Riding a spooky, young, athletic horse can feel intimidating, but success comes from redirecting energy—not resisting it. By using soft, one-rein redirection and keeping your horse moving forward, you can...

In this Q&A session with eighth-grade riders, horse trainer Michael Gascon breaks down the critical skill of disengaging the hindquarters—a key step in gaining total control of your horse, especially...

The jog trot is a crucial gait for developing a calm, responsive horse with a quiet mind. It allows riders to refine cues, improve collection, and teach softness without triggering...

Using a breeching on your gaited horse offers major benefits for balance, collection, and saddle stability—especially on challenging terrain. It gently encourages the horse to keep their hind end underneath...

Introducing stairs and bridges to a green horse can be a challenge, but with the right techniques, it’s a rewarding experience for both rider and horse. Michael Gascon emphasizes the...

Picking up a young horse’s feet for the first time can be tricky, especially with a hot or sensitive colt. In this blog post, Michael Gascon walks through a safe,...

Struggling with a hot, sensitive horse that just won’t walk calmly? In this clinic, Michael Gascon shares proven strategies to de-escalate runaway energy without a fight—using spirals, crooked backups, and...

In this final session of the Horse Hop Challenge, Michael Gascon answers rider questions about speed transitions, collection, and solving common riding issues. He explains how to cue downward transitions...

In Part 4 of the “Intro to Driving” series, Michael Gascon works with Amy, a young warmblood filly overcoming hesitation and shutdown behavior under harness. This session focuses on building...

In Michael Gascon's Crystal Clear Communication clinic at the 2019 World Horse Expo, he shared essential horsemanship lessons on controlling a horse’s mind before its body. With a mix of...

Teaching your gaited horse smooth transitions between walk, trot, and canter can dramatically improve their relaxation, responsiveness, and versatility. In this post, we work with Flip, a formerly high-strung Paso...

Introducing a green horse to the cowboy curtain is a powerful way to build confidence and control through thoughtful redirection. In this lesson with Thunder, we transition from round pen...