Hands On Horse Training

Hands On Horse Training Hands-On Horse Training is the method of training horses and riders developed by Troy Griffith My name is Troy Griffith.

I live with my lovely wife Nancy, two dogs and six horses in Aumsville, Oregon. I am a lifelong student of historical European martial arts and, for many years, have been working toward training myself and my horses in the skills of the medieval knight astride a warhorse. As part of this training I have developed methods of preparing horse and rider for the challenges faced by warhorse and rider a

s they practice such medieval equestrian activities as jousting, mounted sword combat and archery from horseback. Obviously these sorts of activities require a physically capable, mentally steady mount that a rider can count on to calmly face challenges the average horse might find overwhelming. I teach these methods to other horse owners. While some have an interest in training a warhorse of their own, most are simply interested in having this kind of relationship and level of confidence with their own horse. Much the way folks take their horses to Police Horse Workshops when they have no intention of ever being a mounted officer. After all, a horse that has no issue with charging another horse and rider in armor, is simply unlikely to have much of an issue with more common activities. It may be counter-intuitive, but while the warhorse activities may seem aggressive in nature, the methods used to prepare horse and rider for them are anything but. The “Hands-On” method, as I call the techniques I teach, are based on gentle, consistent repetition to acclimate the horse and create a relationship of respect and trust, while straightening and balancing the natural asymmetry of the horse to improve collection and agility. Many of these methods find their roots in classical horse training stretching back thousands of years, where the understanding of the natural responses of the horse is key to systematically and gently condition and train the animal, not simply force it comply with the wishes of the rider. If you would like to discuss your horsemanship goals and how I might help you achieve them, feel free to contact me at 541-535-7974.

08/05/2026

"The hand is dependent on the position of the inside leg, the outside leg, and the torso, with the natural and correct position of the upper arms and forearms. It will be just as good, mediocre, or bad as these. For the seat and the posture, the torso provides the support for the hand. A good hand is unthinkable when the seat is wrong, unsteady, stiff, and dead. The shoulder, elbow, fist, and even the finger joints must remain relaxed and free of tension. If the rider has to apply strength, he must produce it only by sitting deeper in the saddle, by increasing the stability of his torso, and by hugging his rib cage more with one or both arms; in other words, by securing and maintaining the support base of the hand more. The hand may close more only to the extent that the reins cannot be pulled away from it. It is only through long practice that the rider can acquire this skill which originates in the seat and posture alone, i.e. the support base of the hand, and which gives him the greatest possible control over the horse, whereas, conversely, a bad hand gives the horse all the power over him."
Adolf Kästner 1876

08/05/2026

"Practice makes indeed perfect - but only after a very serious apprenticeship under a master who introduces the disciple to the secrets of the art of choosing the right remedy and solving the problem."
Otto von Monteton 1877

08/04/2026

"A training system, it seems to me, must consider the mental qualities of the horse and not seek to force him to coordinate his efforts exactly with the laws of mechanics. The horse should be the master, not the slave, of these laws. The understanding of a horseman comes from his heart, not from mathematical calculations. Why then try to make of his noble comrade a mere automaton?"
Capitan Beudant Étienne (1863 - 1949)

08/04/2026

"The “aids” that have become a technical term in horsemanship are no real help for the horse, as long as he perceives them clearly as interference from the outside. They only deserve to be called “aids” when they blend into the horse’s movement so seamlessly that the horse’s desired response becomes “instinctual” and that the rider’s “orders” direct the horse without him perceiving it this way. The observer on the outside will therefore always have to get the impression that “the rider thinks and the horse carries out on his own.”
Brigadier Kurt Albrecht - Director of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna

08/03/2026

"True harmony between rider and horse that determines the “expression” and hence the “impression” of a performance can therefore only exist when the rider can harmonize his aids so finely with the horse’s movements that they have a truly aiding, not interfering effect.”
Brigadier Kurt Albrecht - Director of the Spanish Riding School from 1974 to 1985

08/03/2026

"The quality of the seat determines whether we can even speak of “riding”, or whether the horse simply has to “deal with” the load on his back.”
Brigadier Kurt Albrecht - Director of the Spanish Riding School from 1974 to 1985

08/02/2026

"The influence of the rider’s midsection (German: Kreuz) on the horse’s locomotive mechanism is the most powerful aid the rider has at his disposal. It is no coincidence that it is said: The rider who possesses “Kreuz” possesses the most important key for the horse’s training. No leg, much less the spur, can replace this “Kreuz”. Without a connection to the Kreuz, these two create unharmonious changes in the rhythm and tact of the footfall sequence, thus becoming the source of a “disturbed overall expression” of any equestrian presentation. (A “squeezing” or “tapping” leg is always out of sync with the horse’s motion and therefore not an “aid” but an irritating “source of confusion” that the horse has to put up with).”
Brigadier Kurt Albrecht - Director of the Spanish Riding School from 1974 to 1985

08/02/2026

"Just as the gripping, i.e., never-changing calf pressure is not a true aid for the horse, because it makes him more and more insensitive to the rider’s more subtle wishes, the “ambushing” calf that startles the horse cannot fulfill its purpose.”
Brigadier Kurt Albrecht - Director of the Spanish Riding School from 1974 to 1985

08/01/2026

When confronted by a person saying something like "If he gets away with not going in the trailer this time, he will learn he can refuse. " (insert instead of "going the trailer", "cross the water" or "go through the gate" or "Stand for the farrier", etc) The flaw in this thinking is to believe the horse actually knows what OUR goal is. If my goal were to have the horse stand quietly at the trailer door, or put his front feet in, instead of getting him all the way inside, how would the horse know? The horse knows only that they feel safe, at ease, and protected, or they do not. We set the goals, so we can alter them as needed to achieve a calm, trusting horse, confident in our ability to lead them. No matter what else we are trying to do, that is the only goal we can have that is sure to match the goals of the horse

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08/01/2026

"Leg shyness belongs here as well. Initially, very conservative calf aids (with a deep knee and quietly hanging leg) are necessary, but one should be careful not to remove the leg immediately if the horse reacts hyper-sensitively. It is important in such cases to keep the calf contact as consistent as possible, and not to change it in each transition between the gaits.”
Brigadier Kurt Albrecht - Director of the Spanish Riding School from 1974 to 1985

Address

7743 Mill Creek Road Se
Aumsville, OR
97325

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm
Sunday 7am - 7pm

Telephone

(541) 535-7974

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