My thoughts on Training AidsThis is a featured page



In my opinion, too many people these days are relying on the vast amounts of training aids on offer as a quick fix to get their horses working "on the aids".
Riders just cranking the horses heads in to make them look "better" are often doing more harm than good. There is a lot more to having your horse working correctly then people think.

I am a big believer of free lunging which is where the horse is lunged off of a lunge cavesson and booted up - that's it. I will not even use a lunge whip unless absolutely necessary as I believe the horse should be listening to your voice and body language alone, so artificial aids should not be needed. Provided the horse is working with us and the rhythum and impulsion is regulated, the rest will fall into place.

sams own horse working well
Rhythum & Impulsion = balance, cadence, relaxation, stretching, engagement of hind quarters, flexion, bend.

However, with artificial aids which I do not use, I still think they have a place for certain horses and will help to improve a horse, if used correctly.

Horses need to be built up to using training aids - they are not just a quick fix to be thrown on the horse and will immediately make a difference. For example; A horse that constantly works with a tense back and a high head carriage. In this case, the horse has probably never used his/her back muscles before so putting side reins on to "tie the horses head down" is going to cause muscle tension and strains in the back. The horse will need to be worked and encouraged to work long and low to stretch the muscles before they are asked to work. This is where my free lunging would come into place. When the horse is then working long and low, it is then ready for training aids. In my view though, if the horse is working well free, why put training aids on??? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

sams own horse going well with no training aids, just an english hackamore and running martingale
Training aids are not a quick fix and should be used with caution and by experienced trainers/riders only.

If anyone would like any further advice on this, please either post a comment on the comments / problems page, or go to contact details where you can send me an email.


SLW84
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