In my childhood, I never knew what Good Friday was all about. Overshadowed by Easter Bunny anticipation, I knew it had something to do with Jesus dying, but I sure didn’t know why He died.

Now, the death of Jesus Christ has become more significant to me. Speaking to a group of teens at Teen Ranch’s horse camp last summer, I used this analogy…



As competitors, we’ve got to play by the rules. Let’s say I got caught breaking the prohibited drug rules – whether by accident or intentionally, no doubt about it, I was guilty. What if the president of the association gave me a pardon, going so far as to pay my fine and take my suspension for me? Mercy!



Good Friday is a remembrance that Jesus Christ died, paying the penalty of my imperfections, which separate me from a…

That’s the way we’ve always done it… Sometimes it takes that non-horsey person in our lives to cause us to question the root of an equestrian tradition. (“Why do you mount on the left side?”) Other times, a training road block inspires us to look for a better way. (Is a nose band really the best answer to bit evasion? Is a fat snaffle always milder than a curb it? ) 



At the Can Am Equine Expo next weekend, Training horses: When Evidence and Traditions Collide is one of the seminars I’ll be sharing. Reminds me of a story… 



I heard a lady tell of the time one of her kids asked why she always cut a ham in half and cooked it in 2 separate pans. “That’s just how you cook ham”…

Minor, major, severe. Most faults carry a numeric penalty.



That’s the way we’ve always done it… Sometimes it takes that non-horsey person in our lives to cause us to question the root of an equestrian tradition. (“Why do you mount on the left side?”) Other times, a training road block inspires us to look for a better way. (Is a nose band really the best answer to bit evasion? Is a fat snaffle always milder than a curb it? )



At the Can Am Equine Expo next weekend, Training horses: When Evidence and Traditions Collide is one of the seminars I’ll be sharing. Reminds me of a story…



I heard a lady tell of the time one of her kids asked why she always cut a ham in half…

What’s the payoff? A happy horse is trained based mostly on motivation. Relief from pressure (negative reinforcement), or receiving a specific reward (positive reinforcement). 



Saying yes and saying no. Skilled trainers use a balance of both and that balance shifts with each individual horse. The emotional horse needs more encouragement. The dominant and dull need firm boundaries. Riders who motivate mostly by punishment produce tense horses. Those who mostly pat and talk to their horses make them…