Horse training simply explained: Basic Horse training, Foal training, Natural Horsemanship and much more

By Edwin Van Der Vaag

Nowadays, unfortunately, very few people have the opportunity to learn horse training from scratch, so dealing with a young, untrained horse is often difficult.

This guidebook offers professionals and amateurs a solid and comprehensible "roadmap" on how to train their own young horse and what to consider.

In the book you will find the following contents, among others:
- Personal requirements
- Anatomy of horses
- Training of the young horse
- Basics of groundwork
- Equipment for young horse training
- With over 20 illustrations!

But how exactly do you manage to turn your young horse into the happy and at the same time calm leisure partner you desire? This is a typical question that often comes up and will be answered in detail with many different chapters in the book.

For this reason, you will learn in this guide how a young horse is normally taken into work. Not only will the typical procedure be explained to you, but you will also be given the necessary knowledge to be able to react if something doesn't go right the first time. The more than 20 pictures will help you to put the knowledge into practice.

All according to the motto: horse training simply explained. We wish you a lot of fun while reading!

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986469627

Book preview

Introduction

Train your own horse yourself. This is the dream of many riders. Indeed, it is something very special to let a young horse grow up - perhaps even from foal age - and eventually train it to become a good riding partner. Especially for people who have had contact with horses in the course of time, where something went wrong in the training or who have been traumatized by careless treatment, it is a great need to give their own horse a different, better start into the life of a riding horse.

But how exactly do I manage to turn my young horse into exactly the happy and at the same time calm leisure partner that I want? This is a typical question that often comes up. And rightly so, because training a horse is a very responsible matter that should not be underestimated. It is far too easy for mistakes to happen that can have far-reaching consequences. It is not for nothing that it used to be said so often in equestrian circles: Young rider - old (or rather experienced) horse, old horse and young (= inexperienced) rider.

I am very happy that you bought this book, because it shows that you really care about the training of your young horse. And these are the very best prerequisites for you both to have a good start together. This book will give you a lot of advice and support in the implementation of your plans.

Very few riders have ever had the opportunity to see a young horse being trained from A to Z. Also rather rarely one has the opportunity to help at least once. This is not a topic which belongs to the contents of the riding lessons in the local riding schools. In this respect one can become a saddle-firm rider over the years without ever having had to do in the actual sense with a young horse. Let alone having once sat on a young, unbalanced youngster, which by the way can be a very memorable and impressive experience.

For this reason, you will learn in this guide how a young horse is normally taken into work. Not only will the typical procedure be explained to you, but you will also be given the necessary knowledge to be able to react if something doesn't work right away. And since every horse is a unique individual with a completely different character, it is crucial to proceed individually and specifically.

Typical questions that come up again and again are, for example:

When is my horse ready for training?

What is the best way to lunge it?

How does the first climb work without stress?

How do I explain the aids to my horse?

What do I do if it gets too fast or even bucks during the first canter laps?

This guidebook will tell you the answers. Most of the time there are clear criteria when your young horse is ready for training. After all, not only physical conditions are decisive, but also the mental maturity. Likewise, the first mounting should be well prepared. After all, this is an important milestone in the training of young horses. But also for this there are clever tools and exercises that will take the stress away from you and your horse.

In the course of my years as a horse owner and riding instructor, I have had to deal with young horses several times. From the grottenbraven youngster to the hot sweeper, from the pony to the large horse, everything was there. I was able to accompany the basic training up to the first show performance several times. However, I also had to deal with young horses again and again, where unfortunately something went wrong in the basic training. Often the desperate horse owners asked me for support because they were completely at a loss themselves. But as the saying goes? Once the child has fallen into the well...

It usually took some time and a lot of energy to get the horse/rider pair back on track. As is so often the case in life, it is more difficult and more costly to unlearn a quirk once it has been learned than to prevent it from arising in the first place.

This guide is intended to protect you from exactly such problems. So that you and your horse can grow together in peace and have fun together. When the training of young horses is going well, the bond between horse and rider is particularly strong. In such partnerships, a particularly close bond is formed and that is an absolutely incredible feeling.

And now have fun and good luck with the training of your young horse!

PART I: Man

Perhaps this section comes as a bit of a surprise to you at first, since you actually want to know how best to train your young horse. But the human being plays such an important role that I would like to make a few general remarks first. The training of a youngster makes great demands on the human being, which should not be underestimated. After all, you are not dealing with a cuddly toy, but often enough with a quadruped that weighs as much as a small car. But even Shetland ponies have little or no problem getting you off their feet if they don't feel like cooperating or get spooked. You should always be aware of that, in my opinion.

But despite all respect, timidity or overcautiousness are just as out of place when training young horses. The decisive factor is ultimately a good, healthy self-confidence coupled with a seventh sense. Those who deal with young horses sufficiently often usually acquire this quite automatically. But if this experience is lacking, certain personal qualities are of great importance. What exactly I mean by this, I would now like to go into a little more detail.

Chapter 1: Prerequisites

There are few things more magnificent than accompanying a horse from foal and training it yourself. This can be an absolutely excellent experience if you have the necessary knowledge, infinite composure coupled with moderate consistency, as well as enough time. In such a case, the horse will usually thank you by becoming an all-around reliable, faithful partner for life, who literally goes with you through thick and thin.

However, over the years I have also had to experience enough human-horse combinations where things unfortunately went thoroughly wrong. I know horse owners who have become so afraid of their youngsters that they - at the best age! - already live a life as a side horse and are incredibly bored. So much so that they have started to bully their horse buddies and other humans as well. For young horses, it takes a lot of consistency and assertiveness in phases, because they test their limits every now and then. However, if 650 kilos suddenly stand in front of you on your hind legs, this can already be a very impressive experience.

Other people, who have perhaps overestimated themselves a little, have to make the painful experience that their darling, who otherwise follows them at every turn like a puppy, does not want them on his back at all. Suddenly, you have a real buckler in your stable, who may even take you to the hospital. At the latest here ends the Wendy-thought (popular German horse children's film), because such a horse you can then unfortunately no longer sell with a clear conscience, and the dream bursts like a soap bubble.

No, don't worry, I don't want to scare you with these negative examples. I just think it is very important to think carefully about whether you are really capable of training a young horse. It is better to think more than too little, because you are really taking on an immense responsibility - for yourself and for your horse. Something that many horse lovers tend to underestimate in their enthusiasm.

Especially since there is no shame in getting appropriate support when training young horses. This is definitely often the safer way and you have the chance to always ask for advice if needed. Unfortunately, all too often the image is conjured up that a young horse is actually perfect for an inexperienced rider, because the two could then learn together... Please say goodbye to this romantic thought! Nothing is more frustrating in horse training and has caused more damage than this approach. Please keep in mind that you are dealing with a creature that weighs about as much as a small car, but is also a flight animal. And even a Shetland pony with a height of about one meter cannot be kept if it does not want to be kept.

For this reason, I would like to show you once again in the following which characteristics someone should possess in order