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Quiz: What is Your Horse’s Training Level?

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Horses are very precocious animals—they are fast learning and their education begins in the first moments of life. Unfortunately, they learn inappropriate things just as quickly as the good stuff, so it is easy to make mistakes that will cause any horse pick up some undesirable (or even dangerous) behaviors along the way.

Sometimes, through no fault of their own, horses have simply missed a proper education and must be patiently taught manners later in life and/or after being mishandled. Good manners aren’t always natural to the horse, at least not in the way us humans define them.

Horses must learn what is expected of them while being handled by humans. Many of the skills we require of well-mannered horses, like ignoring their surroundings to focus on the task at hand and facing and approaching a scary stimulus instead of running from it, come from clear and consistent training and competent handling over time.

So how do you know where to start with your horse? First. you need to do a thorough examination of where your horse is at right now. After you have laid out what your horse does know, you can identify the holes in his training and set reasonable goals from there.

When I work with horses and riders in-person, at a clinic or expo, I can see with my own eyes how the horse acts and responds and how the rider engages the horse, but helping horses and riders I’ve never met is more of a challenge without a lot of information up front that I need to understand where the horses and riders are in their journey.

To bridge the gap, I developed a series of questionnaires for my online coaching students that help me get a full understanding of what level of training it currently has, and where the holes may be. Other questionnaires for new students, similarly, give me an understanding of the rider’s ability and training level, as well as the horse’s conformation and temperament.

 

See where your horse stands right now and take my “What is Your Horse’s Training Level?” quiz:

 

What Your Horse’s Score Means:

Your horse’s score gives you a baseline, illuminates training priorities, and helps you develop an effective training plan.

A 70% is a good score, and anything above that is awesome and you should have a huge appreciation for your horse. Don’t fret if your score is below 70%—it simply means you have things to work on with your horse. (Don’t we all?)

First, you must recognize how much of the low score originates with you—either through poor handling or unclear, inconsistent expectations. Sometimes changing your leadership is all the horse needs to become a perfect horse!

Then you must determine where the holes in your horse’s training are and how you can patch them. The training resources in my online Academy will help, and my Interactive Curriculum will give you specific training exercises and educational resources to get you on the right path, with me as your coach. Some of the assignments, like this one, are designed to find (and plug) holes in the horse’s training, while others are designed to refine the horse’s training and develop high-level skills.

If you are starting with raw ingredients—either a youngster or a mature horse that missed out on a proper education, it will take time (weeks and months) to develop these skills and engrain these qualities in your horse. Don’t be overwhelmed! Instead, start forming your expectations and teaching them to your horse today. Set some ground rules.

If your horse is not just missing some education, but has been trained improperly—meaning he has learned wrong things, like he can do or not do whatever he wants—achieving these ideal qualities will take even longer. You can start working toward these ideals today, but be aware that you may need to change your approach. It may be that you need to change your ways—not the horse. Consistency and clarity will help make your job easier.

There’s no such thing as a bad horse or bad behavior. Behavior should not have a value judgment on it—it’s neither bad nor good, it’s just behavior. Horses act like horses, unless they’ve been taught to act differently. Horses reflect their handlers and act solely in ways that are either instinctive or learned. When a horse displays behavior that is undesirable to us, it is either because it’s his natural behavior or he has actually been taught to act that way through poor handling and training (the latter happens a lot more often than one might think).

It’s hard to know where you’re going without knowing where you’ve been—and where you are right now. Completing this assignment should give you a greater understanding of your horse’s training level now, and help you see the path ahead.

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19 Comments

  1. What are good videos to purchase to start a horse out from basic she’s 21/2 years old weight about 275 KLg very muscular she’s not neck rained and I think the trainer I had showed her a few wrong things no gate change use of spurs says you want turn right apply pressure on right spur

  2. Very helpful information

  3. I have a very sensitive, reactive Azteca mare that has been through 4 trainers and several homes before coming to me. I have had her for a couple years building trust and a relationship. I can do just about anything with her but ride. I can lay over her back with or without the saddle and rub her tummy, she loves it, I can sit on her bareback all day long, maybe take a step or two lol. The problems start with the saddle, she has been fitted and I use a nice thick wool pad so no pain there, I have had her checked from nose to tail by our vet and a chiropractor. She has no issues wearing the saddle, we walk all over the ranch with it on but as soon as you sit in the saddle she starts bucking, I was hurt pretty bad last time. I am not sure what else to do.

