After riding hundreds of horses, and being immersed in top show barns around the country, I’ve gotten to see what kinds of horses people desire the most.  I’ve come up with a few slogans, formulas and philosophies that have become the core of Agape Sporthorses.

After thinking about the most desirable horses I’ve worked with, I came up with a slogan that suits all of them.  That slogan is “Universally Trained Horses”.  To me, a Universally Trained horse is one that is suitable for a wide range of riders.  It’s that one horse that becomes the barn favorite because it’s easy to ride, and makes everyone feel like a star.

A wise trainer once told me that, “Training horses isn’t rocket science, it’s actually quite simple.”.  Since then, I’ve adopted Olympian, Margie Goldstein-Engle’s philosophy which is the basis for Universally Trained Horses.  That philosophy is this; A horse only has to do four things–  Go forward, slow down, go left, and go right.

If a horse can do those four things exceptionally well, I consider them to be a Universally Trained Horse.  Of course, there is a lot that goes into getting horses to that point.  In this article, I’m going to take you inside the stable, and show you how I get my horses Universally Trained.

“99% of behavior issues are resolved by soundness and diet.” -Mark Rashid

The more horses I got to work with in my own program, the more I started to see a pattern.  Nearly all my horses’ behavior issues stemmed from pain.  This awareness resulted in devoting a lot of time into figuring out how to make my horses feel great from the inside out.

Along the way, I found some amazing supplements and products that are now staples in my program.

Some of them include:

• Vitalize Equine Recovery Gel (my favorite ulcer/stomach medication)
• Alimend
• Traulevium Tablets (my favorite Bute alternative)
• Renew Gold (builds an incredible topline on horses)

Three more really fascinating things I’ve included in my program include:

• Acupressure (helps reduce inflammation, help behavior issues, and balance horses energy flow.  Learn More)
• The Masterson Method (my favorite way to holistically help my horses release pain and tension)
• Chiropractic (used with Acupressure and the Masterson Method for enhanced results)
• Cosmic Comfort Eq (far infrared products that promote soundness, healing, and relaxation)

These supplements and techniques have literally transformed my horses from the inside out.  Having my horses feel good is the basis of my Agape Sporthorses program.

The next step in getting my horses Universally Trained is groundwork.  Over the years I have been highly influenced by the work of Buck Brannaman, Ray Hunt, Martin Black, Warwick Schiller, and others.

A Universally Trained horse is one who doesn’t have any “holes” or “blind spots”.  Groundwork is how I ensure my horses are going to be safe and reliable partners.  Groundwork also helps horses learn balance.  This helps horses with everything from collection, to jumping, to lead changes.  There is so much to be said about the topic of groundwork, but for now, I’ll give you a very brief overview of my favorite exercises to do with my horses.

Teaching horses to lead is one of the most underrated groundwork exercises you can do with your horse.  It might sound simple, but remember, training horses is simple after all.  And teaching a horse to yield his front and hind quarters helps them to find balance, as well as unlock their body so they can use it more efficiently.

This is the basis for teaching your horses to be a master at the four most important things: Go forward, slow down, go left and go right.

These things can be taught on the ground when you’re leading your horse in from the paddock or out to the ring.  If they can effortlessly go forward with you when you pick up your pace, slow down or stop with you when you slow down or stop, turn left when you turn left, and turn right when you turn right, they are on their way to becoming a Universally Trained horse.  (And they’ll have the best ground manners you could imagine!)

To build on getting my horses to go forward and slow down, I like to take them into a roundpen.  Although there are many things I like to do in the roundpen with my horses, the most basic and useful thing I have horses do are transitions. 

If you can get your horse to do beautiful transitions on the ground, I promise you, they will be able to do beautiful transitions under saddle.  Transitions are the basis of getting a horse Universally Trained.

Finally, it’s time to hop on, and train the horses under saddle.  For the most part, I follow many Classical Riding Principles when it comes to riding my horses.  You can check out Equestriancoach.com to learn more about the Classical way of riding. Because my program varies so much depending on the horse, I’d like to share with you my favorite philosophies I live by every day when I ride.

• Prompt Transitions are more important than the frame of your horse.
• You can get your horse rideable for any level by jumping small jumps or poles (this saves their legs, and allows for more challenging exercises and a more rideable horse)
• Snaffle bits are always more powerful than big bits
• There is no place for draw reins and gadgets
• A relaxed horse is a rideable horse

These things are the base of the Agape Sporthorses training program.  It’s a totally holistic approach to getting horses Universally Trained.

So there you have it.  A brief glimpse Inside the Stable.  A sound horse who learns to master the four basics almost always results in a Universally Trained horse.