The Most Dangerous Mistake Equestrians Make
Trying to train a green horse. Here's why.
Over the course of many years of starting and training horses, the most dangerous thing I've seen is a moderately skilled rider trying to start a green horse alone without the help of an experienced trainer. Here’s why.
An untrained horse is a very different animal than a "made horse" (one that is trained for riding). This usually comes as a terrifying surprise to the rider. The horse spooks more easily, has trouble maintaining its balance with a rider on its back, and feels so “downhill” under saddle that the rider has trouble maintaining their own balance on the horse. It takes time and skill to develop a horse’s muscles and flexibility to safely carry a rider. Ninety percent of the training consists of shifting the horse's weight back from the forehand to the haunches in order to develop a strong topline. (A green horse carries about 75% of his weight on his forehand, so you feel like you're tipping forward constantly.)
An untrained horse is a very different animal than a "made horse" (one that is trained for riding). This usually comes as a terrifying surprise to the rider. The horse spooks more easily, has trouble maintaining its balance with a rider on its back, and feels so “downhill” under saddle that the rider has trouble maintaining their own balance on the horse. It takes time and skill to develop a horse’s muscles and flexibility to safely carry a rider. Ninety percent of the training consists of shifting the horse's weight back from the forehand to the haunches in order to develop a strong topline. (A green horse carries about 75% of his weight on his forehand, so you feel like you're tipping forward constantly.)
An untrained horse is a very different animal than a "made horse" (one that is trained for riding). This usually comes as a terrifying surprise to the rider.
One case that stands out clearly in my memory is a thirty-something rider who had been riding her sturdy, patient gelding for many years. Her gelding was getting on in years, and she was anxious to become accepted by the dressage riders in the barn. So she purchased a four-year-old Hanoverian mare which she planned to train herself. After all, she had been showing well in hunter/jumper for years, and was now doing well at dressage shows.
She mounted the mare and asked for walk. The horse shot forward, causing her to lose balance. This frightened the mare, who began tearing around the arena at break-neck speed while her rider screamed hysterically, hauling on the reins with no effect. Seeing me, she screamed, "Help! Grab the reins! I can't stop her!"
I entered the arena and spoke quietly to the mare in a low tone to soothe her, then instructed the rider to turn the horse in a small circle. A green horse will usually have difficulty maintaining the canter on a small circle, and will break to trot, which is what happened in a few strides. I spent about 20 minutes schooling the rider on how to manage a horse’s speed. Once she dismounted, I urged her to work with a trainer rather than trying to start the horse herself.
If you have some experience with green horses or have pretty much made up your mind to give it a try anyway, here are a few tips to help you succeed:
She mounted the mare and asked for walk. The horse shot forward, causing her to lose balance. This frightened the mare, who began tearing around the arena at break-neck speed while her rider screamed hysterically, hauling on the reins with no effect. Seeing me, she screamed, "Help! Grab the reins! I can't stop her!"
I entered the arena and spoke quietly to the mare in a low tone to soothe her, then instructed the rider to turn the horse in a small circle. A green horse will usually have difficulty maintaining the canter on a small circle, and will break to trot, which is what happened in a few strides. I spent about 20 minutes schooling the rider on how to manage a horse’s speed. Once she dismounted, I urged her to work with a trainer rather than trying to start the horse herself.
If you have some experience with green horses or have pretty much made up your mind to give it a try anyway, here are a few tips to help you succeed:
1. Start with ground work
Start ground work in an enclosed area, such as an arena or round pen. Gently run a dressage or longe whip all over the horse's body until your horse no longer shies or flinches. I've found it sometimes helps to run it over my body and then a helper's body or another horse's body while the green horse watches. The horse will become curious, then almost act like "Hey, it's my turn now!"
Use the blunt end of the whip to nudge the horse's haunches a step or two to each side. Walk and trot your horse in hand around. Use the whip as a "wall" in front of the horse's nose as you walk along to discourage her from walking ahead of you. The horse should NEVER do that. Always keep the horse at your shoulder, and don't let her crowd you. Use the blunt end of the whip to nudge her over if she does. Get the horse used to monitoring YOUR movement so that when you speed up, the horse speeds up, when you slow down, the horse slows down, when you halt, the horse halts. You can even train them to walk and trot in tempo with you as you walk and jog. Don't do too much in one session. Spread out the lessons so the horse doesn't feel overwhelmed.
Next, walk and trot her over poles and raised cavalletti. Expose her to scary things, like plastic bags and hazard cones. Make if fun for both of you. You can find a number of fun ground exercises in this book.
