Ariat Pro Riders Share Their Top Training Tips
Training can be one of the most rewarding parts of owning a horse, but we have all been there on the days where it does not go to plan. Some days we have an amazing training session, come away feeling like we are really progressing, and everything is clicking into place, and then other times your training can feel like it is stuck in a rut.
We caught up with some of our Ariat Pro Riders to get their top horse training tips and tricks to keep you motivated when things might not be going completely to plan.
International show jumper Trevor Breen works with the little and often approach. He reminds us to never give up, practise for small amounts of time often and remember that tomorrow is always a new day when things don’t go quite right. This sentiment is echoed by Olympian Tina Cook, who says ‘train little and often with varied exercises keeps the horses enjoying their work’.
Five-star Eventer and Fellow of the British Horse Society Nick Gauntlett says, ‘Remember that practise makes permanent but not always perfect’. In other words, if you keep practising doing something incorrectly, you will form bad habits and it can be difficult to change them. Having someone else there to watch you, a video camera or even a mirror can tell you a lot about your riding and help you to prevent those bad habits.
It is also key to remember that when we are training our horses, we must make sure we are clear with our aids. Mary King’s top tip is to ‘ensure that training is black and white as to what is right and wrong. If a mistake is made, repeat the exercise until it is correct, then reward with a pat or with your voice so it is completely clear to the horse what you are asking them to do’.
