Earn Your Horse's Respect, Part 1

Put your safety first and establish a respectful distance when training your horse

by Clinton Anderson, Downunder Horsemanship

A respectful horse is a willing horse. When you ask him to move, he does so instantly. When you lead him, he walks next to you like a shadow. When you go into his stall, he greets you with his ears pricked forward. He wants to be your partner. A disrespectful horse pins his ears at you, nips at you, shows you his heels and ignores you. He’s unsafe to be around and takes all the joy out of horse ownership.

The Personal Hula Hoop Space

Respect is broken into two categories: a safety category and a learning category. When I refer to the safety category of respect I’m talking about the personal hula hoop space. This is a 4-foot circle that surrounds you and serves as your safety zone. Whenever I’m working with a horse, I always imagine that there’s a 4-foot circle drawn around me—almost like an invisible electric fence. Unless I invite the horse into my personal hula hoop space, he should keep a respectful, safe distance from me. The horse should never come into the circle unless I invite him in.

Think about all the times people get hurt by horses. The horse bites them, kicks them, strikes at them, runs over the top of them, etc. Each time, the horse was in the person’s personal hula hoop space. A horse can’t bite you if he is 4 feet away from you. He can’t kick you if his hind leg doesn’t get any closer to you than 4 feet.

People think that it’s just a disrespectful horse that will hurt you, but that’s not true at all. A fearful horse will hurt you just as fast. Have you ever noticed that when you’re leading a horse that is nervous and frightened, when something scares him, he tries to jump on top of you? He pushes into you and invades your personal hula hoop space. He tries to jump in your top pocket, doesn’t he? The horse is looking to you for safety, but unfortunately, we’re a lot more fragile and smaller than a horse. Eventually, you will get hurt. A fearful horse will hurt you just as fast as a disrespectful one will. I don’t care if my horse has a heart attack and gets scared; I just want him to do it outside of my personal hula hoop space.

The first part of respect is to teach the horse that you are fragile and he needs to be careful around you. When a horse kicks another horse in the belly, what does that horse do? He grunts, walks away and starts eating grass again like nothing ever happened. It doesn’t really bother him. But if we get kicked in the ribs by a horse, we’re in the hospital for a week. It’s the same kick, but it means a lot more to us because we’re smaller creatures. The safety part of respect is to say, “Listen, take care of me. I’m pretty fragile, so you can’t be biting me and kicking me or playing rough around me.”

By Invitation Only

The first rule of safety is, “Don’t come into my personal hula hoop space unless I invite you in.” It’s kind of like how you want your neighbors to treat you. You might like your neighbors, but you never want them to just barge into your house. You always want them to walk up to the door, knock and ask to come in. At that point, you can ask them to come in, but you always want the option to turn them away. You don’t want your horse to act like a nosey neighbor and barge into your space. When I first meet a horse, it’s very important for me to establish my personal hula hoop space. If I can touch any part of the horse with my Handy Stick while my arm is stretched out, he is too close.

A lot of people reading this are saying, “Does that mean I can’t love on my horse?” Not at all. I’m just saying in the first few lessons—until you have your horse’s respect, the safety category is taken care of, and you can back him up and move his feet—don’t have the horse come in close to you. When he’s in close and something bad happens, you’re going to come out on the wrong end of the stick.

Once you have the horse respectful, you want him to come up to you. I love my horses running up to me, but in the beginning they need to stay out of my personal hula hoop space until I know that I have them respectful. You can’t train the horse if you’re dead. You have to survive the experience first and train the horse second. I want myself to be safe and I want my horse to be safe, but in that order—me first and the horse second.

Check back next month for part 2!

No More Worming Worries

Retrain a horse that’s hard to worm in seven steps

by Clinton Anderson

Worming is one of the basic elements of good horsekeeping and should be a worry-free, routine practice that takes place several times a year. For many people and their horses, worming time means trouble. The owner becomes frustrated because the horse is difficult to worm and the horse becomes defensive because it has previously had a bad experience being wormed or doesn’t like the taste of the wormer.

Most people have trouble worming their horses because of the way they approach the horse. They either sneak up to the horse and then jam the wormer in his mouth or they walk straight up and hang onto the halter, trying to make the horse stand still, and then jam it in there; both of these things will make the horse defensive.

Remember that horses are prey animals. If you approach him and stick the wormer in his face, like it’s a predator, he’s going to stick it back in your face and say, "Get lost!" If you change your approach and walk up to the horse and kind of act casual about it, pretty soon, you’ll notice that a lot of his defensiveness will go away and he won’t be worried about getting wormed.

A horse that is good to worm will stand still with his head down, body relaxed, and readily accept a wormer because he realizes you are not trying to hurt him.

Step 1: Desensitize the airspace around the horse’s head.

If the horse won’t accept the wormer in the airspace around him, he won’t accept it in his mouth.

Stand to the side so you are out of the horse’s way if he tosses his head or strikes at you. Wave an empty wormer back and forth around the horse’s entire head and muzzle, keeping it eight inches away from his muzzle. When the horse keeps his head still, stop waving the wormer, retreat and rub his head with your other hand. Repeat this step until he keeps his head still for the entire time you are moving the wormer.

If he is not relaxed at this point, don’t go on to the next step.

Step 2: Rub the horse with the worming syringe.

You want the horse to understand that he can be touched by the wormer without actually getting wormed. Starting at the horse’s withers, rub an empty wormer all over his body, making your way down his back. Work back toward his withers and onto his neck and jaw. If he throws his head in the air or moves away from you, continue rubbing until he stands still and relaxes, then retreat. Rub the worming syringe all over the horse’s face, continuing to use the approach and retreat method. As the horse becomes desensitized, gradually rub the wormer down and around his muzzle.

Don’t rub it real slow like you’re sneaking around him hoping that he’ll stand still. Rub the horse vigorously with the empty wormer. The horse will think to himself, "Man, you’re an idiot, you don’t even know where my mouth is."

You want him to realize that the quickest way to get rid of the wormer is to stop moving his feet and relax his head and neck. Keep doing this until you can rub the wormer all over him and he doesn’t move.

Step 3: Coat the worming syringe with something sweet.

Coat the empty worming syringe with honey, molasses or sugar to help teach the horse to accept it in his mouth. The sweetness will help the horse disassociate the bad taste of wormer with the worming process. Make sure he already has a taste for honey by putting a little of it on his feed every night.

Stand to the side and ease the wormer into the corner of his mouth. Keep the wormer in the horse’s mouth--raise your arms if he throws his head up and move back with him if he steps backward. As soon as he stands still, lowers his head and relaxes, take the wormer out of his mouth and rub his face with your hand. Repeat until the horse stands still.

Step 4: Worm the horse with something sweet.

Worming the horse with honey makes the horse think whatever is in a worming syringe tastes good. Fill the empty wormer up with honey, then wave and rub the syringe around the horse’s nose to ensure he is desensitized to it. Put the honey wormer in the corner of the horse’s mouth and slowly worm him with honey, letting him lick the honey off the syringe. Repeat for several days.

Step 5: Worm the horse with real wormer.

When the horse accepts that he likes having the worming syringe in his mouth, you can worm the horse with real wormer. Put honey on the outside of the syringe of wormer and worm him. Wait for the horse to digest the wormer, and then immediately follow up with a honey wormer. Always leave the horse with a positive taste in his mouth. If you just give the bad-tasting wormer and then walk away, the last thing he remembers is a foul taste.

Step 6: Follow up with positive reinforcement.

Over the next three to four days, remind the horse that worming does not have to be a horrible experience by continuing to worm him with a honey wormer. Remember to always desensitize him to the honey wormer before putting it in his mouth by waving and rubbing the syringe around his nose.

Step 7: Repeat the process before the next scheduled worming.

Start the process again and worm the horse with honey for four days before the next scheduled worming. Follow up by worming the horse with honey for four days afterward; doing this will always leave your horse with a positive worming experience. In time, you should be able to just walk up, worm the horse, and walk away.

About the Author

Clinton Anderson was born and raised in Queensland, Australia, where at the age of 6 his family recognized a natural ability with horses. They cultivated his interest, buying him his first horse at age nine and driving Clinton began attending horsemanship clinics at age 12. Clinton started his training apprenticeship full time at age 15 with nationally acclaimed clinician and horse trainer Gordon McKinlay of Rockhampton, Queensland. During the next two years, he started and trained more than 600 horses under Gordon’s expert guidance as he established his own foundation of safety and learning to gain respect and control of the wide variety of horses he worked with.

