HORSE TRAINING EXPECTATIONS 30-90 DAYS PART 2

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ALSO READ -     Horse training Expectations 30 60 90 Days Part 1

   

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The following are merely guidelines for all horses are different because of; their natural survival instincts all equine is born with!  The desirable/undesirable traits of horse are impacted by; age, personalities, temperaments, breeding, handling, past history and prior to training!  All affect the outcome of each training session and the outcome of the total time period allotted for training. As the owner of your horse, it is your responsibility to communicate with the trainer if you have specific training goals and expectations for your horse. Your trainer should also let you know by the end of the first 30 days if your horse is going to be safe, sound and a good fit for your riding needs.  Please read An evaluation; an implementation strategy and horse specific training plan are priorities.  Some horses we will only need ground training for the first 2 weeks some a lot longer. They all take time to train, even at the end of 30, 60, or 90 days or even 6 months; some horses may not be doing everything or be doing it that fast or doing what is quoted. At any time during your horses training, you have questions or issues, please just talk to us. We are here to help you and your horse. Please understand that us as trainers can get your horse to do a lot more than the owner can until you learn how we trained them. We will help you and your horse as much as we can in communication. Also, if we believe a horse is not ready to ride, we WILL NOT step on them. These Guidelines may apply to good horses with behavior issues including some horses are just misunderstood and not given a chance.

 

Whether we are buying, selling, re-educating, fixing behaviour issues or doing an evaluation the following are guidelines for 30- 60- or 90-days training.  A lot of my clients have purchased horses without a pre-purchase evaluation or vet check only to find out the horse they purchased was not trained to meet their expectations!  Many people are in a hurry to ride the "Green" horse Some riders think that they can gain more control from the horse when mounted.  Most times this is a fallacy.  If the horse does not have it in his mind that we are in control when you are on the ground, he will not necessarily think that you are in control when you are on his back.  Although you can train your horse something new from his back, it should be from a progression training exercises or skills that he is familiar with and understands because he as a solid Foundation of Ground!

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THE FOLLOWING ARE MERELY GUIDELINES AND NOT HORSE SPECIFIC TRAINING PLANS ALSO NOT IN THE PROPER ORDER

 

1.    The Level Essentials – 30 Days Training

After softening the horse for 30 Days Horse = 24 rides = 24+ hours of work.  First two weeks or more Foundation of Ground Training GENERAL INFO:   

Gaining Trust, Respect, Confidence & Earn Leadership Control:

• ·         ​​Desensitizing and Sensitizing work

• ·         Lunging for Respect

• ·         Teaching the Go Button

• ·         Cues for Walk, trot, lope

• ·         Lateral and Vertical Flexion

• ·         Yield hindquarters and forequarters

• ·         Saddling and bridling

• ·         Feet work, possibly shod 

By the end of the 1st month:

• ·         ​Standing calmly for Mounting and dismounting from ground/mounting block

• ·         Stop and backup with softness

• .         Cues for Walk, trot and lope on a loose rein

• ·         Standing calmly on a loose rein

• ,         Neck reining

• .          Stopping off our seat

• ·         Lateral and Vertical Flexion

• ·         One rein stops

• ·         Teaching Steering using two reins

• ·         Guiding and turning on a bend in large circles

• ·         Lateral bends and following its head around in circles 

• .        Foundation Circles

• ·         Figure 8’s

• .        Speed Control ; Walk, Trot & Lope

• .        

• ·         Gentle mild spirals in and out

After Level 1 Esssentals 30 days training.  in general, at the completion Level 1 the horse is suitable to be safely ridden by an experienced rider capable of continuing the horses training and development!

 

2.    Level 2 Intermediate 60 days Training General Info: 

After working the horse Emotionally, Mentally & Physically by moving its feet to get to its Brain- 60 Day Horse = 48 rides = 48+ hours of work!  Continue improvement and mastering of the maneuvers worked on in the first 30 days. Add the following exercises:

• ·         Neck reining improved

• ·         Turn on the forehand - Must yield hindquarters on the ground

• ·         Controlling the Hind end – on a circle pushing the hind over & maintaining forward motion \

• ·         Walking, Trotting and Loping Circles on a bend

• ·         Neck reining

• ·         Speed Control – Straight lines & in circles teaching the horse to use its brain; mentally & physically

• ·         Leg Yield

• ·         Turn On Haunches – Must disengage forequarters on the ground

• ·         Spiral Circles – Start of the spin

• ·         Side Pass – Must side pass on the ground

• ·         Rollbacks – along the fence

• ·         Ties well

• ·         Trailering 

• ·         Riding in hills

• ·         Crossing creeks and bridges

• ·         Riding on trails

 

In general, at the completion of level 2 the horse is suitable for an experienced or intermediate rider for recreation or to train for a specific discipline. Beginner riders would also be able to use the horse to learn on with an experienced teacher/trainer. 

 

3.    Level 3 Advanced 90 Days Training General Info

Refining the 90 Day Horse= 72 rides = 72+ hours of work​.  Continued improvement and mastering of the manoeuvres worked on in the 30-60 days adding the following: Add the following exercises:

• ·         ​​Turn Around

• ·         Lead departure/lead change - Side Passing is a Prerequisite to Lead Changes

• ·         Shoulder In

• ·         Shoulder Out

• ·         Haunches in

• ·         Half Pass

• ·         Spin

• ·         Simple Lead departure

• ·         Lead change at the walk and trot

 

At the completion of level 3 the horse is suitable for anyone from beginner to advanced looking to enjoy a well trained to compete in a discipline or pleasure riding setting.

