DEAR DANA: What advice can you give a stallion owner like me, as we look ahead to the new year?  Do we do anything differently while we wait out the market for breeding?
— Ann, Pomona, Calif.

DEAR ANN: That is a very good question, and mare owners and stallion owners all over the country have the same question!

First of all, I tell mare owners that I feel there could be a shortage of show prospects over the next few years because so many people have not bred their mares. Yes, it is possible that there were too many horses at one time, but there will certainly be less now as many people have stopped or cut back on their breeding.

The other thing you could do differently — if you are able to — is adjust your price to your customers.  I have offered an early booking discount to encourage people to breed their mares, as well as discounts to proven mares.  I have also lowered my prices on many of my young horses to stay competitive in this market. 

There are a variety of innovations and ideas that are currently being used in the breeding industry, and discounts are one of them. The promotional idea needs to fit the profile of the breeder. If you have kept an eye on my website, you will find that I offer promotions and specials often which can help make it possible for some people to continue with their horse. I also offer incentives and financing to approved buyers.

I am doing what I can to make it possible for people to breed and raise their horses or to purchase a horse, and my hope is that soon the market will be strong again!

Dana

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DEAR DANA: My 6 year old niece loves horses and appears ready to jump into lessons. My sister is thrilled that I’m getting her involved. I may be putting too much pressure on myself, but I want to be sure her first experience is a good one. What insight can you offer for stable selection for a first-timer? Or, for that matter, the style of riding?
— Gina, Phoenix, Ariz.

DEAR GINA: It’s awesome that your niece loves horses and is excited! I am impressed that you are putting thought into how to get her started. It is important to give her a positive, safe experience. I strongly recommend that you are careful and thoughtful in your selection, as I am sure you will be. Anyone can hang a sign and say they are a horse trainer, but that does not mean that they are qualified or have experience and it does not mean that they have horses gentle and safe enough for a beginner. You need to investigate thoroughly and put your niece in the best hands possible! Here are some tips to selecting a stable:

First, decide if you want her to start English or western, as many stables will specialize in one or the other. I think that either style of riding is fine as long as your niece is learning from a qualified instructor and is put on extremely safe horses. I ride primarily western, so of course I would lean toward western riding. I also like the fact that the western saddle is larger and may offer more support. However, a qualified English riding stable with good horses and instructors is fine, too. Once you have made your decision as to the riding style, you can look into stables.

I show Quarter Horses and the American Quarter Horse Association offers referrals through the Professional Horseman’s Association. You can start there. The members of the Professional Horseman’s Association have to be qualified in some areas to be a member. If they can’t help you, they may be able to refer you to someone who can. Go and interview prospective stables. Look for signs of professionalism, such as cleanliness and good care of the horses. Also be sure to ask if they carry insurance. Get references from people who have taken lessons.

I also recommend you watch a lesson and see if you are comfortable with what you see. Safety is number one! I would ask what horse they are going to put your niece on. Quiz them about the safety of that horse. One bad experience can turn her away from horses forever. Make sure they go slow with her. Most riders on the first ride should only walk and, maybe in some cases, jog. Don’t let anything be rushed! Also, talk directly to the person giving the lesson to see if their personality style will work with your niece’s personality style. Really shy, timid kids may need an extremely encouraging, soft instructor. I have seen instructors that are negative and harsh. Stay away from them. Look for someone who will be positive, encouraging, and make it fun!

Short sessions are also better than a lesson that is held too long. Ideally, you want to end each lesson with her wanting more! I also recommend that the lesson program covers ground work and care for the horse on the ground with an emphasis on safety. I also like to see new riders taught on proper use of their hands, as well as exercises to improve their seat and balance!

I recommend that the first few lessons be private lessons. You want all the attention on your niece! Also look at the arena she will be riding in, is it quiet without a lot of chaos or uproar going on that could spook the horse? Is the ground good? Professionally run facilities are for the horse and the rider, and they are organized, neat, clean, and the ground is cared for in the arena.

