Ivy Schexnayder
I got started training horses when I was sixteen. That was when I got my first job training gaited horses. I started out just training yearlings to do basic ground work. Up until the previous year, I had virtually no contact with horses at all. Once I started working with the yearlings, I realized that I could train horses and I got very excited about it. I started reading as many horse training books as I could get my hands on. From there, I progressed to training my own horses and other people’s horses.
I have always been interested in the dressage movements, but didn’t like how the dressage horses appeared to be ridden. I didn’t like the reins always held tightly, with the riders appearing to lean back in order to pull harder on the horse’s mouth. However, it wasn’t until I was twenty-one years old that I started practicing dressage movements with my horse. At that time, I came across a wonderful website: www.ArtofNaturalDressage.com. The forum there had a wealth of information on how to train your horse to do dressage, but in a lightest possible manner without bits.
Earlier that year, I had also started spending a lot of time with my Quarter Horse/Paint cross gelding. I started to train him to do tricks. I found this to be so much fun! It really makes one want to spend time training as you can see results so quickly. However, I didn’t start clicker training until a year and a half after I started that trick training. The results were fantastic! I couldn’t believe how quickly my horses started to learn the tricks and movements I was teaching them.
I have competed in the Two as One Horsemanship: Wind Rider Challenge and the Next Level Horsemanship: Equine Masters Championship. In the first competition, I came in first. In the second one, I came in second place, competing against other well-known clinicians.
I now combine the trick training, dressage methods, and clicker training to work with my horses. The tricks are fun to teach and they help develop your relationship with your horse. The dressage methods can help strengthen, supple, and improve your horse’s movement. Clicker training has made it so much fun for me and the horses to go out and work together. They are much more interested and focused on the training.
Gaited horse training, trick training, liberty training
Ivy’s Custom Horse Jewelry
Ivy’s Inspiration – Art of Natural Dressage