Starting A Team by Emily Kucera

Starting A Team By Dave Feltenberger

Chapter 1

How It All Began When I was about 10 years old I was sent to live with my grandparents in poor, rural southern Oklahoma. So, for several years, I was the center of my maternal grandparents’ attention. They lived in a small frame house with a metal roof, no running water and an outhouse. My young eyes saw the primitive nature of the abode as a novelty, at first, and as a matter of course after the newness wore off. The occupants had lived there for more than 50 years, and the house was well furnished with love. It also had a pasture in which lived my horse and my grandfather’s horse. In the hours when I was not attending the Crowder Prairie school, two-and-a-half miles away, I covered every inch of the home 80 acres — and most of the adjacent territory for several miles around — on the back of my horse. My grandparents had no motor vehicle. Most of their needs were satisfied from the ample garden they tended, but, when they needed something from town, my grandfather started walking the 9 miles there. He rarely walked more than a quarter mile before being picked up by one of the folks who frequented that road. He knew everyone for many miles around. When he came home, he hoisted his load and started walking, but never walked far. When he knew he needed a big load, he would contract with a neighbor

Chapter 1: How It All Began

to drive him and paid more than his share. Water was a precious commodity. Every few days in the summer, my grandmother sent me across the road with a bar of soap and a towel to take a bath in the tank. The “tank” was a stock pond. Winter baths were, of course, less frequent; a body did not tend to perspire quite so much in the colder weather, and “the tank” was a good deal less appealing. Winter baths were done with water heated on the stove and poured into a galvanized tub on the kitchen floor. All this was done with water that had dripped off

Chapter 1: How It All Began

the metal roof and was caught in barrels. Clothes were washed with water from the same barrel. If no rain fell for an extended period, the rain barrels went dry and required service. When the rain barrels were empty, my grandfather harnessed old Patsy, his ancient farm horse. She was not a big horse, but she had a good heart. We rolled the barrel onto his oak sled and drove Patsy, the sled, and the water barrel a mile down the road to our neighbor’s house. Grandpa would position the barrel adjacent to Vernon Love’s deep water well and set me to filling the barrel. The well was equipped with a bail bucket, a pulley and a rope. The bucket was dropped the 120’ to the water, filled, and then elevated by the 10-year-old operator hand-over-hand on the old hemp well rope. During this time, my grandfather and Mr. Love chewed the fat on the front porch in the shade. On the way home, I got to drive the horse. I was in charge of her and her precious load. I realized many years later that the horse could not have misbehaved if she had wanted to, pulling an oak sled with close to 55 gallons of water aboard. I looked forward to these trips with anxious anticipation and, on subsequent trips, was allowed to help harness the horse. I lived in this idyllic environment for a few years that seemed to scream past. In those years I learned to be at peace with myself, and I learned that I loved to ride and drive horses. The thrill I felt at age 10, when Grandpa passed me the lines, is no less now when I pick up the lines of a good team of horses. The peace I drew in that little shelter from the fast pace of life, the love I received from my grand folks and all the nearby neighbors, and the satisfaction I got from my exposure to the animals on that little farm cured the ills that had convinced my parents I should be allowed to stay. Once the miracle cure had ingrained itself firmly in my being, I was compelled to go back to the “normal” world. Because money was sparse at our house, horses were not a luxury we could drag along with us. I hold the peace of the place in my heart to this day, but, for some years after leaving ,I was unable to immerse myself

