Training at Divine Equine Stables

As equestrian events become more popular, it seems the cost of finding a desirable mount skyrockets. Finding a well trained horse for the amateur rider can in many cases be cost prohibitive. Green riders are either forced to spend more than they can afford on a seasoned horse to compete with or they buy a green horse that is incapable of taking them to the level that they want.

At Divine Equine, we understand this dilemna and attempt to provide a place to find quality horses with a good education for reasonable prices. The Cleveland Bay is a breed that fits this bill. They are wonderfully athletic horses with a very nice mind. They are perfect starter horses, but can also move up to the challenges of higher level competition. We also believe that each horse has something to offer, regardless of the breeding and when we have the room, will take in horses of other breeds that for one reason or another never got an education. We work with them until they're ready to move on to a home that's right for them.

Our philosophy is to set the horse up to succeed. We start with very small concepts and work up to more challenging tasks for the horse. We do not "break" the horse in one day, but start introducing small concepts at a young age and keep building on those concepts. When the horse is ready to handle the weight of the rider, he already knows certain aids and is already familiar with tack.

The following outlines our training program:

  • Training 0-2 years

    • The 0-2 year training program focuses on very basic ground level training for young horses in short increments. Horses at this age need to learn to be haltered and led. It is also important that horses learn at an early age to pick up their feet for the farrier and stand for the vet. This training program consists of multiple 5-15 minute training sessions per week where the horse is exposed to the above situations along with sessions in bombproofing, traffic, trail, cross tie, trailoring, clipping, vacuuming, etc.

  • Training 2-3 years

    • The 2-3 year training program focuses on beginning basics with the bit and saddle. The program starts with bridling the horse to let him get used to having the bit in his mouth and progresses to sessions in long line training and lunging, where the horse learns to take cues from the reins. This is also the stage where the horse learns to accept the weight of the saddle on his back. Saddle training starts from short sessions with just the saddle pad working up to tightening the girth. We also start free jumping our horses very slowly. By free jumping without a rider, the horse learns to spot his distances and keep his balance.

  • Training 3+ years

    • The 3+ year training program focuses on mounted training. As in every stage, we start with small concepts and keep building on that foundation. We teach the horses to be relaxed under saddle and repsonsive to leg aids. As they become more fit, we increase the level of difficulty of the exercises by introducing lateral movements and eventually lengthening/collecting within the gaits, all the while paying attention to the horse's attitude. It's very easy to push young/green horses too fast and this is when unwanted behaviors start to appear, so it's very important to listen to your horse and make sure he's still having fun and doesn't get overwhelmed.

  • Beginning Jumping Training (4+ years)

    • The beginning jumping training program focuses on teaching the horse to jump. We do not start jumping our horses under saddle until they are at least 4 years old as their bones are not capable of handling the stress at younger ages. With certain breeds (mostly the larger sport breeds), their bones do not mature as quickly and it's safer in the long run to start them even later than four years. We firmly believe that all horses should have long/healthy careers and do not push our horses too fast. At this stage, in addition to mounted training, we start focusing on jumping. The horses start with free jumping and progress into gymnastics under saddle - always working at small heights. Once the horse is confident jumping at the 1-2 foot level through multiple gymnastics, he is ready to move on to competition with the rider and is likely to move to a competition stable with an experienced show trainer.

  • Excercise Program

    • Sometimes we get horses in that have had training in their past, but haven't been worked in awhile. The exercise program is geared toward any horse that needs exercise such as horses that have been put out to pasture for an extended period of time, horses that have overcome injury, or horses that need more exercise than the owner could provide. We develop exercise programs tailored to each individual horse to get them ready for their forever home.

  • Conditioning Program

    • The conditioning program is geared toward horses that are used for eventing or endurance riding and require longer workouts to get them to a level required for those sports. We work with each individual horse to come up with a tailored conditioning program that best meets it's needs.