Mark Lavender

The Importance of a Good Foundation -

 

It is very important that a young horse gets a good start at the beginning of its training.

 

A good foundation promotes a good mind and a respectful attitude in a young horse. By using a round pen, Mark is able to work with a horse mentally and allowing it to choose to respect him. This method has been extremely successful for Mark as he approaches and fixes many small and large problems with young horses. It also allows him to exercise a mouthy or difficult horse without force.

 

There are many horses that live out their lives as beautiful pasture ponies, being pets and enjoying a care-free and easy life. However, there is a downside to this. Some owners, after a few years of viewing their lovely horses, decide that they would highly enjoy taking rides on their pet. These horses, usually aging from 5 to 10+ years, are extremely difficult to break. Usually, they are very pushy and do not allow a person any personal space. This can be dangerous, with the possibilities of being stepped on and knocked down extremely likely. A horse of older age that has not been taught to respect a person, its lead, or the pressure from a bit or boot, can be very dangerous and must be broke by a professional. These horses must be started and treated as if they are 2 years old, but their full size and disrespectful attitudes make the breaking process much more difficult. Please keep these thoughts in mind when deciding on when to have your horse trained. A horse broke at a young age is well worth the cost, and will be a beautiful, enjoyable, and much safer pasture piece (that is rideable) to enjoy.

 

Be sure to check our "videos" page for clips of working horses. Pictures below of two year old horses who have participated in Mark's foundation training program.