The Reata Blog

Monthly Training Tip - Be as soft as possible, but as firm as necessary.

Any time you are with your horse, whether on the ground or in the saddle, you are responsible for his behavior.  ...

Q: My horse has a bad habit of being very dominant when it comes to feeding time, oftentimes a bit aggressive. How can I address this safely?

A: This question hits home to me, as my aunt, when she...

Q: When working on softening techniques such as counter-flexion or lateral movement, my horse seems to associate any leg pressure with speeding up rather than moving off my leg. What can I do to...

Q: My horse will stand quietly at the hitching post when no one else is around. I follow your advice and always have my horses stand tied for a period of time after a training session, but when she...

Q: I have a horse with terrible anxiety issues. Particularly, when passing through narrow spaces including his stall door. He likes to rush and I’m worried he’s going to hurt me or...

Q: I often enjoy riding out on the trail with a group of friends, and we also like to often do some trotting and cantering. However, my horse has gotten into the habit of every time I ask for...

Q: "How do I start working towards teaching my horse to ground tie?"

A: Ground tying is a wonderful skill I believe every horse should have.  It is an indication that your horse is...

Q: The biggest fear I have when riding is a horse that rears. I’ve noticed that when my horse gets frustrated, he tends to come up in the front end. How do I solve this issue and prevent it...

Q: My horse’s go-to response when he gets spooked is to take off and bolt - SCARY! How can I better prepare him and myself for a frightening situation like this?

A: This is a great...

 Q: My horse has a tendency to be very pushy when I’m leading him. Although he does well with the backing exercises, I can’t seem to set him at a good pace whilst going from...

Q: I have a horse that doesn't like to stop in the round pen. (Round penning exercise) Step in front and he doesn't even notice. Walk backwards and he shoots the gap or turns around and runs the...