Horsemanship 101.
A course for every horse owner, or anyone that’s wanting to learn to ride horses.
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Introduction to Horsemanship 101
The theme of my life is horses. I ride horses for a living, as a hobby, and am an accomplished equine photographer and writer. I have dedicated my entire life to horses, much to the chagrin of my mother, who told me that riding horses wasn’t a real job. But I am here to tell you that it is! I ha...
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What is horsemanship - Terms to Know
In this video you will learn about what horsemanship is, and what it means to me. Horsemanship at its core, is defined as the art of handling, riding and training horses. Every horseman will have their own personal definition of horsemanship and it serves as their guiding light in how they approa...
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Horse Behavior - Learning Body Language
There are a lot of ear positions for horses, as you'll see in this video. Horses are creatures of flight, meaning when they're scared they RUN. They don't typically try to fight or bite - unless they feel the need to defend themselves.
When their ears are forward they're looking - horses look w...
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Horse Behavior: How Horses Think
If you've ever wondered whether your horse is mad or sad, or angry, or whatnot - wonder no more. I'll break down the who, what, where, when, why of your horse's behavior!
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How to Lead/Halter Your horse
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Horse Handling: Picking up the Feet
Learn how and where to stand to safely help your horse learn to be good with his feet.
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Horse Handling: Grooming
Best practices
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Saddle Up!
Proper Saddling Order:
Saddle Pad
Front Cinch
Back Cinch
Breast collar
Proper Unsaddling Order:
Breast Collar
Back Cinch
Front Cinch
Pull your saddle and pad together
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Learning to Bridle
Learn the basics of how to bridle and unbridle your horse. We will also discuss rein handling while bridling, and ways to work with a horse that may be difficult to bridle.
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Mounting and Dismounting Your Horse
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Rein Management
Holding your reins is more than just holding onto them. There are a variety of types of reins, and the way you hold and manage each will be different. I will cover how to hold your reins, where to hold your reins and how this affects what your horse does. We will begin discussing how your rein ha...
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Equitation: How to Properly Sit on a Horse
We will discuss pre-ride steps, and briefly review mounting your horse. Once mounted, there is a proper posture, better known as equitation, while riding your horse. Riding involves full awareness of your body and mind while mounted. I will cover common issues of equitation, how to correct them, ...
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Ride the Walk
We have covered all of the basics and now? It’s time to ride! The first gait we will cover is the walk, which is the slowest of the 4 gaits of a horse's movement. In this video we will discuss the gait itself, your equitation while at a stand still and once your horse goes into the walk.
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Knots Aren't Just for Boyscouts
Learn a couple different ways to tie your horse, and the proper way to tie a rope halter.
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Riding the Trot: Sitting
The next gait after the walk is the jog or trot. As a review, the jog or trot is a 2 beat gait. Jog is a slower pace than the trot. This video covers the gait itself, how it affects our equitation, proper equitation and common issues I see when teaching how to sit the trot.
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Riding the Trot: Posting
Introduced in the previous video, the posting trot is a more athletic, and forward gait. Still a 2 beat gait, but inspires more forward motion. This gait is used very commonly in ranch work and when warming horses up. We will discuss proper equitation, what a diagonal is, and preparing to ride th...
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Riding the Lope
The lope or canter is the three beat gait of the horse. We will discuss the mechanics of the gait, proper equitation while riding the lope, and what a lead is. For the more advanced riders we will cover loping with balance, and lead changes.
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Speed Control and a Soft Feel
Speed control and a Soft Feel are two things that are more advanced. We may do an entire course on a soft feel and collection.