It should go without saying that training and riding a thousand-pound flight animal is complicated—it’s the only sport I know of that involves inter-species teamwork. Riding is a partnership of two athletes—horse and human—each with their own balance, emotionality, and willfulness. Learning to ride a horse confidently and securely with finesse and poise in all […]
Julie talks about the importance of having clear boundaries with horses, and the purpose of her boundary stick.
In the four weeks since my last horse report, we have been on lockdown. Most Americans, and indeed people all over the world, are affected by this pandemic but for each of us, the effects are different. Some of you are separated from your horses, because boarding facilities are not allowing access. Some of us […]
Like my fruits and vegetables, I prefer my horses fresh. It’s clearly not for everyone, but I enjoy riding a horse that’s a little bit excited, that’s looking down the road, eager to get there and curious about what job awaits him. It took me about forty years to realize it, but I prefer a […]
On one of my many visits to southern California, I was conducting a horsemanship clinic in the town of Norco, renowned for its horse-friendly lifestyle. On any given day in “Horsetown USA,” you’ll see horses being ridden on the dirt sidewalks along Main Street or parked at a tie rail in front of a shopping […]
Well-mannered, easy to handle horses are a joy to be around—it’s like pushing the easy button. A calm, patient, focused horse that respects your boundaries, is eager to please and willing to do you bidding is not only fun, but safer too. If a horse could be an Eagle Scout, my horse Eddie would earn […]
“It’s time to go back to Square One.” This is a phrase we often throw out when a horse has developed undesirable behaviors, or the handler has lost all authority and control of the horse. But like many things in horsemanship, it is far easier said than done. Getting back to basics or going back […]
Horses rise or fall to your level of expectation, no matter how high or low. If you think he’s going to spook at something, he generally will. If you think he is going to throw a fit about getting in the trailer, he will oblige (especially if his emotional outbursts have gotten him what he […]
Imagine you’re meeting a blind date at a coffee shop, a setup by your friend who just wouldn’t take no for an answer. Even though you’re not really interested in a relationship right now, you arrive only a few minutes late, and looking across the café, you see a guy jump to his feet, frantically […]
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Anyone who has ever invested in the stock market has seen this disclaimer: Past performance is no guarantee of future success. Yet when we invest our resources into a well-trained horse, we expect a guarantee that the way he is today, in his current reality, is the way he will be a month or a […]
This is the online streaming version of the video you can watch online or on any device! (Unless you are receiving this free streaming version as a part of a DVD sale special, you will not receive a DVD with this purchase. You will be able to watch repeatedly with your online account. To opt […]
Relationship Fix Series Bonding Dos and Don’ts By Julie Goodnight with Heidi Melocco Top trainer Julie Goodnight discusses how to show your horse affection without deteriorating your leadership in your herd of two. How do you show your horse affection while also maintaining respect? There’s nothing wrong with having a bond […]
RIDE RIGHT WITH JULIE GOODNIGHT Ground-Work Exercises Hone your horse’s manners and your leadership skills over the winter for a better ride in the spring with these tips from top trainer/clinician For more on how to ground-tie with guidelines from Julie Goodnight, go to TrailRiderMag.com. Unless you’re in the Sunbelt, winter means less trail-riding […]
Off To A Good Start Are you raising a foal or young horse? Make sure you’re setting up a good relationship with respect from the start. To start your young relationship off on the right path, you’ll need to consider how a young horse thinks and envision how you want your horse to act later […]
A strong work ethic ensures an individual’s success—for both horses and humans. Whether you are bussing dishes or doing brain surgery, a good work ethic will make a difference in the rewards you reap and how far you will go in your career. For horses, it is no different. Horses do better when they are […]
The Trail Rider ~ January/February 2015 RIDE RIGHT WITH JULIE GOODNIGHT Winter Workouts Hone your horse’s manners and your leadership skills now for a better ride in the spring with these tips from top trainer/clinician Julie Goodnight. By Heidi Melocco with Julie Goodnight ~ Photos by Heidi Melocco Unless you’re in the sunbelt, […]
Hi Julie! My colt is now 11 hands and 275# and he’ll be 5 weeks old on Monday. He’s learning what ‘no’ means and understands he’s not supposed to bite, but he still is invading my space. When he comes too close, I bump into him with my whole body until he moves back. He […]
Babies, Don’t Bite! Babies like to have their mouths on everything. But the behavior that helps them learn to nurse and get nourishment can become annoying and even dangerous if allowed to continue past the first months of life. Lipping behavior (when the horse puts his lips on you and nuzzles) leads to nipping (a […]
In the episode of Horse Master that we aptly called “Starting Over,” we worked with Clare and her horse “Lux” at a farm outside of Portland, Oregon. Our shoot site, Tanz-Pferde Dressage Farms (www.tanz-pferde.com, the name means dancing horses) was a beautiful backdrop. We shot in their new outdoor arena and were surrounded by incredible […]
