How to give your young horse the best start to riding. by Cynthia Cooper ‘Starting’ a young horse is a more positive than ‘breaking’ so I will use this term rather than the traditional ‘breaking-in’ that has become common language for training a horse to be ridden. After all, who wants to end up with a …
Yesterday at my Young Horse Day workshop I met a wonderful soul in Boronia, a young shire mare. I was asked to work with her because she wouldn’t be caught, especially in the paddock with the other horses. She would give up in the yard as she knew she was unable to get away, and …
by Cynthia Cooper To horses, a treat is not a bribe unless you use it as one. I see it as a reward, or payment for a job well done. It offers incentive for the horse to earn more and they look forward to their work when payment is forthcoming. Giving a horse a treat …
by Cynthia Cooper Comfort zones are a survival mechanism for horses. If they aren’t familiar with something they become wary, putting them just outside their comfort zone into a ‘not too sure’ zone. When they become truly afraid for their survival, they go into their ‘Oh no I’m in danger’ zone where they act instinctively without …
by Cynthia Cooper Over the many years of being a student of the horse, pony club, Parelli, horse psychology, clicker training and many other great horsemen and women, I have learned a lot. In fact I’m a ‘learn-a-holic’! Learning is something I will continue to do until the day I die! When it comes to …
