Be Your Best Horsemanship

Clinic Recap: Advanced Horsemanship Clinic in Sebeka, MN Dates: March 13-15, 2020 Featured Trainer: Carrie Arntson

This period of time that we’re going through right now is tough. Life has caught us taking things for granted, going through the motions, and assuming that things are going to be just like they were yesterday. Now, we are thinking about things we have never had to think about before. We are considering realities that we have never had to face before. We are learning to live without conveniences th...

One of the toughest situations I have encountered as a trainer is switching back and forth from riding “finished horses” to riding colts. It is easy to develop the mindset that when we have a “finished horse,” we are finished training. We think that we have a programmed computer that doesn’t need to be reminded of how to perform correctly. But, that’s just not the case. The skills that it took to...

When someone comes to my facility to pick up their horse after it has been training, I see a common fear: “will I screw it up?” While your horse is not returned to you as a programmed computer, it is also not going to flip a switch and go right back to where you started. The purpose of having a horse in a training program that develops fundamentals is to get that horse in the habit of using the th...

Horse training is an unpredictable business. There is no telling how many horses you will have in training in a given month. There is no guarantee or stability in your monthly income. But, over the past 30+ years, my wife and I have managed to raise a family one ride at a time. At some point, you decide what is important to you and follow it with everything you’ve got. There are easier roads to go...

Between high-performing genetics and the advancement of horsemanship knowledge, the horse industry has come a long way over the past five decades. Despite the undeniable growth, there are certain foundational principles that have not changed. One such principle is the learning experience that a trainer must go through in order to help their horse(s) reach their full potential. One thing to remembe...

If you spend long enough in the horse training business, you will likely encounter some situations throughout your career that put you at risk. Any time a horse develops a severe reactive response—such as flipping over backwards or bucking excessively—your safety, as well as your horse’s safety, is compromised. An overreactive horse is not untrainable—training it properly will just take more time...

As human beings, we all have our insecurities. In the horsemanship world, insecurities happen when we get in a streak of bad runs, when we have a bad practice before the rodeo, or when we haven’t developed the confidence we need with a certain horse. Insecurity not only affects us in every day life, but it adversely affects our horsemanship as well. When we aren’t able to devote time to our person...

In our previous episodes, we have talked about activating the thinking side of your horse’s brain. But, today, we are going to talk about activating the thinking side of your brain. There was a time in my career when someone would make a suggestion, and I would take offense to it. This is when I was a young trainer, and to be honest, I was a little insecure about my abilities. I titled myself as a...

“My horse is good enough.” I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this phrase over the years as a competitor, clinician, and trainer. When we adopt this mindset of being “good enough,” we are limiting our potential to become great. We need to eliminate the term “good enough” from our horsemanship vocabulary. Instead, ask yourself, “is my horse good, or is my horse great?” When you strive to...

When I was younger, I came from a “horse” family, but not necessarily a “rodeo” family. So, when I began practicing roping events, I was always trying to make up for lost time. In the practice pen, there was never really much discussion of horsemanship, but we were always focusing on getting more repetitions with my roping. Over the years, I began to realize that when I was in position, my catch p...

Every time you repeat something, you are at the beginning stage of establishing a habit. This is true whether you are an advanced rider or just starting out. Each time you get on your horse, you are presented with the opportunity to identify your good habits and bad habits. Your bad habits are your weaknesses. A weakness is something that has been developed over time, whether we taught it that way...

The way your horse acts is a direct reflection of you. Even if you are working with just one horse, you are a trainer. Every time you work with your horse, you are establishing habits—good and bad. Bad habits are reactive responses. Things like pawing, kicking up, or bucking occur when your horse engages the “reactive” side of its brain rather than “thinking” side. If your horse is doing these thi...

When you have a weak link in your foundation, there will come a time where progress becomes incredibly difficult. There will be a point in time when getting to that next level seems nearly impossible. When I was a young trainer, I used to believe that I was only training the horse if I was on its back. This mindset severely limited me from establishing a strong foundation with the horses I worked...

All of us are on a horsemanship journey where we learn a lot about horses and a lot about life. I remember very vividly the day that my journey changed. It was the day when I stopped letting my frustrations dictate my communication with my horse. If you are experiencing a challenging time in your horsemanship journey, do an evaluation—look at yourself, look at your horse, look at what you’re tryin...

If you attend one of my clinics, you’ll hear me talk a lot about keeping your horse soft in the face. While keeping your horse soft in the face is necessary in most disciplines, sometimes we forget about the other body parts that are connected to the horse’s face. Your horse has five main body parts, and all five of those body parts have to be cohesive. Think about it like a piece of machinery. If...

Early on in my training career, I realized that the success of my day is heavily dependent upon my attitude. So, before I ever went outside to catch a horse, I had to stop myself and consider what I was allowing myself to think about. And, I had to decide if my thoughts were setting me up for a successful day of training.

In life, challenging times are inevitable. This is especially true if you are in the horse training business. You are going to experiences challenges each and every day. These are the little road bumps that can either derail us or empower us. It is basic human nature be frustrated by a challenge. But, when you start to realize that challenges are what truly teach you the most, you start to view th...

If you are listening or reading along with today’s episode, you’re already making an investment toward improving your knowledge and understanding. You’ve probably heard the saying, “knowledge is power,” but this is true only if you apply that knowledge. When you begin sharing your knowledge and experiences with others, that is when you begin to make an impact. That is the point when you begin to u...

Training your horse's mind to think, and understand, the responses you are asking for, is the first thing you have to be able to do to train a top level horse in any discipline.

Horses have taught me as much, if not more, than I have taught them over the years. When you are working with horses, you start to learn a lot about yourself, and you start to learn a lot about life. Many of the philosophies used to train a horse are applicable to every area of my life. Growth happens when you have an understanding that you are going to have failures and tough days. You have to pu...

"Be Your Best" is hosted by professional horse trainer and clinician, Phil Haugen. Inspired by his “1% better everyday" training philosophy, Phil explains the methods, mindset, and performance tips that drive continuous learning and growth in horsemanship, as well as in life.  Join us each week as Phil shares his experiences over the past 30 years in the horse training industry, discussing th...