If you've always dreamed of starting a young horse under saddle but are uncomfortable with traditional horse breaking or horse training techniques that assume all horses are the same, this short book is for you. If you're a seasoned equestrian looking for a better way, you'll enjoy trying some of the ideas here too. There are some easy ways you can set up for success with your horseback riding project to keep both you and your horse happy and wanting to learn more together.

Discover simple techniques for understanding your horse, making him more comfortable, and designing a plan for between-training sessions that makes progress quick and schooling time rewarding. Test ideas that may be different than what everyone else is doing to see if an unusual approach works better for you and your horse.

Young horse training is a lot easier - and a lot harder - than most people make it out to be. Fortunately, most issues can be avoided if you keep the horse in the conversation. That doesn't mean letting him make all the decisions, but it does involve listening to what he is trying to tell you. Horses have been bred for millennia to interact with humans - most seek a meaningful partnership that includes a job with people in the mix. If you can keep early training time fun for both of you, you'll lay a foundation for deep bonds, trust and a team approach to solutions that has you amazed at what your horse will do for you.

Formula approaches don't work very well because each horse is different. What works for a timid horse usually isn't very effective with an alpha. Handling history plays a role too. Your horse will work harder to try to understand what you want if you pay attention to how he's responding to your schooling decisions.

This is the first audiobooklet in the Young Horse Training Tips series, a title from our Horse Sense and Cents imprint. We hope you enjoy the ride as you learn new ways to keep your horse in the conversation before you even saddle up.