    • I too have an Azteca horse. He is very sensitive. I sent him to a trainer and he came back with an attitude that lasted for a few weeks. I now have more time that I can work with him myself. He has courage but lacks confidence. With him I’m finding that going slower is better. One step at a time. And a lot of bonding time. He think he’s royalty.

  4. Very interesting quiz. I really enjoyed taking it especially since my horse scored well. I trained her and am very proud of that fact.

  5. I’ve tried the quiz a couple of times but don’t get a result – just jumps to the bottom of the page where it says “Scoring your horse’s current training level . . .” I know I have work to do, but it’s not helpful to take a quiz then get no personalized results : (

    • Are you sure you filled out every question? I’d missed one and it did that to me. But as soon as I filled out the one I’d missed it worked.

  6. MY 7 y.o. OTTB mare had a brutal time at the track. She is sensitive, a “go” horse, brave (will face what is scaring her not spin and run). She isn’t attached to other horses. Rides out on her own. She is fearful of making a mistake. This is where I’m struggling a bit with her. I ask for say left lead canter. If she doesn’t strike off correctly and I shut her down (calmly) and ask again she is very agitated as she thinks she has done wrong and rushes to give me something, anything. I am looking for a method to tell her that isn’t what I want, but it’s ok, we’ll just try again. She is high headed, short necked, raced in a tongue tie down and wind sucks so has a really tight jaw, poll and neck. I mostly ride in a bitless bridle. She will tolerate a thin French snaffle.

    • Hi Terry,
      Just read your very sensitive account about your OTTB mare – she sounds a pet, but it must be hard sometimes for you to help her. She is lucky to have such a considerate owner. I wish you well with her. Jane Skinner in Hertfordshire, England/UK

  7. i partake in all your emails but you dont answer my question that i asked!

  8. My horse scored low but I would expect that of a green horse. I have had this horse for 9 months. She came to me with absolutely no ground manners. She was broke to saddle. I only ride her under my trainers supervision though I think I could trust my horse to carry me without a problem without supervision but I lost my confidence and the fact that we are still working on teaching her to neck rein and I have limited use of one hand I don’t feel prepared or able to manage the little surprises of a green horse. My horse has come a long ways since I got her 9 months ago. We work together almost every day doing groundwork and or liberty work. My lil black Fell Pony just needs more time and practice and one day I’m confident she will be an A+ horse!

  9. I have an OTTB. He has come a long way. From his “stranger danger “fear of strangers and chronic ulcers.
    He has been treated a controlled his ulcers. But he is still mentally cinchy.
    Fearful of the past painful experience. Also he pulls back cannot be hard tied.
    I have him trailering well but he is not tied in the trailer. Just his lead across his back.
    I don’t want to go backwards with his trust in me. But these challenges really makes moving forward feel impossible sometimes.

  10. I find it curious that fly lead changes are part of a “well train” horse. My horse can take the correct lead whenever I ask but I have never tried flying lead changes…nor have any desire to do. Why would I?

  11. Thanks for confirming that I’m riding a Cadillac. We are eight years into our relationship and we have learned a lot through the years, and continue to learn and refine. We have worked with several different trainers learning many skills outside of our main discipline of trail riding. We still attend clinics a few times a year to refresh and learn more each time. From the scrawny little green broke un-papered QH gelding everyone thought I was crazy to buy, he is now the horse everyone wants and he is priceless to me.

    • Hi Julie M
      what a lovely sentence… “from the little green, broke unpapered QH gelding everyone thought I was crazy to buy… eight years on.. he is now the horse everyone wants and he is priceless to me.” that says it all, really. Well done you!
      from Jane Skinner in England/UK


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