Chapter 1: How It All Began

in such a life style. As a young Air Force officer, I was able to acquire and train a couple of mustangs. As my career continued, I was able to pick up more, though not better, horses than those early mustangs. In all those years, I hardly had a conscious thought of driving a horse. Then, in 1993, a friend talked me into going on a week-long trail ride. It formed up in Altair, Texas, and terminated in San Antonio. I tried to use the trip as a training opportunity for the Quarter horse colt I had in training. On that ride, I saw a team of young Belgian geldings pulling a wooden wheel farm wagon. The moment I saw that team I was instantly 10 years old again. The lust to hold the lines burned in me to a degree not unlike my youthful desire to fly. As it turns out, I was a great deal more successful in getting a team than I was in getting to fly. My wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opinion of my ability to pilot a motor vehicle frequently prompts her to assert that failure to get into flight school probably saved my life. After a couple of years, I was finally able to convince my wife that my need for a team justified the investment. At last, I found a pair of mares, each with a filly by her side, and I was permitted to buy them. When I got them home, I came to realize just how little I knew about driving a team. Over time, I came also to realize that most of the people who know anything about harness horses were deceased or had an appointment soon to be so. Luckily, Jessie and Judy were patient teachers. We had a few wrecks but none fatal. In my previous life, I was a computer guy. I had several titles: analyst, architect, business process analyst, intelligence software analyst. In each of these endeavors, when I needed to learn something, I found a book, read it, applied the knowledge and moved on. Given no viable alternative, I tried the same approach to driving horses. I quickly found the wealth of books written by Lynn Miller (available from Rural Heritage). Unfortunately, the author recommends that a prospective teamster get a mentor, as trying to do this stuff out of a book is difficult and can be dangerous. Mentorless, however, I pressed on. Eventually, through necessity, I began training harness horses. My fillies got old enough to need training, and no one

Chapter 1: How It All Began

else was around. After I finished that project, people started asking me to help their horses. In the 10 years or so since I got my first drafts, I have started several dozen horses and mules. I recently picked up a pair of Belgian geldings. They are between 2 and 3 years old, are beautiful, and at the time of their arrival had no training at all. As I began converting them from magnificent morons to a useful team, I seized the opportunity to share, with words and photographs, some of the techniques I have learned over the years for starting horses and mules. I do not propose these are the best, the most humane, or even the right ways to do it. I suggest, however, that my methods work. They minimize danger to the would-be trainer and, because they work fairly quickly, minimize the stress put on the animal in training. Before you begin such a project, understand the risks associated with the process of training a horse. Ask yourself if you are prepared to take on those risks and see the project through.

Here are a few things to evaluate before you start: Danger to you. Almost any horse you try to train is going to outweigh you by several orders of magnitude. The size of the horse is not necessarily commensurate with the size of the risk. Any horse can step on you, kick you or bite you. In my opinion, the small, hot-blooded ones are more likely to exhibit these behaviors than the heavy horses. A friend once told me the reason so few drafts are mean-spirited is that those were the first ones to get eaten during the Depression. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if this is true, but I have seen few draft horses that would hurt you on purpose. If you intend to get one of these beasts to bend to your will, you must have the mindset to master it. If the physical size of the animal intimidates you, do not begin the project. Danger to the animal. Horses frequently hurt themselves. They kick each other and run each other into fences and all manner of sharp obstacles. If they learn they can convince you to relent in a training behavior

Chapter 1: How It All Began

by doing things that threaten their safety, you will quickly train them to do goofy things. When you finally let the horse go, the trainer who comes after you will have some ugly behaviors to correct before he can get to the training part of the job. Danger to equipment. Horses that are getting used to new things often try to run away from them. If they feel trapped, they will run back, jump up, jump sideways, fall down â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you name it. These behaviors break things. They break harness. They break wagons. They break fences. If the horses learn they can get you to relent in any element of their training by putting the equipment at risk, guess what? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly what they will do. I have never started a colt or a mule without it breaking something. I had one mule that broke four tugs before I developed a technique to prevent the behavior. If, on the other hand, the animal learns that such foolishness results in discomfort or in extended training sessions, the behavior evaporates. Having said all those things, I would point out that situations where you are physically at risk of being harmed by a horse in training are infrequent. If you take appropriate precautions, they are extremely infrequent. Situations where horses truly endanger themselves are also infrequent. The things they do might appear to be spectacular. Trying to crawl over a gate, for example, can look dangerous, but if the gate holds up and the horse does not knock it down, the attempt turns into a good training lesson: Perhaps Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d better not do this again, because it does not make my human relieve the pressure and is quite uncomfortable. To be successful in training a horse or a mule, you must be prepared to regularly commit time to the project. The training sessions do not have to last hours and hours. In fact, you should not train new behaviors for more than an hour or so at a time. But you must not leave the animal standing with time on his hands for days or weeks between sessions, or two things will happen: The animal forgets the behaviors he has been taught, due to lack of reinforcement; and he thinks up goofy things to do when training resumes.

Chapter 1: How It All Began

If you are determined to proceed with training a team, you will need a few things.

