The Lariat: A Great Tool for Every Discipline

Training your own horse, part 3 of 6
by Alice Trindle

As I write this article I am returning from the Celebrate the Horse Expo held in Puyallup, Washington. It was a wonderful gathering of horse folks. Many people there seemed to recognize the importance of continuing education for both horse and rider. However, I was struck by some of the misconceptions within the horse world based simply on semantics and costumes. To see Steve Rother ride his Friesian in a western saddle or me perform with the garrocha but not the traditional Doma Vaquera Spanish regalia may have seemed wrong to some. The reality of the soft, willing, flowing picture and partnership was overlooked. The people who truly understood the demonstrations were those who simply enjoyed the beautiful picture they were witnessing.

This month as we work on training our horses, I’d like to challenge you to pick up an aid that may well be new to you and a fresh addition to your “look”: the lariat.

I have not found another device that so effectively teaches me to develop my feel, learn to multi-task, and just plain have fun – all without needing to know how to build a loop or have any intention of actually roping. I have written previously in NWHS about the benefits of using a lariat (2005 ‘Use of the Lariat’ Clinic #7 www.tnthorsemanship.com/articles), and in the three years since, I have developed an even greater admiration for the positive attributes of this horseman’s tool.

To begin, I highly recommend that you review the information found in the abovementioned article. That way we can treat this article as a continuation, adding some exercises for using the lariat to sensitize your horse to your smallest of intentions. In particular, review the prerequisites below prior to your work in order to keep you and your horse safe. Keep in mind that we are trying to heighten your ability to clearly communicate with the horse so he seeks your leadership in any situation. We are preparing him for the unexpected by simulating situations that can happen on the trail, in the arena, or even on the dressage court: things coming in and out of his vision, items touching all parts of his body, and yielding to pressure rather than pulling against it. These are all important understandings to have cemented into your schooling in order to keep everyone safe.

Use the lariat exercise below to ultimately enhance your relationship with your horse, no matter what the discipline.

Yielding All Four Feet
It is critical for proper hoof care that the horse be willing to give each of his feet without a pull or push. There is no need for cross-ties or restraining devices when the human works with the horse (or mule!) to politely yield his feet. If by chance your horse gets caught in a piece of wire, tangled in vines or wrapped up in a rope, you will be mighty glad that you worked with him to yield to pressure. The ring rope and lariat are excellent tools to help save you from expensive veterinary bills and keep your horse away from a traumatic encounter.

Practice this exercise first on a schooled horse, if at all possible:

Prepare with a ring rope and your horse on a halter lead. Build the loop and place it over the horse's rump. Feed the slack out to make a big loop on the ground behind the horse. Step him back one step over the top of the rope. Next, draw the loop off the rump; magically, it will be around the inside hind foot! Take the slack out of your loop, bringing the ring end snug around the fetlock. Once this is done, follow the photo instructions below.

1. Send the mule forward, just carrying the lariat. Coils should be transferred to the left hand in preparation for halt, which is accomplished by putting pressure on the lariat lead.

2. Be ready to take the pull on the rope across your thighs rather than trying to hold with your hand and arm strength.

3. Wait for the mule to yield the foot without tension. When he does, give immediate reward by putting slack in the lariat.

Once you can accomplish the above maneuvers, work on a halt to a backup. Eventually, you should be able to lead the mule forward, backward, and sideways by his feet.

Note: If the mule had become very bothered, I would have haltered him and brought in a skilled human to assist the mule by working the halter lead while I handled the lariat.

Find more photos, exercises and information, including instructions to create a "horseman's halter," on Alice's website at http://www.tnthorsemanship.com/.

Prerequisite Preparation Reminders
· Prepare yourself to comfortably toss, coil, and swing the lariat.
· Prepare your horse to accept ropes around, under and between all parts of his body and to yield to the ropes' pressure.
· Find a good teacher who is experienced in using a horseman’s lariat to give you guidance, then practice on a schooled horse.
· Double-check that your environment is horse-safe, and that you can extend the lariat the entire distance across the pen.