If you want to make the most of your horse riding instruction and learn to ride horses really well in the shortest amount of time possible, here are a few secrets just for you:

Multiplying Your Practice Time

Learning to ride horseback, like anything else, is a skill that comes with practice. But horse riding instruction can be expensive and often your riding time is limited to one or twice a week, usually on weekends. So how can you practice enough to get really good when you are limited to an hour or two a week? After all, it is said that to become good at any skill you need to have put in about 500 hours of practice …and about 3000 hours to become a master! Well, by that rule, with a weekly horse riding instruction session of 1 hour, it would take you about 9 and a half years to get good! I don’t know about you but that seems an awfully long time. Fortunately there are some ways you can multiply the effects of your horse riding instruction that won’t cost you a fortune. And you’ll become a better horse rider in the process.

The Riding School in Your Mind

You can use mental rehearsal to practice horse back riding in your mind! The reason little girls get so good at riding so fast is partly due to the fact that they obsess about horses and horse riding and spend so much of their freetime thinking about horse riding, talking about horses, reading equestrian books and day dreaming about being on horseback. This is the perfect recipe for getting good at something. Added to good instruction of course! So when you have your riding lessons, make sure you pay full attention. Be right in the moment and be aware of how your body feels as you ride the horse.

Really observe everything about being on horse back as you ride around the ménage or riding school area. Listen to the sounds of the horses hooves, its breathing, the clink of the harness or the clicks and taps of its shoes as its feet occasionally clip one another. Notice any smells in the air and store all this sensory information in your memory banks. As soon as you get home, make some notes about the major things you learnt in your lesson that day, and any things that you have to work on for next week. Also note down any observations you had during your lesson — even if they seem unrelated to riding — like the fact your instructor had a coffee stain in the shape of Kansas on her T-shirt. This will all help to lock in your lesson. Then at odd times when you can, just sit quietly and replay your horse riding lesson in your mind’s eye. Go through it again and again. Feel yourself back in the saddle, holding the reins, your feet in the stirrups. And relive that lesson — only in your imagination you can do it better. When you are practising in your mind’s eye, you can be a perfect rider, totally confident and skillful.

The ideal time to practice mental rehearsal is last thing at night as you go to sleep, and first thing in the morning when you wake up. But the more you do it, the better it is. You should see rapid improvements in your horse riding ability as you go to your weekly instruction classes.

In the Hoofsteps of the Masters

Another secret to accelerating the affects of your horse riding instruction is to copy great riders. There are 3 simple ways to do this.

1. Get a mentor.

You can watch someone who is a great rider at your riding school and try and copy the way they ride. Just spend some time observing them around horses. Be like an actor rehearsing for a part. Gradually build up your inner picture of what it is to be that person. Notice everything about the way they get on a horse, how they sit in the saddle, the way they hold the reins. Look closely at the set of their face. Are they tense or relaxed? Are they comfortable enough to smile? Notice their breathing… and imagine yourself getting on a horse, sitting in the saddle, holding the reins, and breathing, just like that great rider. Befriend that person if you can and get their advice and tips… otherwise just observe them secretly and absorb what they know about riding confidently.

2. Create an equestrian book library.

Your mind will benefit by absorbing the principles of riding, so plunder your local library for books on horses and riding, or create your own personal library of equestrian books to which you can refer frequently. Seeing pictures of people riding will fill your mind with the images of ‘how to ride’ that it needs. Reading actual written instructions can help you cement the lessons you are taught at your horse riding instruction sessions. If you have fallen in love with horses and with horse riding, you’ll be happy to read all about them — it will fuel your passion and excitement and your mind will gallop to help you achieve what you want: to become a great horse rider.