Equipment you will need Rope halters Some auctioneers call them cowboy halters. They are made of small-gauge nylon. When the halter is the proper size for your horse, the knots at the outside of the nose piece will fall just where the rope goes down the outside of the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face. Some halters have rawhide braided around the nose piece to accentuate the stop function. Never leave any halter on a horse that is not tied. It serves no function and endangers the horse. Catch Pen Any pen is suitable that is capable of preventing the horse from running through or over it. The perimeter may be barbed wire, board, pipe, panel or mesh wireâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;virtually anything that can contain a horse attempting to escape training pressure. It needs to be more than 20â&#x20AC;&#x2122; wide and large enough to let the horse think he can get away from you, but not so large that he can. A round pen is nice, but, if you do not have one, any sturdy corral will do.

Chapter 2

Catchable Attitude Upon arrival at my little place, every equine is taught how to be caught before it is allowed to graze with the herd. I start out by putting the horse or mule into my 60’-by-60’ catch pen. It has a Little Giant automatic water trough, which provides all the cool water the animal needs without providing a place for mosquitoes to breed or an opportunity for a mud hole. Some trainers use a small trough they fill daily, thus forcing the equine to associate the trainer’s arrival with the arrival of life-giving water. I leave the water on. Twice a day I enter the pen carrying a halter and a longe whip. If more than one horse is in the pen, I expel all but one to an adjacent pen, thus assuring I have one horse’s undivided attention. I put the whip down and approach the horse with the halter. The horse immediately assumes the try-to-catch-me posture. When he runs, I go to the center of the pen, drop the halter, and pick up the longe whip. I allow the horse to run one or two revolutions. If he tries to slow to a walk, I encourage him to continue at the previous pace. After a couple of revolutions, I intercept his course and say “whoa” in a firm voice. He will feel the pressure and either attempt to increase speed to shoot the gap or, more likely, stop and wheel.

Chapter 2: Catchable Attitude

His tendency will be to turn away from me, toward the fence. If I am close enough to the fence when he wheels and get the longe whip outside his arc, I can convince him to wheel to the inside. The natural thing for a horse to do, when stopped in this mode, is to wheel and immediately run the other way. After saying “whoa,” I immediately say “come about” and “giddap.” I never say “giddy up.” When I hear that, I think of Dale Evans encouraging her pony forward. If you are female and want to emulate Dale, make your choice according to your own values. If you are male and want to emulate Dale, well then you might want to learn to ride sidesaddle. The idea is to understand what the animal is going to do and to take credit for the action as it is being done. On every revolution (or two, or half) repeat the whoa, come about, giddap series, all the time trying to get him to wheel to the inside. If you are unsuccessful in getting the inside turn to start with, keep trying. He will eventually sense the pressure and comply. Forcing the horse to turn frequently gets him out of the escape mindset and acquaints him with the fact that you are controlling his actions. It also gets you into his field of view when he is reversing direction. This concept will be handy later.

Chapter 2: Catchable Attitude

I have never had an animal run himself to death. When the horse gets tired or winded enough, he will eventually get the idea to pause in the process of coming about and to face you. He will stop. Some will actually approach you if you stop applying pressure. Whether the horse approaches you or not, he will stop. It is your job to watch for this opening and seize upon it. Relieve pressure. Drop the whip. Pick up the halter and approach the animal. If he takes flight again, pick up the longe whip and continue the process of applying pressure. Eventually he will face you again. When he does, approach him with the halter again. Do not relent until the animal has allowed you to approach him with the halter and put it on him. On every approach, give him an avenue to run away that is not over the top of you. Approach him from a 45-degree angle, thus providing him a clear path. He must decide he is going to allow the halter to be put on without being crowded into a corner. Once the animal has allowed you to halter him, lead him directly to a feed trough and give him a small amount of grain. Use the time he is eating to replenish his hay, taking care to assure he does not waste it. Uneaten hay is wasted energy and a chore to clean up. If you have time, brush him or rub him while he is eating. As soon as he is done eating, remove his halter and turn him loose. Repeat the above process twice a day, if possible, but once a day at a minimum. Terminate every session by offering a small amount of grain and removing the halter. This whole process is done at a trot or a canter, or in some cases at an all-out run, not at a walk. The point of the exercise is to assert your control of the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actions and force the horse to work. How hard he works (beyond a walk) is his choice. Every horse responds to this technique differently. Some attempt to vault the fence. After experiencing the futility of that, they look for other methods to relieve the pressure. Some recognize the futility of continuing to run, come about, and quickly run again. Some, particularly mules, continue the process for a long time before relenting and permitting you to put on the halter. I have

