NLH Cue Tip: Secure Your Investment in Training

A well trained horse is not a fixed asset. Your investment in training will only be secured if you can maintain or improve that level of training with a firm understanding of what your horse knows, how to ask for it, and how to effectively thwart off unwanted behaviors.

At Next Level Horsemanship^TM we encourage people to become involved in their horse’s training by inviting them to watch, participate at a level that is comfortable for them, and providing them with training materials such as our Foundations: From the Ground Up DVDs to ensure that they can continue the Program well beyond when they take their horses home.

Ultimately it is up to the owner to ensure the success of training beyond the trainer’s barn so here are a few NLH^TM Cue Tips to help you out:

Always review with your trainer what your horse has been taught.

Watch your horse in training and at some point take lessons on your horse so that you know how to ask him to perform the maneuvers he’s been taught.

Become a better rider for your horse.

When your horse comes home from training, make sure that you are ready to take the lead to keep improving on his training at home.

Purchase instructional material from your trainer.

This will ensure that you know the details of the training your horse has just received.

Ask for a lesson plan to continue to advance your horse’s training.

This will be especially useful to keep working on little quirks that may not have been ironed out during the length of time your horse was at the training facility.

Keep in touch with your trainer.

If you build a relationship with your trainer, you can expect to get more help beyond the initial training period.

Build consistency into your training program at home.

Consistency and repetition are key to the long term success of your horse’s training.

Always be aware of your horse’s behaviors.

Build awareness to how your horse behaves and pay attention to the details. Only then will you be able to correct unwanted behaviors or reward good ones to keep your horse improving.

Never bypass an opportunity to train your horse.

Often we become complacent and let things slide because we either don’t know how to fix them or we just don’t want to be confrontational. Your horse will only improve if you have the ability to train on him and seize opportunities to do so.

There are many ways to ensure the training you put on your horse becomes solid and lasts a lifetime. Ultimately you are responsible for that. Become educated about your horse’s training and have fun keeping him tuned up or even teaching him something new. Build the Partnership, then Performance and Possibilities will be realized!