| There are tools for every trade, and the right set of | | | | enough to cause a horse any pain, but the popper end |
| horse training aids can make the difference between | | | | make s a distinct noise when applied, and can work in |
| success and frustration. Don't be tempted to skimp on | | | | place of a crop. |
| this area of investment. | | | | -- Large Rubber Ball |
| All horse training is serious business. The average | | | | Perhaps a less traditional horse training aid is a large |
| animal outweighs the trainer by an impressive margin, | | | | rubber ball, like the kind you can buy at any toy store. |
| and the horse training aids you choose can help | | | | This aid is great for conditioning the horse's nerves. |
| prevent serious injury. | | | | You can roll the ball around in front of the horse, and |
| -- Rope Halter | | | | even roll it gently into the horse's legs. Also, while in the |
| The most basic of horse training aids is the halter and | | | | saddle, you can direct the horse into the ball and gently |
| lead rope combination. A rope halter will facilitate tying | | | | guide the animal to move the ball around with its legs. |
| and leading, and works better than a flat halter | | | | This sort of training will help you desensitize your horse |
| because it will prevent leaning while at the same time | | | | to unexpected movement and objects, thus |
| being comfortable for the horse. The halter is placed | | | | decreasing the likelihood of getting spooked. |
| on the animal's head. | | | | -- Plastic Tarp |
| -- Lead Rope | | | | Another tool for developing the horse's courage, a |
| The lead rope is attached to the halter and used to | | | | common plastic tarp is an inexpensive and effective |
| direct or "steer" the horse. In many ways this horse | | | | training aid. Start by laying the tarp out in the training |
| training aid is like a leash. | | | | area and leading your horse over it, or even asking the |
| -- Longe Line | | | | horse to walk over the tarp on its own. |
| The term longeing refers to the set of training skills | | | | As you know, a tarp can get pretty noisy when |
| used to teach a horse direction, posture, and how to | | | | walked on. And it will create the illusion of strange |
| yield or move off pressure. And the longe line is the | | | | footing. |
| training aid used to accomplish this. | | | | You could even slowly work into an exercise where |
| -- Progress String | | | | you place the tarp over your horse's back, possibly |
| In most cases, this horse training aid is a thin, braided | | | | completely covering him or her with the tarp. This not |
| rope with an eye splice at one end and leather | | | | only develops the horses' trust in you, it also simulates |
| "popper" at the other. This device is used in many | | | | noisy brush and other riding situations and helps |
| ways. | | | | desensitize the horse to such conditions. |
| You can apply a progress string as a visual aid. For | | | | This list of horse training aids will give you plenty to |
| instance, to let the horse know when he is in your | | | | work with in the beginning. Of course as training |
| space. | | | | progresses you will need more advanced tools and |
| Also you can use this tool to make physical contact | | | | tactics. |
| from the saddle. The progress string is not heavy | | | | |