Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.46 If your horse doesn’t back up very well, you might find this exercise helpful. If you think your horse backs up well, try backing him up a fairly steep bank and see if he improves or stalls out. If he improves, what you […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.45 There is a lot of hype about “desensitizing” among horse people and some clinicians these days. They get the horse completely desensitized, then they have to sensitize him again to get him to operate. In some cases, I see the horses getting […]
Written by Martin Black We have all heard it said that “A horse’s first means of defense is flight, and his second means of defense is to fight.” Then we hear: “It’s natural for a horse to go against pressure.” Or, “Giving to pressure is against a horse’s nature, he has to be taught to yield […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.43 Why do some horses have more trouble with their head position than others? This is commonly an issue with horse people, regardless of whether it’s a trainer with performance horses or recreational riders. Often the solution is tying the head down or leverage […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.42 While visiting an 84-year-old buckaroo friend of mine recently, he made the comment that “A man is as close to heaven as he’ll ever be when his horse is walking out as fast as he can with the bridle reins real loose, […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.41 If we don’t have jobs for our horse we need to create some. A horse seems to do better in his learning if he can have a purpose. The better our judgment is on how much to expect of him the more productive […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.40 The answer: Boiled frogs. Our horses are extremely sensitive animals. They can also be very trainable. That is what makes them such good partners. They can learn to be very tolerant, even to pain and discomfort. At one point a horse can […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.39 There are various ways to deal with the problems which we encounter with our horses. Many times, people turn to instructional videos or books by accomplished horse trainers. This may be fine if the problem is properly diagnosed, and the correct prescription […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.38 In the making of a Hackamore or Bridle Horse, the quality of the finished product will depend greatly on the timing and feel offered by the hands on the reins. We can use different bits, hackamores or other devices tied at different angles […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.37 A question often asked in relation to advancing a horse is “what’s the best bit for a horse?” Some people may choose a bit to fix a certain problem or in anticipation of a problem. Others may choose an ornamental bit with little […]