This site is all about my unique blend of classical dressage, traditional horsemanship and — yes — clicker training. If you have any question about how all that could possibly fit together, just browse around the site!  If the answers to your questions about clicker training horses are not here, well, just email or call me. I’m always happy to answer any questions.

For more help on clicker training horses, dressage and “true” horsemanship check out the Links page for my favorite websites from around the world. If you think your site should be there, just email me with the link.

Also, if you want to read what I’m reading my Book Store has a selection of the books (and DVDs) on clicker training horses, dressage training, and horsemanship that are either in my personal library right now, or are on my own wishlist.  AND if you buy a book via the Book Store a portion of your purchase price goes to support this site. Thanks in advance!

–Sharon

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Sharon’s Blog

My secret weapon

By sharon on January 30, 2010

Lots of rain and mud means I’ve only managed to say hello to my girls at feeding time. On nicer days I’ll visit, groom and massage. Actual riding is a distant memory. Ha! So posts have been thin at best as I await the inspiration of spring and more riding exploits! Something interesting did come up recently in conversation, though, that I thought I would share.

The topic was what I call my “secret weapon”. Do you want to know the secret to getting along with pretty much every horse? It isn’t a [more...]

Posted in Clicker training, Digging Deeper, Horsemanship, On Getting to Yes | Tagged , | 2 Responses

How to get a horse OK with clippers

By sharon on January 6, 2010

Here’s the thing about using clicker training for stuff that the horse is afraid of (demonstrated by some escape behavior), like using electric clippers on whiskers, if you try to click ‘for’ letting you approach with the buzzing thing you are invariably going to get the timing wrong.  They are already thinking of leaving long before you click and if you click when they are thinking of leaving then you will only make matters worse.

So, what I would do, is pretty much the same as what I said last time about mounting.    It isn’t about the mounting (or [more...]

Posted in Clicker training, Solving Problems | Tagged , , | Leave a response

If I Knew What I Wanted

By sharon on January 2, 2010

Those who have hung around me for some time will know that I’m very fond of saying, “If the horse knew what I wanted and believed he was able to do it, he’d BE doing it.”   I used to say “…and was able to do it…” but people would just say that they knew a horse who knew very well thank you very much what they wanted and simply didn’t WANT to comply.  So, I adjusted the phrase to include the word “believe” because it is my opinion that those horses who “don’t want to” usually have something else on [more...]

Posted in Digging Deeper, Dressage, Horsemanship | Tagged , , | 2 Responses

Guest Writer’s Corner

Getting a Horse to Work WITH her Massage Therapist

By heather on December 31, 2009

The author, Heather Davis, with Cheyenne

By Heather Davis

I am a certified equine “massage” therapist, applying principles of touch to encourage horses to release old neuromuscular strain patterns and relearn how to exist without previously held pain and resistance. Much of my work is informed by the work of Ida Rolf (known as “Rolfing” or Structural Integration), osteopathy, shiatsu, and myofascial release. Many horses, when asked to “let go” of old tension and memory stored within the body’s vastly intelligent network of innervated structural soft tissue, will take some time to relax into the willingness to release. [more...]

Posted in Clicker training, Digging Deeper, Health & Wellbeing, Heather Davis, Sensitive Chestnut Mare with Baggage, Solving Problems | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Responses