 

Horsemanship Wisdom

Other expectations you may have (communicate with your trainer such as; Bathing, clipping, accepting needles this work is introduced in the first thirty days. This does not mean that your horse will be mastering all or any of them by the end of the 30 days.  After the training period ends, it is the owner’s responsibility to provide consistent riding to keep the horse fit and excelling at the mentioned Levels and manoeuvres. These lists show areas that each horse could be worked on but total achievement will be based on your horse’s temperament and ability. Expect to lose about 20-30% of the responsiveness and quality you see when the trainer works your horse. The opportunity to groundwork and ride your horse often is more important than your riding ability. Make the time and effort to protect your investment in training by continuing the horse’s education and to ride consistently by working on the above-mentioned exercises and manoeuvres.

Miles, wet blankets & concentrated Training 

Some people often refer to this phase of horse training as “horses needing miles”; I call it Higher Education of Mounted Training.  This training takes place once the horse has a solid foundation of ground training or more levels; The Essentials Level 1, Intermediate Level 2 or Advance Level 3.  Higher Education of Mounted training consists of three phases; allow me to explain all three phases: 

 

• Long Rides - Putting some miles under your horse’s feet at all three gaits; walk, trot and lope. You won’t accomplish much in terms of training, no matter how long the ride, if you just amble down the trail at a walk.  Ideally, take these long rides once a week, or at least every other week. The ride should last two to four hours.  The best approach is to take your horse out on a long dirt road. Trot him for three to four miles, then lope him for three to four miles, and so on, incorporating walk breaks as need be. Obviously, if your horse is out of condition, build up to this much work gradually. You’ll be amazed how much more your horse remembers when he’s been ridden enough to get a little tired. I’m not saying to exhaust him; just put enough mileage on him to give him a reason to want to go slowly. It really works! 

• Wet Saddle Blanket- Contrary to its name, this part of the formula is not just about sweat. You can bring your horse back to the barn tired and sweaty every single day, but if all you’ve done is gallop flat out around the pasture, you actually won’t have taught him much. To get your saddle blankets wet the right way, again spend time at all three gaits, really moving your horse’s feet in all directions. When you’re out covering country, you’ll have plenty of space for concentrated training on the trail. When you’re riding at home, make it somewhere with a lot of room, such as a large arena if you have one available, in a big open field, down a long road of trail and up/down rolling hills. Most times I have access to a nice covered arena, but I use it mainly when the weather forces me to.  I prefer to ride where I have a lot of room to move my horse’s feet. 

• Concentrated Training - This Phase of the horse’s training is very important; refining what the horse already has learnt during one or more Levels of Foundation Ground training.  Also, to teach your horse something new which should be the rider’s goal!  Concentrated training begins on the ground and is transferred to the saddle.  The exercises keep the horses mind and body soft, light, supple, and relaxed; moving off pressure, soft on the bit, collected–that is, moving with a shortened frame and carrying more of his weight on his hind end, while staying light in the bridle.  In order to have a truly trained horse you will not accomplish much as far as training the horse by strictly putting miles on and/or wet saddle blankets; “it takes the whole package Long Rides, Wet Saddle Blankets and one or more levels of Foundation of Ground & Mounted Training [Concentrated Training].  For example; a lot of ranch horses get long rides from sunup to sundown but they will be stiff as a board in their face and body unless the rider does concentrated training with their horse.  Plenty of show horses are soft and supple from all the concentrated training they get, but try taking one out on the trail.  Unless they received a solid Foundation of ground training, they are likely to spook at everything.  

 

There is no quick fix in horse training; it takes all the parts of the training regimen, each with the proper emphasis, in order for the formula to work best.  Unless you have prepared the horse Emotionally, Mentally and Physically on the ground you will have nothing to carry over into the saddle!  If the horse reacts rather than respond willingly without fear it is not the horse’s fault; it just is not educated.  For example, when you to ASK the horse to move one or more its five body parts without fear; its Head, Neck, Shoulders, Rib Cage and hindquarters.  That is why It takes all the three parts of the training regimen, each with the proper emphasis, in order for the formula to work best.  Most issues such as Bucking, fighting the bit, rearing, crow hopping, speed control, backing up, stopping, herd bound, etc. are the result of not having a solid Foundation of Ground Training that is transferable to the saddle.   The secret is if you have an issue in the saddle "Get off the horse and Refresher the horse’s memory with the proper ground exercise" then get back into the saddle.  We should not fool ourselves and we certainly cannot fool the horse; if there is no respect, trust, confidence, leadership on the ground it certainly will not Miraculously happen in the saddle.  

 

If we have the desire, patience, knowledge, a goal and routinely include a proper training strategy, while providing your horse with a reasonable degree of consistency over a sustained period of time, you’ll have a truly soft, supple, respectful horse you can ride in or out of an arena and know you’ll always have a safe, dependable partner.  

d Training.  We put ourselves and/or our horse in a dangerous or compromising situation or end up in a wreck because we did not take the time to train the horse from the ground first.  To avoid this as much as possible, I will do a great deal of bridle work from the ground first, along with essential ground lessons to get the horse prepared for riding.  Although it is the desire of most, if not all, a common area of concern is that not enough time is spent on the necessary exercises or skills in order for the horse to really learn and understand what we are asking it to do.  Establishing a sold foundation should become a priority. Why?  For our and our horses SAFETY!

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