Bob Avila

Shopping for a horse? Avoid ‘Mr. Wrong’ by using these guidelines, gleaned from a lifetime of buying horses.

It takes time to learn all the skills required for showing your horse well. Find success faster with my five recommendations.

Adding an event to your repertoire elevates your skills, keeps your horse interested, and gives you new goals to set.

Use my best lead-change drill to sharpen your horse’s lead change or banish bad habits, such as leaning into the change.

Focus on your comeback rather than your setback to move on from mistakes.

Hall-of-fame horses are few and far between. I was fortunate to ride one his entire career.

Use quality tack in your day-to-day riding to keep your horse comfortable and performing well

Save yourself trouble and heartache by learning from the eight mistakes I see buyers make all too often.

Are you doing right by your horse to ensure longevity in his showing career? Take this show-horse maintenance quiz to find out.

A solid start with a snaffle and mindful progression to a bridle will give your horse power steering for his entire performance career.

Talk of delaying futurities and other young-horse events has leapt from private conversation to public debate (with the NCHA), and even reality (with the APHA). But will it truly help the horses?

Common courtesy goes a long way to maintain a positive, professional experience at your trainer’s barn.

My five tips for setting realistic goals will put you on the path to success.

The secret to effective horse training is simple: You have to know when to quit.

Any performance prospect is a gamble. But you can up your odds of finding a good one by knowing what to look for, and why.

Consider my list of do’s and don’ts as you plan for your horse’s post-career years.

Mileage equals experience, and how you get it makes a difference between good miles and bad miles on your horse’s odometer. Yours, too. Here’s how to steer in the right direction.

Want free lessons from a top pro? Head to the warm-up pen at a horse show, put your cell phone down, and let the learning begin.

Use these pre-show spiff-up tips to prep your horse for an eye-catching performance.

Learn how a few extra minutes and a little elbow grease can take your next sale-ad photo to a professional level.

Is the artificially low-headed fad in the reining pen here to stay? NRHA Futurity champ Bob Avila talks about it.

Is your horse a saint for your trainer and a “sinner” with you? Find out why, and what you can do about it.

It doesn't come from a bigger bit (or bigger spurs or bigger cues). Read on to get the answer.

Learn how taking the time to ice your horse’s legs can help keep him sound—and save you vet bills!

Want to help keep your horse sound, physically and mentally? Get him fit to perform his job.

Learn why hiring a trainer to help with your horse (or horse hunt) can be money well spent. Then use my insights to help you find a good one.

Gain valuable insights into five different spur designs, and learn how form affects function.

Hobble-train your horse to teach him patience, restraint, and more.

Learn how this costly error will derail a horse’s progress, and what you can do to avoid it.

Use these simple solutions to work through problems using your brain, not your brawn, so you can solve them without a fight.

Planning to build a barn? Save yourself a lot of grief by following these five tips.

Get your young horse ready for his first show (or prep your seasoned horse for his first show of the year), so he has his best shot at success.

Does your horse see 'monsters' when you take him to new places? Learn how to diffuse his behavior, using the same techniques I use with my horses.

Help your horse overcome a fear of cattle with these tips from top trainer Bob Avila.