I hope this helps you and best of luck to you and your niece!

Dana

P.S. – My Complete Guide DVD Series, including 101 Safety Tips, is perfect for you and your niece and will give you a lot of valuable information to have a positive start in horses!

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DEAR DANA: How can I get my horse to lift the shoulder and transition into the lope without getting cranky and over bridled?
—Caroline Campbell, San Miguel, Calif.

DEAR CAROLINE: It sounds to me that your horse has resistance to your leg. I cannot be positive without seeing your horse, but usually if the horse is cranky, it is because of an anger toward your leg. When a horse shows an attitude or has resistance, there is usually a root problem behind it that needs to be dealt with.

There are several components involved in the lope off transition in order to make a smooth, pretty transition. The most common area of resistance is to our leg cue. In a correct lope off, we are asking our horse to move his hindquarters over off of our leg into position to be on the correct arc of the lead that we are loping off into. Our horse also has to have his weight distributed onto his hindquarters and reach up with his inside hind leg and balance on the outside hind leg. It takes strength and collection to perform this without any movement in the head and neck.

I layer a foundation with my horse and practice the individual maneuvers until it becomes easy and effortless. Teaching my horse the correct way to perform this transition is two-fold. He has to position his body correctly and perform the maneuver, but he also has to accept my cues. It sounds like he has an issue with the acceptance part of the cue. In order to develop acceptance, I will pay a lot of attention to my horses reaction to my cues. When I see signs of resistance — such as crankiness, excessively using his tail, or jumping off of my leg — I will stop and repeat the cue until I feel that he is accepting of my cues.

This is very important in order to accomplish smooth, effortless transitions. I recommend that you pay attention to the details, and when you see a bad reaction, stop and repeat it until you build acceptance. I also recommend that you do a lot of exercises asking your horse to move over off of your leg – such as pushing the hindquarters around the front end, two-tracking or leg yielding, and side passing.

Work on these until he seems to accept being moved and pushed around off your leg. Good luck to you!

Dana

P.S. – In my DVD video series, “Maximizing Your Western Pleasure Horse Vol. 1 and Vol. 3 — Secrets to a Truly Willing Horse”, there’s more!

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DEAR DANA: I have a 14-year-old mare whom I have had since birth. I have done everything with this mare including major WP shows, trail trials, rodeos, camping — you name it! Nothing had ever bothered or scared her until I recently put her thru the police posse sensory training, which consisted of every possible scary object. Since this training my mare has fallen apart and everything and anything scares her. She seems to anticipate the boogey men out there ready to attack her. I feel I have ruined a perfect all-around horse. Any suggestions?
—Diana Dobbins, Santa Clarita, Calif.

DEAR DIANA: I am so sorry to hear of your problem with your mare. I can only imagine how upsetting this must be. You have invested greatly in this horse with time, energy, heart and soul, and money! Let’s see if we can get her back to that trusting confident horse!

My thoughts are that the police posse sensory training was too overwhelming for her and she is still frightened. I often tell the story of Pavlov’s dog when I teach people how to train their horses. When I first heard it, it really struck me, and it still comes to mind when I’m training horses:

Pavlov was a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who studied behavior and formulated Behavior Modification. Most of training is behavior modification. He took a dog and found that every time the dog would see and smell food, it would salivate. He then found he could train the salivating response to the ringing of a bell. To do this, he would bring the food and ring the bell at the same time and the dog would salivate. After a while, Pavlov could ring the bell without any food and the dog would still salivate. The dog’s response (salivating) became conditioned from seeing and smelling the food to salivating when hearing the ringing bell.

Perhaps there’s insight here into what has happened to your mare. She saw a stimulus and it frightened her. Then she saw another and another and another and became conditioned to be afraid at new stimulus. Whether they be sights, sounds, or whatever, her response (fear) has become conditioned to every new stimulus.