Chapter 2: Catchable Attitude

had a few mules that never stood for the halter. They had to be roped. Once they have been roped a few times, they grasp the futility of running. When you begin this process, the animal will be aware only that you are blocking his path. Soon he will associate the sounds you make with your act of blocking his path, and will begin to react on sound — that is, if you are careful to sound each command slightly before giving the physical stimulus. If you are careful to give the three separate commands (and their physical stimuli) separately, he will eventually respond to “whoa,” to “come about,” and to “giddap” with the appropriate response. You must insist on the appropriate response and only that response. For example, a horse will often respond to “whoa” by stopping, wheeling, and running the other way. Although that response is a good one in the first few minutes of activity, eventually the horse should be made to whoa without reversing direction. You teach that response by issuing the command. If the horse stops and wheels and attempts to go the other direction, you say nothing, but block his escape and cause him to wheel back in the original direction and then block him from proceeding. Repeat this exercise until the horse stops and stands in the same direction he was originally going. Once he has stopped, let him know he has pleased you. Once he is stopped (or whoaed), you have the option to cause him to go forward or to “come about.” Mixing these secondary commands will help him learn to discriminate among them in his mind. So, in addition to teaching the animal to be caught, you have acquainted him with the basic commands to which he will be expected to respond — giddap and whoa. If you apply this treatment twice a day, presumably during the morning and the evening, you may be able to dispense with the whip in a few days. When you enter the pen, the horse will face you. After a week or so, he will meet you at the gate and extend his head for you to put the halter on. When one of my horses or mules reaches this point, he is ready to be turned out into my pasture with the rest of the herd.

Chapter 2: Catchable Attitude

I reinforce the catchable attitude frequently by whistling and ringing a bell. When they hear either sound, they come up to be caught. Well, I think they are coming up to be caught. They think they are coming up to be treated and fed. All the horses and mules line up, in pecking order, at the gate to have their halters put on and to be led to the feeders. The ones that reach their heads over the fence to be haltered get in first, and, in turn, are fed first. This way of feeding is labor intensive compared to just putting out some buckets and letting the bunch have at it. It has the advantage, though, of keeping the equines gentle and easy to handle. It also forces me to examine all my animals for injuries several times a week. By the way, if they are not working, they get only a small ration of feed. In that case, the exercise is more a treat than a meal. If they are being worked hard, as in my annual attempt to plow the oat field, I keep the plow horses up and feed them hay, as they are reluctant to be caught after the first day or two of plowing.

Chapter 3

Leading the Horse Doc and Dan were 2 years old when I met them. They had belonged to a family with children for most of their young lives. They had been exposed to children to the point that they were quite gentle and friendly to people, but they had no concept of following a human unless the human happened to have something they wanted. Getting them to the feed trough, for example, was a piece of cake. Getting one to leave it, particularly when the partner was still standing at his trough, was a chore. Over the years, I have taught several small colts to lead by putting a lariat rope under the tail. That process consists of first pulling on the lead rope, to which they respond by pulling back. I would then pull the rope under the tail. That would cause sufficient discomfort to convince them to go forward. A few repetitions and they would usually get the idea. Doc and Dan weigh 1,800 pounds each. While the underthe-tail method might eventually work, their weight advantage, coupled with the increased will of the older animal, would have made the process laborious. And the failure of a particular training technique reinforces the negative behavior â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that behavior being, in this case, pulling back when pressure is applied to the lead rope.

Chapter 3: Leading the Horse

To address this problem, I consulted The Classic Encyclopedia of the Horse, a book published in 1864 by a man who traveled with a tent demonstrating horse-training techniques — kind of a 19th century Clinton Anderson. That book describes several forms of the war bridle. The variant he recommends for this lesson is ¼” strong cord; if they’d had nylon in 1864, he probably would have recommended that. The war bridle takes advantage of a physical characteristic of the horse’s skull — a small place behind the ears where the application of pressure by a small object, such as a nylon cord, greatly discomforts the horse. When you pull on the halter rope, you request his cooperation. When you pull on the war bridle,

Start by tying the end of the cord into a loop that will not slip and tighten.

