for my students

Welcome to Allison Acres ~ Galt, CA ~ (209) 748-2658

For my students...

I've taken down all my notes to re-work them but for now I just want you to consider the following:

Articles/Forms:

Us:

Horse Related Links

Allison Acres
13512 Alta Mesa Rd.
Galt, CA 95632
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Pay for anything here(horses for sale, boarding, lessons, whatever!) using
a credit card thru Pay Pal!

Always remember: your horse is your mirror. Your horse can teach you about your ability to be:

· Patient

· Compassionate

· Diligent

· Effective

· Responsible

· Engaging

· Calm

· Honorable

Don't get mad at your horse. Thank him for the opportunity to learn more about yourself and grow as a human being.

Horsemanship: An Extremely Basic Summary

Here it is in a nutshell. Reward appropriate behavior. Discourage or ignore inappropriate behavior.

A reward to a horse is most often a release of pressure. A treat or a kind word can also be rewarding but it's harder to use these appropriately until you get some experience. To discourage inappropriate behavior, don't give a release of the pressure. Wait. Be patient. Keep the pressure on while you wait. Escalate the pressure as necessary to motivate learning.

Start with a very light cue. Body language can be the lightest cue, and if you always start with body language first, eventually that might be all you have to do, and then you will have one very light and responsive horse.

Be assertive, which means be firm and fair and clear and honest and predictable.

When things get crazy, slow everything down. Break it into steps. Reward the slightest try. Gradually expect more and more.

Keep it interesting for the horse and for you.

Remember that the pressure you put on the horse motivates him to do something, but the release you give the horse is what tells him that what he did was correct. Don't release if he's not doing the correct thing.

Don't set it up so that you wind up giving an accidental release - take things slowly so that you are always in control and able to be in charge of the release, versus the horse getting his own release because you've scared him and ultimately he's bigger and stronger than you.

And conversely, release at the slightest try, especially for a new behavior or when the horse shows confusion.

Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard. When he's doing right, try to be as least annoying to him as you possibly can. When he's doing wrong, annoy him until he's motivated to try something else.

Be sure to let him know when he's right with praise, a soft rub or scratch, a chance to rest.