How to Train a Horse to Lie Down to For Mounting

If you have a good relationship with your horse, you can put your horsemanship skills to the ultimate test by teaching your horse to lay down. Prey animals will not lay down alongside another animal they do not trust, so laying your horse down is a great way to prove the trust and respect your horse has for you. It is also a handy trick for mounting a tall horse when you do not have a stool or fence to climb unto.

Attach the bridle and have the reins over the horse's neck. Stand near the horse's left shoulder and make sure you can back him up and bend his head around to the right by pulling on both reins or just the right rein, respectively.

Tie the rope to the horse's left front leg, around the pastern. Take the tail of the rope under the horse's belly and up over his back so that the tail comes over the back and to you as you stand at his right shoulder.

Lift the horse's left front foot and pull the rope tight so it brings the horse's leg to his belly. Release. Repeat a few times until your horse seems OK with the process.

Pull on the reins--with the leg up--and invite the horse to rock backwards. It is helpful to bend the horse's neck slightly to the right. At first the horse might find this very threatening. Only ask him to rock back a little, release the reins first, then release the foot. Eventually, rock the horse back a few times without releasing the foot in between. Take your time and keep your horse confident. It may take a few days or weeks to rock the horse back far enough that his knee touches the ground. Congratulations. You just taught your horse to bow! That definitely deserves a treat. If you can, try giving the horse a treat while he is bowing to keep him in the bow for longer periods of time. Many riders can lean across the horse from this position to mount, so if you get stuck after this step, you may still be able to mount your tall horse.

Put your left stirrup over the saddle horn so your horse is not uncomfortable when he does lay down. Get your horse into the bow position and use the rein to pull his nose around to the right. (Pull the rein towards his hips, not towards his withers.) This may be enough to get your horse to fall onto his left side. If not, you can also pull on the saddle horn to encourage the horse to fall gently sideways. Don't be surprised if your horse resists and ends up falling to his right side instead. Either way, give him a treat and do not let him up until he is calm. It is sometimes helpful to repeat the lay-down a few times in a row so the horse learns it is nothing to be afraid of--you can put him down, but you will give him a treat and let him back up. Only when your lay-down is very controlled should you mount and ride the horse up. 

Thing you might need

1. Bridle

2. Long soft rope

3. Western Saddle

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How to Train Your Horse to Sit

Teaching your horse to sit requires patience and practice. Sitting on command is not a natural instinct for horses; therefore, it will take some effort to teach the horse to do so. In order to teach your horse this trick, it will likely need to trust and feel comfortable with you. Once you have a trusting relationship with your horse, you can implement the techniques required to teach it to sit.

Command your horse to lie on its side. Once it has, stand next to its back. Using your rope or voice, command the horse to lie on its stomach. If it tries to stand up during this process, push its nose to the side, which will likely prevent it from doing so. Let its nose go when you feel the horse relax.

Coax the horse to get up from its stomach into a sitting position with your voice or the use of the ropes. Command your horse to "sit" during this part of the training so it associates that word with what it is doing. Your horse may put its leg out in an effort to stand up. If this occurs, stop it by pushing its nose to the side. The horse's legs should always remain under its chest.

Practice this technique repeatedly until the horse can go from a lying to a sitting position without trying to stand up. Once the horse has mastered this, try commanding it to sit when it is standing up. Eventually, your horse will likely be able to perform the trick when it hears you give the command.

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How to Teach a Horse Shake Your Hand

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  Impress your friends with your friendly, hand shaking horse. Teaching this trick is easy and rewarding. Training goes quickly once the horse understands his reward. You can teach horses other behaviors like nodding, shaking their heads, bowing and rearing using this method. Use the following steps to teach a horse how to shake hands.
  

  Purchase a bag of hard, disc-shaped peppermint candy.
• Cut or break the candy discs into quarter. 
• Place the candy pieces into a re-sealable sandwich bag.
• Put the sealed bag into your pocket when you go to train the horse.

