Contemporary Horsemanship Podcast

I am discussing from the very beginning how I start to train horses. First, the horse needs to know what the click means. From there, you pair the click with food. Once the horse understands this, I start training a default behavior. The default is standing still relaxed, with his head straight. From this starting point I can train targeting or any other behavior.

Most people don’t know what poisoned cues are or how they affect the horse. Poisoned cues are ones where the horse isn’t sure of or doesn’t like the outcome of the cue. Some times the horse will get a release of pressure and/ or a treat. And sometimes the horse gets no release or gets punished. I’ll talk about common examples of these cues in training and what to do about them.

Here I just talk about my general thoughts on bits and how/when they should be used.

Covering the details of lateral flexion and how they affect your horse mentally and physically.

I’m discussing the ways we keep our horses, and how those practices can affect our horse’s training and overall well being.

I’m talking about all the little details that are involved in clicker training horses that make a big difference in your training outcome. The horses relaxation, attention, and ability to understand pressure are important yet not often covered as far as clicker training goes. In this podcast I’ll talk about those topics and more.

The next ground work lesson that I teach is the back up. This lesson is important for your safety in teaching every other lesson. I go over the main ways to train a horse to back up and how to fix some common problems.

I am talking about leading today. How to do it, how to teach your horse to lead, and how to fix any problems you may have run into.

In today’s episode, I’m talking about how to get started with clicker training in a safe and successful way. I am also covering common problems and how to fix them.

I cover the many possible reasons why a horse would buck and how to fix them.

This episode is all about catching horses. How to catch one if you’re not sure how to do it properly and how to solve many issues when horses don’t want to be caught. I will be explaining how to catch a horse using natural horsemanship methods as well as covering some clicker training techniques.

I want to talk about some tips that people may not be aware of for keeping you and your horse safe while handling, riding, and around the barn. This is part one of an ongoing series.

In this episode, I will discuss some ways of teaching the stand still, both on the ground and under saddle.

It’s been a common idea that you must gain your horse’s respect in order for the horse to listen to you. Here, I’ll share some theories about why that’s not true and how it can actually be harmful for your horse’s training and relationship.

I'll explain some uses for and reasons why using head down cues both on the ground and under saddle are helpful. Teaching a head down cue on the ground will help you to halter and bridle easily, while also helping you to change your horse's head position under saddle. 

Teaching your horse voice cues can be really helpful for riding and ground work. I talk about some tips and what to avoid while teaching these types of cues.

If you want an easy and gentle way to teach your horse to trailer load, this is it. I’m absolutely amazed by how much horses love positive reinforcement and how easy it is to communicate with them. Horses who won’t load, rush off, or who just don’t like the trailer will be changed into horses who crave the trailer.

Today I’m talking about the different types of blankets for horses and their uses. I am also covering how to blanket a horse, when, and why it’s important.

It’s important to have realistic time frames and goals when working with horses. I have some lofty goals, so I need to remind myself to be realistic when considering the needs of my horses. Every horse learns at their own pace and will be brought along in varying amounts of time. Knowing this and making a reasonable plan will help you become successful.

If you would like to start round penning your horse, thinking about buying a round pen, or are having trouble connecting with your horse inside the pen this episode is for you.

In this series, I’m going to talk about the different kinds of lunging. I’ll start off talking about the natural horsemanship type of lunging; from how to do it, to common problem solving and tips.

How to fix a horse that doesn’t want to move forward off of your leg or is just hesitant to go forward in general.

Here I talk about some general ideas and training tips about trail riding.

Having realistic expectations with your horse based on his price, breed, temperament, and training are vital to your success and safety. I'll talk about all of these factors in detail. 

I wanted to give an overview of what clicker training for horses is, how it is used, and how you can get started today.