Send your questions to TRI S RANCH about your horse..

Q. What Style of Horse Training do you use at Tri S Ranch ?

A. Horses receive information a certain way.  If you don't give it right, then the horse doesn't learn.  On my Link page I list the Trainers who have gotten it right. From those men came the only way to reach a horse. 
Nobody has come up with a better way. I use their style, a little of this a little of that, what ever is needed to educate the horse.

Other Trainers have copied them, but nothing new has come forward.
Most of the big name trainers out there have only repackaged an old style already in place and working well, and most have given credit to the men I have listed. You can't invent what's already done.
You can give your version of it.

Q. How do you take the buck out of a horse?

A.The best way if the horse was not trained with good ground work is to read the green break answer and try retraining the horse.   
Sometimes horses have been rushed the wrong way. The old way to take the buck out was to tie the horse up, saddle and all, for two days or so. Make sure feed and water are given and just wait. This took the energy out of them and made for an easy ride. This does not take the place of good ground work, which is the best way.

Q. My horse has changed from being nice to acting mean. What is going on? I treat him like one of the family.

A. A horse is just that, a horse, and you need a firm hand to hold your rank in the horse's pecking order. This sounds like the horse is confused as to who is really in charge, and he needs to know. You may have a fence around the horse, but his mind still needs to know that you are in charge. You could try being a little more pointed in some reactions or messages you give back to the horse to show you noticed the behavior and don't approve. I have seen horses take over pastures, people and farms when this is allowed to continue.  This can move from horse to horse until you are at the bottom of the pecking order. Things look good and the horses act well until the routine is broken. A horse is always on and will let you know when you are out of line and when the pecking order changes. Just your taking notice now and knowing is the first step and the horse will notice the change in you.  Good job.
   

Q.Every time my horse starts to lope when I'm riding him, he can't seem to get the right lead.   How can I teach him to get it right?

A.  Start your horse off  trotting in a circle. After you get into a canter, get him on his lead. Do small circles and then big circles until he gets it down.  Lope until you feel your horse becomes settled and then stop on a good note.
 
Q.How much does it cost to start a colt, and does it help to train a certain way?
                                                                            
A. STARTING/GREEN BROKE     $500.00       30 days  and why.  Yes, this is where it all begins for the rest of his training and this most important time in the horse's life for training is often the most overlooked.
  
I will spend a little time on this one, for the horse's sake.
Here is why and I will cover some important areas of starting a green colt!

This will set the horse up for the rest of his training, how he will act and accept training, and to do what the next level of training asks, whatever it may be.
Yet this is where people spend the least amount of money for the most important time in a colt's life.

I will give you an idea on what we do when a colt is delivered, and it's not for a rodeo.
Below is 1 of 2 steps in colt training. Step two may be used first.
Both are done before riding colt.

Usually after a 2 year old is brought in, it is at that time training
begins before being taken to a stall. Using a round pen I start right off with allowing the horse to move with no corner to hide in and show the horse there is no need to look.

After the horse understands he can move freely, then I help show him that he can change directions, stop, go, etc. by slight movements from me given at the right time. This is like someone singing a song. The horse starts the tune and I listen.  Then I join in and the horse listens, but he moves as I ask him. The horse wants you to take the lead so he can settle down.  A horse needs someone in control for his own sake.

When the horse understands that he can move freely, I step in and slowly show him which direction I would like him to go, to stop, or turn and he does.  At one point the horse will pick up my signals, some so small that the human eye would miss, but the horse doesn't, so I am careful what I tell him.

THIS IS THE MOMENT YOU MUST NOT MISS.  This is the time when you have your first chance to answer HIS questions while telling the horse what you want, questions that are ASKED  by the horse from the beginning of the round pen movements. If the horse likes the answer that I give, when I give it, and how I give it, then I am able to draw him in and put hands on him and work with him. Then after the rest below and the proper ground work..(step 2)...I ride the horse and he does not mind.

This is no trick and it's nothing new, I have used this approach for about 40 years, and this is the way to get the job done correctly and safely.

Riding the horse can be as simple as just getting on when the time is right, but you have to know the difference. Some horses you have to ask by your actions and movements. Some horses will let you get on in a few minutes, while others take more time just to get to know you. Most follow the same time frame and will let you hook up, or said another way, you become the boss. This does not stop them from doing natural things if confronted, simply meaning they can still hurt you by their own instinct if provoked to do so. When you are allowed to become the leader, then you must take the responsibility and respect given to you by the horse.  If you are not able to hold the position, the horse will let you know in his own way.

You will never force him to respect you, but only to tolerate the conditions he's under at the time. The term I use to describe this is called bad habits, which include biting, bucking, hard to catch, no respect to you, rubbing against you, running away, pawing, etc.  You get the idea. Most older horses which have these habits were not green broke the right way. Their actions tell on the trainer or rider sooner or later.

Any other way before riding the horse for the first time, without doing the ground work above (both steps) is asking for trouble, a trip to the hospital, or just taking a chance that is completely unnecessary...

When getting on the horse and he does act up, the person is surprised and wonders why.  One reason is that without the ground work, there's not much difference between a wild cat and you on a young horse's back ALL CLENCHED down when you get scared. Two, when the horse is scared he reacts first like you,  jerking your hand back at touching a hot item or static electricity from a car or television screen. If you keep getting shocked, you keep moving. The same principle in the movement for the horse is called a buck. They don't mean to but sometimes people don't leave them any choice.  Horses react first and think second WITHOUT PROPER GROUND WORK.  This in a nut shell is what must be done to set a horse. The biggest concern is how they receive information, who they receive information from, and what they do with it.  A lot of people who train horses talk about what horses do and how or why.  The other side of the story is how to teach the horse to understand humans, what you want them to do, and how to get this information in his head and make it stay there.  Horses learn quicker than humans and spot your weaknesses or better said, what you are not doing so they can do less or train you to accept bad habits.
Every time a horse teaches you something, he doesn't forget how he did it.

Knowing what kind of information to give the horse and how to give it is the difference between training and hoping he won't hurt you when you get on him.

Trainers are people who usually have seen enough horses to recognize the same message given a different way and are able to understand the difference.  Trainers also specialize in one field or another such as barrel racing, show training, cutting, etc.   The list can be endless.

The main thing before all that can begin is getting on a horse's BACK FIRST and not making a rodeo out of it!!

How you set the horse up to allow you to ride affects all other training. This is where you make or break a horse. Whatever he will become and how the horse will look at your request depends on his ground work before that first ride.

Whatever the problem is with your horse, there is a way to help him.