Storey's Guide to Training Horses is a one-stop reference for every aspect of horse training, including a complete program for turning a shy and gangly foal into a calm, confident, well-balanced equine partner. Now with full-color photography, the third edition includes step-by-step guidance on all the essential training procedures for both English- and Western-style riding, including haltering and leading, saddling and mounting, and addresses the finer points of gaits, lightness, and collection. Best-selling author Heather Smith Thomas draws on her decades of equestrian experience to anticipate every situation that might arise and provide answers to managing all the potential challenges of training different types of horses. This fully-updated, full-color comprehensive guide on training horses covers every aspect of shaping confident, skillful horses, from foals to mature horses, and for work and riding.
Heather Smith Thomas has written extensively on animal health care, authoring thousands of articles and 24 books on the subject. Her books include Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle, Essential Guide to Calving, Getting Started with Beef & Dairy Cattle, The Cattle Health Handbook, The Horse Conformation Handbook, Storey's Guide to Raising Horses, Storey's Guide to Training Horses, and Stable Smarts. She raises cattle and horses on her family ranch in Salmon, Idaho. Preface
Introduction
1 Basic Safety Practices
Safety First - Safe Ground Handling - Safety when Riding
2 Horse Sense and Training Psychology
Understanding Horses - The Horse-Human Relationship - Training Principles - Training Aids - How to Avoid Conflict and Common Pitfalls
3 Handling and Training the Foal
Learning Begins with Imprinting - Imprinting Your Foal - Handling a Foal during the First Weeks - First Leading Lessons - Beginning Lessons in Foot Handling - Beginning Lessons in Tying - Grooming Lessons for Handling and Patience - Advanced Leading Lessons - Basic Lesson Planning - Avoid Spoiling the Foal - Dealing with Challening Personalities - Know the Foal's Limits and Abilities
4 Handling and Training the Weanling
Weaning a Foal - Train Consistently, Gently, and with Authority - Training Lessons for Routine Health Care - Life Lessons - Loving without Spoiling
5 The Yearling and the 2-Year-Old
Crash Course for an Unhandled Young Horse - Round-Pen Training - Leading Lessons for the Yearling and 2-Year-Old - Teaching a Horse to Back Up at Halter - Beginning Tying - Perfecting His Tying - Lessons in Blanketing - Continue the Leading Lessons - Longeing - Ponying the Young Horse
6 Ground Work before Riding
Bridling Beginners - Saddling Beginners - Maneuverability and Control
7 Bits and Their Uses
Snaffles - Curb Bits - The Pelham - The Double Bridle - Ensure Proper Fit - Choosing a Training Bit - The Importance of Good Hands - The Hackamore
8 Bitting and Driving
Bitting Ground Work - Bit Resistance - Training the Driving Horse and Pony - Selecting a Cart - Pulling Preparation - Pulling a Cart: First Lessons - Gradual Conditioning
9 First Mounted Lessons
Accustom the Horse to the Saddle - First Mounting - Moving Out - Stopping and Turning - Short Rides around the Pen - First Trotting Lessons - Don't Canter Yet - Nip Problems in the Bud
10 First Rides in the Open
Safety Precautions - Everything Is New and Different - Overcoming the Fear of Strange Obstacles - Shying - A Little Quiet Time - Riding along Roads
11 The Walk
How the Horse Moves - Training at the Walk - Teaching a Faster Walk - Calming the Excitable Horse
12 The Trot
How the Horse Moves - First Trotting Lessons for the Green Horse - The Jog - The Slow Trot - The Working (Medium) Trot - The Extended Trot - Walk-Trot Transitions - Change of Speed and Stride Length - Improving the Stop from a Trot - Trotting in Circles -
