3 Signs Your Horse Needs Proper Training

Struggling to get your horse to behave the way you want him to? Maybe it's time you looked for a BHS-accredited coach to give you some proper training.

Have you got a prospective showjumper who stops at every fence he sees? Are you struggling to get your horse to leave the yard for a Sunday morning hack? Do you get "stuck" asking your horse for a canter on a specific lead? Have you tried to fix the problem and ended up just making it worse? These are all signs your horse needs proper training.

Unless you are riding in an arena, surrounded by mirrors and expert equestrians, chances are you are not entirely sure what is going on when you're in the saddle. Your horse's behaviour may give you a sign that all is not well, but how to move forward and correct those issues can be a lot more challenging.

Maybe you're hanging on your horse's mouth, causing him unnecessary discomfort and tension. Perhaps your position is too forward, restricting your horse's shoulders and disrupting his natural balance. It could be, you're simply not communicating your desires as effectively as you think you are. Your seat may be shouting one instruction, while your legs are saying something else.

How a Qualified BHS Instructor Can Help

A qualified instructor like myself can provide eyes on the ground, helping you address problems that you might not even know existed, and fixing them before they become unshakeable habits.

• Of course, you can pick up some ideas and trouble-shooting approaches from books and online courses, but none of those can see what's actually going on between you and your horse. There's no substitute for having someone on the ground who can correct your seat and help you communicate clearly with your equine companion.

A good instructor, and particularly a good BHS-approved coach, can help you identify the triggers causing your horse's unwanted behaviour. Often a horse is doing the best he can with the information his rider is giving him. I can help tweak the rider's aids so that information is clearer and easier for the horse to understand and process.

Proper Training to Fine-Tune Your Performance

It's been said that a well-trained horse is like a finely tuned instrument. A horse exhibiting unwanted behaviour is either being played badly or has yet to learn the notes.

Let me help teach you which keys to hit to get the results you want and, once you've learnt the first notes, I'll teach you how to combine these to create a harmonious riding experience.

A horse that needs proper training is often one that will benefit from going back to the basics, as will its rider. Maybe you've been playing the wrong combination of notes, or perhaps you were just "out of tune" with your horse.

Without proper training, many riders simply keep hitting the same keys repeatedly, hoping for a different note. As Einstein once said, this is insanity. We cannot get different results if we keep doing the same things.

I can offer you professional training sessions that can help remove this insanity and its associated frustrations, teaching you how to play your horse more effectively and producing a more harmonious performance as a consequence.