1. Keep it simple. A horse is very simple, it is the people who make them difficult. As long as you stay patient and consistently teach the same thing, they will catch on and learn whatever it is you are working on at the moment. But if a person’s emotions get in the way, and we start yanking on the horse because he’s just not doing what we want, we have complicated the situation and the horse learns nothing good.
2. Get in or get out. While I was in training myself, I was taught that you either have to get in a horse’s mouth and mean it, or you have to get out completely, there should be no hanging in between. I’ve found this is true for everything in life. You either have to get in, work hard and get things done, or don’t do it all.
3. Have fun. I firmly believe that you have to love what you do. I have come across a lot of kids in the past year who have only ridden show horses, and what I have found is that at 10, 11, 12 years old, they are stressed out. If you never have fun at what you are doing, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons.