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How to replace your horn wrap. This originally aired in the Tips and Tricks Virtual Session, you can find the full 2 hour session here The length of this lesson is 17 minutes 21 seconds -
There are several ways to safely mount a horse. Martin Black shows how you can help prepare your horse to get ready to help you get on by teaching him how to brace against your weight as you step up into the saddle. The length of this lesson is 4 minutes 50 seconds -
Martin Black presents a series of foundation exercises that can benefit horses and riders at any level of experience. In part one, Martin demonstrates one way you can help your horse to lope round even circles. Encourage a horse to seek relief rather than escape from pressure. Build your horse's problem-solving abilities and responsibilities. With some consistency, pretty soon your ideas will become his ideas. Thus lesson is 12 minutes 22 seconds -
Martin Black presents a series of foundation exercises that can benefit horses and riders at any level of experience. In part two, Martin builds on the previous loping circles exercise and discusses how to encourage a horse to take the correct lead. The principles remain the same -- teach your horse to seek relief rather than escape from pressure. When a horse is mentally balanced, he will become more physically balanced. Choosing a lead which help improve your focus. As you become more accurate in your riding, your horse will begin to follow your feel and get in time with you. -
Teaching a horse to stop is just as important as teaching him how to go. In the third part of his foundation series, Martin Black shares one way he uses to prepare a horse for the stop. This exercise is about getting your horse to read your energy level and body cues. Anticipation isn’t always a bad thing. You want your horse to be thinking about the stop so that he can prepare in his body to make a smooth transition. By staying consistent in this exercise, your horse will become more confident and begin to ask for the change. -
In his ongoing series of foundation exercises in this segment Martin Black demonstrates how he would begin to develop a horse's turnaround. In this segment he guides us through both the development of the maneuver as well as strategies for helping your horse stay in a positive and learning frame of mind. The length of this lesson is 4 minutes 41 seconds -
Straight lines are important foundational tools for more refined or difficult maneuvers later on. Whether you’re on your own seasoned horse, a colt or a borrowed horse, checking out how straight they travel is a good indicator of what’s working and what’s not. However, in order to do so you have to be aware of when you’re straight in the first place. Martin Black shares some tips to help riders develop better focus and ride with more straightness and accuracy. Pretty soon your horse will feel your focus and put more effort into getting in rhythm with you. The length of this lesson is 3 minutes 33 seconds -
Martin Black demonstrates on a green horse some exercises for riding in a hackamore. Martin outlines why he likes riding in this traditional piece of equipment and points out some of the challenges as well as the benefits. The horse he is riding has had some time off, so we get to watch as Martin works through some issues to get his horse soft and with him.The length of this lesson is 24 minutes 33 seconds -
Balancing on three feet is something that a horse rarely has to do in nature, but with a little time and patience it is a skill that can easily be developed. Martin Black offers some of his insight on handling a horse’s feet. Anyone who has trimmed or shod a horse knows how tiring it can be if the horse has a tendency to lean. However, this can go both ways and often the human is the first to lean on the horse. Martin demonstrates how to stay in close to the horse so that they can stay more centered in their balance and support their own weight. The length of this lesson is 12 minutes 18 seconds -
It can be easy to lose sight of your horsemanship goals when you’re busy roping cattle. In this video segment, Martin Black offers some tips for improving your roping practice in order to build good habits with your horse. Some of the most common errors made when roping involves the left arm, which is often overlooked as the focus is on the right hand delivering the loop. Discipline yourself to keep your left arm up with the reins higher up on the neck. This not only helps to steer your horse by providing better leverage, but it also puts more room between your coils and saddle horn, giving you plenty of space to dally. The length of this lesson is 6 minutes 52 seconds -
We might not be aware of just how much influence our weight has on how our horse travels. Martin Black demonstrates how you can positively or negatively affect how your horse moves by how you are positioning your weight on his back in relation to the center of gravity.
The length of this lesson is 8 minutes 59 seconds
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Hindquarter control is important in every stage of horse development. Martin Black demonstrates how we might challenge ourselves by being more particular in this movement and improving our feel for the feet. A horse can pivot forwards or backwards around each foot. When starting this exercise for the first time, don’t be too critical of your horse. A pivot foot does not necessarily have to stay on the ground at all times, but it should bear the most amount of weight for the longest period of time. Later on, these basic turns will become useful for a variety of maveuvers such as stops and spins. The length of this lesson is 9 minutes 15 seconds -
Being able to feel of our horses and make decisions about what and when to ask for movements can be challenging for us all. Martin Black has watched a lot of riders struggle with knowing where their horses weight is and what direction the horse is moving. In this simple exercise Martin demonstrates how you can develop your own feel of how your horse is moving so you can learn to time your aids and perform maneuvers efficiently without relying on outside help. The length of this lesson is 16 minutes 21 seconds -
Whether its a frosty spring or fall morning, your horse has had some time off, or you are going to get on a horse you aren't familiar with, you might want to check him out to make sure he's going to be OK before you get on. Martin Black demonstrates how you can make sure your horse can disengage with forward motion on the ground, and in the saddle. He also discusses how to help the horse get in to a learning frame of mind.
The length of this lesson is 16 minutes 32 seconds