3. Watch DVDs of great horse riders.

When I first learnt to ride, one of my heroes was a famous British showjumper called Harvey Smith. I used to think he was brilliant and wanted to be like him, so I would always watch the showjumping on TV and cheer him on and imagine I was him. I also bought or was given a set of Pony Club videos. These showed some Pony Club kids getting riding instruction in a beautiful part of Great Britain. And again I used to imagine I was there, riding my horse over those training poles. The more opportunities you get to see and observe horse riding, the more information your mind has to work with. By feeding your brain with movies of good horse riding you help form a mental map of what great riding is all about. If you have a particular equestrian hero, you can create an imaginary meeting with that person, in which you have them stand in front of you with their back turned to you, and the you ‘step inside’ them and ‘become’ that person. You imagine looking out of their eyes, feeling what they feel, hearing what they hear. And you get on your hero’s horse and you ride that horse as your hero. This little exercise has been used successfully to accelerate ability in many fields of endeavor — so why don’t you use it to accelerate your horse riding instruction?

Copyright 2007 Adam di Cavallo

Adam di Cavallo grew up watching cowboy movies and took to the saddle at the age of 9. Nearly 30 years later his passion and enthusiasm for horses and horse riding is as strong as ever and he is delighted to have this opportunity to share with you some of the equestrian secrets he has discovered over the years….

If you enjoyed this article, you might like to discover the secrets of how you can learn horseback riding from home without expensive lessons at: [http://www.horseyhorses.com/horse-riding-made-easy.html]

Accelerated Horse Riding Instruction Secrets [http://www.horseyhorses.com/horse-riding-made-easy.html]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Di_Cavallo

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on horse care for beginners (and others).

These are primarily on the topic of Health Care.

Sweet Itch is caused by small flies

Horse Care For Beginners Tip 1. 

Sweet Itch, what is it and how do I treat it?

Sweet Itch is caused by small flies or midges (culicoides flies) that breed in and around water. The bite normally causes an allergic reaction which results in extreme itching, rubbing and biting. This can cause skin damage to your horse, and hair loss and anxiety.

You’ll find that the flies are active mostly in the early morning and evening hours. Some horses are tormented constantly and the bites turn into blisters and crusty scabs.

Treatment

There are many treatments and they range from inexpensive to expensive. Not all will actually help and I suggest you ask your vet for advice before buying.

However the best treatment is to protect your horse from the biting flies. A good fly sheet and effective fly repellant is yourbest defense.

Try to bring your horse in during times when the midge is most active. There are a lot of skin soothing formulas which will relieve the itching and aid in the healing process.

Bear in mind that not all itching is caused by ‘sweet itch’ and if your horse continues to itch and lose hair, contact your veterinarian for help in diagnosing the problem.

Horse Care For Beginners Tip 2.

Static electricity from your horse blanket.

If your horse’s hair coat is very dry and fluffy, he’s more likely to get a shock when you remove his blanket.

You can avoid this by not sliding the blanket across your horse’s back which may create static. Instead, lift the blanket UP and off.

Also try using only one hand and avoid contact with your horse or blanket with your free hand. By doing this you’ll not complete the electrical circuit and your horse won’t get a shock.

Horse Care For Beginners Tip 3

How to keep mildew from growing on your tack.

The best thing you can do is make sure you have good ventilation and light in your tack room. Get a fan or dehumidifier.

Keep in mind that mould likes moisture and damp conditions. Should it occur, you can kill any mould spores by using a Lysol spray. It works great and is inexpensive. Spray it on and work it in. Leave it to set for a day or so then finish with a good leather conditioner.

Horse Care For Beginners Tip 4

What do you do if your horse has lice?

The louse (literally) sucks the blood of its victim and usually is found under the mane, tail and forelock. Heavy infestations can occur over your horse’s entire body.

Transmission of lice is cause by contact with infected tack, including brushes, combs, clippers and blankets.

To eradicate and break the cycle of the louse all tack must be thoroughly cleaned. You should then repeat the cleaning of all equipment in 10-12 days.

Do not use your equipment for at least 14 days to break the cycle of the louse. Lice cannot survive for more than a few days without having your horse to feed on!

You may wish to use a dusting powder and/ or insecticide to control the lice on your horse itself. If you’re unsure of what product to use consult your veterinarian for advice.

