THE RESULTS OF OUR FOUNDATION TRAINING:

 

·        Control of each major part of the horse

·        Obedience

·        Control of the horses mind

·        Control of the horses emotions

·        A great foundation for any event

·        A safe mount

·        A versatile mount

·        An enjoyable mount

 

How it works:

 

To have control of a horse’s mind and emotions you must be able to control his major body parts.  It is natural for a horse to want to move when it is frightened.  This movement is often what gets us into trouble because we can’t control it.  If we could tell the horse you can move, but go here and this fast, we could keep things from getting out of control and we could keep ourselves and others from getting hurt. 

 

The added benefit to this is that you are creating a safer more versatile horse while you are working on his mind and emotions.  As mentioned on the Home page there are really only 6 basic movements a horse needs to know.  Everything from there on is refinement and precision.  We focus on those 6 movements from the ground and from the horse’s back.

 

 

Foundation Training Basics:

 

Giving to the bit — Everything revolves around this!

 

Hip control — turns on forehand, sidepassing, lead changes, rating speed, directional control, emergency control

 

Shoulder control — turns on haunches, spins, lateral work, neck reining, rating speed, leg yields, half passes, general control, not leaning in circles, rollbacks

 

Head elevation — relaxation, head-set for preferred discipline, keeping horse’s attention, controlling horse’s emotions, proper body carriage for different maneuvers

 

Move Forward — anything that requires forward movement!

 

Back Correctly — vertical flexion, better stops, rating speed, keeping the horse from anticipating

 

Foundation Training Advanced:

 

We will then use these six skills to steer the horse in the discipline they were bred for.  Whether it be reining, cutting, or even hunt seat, these areas of control are critical.  Once the horse is solid in the foundation skills, we will begin adding specialized skills for their discipline.  For example, we will teach reining horses collection, spins, stops, and rollbacks, just as we will drill dressage horses on self-carriage, forwardness, quality of gait, and lateral movement.  With our varying backgrounds we have the skill and experience to train your future horse to the specialty and level you desire.

Foundation Training

A horse with a proper foundation should be controllable in any situation.