Bruce Martin

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Bruce Martin

Bruce Martin has been riding and training horses professionally since he was a teenager in Bergen County , New Jersey Through the years Bruce has had a career as a trainer and breeding manager at some of the largest and most prestigious barns in our country, including at Babcock Ranch and at Loomis Ranch in Oklahoma . His experience has led him to compete in and win in nearly every equestrian discipline and most especially in the field where he particularly excels, reining. Over the years Bruce has learned and practiced traditional training and coaching methods with success, and yet he always felt as thought something was missing in conventional training.

“I became aware that many conventional training methods were not working well for horses and riders. Horses were anxious and unresponsive, and riders were frustrated. There was no dialogue, no communication between horse and rider. The synchronicity that should always exist between horse and rider was not there. I began to realize that if I were loving a subject in school, I’d do well in it. If I didn’t enjoy it, I would do poorly. If a horse and rider were not relaxed and comfortable in their training, or if the training were done in an overly critical manner, neither the horse nor rider would benefit. I began to think how I could teach both horse and rider to find “ The Way Back to Joy.”

In training the horses Bruce ‘s number one rule is: Bruce Martin's Performance Horses

1. Forward motion fixes everything

"People often forget that horses are creatures of fight or flight. We often tend to ascribe to them human reactions. If a horse reacts to seeing a plastic bag in his path, many riders assume they should circle the horse around to revisit the bag, to gain an understanding of what it is. That’s fine for a human. Horses only care that they can get very far away from the bag and be out of danger. Thus, the forward motion of a canter or lope succeeds in calming the horse, and allaying any fears or apprehensions he might have.’

Bruce’s number two rule is:

2. Horses need to know their pecking order:

“ Horses are animals which inherently belong to the herd. In a herd there is a very distinctive leader, and horses are confident in knowing that there is a strong presence who will keep them from danger. As a rider, you become the leader, highest in the pecking order. The quicker and more deliberate a correction you can offer your horse, the more responsive and respectful he will be. When you question yourself or hesitate, the horse loses confidence in his leader and there will be a power struggle . If dance partners struggled with each trying to assume the lead, the partners would be clumsy at best, each not cooperating with the other. The dance would fall apart. If the rider assumes the leader role, he or she will have a relaxed and confident partner in the horse.”

When Bruce coaches riders in “The Way Back to Joy”, he helps them understand the idea of mind and body working together.

1.Keep your inner dialogue positive

“Riders often forget the very basic idea that all activity of the body involves the mind. Everything that you are feeling physically, emotionally, spiritually is reflected in your body and its muscular tension. Whether or not you’re feeling positive or negatively will be reflected in the body. Your horse senses your tension and will react to it instantaneously. Imagine, if you’re thinking , “ I know I won’t make that lead change correctly.” You send that tension to your horse . What do you think the chances are that the rider will indeed make the lead change correctly? Very small. Stay positive and embrace the joy of riding. Send positive energy to your partner.”

Bruce also teaches riders to enjoy the process of riding.

2. Practice your positive responses often.

“Many riders will accomplish something once and think they’ve mastered it. The mastery comes in the repetition of the positive response until it holds up under pressure. There is no substitute for putting in riding hours . Riders need to practice and enjoy the process of learning how to partner their horses.”

In “The Way Back to Joy ,” Bruce explains his own vision:

“ I have the vision of a horse moving freely and fluidly across an open pasture. This beautiful image is forever engrained in my mind! I want my riders to feel that joy of movement with their own horses."

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