Horse Care For Beginners Tip 5. 

Tell me, do you know what your horse is saying?

We all know our horses make sounds but have you ever wondered what they mean?

When your horse nickers with his lips closed and makes a soft “rat-ta-tat-tat” sound. he is most likely saying “Hello I’m glad to see you”.

If you horse is blowing or snorting it usually means he’s afraid of something. But some horses will snort when they are excited and hoping that something good is going to happen.

When your horse lets out a great big high-pitched NEIGH it can mean that he is either anxious or confident, depending on the tone of the neigh and the body language that goes with it.

Also when a group of horses are turned out together, one may neigh as warning to the group that he sees something unusual.

A nice big sigh is a sign of relaxation. Your horse will usually put his head down and exhale a deep breath through his nostrils.

If you’d like more tips on horse care for beginners, please leave a reply in the panel below. Thank you!

Recommended Horse Training Resources:

Natural Horsemanship Training videos … CLICK HERE

Applied Posture Riding … CLICK HERE

Related posts:

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2. A Horse First Aid Kit Could Save Your Horse’s Life ~ A Few Helpful Tips!
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A Useful Tool

For years now animal trainers have used clicker training as a more humane and behavior modification training program for all types of animals but only recently has it begun to gain acceptance by horse trainers. Clicker training relies on positively reinforcing positive or correct behaviors from your animal and then building on these successes.

Trainers have been successful teaching their horses to lift their hooves for checking shoes or trimming, loading into a trailer or taking their bit or giving the crowd a bow.

Clicker training can be a useful tool especially when you are navigating a crowd and your voice is competing with the noises of the crowd and other horsemen. The basics of this type training mean that you’ll be able to use a technique that your horse will come to enjoy and perform the tasks much faster and with more enthusiasm.

Getting Started with Clicker Training

The first step to having your horse respond to clicker training requires that you get him used to hearing the sound and responding to a reward based training system. The way that you do this it to take a handful of your horse’s favorite treats and spend a few minutes introducing them to the sound and what happens when he hears the click.

So make a click and as soon as you do provide your horse with a treat. Do this several times and very quickly he will learn that when he hears the click a treat will be coming. This allows you to begin to control his behavior by rewarding him.

Try to use an easy behavior when starting your clicker training. One of the easiest is to have your horse put his nose on a target, such as a ball on a stick. When your horse learns to do this behavior with the clicker, then you can actually lead your horse onto a trailer or have him stand still for an exam using this technique.

Clicker Training Techniques: Keeping It Simple

In order to get your horse interested in touching the ball you have to reward any interest that he shows in the target. As soon as your horse touches the target with his nose click and give him a treat. Move the target and when he touches it, reward him again. Keep your training sessions short so that your horse does not lose interest and begins to enjoy the training sessions.

Once your horse is able to touch the target reliably, you can begin to make the target tougher for him to get to. You can move it so that your horse has to turn his head, put it between his front legs or make him reach up high. Each time your horse gets the target, click and reward your horse’s behavior.

Remember that so far we have not used any commands as all.

You’ll now be able to add the command “touch” just before your horse reaches the target. Then after he touches the target reward him. Do this through a couple of sessions and only reward your horse when he touches the target when you use the command and the click. This type of training can be used to introduce almost any type of behavior or action.

Clicker Training Sessions: Keeping Them Short

When you do a training session make sure that you are only providing one behavior per session. Any more than this and you may begin to confuse and frustrate your horse making it hard for him to pick up your cues reliably. By offering only one goal per session your horse will quickly learn the behavior and the command for that move.

It’s also important to keep your sessions short. Longer sessions will bore your horse and this again will lead to frustration and refusal to respond which is the opposite of what you’ll want to accomplish with this type training.

Clicker training is perfect for horses that will be around others, and must be moved a lot or participate in events where there is a lot of noise and confusion.

The sound of the clicker, the command and being rewarded is something that will stick with your horse and allow him to know what is right and wrong in most situations.

