Your Horsemanship Members’ May Demonstration
In this month’s Members’ Demonstration, I cover some of the most common issues riders face when out hacking. Whether you are on the roads, or on fields and tracks, we all want to feel safe and get pleasure from being out and about with our horse. This demo shows you how, and goes hand in hand with my recent vlog, “Happy Hacking With Your Horse“.
Spooking and Traffic Training
In this demonstration, I talk about how to deal with spooking when out hacking, which can be tricky given the time and space constraints we often find ourselves in. I look in depth at my step by step process to introducing a horse to vehicles. In this example, I am getting a newly backed youngster confident around bicycles, the silent “predator” on the roads! However, you can use this same process with any vehicles, and with horses that have an ingrained fear of certain traffic.
Baulking and Napping
Another very common problem I come across is baulking, which can lead to spinning and napping, particularly when you are going away from home! In this video I am riding a young horse off the yard for the first time, on only her third ride. I would expect her to be very cautious, and to stop to take everything in. However, the way I deal with the situation when she does, is exactly how I would ride an older horse that digging his heels in and napping back to home.
Excitability and Jig-Jogging Home
Although this isn’t necessarily a dangerous habit, it can be infuriating when your horse wants to jog all the way home. In some cases, it can lead to your horse “boiling over” with excitement and putting you in hairy situations! In this demonstration, I am riding my daughter’s 17yo polo pony, and you would think that she would know better! Although she is very safe, she can get very “hot” on the way home from hacks, and hates it if her friends leave her. I show you a great exercise to help solve this issue, and allow you to calm your horse down and ride back to the yard “on the buckle”.
Don’t forget the accompanying Q&A!
Every month, I post a “real-life” demonstration for YH members, which is accompanied by a live-streamed Q&A. Members’ get to ask questions about the demo and any other issues they may be having with your horse. This is just one of the many extra perks of membership to my online courses and horse training programs.
I hope to see you there! Jason