Training Tip of the Week
Are You Doing Enough?

“How do I know if I’m doing enough with my horse?” is a common question I get asked at tours and clinics.  Basically, as long as the horse is making an improvement every day, you’re on the right track.  The more consistent you are in working with your horse, the better.  Remember, consistency is your greatest ally, and inconsistency is your greatest enemy.  Horses learn best with repetition. 

In a perfect world, I’d like people to work with their horses a minimum of five days a week, preferably six.  However, I realize that everybody has jobs, family commitments and other hobbies that stop them from working with their horses as much as they want.  Even if you can only ride your horse two or three days a week, try to make it two or three days in a row rather than every other day.  When you do your training sessions in succession, the horse remembers lessons better and progresses quicker.  If you work the horse on Monday and don’t work him until Thursday, and then don’t work him again until Saturday, he will forget too much of the information in between the sessions.  And each day you come out to work him, you’ll be starting back at square one.

I like to relate the training of horses to a child’s education.  You send kids to school five days a week because kids learn best with consistent repetition.  When they learn a lesson, the teacher gives them new information to learn.  It takes roughly twelve years for a kid to go through grades one through twelve, going to school five days a week.  If you sent that kid to school twice a week instead of five times a week, could he still graduate? Yes, but it would take him a lot longer.  He’d be 50 before he would graduate (a scary thought for all the parents out there). 

What if you can only ride your horse once or twice a week, can you still make improvements? Sure, but the rate of improvement will be a lot slower compared to someone who is working their horse five days a week.  The unfortunate part about horses is this – you’re going to get out of horses what you put into them.  If you put in a lot, you get out a lot.  If you put in very little, you get out very little. 

Lots of people don’t like me saying this, but it’s the truth.  The bottom line is this – if your horse is riding well, behaving himself, being respectful and doing a really good job, it’s because you’re doing a great job of training him.  If your horse is riding badly, being disrespectful and giving you problems, it’s because you’re doing a sorry job of training him. 

By changing your own attitude first, your horse will change his.  If you change your attitude toward your horse and work on improving your ability, your horse will change.  But your horse won’t change first.  Horses are nothing more than byproducts of their owners.  If you’re a good horseman or horsewoman, your horse will be a good horse.  If you’re a sorry horseman or horsewoman, your horse will act badly.

Words to Train By
One good whack is better than a thousand little taps.
Nagging a horse only teaches him to be resentful and dull.  When you apply pressure, expect an immediate response.  There are three stages of pressure: low, medium and high.  Every time you apply pressure, do so in four beats—one, two, three, four; one, two, three, four.  With each set of four numbers increase the amount of pressure until the horse gives you the correct response, then immediately release the pressure. 

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Week in Review

It was another busy tour-filled weekend for Clinton and the Downunder Horsemanship crew in West Allis, WI. From the letters we've been receiving, a good time was had by all!

Earlier this week, Certified Trainer Krista Robinson spent some quality time with the 2008 crop of foals by trimming their hooves.  Downunder welcomed six foals to its ranch this year, and the babies have already been inducted into Clinton’s training program.  On a daily basis, the foals are worked with practicing Yield the Hindquarters, Yield the Forequarters, the Sending Exercise, Lungeing for Respect, Flexing, and the list goes on!  “The work you do with your foal now while he’s young will set the foundation for the rest of his life,” Clinton explains.  “If he’s already got a good understanding of how to move his body parts and give to pressure, starting him under saddle in his 2 year old year will be virtually hassle free.” 

The foals are out of Clinton’s top money-earning performance mares and by some of the best reining and cow horse sires in the world like Smart Chic Olena and Topsail Whiz.  Interested in owning a reining or cow horse prospect? Clinton is offering several of his yearlings and 2 year olds for sale - click here for information.

Celebrating 10 Years of Downunder Horsemanship

Clinton Anderson and Mindy in the 1997 Australia NRHA Futurity. They won the first go-round, and finished 3rd in the finals.