In October of 1997, Clinton officially made the United States his home where he began training, touring and conducting clinics. Today, Clinton continues to inspire, instruct, and innovate as he works tirelessly to help horse owners of all levels and disciplines learn to be safe and effective while enjoying their horses and achieving their horsemanship goals.

The Left to Right Hip Shot

Learn one of the more difficult—and impressive—ranch roping shots.
by Pat Hooks

Editor's note: If you missed Pat Hooks' previous article on Ranch Roping, "Basic Head Shots," in our June 2009 issue, you can read it online at http://content.yudu.com/Library/A17swc/NWHSJune2009/resources/30.htm. Or go to nwhorsesource.com, click Past Issues in the menu, and scroll down to June 2009.

This go-'round, let’s cover the Left-to-right Over the Hip Shot for roping. Better think on this one for a moment. We are going to use the hip (target) of the animal or dummy to hinge our rope (base) on, causing the tip to travel back toward us to form a trap in front of the rear legs. In this left-to-right (L/R) position, the right-handed roper has to throw a houlihan swing (see June 2009 article noted above) in order to rotate the rope's tip in front of the legs. A forward swing by the heeler would wrap the tip behind the legs. A fellow would call that a "wad up" shot: just wad the loop up in the air and hope for the best.

Click here to read the full article with photos.

Driving Horses, Part 3 of 3

Common misconceptions about driving and the reality behind them
by Kayo Fraser

Driving horses can be fun and challenging. However, there are skills that must be learned and developed first to avoid injury to yourself and your horse.

Misconceptions About Learning to Drive
1. It is easy to learn
Driving is not a skill learned in a few hours. The amount of time it takes varies with each individual, but we recommend at least two weeks of professional lessons to absorb the basics and be able to drive a well trained horse or pair of horses. It takes practice to develop an instinctual response to surprising situations that could be potentially dangerous. The more you know, the better you can avoid mistakes.

2. Any horse can be driven
Some horses do not have the disposition required to be a safe driving horse. It is more challenging to teach older horses to drive, and often they do not appreciate doing something this different from their previous training. Compare it to teaching a teenager to clean his room if he has never had to do it before: rebellion sets in. A mature horse has figured out his lot in life and may not be willing to learn something as frightening as pulling a “monster on wheels” behind him. His rebellion may be devastating. Either start with a well trained horse or train your horse when he is young and receptive.

3. A bomb-proof horse can teach you to drive
There is no such thing as a bomb-proof horse except a dead one. Horses feel safer when their driver knows what he/she is doing. They need to trust the driver to not get them into a troubling situation or to be there for them if they get frightened. All horses have the potential to run.

4. You can learn to drive from books or videos
Wonderful books have been written by great trainers – but a book or video cannot correct bad habits or misuse of the reins, or tell you what to do if your horse refuses the lesson. Hands-on training with a professional instructor is the best way to learn these skills correctly.

5. Anyone can teach a horse to drive
Try teaching a college course in calculus with no background in math. If your horse loves and trusts you, he may be willing to try something new –but how can you teach proper driving techniques if you don’t know the basics yourself?

6. Buy before you try
A lot of money is wasted by people who buy horses, harnesses or vehicles without proper knowledge or advice. Even if you buy from a reputable manufacturer, you may spend money on something that is not suitable for your horse or application.

Common Mistakes Made While Learning
1. Driving with a loose rein/line.
A novice needs to understand the importance of contact with the horse’s mouth instead of driving with a loose line as you would in neck reining. It is the most difficult habit to change. The lines are like telegraph wires sending signals from you to your horse. If you drive with proper contact, you can feel your horse and your horse can feel you.

2. Hollywood-style driving
One of the first mistakes we correct is slapping the lines on the horse’s rump to make him go. It is a learned response from watching western movies and TV shows. Any time you slap the lines, you abuse the horse’s mouth. There are much better ways to ask a horse to move ahead.

3. Staring at the lines to be sure there is no slack
It is surprising how many people believe they need to look at the lines while they drive. When you learn to “feel” the reins, you know you have the right connection to your horse. If you stare at the reins or the horse’s head, you might miss that bear walking out on the trail up ahead or a dog waiting to bark as you pass by or a child running out from the bushes to greet you. You need to be aware of your surroundings, not only to be safe, but to relax and enjoy the experience.

4. Leaning forward in the carriage
Center of balance is as important on the carriage seat as in the saddle. Leaning too far ahead not only looks bad, but it will eventually hurt your back. If the horse lunges forward, you are at risk of being pulled out of the seat and under the carriage.

5. Letting the horse go where he wants
If it were up to most horses, they would go back to the barn for oats and a brush-down. A horse needs his driver to be confident and in control. He may not realize you need to stop at an intersection for his safety and your own. A horse is a creature of habit and may take the same route every day like milk delivery horses did in the past. Driving to new areas for a change of scenery will be fun for everyone.

After a few lessons, most students realize that driving is not as easy as they thought. It takes time and practice to learn and develop new skills. I call it cellular memory or muscle memory when the brain has learned how to make the muscles respond properly to driving a carriage horse in all situations.

The sport of driving is the fastest growing equine activity today. If you decide to give it a try, be sure to have someone who knows what they are doing help you get started. Before you take anyone for a ride on the carriage, please get professional training for yourself. Risking your own life is up to you, but before you risk the lives of other people, there are many techniques and safety issues you need to learn so everyone can have a great time – especially your horse.

Driving for Fun

From the students' mouths – how driving can be a great addition to activities with your horse

Article and photo by Kayo Fraser

Racing through water hazards in a marathon vehicle and running tight twists and turns is only part of the attraction to driving horses. It is fun, it is challenging and it is easier on the bones. But rather than me telling you what fun it is, I asked several people why they enjoy driving.

“That's easy! I don't get bucked off, and I can share my horse with a lot more people; even those that don't know squat about horses. Even old Grandma Jones that can't ride a horse can get in the buggy with me and go for a pleasant ride.”

“I've done just about everything there is to do with horses: western, English, barrel racing, fox hunting, roping, dressage, polo, reining, but the folks I've encountered in the driving world are simply the best! That and the thrill/challenge of a CDE are why I drive.”

Horses like to play, too. When they can charge over hills, zip through trees and splash across water with a driver steering the best route, horses can have as much fun as people. Just remember, proper training is necessary for both drivers and horses to be safe.

For people who want to be involved with horses but don’t want to drive, being a groom or navigator on the back of the vehicle can be exciting. These assistants are fondly referred to as “gators,” and their job is to keep the rear wheels on the ground during sharp turns and assist in swaying the carriage around obstacles. One of our students actually prefers it to driving.

Physical Constraints
When it becomes physically difficult to ride, many equestrians don’t want to give up their horses; learning how to drive keeps them active with their equine companions.

“I have been around horses all my life, but it is getting difficult to get into the saddle anymore. I don’t want to give them up, so I’d like to learn how to drive so I can still play with them.”

“I'm an incredibly green driver but have realized, for all my years of riding horses and loving them, my bones are getting creaky, and gravity has made it really difficult to mount a horse. Driving will be a way to still spend all the time I can with my horses. My husband, who has given up riding, can go driving with me, and that’s a great thing!”

Marilyn, a 73-year-old student, says, “It’s a wonderful way for the more mature horse people to stay with horses because as the hips and knees get replaced and spines get fused, we can still drive horses.”

Our daughter married a wonderful man who used to drive the famous Clydesdales and is still driving professionally. She says: “The thing he likes best about driving is that you can get more beer in the cooler located on the seat beside you than in your saddle bags.”

We don’t encourage drinking and driving, and neither does he, but having space in the wagon for a picnic lunch is definitely a plus. Driving horses with a wagon can be useful for hauling firewood, hay, salt, provisions, camping gear, or game, and is welcome in limited access areas where motorized vehicles are not allowed.

Making Dreams Come True
“I have had a dream since I was a little girl of owning a small farm that I could work with a team of draft horses. Do you think I am crazy to start learning how to work horses at this stage in my life?”

The student who said that was in her fifties at the time. We told her she would be crazy if she didn’t. She learned how to mow and rake hay, spread manure and harrow the fields. She eventually bought a small farm and the equipment she needed to work it.

