Total Horse Makeover
The Total Horse Makeover is a comprehensive training program geared towards improving your horse’s weaknesses while promoting their strengths. This program is beneficial to any horse no matter where they are in their development. Do you own a colt that has never been started? A seven year old that has developed some terrible habits from a pervious owner? Or an older trail horse that just needs a tune up? All of these horses will benefit greatly from The Total Horse Makeover. Before being accepted into The Total Horse Makeover, we offer free consultations where we will assess your horse as well as understand your goals and expectations. Our intention isn’t just to train your horse but to help you create a partnership with your horse that will last a lifetime.
Who is The Total Horse Makeover For?
Problem Horses
Problem Horse: It can be hard to admit that you have a problem horse but there are thousands of horse owners, just like you. Does your horse kick, bite, strike out, buck while under saddle? Are you afraid he may hurt you or someone you love? There are varying degrees of problem horses and we have seen them all. Let us take your problem and give you back a willing, safe, respectful partner in return.
Young, Green Broke, & Un-Started Horses
Young, Green broke, and/or un-started horses: A foundation isn’t just anything, it is everything. This is especially true for a horse that is learning how to be a good partner. The great thing about green broke or un-started horses, is that they do not come with years of poor training and bad habits. The downside is they need a ton of training. This program gives them the training they need to create a solid foundation that will last a lifetime.
Inexperienced Horsemen/Horsewomen
Inexperienced horsemen/horsewomen & those that don’t have the time: Are you afraid that your horse is just too much for you? Is your horse lacking the skills necessary to make you feel like a safe and confident rider? Is it that you just don’t have the time to put a solid foundation on your horse? No matter the problem, we can help you shape your horse into the willing, obedient, and respectful partner you have always dreamed of.
What you, the owner, and your horse should expect:
Although this program may seem like a standard one size fits all, it is not. Horse’s do not learn perfectly and some horses may not initially want to participate or may learn at a slower pace. The opposite is true as well. Some horses are extremely willing partners and will learn at an expedited pace. This is why The Total Horse Makeover can range from 6-8 weeks. The owner will only be charged for 6 weeks of training even if it takes 8 weeks for their horse to complete the curriculum. The only additional charge for the owner will be boarding after the six weeks.
After your horse has been in the program for two weeks you can expect a conference call with the trainer detailing your horse’s progress in the program. This phone call will include strengths and weaknesses as well as their overall progress. The trainer will also forecast with you what the next 4-6 weeks will look like for your horse. You will receive another conference call four weeks into the program as well.
Nutrition:
American Horse Company will ensure that your horse receives the best car and nutrition possible. Your horse will be fed free-choice hay, including both alfalfa and grass hay. Starting after the second week of training, or when the horse is doing well mentally (he’s not hot or nervous), he will receive grain twice daily. Your horse’s feeding program will be customized based on your horses needs, and will probably change throughout this program. We will be feeding high quality Alfalfa, alfalfa pellets and grain as well as trace minerals to help replenish the minerals they loose during this program. During this program it may be necessary to remove the grain and switch out the alfalfa for grass hay if your horse is becoming hyper reactive. An example of this would be if we introduce your horse to his new dietary program and we notice your horse coming out of his run wanting to run marathons like a kid on a sugar rush; at that point we will step back the feed and switch it out for something that will help them be less reactive. We will then slowly reintroduce the Alfalfa and grain as they continue in the program. Every horse is different and will react differently to their new diet, which is why we don’t have a standard feed program for all of our horses. We expect a lot out of our horses and in return our horses expect a lot out of us.
Graduation Day:
A tentative date for your horse’s graduation will be set during the 4-week conference call. On Graduation Day you can expect for the trainer to show you all the exercises your horse now knows. After the demonstration you and the trainer will have a private all day clinic. This clinic will focus on teaching you all the exercises your horse knows and helping you reestablish your relationship with your horse, with you as the new leader. Moving forward, if you have any questions or concerns about your horse you will have access to the trainer who trained your horse.
