Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.28 When a horse is confronted by something unknown to his senses he deals with it in one of two ways: defensively if he feels confined, or if he does not perceive a threat and his attention is maintained, his curiosity provokes him […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.27 How straight can you ride your horse? If you think your horse can ride in a straight line, pick an object like a fence post 50 or 100 yards in front of you and another object farther away, maybe a power pole or […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.25 Collection is something I find that is greatly misidentified and misunderstood among many riders. Instructors may drill students, trainers may drill their horses, and many times what I see is confused and lethargic victims. Not only does the person need to understand what […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No. 24 Before man domesticated horses for working animals, they were prey animals. Their survival depended on their speed, agility, intelligence, and strength. Since the domestication of the horse, man has tried to improve those traits for personal gain through selective breeding programs. Different […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.26 The Foundation a young horse gets is very important to his success later in life. A performance horse that has a good solid foundation, or a horse that has a lot of confidence in the basics, will be prepared to be more […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.23 Doubling isn’t a maneuver you would see in a reining pattern, dressage class, cow horse event, or any other advanced performance competitions. But if it is the first maneuver a horse learns and maintains properly, it can help prevent a lot of mishaps […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.22 The majority of a horse’s movement is in a forward motion. If something is causing a loose horse to back up, he will usually shift his weight back, then turn and move away in a forward motion. The horse’s inherent instinct is to […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.21 Getting a horse to stop isn’t only necessary in most riding disciplines but is also a safety precaution at some point for most all riders if things ever get out of control. If a horse doesn’t understand to stop, it can be difficult […]
Written by Martin Black In general, this is probably the most misidentified problem horsemen on varying levels deal with. The big problem for the horse is, many of the handlers are unaware and want to “discipline” the horse for not performing to their expectations. If the person is open-minded enough to consider where the horse […]
Written by Martin Black People often try to explain a horse’s actions by comparing and rationalizing them to how a person thinks. Though I exclude myself as an expert on horses, I have had the opportunity to observe their behavior and believe there is some definite difference in the characteristics of horses and humans. I […]