Life is too short not to follow one’s dream.

The Challenges of Learning
Experienced riders often find it a challenge to learn how to drive. Leg aids, neck reining and body postures don’t work when you are sitting in a wagon or carriage with a park bench size seat or wedge seat several feet behind your horse. New ways of communicating with your horse have to be learned and practiced.

If the Combined Driving Events (CDEs) lure you to compete, the next challenge is refining your movements with the driven dressage techniques. Each competition is an opportunity to improve your skills. Yes, there are ribbons to win, but the real challenge is fine tuning your horse to respond to your signals almost as quickly as you think them.

Not everyone wants to compete. Exhibiting is one more way to have fun with your horses. Show dates provide a goal and a reason to drive every day possible.

Again, it is important to learn how to drive horses from a professional instructor. It’s much easier to avoid creating bad habits in the beginning than it is to break them later. This leads us into next month's article on the common driving mistakes people make.

Kayo and Alex Fraser own and operate the Fraser School of Driving in Deer Lodge, Montana. Their web sites are www.drivehorses.com and www.wildhorsebooks.com

Driving Horses, Part 1 of 3

Driving is for everyone, as long as safety comes first
by Kayo Fraser

“Over the river and through the woods” and “Dashing through the snow on a one horse open sleigh” evoke fond memories of a time gone by, leaving us with the desire to drive through the soft snow behind a fast-paced horse. “She’ll be driving six white horses when she comes” creates a thrilling image of elegant horses driven to a coach. Driving horses is part of our heritage, and this is what dreams are made of today.

Increasing interest in driving horses makes this the fastest growing equestrian sport in the country. The thrill of driving a well trained equine to a carriage is enhanced by sharing this experience with friends and family who can enjoy the ride without having to be in control of a horse themselves.

What is a Driving Horse?
One can get into a debate whether you are driving horses or driving the vehicle – but for simplicity's sake we will talk about driving horses to a cart, wagon, carriage, buggy, coach, sleigh, sled or any other implement. It doesn’t matter if we are using draft horses, warmbloods, light horses, ponies, mules, donkeys or the miniature breeds; driving is driving.

Most of our students come in from their lessons with smiles from ear to ear. “That was the most fun I have had with horses my whole life,” one student from Washington told us recently.

“My whole day is made when I know I get to drive horses,” another student said.

Whether you want to drive a team of horses for work or competition--or if you just want to drive a single horse for the pure pleasure of it--it will go much better if you take lessons from a professional instructor or coach. There can be a lot to learn about the art of driving horses.

Learn Before you Leap
Many people attempt this newer aspect of horsemanship knowing too little about what the horse needs and how to communicate with him. You no longer have leg aids or knee pressure, and neck reining does not work while you are sitting eight to ten feet behind your horse. It can be very dangerous to put a horse to a vehicle if neither he nor you know what you are doing.

People often call, wanting to buy a well-trained horse to “teach” them how to drive. Expecting a horse to teach anyone how to drive properly and to be safe is not very practical. Compare it to buying a used airplane so it can teach you how to fly.

A well trained horse is an excellent idea for someone just getting started with driving, but that horse needs to feel safe with a knowledgeable and confident driver – especially if things go wrong. A horse responds to fear by running away from the perceived danger. Running with a horse and carriage can be fun only if you are in control and asked for a fast gait. Running out of fear is not fun, and terrible things can and will happen when that horse finally stops, one way or the other. If you are riding in a saddle and get bucked off, that usually solves the problem for your horse. If the driver gets knocked off the vehicle, that “monster on wheels” is still behind the horse.

A well adjusted harness and the right driving bit will help your horse be more comfortable. Selecting the right vehicle for the horse and terrain can be learned in books, but the books and DVDs cannot tell the driver how to correct bad habits or how to get a better response from the horse. Knowing what the horse needs from the driver is something that can only be learned from a professional instructor and with a lot of practice.

What Is the Sport of Driving?
The sport of driving often refers to driving trials, pleasure shows and the combined driving events (CDEs), which are similar to three-day eventing for the saddle horse. One day is for driven dressage, one day is for the marathon or cross country, and the last event is the cones, which requires a combination of the speed of the marathon and the precision of dressage to get you through the course.

Many pleasure shows, arena shows, and play days design fun courses for driving horses, and the CDEs have several divisions, including Training for the beginners, Preliminary for more experienced drivers, Intermediate for more challenges and Advanced for the top drivers. Most draft horse shows offer classes for the entire family, from the junior drivers to the more seasoned teamsters. These events include a wide variety of classes from the single horse in cart to team, unicorn (three horses in formation with a single horse leading), tandem, six-horse and eight-horse hitches. The draft horse clubs also have fun days with farming and log skidding activities and competitions.

Most people who drive horses are friendly and welcome questions as long as they are not busy with their horses. Talk to them after the horses are put away for the day if you are interested in learning about this exciting sport.

Where Do I Find Events?
Several magazines are devoted to all aspects of driving; these advertise the events, clubs and associations. You can search for them online or go to www.wildhorsebooks.com and click on Magazines.

The American Driving Society (www.americandrivingsociety.org) is the main source of information regarding the CDEs. This is a membership supported organization devoted to making this sport as much fun and as safe as possible. It maintains the official rules, list of judges and sanctioned CDEs.

Local, national and world competitions continue to satiate the driving itch. The love of driving horses is experienced by people from every walk of life, every age and physical ability.

Next month we will explain why more people are getting into this exciting sport of driving horses.

About the Author
Kayo and Alex Fraser own and operate the Fraser School of Driving in Deer Lodge, Montana. Their websites are www.drivehorses.com and www.wildhorsebooks.com.

Teaching Ground Manners

Use “horse thinking” to establish respect on the ground

by Randy Byers

Editor’s Note: The following article is based on a question submitted through our online “Ask the Experts” feature at www.nwhorsesource.com. You can ask Randy or one of our other experts your own question by clicking “Ask the Experts” under Online Resources in the menu on the left side of the page.

Question:

I’m training a 2-year old mare and she does not know her ground manners. What do I do, and how do I teach her good ground manners?

Answer:

Thank you for asking these questions. This is a very widely researched topic; there are many books, videos, DVDs and other educational products in the marketplace today that focus on ground manners, and you can use these to help you along with your mare.

There are two reasons why you want ground manners:

1. You want to be an effective leader and gain respect from your horse.

2. You want to use this stage to develop transitional cues to help with your introduction to saddle work in the near future.

In order to gain respect, you need to gain control of your horse’s feet. That is the short answer to the first part of your question, “…what do I do?” If you get control of her feet, you automatically establish yourself as the leader and achieve respect from your horse.

In answer to the second part of your question, “…how do I teach her good ground manners?” you will need to learn and execute techniques that help you gain control of your horse’s feet. There are a variety of detailed exercises and maneuvers you can use to achieve this. You also will need to know how she thinks, and you will need to think like her.

First, It is critical that you define your view of what acceptable ground manners are and establish a daily lesson plan detailing how to achieve them. Before a person begins training of any kind, they need to define the objective. Clear communication is a basic component of any training program.

The Horse’s Thoughts

Most horses think the same way, regardless of their age. Your mare was born with good ground manners. At birth, horses have all their instinctive behaviors, are fully developed (precocial), and are fully physical and ready to learn neurally. If the baby gets out of line, the mother or the herd will put her back in line, but she does not know what you know, nor does she know what is right or wrong in your world.

The problem you have is that your concept of good ground manners is different from her concept of good ground manners. As an example, in many lands it is customary to belch at the dinner table following a meal to show your satisfaction with the meal; however, to most people in western society, this is rude behavior. Likewise, when a horse pushes you out of the way or steps on your foot, she is being a horse and showing leadership by controlling your feet. Remember this: leadership is a fundamental behavior in horses, and it requires a leader and a subordinate. In their world, the one standing is the leader and the one moving is the subordinate.

Developing Control

Teaching your mare what is acceptable in human society is all about how to control her feet. Your job is to out-think her. She can outweigh you by 4-5 times, so you cannot physically show her what is acceptable. The simple concept to gain a horse’s respect is to not just move her feet, but to have control over her feet at will. To simplify this, break the horse up into five body parts--head, neck, shoulders, ribs, and hips--then work out of a round pen or on a lead line.

