Braiding a Long Mane
Every once in a while, a mane comes along that is too long and luxurious, and even I, a long mane hater, cannot bear to trim it.
In my barn, I typically like to keep manes short and tidy. I think it keeps horses a little cooler in the summer and it’s easier for me to keep them from getting tangled and matted. But occasionally, there comes a horse with long, luxurious locks, that even I, cannot bear to trim.
I’ve tried running braids, but I find they fall out as soon as the horse starts moving his head and neck around. Recently, I learned how to do scalloped braids, and they have easily become my new favorite for braiding a long mane. They’re quick, simple and more sturdy than a running braid. They have a more traditional look as well.
Teach your horse to smile
One of the easiest tricks for a horse to learn - and surprisingly useful!
Whenever I get a new horse in, the first trick I teach to all of them is “Smile.” While it may seem like a simple, silly trick it can also be used to “load” the clicker, which basically trains the horse to understand that when I click, a reward is coming. It also can teach a horse to target your finger, which will help with other tricks and can help with trailer loading.
This trick is super fun and very straightforward. Most horses will start to pick it up immediately and completely master it in a few short sessions.
Training the Spanish Walk
The Spanish walk may seem daunting, but you’d be surprised at how quickly horses start picking it up. It may take a while for your horse to learn the muscle memory, but the Spanish walk is actually fairly straightforward.
When a horse reaches out and steps up to stand on a pedestal, it’s the same motion they need to use to train the Spanish Walk. While there are a couple of ways that you can train the Spanish Walk, I like using clicker training and positive reinforcement with a pedestal to put together a Spanish Walk.
The Spanish walk may seem daunting, but you’d be surprised at how quickly horses start picking it up. It may take a while for your horse to learn the muscle memory, but the Spanish walk is actually fairly straightforward.
Easy DIY Horse Treats
A simple 3 ingredient recipe that will impress your horses and barn mates!
If you’re looking for an affordable gift idea for an Equestrian this year, you can make your own horse treats! This 3 ingredient recipe is so simple, you don’t have to be particularly talented in the kitchen to make these!
Recipe:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 315*F
Combine flour, cinnamon and molasses.
Once combined, roll out dough to 1/4 inch and cut out shapes.
Bake at 315 for 10-15 minutes
Frosting Recipe:
Combine 1 cup of confectioners sugar and 1 tbsp water.
Add food coloring as desired.
Pipe onto cooled cookies!
3 Easy Clicker Training Behaviors
Clicker training is a great way to bond with your horse and train behaviors and skill
Clicker training is a great way to bond with your horse and train behaviors and skills. It’s always fun to teach some of the more complicated behaviors like Spanish walk or laying down, but what you might not realize is that those tricks can be taught by stringing together other, simpler behaviors.
Here are 3 Easy Clicker Training Behaviors that will help you get started with Clicker Training and build to bigger behaviors.
Refining the Standardbred’s Canter
With the right training, most standardbreds can be taught to have a balanced, 3-beat canter.
Though Cricket was able to canter very early in his under saddle training, it often was 4-beat and when he came back to a trot, he would actually pace a few strides. He also had me trained to run him into the canter, which led to it getting flat and strung out.
I was able to work through these issues to develop a 3-beat canter that often scores well in the dressage arena.
A lot of people believe that standardbreds can’t canter, or if they can they won’t canter well - but I found with a bit of training most standardbreds can canter nicely. Even a horse like Cricket - who didn’t have the best natural canter could learn to develop a beautiful, balanced 3-beat canter. See how I was able to refine the canter: