Training From the Ground Up
While each and every horse is different, all horses must have a solid foundation upon which to build specific skills. Shannon King, the founder of Horse2Human, Inc., will spend time with your horse to evaluate his or her skills, attitudes, emotions and fitness. From that evaluation Shannon will create an H2H Training plan just for you and your horse. H2H Relationship Training is designed to ensure that your horse develops the physical, mental and emotional skills that are the foundation of a successful relationship. From there, Shannon will work with you to teach you the skills that your horse has learned so that you may continue to reinforce your horses training. Shannon says, “the job is not done till the human is at the same skill level as the horse”.
“It is not what the horse can do that is important,
it is what the human can do with the horse that is.”
Ground Skills
As the training begins, Shannon will work with your horse at liberty in the arena or round pen. Here, your horse has the freedom to think and to make choices while only being rewarded for making the correct decision. A common language and skills are developed with your horse that include: building their attention span, honoring a human’s space, lifting a foot for cleaning or farrier work, muscle training for relaxation, standing still for grooming or saddling, obstacle training and accepting equipment such as, bit & bridle. The training exercises vary between body language requests and contact requests providing positive reinforcement and conditioned responses. These are just a few of the specific skills developed at this phase of training.
Bridle Skills
Once your horse becomes comfortable with the ground skills, Shannon continues your horse’s training with ground-based bridle work or Work in Hand. Your horse now learns to respond to requests to develop control of each of his feet, independently, and to isolate and move specific parts of his body from the feel of the bridle. These exercises help to develop his physical stamina as well as his emotional stability. He will also learn to balance his movements within each request and to begin accepting you in closer proximity. Overall these exercises will add to your horse’s development of confidence and respect for both the human and the tools being used.
When these skills are introduced before the saddle skills, the horse has less to worry about when you ask him to begin carrying you. In addition, your horse will have a solid foundation of requests from the bridle when advancing into the saddle skills.
Saddle Skills
In the next phase of H2H Relationship Training, Shannon transfers ground based skills to mounted skills. Now your horse will learn collection, softness, and balance in response to the development of requests from the riders’ seat, leg and reins as well as the development of even more subtle requests based on your body language and intentions. One example of the saddle skills task is pattern work. Just as he learned from the ground he will learn to combine a number of specific skills executed in a sequence or pattern. This helps develop your horse’s stamina, in areas such as attention span, physical ability, and his patience. A complete H2H Relationship Training Plan lays the foundation on which you and your horse can build more advanced skills and a safe, enjoyable relationship.
Tools–the right tool for the job
Tools Price List
H2H Relationship Training employs a specific set of tools. A hand-made rope halter with lead, a full cheek snaffle bit with a custom designed headstall and continuous reins, a tapper, a lariat and leg protection will be provided while your horse is in training. These are the tools that you will need to continue and reinforce your horse’s training and can easily be used on all of your horses. These specific tools are available as a package or individually from Horse2Human, Inc.
Techniques–the how to
As your horse progresses through training, you are strongly encouraged to learn the specific techniques that Shannon uses to train your horse. Through unlimited observation, you will learn the techniques being used and to recognize the horse’s proper response. You will also learn the techniques to use when your horse gives you an improper response. Your hands-on participation in your horse’s training is an extremely important investment in building your relationship with your horse.
Tutoring–for you and your horse together
We each have a different vision of the ideal relationship with our horse. Once your horse has become comfortable and consistent with the H2H Relationship Training Basics, Shannon will work with you to design a custom program to help you and your horse achieve that vision. From one-hour private sessions to multi-day immersion clinics, there are many options to blend into the perfect program for you and your horse.
Training to Solve Problems
There are a number of common problems that horses exhibit, from mild to severe, as well as some unique problems. In order to solve a particular problem, we must first determine the root cause of the problem. Most problems are cured simply by evaluating the horse starting at the beginning and thru discovery, identifying the root cause of the problem and then designing a training regimen to solve the problem.
By far the most common cause of problems is that there is a gap in the horses training background. However, problems can also develop from over-training which can cause the horse to “sour”, or perhaps, the horse has experienced a traumatic event, that may have caused physical and emotional consequences. These types of events can later develop into negative behaviors or unwanted habits.
The first step in solving your horse’s particular problem is to schedule a live evaluation and thorough discussion of the horse’s history and current behavior.
Once all of the information is gathered we will design a specific program to solve the problem. At that time we may be able to estimate the approximate length of time required for the program as well as your involvement in the training plan and maintenance phase of the program.
Training for Emotional Conditioning and Rehabilitation
Horses that fall into this area of our special training programs are horses that have experienced the most serious and dire events–horses that most people would just walk away from.
We believe that any horse can overcome any problem and become a perfect candidate for a life-long relationship with their human.
This special needs program is focused on horses that have been abused, negatively influenced or traumatized in some area of their past.
With proper healthcare and attention, training and patience, your horse can have a fulfilling and enjoyable life, and you can have the partner that you had hoped for.
These horses typically require a long term training commitment on the part of their owner. We would be more than happy to discuss with you a program designed for your special needs horse.
Getting Started
We would be delighted to discuss your horse with you, along with your goals for your relationship with your horse. The first step is an evaluation of your horse to determine what type of training program would be appropriate. This can be done “live”, or Shannon can perform a video analysis. This analysis indicates where the relationship stands now so that she can create a specific plan to help you to meet your goals.
While in training your horse will be stabled at Dragonwood Equine Facility, www.dragonwoodbreeding.com home base for Shannon and the Horse2Human® Education Center. Full care boarding, feed and nutritional supplements are included in the cost of training. Healthcare costs are in addition to the H2H Relationship Training Program fees.