Many people start using the round pen to get the horse moving forward at liberty and for getting inside and outside turns. If you are working off of a lead line, find a starting point such as disengaging the hips around the forehand without the horse moving forward. Once you can do this on both sides, start working on moving the shoulders around the haunches. Forward impulsion comes from the hips and turning comes from the shoulders. Once you have gained control of hips and shoulders you have control of impulsion and turning.

This is just a basic overview of what is required to gain respect from your horse - one of the key elements in teaching good ground manners. Now, you are ready to buy videos to watch and/or books to read to see exactly how to get the different body parts to move correctly and softly without getting into a fight with your horse.

About the Author:

Randy has had a passion for horse his entire life, and genuinely takes pleasure in teaching other people how to experience that same enjoyment with their horses. This is why he strives to communicate his training methods as clearly as possible. Over the years, he has learned that the more complicated you make horse training, the harder it is on both horse and owner to learn. He believes in the need for continued education through reputable sources and the application of sound principles.

Good training results in increased safety around horses, so whether you ride in competition or just for your own pleasure, the goal is to help you gain control and confidence with your horsemanship in an enjoyable way. Trust is also very important in the equine industry; that is why Randy proudly conveys the name of “Lyon’s Legacy,” the most trusted horseman. Find out more www.RandyByersHorsemanship.com

Collection Without Tack, Part 3

Using groundwork and the half-pass for collected movement

by Paul Dufresne

To view full article with photos, please click here

In the last issue we reviewed how we start from a stationary position and build to a moving position, and then finally to riding. Let’s review the Guidelines for Success:

• Use a smaller training area: a round pen or paddock.

• Teach in micro sessions 3-7 minutes long.

• Progress from a stand to moving forward, from slower gaits to faster, from simple gaits to complex.

• If the horse is getting confused, step back to an easier level or start over.

• Start with the cue that your horse responds the most quickly to, then pair that cue with your finished cue.

• If the horse has good control of the poll with a lead line and halter, this is a good backup to reinforce the other cues.

• Use small treats, offered when the horse is patiently waiting and not being demanding.

• Enjoy yourself; watch the freedom of expression your horse will offer.

Teaching the horse to round without traditional tack facilitates proper posture to start all kinds of collected movements.

Forward to Upward

In the "stand on a dime" exercises—a series of progressive posture exercises where I teach the horse to reduce its base of support without developing negative tension in the topline (see NWHS July 2007 issue)—I have been able to round the horse in this position then drive out of it, progressing to a powerful, catlike gateado movement. When teaching the horse to do a pesade or levade, this technique allows me to raise the horse from the base of the neck and maintain that roundness as it tries to sit on its hind legs. This rounding, combined with the "dime" and playing with a trot on a circle can allow us to move the horse's forward energy from forward to upward in either a piaffe or passage. Combining the dime with the rounding tends to facilitate the horse holding itself softly in collection, rather than stiffening, which is so often seen in more typical dressage. By stalling forward movement while raising the upward energy with a whip, in a gentle but energetic upward sweep, we change forward energy into upward suspension.

Also mentioned in the last article is the need to practice lateral movements such as shoulder-in and leg yields, which are best stolen by moving the horse in a circle and then using the cordeo to gently press/push the neck (like a neck rein or an indirect rein) while maintaining the bend we had in the circle. This is then easily moved into a leg yield by adding more pressure on the ribcage with a whip or hand and walking through the horse’s ribcage. Again, don’t get greedy. Steal a few steps, then continue on the circle, then steal a few more. Most people get stuck on these lateral movements because they stay on them too long and the horse loses his posture and then tightens, reducing the fluidity of the stride.

The Half-Pass

A more difficult lateral move is the half-pass. Begin by setting up the horse for a turn on the haunches in a rounded frame. This is very much like the position of a rollback. As the horse is rounded and bent away from you, push him gently with a neck aid to move away, but then also push him slightly back with the cordeo to put his weight on the hindquarter. As the horse begins to move his front limbs crossing over, pick up the hindquarter with your whip and get him to make a step under and across.

If the horse attempts a try, stop and reward. If you keep repeating this and add one step or a partial step, then before you know it you will have a good start to a half-pass, which is fundamental to improving the canter leads.

Once you can start a horse into a half-pass from a standstill, it is better to steal it out of a figure-8 at a walk. As we come to the intersection of the circles while maintaining the roundness, we use our second hand to push the horse's head gently away from us, changing the bend in the other direction. As the horse changes the bend, we then pick up the hindquarters with a whip and steal a step or two of half-pass. Sounds pretty easy, but requires some finesse and repetition to get it right.

Relax and Breathe

In the last issue, we had progressed to the start of riding. Now we are back on the ground. The reason for this is that we should mix it up. Get the horse to accept basics in very short sessions with you on its back, then get off and practice some of the more advanced progressions from the ground. Stop and take short breaks, making sure you have taken all the pressure away from your horse. Relax and breathe.

As we become more focused on a task, we tend to let negative tension or energy creep up in our bodies and our posture tends to get the horse more anxious. Every time the horse makes a try for us, we have to think of relaxing and taking pressure off. Otherwise, the horse will find it difficult to understand he has made a good guess.

Playing with your horse in a less restrictive manner like this tends to allow him to give you a freer expression of all his movements. Yes, it is more challenging, but it is so worth it. Tread slowly and enjoy the journey. Playing with your horse and developing your lead is never boring.

Collection Without Tack, Part 2

Progress from roundness at standing to moving with quality collection

by Paul Dufresne

(To view full article with photos, click here)

In the last issue I discussed how we start to teach a horse to offer roundness and control of the poll. We started this with a verbal cue and a touch of the lead line and halter, whip, bat, cordeo, hand, or a combination of these. To better understand this article, you should be familiar with the first installment.

The technique presented last month was started in a stationary position. I first voice the verbal cue “Round,” then touch the horse on the base of the neck with whatever teaching aid I am using. When the horse offers, I say, “Good” (meaning he is on the right track), and then if I want the horse to stop to be rewarded, I say, “Good boy” (or girl) and treat him (or her) in a rounded position. As soon as a horse starts to offer quite willingly I get him to take it to the next stage as soon as possible — into movement.

Moving with Roundness

We progress by asking the horse to move forward and cue for the roundness again. If the horse is unsure or stops before offering it, I would reward this, as he is guessing. Later, I will only reward rounding while moving when I ask for it. If the horse gets confused at any time, I will backtrack and reinforce rounding at a stand.

It is also important that when the horse first moves forward, he does so on a circle so that he learns to have a bit of lateral bend as well as the rounding. This facilitates the correct posture. It is important to teach for a more finished version of what we want right from the start, otherwise the horse may only offer a forced version of roundness without the natural relaxation necessary for a quality collected movement. The more collected the movement, the more stable the position becomes.

I also find it useful to teach the horse to round by touching on the lower part of the ribcage — where my leg will naturally hang when I ride with a good seat. This should be approximately where your girth or cinch will run. By cueing from there with a touch similar to the touch on the base of the neck, we might combine or do one following the other until the horse links the behavior to the different cue.

Most of you probably see the benefit of this if you are planning on riding your horse and wish to get roundness without pressure on the head or mouth. This will also improve vertical flexion when using a bridle. It is important to point out that the cue on the ribcage is not a constant pressure. Vary the pressure until the horse responds, then release. If the roundness is lost, ask again immediately.

Keep practicing the collection on a circle at a walk until the horse is freely offering roundness in a relaxed, collected walk. Then progress to a jog, working trot, extended trot, then possibly other movements such as canter, passage, and piaffe.

The slower gaits and simpler movements are always the best place to start or come back to if quality of roundness begins to deteriorate. You cannot over-prepare this part from the ground.

Moving Off the Ground

By this time, most people are starting to get a strong desire to experiment with riding. If so, you should make sure your horse responds very well to the yields in all directions with a light touch. I teach my horses to neck rein and direct rein with the whips or cordeo from the ground. Using a lead line and halter as a backup would be a very good step for those with limited experience.

The area you are training in should be relatively small with soft footing. To err on the safe side, practice dismounts at a walk and trot. If your horse becomes anxious, you should have a relaxation cue, such as doubling or stopping, and then you and the horse can regroup. Any time a horse gets confused or anxious, backtrack to a level he knows and build up again so he gains confidence. Repetition only helps if it occurs without anxiety.

