Positive reinforcement training or clicker training. This was not just \”another method\” to me. To me it was a completely different approach to training horses. I was told, and I believed, that I had to \”dominate\” the horse otherwise he would dominate me, I had to be the \”leader\” to my horse and that horses \”had […]
What a relief: training horses without \’leadership\’ and \’dominance\’ Read More »
Your comfort zone is where you feel good. You can feel like an expert in your comfort zone. That\’s a wonderful feeling. The downside is that you can\’t grow inside the boundaries of your own comfort zone. Try something new, something scary. Achieve your equestrian goals, develop yourself as rider or horse trainer. Accountability partner (AP) Have
The secret of success: find an accountability partner Read More »
Have you ever had the feeling that you weren\’t accomplishing your goals, or weren\’t improving as quickly as you would have hoped? I have. When I was starting riding lessons, my mom thought that it would be like driving a car. That it would take about twenty to thirty lessons to tackle riding. She wished!
Reach your goals quicker Read More »
In clicker training we use often treats as rewards. Why? Food is a primary reinforcer and therefor it motivates most horses. Giving treats as reward or as \’pay\’ for a well done job is highly motivating for the horse. Treats are easy to dispense, it\’s a quick delivery and small enough to fit sufficient rewards
What to do if your horse is mugging you Read More »
Velcro or Hoop & Loop are great inventions. It is used on many items like horse boots, blankets, bandages, breeches, bags, braces, gloves, safety vests and so on. The downside is that in the barn Velcro always get full of horse hair, hay and dirt. Everyone with horses knows that. Cleaning I found a really
Easy way to clean Velcro or Hook and Loop Read More »
Is your horse a happy traveller? Wouldn\’t it be a comforting thought if your horse would be ok being in a trailer? Every time and under all circumstances? There are many reasons why people don\’t practise trailer loading. I\’ve heard: my horse is too old, my horse is too nervous, I am not going anywhere
4 Reasons to start trailer loading today Read More »
We can\’t always choose to keep our horses the way we would like, but there are some simple improvements you can make to make life nicer for your horse. Friends Horses are herd animals and for them belonging to a group means safety, companionship, play, grooming, mates and more. So being among other horses is
5 simple things to improve your horses life Read More »
I started blogging in 2010 when my friend gave Kyra to me. Kyra was born in a nature reserve in The Netherlands and was a frightened feral filly when she came to me. I was afraid I might never be able to tame her: she was incredibly afraid. When I started to train her I
Trailer training Kyra Read More »
Some people are reluctant to start clicker training their horses. I understand that it can feel overwhelming to try out a whole and completely different training method. Especially in the beginning. Maybe you think you have to change everything right away or stop riding for a while and \’must\’ go \’back\’ to groundwork only. Maybe
5 Tips for Starting Clicker Training Read More »
What is the best investment you did that improved your horse\’s life? While I was pondering about this question multiple things came up. In a random order I\’ll give you my 5 best investments below. 1) Knowledge I\’ve spent hours and hours reading about horse behaviour, their needs, health and training. When I was editor at
My 5 best investments for my horse Read More »
