The Halt From First Principles: Teaching a Horse to Stop, Fundamentals First Oct 10, 2026 Zachary Leyden Strip the halt down to what it actually is: a thousand pounds of moving animal must become a thousand pounds of standing animal, willingly, within a stride or two, and remain standing. That is the who... Field Notes First Principles Read more
What a Halter Actually Does: How a Halter Works on a Horse Sep 10, 2026 Zachary Leyden Take a halter off its hook and look at it honestly: a pound of rope or nylon, a few knots, a buckle, nothing clever. Now look at the animal it is supposed to manage, which outweighs you several times ... Field Notes First Principles Read more
The Horse Respect Training Myth: What Horsemen Actually Mean Aug 11, 2026 Zachary Leyden Somewhere right now a horse is dancing at the end of a lead rope while somebody in the arena says he has no respect for you. The word does a lot of work in barns. Most of it is bad work. This is a fir... Field Notes First Principles Read more
Pressure in Horse Training Explained: What Is Pressure, Really? Jul 12, 2026 Zachary Leyden Say the word “pressure” to a new student and watch the shoulders climb. The word arrives carrying freight: force, stress, squeezing something until it gives. So before we teach a single technique, we ... Field Notes First Principles Read more
