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#1 What do you want to change about your horse? Remember you must change before your horse will change. Start by thinking about what you want, then break it down into as many steps as possible. Think about each little thing you want your horse to do. Think of each thing as a step. The more steps you go through, the better your horse will learn. For an example, lets breakdown the steps necessary to bridle your horse: Step One : Your horse needs to know how to lower his head. It is very difficult to bridle a horse with his head high in the air. Remember, you teach what you release. If your horse does not know how to give to pressure, you will need to spend some time teaching the horse with some of the following steps: |
(1) Place your right hand on top of his head between his ears. (2) Apply a small amount of pressure. You will need to anticipate resistance. Do not release the pressure until the horse gives to it. When he does, release the pressure as a reward. (3) Repeat this ‘press and release’ exercise until the horse willingly lowers his head as you place pressure on his head. With time and practice, he will not only lower his head, he will keep it there. |
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What if you are not tall enough to reach the top of the horse’s head? (1) Place a lead rope around the horse’s neck. (2) Gently pull down on the rope under the horse’s neck. Expect resistance but do not give in, keep steady pressure until the horse lowers his head. (3) Release the pressure at the slightest give to it, the horse must see a release from the pressure if you want him to respond to it, the release is his reward. Don’t keep pulling until he does it perfectly; reward the slightest move from the pressure. Well known horse trainer, John Lyons teaches to watch the tip of the horse’s ear, if it lowers ½ inch, release the pressure. (4) Repeat the process until the horse willingly lowers his head at the pressure of the rope. |
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Remember, there is no time limit to training. Approach your horse with the idea you are going to work with him to build a relationship between the two of you. A relationship built on respect, you respecting his need to be trained in a language he understands and the horse respecting you enough to respond to your requests. If you approach your horse with the idea you are going to bridle him, he may have another idea in mind and you may end up with a battle on your hands. Step Two : Your horse needs to know how to open his mouth when asked. Next month, we will discuss how to break this step down. |
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