!!

I know this post wasn't as long as the others but I hope it still helped to put at least a bit with your stubborn little pony...GOOD LUCK on your amazing journey!