Pros and cons of using treats for training your horse

To treat or not to treat, that is the question. Some people love using treats, and others believe it can create horses that are more focused on the reward than on the performance. I am going to shed some light on the pros and cons of using treats. Pros and cons do exist. In short, some horses are better when you don't use treats, but the majority of horses do well with them. Your approach often creates the horse's positive or negative response.

More and more equestrians are using treats in performance training. I use treats for performance training here at Dances with Horses following the Resnick Method. I like to joke that our horses believe that dressage is something to eat rather than a training method. Of course, that is silly. Our horses would quit performing if that were true. The message I want to impart is that a horse can be motivated through treats. So far, it would appear that all in all, treats are a good...

It is vital to know the right questions to ask yourself how to approach training and communicate with your horse. 

This story offers a formula for getting a favorable response from a horse when you have no idea where to begin. I now call this the Entry Point of Connection.

This formula works in any situation. Whether you want to bond with a horse, to be able to put a halter on a horse, or maybe you want a larger goal like winning the Olympics on a horse, you have trained yourself. Perhaps you want to take the buck out of your horse, take the anger out of him, teach her not to be afraid of a trailer, or teach him not to bite you!

Maybe you wonder how to succeed with the Waterhole Rituals to solve these issues or successfully use any method that has stumped you. Perhaps you want to apply horse training techniques from a book you have read, and you want to make practical use of this evident wisdom, but you do not know where to begin.

The secret to your success with any of...

I see so many posts on Facebook that are misleading. One time I saw a video of an infant placed into a stall with a stallion and people commented on what a great babysitter he was. Nothing happened, but how many people think that they could trust stallions to take care of an infant after seeing this video? 

My advice is to never take a horse for granted and stay on the lookout for anything that would create a dangerous situation for you or your horse. I remember one time, a stallion was in a cross-tie, and a groom brushed his hind leg. A mare was led past the stallion. To get the mare’s attention, he kicked out, squealed, and accidentally kicked the groom, sending her to the hospital. She was warned that a mare would be passing by, but she continued brushing the back leg of the horse because she trusted the stallion would not hurt her. Any horse can be dangerous in certain situations if we do not follow precautionary practices.

Here's the lesson…

It’s so...

LIBERTY TRAINING®-What is it, and why does your horse need it? 

Liberty Training ® - A Definition:

Liberty training is designed to bring a horse a sense of freedom and safety without using any tack, including halters or ropes. Working with a horse in this way will increase the horse's desire to interact and will create a deeper bond and a dependable performance under saddle. Liberty Training is designed to develop optimum horsemanship skills and is the foundation for any and all equestrian pursuits. "

It all began at a successful clinic in Palm Springs, for the Palm Springs Arabian Association, where I worked with 20 horses to demonstrate the value of training horses at Liberty. My audience was around 150 people, and each day, it grew larger and larger as people liked what they saw and heard. Word got around!

I first came up with and coined the term 'Liberty Training' © in 1976 *, when I began teaching the method at the training and breeding center I had at the...

Round pen training works well in conjunction with the Waterhole Rituals after you have developed a well-trained horse at Liberty.

I have found that starting a horse with the Waterhole Rituals instead of starting with a round pen gives the horse more security and a kind of bond that brings out the best performance a horse has to offer.

It takes skill to use a round pen. If you want to use one, I would advise you to educate your horse in the Waterhole Rituals to develop your skill.

If you start in a round pen first, it can put too much pressure on a horse. A round pen keeps a horse the same distance from you giving a horse no relief from your influence. Round pens can initially trouble a horse for this reason—a green person with a troubled horse, not a good idea.

I use round pens for various reasons, but not before Liberty Training, and freestyle dancing with a horse is accomplished. I train a horse at Liberty in a rectangular arena, so the horse has a sense of freedom to lose...