You can also introduce your horse to a saddle during this groundwork. Put the saddle pad on and take it off a few times, then put the saddle on and take it off. Then add a loose girth or cinch on and off. When your horse is comfortable with all that, tighten the girth/cinch a bit, and walk and trot your horse.
Start ground work in an enclosed area, such as an arena or round pen. Gently run a dressage or longe whip all over the horse's body until your horse no longer shies or flinches. I've found it sometimes helps to run it over my body and then a helper's body or another horse's body while the green horse watches. The horse will become curious, then almost act like "Hey, it's my turn now!"
Use the blunt end of the whip to nudge the horse's haunches a step or two to each side. Walk and trot your horse in hand around. Use the whip as a "wall" in front of the horse's nose as you walk along to discourage her from walking ahead of you. The horse should NEVER do that. Always keep the horse at your shoulder, and don't let her crowd you. Use the blunt end of the whip to nudge her over if she does. Get the horse used to monitoring YOUR movement so that when you speed up, the horse speeds up, when you slow down, the horse slows down, when you halt, the horse halts. You can even train them to walk and trot in tempo with you as you walk and jog. Don't do too much in one session. Spread out the lessons so the horse doesn't feel overwhelmed.
Next, walk and trot her over poles and raised cavalletti. Expose her to scary things, like plastic bags and hazard cones. Make if fun for both of you. You can find a number of fun ground exercises in this book.
You can also introduce your horse to a saddle during this groundwork. Put the saddle pad on and take it off a few times, then put the saddle on and take it off. Then add a loose girth or cinch on and off. When your horse is comfortable with all that, tighten the girth/cinch a bit, and walk and trot your horse.
2. Introduce longe work and long lining
Longe work, properly done, teaches a horse how to balance himself on a circle by developing the muscles needed to do that. The trick is to not use too small a circle, and not to longe a green horse for too long. Start with a regular halter, longeing cavesson, or longeing system, then introduce a mild bit with comfortably positioned side reins. This gets the horse used to bit pressure, and encourages him to explore different bit pressures by lowering his head and flexing his neck. Use these brief longeing sessions to introduce voice commands as well (walk, trot, canter, halt). You can read more about the way I recommend longeing horses here.
Long lining is also a great way to start a green horse. I've included links to some pretty good books that explain how it's done at the end of this article. Here is a YouTube video that demonstrates it.
3. Mounting and working under saddle
Once your horse is longeing quietly and has learned good ground manners, it's time to mount. Position the horse next to a mounting block and drape your upper body over the horse's back as your assistant holds the horse's reins. Do that a few times. When the horse is comfortable with that, place one foot in the stirrup and raise yourself up while holding on to the mane, not the saddle. Never hold onto the saddle. If the horse takes off, you want to go with the horse, not get dragged by your foot in the stirrup, or dragged under the horse's belly if the saddle slips. Your assistant should be experienced enough to be able to control the horse and prevent any of this from happening, but, well, you never know.
If the horse dances around instead, you have two choices. The first is to swing your leg over the horse's back and use your seat and weight to help your assistant get the horse under control. The second is to pull your foot out of the stirrup and push yourself off and away from your horse, landing on your feet with your knees slightly bent.
When the horse is comfortable with your putting your weight in one stirrup and leaning over his back, mount the horse as usual and just sit there for a bit.
After you've done that successfully over a few brief sessions, mount the horse and apply leg pressure GENTLY to urge the horse to move forward. If she rushes forward, use a half halt to rebalance her. You can read about how to do a real half halt here (which isn't pulling back on the reins halfway).
Once your horse is comfortable walking forward with a rider on her back, use leg pressure to introduce RISING TROT. Avoid the sitting trot until the horse's topline is developed enough to manage the rider's weight. If your horse is reluctant to trot or confused about what you want, use your voice commands to make clear what you're asking for.
Take the horse around the arena in circles, serpentines, and any other odd shape you'd like. The point of this part of the training is to get the horse used to balancing himself with a rider on his back as he moves in complex ways. Don't introduce canter until the horse can trot evenly and smoothly with you on his back, which usually takes several training sessions.
Happy riding!
Copyright Denise Cummins Feb 18, 2020; Updated June 9, 2024
The Thinking Equestrian
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Copyright Denise Cummins Feb 18, 2020; Updated June 9, 2024
The Thinking Equestrian
As long as you’re here, check these out!
Recommended equestrian products—riding clothes, tack, horse supplements, and more!
Tips for Improving Your Riding
Six Vital Horse Facts That Every Horse Owner Needs to Know