When a horse does this reasonably well and you have some good riding prep, you can climb on his back and do the exercise, starting first at a standstill, then a slow walk. Mounting, dismounting and turning your attention away from the horse will break up the lesson into a series of smaller lessons. Our horses need times when we expect nothing of them, allowing ourselves to relax so they can follow our lead and do so as well.

Guidelines for success:

• Use a smaller training area: a round pen or paddock.

• Teach in micro sessions 3-7 minutes long.

• Progress from a stand to moving forward, from slower gaits to faster, from simple gaits to complex.

• If the horse is getting confused, step back to an easier level or start over.

• Start with the cue that your horse responds the most quickly to, then pair that cue with your finished cue.

• If the horse has good control of the poll with a lead line and halter, this is a good backup to reinforce the other cues.

• Use small treats, offered when the horse is patiently waiting and not being demanding.

• Enjoy yourself; watch the freedom of expression your horse will offer.

Progressions for Collection Without Tack, Part 1

Bridge techniques to bend and release the poll  

by Paul Dufresne  

Most people find it a considerable challenge to collect their horse, where they have control of the poll and the horse is put in a position to use its ring of muscles in the most powerful and efficient way possible. However, I am seeing more people on the right track with collection using a bit or even a halter and lead line. What is even more exciting is the fact that more leaders are ready to try preparing their horses to collect with non-traditional tack or no tack at all. This article will illustrate how you can get started.  

It is important that all horses have a foundation in the understanding of bending on a circle with lateral flexion and releasing the poll, obtaining vertical flexion. This includes young horses as well. (Note: These topics have been covered in previous articles; please see the NWHS Trainer's Corner archives online or contact the author if you don’t have them on hand.) 

Building a Bridge

This article is written under the pretext that people attempting this already have some d

ecent control of their horse’s poll with the lead line and halter or bit. To start with, I would bridge some more common techniques for controlling the poll with less traditional methods of doing so. Tools that can be used to assist in teaching this are cordeos (a leather or boat rope strap fitting the horse almost like a breast collar; in fact, old breast collars work well), whips, plastic bats, and even your hand. What we will do here is bridge between collecting on a lead line and connecting with a whip or cordeo, as an example.  (Photo at right: Friesian Stallion Ljibbe rounding with cordeo)

This type of training often works best in a series of micro training sessions.  Short three- to seven-minute sessions a few times a day work really well. You can use clicker training or not, but you should always shape the behavior with a conditioned response and reward any try in the right direction. This being said, when I use treats to reward the tries, they are minute, which allows more tries per session. I make sure I only give treats when I offer with an open hand; otherwise I close the hand.  I gently nudge horses away from trying to grab a treat when it hasn't been offered yet. When done correctly, horses learn to wait for the treat. This is not recommended for horses that are disrespectful and demanding—you must have a horse’s respect first!

Using cues

A verbal cue ( I use the word “round”) and/or looking at the horse's chest/neck area is the finishing cue that I want, so that is what I start with. Then I ask my horse to round with slight pressure on a cordeo. When I raise it slightly, it pushes up on the base of the neck. If using a whip, bat, or hand, I would touch the base of the neck 

with a light upward touch. I would bridge the technique by putting gentle pressure on the lead line and halter to achieve release

 of the poll. (Photo below: Yearling colt Easy setting poll with whip and halter line bridge)

As soon as the horse makes an attempt to release the poll or round, I would say "Good!" (or click if using a clicker) and reward with a treat. This would be repeated a few times, inviting the horse to round more, bringing his muzzle closer to his chest, rounding his neck and topline. I might also touch the muzzle gently and entice the horse to bring it toward his chest with my hand, which has a treat in it ready to reward a guess in the right direction.

The really cool thing in doing this is that when the horse actually rounds, he rewards himself by releasing his poll and starts to feel better about the whole exercise because it releases endorphins in his body. I would only repeat the above steps three to five times on the spot, and then have the horse move his feet to another spot. Not only is circulation increased, but so is the attentiveness. We will want the horse to round while moving as soon as possible. 

As my horses start to offer on the verbal cue, or even just a look, they get nice and round. I go as far as teaching the horse that “Good” means you are on the right track and only treat when I say "Good boy (or girl)." I allow them to stop all activity and give them the small treat while they are still in the rounded position. I would repeat this until the horse understands to keep rounding on the cue or in hope of getting rewarded with a treat. The more horses stay in a relaxed poll position, the better they feel and the more they are inclined to want to stay there. (Photo at right: Ljibbe taking things into his own mouth and rounding, as well as Easy offering at the suggestion in inpromtu play)

This exercise can be practiced while tacking up or while visiting a group of horses in pasture or paddock. I do this with horses of any age—including weanlings—solo or in groups. I find that some of the younger horses are great at building the desire to round in older horses that may have less food drive or have lost some of their zeal for such a simple game. It doesn’t take long before most horses will get very responsive. 

In part two we will discuss how to progress with this to moving in-hand, and then later to riding a collected horse without any tack. Have fun and watch your horses enjoy themselves! 

Learn more about collection without tack in the Training for Courage 2009 exhibitions.

Trapezoid Conformation

Understanding your horse's performance with a little basic math

by Patrick Hooks

Hey folks, this go 'round, I would like to share some ideas about conformation and how it can directly affect your horse's performance. First, I need to give credit to the fellows I picked up this bit of knowledge from, Doug Milholland and Bob Loomis. Years ago I had the pleasure of riding with Doug. He drilled the idea of riding in time with the horse into my head. As I continued to search and learn about riding a reining horse, I picked up on the knowledge of another successful reiner: Bob Loomis. These fellows' abilities and their horses' performances amazed me as a young man.

The Trapezoid Theory

At the all-knowing old age of twentyish, I found myself in a trap. I knew I had the timing and the mechanics of the horse down pat, so to speak, but I couldn’t always get that set of elevens I was looking for in my stop, no matter how hard I tried. Believe me when I say that I punished a few horses before I figured this out. I finally had to accept the fact that some horses were simply bred and conformed to do certain events better than others. However, I learned that there was one common denominator in all horses that performed well in their events. It is called a trapezoid. Yes, a mathematical figure to be found on the horse if you know where to look. 

I have learned to look for this trapezoid figure in race, barrel, cow, and ranch horse versatility horses, so the theory isn’t discriminating in any way. As a matter of fact, I used to do extremely well at the track using this theory until what made Milwaukee famous changed my mind about betting one more daily double or trifecta. Oh, the pain of growing up!

The whole idea of the trapezoid theory is to find a truly balanced horse. When artist Jim Reno made the bronze of Secretariat, he used a trapezoid figure for the base of his sculpture. The angles of Secretariat’s shoulders and hips were heaven-sent for power and speed. Don Burt passed this theory on to the performance and show world, and I give credit to Bob Loomis for sharing it in his book Reining: The Art of Performance In Horses.

How it Works

First, divide the side of the horse into thirds, as in drawing A. The first measurement is from the point of the shoulder to the girth (1). The next is from the girth to the flank (2), and then from the flank to the point of the buttocks (3). These lines should divide the horse into three equal parts. 

Next, connect the dots and lines. Imagine, measure, or draw a line from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttocks. This is your bottom line. Next measure or draw a line from the buttocks to the top of the croup. Then measure or draw from the croup to the withers and finally from the withers to the point of the shoulder. A true trapezoid will be balanced in measurement (see figure B). The parallel lines of the shoulder and hip should be identical in measurement and angle. To put it in cowboy terms, a short back and long bottom line with chest and butt angles to match. 

Now consider the neck. The horse balances itself with its neck. The neck should be the same measurement from the poll to the wither as the measurement from the wither to the croup, or from the croup to the point of the hip, or from the withers to the point of the shoulder.

Next, consider your shoulder and hip angles for speed and power. The length of the horse's stride will be found in the angle of the shoulder; the power and stopping ability will fall in the angle of the hip.

Don’t forget the height of the withers--that is the balance point. For example, if the withers are lower than the croup, the horse will feel as though it's running downhill all the time. This horse won’t move his front end as well. Lower withers will also affect the size of your hearth girth, which is where the horse's lung capacity is.

As you discover the math of this trapezoid figure, you will be able to measure the ideal length of all the horse's limbs. I highly suggest referring to Reining: the Art of the Performance Horse for further research and understanding of this theory.

