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My barn is very busy and allows up to 8 horses in the indoor arena at any time. This includes 3 trainers/lessons. Is that too crowded? Or is it just me.
I would say the arena is larger than a standard arena but not enormous.

it depends on how big your arena is. If it is huge, it probably doesn't matter. 8 is a lot but that's not ridiculous. consider yourself lucky, there has been 14 horses in the arena I ride in, including multiple lessons and its ridiculous!
I'd recommend finding a time when there is less people in the arena to ride. That way, itll be much less crouded!

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Basic Horse Training by Michael Hackemeyer (Kicking Bear). He is a member of Yahoo Answers, he answered a couple of my question and when he did he gave his web site http://kickingbearmustangs.com/index.html
So I bought his book and found it vary informative, so I bought a couple more for some boarders at my farm.

i haven't yet but need too, thanks for the book report always helps me decide

LOL anne, seems to me someone is perfect and closed to all help, oh well thats usually my friday night specials in the ER with something broken and the setiment " I dont know why she did that"

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A co-worker of my husbands wants me to help train his horses. I know a little about the breed but the riding disiplines and training are different than the horse we have here. I know they are Spainsh bred and used in bullfighting, driving, and dressage. But these are high stepping naturally gaited horses. The closest thing I have ever ridden was a Peruvian Pasa Fino. (Love those horses…. No Trot!!!) Sorry if I spelled the name wrong.

You might want to read up on Andalusians. Basically the same horse as the Lusitano, but you'll likely find information more readily. Andalusians/Lusitanos are not normally considered a gaited breed. They are Iberian, however, and are included in the ancestry of many of our modern-day "Spanish" horses.

The "Peruvian Pasa Fino" that you rode, if it was a purebred horse, was either a Peruvian Paso or a Paso Fino. They are two totally separate breeds from different countries. Their only true resemblence to each other are their common ancestors (such as the Andalusian) and that their names both include the word "paso" which means "step."

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Some horses have very good conformation and some have their bads. Like in at the knee, cow-hocked, pigeon toed,and so on. Please answer me this question. Can horses that are cow-hocked/in at the kness still show and win more than a horse with perfect conformation?

They sure can win as long as you train them and show them to their potential.
In a confirmation, halter, or model horse their will be no winning though.
Some horses carry themselves well with with conformational un correct legs.

I cant say its going to win more, its all up to the owner, the trainer and the rider to make that horse look good.

If the horse is really badly cow hocked ect, there may be some visual issue, but like I said its all in the training.

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How would you compare the different methods that are used for horse breaking and training? What are the main differences and what kind of evidence is there to prove that one method is better than another?
Thanks. I realise that there is no definate answer and that each horse is different, but I really would just like a bit of an overview of what methods there are and what makes each one different from the next. I guess if they were all the same there would only be one method, not many. For example, what are the differences between Parelli, Monty Roberts, methods not described as natural, etc. I have a book by Andrew McLean who trains by operant conditioning and believes that all horses should be trained the same way, and all problems are caused by incorrect training. I'm not sure I really believe that horses have no individuality though as I have seen so many different 'personalities' in horses I have known.

In my experience with trainers, horses, and horsepeople…. GOOD trainers don't limit themselves to one method over another. No two horses are the same, so the same methods on every horse doesn't always work out. And depending on the horse, the working environment, and the owners expectations, you sometimes need to switch between gentle methods and not so gentle methods to get the job done. So in my opinion, the trainers that are experienced know that every training method has a time and place. Doesn't mean every method gets used, but there is some amount of merit to each method. Which method is best depends on the horse and the situation.

I don't know how well that answers your question, but I have been training horses for a long time. My focus is not on conforming to one method or another. Rather my focus is on training a good, dependable horse in the safest manor possible for both horse and human.

