Ashley Forlie has been an avid student of Natural Horsemanship since her early teens. Ashley not only has a passion for horses but also for teaching. She has been training horses and teaching lessons full time for the past sixteen years. She has coupled her hands-on experience with horse psychology theory to provide her students with the knowledge and understanding they need to build a relationship with their horses, based on responsiveness and relaxation, so that they may further develop their horses in whatever discipline they choose. Ashley also teaches English and Western riding lessons to all levels and ages of riders that are based on the principles of Natural Horsemanship. She has taught hundreds of students and horses through lessons, clinics, and demonstrations at expos, with amazing results. Ashley is most recently excited to partner with Linda Parelli and Happy Horse Happy Life as one of their instructors.
I don’t know but letting her get that stored up energy out might have been better before trying to get her to focus on jumping ,she was ready to go bronco lol , a good warm up in a round yard would have took the fire out of her where she just wanted to play , that’s not ideal if your going to get on her back to do this lol , great demo of her introduction to jumping though . 👍
Thank you so much, my daughter is working with a mini this year for the first time and he likes to lean into you 😂 He hasn't had any training yet and he is 10 so we are having fun.
Prioritize Connection! Teach your horse to be soft going forward off the halter. Spiral them out into a circle keeping them arched towards you. Bring them back to you a lot!
I had to evacuate a young unbroken horse during the Australian fires in 2020. His paddock companion was a very old Andalusian who was a rescue and had phobias about being trailered. The only float I could get a hold of at the time was very scary, the floor was terrible and the bars were fixed at the front. It was raining fire and I had no option but to force both these horses on. The young fella fell over twice and got caught under the bar. It was literally my worst ever nightmare come to life. So now some four years later I am feeling able to start training my beautiful boy to float properly. He is awesome under saddle and the ground work I have done has helped but we are both traumatised about the events of that time. This video has helped me so much. Because it is calm and unhurried. My lovely little fella is walking on and backing off but I think it will be sometime before I can close that bar. Or the door. Or travel. But thanks for this it really has helped.
We have a two horse straight haul and have recently discovered that my one gelding may be a ‘scrambler’. Other than buying an angle haul, do you have any suggestions on how to stop him from thrashing around? He does it mainly on corners.
Can you move the straight load divider over or take it out completely to give him more room until he’s more confident? I would also highly suggest this book: a.co/d/bRFvtTj It (along with volume 2) has everything you need to know about trailering horses.
I have a horse who tends to take off full gallop on the Lunge as soon as I send (no matter how small I ask). Im going to employ this technique to slow her down initially! Thanks for this video
I teach the horse to stand when I ask and do it until I can see they understand the goal is stand still. After that, I do it whenever I need it and for however long I need them to stand still. For example: when grooming, tacking, and mounting.
This was a great comprehensive list of what my horse should be able to do.... But how do I get there? My horse dances around and won't pick his feet up
First teach Your Horse to stand still, then you can teach them to lift a leg when you tap on their leg. Once they can stand still and lift their legs on command you can start asking them to hold their legs up. Remember the first step is to stand still!
I know my horse will go in the trailer but I usually have to coax him with food and even that doesn't always work or happen fast enough. Ive only had him since March and this has been a known thing. He's 9 but I'm hoping whatever caused this fear or hesitation hasn't scarred him for life. He definitely has come back sweaty on a few occasions and there was a time he wouldn't go in for me but went in with someone with more experience that he didn't know. It's been frustrating since I want to haul him for lessons. I'm trying methods like this, going back to the basics and making him feel safe. I'd like to get to a point where I don't have to keep using food as a motivation. I don't use the longe whip but that might be a helpful tool. Someone also told me to just keep him moving to build momentum into the trailer. He typically baulks right before we get to the entrance of the trailer and won't budge. I reward him each time he takes a step forward. It seems like I have a long road ahead.
Great job taking the time it takes to help teach your horse that trailers aren't a bad thing :) Usually if a horse is scared of something, food won't work to bribe them to do it. The reason why is that horses value the feelings of safety and comfort over food. Once a horse feels safe in the trailer, you can use food to make it feel "comfortable." Horses have a hard time in trailers because it feels like a trap to them (can you blame them ;) ). As prey animals horses are terrified of being trapped. Flight is their first defense. You will have to prove that the trailer is not a trap by having him do other things around the trailer (like out his nose on the outside of it), and never force him in or lock him in there until he is ready. Horses can be trained to love the trailer and to load with ease every time :) I highly recommend this book. It has everything you need to know about trailering and teaching a horse to trailer calmly: shop.happyhorsehappylife.com/collections/all-products/products/the-ultimate-guide-to-trailer-loading-volume-1
My mare will will load and stand. But when we go down the road. She starts to paw. Every trip is different. Sometimes she eats her food and is dry. And sometimes she doesn't eat and is sweaty. But she paws most of the time.. . Any thoughts?? Thanks in advance.