Clicker training also offers a way for the horse to respond to you in a more personal manner.

Recommended Horse Training Resources:

Natural Horsemanship Training videos … CLICK HERE

Applied Posture Riding … CLICK HERE

Related posts:

1. Training Your Young Horse Personally Or Letting Nature Do Your Horse Training For You
2. Do It Yourself Parelli Horse Training.
3. A Bucking Horse: Rider Training Or Horse Training

Training

Training a young horse

Over the years that I’ve been associated with young horses and horse training, I’ve seen two approaches used when it comes to training young horses. The first is to work with your horse every day to build a bond and teach them in a very specific and controlled manner.

However, the other method of horse training involves allowing the young horse to develop naturally, among any other horses in the barn and take their cues from the rest of the herd.

Effective Horse Training Requires an Effective Horse Trainer

Even without the intervention of regular horse training, your young horse can learn the basic skills from other horses by watching how they react. If fact many, horse owners allow their young horses to learn from the community for as much as 3 years before they institute formal horse training.

This can be effective as well as time saving but if you would like your young horse to gain valuable skills early, be more receptive to human contact and provide a longer useful life then you should start training your horse at a very early age. This allows the young horse to be socialized with you and other humans and accept you as a part of the herd and someone that the colt can learn from as well.

Not only does a daily training routine for your young horse allow you to teach them basic skills, you also learn the personality of your horse and the limits to which you can train them on a daily basis. This is important just like with any athlete you need to understand the limitations and strengths of your young horse and its tolerance for your horse training regimens.

Adding More Advanced Horse Training as a Young Horse Develops

Young horses are like young athletes and they need to have a structured learning environment that allows them to grow and mature in their all-around life and not just excel in one area. Adding additional lessons for your young horse training sessions not only keeps the horse interested but it keeps you the trainer from becoming bored with the same old horse training routine.

Basics need to be covered all the time but by adding different exercises or taking them for a walk while being led by another horse and rider are excellent ways to keep your young horse not only growing but motivated to learn as well.

The Spanish word “colgar” means to hang out or relax with someone and your horse needs to learn to participate in a “colgado” session with you so that the social interaction and bond grows.

These types of hanging out sessions allow you to put out some incidental training such as maneuvering in tight spaces, backing up, sidestepping and obedience type training such as coming when you call. This type training allows you to reward your horse and allow them to become more friend than anything else.

Horse training lessons for young horses should always be simple, have a clear beginning, a clear goal and very few steps to accomplish. Once a task is mastered your horse can then be guided to use that training to learn additional tasks.

A young horse learns fast and will soon learn to enjoy your company as well, as long as you keep your lessons short, offer quality rewards and are patient.

Recommended Horse Training Resources:

Natural Horsemanship Training videos … CLICK HERE

Applied Posture Riding … CLICK HERE

Related posts:

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2. Early Lessons ~ The Backbone of a Foal’s Higher Education.
3. Do It Yourself Parelli Horse Training.

How to control a bucking horse

Whenever I scan the “Horses for Sale” ads the most often used word tends to be the word “gentle” because so many new horse owners have ended their dreams of riding because of a bucking horse. Often this occurs not because the horse is wild but can be a result of a number of actions and reactions on the part of both rider and horse.

A horse bucks for different reasons and a trainer who’s able to control the horse  is not necessarily a great trainer but is perhaps just an excellent rider. Training is essential and, as always, the best time to train a horse is as a colt, but bucking in an older horse can be corrected once the cause has been determined.

Searching for the Cause of a Bucking Horse

If the your horse has just recently begun to refuse the bit or reacts each time pressure is applied, the first place you should check is your horse’s mouth for a problem. Of course ,if there is no physical problem, it could be a matter of you, if you are an inexperienced rider, giving your horse mixed signals.

