Dennis Walker - Living The Dream horse training

Our horse training program is geared towards starting and finishing horses for trail riding. We use natural horsemanship techniques and skills adapted from trainers like John Lyons, Pat Parelli, and Clinton Anderson in addition to skills that we have learned on our own over the years. In advance of your horse's arrival we ask that you tell us in writing what specific things you want done with your horse. We will teach those skills to the horse first and then we will work with you to make sure that you know how to correctly ask the horse what he/she has been taught. We will start your horse and we will desensitize him/her using "de-spooking" techniques. This includes exposure to "scary" things like plastic bags, trash bags, umbrellas etc. This will help make sure that when you are out riding your horse and you encounter a similar scary obstacle that your horse will not bolt. Once desensitizing has been done with your horse we will then make sure that he/she knows how to bend with softly doing lateral, vertical flexion, backing and yields to leg pressures. Then we will work with these skills once mounted and make sure the horse is responsive. Once this has all been performed we will take your horse out on the trail. We try to simulate all scenarios: with and without other horses, in the front, in the back away from horses. Your horse will be exposed to traffic, bridges, creeks, trash cans and anything else encountered out on the trail, as well as many other possible objects encountered in their lifetime. Once we have completed all of the tasks you desire, we will take you out on the trail with you riding one of our horses and us riding your horse. That way you are able to see your horse on the trail and how we ride him/her. Also we will make sure that you are able to correctly ask the horse to perform the desired tasks. Then when you are ready we will put you on your horse and make sure that the two of you are "on the same page".