Always remember, “There’s one bit that works on all horses: a bit of knowledge.” 

God bless, 

Pat

Tying a Hackamore

Train yourself to create your own hackamore

by Patrick Hooks

This go-'round, I would like to share with you how to tie a hackamore. For the most part, the bosal is a very good tool that has been left to gather dust in the tack room, chest or trunk, usually because the instructions to tie the mecate line onto the bosal aren't in the Webster’s. Or, if a fellow makes the mistake of untying the line while trying to adjust it to a different horse, well, he can always say, "That was all Granddaddy had to use and he didn't know about all these new bits and gimmicks we have today." That way he won't have to admit he can't re-tie it. 

Let me take a shot at sharing the way I was taught to tie a mecate line onto a bosal, making what is called a true hackamore, known in Spanish as jaquima. The horseman who taught me was around 90 years old at the time he passed this knot along. I'm betting he knew his stuff...

(click here to read the full article with step-by-step photos in our digital edition)

Teaching Your Horse to Drag Objects, Part 2

When preparing a horse to pull a wagon or other objects, go step by step
by Raye Lochert

Last month, we covered the steps to get your horse used to having ropes across his body while moving. Once you've accomplished this and your horse is comfortable with the ropes, continue to work your horse in the round pen with your horsemen's rope as you progress to working with ropes and objects.

Not so Scary
Once your horse is desensitized to the rope across his hocks from both sides, you can teach him how to drag it. Take the honda (also known as hondo) off the saddle horn and lay your rope around the front of the horn so the honda end hangs on the opposite side of the horse and trails back about 25' behind him. Keep the rest of the rope in your hand.

Send your horse off at a walk, letting the rope drag in the dirt behind him. If things get out of control, just pull your end until the rope slides off. Work this lesson until your horse can drag the rope comfortably from both sides.

Once this is accomplished you can start dragging objects. Attach the least scary thing you can find to the rope and repeat the lesson above. This time if anything goes wrong, let go of the rope and it will slide off by itself. Keep attaching objects of increasing scariness and weight until your horse reacts calmly to all levels of pull.

Driving from the Ground
Now is the time for ground driving. The way I do it is by taking a couple of cotton lunge lines and running them through the stirrups up to the horse’s bit. At this point, if you have done all your work, the horse should not have any problems with the ropes running around his rump. Practice ground driving for a few sessions until you can walk, turn, stop and back up easily. Once you accomplish this, move to the next step.

Take a thirty-foot lariat and attach it to the saddle horn. Ground drive your horse until he is comfortable with the rope dragging off his rump. If you have done all your prep work up until now, this should not take very long. Once he is comfortable dragging the rope, occasionally step on it to create a pull on the saddle. Once he is comfortable with that, employ a friend to pull on the rope. Slowly increase the pull over a series of pulls and releases until your horse is dragging your friend through the dirt on his or her feet, kind of like skiing.

Letting Go
When your horse is comfortable with this, have your friend run the rope through a tire, but do not tie it off. Allow the horse to drag the tire. If he becomes frightened, have your friend let go of the rope. The rope will slide through and the tire will stop. Never tie anything off on your horse until you are 100% sure he can handle it. Having your friend hold the rope with the ability to let go gives you a quick release in case of emergency.

After the tire, try other objects such as timbers, sleds, and wagons. Again - never tie off until you are sure your horse can handle it. If your horse does react and the object is tied off, you are in for a wreck. It is a good idea to stay in a confined area during this training.

With plenty of time you will be able to climb into the saddle and drag objects easily. If things start to go wrong, just let go of the rope. Sometimes it is a good idea to back your horse away from the object while dragging it. This allows him to keep an eye on it. It also offers a little more control since a horse can run faster with his rump toward the object rather than his eye toward it.

Once all this is done, find a reputable driving trainer and show him or her what your horse can already do!

Teaching Your Horse to Drag Objects, Part 1

When preparing a horse to pull a wagon or other objects, go step by step
by Raye Lochert

This month's column was inspired by a reader who asked if her skittish 16-year-old horse might be taught to pull a wagon. Teaching a horse to pull wagons is usually best left to a professional. So many things could go wrong that having a pro do it is a good idea. What you can do is all the prep work prior to sending your horse to a driving trainer.

For Fun and FunctionThe prep work is primarily sacking out and getting him used to pulling or dragging objects. When I say objects, I mean tires, tarps, boat bumpers and even little red wagons. Teaching a horse to drag objects not only increases the fun you can have with your horse, but it makes him more stable, finished and useful. A horse that has been taught to drag things won’t flip out when an object gets hung up in his tail or when something is sliding along the ground toward him. You will also be able to drag objects such as branches off the trail or wood to the campsite fire pit. The possibilities are endless.

Before you Begin
The first step is to make sure the horse is well sacked out. You should be able to rub a plastic tarp all over the horse, be able to throw the tarp at the horse from in front of him and out to both sides, and drag it back to you without the horse turning and running. Your horse should be trained to turn and face whatever is frightening him.

Besides being well sacked out, you should be able to control your horse in a round pen with a set of cues. Your horse should be able to turn to the inside, outside and stop on cue. Your horse should accept the saddle easily, and you should also be able to control your horse through the bridle. If these things have not been accomplished, please go back and teach these skills to your horse before teaching him to drag objects.

Creating the Pull
To teach a horse to drag objects, I use a sixty-foot round pen, a well-used saddle, and a sixty-foot horsemen’s rope. This rope has a metal honda (also known as a hondo) on it for a quick release. I also gather several objects to drag. I start in the round pen to keep the horse confined while not being attached to him.

Starting in the round pen with your horse saddled, attach your horseman’s rope to the saddle horn by the honda. Send your horse off while holding the rope. Be careful not to get the coils looped around your arm, hand, fingers or any other part of your body. If you do and the rope tightens, you can get seriously injured or even killed.

With the horse moving around the round pen at no more than a trot, pull on the rope to create a pull on the saddle, and then release and repeat. This gets the horse accustomed to the pull of the cinch as you pull on the saddle. It also desensitizes the horse to a rope being out to his side in his peripheral vision. Do this several times, then ask the horse to change directions to the outside while you flick the rope up over his rump. Repeat on the other side. Work both sides several times until the horse accepts it freely.

The next step requires that you stop the horse and run the rope through the stirrup. Slip the honda off the horn--be cautious with your fingers!—and run it through from the back of the stirrup up t

hrough the stirrup and back to the horn. Now when you pull on the rope the stirrup should flip up in the air. 

Send your horse out and do this in a rhythmic fashion, starting lightly, and build to a large flip. Repeat until your horse is desensitized to this. Then do it on the other side. Repeat on both sides until the horse stays calm and moves quietly.

Time Without Tension
Once your horse has been desensitized to the rope in the manner described above, it is time to get him used to ropes around his hock and hip area. With the rope attached to the horn (removed from the stirrup) send your horse out and ask for an outside turn. This time when the horse changes directions, let the rope hang low and end up around his hip. The rope should be attached to the horn and drape down his opposite side (the side you are not on) and come around his hip across his hocks. Don’t put tension on the rope; just let him get used to the feeling. Some horses will kick, some will run faster. If he kicks, let him. If he runs faster, cue him for an outside turn and slow him down. Don’t let things get out of control. 

The key to all of this is patience. Work with the horse until he's ready; don't leap ahead because you really want to get him in front of that wagon.

Next month, we'll look at how to begin adding resistance to the ropes and slowly increasing what you ask your horse to pull.

Crossing Water Without a Fight

When it comes to water, think like a horse for smoother crossings
by Raye Lochert

One of my favorite horse activities is playing in the water. There’s just something very soothing and natural about horses and water. That is, if your horse is accustomed to it.

For the most part horses are not afraid of water. Given the opportunity they will walk through it easily, play in it and even lie down in it. Most horses actually love it. So then why do so many of us have such a hard time getting our horses to walk in or across water? The answer is time.

Horses that live with water have the time to explore it. They get to sniff, touch and paw at it all on their own time frame. This is where we run into big trouble. As humans, we always seem to be in a rush, not really taking the time to explore new situations. Oh sure, if we are asked to cross a creek we look for the easiest place to cross and then hop right over--probably losing a boot in the mud and hoping our rear end stays connected to the saddle. But we don’t sit back and take the situation in.

