Training · #how-to

Training guides tagged “how-to” from the Apex Equine resource center.

• Loading and hauling: getting there safely — More horses are hurt in trailers than in the show ring. Loading calmly and driving like you've got a passenger who can't hold on is the whole game.
• How to mount a horse without pulling the saddle (or your trainer's hair out) — Hauling yourself up by the cantle twists the saddle, sours the horse's back, and looks rough. A mounting block and five clean steps fix all of it.
• Five groundwork exercises that make everything under saddle easier — The horse who stands, yields, backs, and leads politely on the ground is the horse who's quiet under saddle. Here are the five exercises worth drilling before anyone ever sits on a youngster.
• Teaching a horse to lunge, step by step — Lunging isn't running a horse in circles until he's tired. Done right, it's a conversation about voice, body language, and balance. Here's how to start a green horse correctly.
• A 90-day starting plan for the young horse, week by week — Most young horses aren't ruined by hard work — they're ruined by rushed work in the wrong order. Here's the exact 90-day map for backing a three-year-old who stays sound in body and mind.
• The show-day packing list you'll actually use — Every rider has stood in a show parking lot realizing they left the bridle hanging in the tack room. Here's how to pack so that never happens to you.
• Button braids that stay in all day — A braid that unravels by your third class makes the whole horse look unfinished. The secret isn't talent, it's tension and a damp mane.
• Plan your whole show season on one page — Most riders book shows one panicked entry deadline at a time, then wonder why the horse peaked in April and fell apart by August. Here's a one-page planner to build before the season starts.
• The two-week show countdown: a day-by-day prep playbook — The riders who look effortless at the in-gate didn't get lucky — they ran a countdown. Here's the exact fourteen-day playbook to run before a show that matters.