I feel you can break this cycle with a lot of reconditioning which will include time and patience. Also, keep in mind that some horses are more sensitive than others! What I would recommend is to do your best to change each and every negative stimulus into a positive one or at least build acceptance in your mare. If you can turn each time of fear into a positive experience she will soon forget about it. For example, if she is afraid of one particular thing don’t leave the situation until it becomes a positive one for her. At first this may take you hours, but I recommend that you stay with it until you win. If you can stay with a situation until your horse accepts it, they will get over it. Be prepared to spend the time. I will give you an example:

Let’s say my horse was afraid of the golf cart parked next to the arena. First of all, I never punish my horse if I feel he is afraid. Remember, I want to recondition that response and if they are afraid and I punish them I only build upon the fear response. I don’t allow my horse to refuse me or refuse to go forward because then they learn to ignore me. I will, however, face my horse to what it is scared of and let them see it and think about it. So, if my horse is afraid of the golf cart and I am going along the rail and they spook, I will stop and let them see it. I don’t punish, but give them a moment to think about it until I feel the horse relax. I will go by that golf cart again and again until I know that I have truly “broken through,” so to speak.

If I feel my horse is still afraid I may get off and tie them around the arena where they can see the golf cart and think about and realize that it is okay. If I had to I would feed my horse there and tie my horse there the next morning, but I would do my best to win.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to punish your horse for her fear. Work through it and change that conditioned response. If your horse was afraid of something it may take 100 or even 1000 times to undo that fear. Negative stimulation can make a greater impact on horses and people than a positive one. So think it out and reframe that negative experience into a positive one. Most likely, in her police training many things at once were thrown at her, and it was too much. So, try to take one thing at a time. Make sure that it is a totally positive experience before you go onto the next. Good luck and I hope this helps you!

Dana

P.S. My training DVD, “Maximizing Your Western Pleasure Horse Vol. 1 and Vol. 3” looks into this topic!

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DEAR DANA: How can I fix my western pleasure horse’s habit of four-beating or “troping” without passing everything in the pen?
— Kathy Grisham of Glendora, Calif

DEAR KATHY: That is a very good question! In my opinion, movement and quality of movement is huge! I always prioritize movement before speed. However, I know that you want your horse loping good and staying slow.

The causes of a horse “four-beating” can be complicated and varied. I have a lot of exercises I do on a daily basis to maintain my horses’ movement. I believe that western pleasure, if done correctly, is an athletic event — and I need to encourage my horse to reach and step and to stay balanced and off of his front end.

Four of the common causes to a horse starting to four-beat are:

1. They lose the natural body position of the arc. A horse is made to lope on a slight arc, not under arced or over arced. The correct arc for a right lead for example, is the left rear foot needs to fall in the middle of the two front feet, and the head and neck tipped slightly to the right so that the rider can see the outside corner of the right eye. The left arc is opposite of this. My program has a lot of exercises designed to “Maintain the arc”.
2. The horse quits reaching up or stepping up behind. I often “medium-trot” my horses every ride, collected and in hand, to encourage them to reach and keep their step. Older hoses often shorten up their stride and they need to be driven or pushed to keep that natural reach they had as a younger horse.
3. The horse dumps his body weight onto his front end. Keep your horse balanced, using their hindquarters. That will keep that natural lift in the shoulders needed to perform a beautiful, flowing lope. If my horse feels heavy in my hand or when I stop him, he is probably on his front end. I will stop and rollback my horses often to get them off of their front end.
4. The horse may be unsound or sore in some area. You would need to have a veterinarian check your horse to rule out any unsoundness. We study and evaluate our horses often to check for any unsoundness. Also, I recommend that you vary your workout with some loping that is driven up and collected as well as slow, show-speed rail work. Remember, good movement needs to be maintained. Take the pointers I’ve given you and diagnose which areas you feel your horse needs the most help in and work on those areas.

Good luck, and I hope this helps you!

Dana

P.S. My training DVD, “Maximizing Your Western Pleasure Horse Vol. 1 and Vol. 3” looks into this topic!

