the Stable Way Farm

Horses treats made with love.

Most of us who are schooling horses, want to train them to work with a minimum of hidden surprises or little-known techniques. I know that I do. I think it make...s a horse’s future more secure, simply by knowing how to go left, go right, go forward and stop, as clearly and uncomplicated as possible. We know that whether we get into a Ford, a Dodge, or a Chevyquiet now, you rabid diehards!that the steering wheel and the brakes will bring pretty much the same results. We know that if we press a button that says ‘heat’, we’ll get heat. If we press a button that says ‘hazards’, we’ll get flashing lights. With this in mind, I want to preserve my horse’s innate character, yes but I want him to be a little bit like driving a reliable car or truck. In the world of schooled or well-trained horses, universal signals mean that most any educated rider can get on and achieve a similar result. Gifted riders will achieve more beautiful results than others, true, but everybody who is told to pick up the left rein, or use the right leg, should pretty much get the expected response. Universal signals are like a basic, unloaded car without a lot of fancy extras. Things like heated seats might compare to riding on two-tracks, or flying lead changes. They’re a cut above the model that needs to have the window cranked down or the horse that needs to be brought down for a simple lead change. Still, that basic model car or truck is going to be safe and comfortable and you will know, when you settle into the seat, just what you can expect when you begin to drive. I want the same thing in a reasonably well-schooled horse. This means the pony or horse will have a good understanding of what we want when we use our hands and/or legs. They will understand that contact with their mouth means that they must soften and wait for further instruction. That might be a turn to the left is the rider using her legs to keep the wheels going into the turn? Or is the rider just flexing the horse to the side? Is the rider using both reins to come back to a slower speed or even the halt? Is the rider using just one leg behind the girth, to move the horse over to open the gate? Or are both legs pulsing just at the girth to ask the horse to rein back? A horse that is trained to understand these basic cues and nuances is an easy horse to both learn on and teach off. We can explain to the student how to scissor her legs for a canter departure, which one is the energy leg, which one is the supporting leg and away they go! A horse who understands will move straight into the desired gear without any fast trotting or a lack of steering. While all horses will have differences in the energy they bring or their forgiveness if we make mistakes, it is possible to get a similar ride from a variety of horses in one trainer’s barn. I consider this a basic training goal, anyway. Nobody wants to create the complicated horse that is hard to steal a good ride from. We all want to make confident, generous horses that are a joy to ride. Teaching such horses begins with the very first trip. The young, green horse learns that he is asked for the same things in the same way, each and every time out. That a twitched calf muscle requires a smaller response than a vigorous aid. That rein contact can be softened to and absorbed because it is not painful and is not to be feared. By asking for the same response to the same cues every single time we ride, wherever we ride, we start to build the universally rideable horse. This does not mean that we don’t want our horses to develop their own individual personalities! No. What it does mean, however, is that a measure of human appreciation and value will go along with such horses, all the days of their lives. When we train our horses, we should endeavour to make horses that other people will love. Romantic as it sounds, I have absolutely no interest in creating a one-man horse.

Our own personal Mr Ed, but a Buckskin instead! This is the grain room door. Sol is letting us know, The hay bag needs refilling!... See more

I love this so much! All 4 of these ponies had their humble beginnings with us. Tamiko, at Cheam stables, brought them along to become the ROCKSTARS they now are.