How long can she stand tied (not in the trailer)? Traveling in a trailer and standing tied can both feel like a trap to a horse. We can teach them to accept this by helping them learn to relax while tied. Start with only a few minutes, but you can work up to a couple of hours. I've found that if a horse can stand tied for 2 hours, they can stand there all day. This has really helped a lot of horses relax and accept traveling in a trailer.
I'd be happy to put together another video showing this with a horse that's never done it :) I do have some videos on my Facebook page from a few winters ago of the beginning stages of teaching this (fb.watch/fpH943_biF/). And you can see in this video the first steps being taught with a ground pole (even though this horse knows it that's where you would start with a horse that doesn't know it).
Good Question! She was too close to the fence and I didn't want her legs to get tangled in the panels. Also, I have a clear picture of what I am expecting from my horse. If I want them to roll I will give a cue for it, and if I don't want them to roll then I will fix it when they try to. This helps to keep things clear for the horse. They know when its ok and when it's not (like when it's a dangerous spot, the saddle is on, or when they are being ridden.)
@@ashleyhorsetraining2973 Very good. I'm also getting to the point where I expect full compliance from the horse for the short duration that we interact. The remaining 22 or 23 hours the horse can do what ever it pleases. A clear mental picture is excellent. Thanks for the reply.
This is super interesting. I'm teaching my 20yo to jump. She's loving it on the ground but I haven't gone over a jump in years. She's at 19 inches happily when I run by her and lead her. She's trot over poles of nine inches fine, and done the occasional tiny hop trot with me on, but I'm holding her back. She's very confident on the ground as I reward her for every time she goes over, whether she knocks a pole or not. If she doesn't we just keep going. We are hoping to do schooling shows!
I see that you end the session when Paris is relaxed and has passed through the adrenaline moments not before. This is super helpful to actually see the transition! She is a spitfire. LOL
The feeling of seeing a horse running happily towards you must be the most exciting thing to achieve. I will try until I succeed. Thank you very much for your videos!
That was exactly what I was searching for! Can you also do it without a cone after learning the basic movement? I would like to recall my horse from a distance but there isn't always a cone ready
First time watching this I focused on the horse, Paris. Second time watching I focused on the trainer, you. I see that your posture & body carriage always send a calm & safe message even when you have to match her rising energy. That is certainly one of my goals~to be aware of what my posture might be saying and to keep it the center of a safe place!
This was amazing. I see a big mistake I am making. I can get my big guy in and close the divider but he comes out dripping wet. I feed him his grain in there in the morning, but now i understand why he is not eating...he is stressed. He is way too big to allow him to turn around, so backing out is allowed. I will try your method tomorrow morning and allow him to just stand for a few days.
Yes you’re right on about why he’s sweaty and won’t eat! Let me know how it goes :) Also, don’t be surprised if it takes many many sessions of having him stand in there without the divider closed before he’s confident and relaxed enough for you to do so. Taking your time will pay off big time though! 😀
Giving the horse that responsibility must make the rider more relaxed too since she doesn't have to think about micromanaging right before and after the jump.
I have a random question for you. What material is your arena fence made out of? It appears to be made out of a flexible material but I can't tell for sure. I am trying to make an outdoor arena on a lower budget and am trying to explore my options. By the way, I stumbled on your channel tonight and am loving your videos! Your demeanor is so calm and kind while you are clear about how to execute each practice. I look forward to learning more from your channel!
Glad I found this video, my new spotted saddle mare has actually broke my lunge line pulling so bad! She behaves beautifully on the ground until I ask her to do something she doesn't want to do (like lunging)
You will find I big change when you repeatedly bring her back to you. Connection is key…and getting her to believe that being with you is the best place to be :)
Thanks, good ideas.. I am curious.. when you send him out are you asking for the HIP to disengage.. AND Asking for the face to come in? Pulling the face in??? My horses will Trot on a loose line just fine but when I ask foe the Lope they start to lean or pull a little.. So.. Apply the same technique when you ask for more speed?
Yes exactly! Disengage the hindquarters to bring the nose in. Try to do it just before the horse pulls or leans, and give them a rest. Give them a reason to want to be with you :)
@@ashleyhorsetraining2973 OkieDokie.. Like I said they are very Good at the trot.. But when i ask for the lope they DO begin to pull.. so .. just a few strides, IN.. a few, IIN.. Got it
Yes! They’ll start to pull less and less as they will be looking to you to bring them back. As they get more connected at the canter you can start to add more strides before bringing them back. But be prepared for that to take quite a few sessions!
@@ashleyhorsetraining2973 Thanks... Not that I am just learning.. BUT.. This is an issue I have been wanting different suggestions on.. Gonna try tomorrow.. I'll try to let you know how it worked!
I love your method. I see alot of things I was doing wrong. I have one question please. Should you let him turn around. I would be afraid of getting ran over? Thankyou
Hi Tina! Be careful about letting them turn around. As you can see, sometimes they rush out. If you’re going to let them turn around, make sure you have left plenty of room for them to do that and that you are well out of the way even outside and off to the side of the trailer. Or you could decide to teach your horse to only back out. The important thing is that your horse learns the trailer is not a trap, and that you won’t force them to stay in it. You can accomplish this by letting them turn around or by backing them out.