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DEAR DANA: My mare wants to carry her head and neck too low at the walk and trot. She naturally has a very level top line, but is dropping her head and neck very low, especially as she tires. She is starting to look like a peanut roller. Are there exercises I can do to correct this?
—Lisa Forgie of Lowden, Iowa

DEAR LISA: This is a common problem, and I have some great exercises that can help you. Very often this problem starts because we, the riders, want a level headset, and we ask our horse to drop his head — then reward him by dropping our reins! The problem is that every time we reward them by dropping our reins, the horse will end up following the reins down with her head and neck, and she leans to get her head and neck too low. Now…guess where their body weight goes? To their front end! So there are two exercises that help:

1. Every time you pick up on your horse — to bridle him, to collect him, or to drop his head — stay in contact with your horse until she not only gives in the face, but also softens in the face and collects up or rounds up through her body. Horses can be programmed, and you or another rider may have programmed her to do this by dropping off her face too early. I release when my horse (A) gives her face by dropping her head, (B) softens in the face, and (C) collects up and rounds up through her body. I know this when I feel the lift and when I feel her steps soften and become more cadenced.
2. The next helpful exercise is this: When she drops her head low, stop her, back her, and roll back, then trot off the other way. Often horses get lazy, and their body weight goes to their front end — and the problem of the head and neck getting too low is secondary to the body weight being carried on the front end. I use the stop in two ways: (A) to diagnose where my horse’s body weight is, and (B) to correct my horse’s body weight getting on her front end. So, when you stop your horse, draw her to the ground. Don’t jerk her — jerking her may lose the message and may hide in the face.

Your goal is to get control of her feet and body weight smoothly and firmly. I teach my students to firmly draw into the ground folding their body on the horse. By that I mean don’t brace or throw your body back on your horse, just sit. Also, after your horse comes to a stop, check out her body weight. Was she heavy in your hands? Did she take a step or two backward or forward? Or, did you feel her try to push or lean forward? If so, she was on her front end. I ask all my horses to stop light and balanced in my hands, even folding in the hindquarters like a reiner. How they stop will tell you how they were moving!

After you have diagnosed your horse through the stop, you can use the stop as a correction. Do this by stopping, backing, and rolling back until your horse will carry herself longer. I just back my horse until I feel him soften and lift up in the shoulders, and then I turn and go forward. The correction isn’t about the back-up, just about re-directing the body weight to the hindquarters and demanding that my horse carry herself.

Good luck, I hope this helps you! Also, my training DVD, “Get the Lean Out Of Your Performance Horse” looks into this very topic!

Dana

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DEAR DANA: My horse got backed into a little over a year ago while entering the show arena gate of my horsemanship class. Now he’s afraid to go in the gate at every show and is equally nervous when moving around other horses in the line-up before all my pattern classes. However, he is completely calm on the rail and while doing the pattern. I have tried walking him in and out of the gate before and after the show dozens of times with no results. Do you have any ideas?
—Ashley of Sterling, KS

DEAR ASHLEY: I am sorry that happened to you and your horse. Sometimes one seemingly small incident can become a really big deal to your horse. I have had similar things happen to me, and it can take a lot of time for your horse to get over a bad experience. It takes many good experiences to program over a bad experience. If a horse has had the problem for quite a while, it has built up bigger and bigger in his mind. Be patient with your horse but don’t give up as he will get over it with persistence on your part.
It sounds like there are two areas that your horse has developed a lot of fear. One, when horses move around him as in the line-up. Two, when he goes through the gate. I would enlist a friend on a very safe horse and I would be willing to spend whatever time is needed to have a breakthrough. Be prepared to take hours, if necessary. If you can do this at a horse show, it is even better.

I would start by ponying your horse off of a very safe, non-reactive horse. If your horse is really afraid, stop and touch your horse’s face, neck—all over—and also talk to him. Horses really do respond to your voice and touch. If you can, ride the pony horse and reach out your hand until you touch the face of your horse. Do this over and over until he relaxes and preferably takes a deep breath, or licks his lips. This shows acceptance. Stay with it until you have a victory. Then, (a) start walking on the pony horse, (b) pony your horse, (c) stop, (d) pet his face—then walk off, stop, pet him, etc., over and over until it turns into a positive experience.