Teach the Trick

• Place the halter and lead rope on the horse and lead him to a place where there are few distractions.
• Stop the horse and stand in front of and slightly to one side of him.
• Choose a key phrase, such as, "Let's be friends," and emphasize the word "friends." The phrase, "Shake, Pardner" is another alternative.
• Say the phrase.
• Reach down and grasp the foreleg on the side you are standing on and pull it forward and up. If the horse resists, keep pulling until she lifts her hoof.
• Set the hoof down and praise the horse by petting or scratching him.
• Continue this process until the horse does not resist when you pick up the hoof.

Condition the Response

• Give the horse a piece of the peppermint candy when the horse gives you the hoof willingly. Rewards the horse with candy the first 10 times he gives you the hoof willingly. After that, give the candy randomly but only after she performs correctly.
• Watch for him to raise the hoof without you grasping it. When he does, he gets a candy.
• Feed her a candy the first 15 times he picks up her hoof for you.
• Randomize the rewards after the fifteenth successful behavior.
• Continue training him daily but for no longer than 20 minutes at a time. Soon you will have a horse that shakes hands.

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Select the Best Horse Supplement

Keeping Horse can be a real challenge. Depending on what type of performance you demand for your horse, its age, breed and health and its personal needs, finding a balance in its feed to meet its overall health requirements can be trick at best. Education is the best answer for horse owners, and the more you know about feeds, supplements and their specific benefits, the better choice you can make when it comes to adding nutrition to your horse's diet.

Have your horse examined by a professional veterinarian, who can determine the overall health of the animal and recommend what key areas to address.

Communicate with your veterinarian about your plans for your horse, including any breeding plans, racing or other performance plans, and any show plans. Ask for his recommendations on what supplements are available for your specific needs.

Share this information with your local feed store and review available supplements with the feed store manager or sales person. Determine which supplement best suits your needs and budget.

Introduce your supplement to the horse's feed gradually over a period of a week to 10 days. Measure the amount carefully with your measuring cups, and do not feed more than recommended on the label.

Monitor the success of your supplement. In the case of coat enhancers, a relatively quick reaction can be seen. In as little as 10 days, you should be able to see a glossier coat coming in at the skin. In the case of hoof improvement, it may take several months before you can measure any real results. 

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Identify Horse Abuse

If you believe that a Horse a your Stable or in your community its being abused, it is importance that you contact the appropriate authorities to report the situation. Horse abuse occurs in every corner of the world, and can present itself in many different forms. The faster you are able to identify horse abuse, the more lives you will save.

Know that horse abuse is a serious allegation. What one person considers abusive behavior may only be punishment to someone else, and the law is only capable of handling instances of severe abuse. According to the Humane Society (see Resources below), abuse is defined as "knowingly depriving an animal of food, water, shelter, socialization, or veterinary care or maliciously torturing, maiming, mutilating, or killing an animal." The occasional swat for bad behavior might be unethical, but not illegal.

Look for physical signs of horse abuse. These may include open sores, lacerations, swelling, welts, burns or broken bones. Animal abuse is usually considered a pattern of abusive behavior, and a horse that never seems to heal may be a victim.

Watch how the horse owner handles his animals. Does he use whips, chains or other instruments to hit the horse? Does he intentionally deprive the animal of food and water? These are all signs of horse abuse, and can prove deadly if allowed to continue.

Spend time with the horse. An abused animal will be distrustful of humans, quick to shy away from a gentle hand. Alternatively, the horse might be "mean" when approached by a human, kicking or biting to fend off the attack before it can start. This doesn't mean that the horse is "bad", but that he has learned from experience to expect violence.

Know that causing intentional injury to a horse is considered abuse. For example, an owner who kicks her horse in the stomach or whips the horse repeatedly is probably committing abuse. This is especially true if it happens frequently.

Ask if the horse has been seen by a veterinarian. Even if an injury is not caused intentionally, the failure to treat the injury is considered abuse.

Watch for signs of aggression when the owner rides the horse. Horse abuse is often inflicted when an owner is frustrated during a ride, and takes out his frustration physically. Dismounting to beat a horse, for example, would be considered abuse.

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How to Keeping Stalls Dry

Owning a Horse can be a wonderful and very rewarding experience, but it is important to provide proper care for your four-legged friend. Horse require very specialized care-care that is much different than what dogs, cats and other common household pets require. One of the essential elements of successful horse-keeping is providing a clean and dry stall, and it is important for all new horse owners to know how to provide that clean environment.

