A Beginner’s Guide to Training a Race Horse
Training your racehorse can be fun, but it can be a big challenge for a beginner. Horse training is something that you cannot learn overnight. It requires timing, skills, and patience to train your racehorse. Even skilled trainers who have been training horses for years still find themselves learning more about horses. So before starting to train your horse, it is very important to understand its behaviour along with many other things which you need to consider before you start training it.
Things to Consider Before Starting Horse Training
To make your horse training most effective, it is important to have an understanding of horse behaviour and its innate nature. Some people think that training a horse is like grooming his hair, but it is completely different than that. Take a look at the points below to understand what we mean.
Horse Health: It is one of the most important aspects which you need to know before you start to train a race horse. If the horse is not fit or healthy, then training can cause serious injuries to the horse. Also, make sure that the horse is prepared for the training, such as ready for barrier work, groomed well, and is clipped, with the best horse clippers. Grooming it well will ensure that you don’t face any problems during the training session.
Horse Behaviour: Horses are herd animals and they naturally fear other animals and people too. So look for a horse that is pretty easy going, check to see if he is curious, friendly, and interested in people. It will be much easier for you to train a horse that doesn’t have a negative view of people. Keep one thing in mind — never abuse your horse during training as it can be dangerous for you.
Type of Training: There are many training techniques that you can adopt to train a race horse as there are many breeds of horses out there. Research a little about the training techniques or how experienced trainers train their horses. Watch different types of training videos and find a method that makes sense to you and seems fair to the horse.
Steps to Train Your Horse
If you’re a beginner in training a race horse, do not worry. There are loads of success stories involving beginner trainers. People often prefer the option to train their horse by an expert, but there is something very special about training a horse on your own.
Here we have mentioned some steps which can help you in your quest to train your horse.
Get the Right Horse for Training: As a beginner or an inexperienced rider, you don’t need to be paired with a young horse. Picking the right horse for training is both science and art. You can fall in love with a horse that isn’t right for your experience level and needs, which could make for a sad and brief union. Choosing the right horse can prevent the pain and injuries from dealing with a horse that you’re unable to train. You can also ask experienced riders and trainers to select the best horse for training.
Lead Training is Necessary: Providing lead training to your horse is very important as a horse should display good manners when coming in contact with people. Teach your horse to walk beside you on a lead while also giving it some simple commands such as stopping or turning. To train your horse, it is very important to make it clear who the leader is.
Learn from an Experienced Local Trainer: To give your horse the best training, you can ask for help from an experienced trainer for some basic training. Also, you can consult about the training needs and challenges with the trainer. Horses are herd animals; they may feel like a part of the family. Taking tips from an experienced trainer can help you avoid some painful training pitfalls.
Ground Training: There is a technique known as ‘longeing’, it is a ground training technique. This technique is used to teach a horse longeing because you can exercise the horse both this way and that way. Longeing is also used to expel some of the horse’s extra energy before riding. In ground training, start by teaching the horse to move around you in a circle.
Saddle Training: Usually, at the age of 3, a horse is developed enough to learn how to be ridden. But first, they must get accustomed to have a saddle on their backs. Start with placing a saddle pad and then try a saddle. When you try fastening the girth, make sure it is very loose.
Once your horse is trained properly, it is still recommended to warm up your horse both mentally and physically before you ride it. A frustrated and tired horse is quite difficult to train and ride.
ABOUT US: Training a race horse can be a daunting task for a beginner, but it’s not impossible. Horses are herd animals and they always follow a leader. So to train your race horse, you’ve to be the leader that an equine look for. The steps mentioned above can guide you to train your race horse in more sufficient way, minimising any kinds of risks.