When you spur your horse forward and, in a response to your horse’s quick start you pull on the reins, this may confuse your horse and make him react. Perhaps pulling the reins too hard for a turn causes your horse to jerk in response and you think your horse is refusing, so you pull harder and it becomes a force of wills that often results in you lying in a heap on the ground and your horse grazing quietly in the meadow. Bucking is the natural response of a frustrated horse and often a horse is frustrated with the inexperience of the rider and that is what makes him buck.

The Best Way to Control a Bucking Horse

Riding Lessons. Quality lessons make a quality horseman and that leads to a long and happy riding career. Learning to provide your horse with the proper messages makes it much easier for your horse and you  to communicate and ,as always, whenever there is miscommunication a problem exists.

Learning to relax while riding transmits a calming message to your horse and allows him to feel more comfortable which reduces the chance of him bucking. Never over exaggerate your rein movements as this can cause your horse to over react and begin to buck as well.

Provide your horse with consistent, relaxed movements and your horse will react in a calm and relaxed manner and you’ll be less likely to have your horse buck. Controlling the reins and thinking about what you’ll do next and what you want to accomplish goes a long way toward keeping your horse doing what you want and actually enjoying the ride.

Imagine switching places and having someone drive you with reins. They signal you to turn and then take off running but almost immediately slow you down and then when you slow down they want more speed or pull very hard causing you pain. Frustrating scenario isn’t it? You might be tempted to buck as well.

However, a good rider learns to accept the riding experience as a joint venture between their horse and themselves. When your horse bucks and you  remain relaxed and allow him to settle by moving him forward and letting him get the frustration out, you’ll be still maintaining control.

Controlling a bucking horse can be extremely frightening to an inexperienced rider but with practice and time in the saddle you will soon master the joint partnership that is real riding.

Related posts:

1. Training Your Young Horse Personally Or Letting Nature Do Your Horse Training For You
2. How to Stop a Bolting Horse ~ Tips for the Beginner Rider.

Barrel Racing

Barrel Racing, it’s believed, first saw competitive light in the state of Texas quite some years go and has gone on to become a very spectacular rodeo event.

Barrel racing is very much about cooperation between horse and rider and is a sort of “equal opportunity” sport.

The purses for the winners of barrel races are large and getting larger all the time and the cost of competing isn’t exactly cheap. Because of the competition and money involved, finding a good horse is very important to the competitors. A top of the line barrel horse can cost up to $50,000.

Though both boys and girls compete at the youth level and men compete in some amateur venues. In collegiate and professional ranks, it’s primarily a rodeo event for women. While the men roped or rode bulls and broncs, the women barrel raced.

Significantly, men are not eligible to compete in the barrel racing event at the National Rodeo Finals.

The principal of barrel racing

The idea is simple — stop the clock ASAP. Time is all that matters.

The equipment for barrel racing is basic; 3 barrels, 1 horse,

The three barrels are placed in a triangular pattern. The timing begins when the horse crosses the starting line and ends when the horse crosses the finishing line.

To begin the barrel race, the horse and rider will enter the arena at top speed, through the center entrance (or alley if in a rodeo arena).

In these timed rodeo events, the purpose is to make a run as fast as possible, while the time is being clocked either by an electronic eye, (a device using a laser system to record times), or by an arena attendant or judge who manually takes the time using a keen eye and a flag to let a clocker know when to hit the timer stop; though this last method is more commonly seen in local and non-professional events.

Ideal barrel racing distances

The barrels are set at specific distances:

Speed is what it is all about in this event. The riders steer their horses as close as they can to the barrels trying to shave precious seconds off the clock.

13 to 14 seconds is generally a winning margin in barrel racing events, but this will vary according to the size of the arena, as all rodeo arenas are not created equal.

The rider circles the first barrel counterclockwise, the second barrel clockwise, and the third barrel counterclockwise.

If a barrel is hit or knocked over, a five-second penalty is assessed. There are other time penalties for other infractions like circling a barrel in the wrong direction (called going “off pattern”).

There is no doubt that barrel racing is really a spectacular sport as you’ll see from the video.

Related posts:

1. Horse Racing Games
2. Lucinda Green’s Equestrian Challenge.