Welcome to the “Performance Through Partnership”™ Newsletter!

In this issue you’ll find:

Newsflash!!
Dale has a monthly radio program! Check out the details below.

Upcoming Clinic Dates

Answers to These Questions about Horse Behavior and Training:
1. Why does my horse act up at shows?
2. Can you help with my resistant OTTB dressage horse?

Also, remember to send in your questions for the next newsletter. Dale will choose at least two to answer in each issue. This is your chance to get free advice from Dale Rudin. This is only available to newsletter subscribers like you, so ask away!! Use your password to access the “ask questions” page at http://www.dale-rudin-horse-training.com/ask-questions.html

Also, newsletter back issues are posted on the archive page. Go to http://www.dale-rudin-horse-training.com/performance-through-partnership-newsletter.html and click on "newsletter back issues." Type in your password, and enjoy!

(If the above links don't work, please copy and paste them into your web browser.)

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Join Me for My New Internet Radio Program!

I am so excited to share this news with you. After giving an interview on Natural Horse Network Talk Radio I was invited to do a monthly show! I will answer training and behavior questions from horse owners like you. In fact, you can call in during the show and ask your own questions, or suggest topics by going to The Natural Horse Network website. Click on the events page. Take the poll to submit your suggestion. You will also find the date and time of the next show there as well.

Leadership and Connection Clinics:

If you want to improve your relationship with your horse, these clinics are for you! You will come away with a better understanding of your horse, learn how to be a confident and effective leader, and be well on the way to having the cooperative partnership that you’ve always wanted!

Dale's techniques are straightforward and easy-to-use. Her approach is quiet, low-stress (for horse and human alike), and suitable for all breeds, disciplines, and levels of experience.

June 7th-8th at Latta Equestrian Center in Huntersville, NC. Join us for a great weekend and learn how to truly connect with your horse and become a leader that he will follow anywhere! Go to my clinic's page for more information about the clinic. Or, send Dale an email if you have any questions or would like to make a reservation.


The April clinic at Timber Ridge Campground was a huge success!! I can't tell you how proud I was of the huge strides that each and every horse and rider team made. It was amazing! I will be posting some video clips of the clinic on my website so that you can see how wonderful it was for yourself. In the meantime, there are short clips available on YouTube.
Click on these links to watch them:
Clinic Video Clip #1
Clinic Video Clip #2

The next clinic at Timber Ridge is June 27th-29th.
Join us at this beautiful location for a weekend of developing a genuine partnership with your horse! Go to the clinics page for more information.

Q & A's

At home, my horse works well and is well behaved. However, when I take him to a show, he acts up and gets really fast. Is there something I can do to help calm him down?

The first thing I'd try is to lunge your horse before your classes. He might be nervous being in a new place and lunging will give him a chance to get rid of some nervous energy. Another thing to try is to take your horse to some shows and only school him there. Lots of local shows allow you to ride in the classes for practice. You can also ride him on the show grounds and inside the show ring during the lunch break. Ride him just like you would at home. Here’s something else to think about: You might be more nervous when you're in the show arena than you are on your home turf! You may not even realize it, but your own anxiety can cause you to ride with more tension in your body and hands. That will make you stiff and can cause you to cue your horse more abruptly and forcefully than you do at home. Your anxiety will transfer to your horse. Coupled with his stress about being away from him and your horse could be a real stress-case!

An anxious horse is much more likely to be speedy and act up. So, practice being relaxed while you're in the ring. Pretend you’re at home. Focus on your breathing, keeping it slow and deep. School your horse during a class. It will be much easier to practice relaxation techniques when you know the judge isn't judging you.

If at any point your horse feels like he's getting nervous or out of control, take immediate measures to calm him down and refocus his attention on you. Suppling his body will soften his mind. You can either flex his head and neck to the inside while you’re riding on the rail, or take him into the middle of the ring where you can bend your horse’s entire body on a small circle. Just make sure that you aren't interfering with the other competitors in the class. You might have to wait for the class to end and work with him outside of the arena, but if it’s safe and appropriate to do so work in the center of the arena away from the other riders and the judge. Bend his head and neck to the side until he relaxes, lowers his neck, and walks quietly. Use your inside leg against his side to soften his ribcage if he's stiff and resistant to your rein. Practice bending and suppling exercises at home so that your horse becomes familiar with them before you go to a show. Also, be very conscious of how you’re riding at home vs. how you ride at the show grounds. It will take time to teach your horse new habits when he’s competing, but with patience and perseverance he can improve.

Bonus Tip!!:

It’s natural for a horse to feel insecure in a new situation. However, if you don’t address your horse’s anxiety, he become habitually nervous when faced with an unfamiliar or a stressful situation. As time goes by, the problems that will develop when a horse is in a stressed state-of-mind will get worse and more difficult to deal with. Start at home and expose your horse to strange or anxiety provoking events. At the first sign that he’s losing his confidence, take steps to relax him and build his confidence, connection, and trust in you. When your horse is exposed to a new environment or faced with an anxiety provoking situation, help him relax and feel secure. Recapture his attention and redirect his nervous energy with bending and suppling exercises, backing up, flexing his head and neck to the side, and lowering his head and neck. That will prevent him from going into fight or flight mode, and help him calm him when he loose his cool.

I’ve had my off-the-track-thoroughbred for two years. I’ve been trying to make him a dressage horse, but he only reaches a certain point before he plateaus in his training or backslides. I’ve had to deal with hoof issues, which seem to be resolved, and hock injections, which seem to have helped. He’s a pretty mover and has been able to perform pretty training and first level maneuvers. I will say that he doesn’t have the best conformation, though. His neck is long but low set and thick at the base. His back seems to be weak, too. He doesn’t seem to be able to develop much muscle there. He is moving well and is sound. However, he resists going round and is always stiff and resistant to the left. He also tends to be heavy on the forehand and travels in a hollow frame (especially to the left), even when he’s worked at liberty in the round pen. He’s been seen by an equine dentist, a chiropractor, and has well-balanced and healthy unshod hooves. Do you have any suggestions on how to help my horse progress?