It is possible to teach this clever creation of nature practically everything (within reasonable limits, of course). Circus horses and horses in the dressage show real miracles of coordination and obedience. However, it is not advisable to teach the animal everything at once.
Depending on the planned use and congenital characteristics, certain training directions are chosen.
Already at the moment of purchase each owner should clearly understand why he needs a horse and how he is going to use it in the future. In addition, if you buy an adult animal, it is already trained at a horse-breeding or breeding farm. Such preliminary training is called factory training.
The essence of the factory training is that after weaning foals from their mothers they immediately begin to train with the help of various group methods. It is necessary for the youngsters to develop correctly from the physical side, to get used to constant contact with people, not to be afraid of them, not to show aggression and was stable from the psychological point of view.
As a rule, horses fall into private hands or into equestrian sports clubs and schools at the age of one and a half to two years. It is at this time that their individual training begins, which depends on their planned use.
Specialists distinguish the following main directions of horse training, depending on the breed, individual qualities and nature of these animals:
Useful information
trotting training course for trotting horses. The essence of this technique is the exercises in which there is a constant alternation of such gaiters as a step and a lynx, and - at different speeds, which are called a cane, a swing and a swing. The beginning and the end of the training session is a step-by-step movement. Tests of trotting horses take place on hippodromes, with the use of a special running harness and a special type of wagon called a rocker.
The main purpose of this training direction is to fix the lynx as the main gait, to identify the speed abilities of each individual and to prepare it for professional competitions - running.
- Race training. The main goal is the maximum development of such qualities as agility and endurance. During one training the animal moves all three main gates - a step, a lynx and a gallop. The main thing is to achieve a stable and fast carving gallop from the horse, which is called a quarry.
Usually the animal is allowed into the quarry at the end of training, and the distance of the training race with this gait is from five hundred meters to two kilometers. Basically, the training takes place all the time from October to April, because in the period from May to September, as a rule, there are various competitions for which horses are prepared. There are several kinds of races - smooth (short and medium distances) and obstacle races (with barriers and steeplechase). In the second case, training includes jumping exercises.
- Animal training for a long run. Long distance racing is a very serious challenge for both humans and horses. Only the strongest, most enduring and healthiest horses are allowed to compete. Horses are most often selected for such races based on short distance races.
If the animal is a sprint winner, bypassing the competition means that he has a healthy heart and everything is fine with his respiratory system. If, however, the horse is always the last one to come in for short races and feels very tired, then there's nothing for it to do over longer distances.
The main purpose of the pre-selection training is to develop the so-called speed endurance, or in other words, the ability to maintain a high pace of running for a long time. Basically, the preparation for long heats consists of constant step and lynx exercises. For example, at each training session, a knight should only move in steps for two and a half hours, preferably over rough terrain.
Jump training. There is such equestrian discipline as jumping. The essence of this discipline is that a horse with a rider on its back must overcome obstacles of different heights and widths in a limited space.
In addition, jumping is also important in barrier races, steeplechase races (races with fixed obstacles, both high and wide) and triathlon (one type of competition - three disciplines at once: dressage ("horse ballet"), show jumping and horse racing with obstacles). The training is aimed at the development of jumping ability, not only in height, but also in length.