He’s going to see the back end of a horse and a good thing will happen, rather than something fearful. You can even carry treats and give him a treat. You have to re-program him to expect something good when a horse moves his back end around your horse. Then start ponying him through the gate over and over. Stop if you get partly through the gate and pet him, talk to him, or give him a treat and wait until he relaxes. Then have someone else ride the pony horse and you ride your horse and repeat this again, over and over. The difference in this arrangement is that you are directing him rather than him being ponied. He may have refused your cues before to go right up to another horse, but now he is OK with the horse in front of him. You should be able to push him right up to the horse. Make sure you end each interaction with the other horse positively by your horse getting a pat from the other rider.

Next, I would get other horses and people to repeat this with you over and over until he can walk right up to another horse and see the movement of the horse and the person’s hand reaching over to him –it’s no big deal! Once you have his confidence in this area, you should be able to get him to walk through the gate and relax. If he has been refusing your cues and veering or shying away from other horses and the gate for a long time, that may have become a habit. You’ll then need to re-program him to say “yes” to your cues.

I hope this helps you, and good luck with your horse!

Dana

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DEAR DANA: I have a 3-year-old WP prospect who was started last fall. He is very solid at the jog, but I’ve hit a road block with his lope. He remains collected and in frame, but he is too fast for the show ring. Could you recommend any exercises that I can use to teach him to come down to “show speed”?
–Molly McElrath of Mercer, PA

DEAR MOLLY: I will do my best to help you with your horse without seeing him or a video of him, but I can tell you that I have had many good western pleasure horses that took a while to slow down. I have one mare that I think of in particular, she is a beautiful mover and has a bigger stride. She has a bit of go to her also, but her quality of movement was worth the time it took. She took months and months until she wanted to slow down.

I also want to say that there are some horses that never want to go as slow as they need to and if you force them to slow down before they are ready, or beyond their own natural talent, they end up moving horribly. If I feel that’s the case, I try to find another event for that horse. Not all horses are suited to be western pleasure horses, and that’s okay. They might make a great western rider!

I do want to encourage you , however, and tell you to take your time to slow him down. We want to keep our western pleasure horses moving as pure and good as we can. One thing to remember about a slow lope is that in order to go slow, beautifully, he needs to be collected and reach up behind, and have lift. If he is already collected, you could do some exercises to encourage his lift, such as stop him, roll him back onto his hindquarters, and lop back off. If he starts off with lift a little slower, then you know he needs to learn to hold his lift. When he speeds up, just stop him, don’t scare him or punish him, just stop, back, roll back, and lope off until he gives you more lift and self carriage.

The other thing you can do is to make sure he’s reaching up behind. I have a series of exercises I do to encourage this. You can push his hindquarters around off of his front end and really establish communication between his reach behind and your leg cue. You can also two track him and get a lot of results by making your horse stay on the correct arc. Good luck to you, don’t give up!

Dana

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DEAR DANA: I have a 2-year-old gelding with major respect issues. When he is being worked, he is fine. But with basic ground manners, he is constantly challenging me. He will throw a front foot and is always putting something in his mouth, including your arm if he can get it — and he has never been allowed to get away with it. I have tried everything and am at my wit’s end. I just really would like to be able to pet my horse!
–Christina of Richfield Springs, NY

DEAR CHRISTINA: It sounds to me that your gelding is very pushy. He also sounds like horses that I have had that were the bossy ones in the pasture — he is used to pushing people or horses around and getting his way.

I also wonder if he was recently gelded because what you describe sounds like a stud colt. When you say that he tries to put your arm in his mouth or throws a front foot forward, I am concerned for your safety. I’m sure you know the risks, but keep in mind that he weighs a lot more than you do. Your safety is number one, and he just can’t get away with that. He needs to learn respect for you.

