Be Your Best Horsemanship

Most of us spend a lot of time riding our horses two-handed, especially when we're training, tuning, and helping them understand new concepts. But at some point, you've got to put one hand down and find out how much of that foundation is really there.
In this episode, I talk about the benefits of riding both one-handed and two-handed, how each serves a different purpose in your training program, and why riding one-handed is one of the best ways to evaluate your communication, softness, and connection to your horse's mind and feet. I also share some simple exercises you can use to identify holes in your foundation, clean up your signals, and build a horse that stays between your hands and legs—even when the pressure gets turned up.

In this episode, I'm sharing my thought process behind breeding performance horses with a purpose and having the end goal in mind from the very beginning. From cow-run crosses to run-run crosses, I break down some of the strengths, challenges, and tendencies I’ve experienced with different types of horses and why not every cross fits every rider or discipline.
Whether you’re raising rope horses, barrel horses, or all-around performance horses, having a plan matters. The better we understand the horse we’re trying to create, the better chance we have of setting them up for long-term success.

There’s a big difference between riding horses and training them. In this episode, I break down the mindset, consistency, and intentionality required to move from just putting miles on a horse to actually helping them progress. Whether you’re starting colts, seasoning performance horses, or simply trying to become a better horseman, this episode will challenge you to think differently about the work you do every time you swing a leg over a horse.

As we get into the busy summer rodeo season, there comes a point where a lot of horses—and riders—need to be put back together a little bit. When you’re hauling hard, competing often, and asking your horse for everything they have every run, it’s easy for confidence, softness, and connection to start slipping.
In this episode, I talk about recognizing when the wheels are starting to come off and how to go back to the foundation to restore your horse’s confidence and understanding. Tune in as I discuss reconnecting the horse’s mind, body, and feet, why slowing things down can actually move you forward faster, and how to help your horse get back to feeling relaxed, responsive, and confident in their job.

I think a lot of times, when people come to my clinics―or anyone else's clinics, for that matter―they expect to leave with a magic recipe on how to make a great horse. And, I always tell people: the magic is: there is no magic. There's a basic process of fundamentals, and there's the decision to commit to executing that process consistently over a period of time. Tune into this episode as I share a few stories from this week of training and how we are using our own 'magic' to take some horses from good to great.