Julie Goodnight Academy

Helping Horses, One Human at a Time

Three Common Mistakes that Erode Your Horse’s Trust

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Horses know good leadership when they see it because their lives depend upon it. We probably all agree that the ultimate relationship with a horse is one in which the horse looks up to you, wants to be with you and feels safe and peaceful in your presence. But all the groundwork and relationship building exercises in the world won’t help you develop this relationship unless you … [Read more...]

Resistance to Canter

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What do you do when your calm and cool horse doesn’t want to move out at the trot or canter? Resist the urge to peddle and make sure your horse will listen to your cues. Find out how Julie helped this rider work with her slow and steady horse—first ruling out pain then making sure the horse follows her leadership. QUESTION: I have a four-year-old gelding. He has a wonderful … [Read more...]

My Horse Goes Where He Wants To Go

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Common Complaints My horse goes where he wants to go Follow Julie Goodnight’s advice to help your horse know exactly where you’d like him to go—no matter how great the obstacle. Does your horse always cut the corners in the arena? Does he veer around little obstacles—such as puddles—even though you told him to go straight through? Do your circles become smaller and … [Read more...]

Issues From The Saddle: Spooky Horse

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Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Hi Julie! I usually ride some type of warmblooded horse (not exactly sure of the exact type) during riding classes. He's often very nervous about a certain corner of the riding circle. He was once spooked by a bird, and since that he's been trying to avoid that corner/short side. The horse trainer told me to avoid … [Read more...]

Issues From The Saddle: Distracted Herd-Bound Horse

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Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Dear Julie, I was at your clinics last year at the Equine Affair Massachusetts. I tell you, you were the greatest trainer there! My horse, Rufus (an 8 year old large pony trained by my 14-year-old self with my trainer, after being abused for six years) was not trained until he was 6 years old. He isn't what you'd … [Read more...]

Cantering Help: Bucks At Lope

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Question: I recently began training a 7 yr old quarter horse gelding who had never been ridden (or anything else). I was really surprised at how smoothly everything was going, i.e., longeing, saddling, trailer loading, etc. He is very even tempered, but LAZY!! Can you tell where this is headed? I really had to push him forward, but he would move out. Anyway, after 30 days, he … [Read more...]