How to Get a 5-Star Rating From Your Farrier
As a kid, I rode show hunters, and back then most of them were off-the-track Thoroughbreds–notorious for their shelly, thin feet and the tendency to lose a shoe right before an important show. I learned
Resources for Young Horses
Trailering Checklist Part 2: Is Your Horse Ready to Hit the Road?
Your horse didn’t exactly volunteer to join you on your next road trip, and isn’t pining for a big adventure or “revenge travel” to make up for lost time over the last couple years
What’s the Temperature of Your Horse’s Temperament?
Horses are unique individuals with differing temperaments and a variety of idiosyncrasies. Even within one breed or type of horse, temperament can vary greatly between individuals. The more you know and understand about your horse’s
1122: Helping in the Desert, Part 2
Part 2, Julie learns more about Cristi Silverberg-Rose’s therapeutic facility in Arizona, and helps Cristi with a troubled young horse.
Slower is Faster with Horses
Let’s face it, we’ve become a society of instant gratification. From fast food, to fake nails, we like immediate results. This quest for instant results carries over to horsemanship, too—from flying lead changes, to
Q & A – How To Make Picking Hooves Easier
Q: Sometimes when I’m picking out my horse’s hooves, she pulls it down onto the floor. If I hold it tightly, she tries to jerk it away. How can I make picking out feet easier?
Episode 910 – Braking Gait
Learning to canter on a young horse who hasn’t held the gait before and who has learned to stop.
Off To A Good Start
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
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
Jealous Colt
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
Raising A Breeding Stallion
Question: I am buying a 3 month old colt that I would like to remain/turn into a stallion. I would like to teach him to be well mannered and to give specific commands for breeding,
When To Geld Colt
Ask Julie Goodnight: When Should You Geld a Colt? Hi Julie, I am planning on buying a yearling stallion. I do want to geld him, but I’m not sure at what age is it ok
Horse Shopping 101
Horse Shopping 101 I am getting an increasing number of inquiries from people looking for a new horse. So it is with no small amount of forethought that we did a Horse Master episode featuring
Teaching Young Horse Collection
Ask Julie Goodnight: How do I teach my young horse to collect? Dear Julie, Firstly, let me tell you that I appreciate very much your website and information! Thank you! My question is: I have
Does The Lead Horse Participate In Mutual Grooming?
Ask Julie Goodnight: Does the Lead Horse Participate in Mutual Grooming? Dear Julie, First of all, I would like to thank you for your website and the information you share on it. Your Training Library
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
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
Issues From The Saddle: When To Start A Colt Under Saddle
Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: My granddaughter and I started our yearling colt this year. He was schooled in halter. We’ve had a saddle pad and surcingle on him. He is used to
Issues From The Saddle: Starting A Horse Under Saddle
Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Julie Goodnight, Thank you for answering my request. My colt is 3 years, he was born in my arms, he is an Arabian. I have been working with
Issues From The Saddle: Desensitizing Your Horse To The Girth Or Cinch
Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Julie, I hope you can help me with my horse. He is a 15 y/o gelding, I ride him hunt seat. He gets very irritated when I girth
Issues From The Ground: Handling Feet
Question Category: Issues from the Ground Question: Hi Julie, I have enjoyed your newsletters, and all the great training information. Also have enjoyed the tapes I purchased at the horse expo here in Denver. You
Issues From The Ground: Colt Kicks And Rears While Leading
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
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
Horse Behavior: Raising A Well-Mannered Stallion
Question Category: Horse Behavior Question: I am buying a 3 month old colt that I would like to remain/turn into a stallion. I would like to teach him to be well mannered and to give
Horse Behavior: Proper Handling Of A Foal
Question Category: Horse Behavior Question: Dear Julie, I recently purchased two Thoroughbred mares, because I want to breed Hunter Under Saddle Quarter Horses and Paints, and am really excited to tell you that I have
Horse Behavior: Mutual Grooming
Question Category: Horse Behavior Question: Dear Julie, First of all, I would like to thank you for your website and the information you share on it. Your Training Library is quite extensive and I am
Horse Behavior: Handling A Stud Colt
Question Category: Horse Behavior Question: Hello, I just bought a wonderful 3yr old AQHA colt/stallion. I read in your answer to Lindsay about letting them in a herd setting when they are young….I have a
Building A Better Relationship: My friend Is Making Bad Mistakes With Her Young Horse
Question Category: Building a Better Relationship Question: Dear Julie, I have a really good friend to whom I give horse advice, since she just purchased her first horse. This horse is a nice gelding, young–
Building A Better Relationship: Ground Work Techniques
Question Category: Building a Better Relationship Question: Hi Julie, I caught just a minute of your Ground Manners clinic yesterday at Equine Affaire. I have seen this method of twirling the lead (don’t know what
Horse Behavior: The meaning behind audible expressions
Question Category: Horse Behavior Question: Dear Julie Goodnight, Several times this spring my mare has made a sound that sounds like a Donkey; she did it on the 28th of May when I put her
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
Episode 622 – Round One
Round One: Julie Goodnight helps a mustang starts round pen work as her first-ever training
Episode 608 — Education Of Eddie
“Education of Eddie” Meet Julie Goodnight’s new horse and learn what she expects from her horses.
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
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
Riding a Young Horse; Advancing Training Skills
I’m so proud of my young horse, Eddies Pick, a 3 y/o AQHA gelding from the famed 6666 Ranch, by their World Champion stallion, Sixes Pick. I bought Eddie back in April from the Legends
Episode 509 – Born To Ride, Part 4
Born to Ride – Part 4: Teaching a colt the cues from the saddle for her first independent ride
Episode 508 – Born To Ride, Part 3
Born to Ride – Part 3: On Horse Master: teaching a colt to get used to the rider’s weight and move forward with the rider
Episode 507 – Born To Ride, Part 2
Born to Ride – Part 2: On Horse Master: teaching a colt to accept a rider mounting and dismounting
Episode 506 – Born To Ride, Part 1
Born to Ride – Part 1: On Horse Master: teaching a colt to accept the pad and saddle for the first time
Episode 406 – Trailering Trouble
Trailering Trouble: Julie Goodnight teaches a young horse to trailer load
Episode 313 – Don’t Baby Me
Don’t Baby Me: Julie Goodnight helps a yearling’s owner to be safe as she leads the baby
Episode 205 – Raise Her Right
Raise her Right: Julie Goodnight helps a breeder teach a 2-month-old filly to lead
Ready to Ride: My Philosophy of Colt Starting vs Breaking
I like to talk about starting a young horse under saddle—what we used to refer to, crassly, as “breaking” a horse. It is a good sign for the state-of-the-horse-union that this term has fallen out of
Don’t Spoil Colts
Good day! Recently on Horse Master, we were replaying episode 5, “Missed Manners.” It’s about a two year old Andalusian filly who is pushy, rude and disrespectful to her handlers. The barn workers at her boarding
Episode 105 – Missed Manners
Missed Manners: Julie Goodnight teaches a young horse to obey her owner’s cues