edit:
There is not so much a difference in the methods as in the delivery of those methods. Parelli uses "games" to train horses, and the games make the training fun, and they look neat. Unfortunately I don't think the methods transfer over to the practical aspects of riding. So the horse might play the games really well, but they actually ride and work poorly. But that has just been my experience with Parelli.
Monty Roberts is the "joining up" method. A lot of people like the method because it is really hands off. I personally see it as running the horse in the round pen until it gives up and says, "Go ahead, eat me." In my opinion, it may be hands off physically, but mentally I think it is kind of harsh. I don't want to ride a horse that has given up.
I don't have a lot of experience with Linda Tellington Jones and the T-Touch method, and GaWaNi Pony Boy is from what I have seen of him, not worth looking into.
I would suggest more practical trainers like Buck Brannaman, John Lyons or Clinton Anderson. Buck Brannaman is the better one in my opinion. Nothing against the other two, I just don't feel like he is always trying to sell me something.
There are a lot of other trainers out there, and the best recomendation I can give you is to look into as many trainers as you can. They all have different tricks and points of view that can be learned from. Most of the ones that are on the market now are "natural" gentle trainers, but, short of tying the horse up, most of the "new" methods are based on old ones. If you go online or to the book store you will find books on everything from training ranch horses to clicker training. Get a sampling and try some out. None are better than the other, but you really need to know more than just one method to train a good horse.

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This is referring to the horses that I mentioned in my last question. One of the horses has cuckleburs on her face & on her bridle. Can anyone tell me a way to get these off without losing the horses trust?

put a little baby oil on the burs. they will lose their hold and you can take them off without your horse even noticing.

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What should I expect a very spooky, very green 2 year old horse to know after 30 days of training? Is it really 30 full days? How much is the average cost for this that I should expect? What do they do with 60 days of training?

That's a good question for the potential trainers that you are considering…because all of the answers will be somewhat different, and all will have to be precluded with "it depends on your horse and what it can handle both physically, mentally and emotionally."

Each trainer can give you some goals that he/she will be trying to accomplish with your horse in 30 days, but that's all it will be is a projection, if the trainer is honest with you. Now, if/when you do decide on a trainer, make it part of the deal that you see him ride your horse, show you what it can do, and you ride the horse for the first time with your trainer watching and helping…and this I would insist on doing at your place, not at the trainers place.

If this last part of the deal scares off the trainer, then you need to keep looking for another trainer.

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Hi, I am from Australia. I have been thinking about doing a horses massage course and becoming a qualified massge therapist for animals (mainly horses). I am expereinced with horses and alnimals of all kind but cannot find out how to get into a course like this or find workshops anywhere. Any infomation on this would be greatly appreciated.

My best suggestion is not to even try to get "certified" as an equine massage therapist, UNLESS where you live requires some kind of certification. And if that is the case, then the department issuing the license should be able to tell you how and where you can get certified. You would be better off getting a license as a human massage therapist and then including animals in your practice. I have attended several of the so called "equine massage" schools here in the US and they are nothing but a rip off.

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I have tried I lot of old horses mens methods. I buy rugs for him but he ripe them in short times. I hate chemical, but try this one chemical stuff on him, it did not work and once I open the bottle of stuff both my horses could smell it, even if I had them in the yard would not let me near them. Anyone on the otherside of the world got any other answers?

Microtech works great!! The hair will literally start growing back over night. Its expensive but you will probably only need one bottle.

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My horse used to know how to lunge but then I stopped lunging him! Whenever he lunges he always yanks the lead out of my hand and takes off! Can you help me! Cause I dont know how to train a horse to lunge!

First , it is a drag when your horse runs off like that, I know how frustrating that is!

Ok, you will need another person to help, if you don't have a round pen, which is sounds like you don't. Have the helper walk the horse (keeping on the outside) and you will be in the middle. When the horse is going ok at the walk, have the your helper just let go of the horse, and walk away. The horse should keep going forward on the line. You should be standing facing the middle of the horse, your leading hand and the lounge whip making a triangle, pointing at his muzzle and rear. If you get behind your horse, he probably will take off, if you stand in front of him, he'll probably stop.

You said that your horse knows how to lounge, so he shouldn't need too much practice, but make sure you start out slooowly. A lot of horses get excited when they run, and that's when they dash off. Re-teach your horse to go, whoa, and halt at the walk before you go faster. When he has that down, do it at the trot. Cantering on the lounge is hard for horses, and unless you have a good reason, it's really not very productive, but it does get them excited. Also, you shouldn't have to whip the horse (and if you're on a proper lounging circle, you won't be able to reach him anyway), just flick the whip at his back feet at first, then as you progress, you can just point the whip at his rear and he'll speed up.

You can swing the lounge line in a slow wave to help him learn to stop. If you are lounging to get extra energy off, you should expect some action for the first few minutes. If you're lounging for training purposes, again, work on slow first then speed up. Also, you may know this, but don't loop the line around your hand or fingers, you could lose them! hope this helps!

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