Good habits keep you and your horse safe

No matter how well trained or good natured your horse is, it is still a horse and can still behave like a prey animal. Having good horsemanship habits can put the odds in your favour and reduce the risk of things going badly wrong both on the ground and in the saddle.

  • Learn the habits that will keep you and your horse safe whilst doing everyday things on the ground like haltering, leading, tying up and handling feet

  • Learn the habits that will keep you safe when saddling, bridling and mounting

  • Learn the habits that will keep you safe in the saddle

Your everyday horsemanship habits

  • 1

    Welcome to your Everyday Horsemanship Habits resource

    • Welcome to your Everyday Horsemanship Habits library
  • 2

    Haltering

    • Halters and haltering

    • Attatching a rope to a halter

    • The Barn Knot
  • 3

    Leading

    • Leading well
  • 4

    Feet handling

    • Picking up the feet part 1

    • Picking up the feet part 2
  • 5

    Safe tying

    • Introduction to tying up

    • Preparation for tying up

    • Tying "dos & don'ts"

    • The John Wayne or Bank Robber's Knot

    • Practical use of knots

    • The Stockman's bowline knot
  • 6

    Bridling & unbridling

    • Preparation for bridling

    • Bridling

    • Removing the halter under the bridle

    • Unbridling

    • Tying mecate reins

    • Why we untie mecate reins
  • 7

    Saddling

    • Saddling demonstration

    • First saddling - accept the pad

    • First saddling - accept the saddle

    • The Packer's Knot

    • Putting up your cinches
  • 8

    Mounting & Dismounting

    • Preparation for mounting

    • Mounting demonstration

    • Teaching mount from a fence part 1

    • Mount from a fence part 2

    • Mount from a fence - the end product

    • Dismounting
  • 9

    The "4 Yeses" on the ground

    • The "4 Yeses" on the ground
  • 10

    The 3 Essentials in the saddle - Lateral flexion

    • The "3 Essentials" - lateral flexion

    • lateral flexion on the ground

    • Lateral flexion in the saddle
  • 11

    The 3 Essentials in the saddle - Hindquarter yields

    • The "3 Essentials" - hindquarter yields

    • Hindquarter yields on the ground

    • Hindquarter yields (indirect rein) in the saddle

    • Hindquarter yields (indirect rein) in motion
  • 12

    The 3 Essentials in the saddle - "Go Button"

    • The "go button"

    • The "3 Essentials" - the "go button"

Join Russell as he demonstates the habits that he uses everyday with his own horses and horses that he trains

Get started learning new habits

Work through this mini-course to develop some horsemanship habits that will keep you and your horse safe

Get started now