I believe that every horse has had some kind of a foundation or start.  However, there are people who believe that foundation starts when the horse is in training for a specific discipline.  

I believe that foundation starts with the first interaction with the human.  Horse are always learning something, good or bad from us, every time we handle them or are in their space. 

In my Foundation Training you will learn horse psychology that is important in understanding the horse and interacting with him successfully.  You will learn how the horse thinks, what he feels, how to read him and how to train your horse to be the partner you’ve always wanted.  You’ll learn about energy and how that relates to handling horses before you ever touch them.   

Foundation Training is for the horse AND the human!  It’s about understanding your horse, how he thinks, feels, acts and plays.  What’s important to him and why.  It’s about you learning how to communicate in a way he understands, with feel and compassion.  It’s about mental and emotional control and asking for things from your horse without getting mean or mad.  It’s about understanding WHAT you want from your horse.  How to help your horse stay confident and comfortable, mentally, emotionally and physically in learning and developing.  Most importantly for the human it’s about consistency and emotional control!  

For the horse, it’s about learning responsibilities.  Everything from how to stay out of your space while being lead to how to hold himself in a frame without the use of mechanical aids like draw reins and tie downs.  How to self-load in a trailer.  How to yield all his body parts with the slightest suggestion, respectfully and confidently.  Both on the ground and under saddle. 

After these things are soft and compliant from the horse and you have an understanding of the horse and he is willing and understanding of what you want….THEN you can train for a specific discipline and be more successful!  By then, it’s simply adding a caveletti building to jumping, a rope, a cow, a riding pattern or the trail system to continue developing him in the discipline you want.  

In summary, foundation training is the meat and potatoes of horse development.  You will always have the mental, emotional and physical aspects of foundation to fall back on when, during certain stages of development, things get a little sticky. 

If you are dedicated and consistent in your learning and your horsemanship, I have no doubt you too, can be successful with every horse you touch!