Consider Using Pelleted Wood Shavings

• Not too long ago the only choices horse owners had for their stalls were sawdust and straw, but these days there is a third alternative that can save both time and money. Many different companies now sell pelleted wood shavings designed for use in horse stalls, and these shavings can be a great alternative to traditional sawdust and wood shavings.

  It is important to use only pelleted shavings that are specifically sold for use in horse stalls--the pelleted wood products sold for use in wood stoves and home  heaters may contain woods that are toxic to horses.

Keep Ahead of Things--Especially in Wet Weather

• While putting down pelleted wood shavings can give you a head start toward a clean stall, they will not do all the work by themselves. In order to keep your horse's stall clean and dry you will need to pick the stall out on a daily basis. As wood pellets get wet they puff up into regular sawdust, and this makes it easy to find and remove those wet spots.

  By doing this daily maintenance you can keep your horse's stall clean and dry in even the wettest conditions. When the weather has been extremely wet or snowy you may also have to add a few bags of pelleted shavings to keep ahead of those challenging conditions.

Don't Be Afraid to Strip the Stall If It Becomes Too Wet

• Proper stall maintenance means that stripping the stall should not be required on a regular basis, but there are times that it will be necessary to strip the stall down to the bare dirt and put new shavings down. If the stall has become extremely wet it is a good idea to strip it down and put down a fresh new layer of savings. Stripping the stall will take some time and require some work, but failing to provide a clean stall for your horse can leave your equine companion with some serious health problems--and you with some big vet bills.

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How to teach your Horse New Tricks

Horses are creatures of habit and therefore willing partners when asked repetitive commands. A horse of any age can learn simple tricks with the right motivation. When it responds quickly to the cues, it can master more complicated ones. Problem horses can bond with a trainer by learning tricks, paving the way for learning more traditional riding skills. Trick training is also useful for days when the weather prevents riding or the horse is becoming ring sour.

You'll Need

Halter
Lead Rope
Horse treats

• Select one trick that takes a simple cue to perform. Teaching a horse to nod "yes" or shake its head "no" are good requests to teach first.
• Offer palm-size horse treats to entice a response. Commercial equine cookies, apple slices or carrots pieces will keep the horse's attention.
• Request the action verbally while giving the cue. Softly touch the whip in the area you want the horse to move, such as behind the poll for a head shake. This will associate the word and touch with the command so that future requests will not always need a treat.
• Praise the horse with tone of voice, a pat on the neck as well as the treat. Positive reinforcement is important even if the response is only slight.
• Repeat the request and respond with praise a couple more times to reinforce the cue.

Tips 

Spend only 10 minutes for teaching a new trick. If the horse does not respond to the cue, try later in the day or the next day. Once the horse understands the cue, practice several times a day for a few minutes every day for several days to reinforce the command. Do not give the treat if no response, but do not punish the horse physically or verbally either. Make this a fun training session, with the reward when it reacts correctly. Avoid biting and other bad horse behavior by not always giving treats after the horse has learned the cue. If the horse becomes demanding, stop treats completely. Avoid biting and other bad horse behavior by not always giving treats after the horse has learned the cue. If the horse becomes demanding, stop treats completely. Children can teach a horse tricks but the sessions should always be supervised by an adult.

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How to Gallop in a Horse

  

The gallop on horseback is a more advanced gait that you can practice after mastering the walk, trot and slow canter. Despite its speed, the gallop is a rocking gait and is not generally too rough. The following steps explain how to gallop on horseback and maintain control.

1. • 1
     Slacken the reins and gather yourself in preparation. When ready, give the horse a signal to gallop. Use pressure with your foot, a vocal command or click of the tongue, or a squeeze of the thighs combined with a shift forward in your weight and seat.
   • 2
     Push through the trot. Many horses will trot first, like a runner jogging before going to a full out run. Continue your signal to push your horse into the gallop.
   • 3
     Keep your seat. The secret to the gallop is to go with rocking motion of the gait. Place your weight in your seat (your rear end). Keep your seat in motion with the gallop by maintaining contact with the saddle.
   • 4
     Watch your form. Keep your elbows and legs in, and manage the movements of your body. This may be difficult for beginners, but the key is keeping your seat in rhythm with the gait and in contact with the saddle.

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How to Care for Horse After Riding

After a ride or a training session, it is important for your horse's safety and health to go through a series of tasks. These tasks also signal to the horse that the work is done for the day.

1. Cool the horse down. As with any exerciser, the horse needs to let his muscles cool down. Dismount and walk the horse around for a bit. The horse should be breathing regularly and starting to feel cooler to the touch before returning to the pen or stable.

2. Let the air in. Loosen the horse's saddle by loosening the cinch, which works similar to a belt buckle. Once back at the stable, you can take off the cinch, saddle and bridle.

3. Provide water. Give your horse access to fresh, cool water after a workout.

4. Consider grooming. Although not universally done, it's a good idea to brush your horse out after a training session. The area covered by the saddle may be sweaty, and if you allow the sweat to dry on the coat it may leave residue behind and attract dirt.

5. Never put your Horse Hot in the stall.

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How to Tack Up Western Horse

Riding Western-style is like stepping back in time to the Old West. Western saddles have not changed substantially in the way they look or go on the horse, so when you tack up your Western mount, you are doing what the cowboys used to do way back when. However, we're a little more careful of our horses these days, so we've added a few steps the old rough-and-ready cowpokes probably didn't bother with.

Before You Begin

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  Tie your horse securely while you are working with him, preferably in a place where he cannot dodge away from you while you're trying to saddle him.
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  Brush the dirt and loose hair from your horse, taking special care over his back, as buildup of dirt under the pad can lead to painful saddle sores and galls.
• Consider clipping a "bridle path" to make the bridle fit better, if your horse is extremely shaggy. Use scissors or electric clippers to shave a 2-inch spot in the mane just behind the horse's ears.

  The Breast Collar

1. 
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     Decide whether you will need a breast collar for your horse. Some Western riding activities, such as roping or mountain trail riding, require a breast collar to keep the saddle from slipping back. Because many breast collars use a loop the cinch goes through, we will put it on first.
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     Know which way is up and which is down on your breast collar. This cavalry-style breast collar has a solid loop that goes over the horse's neck. A Y-shaped roping-style breast collar goes on with the arms of the Y to the top; the tail runs through the horse's front legs to the cinch.
   • Unsnap the lead rope and pass the breast collar over the horse's head as shown, keeping hold of the horse's halter with one hand. Re-snap the lead rope to the halter.
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     Slide the breast collar to a position just forward of the horse's withers. Leave the bottom end dangling for the moment; just make sure your horse cannot step on it.

   The Saddle Pad

   • Check your saddle pad and the fleece on your saddle to make sure there are no stickers, twigs or burrs caught in it that will jab or rub the horse.
   • Set your saddle pad in place, with the forward edge covering the horse's withers.
     
     Ensure that any reinforcing leather or suede is properly aligned. There may be three: one under each stirrup fender, and one on the front that goes between the pommel and the withers. The soft or hairy side is always down; the finished side is always up.
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     Set the pad a bit farther forward than needed, if you are unsure just where it goes. You will slide the whole thing back to the proper place as you proceed.

   The Saddle

   
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     Saddle your horse from the near (left) side. Western saddles can be heavy, so unless you are very tall and strong, the easiest way to put the saddle cleanly on the horse is to fold all the off-side (right side) rigging up over the seat. That is the forward cinch, the right stirrup fender, and the back cinch.
     