I would recommend you seek the advice of a professional. Without me being there, I cannot guess how far he will go, or whether he is just threatening…or is really serious. I would assume he is serious.
One important tip I can give you is to define your space and to not let him into your space. You can do this by leading him next to you and when you stop and turn toward him, he needs to be ready to back up, not push forward. If you walk a step toward him, he needs to back up. You need to demand this respect by backing him up as you turn toward him. If he won’t back off, then take your lead rope or something like a PVC pipe that makes noise without hurting him. Smack him until he backs away from you. He needs to respect you, and you can demand this without hurting him if you give a clear message and are consistent. If you pick at him, he will just get irritated with you.

I have had some horses that I just can’t pat and love on because they have so much trouble controlling themselves. Just when you think they are harmless is when you lower your guard and get bit or struck. For awhile, I would be all business with him. I would make him stay out of my space and also teach him to watch my body position. If I turn to face him, he is not allowed to move forward. In fact, if I face him and stand still, he is not to move, but if I walk a step toward him, he is to back off. This can be difficult if he was to challenge you and it is important to watch his body language so that you know what is coming next.

If you feel you are not getting anywhere, then stop and seek the advice of a professional. Also, some horses push back against pressure, so if you put your hand on his face to pet him, he may try to push back, and that is aggressive behavior. The next step is he will try to bite or grab you. As soon as you feel him push back on you, get after him and don’t let it go any further.

Good luck with him, Christina. I hope this helps you!

Dana

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DEAR DANA: How do I keep my mare from anticipating lead changes? She starts collecting up and raising her head and neck. I want her to be a GOOD lead-changer, but only when I ask it of her. Is there something I should be doing? Others tell me to NEVER do lead changes!
–Lori of Kissimmee, FL

DEAR LORI: I’m not sure if your horse is green at lead changes, but it sounds like she is either green or unhappy about it! One thing that might really help her is to change up her routine. This will help with her trying to anticipate her lead changes.

It sounds like the lead changes stimulate or fluster her. I have had many horses that will get “hot” or “high” when they change leads, especially when I begin teaching them. Also, some horses aren’t as good at lead changes as others. Your mare may be feeling pressured or worried about it, so remember that you want to make this lesson a positive experience that will teach her to accept the pressure. Also if she is getting high in the lead change, part of the problem may be that she is not accepting your leg cue. Pay attention to this and see if she gets hot off of your leg in other situations. Most horses, especially mares, need their acceptance level to your leg maintained. By that I mean for you to apply your leg, ask her to move over by side-passing or by isolating her hindquarters and pivoting her hindquarters around her front end. I will do this until my horse will let me drive her around without getting rushy, hot, or ear piney. Once I feel I have a new level of acceptance to my leg, then go back and try a lead change.

There are a couple of ways that you can handle her if she wants to stay hot. One way is to keep changing leads, even if she gets hot, and do it until she gives it up and accepts it. If you do that, be careful to not punish her when she makes a mistake, as you are trying to build a positive experience. Also, if she gets out of air, make sure and walk her and let her catch her air as horses that are ridden and trained too long, out of air, can grow to dislike their job.

The other approach you can take is to ask for one or two lead changes, then walk a moment to relax her, and change up her routine by putting her into position for a change, then bring her down to the walk and just side-pass her over, then walk off. Also, pay attention to the details if you feel her getting rattled, then slow everything down and diagnose what was rattling her. Work on that without punishing her, then go back and ask for a lead change. Do your work slowly and quietly, taking the excess energy out of the maneuvers. You can also do a combination of both of these approaches, but the best advice I can give you is to really learn to “read” or “diagnose” your horse as best that you can. If you do that, then you know what to work on.

Also, here’s a lead change exercise that I do with horses that tend to get rattled: Lope a circle, say on the right lead, and, as you come to the middle, stop and side-pass your horse to the right off of your left leg. Then, lope back off on a left lead. Lope a few circles to the left, then stop, side-pass your horse to the left off of your right leg, and lope back off to the right. Good luck to you, and I hope this helps you!

Dana