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 […]
Daily Dose of Horsemanship Homework: Ground Manners #1 Establishing Boundaries
Daily Dose of Horsemanship Homework: Ground Manners #3, Leadline Boundaries
Using the Boundary Stick
April 2020 Horse Report
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 […]
Fresh Start
Consistency Counts
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 […]
Equine Good Citizen Award: Is your horse eligible?
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 […]
Back to Basics (Part 1)
A Devoted Horse
Begging for Acceptance
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 […]
Protected: Raised with Manners
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Past Performance is No Guarantee of Future Success
Raised with Manners
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
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 […]
Ground-Work Exercises
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
Work Ethic: How Your Determination (And Your Horse’s Consistent Work) Leads To Dreams Fulfilled
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 […]
Winter Workouts – Ride Right With Julie Goodnight
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, […]
Jealous Colt
Teaching Babies Not To Bite
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 […]
Starting Over With A Fractious Horse
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 […]
Establishing Dominance
No Biting Allowed
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 […]
Teach Your Horse To Lower His Head
My Horse Drags Me, Circles Me And Bumps Into Me When Leading
Barn Rules, Cleanliness & Respect At Feeding Time
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 […]
Issues From The Ground: Pins Ears And Bites While Leading
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 […]
Issues from the Ground: Lead line leadership
Issues From The Ground: Colt Kicks And Rears While Leading
Issues From The Ground: 2 Y/O Gelding Acting Aggressively
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. […]
Horse Behavior: Quiz: Is Natural Horsemanship Right For Your Horse?
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 […]
Building A Better Relationship: My New Horse Is Challenging Me
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) […]
Building A Better Relationship: My Horse Takes Advantage Of Me, But Not My Husband
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 […]
Horse Behavior: Nipping Colt
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
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. […]
Raise Your Foal Right
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 […]