Question: I tend to be a big softy when it comes to dealing with my horse. Now I have created a horse that knows this and takes advantage of me, especially when doing groundwork. He pushes me and tries to pull me when I am leading. He does not do this to my husband, so […]
In the Horse Master episode, “Raising Her Right,” I worked with Elaine Shabazian, a longtime horsewoman and Friesian breeder with a farm on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Elaine was recovering from knee surgery and wanted to make sure she was doing all she physically could to prepare her young Friesian filly for an upcoming breed […]
Caption: help your horse achieve a low headset and look calm and collected. Riding Right with Julie Goodnight Star Gazer: Teach your horse to lower his head Dear Julie, Do you have any suggestions for helping me set my horse’s head? She’s not too bad at home but at shows she raises her head and […]
Are you dragged, stepped on and rammed each time you lead your horse? Is your horse anxious and eager to get wherever you’re going? Does he circle you, causing you to constantly pull back to “put him in his place?” Have you resorted to a stud chain strung across your horse’s nose in order to […]
Like most horse trainers, when it comes to my barn, I run a tight ship and I like things very orderly and very systematic. Even though my barn is totally private—no outside horses for training, no boarders, no clients—for my horses and my staff, I have high expectations. Rules for Horses: Having happy, well-behaved horses […]
Question Category: Issues from the Ground Question: Dear Julie, I purchased your Lead Line Leadership DVD and have a question. I have a 9 year-old Arabian gelding who I received from a friend about 6 months ago. Cloud was never worked with much and is only green-broke. I have been doing a lot of ground […]
Question Category: Issues from the Ground Question: I know I need to teach my horse to respect me while I’m leading him at halter. He’s pushy and pulls me. How do I get started? How can I teach my horse the skills he needs to behave while I’m leading him? Answer: In this article, we’ll […]
Question Category: Issues from the Ground Question: I have a three month old colt. We halter him every day to lead him to and from his pasture. We started leading him with a butt rope which worked very well. In the last month or so we’ve been leading him like any other horse. We use […]
Question Category: Issues from the Ground Question: Dear Julie, I have an AQHA gelding that will be 2 on April 26, who has started to become unpredictable. When my trainer bought him as a yearling he was skittish but had a very kind eye and he has never shown any signs of aggression towards people. […]
Question Category: Horse Behavior Question: Understanding Natural Horsemanship Part I of a three part series on Natural Horsemanship By Julie Goodnight READER’S QUIZ Will Natural Horsemanship Help My Horse and Me? Take this quiz to find out. Indicate “Never” (N); “Occasionally” (O); or “Frequently” (F) in the columns to the right. 1. My horse is […]
Question Category: Building a Better Relationship Question: Dear Julie, I just purchased my first horse, Toby, three weeks ago as an adult beginner. He is an 8 year old paint gelding and I moved him to my local riding school. I decided to purchase him (from a well respected natural horse-woman and he wasn’t cheap) […]
Copyright ©Julie Goodnight 2000. All Rights Reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without owner’s express consent. Backlinks are allowed. Question Category: Building a Better Relationship Question: Hi Julie – I tend to be a big softy when it comes to dealing with my horse. Now I have created a horse that knows […]
Question Category: Horse Behavior Question: Hi Julie, Here is my problem. My yearling colt, Scout, bites. It’s now become a game to him. He didn’t bite the first 3-4 months when I first brought him home, basically because he was too ill to do anything. I nursed him back to health. Now, when I’m leading […]
Keeping Your Horse Healthy Through the Stages of Life Part 1: The Young Horses In the small town where I live, we have a large school complex with three different buildings– the elementary, the middle school and the high school, each with a specific program designed to meet the particular needs of each age group. […]
Recently I was in Hamilton, New Zealand, as a clinician at EquiDays— their national horse expo. I met a lot of great people there, including three talented horsewomen, who were demonstrating their skills in a colt-starting challenge. I was the emcee for the event, explaining what they were doing in the three round pens, as […]
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. “My new horse has turned out to be a nightmare. The seller misrepresented him as a well-trained horse. I think he was drugged when I looked at him.” The scenario goes something like this: she bought the horse a few months ago. When she […]
This is the episode that is airing this week on Horse Master—it’s about a horse that learned to run off every time his owner longed him. It is one that stands out in my memories for many reasons. Not the least of which that this was a case of a horse that learned bad behavior, […]
In the whirlwind of the past three weeks, I have been scrambling from one thing to the next, starting with a clinic in CO, followed by a shoot in OR for Horse Master, then July 4th weekend with my dad and finally home. I spent a few days scrambling to get caught up after 10 […]