My horse is trained to ride and I have no problem with that, but I can't seem to get him to load in my horse trailer. Does DBA have a training program to teach horses to trailer load?
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Yes, we sure do! We have you bring your horse/mule here for approximately 6 days so that we can work with him. The charge is $10.00 per day for the training. When you bring your horse for the "Trailer Training" you are requested to drop and leave your horse trailer so that your horse will become more comfortable and learn to load in HIS trailer. With enough repetition loading into his trailer, he will learn to load into any trailer. Everything takes time but it's best to have the trailer that he will be using the most for the learning process.
If you are not able to bring your trailer, Double B Acres will use its own for an additional $5.00 per day. The same guidelines will apply for Trailer Training as in our Training Contract.
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When my horse is training at Double B Acres may I come and visit?
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We encourage it! Double B Acres has an open door policy. If you observe his training you have a better understanding of how he was trained. In fact, before he goes back home, we work with you, one on one, so that we can show you the cues that your horse was taught. Our clients are ALWAYS welcome to come visit their horses. We only ask that during the training session you don't distract your horse and our trainer. Their "join up" is very important. We have a shaded deck by our round pen so that you can observe the session and then afterwards we always give you the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have.
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I was told that I shouldn't have my horse trained in the summer because of the heat and humidity?
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That was a big concern of ours too. Of course we all ride our horses in the summer and take extra care to keep them from becoming overheated, so we decided to "go that extra mile" with our training. When the heat and humidity reach a certain level we switch over to night training. We added lighting to our training round pen and riding arena so that the horses aren't being trained in the heat of the day. Their health, safety and well being are very important to us!
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I have a horse and never go riding away from home but sometimes I need to take her to the vet. Does Double B Acres have a horse trailoring service?
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That's one of our newest services. For 20 miles are less it's $20.00. Anything over twenty miles is $1.00 each additional mile. Because of our training schedule we are not able to do any overnight trips at this time. We also have a "Trailoring and Hauling Agreement" that you will need to sign. Please be aware that when you trailer your horse you are required to have a current Coggins.
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I'm new at this, so what is a Coggins?
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It's an accurate and reliable blood test for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), a viral disease of horses for which there is no preventive vaccine and no known cure. Coggins is a very important test as a means of preventing the spread of EIA in horses. Wide usage of the test during recent years has reduced the incidence of this equine disease which is spread mechanically from infected to healthy horses by biting flies or contaminated instruments such as hypodermic needles.
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What kind of bits do you train with and, once the training is completed, what kind of bit do you recommend?
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We always start them in a bosil and after a few sessions move them up to a Dring snaffle bit. The "harshest" bit that we use or recommend is a Tom Thumb. We go by the saying, "If it ain't broke don't fix it". The harsher the bit, the harder the mouth. If you learn to keep your hands soft, your horse will keep a soft mouth. That means your horse will respond to gentle commands, rather than require hard tugs and pulls -- MUCH better for both rider and horse.
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Why a Dring snaffle bit?
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There are tons of snaffle bits out there. There's even a National Snaffle Bit Association. A snaffle is a very mild bit especially good for young horses. We just have found from experience that the Dring snaffle bit meets our needs. As we mentioned earlier, the "harshest" bit that we use or recommend is a Tom Thumb. It's another snaffle bit, but a bit more harsh. Still, with reduced curb pressure and almost no leverage, it can be utilized when necessary for a particular horse.
We cannot emphasize strongly enough our position that harsher bits are NOT necessary for the well-trained horse.
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If my horse is at Double B Acres being trained; do I still have to pay the hourly rate on your riding arena or round pen if I want to use them?
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The use of our arena or round pen is included in your Training Fee. If you should want to use it for another horse however, the hourly rates would apply. We charge $10.00 an hour and request that you make an appointment. We feel you should have the round pen or arena to yourself. If you have a friend that you would like to come with you to use the facilities, they also would be charged the hourly rate. Please be advised that we have a "Release and Waiver of Claims" that will have to be signed before any one can use the facilities.
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Do you use John Lyons', Ray Hunt's, Monte Foreman's, Pat Parelli's, or Mike Kevil's method of training? What about the "Horse Whispering" method I've heard of?
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I guess I would have to say "Yes" to all five and "No" to all five; and though we don't whisper, we just don't yell here at Double B Acres.
To address the first question: All of these guys are great horse trainers but we all have our own way of doing things because we are all different just like our horses are different. On the other hand, we have our similar ways of
doing things.
Our common ground would be that we all use "resistance-free training". Double B Acres has horse trainers - not horse breakers, and there is a difference.
As to "Horse Whispering", there is a lot to be said for the phrase, "If you want someone's attention, whisper, but we are not Horse Whisperers.
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On your Web Site I've noticed that you use halters that kind of look like clothesline rope. Do you use those for training or do you use nylon and leather halters?
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We use the hand tied cotton braid rope halter. It is humane and won't cut into the horse, but the horse can feel the message that we are sending through the halter. Especially with young, untrained horses we need to keep their attention. We want to repeat -- a rope halter is humane and will not cut into them. Our rope halter is lightweight, pliable and conforms to the horse without hurting them. It has single strands along the cheekbones and double strands across
the poll and nose. If the horse pulls he will feel the greater contact without getting cut. Cotton rope halters are one of the most important pieces of equipment that we use around here. Young, untrained horses will try to pull back when first learning to stand and be tied. A nylon or leather halter has metal pieces on it that could break and cause injury to the horse. After training we recommend that you keep using a cotton rope halter.
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Does your training just consist of round pen and arena training?
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No. Once they have learned the basics we take them out on trails, as well as paved and gravel roads. We teach them to cross bridges, creeks, water and ditches. Then we advance to teaching them to ride along roads that have cars, trucks and traffic noise.
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Chaps: I have heard the word "chaps" pronounced two different ways. Chaps with a "ch" and chaps with an "sh". Would you happen to know which is the correct way to pronounce it?
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Our trainer, Randy, always pronounces it with the "sh" so you would think it was spelled "shaps." We decided to do a little research and came up with the history and correct pronunciation. The following is an excerpt from the book, "The Cowboy Life", written by Michele Moore. This is an excellent book and we recommend it to everyone!
"Chaps: Here is a case where one hide protects the other. Chaps are leather leggings worn over blue jeans. Ralph Lauren paid homage to the cowboy in the late 1970's when he named his mens cologne after these twelve-hour leggings. But he taught a whole generation of urban cowboys to mispronounce chaps. They're called "shaps" - not chaps. The word "chaps" is an abbreviation of the Spanish word chapparerras, meaning leg armor. Brush scratches, saddle sores, and bites from nasty horses were a big problem for Mexican vaqueros until they used a little ingenuity. They covered their saddles with cowhides, sat in the middle, and folded them over their pants to protect their legs. It did the trick but it took so long for the rider to get tucked in that he couldn’t make a fast getaway. Then some savvy rider came up with the idea of hanging the hide on the cowboy instead of the horse. As they evolved, chaps became seatless leggings made of buckskin or cowhide, held up by a belt in the back and a string in front, or laced together."
So … our vote here at Double B Acres is unanimous. Chaps with the SH.
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