Project Horse Podcast

This episode features audio from our Horsemen's Academy Course video on the exercise: Turning Around on the Foot. The Horsemen’s Academy is our collaborative learning project where we supplement real-world lessons and mentorship with digital media, including video lessons. We hope you enjoy this audio snapshot of this essential exercise. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lundahl-performance/support

Jake & Luke sit down with special guest Anna to discuss several key learning curves that green horsemen encounter, on the subjects of horse psychology and gaining their horses' respect. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lundahl-performance/support

"He doesn't act like this at home, I swear!" Fair enough, but if we haven't instilled a 'showing' mindset in ourselves and our horses through effective schooling, we can't really be surprised when everything falls apart under pressure. If we want a horse to step up to the plate, shoulder some responsibility and become a dependable teammate we can rely on when the chips are down, we have to transition from a "teaching" stage to a "do it now" stage at some point in our program. Whether we're...

We field multiple training and behavioral questions from Facebook. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lundahl-performance/support

We offer a different take on buddy sour behavior between two horses and how, with some help and a little creativity, you can firmly put the issue to rest. Then we delve into some common mistakes during the rundown and the sliding stop itself, and how to correct them. We continue on our theme of rundowns and stops by talking about three specific problems that typically surface throughout the course of training. Regardless of what steps we take to address problems that may arise, the fact...

We've had multiple questions from cutting and cow horse owners facing similar problems with colts being fractious and mentally 'lost' during herd work sessions. Having addressed each problem specifically, we wanted to step back and expand on the overall mindset angle: How to approach these issues and go about correcting a horse that's fallen into such reactive habits. In this Xtra we stress the importance of challenging your horse to mentally engage and commit to his job; in your warmup...

Maintaining our approach of methodically building a young horse’s confidence, we detail how and when we start fencing our two year old performance horses. We kick off the episode with a question on hard-to-catch horses, and a creative way of establishing good catching habits within a group. Then we detail how to set your young horse up for success and advance his stopping program further with Fencing – the quintessential schooling exercise. Become a supporter of this podcast:...

If a horse is running over top of you while you're trying to desensitize him, take a step back and examine whether the issue at hand is really fear, or a lack of respect. In this episode we deal with a horse that seems fearful AND disrespectful at the same time. We discuss what’s really going on under the surface, and where your priorities are from a training perspective. We also detail how we like to correct buddy sourness on the trail and instill good mental habits in a horse. Finally, we...

When a horse isn't truly soft or broke through the body, effective troubleshooting becomes nearly impossible. Cherry-picking exercises like yielding the hindquarters, to suit an immediate need in a maneuver that's falling apart, will only lead to more trouble and expose the holes in your horse's foundation. We discuss this pitfall many riders find themselves in, and continue our Advanced Stopping series with tips for introducing a light draw on the reins during the stop. Become a supporter...

On a young or inexperienced horse, we introduce rundowns in a methodical way that builds the horse's confidence. Expanding on the preparatory work we've done with stopping off the word "whoa" and a light draw on the reins, we'll begin using transitions to build habits of softness and responsiveness during the rundown phase itself. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lundahl-performance/support

Watching how the world’s best horses and riders operate can dramatically shift your perspective. In this episode we break down a rare opportunity we had to observe a world-class stallion’s transition between two vastly different programs, and the areas of added emphasis or refinement he needed to become a great reining horse. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lundahl-performance/support

You’ve got the horse committed to stopping on “whoa” and dragging his ass both on and off the fence. Now it’s time to boost his confidence further by adding some speed. In this episode we discuss the transitional phase between a ‘Skills & Drills’ mindset and a ‘Maneuver’ mindset. Once the horse’s confidence at speed is built up, we can finally start drawing him into the ground for real; working on rundowns and stops specifically. Prior to the Advanced Horsemanship 101 segment, we address...

It’s important that a horse’s first experience with the saddle goes well. Recently we brought a 3-year-old with a serious bucking habit into our program. Using this horse’s example to provide context, we discuss our views on saddling colts; how we avoid creating bad habits with the saddle, and how we’re fixing the consequences of a saddling process gone wrong. We also continue our Advanced Horsemanship 101 series on stops; detailing additional drills to get the horse stopping well off the...

[Colt Starting] Why it’s important to lope young horses a lot and get them moving out consistently under saddle, and what to do if your horse is getting lazy, sluggish, pissy or resentful when asked to hustle their feet. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lundahl-performance/support

We provide solutions for dealing with an aggressive horse beating up his herd-mates in the pasture, and what to do if your horse becomes aggressive or dominant toward nearby horses under saddle. Then in our Advanced Horsemanship 101 segment, we discuss using rollbacks on the fence to teach the horse to stop on “Whoa” and engage his hind end. We highlight the reasons why the turnaround – not the backup – is your best asset when teaching a horse to fully commit to the stop. Become a supporter...

The One Rein Stop is a simple foundational exercise. Why do some horse owners misunderstand its purpose and take it wildly out of context? Because they're teaching it with the wrong goals in mind. And that's not their fault, either! In this podcast Xtra we provide a definite explanation of the One Rein Stop; its practical purpose and where it factors in to a horse's overall progression. We explain why it's only effective in certain contexts at a specific stage of a horse's training, and why...

We discuss potential causes of cinchy behavior when saddling a horse, and how to address them. We also preface our upcoming Horsemanship 101 series on stops and backups, by highlighting the importance of moving beyond the one rein stop. We recount our own experiences as novice horsemen, and our misconceptions about what a true stop is, and how our mindset has evolved. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lundahl-performance/support

Control breeds confidence, and confidence breeds success with horses. In this Podcast Xtra, we lay out our philosophy on confidence clinics, becoming a more capable rider, and why we center our clinics on exercises that give participants more control of their horses. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lundahl-performance/support

In this extra-length special episode, we take the time to discuss our ideas on the controversial practice of 'checking' a horse with the bridle on the ground. We provide full context on what we believe is the best way to approach this subject correctly, and where trainers can go wrong in misapplying or abusing it. This is one of the most important and controversial topics we've covered yet, and this statement toward the end of the episode sums up our ideas perfectly: “This has been our goal...

[Training On The Trail] How to correct a poor stop and what to do if your horse consistently ignores your cues. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lundahl-performance/support