1. My daughter has mentioned lately that her 11-year-old Trakhener mare has been a little resistant when having her girth tightened. Three days ago and then today the mare dropped to the ground and was difficult in getting up once her girth was put on. The girth is never tightened right from the start but rather is tightened in stages. We are wondering if these symptoms are significant. Published: January 19, 2010
2. We have a 5-month-old orphan foal that has begun to lay her ears back and try to kick us at feeding time. Published: January 19, 2010
3. I have a three-year-old gelding that has never been taught any ground manners. I am working on him not following me in my space. How can I get him to turn away when I turn into him? Any ideas on how to gain his respect? Published: January 13, 2010
4. Why does my horse move when I try to mount? Published: January 13, 2010
5. My pony kicks me when I put on the saddle. I just got him, but he has been ridden before. I don't know what to do. I really would like to ride him next spring. Published: January 11, 2010
6. I live in northern Florida. I have had my mare a year and a half approximately. In December 2008, she started behaving badly, culminating in an accident where she reared, and I fell off. This year a trainer has been highly involved. The mare has been doing quite well, although she is a very dominant alpha mare. However, starting in December 2009, she started being difficult again. This week she was aggressive when the trainer went to get her from the paddock. When she went to ride her, the mare refused to go forward (same thing as last year). She then reared up. The timing is identical to last year. Is it possible that December/January is a transitional period here in Florida and that this behavior is due to her getting ready to go into heat? My trainer thinks she should be donated and can't be sold. I purchased her last year for $18,000. I want to reveal her background but try to sell her. I want to see if I can find the cause of this behavior. Published: January 11, 2010
7. I have a nine-month-old colt. When I castrated him, he became nervous about us picking up his back feet. It has now been three months, and he has gotten worse and worse. He will let me pick his foot up with a rope and run my hand up and down his leg. But when I go to pick it up, he kicks. If I punish him, he gets worse, I am not sure what to do. Published: January 06, 2010
8. My horse doesn't like too much tongue pressure but needs a bit that is dressage legal. Which bit should I use? Published: January 05, 2010
9. What is meant by the terms periodization and tapering with reference to equine training programs? Published: January 05, 2010
10. Thanks for your clear instruction on these videos! Will you be doing one on a turn on the haunches? Published: January 05, 2010
11. Where can I find printed material on how to properly fit a western and English bridle? Published: January 05, 2010
12. I usually ride in spurs, but unfortunately I give my horse spur rubs on either side. I know he needs to be sharp to my aids and move away from pressure even without spurs. Is there an exercise that I can do to learn to ride with spurs and use it as a tool and not an aid to stop giving my horse spur rubs? Published: January 05, 2010
13. How do I stop my horse from pulling back when tied? Published: November 20, 2009
14. We have a three-year-old horse that is halter broke, and we now want to start training him to be ridden. Are there tips or guidelines for ground work and other preparation for riding? Published: November 19, 2009
15. What is the one-rein stop? Published: July 17, 2009
16. I have a horse that backs up when she doesn't want to go forward while riding. How should I try to make her go forward? Published: June 18, 2009
17. I have two horses. Everything is fine until I try to bring them in from their paddock. One has to stay in the paddock until I bring in the other. Then I come back for the second. However, when they realize it is time to go in, problems begin. I will have one on a lead line and open the gate; the other will come up and try to push through. Neither one wants to be the one that has to wait. Do you have any suggestions on how I can teach them to be calm and wait? Published: June 18, 2009
18. How do you start a horse in the bridle? Published: June 18, 2009
19. When you tie a horse to a post, should you: tie a loose knot that will give if the horse gets spooked or runs; tie a very tight knot; never tie a horse to a post; or none of these? Published: June 10, 2009
20. What are the "pros" and "cons" of using a hackamore? Published: June 09, 2009
21. How do you stop a foal from kicking at humans? Published: June 09, 2009
22. I currently plow rein my four-year-old mare. I want to get her to neck rein. What is the best way to do that? Published: June 09, 2009
23. My 14-year-old roping horse competes twice a week and is in above-average condition. My question: Why does he seem to sweat so much more than all of the other horses competing? Should I be concerned? Published: June 09, 2009
24. A horse at the barn I am at right now is scared of gates and will not let the little girl there get on him. He is 11 years old and was an amazing pony the first month at another barn. What do you think caused this? Published: March 22, 2009
25. What kind of bit might be recommended for a Percheron cross that is presently pulling at (ignoring signals from) a jointed smooth 1/2" bar Pelham with 3" shanks? Published: October 30, 2008
26. I have a 5-year-old Quarter Horse that is really scared of things around our farm. I finally found out that before we bought him, he had been in an indoor arena all his life. How can I help him to gain confidence and prevent him from spooking at all the tractors and machinery around our place? Published: October 30, 2008
27. How do I prune and train my grapes? Published: September 15, 2008
28. My horse knows how to walk and trot. She is four years old and is a Palomino/Dun mix. We have been showing together for two years. She can lope but not on the correct lead. How do I teach her to go on the correct lead? Published: May 23, 2008
29. How do you correct a horse that walks along fine but suddenly stops and pops up in the air? Published: May 23, 2008
30. What is the proper way to use and accustom a horse to the use of spurs? Published: May 23, 2008

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