You can’t see it in this video, but a car drives up and parks nearby just as our training session begins. People get out. The timing is unfortunate because we’ve just begun. Crush immediately reacts by trotting off with a tight back. He loses all focus on me. A major goal in his training is …
Epigrammatist came to us Saturday, April 30. He had travelled from Maine to Fair Hill, Maryland and then to Leighton Farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland within the past couple days. “Crush’s” last race was at PARX on September 15, 2021. He had retired from racing shortly after that and was let down and turned out …
I stood in front of his stall and was overcome with dread. I didn’t want to go through this. I couldn’t stand to feel anymore, so I became uncomfortably numb. A half hour before, I had finally made my way down to the barn to begin work. I was looking forward to getting on my horses. …
Each first ride is similar, but has differences based on what each individual horse needs to feel safe and relaxed. I do my best to listen to the horse and give him or her what they need on that day. Wally is a calm and relaxed horse so this was a very easy ride. It …
We restart most of the horses that come to Leighton Farm the same way. First, we evaluate them and if they are physically sound, we begin to put in place a regular training session. It happens each day, consecutively if at all possible. In Wally’s case the weather caused breaks in between sessions. This will …
It is okay to have dreams and goals with your horse, in fact it’s a good thing. However, you’ve got to be willing to get down to brass tacks and do the work that gives the horse the ability to perform as you wish. For one person, this might mean accepting that he doesn’t actually know …
It seems like every barn has at least one of them, unless it’s a private barn. You know, that person who walks into the barn and all of the horses go crazy. If you are there and had your horse’s focus, it’s gone. Even if they aren’t going to give your horse anything, he becomes …
The Good Horse Method approaches the horse on his terms. He is a horse first and foremost. He does not think, behave or react as humans do. He cannot make sense of our world unless we consistently set up boundaries and scenarios that guide his behavior to fulfill our requests. Good Horse Method is a …
How consistent are you while working with your horse? Do you do things the same way each time you work with him? If you use a word or phrase as a command or and aid while riding, do you follow through and ensure the horse has responded to it or do you sometimes let it …