Time to Explore
When given the opportunity, a horse will walk up to the water, lower his head and eat the grass next to it. You may think this is just about munching, but while his head is down he’s getting a better look at the water. Having eyes set on the sides of his head, he doesn’t have great depth perception. Lowering his head and moving it around gives him a better idea of what it looks like and just how deep that pit may be.

This process also allows him to sniff out the area. While doing this, he’s checking for predators lurking in the water or surrounding area. Think of a zebra. They never know when a crocodile is waiting just below the surface. Mustangs are going to check for lion scent or maybe snakes. Remember, horses may be domesticated but they are still a prey animal and very instinctual.

After checking out the shoreline, the horse may put a foot in and take it right back out. Whew! He realized he survived. The next foot will go in easier and more quickly. The horse will repeat this until he has put two feet in. At this point it depends on how wide the crossing is. If it is narrow enough to jump from where he stands, he may try. If it’s wider, the horse will keep working with the approach and retreat method until he is comfortable enough to cross. When horses cross, they do so quickly--so be prepared.

Calm and Confident
Each time horses cross water, they become more confident. They will carefully pick and choose where their feet will go, maybe even stopping to snack from the side of the bank before exiting the water.

The point I want to make is that all horses will eventually cross water calmly all on their own. It’s when we try to rush things that they become frightened. Being associative animals, they relate water to fear and then the fight is on.

The most important key in training horses to cross water is this: take all the time in the world. If you rush it, the horse will sense this and it will make him nervous. Let the horse explore the crossing point you have chosen. Let him lower his head and look around. When he gets nervous, allow him to back up a few steps until the pressure subsides. Then approach the water again. Keep your eyes up and look to where you want to be instead of where you are. This will transmit to the horse that you are confident in where you are going and it will help him with his fear.

Resist the urge to kick or force your horse across the water. He will end up associating water with punishment and it will be harder to cross the next time. I think of it this way: if a horse is already afraid of the water, then it surely won’t be helpful to have him afraid of me.

Keep Focused
Now, just because I’ve said to give the horse his time it doesn’t mean you don’t keep your training objective first and foremost. If your horse is balking, it’s crucial that you keep him facing the water. Never allow him to turn away from it--he can back up but not turn away unless you tell him to. Having him walk up to the water and then back away is using the method of approach and retreat.

You can do all this in the saddle, but I like to do it from the ground first. It keeps me safer and gives the horse more guidance. Treat it as if you were training a horse to load into a trailer.

Giving the horse the opportunity to learn on his own time frame will make for a more confident and trusting horse. It will eliminate the potential for a fight between you and your horse – a fight you will not win—and the horse will learn to associate water with fun instead of fear or pain.

Look for the joy in the session, and soon you and your horse will be relaxing at the water’s edge and beyond.

The Basics of Backing, part 3: the advanced horse

Training for a straight and light back
by Pat Wyse and Sue Muir, photos by Doreen Wyse (click photos to enlarge)

For the last two months, we've developed the basics of backing. Now it’s time to put on the polish -- a quick, straight, light backup on a loose rein from a nearly invisible signal. That is a pretty impressive thing to watch, in or out of the show pen!

From the very beginning of training, using the following procedure will help to keep the horse’s mind fresh while maintaining steady progress:

1. In each training session, begin with a review of what the horse already knows, so he starts relaxed.
2. When he adequately executes the backup at his current level of training, push him more intensely a few times, looking for a slight improvement. This may generate some tension in the horse.
3. To relieve the tension, finish by asking him to back with little or no pressure. Most days, when you lighten up on him at the end, you’ll find his back superior to the beginning of the session, while his mind remains relaxed and quiet.

Advanced and Show Techniques
The two biggest obstacles to a great backup are straightness and speed. To teach the horse to back straight, continue developing the crooked backing exercise (see last month's Trainer's Corner online at www.nwhorsesource.com). Back in serpentines, focusing on body control and lightness, but not a great deal of speed. Through this method, any time the horse veers to one side, you’ll have a tool to correct him.

The second, more common, issue in the finished horse is executing a “draggy” backup. The horse leans on the bit, and the rider has to pull or lug on the reins to back him. Just remember, it requires two to hang on the bit. A human’s instinct is to reciprocate with a pull back against the horse, causing a slowly escalating tug-of-war. This may be so gradual that the rider is unaware it is occurring. The rider needs to break the instinct to pull. A horse can try to hang, but cannot without the rider’s participation. Remember to remain light on the reins, even when the horse tries to lean, and use legs or spur to “bump” him off the bridle. (Pictured at left: a "draggy" backup)

Setting up for Speed
The position of the rider’s legs will have a noticeable effect on the horse’s performance. A method that tremendously improves the finished back is to exaggerate the position of the legs, using them well back and out away from the horse. This leg position is somewhat awkward for the rider, but it assures that this will remain a distinct signal for the horse, and he will not confuse it with leg cues for other maneuvers. The rider will only place his legs in that position for one thing: backing.

This unusual leg placement also creates an ideal position for using spur to give meaning to the rein signal. If the horse doesn’t try strongly enough, the rider can instantly and effectively use spur to reinforce the original request. As he gains understanding of this positioning of the rider’s leg, the use of the spur will seldom be necessary. The horse learns that when the legs come back and out, it’s time to get in gear. This can make for a dazzling show pen backup. (Pictured at right: out and away positioning of the rider's leg)

To achieve a great backup on a finished horse, start with a soft, subtle rein, and lift the rein hand a few inches. Allow the horse to begin quietly. After a few steps, move your legs out and back to ask for more speed. If the training process has been applied correctly, the horse will quicken the tempo when your legs shift to this position. Don’t use spur unless the horse reduces his speed without being asked. When you are finished, return your legs to a normal position and drop your rein hand quickly but smoothly.

The Finished Horse
It takes a year or more and many steps for an accomplished rider to bring a horse’s backup from beginner to polished. Be patient, expecting only small daily improvements. Asking for too much can start a war. Even if you do push too far and get into a battle, you can quit at any time. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t always have to win, especially if you are asking too difficult a task in the first place. The worst that will happen is that you’ll start tomorrow in the same place you left off today. The difference tomorrow will be that the horse won’t have a bunch of adrenaline pumping through his system, and you should be more patient after analyzing the situation and detaching from it.

It is easy to forget the progress you have already made. When things seem slow, think back to where the horse was one month ago or three months ago. Hang in there and practice backing during every ride. One day you’ll saddle up and find that smooth, light back you’ve been awaiting for so long.

The Basics of Backing, part 2: the intermediate horse

Training for a straight and light back
by Pat Wyse and Sue Muir

If you missed the first part of this series in the August issue of NWHS, visit our online archive at http://www.nwhorsesource.com/, where you can read and comment on all of the August issue articles.

Once a horse will back eight or ten steps relatively easily, you are ready to begin refining the maneuver by developing straightness, lightness, and speed. The horse should already know how to move his hindquarters away from the rider’s leg (perform a turn on the forehand). If so, you can begin teaching the horse to back straight…by teaching him to back crooked! Why? Because all horses will, at times, back off to one side. To correct that problem, the rider must teach the horse to guide as he backs. If the rider works only on straightness and not turning while backing, then he will lack an important skill for correcting faulty backups.

Circles and Serpentines
To teach the horse to back to the right, tip his nose a little to the left, begin the backup, then add left leg near the back cinch in the form of light bumps, increasing the strength of the bumps until he begins to move his hindquarters to the right. As was done in early training, give a complete release when the correct response is attained. Then work on backing to the left. As before, work on this for just a few minutes each day. After a number of lessons, the horse should be able to back a smooth serpentine, circle, or other pattern. Be patient--don’t ask green horses to do these exercises with any speed, as they can trip and fall backward. Allow plenty of time to develop skill and coordination.

The leg or spur may be used to help push the hindquarters over.

Keeping it Light
Now the horse needs to learn to be light and responsive in the back. The trick to this is to be very soft in the beginning of the backup, then reinforce for an insufficient effort. Most people find it hard to comprehend what “very soft” is. It means to start much lighter than you think the horse is capable of feeling. Good trainers will do nothing more than lift the reins to begin – without actually contacting the horse’s mouth.