By the end of The Total Horse Makeover, you can expect your horse to learn and be proficient* at the following exercises:
Ground Work:
1. Round penning Exercises
2. Desensitizing with the lead rope
3. Desensitizing with the Stick and String
4. Disengage the Hindquarters
A. Partially
B. completley
5. Backing up
A. stage 1
B. stage 2
C. stage 3
D. stage 4
6. disengage the Forequarters
7. basic lunging
8. softening
A. Steady Pressure
B. Bumping on Halter
C. softening from opposite side
9. driving Exercise
10. trotting circles on the ground
11. beyond the basic lunging
12. Leading
13. beyond the basics Desensitizing
A. Spanking the ground around your horse
B. Head shy Exercises
C. lasso
Riding Exercises:
1. softening with bridle on the ground
2. softening at the Standstill (under saddle)
3. One Rein Stops
4. trotting and cantering with confidence
5. trotting and cantering in straight lines
6. corner to corner
7. Touch and Rub (on the ground)
8. disengage the Hindquarters From a Standstill
9. disengage the hindquarters in motion
10. softening at the Walk
11. softening exercises
12. Vertical collection at the Standstill
13. two rein stop
14. disengage the Hindquarters and Back Up
Trailer Loading
1. Loading in and out of a equine trailer
Farrier Training
1. Standing calm and quiet for a Farrier
Hobbling (at owners request / no additional charge)
1. Sidelines
2. One legged hobbles
3. Rope hobbles
*the horse will have the capacity to complete each exercise
Cost:
Tuition Grand Total: $6,000.00
Boarding for six weeks: $1,260.00
Boarding is $30.00 per day for everyday your horse is at American Horse Company after the first initial six weeks.
Boarding includes: Feed (alfalfa, grass hay, alfalfa pellets, high quality performance grain, trace minerals)
Free range water
Supplements (if you provide and provide instructions for how often, etc.)
Blanket
Doctoring of any cuts, scrapes, etc.
Daily bath
Hydrotherapy (if needed)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Total Horse Makeover make any horse meet my goals?
No, unfortunately not every horse is suited for every goal. For example, if you bring us a young colt, we can train them to the highest level possible within The Total Horse Makeover but, that does not mean that that horse will be safe for your five-year-old grandchild to ride without supervision. A young horse is limited by what he has experienced. If you are wanting a horse for a young child or an inexperienced rider then you are better off bringing us a horse that is much older, has been around the block a few times, and just needs training in order to make them safe on the ground and under saddle.
During my consultation, I told you that my horse bucks every time you ask him to canter. What if you cannot fix this?
During our free consultation we ask our customers to give us all their goals, expectations, as well as problems with their horse. We are in the business of helping horses and horsemen/horsewomen. If we do not think we can help you or if we do not think we are a good fit for you and your horse, we will not accept you into The Total Horse Makeover. With that being said, if we make a promise or a guarantee (which will always be in writing) and we cannot fulfill our promise, we will return any money paid for training minus boarding. We have never had to give a customer their money back because we could not fix their horse, but this question has been asked by many of our customers and we find it important to be upfront with our policies.
My horse has never been ridden, is The Total Horse Makeover the right program for them?
Yes, we start all horses, regardless of whether they have been ridden or not, from the ground up. The core purpose of The Total Horse Makeover is to give your horse the foundation it needs to have a successful partnership with you. We have years of experience starting colts and we can help you with yours.
My horse knows all of the groundwork exercises can you just focus on riding?
We start all horses with groundwork, regardless of what their past experience is. We do this for many reasons; the most important being respect. Respect cannot be bred into a horse, it cannot be bought, and it cannot be transferred, it can only be earned. Groundwork helps us earn your horse’s respect and helps keep us and your horse safe. If your horse does, in fact, know all of our ground work exercises to a B+/A-, we will not have to spend as much time on these exercises when compared to a horse that does not know any ground work exercises. The time saved will be spent on riding and accomplishing other goals within the Total Horse Makeover program.
My horse is un-trainable and has been to several different trainers. No one can fix him. Can The Total Horse Makeover help my horse and me?
Yes, we can and we will. We are not your average run of the mill horse trainer who has dozens of horses to deal with. We limit the amount of horses we take in for The Total Horse Makeover to two-four. This is not to say that we cannot handle more horses, but we find it important that the head trainer you meet with will be the trainer that trains your horse. We want this program to feel intimate and custom tailored to fit your horse and your needs. We have found that accepting more horses than our standard, takes away from the experience and dilutes the training. We apologize in advance for not being able to take your horse right away but know that when he does get his turn, he will get our undivided attention.
This sounds like a rigorous program, can my two year old handle this or should I wait another year or two before riding him?
This is a question many of our customers struggle with. We at American Horse Company take a common sense approach. Not all horses are physically ready to be started at two years old but some are. If you have any doubts or concerns, we recommend you consulting your veterinarian first. With that in mind, whenever we take a young horse through The Total Horse Makeover, we keep his age and body condition at the forefront of their training program. We have never had lameness issues surface because they were trained too early but as a general rule, we take our time working with them into our training program, which usually means they take eight weeks to finish the program. Compare that to a five year old that usually finishes the program in six weeks. This does not mean that all horses should be started at age five. The older a horse gets untrained, the more they become set in their ways and develop bad habits which will take even longer to break. If we think your horse is too young to start, we will be honest with you. We want you and your horse to have a long and successful career and sometimes that just starts with a little common sense.
Do you think the Total Horse Makeover is for you and your horse? Give us a call or fill out the attached form to be contacted immediately!