     
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     Lift the saddle into place; don't throw it. Set it on the pad over the horse's wither bones and slide saddle and pad back until it settles naturally into the hollow behind the withers. If your horse is very round-backed or has high withers, make sure the gullet of the saddle is not pinching the withers, and that the saddle is not set too far back. Slide your hand under the gullet to see if the saddle is sitting directly on the withers or is tipped too far back.
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     Let the folded-up stirrup and rigging down gently on the off side to hang naturally. Unless you know the horse well, don't just shove it all over from the near side and let it bang against his side. You could end up with a rodeo.
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     Fold the left stirrup up over the saddle out of the way, standing on the near side.
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     Make sure the latigo is pulled out from under the saddle and ready for use.
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     Reach under the horse and grab the dangling forward cinch. It should pass under the horse forward of the swell of his ribs and just behind his front legs. If it rubs the horse behind the elbows, the saddle is too far forward; if it is trying to span the swell of the belly, it's too far back.
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     Attach the breast collar now if it uses a loop to hook it to the cinch. Pass the cinch through the loop in the dangling "tail." If the breast collar uses a snap instead of a loop, ignore this step.
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     Pass the end of the near-side latigo through the cinch ring on the saddle.
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     Bring the latigo end around and thread it up through the back of the saddle ring.
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     Tuck the latigo end down through the loop just created.
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     Pull up on the latigo to tighten the cinch.
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     Use the loop to take up the slack and feed the long end of the latigo back down through the loop, leaving the free end dangling until the cinch is snug. Don't over-tighten--you should still be able to slide your fingers between the cinch and the horse.
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     Check to see if your cinch is centered. Many rope cinches have a colored diamond and a pair of small snap rings marking the center of the cinch, which should rest squarely between and behind the horse's front legs. If the snap rings or the diamond are too far to the off side, let out the off-side latigo. If it is too far to the near side, take up the off-side latigo.
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     Finish tightening the cinch by pulling the long end down to take the slack out of the loop.
     
     Tuck the end back up through the loop so it does not dangle, or else thread it through the slot in the keeper just forward of the cinch, if your saddle has one.
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     Reach under and bring the cinch to the near side, if your saddle uses a back cinch.
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     Do not over-tighten the back cinch, as it can serve as a splendid bucking strap on nervous horses. It should just touch the horse's belly. There should be a keeper connecting the two cinches as well, which is located dead center between them.
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     Bring the tail of the breast collar between the horse's front legs and fasten the snap to the small ring located on the forward end of the cinch.
   • Thread the top pieces of the breast collar through the saddle rings on either side and buckle in place. Some saddles will have special rings under the pommel for a breast collar. (See photo in Breast Collar section)
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     Adjust the breast collar so that it rests lightly against your horse's chest. If it is too tight, it will cut off his wind when riding uphill. Make sure it is properly centered on his chest and not pressing on his windpipe.
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     Check the cinch again before mounting, and tighten until snug if necessary. Some horses "blow up" when being saddled (hold their breath while you tighten the cinch), then let it out when you step away, leaving the cinch loose and the saddle in danger of turning when you step in the stirrup.

   Bridling Your Horse

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     Complete tacking up by putting the bridle or hackamore on. Loop the reins around the horse's neck to hold him while you take the halter off and re-fasten it loosely around his neck. This keeps him tied to the fence while you are working with him.
   • Gather your reins up out of the way: over your arm or shoulder, so you don't get tangled in them while bridling your horse.
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     Take the bit in your left hand, standing on the near side. Balance the bit on your fingers, leaving the thumb free.
   • Pass your right arm over the horse's neck. Reach down between his ears and grasp the headstall to keep it clear of the bit. This keeps the horse's head down. Alternately, reach under his head and bring your hand up just under his right eye, grasp the headstall, and keep it sorted out with your right hand over his nose while the left inserts the bit.
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     Guide the bit up against the horse's lips, moving the curb strap, if used, out of the way with your thumb.
   • Slide your thumb gently into the horse's mouth at the natural gap between the forward set of teeth and the rearmost teeth running up its jaw. This is where the bit rests and is safe. Usually, very slight pressure on the bars will encourage the horse to open his mouth.
   • Slide the bit in when the horse opens his mouth, keeping tension on the headstall with your right hand to keep him from spitting it back out.
   • Slide the crown piece over the horse's ears to rest just behind them.
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     Bring the throat latch under the horse's neck and buckle it below the left ear. Do not fasten it tightly. The horse needs room to flex his neck.
   • Check where the bit rests in the horse's mouth. If there is a gap between the bar of the bit (the part that runs through his mouth) and the join of the lips, shorten the cheek pieces of the bridle until the bar just rests at the join.
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     Check that the curb strap, if used, is not already tight against the horse's lower jaw. It should be loose when the reins are loose and the bit is lying naturally in the horse's mouth.
   • Pull your horse's forelock over the browband crossing above his eyes. Pull any loose mane out from under the leather anywhere. You're done and ready to ride!

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