There is this thing with horses. No, I am not referring to their stubbornness, though there is that, too. The big problem is that horses may refuse to obey you unless they are specifically trained to recognize and react to the cues you give. The average rider who does not own his or her own horse obviously is more comfortable with a horse that is already well trained and not averse to strangers.
Most people are just oblivious to the huge variety of easy, simple training methods available out there.
Any good library will have hundreds of titles on horses, horse riding and a plethora of other horse-related subjects. The biggest library of them all, the internet, will submit millions of results if you take the trouble of doing your research.
A bit of observation at any exhibition or show related to horses will teach you a lot. You can implement a lot of what you pick up at shows, but at the end of the day, it will not be enough. You will still need a good book.
Wrap up your tough days with a bit of reading – plus maybe some video watching – with a relaxing book or two on horses and horse related activities. Read and see for yourself just how many methods there are for horse and horse rider training, and once again, maintain your list. Read them over and over again till you could recite excerpts in your sleep. Try them out only if you have absolutely mastered them.
At this point, I have a bit of cautioning to do. Some of the methods you find described in the books you read may come across as very offensive. In a million years, I will never accept that physical punishment has any good role whatsoever to play in the training of a horse – or a horse rider. If you find a book that advocates such methods, punish it first by burning it – or returning it to the library.
Work only with books that advocate soft approaches and tolerant training methods. Don’t worry about the age of a book – horses and riders were the same a decade ago, century ago and a millennium ago. As a matter of fact, not too long ago horses were the primary mean of transportation in practically all countries of the world. People had to train horses during those times because just about everyone owned a horse, and no, they didn’t own horses as a hobby. Sound training principles based on common sense will outlast any fancy fad and trendy methods of an ephemeral nature.
A good book can make a competent trainer out of you, if you pay attention to the contents, try them out again and again until you are well versed in the techniques taught to you and you have worked out all of the kinks and glitches.
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