Early in training, the horse will not react to the initial signal at all, but then we increase the pressure until he responds. This increase is done fairly quickly, but must be smooth. If the rider jerks, the horse will become defensive or fearful rather than learning an appropriate response. Once again, fully release when the horse reacts correctly. As lightness improves, add speed. Envision yourself squeezing water slowly from a sponge: start soft and increase the pressure until the desired results occur.

When the horse willingly steps back from the bridle, he is ready to learn to quicken the reaction he already knows. This is accomplished by using leg to excite the horse. Remember to keep the bridle light. Use leg, not bridle, to increase speed. (Exception: when the horse gets “stuck,” use the bridle to get him started again, then immediately return to a light bridle.)

Accelerating the Back
There are two options for using leg to accelerate the back: up by the shoulder or well back near the rear cinch. Different horses may react better to one location or the other. The shoulder position is very useful for horses that evade the bit by dropping the head or over-bridling. The back cinch position is appropriate for the finished horse. Most competitive disciplines don’t allow legs to be used forward of the cinch, so riders showing in those sports may use the forward position in training, but must have the competition-level horse trained to respond to leg behind the cinch.

When using leg, timing and technique are both important. At this stage, the horse should be light enough in the bridle that, rather than noticeably tipping the nose, all the rider needs to do is squeeze the primary rein tighter than the secondary, alternating from side to side every few steps. Signal with your leg on the same side as the primary rein by softly applying calf first, then reinforce by bumping with or rolling the spur. As you alternate the primary rein, also alternate the leg you use. It isn’t necessary to use leg or spur each time the rein is squeezed, just often enough to get some “try” from the horse. Incorporate a regular rhythm for using the leg (e.g., step-step-step-bump right leg, step-step-step-bump left leg, step-step-step-bump right leg…). When you feel an increase in the tempo of the back, immediately release all pressure to reward the horse.

Good leg-hand coordination is critical when increasing speed and degree of difficulty in the back. Although this is a challenging skill for most riders, it is essential to prevent rearing when increasing demands on the horse. When using leg or spur, the rider’s hand must stay soft and light on the bridle, regardless of whether the leg is used strongly or lightly. Human instinct causes riders to want to do things with the whole body - if they kick hard, they naturally want to pull hard, too. It requires skill, awareness, and practice to negate this instinct and keep the hands light at all times.

During this stage of training, a few problems will inevitably arise. If the horse begins to go crooked, use repeated bumps, along with primary rein on the side he curves toward, until he straightens. If an intermediate horse refuses, go back to beginner steps rather than escalating to a major fight. Reward the horse for small improvements. It shouldn’t take long to return him to his previous level. If he freezes up in a serious refusal, just push his hip over to “break him loose,” as described last month. Again, avoid the big fight, and don’t worry about minor setbacks. They happen to every horse many times during the course of training.

The Basics of Backing, part 1 of 3

A practical approach to teaching a straight and light back

by Patrick Wyse and Sue Muir

A basic that every horse should know, the backup is an indicator of the horse’s responsiveness to the bit and his level of education. A smooth, light back is an advanced maneuver that is not only useful on trail, ranch, and pleasure horses, but also is a requirement in many competitive show events. In cow horse training, the backup is a very important tool, and backing can be used to intensify a stop for a wide range of events.

Beginning to Back
Before being asked to back, the horse needs to be reasonably well started and well past the panic stage. He should be willing to go forward at the walk, trot and lope. Training for the turn on the forehand should be started by this stage. Most importantly, he should understand how to flex laterally at all gaits.

A snaffle bit (non-leverage/shankless bit) and running martingale are recommended, along with any type of saddle that is comfortable for both horse and rider. We also recommend a dropped noseband or cavesson. The martingale should be adjusted with the ring about one inch from the horse’s throatlatch while he’s standing in a natural position. Note that the reins have rein stops on them--in this case they are the large button on the rein--to prevent the martingale rings from getting caught on the reins’ bit attachment.

Techniques for the Untrained Horse
The beginning steps of training the back will require the horse to modify his instinctive resistance to pressure. Most horses' first reaction to a backward pull on the bit is to oppose it. If the pressure persists, he may try to rear. To discourage these undesirable behaviors before they occur, tip the horse's nose slightly to one side. A slight offset of the horse’s head decreases the amount of pressure needed to get the horse to respond, which in turn reduces the risk of a violent reaction. This technique becomes even more important as speed is added to the backing maneuver.

Start by pulling on the right rein to turn the head slightly. Next, keeping both hands just above the withers, add left rein pressure so a coordinated rein effect exists. Start with a very soft pull; without releasing, gradually increase the pressure, keeping the nose tipped, until the horse yields. Some horses will yield by taking a step back, while others will just lean back. At the moment the horse gives, the rider must immediately release all bridle pressure. Make sure the release of bridle pressure occurs instantly upon feeling the horse yield. Delaying the release, even by half a second, will make it difficult for the horse to associate his effort with the relief from pressure. After multiple repetitions, the horse will discover that moving backward causes the pressure to cease. Avoid using leg at this stage of training, as it confuses the horse.

During this process, be careful not to yank or seesaw, just patiently wait for a response. After the horse leans or steps back, wait a moment, then press him back again with nose angled slightly in the other direction. Alternate the angle of the horse’s head with each step you request.

Getting it Right
Two common problems that may occur at this stage are:
1) getting light in the front end, and
2) locking up and refusing to move at all.

If the horse begins to elevate his front end, release and immediately pull him around in tight circles to the same side his head is turned. You may also want to bump him with a leg on the inside of the circle. Do this assertively, so he is not rewarded for threatening to rear. Then start again softly. Be extremely alert to any “give” by the horse, and instantly reward correct behavior by releasing pressure. Give the horse a break for even a modest effort by walking around on a loose rein for a few minutes.

If the horse locks up, refusing to move at all, he might suddenly rear to escape the pressure. You want to do everything possible to avoid this. An effective method is to use the leg on the same side to which his nose is tipped, bumping or kicking well back on the barrel to push his hindquarters over. When the hind end moves, completely release both bridle and leg pressure.

Don't allow the horse to remain in the locked-up posture for long before moving the hind end. Pushing the hindquarter isn’t as desirable as a back, but at least he is moving in response to the bit. Some horses need to have this done numerous times, but eventually they will attempt to lean or step back to escape the bit pressure. If they are repeatedly rewarded for that accidental response, they will soon discover that moving backward spells relief.

The first day you may only get one or two steps. That's a great time to quit. Remember, for many horses in early training, backing is not an easy task, so you need to work on single steps for a few rides.

A Few More Steps
When the horse appears to understand and responds promptly, you can begin linking a few steps together by giving only a very soft release between steps. When he will take two steps willingly and calmly, you can gradually link in additional steps. Keep your training sessions short, usually less than five minutes. Then move on to teaching other maneuvers.

During the training process you will occasionally have setbacks where the horse reverts to earlier problems. Don't worry about this – it’s normal. Instead of getting upset with the horse because he did it just fine yesterday, look at it as a typical obstacle in the horse's education. Young equine minds can be fragile, and if a horse is punished at every roadblock, he will become frustrated or intimidated, or may even choose to fight back. Instead of punishing the horse, just go back to the basics. You may be surprised by how quickly he returns to correct behavior.

In the horse's early training, don't use your leg when asking for the back. At this stage, the horse would be confused by leg, since its meaning in prior training has always been to move forward. Leg will be added later in the horse’s education (the only exception to this is in the instance of the locking up problem discussed earlier). Furthermore, don’t be concerned if the horse backs to one side or the other. At this stage of training, straightness is not an important issue. Focus on teaching him to willingly step back from bridle pressure.

Next month, we'll take a look at refining these steps as your horse learns to back.

PATRICK WYSE, nationally acclaimed trainer and teacher, has instructed many accomplished trainers. He studied with the late Monte Foreman, who called Wyse his “first and best certified instructor.” Today, Wyse and his wife, Doreen, travel the United States and abroad teaching community clinics. They reside at HorseWyse Ranch in Townsend, Montana.

SUE MUIR began learning from Patrick Wyse over 35 years ago and has gone on to train and instruct professionally. After showing and training many breeds and disciplines, she now specializes in working western horses. Muir is a National Reining Horse Association and Washington State Horsemen certified judge. Lynnwood, Washington is home to Muir, her husband and three children.

For more information, visit www.HorseWyse.com.