Chapter 3: Leading the Horse

Slip the loop over the lower jaw as you would a bridle.

you insist on his cooperation. A horse that first experiences this sensation will try to back away from the pressure. If you are doing your job, the discomfort will increase when he backs away and

Chapter 3: Leading the Horse

Run the remainder of the cord over the top of the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poll, right behind the ears.

confuse him, because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thinking This has always worked before. Take care, when the horse pulls back, to keep significant tension on the cord, but do not let the tension increase so much

Chapter 3: Leading the Horse

the cord is in danger of breaking. While maintaining tension, walk back with him. When the horse realizes that backing does not decrease the discomfort, he will step forward. When he does, immediately release pressure and let him know he has pleased you. Pull on the lead rope again. If he does not give to the lead rope pressure, reapply pressure to the war bridle. Be careful, as you conduct this procedure, that you do not stand directly in front of or close to the horse. Once he realizes that giving to pressure eases the discomfort, the horse may lunge forward, in which case you do not want to be in his path. A sullen/dull horse is much more likely to lunge forward than a sensitive horse. He sets back on the bridle and experiences the feeling for as long as he can. Then, when he has had enough, he lunges forward, sometimes several feet. After you get past the initial tussle, lead him around for 20 or 30 minutes using the halter. Resort to the war bridle again only if he resists, and then use it only enough to get compliance. Do not jerk on the cord, as doing so can cause intense pain and will not enhance your training agenda.

Chapter 4

Longeing for Respect

When Doc and Dan arrived on my farm, they were quite friendly and gentle, but had poor manners. They had no concept of my personal space and no sense of urgency about complying with my wishes. While I can accept these traits in the small Italian woman who sleeps with me, I am not interested in dealing with the same traits in a 1,800-pound gelding that has the potential to gain another half ton by maturity. In self-defense, therefore, I needed to get their respect. I learned the technique I use from watching Clinton Anderson on RFD-TV. It is no less desirable to have a large horse’s respect than to have the respect of the animals on which Clinton does his demonstrations, and precisely the same techniques may be used. If you have access to his programs, his demonstrations of this technique are far superior to my words and photos. Nevertheless, here goes. I bought a fiberglass stick at the local feed store. It is about 5’ long and tapers from about ¾” at the handle to about 3⁄8” at the tip. These sticks are generally used for working cattle in pens. Clinton sells one to which a string may be attached. I’m not sure what he charges. His is better. Mine was handy.

Chapter 4: Longeing for Respect

To be successful in this exercise, you must not attempt to use a strap-type halter. I use rope halters, which may be purchased at most equine equipment stores. Or you can make them yourself using the instructions in Halter Tying Success by Diane Longanecker. The reason a small gauge rope halter works is that it puts pressure on the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nose and pole. When the horse pulls back on a strap halter, the strap comforts him; when he pulls back on the rope halter, the rope makes him uncomfortable. I once demonstrated this technique for a woman as part of a trailering exercise with her mule. When she tried to do the same thing I did, the mule was tough enough to overcome her. I made a small gauge chain halter. We put it on the mule and he started seeing things her way. The rope halter was not fine enough to do the job.

You want the horse to keep his nose turned toward you and his attention on you.

To begin this exercise, push the horse away from you. He needs to learn to move around you in a circle. You do that by first waving the stick in his direction (with a rhythm), then spanking the ground (with a rhythm), then swatting him in the rear with your stick (again, with a rhythm). He will try to run from you.

Chapter 4: Longeing for Respect

When he hits the end of the lead line, yank on the lead to apply pressure to the horse’s nose. He will try to outpull you. Keep gently yanking until he relents. He will then try to face you. Walk right past his face and whack him in the rear. If he attempts to run backward to keep you away from his rear, go with him until he gives up and moves forward. Continue this exercise until he learns that he is more comfortable going in circles than in facing you or pulling on you. After the horse has reached this level, it’s time for him to learn to reverse and circle in the other direction. Slide your hand down the rope toward the horse, clenching the rope and pulling it to your naval. At the same time, motion with your other hand in the direction you want the horse to go. Because you are using a rope halter, he will feel the pressure on his nose and face you. If he does not move in that direction, use your stick to encourage him to do so. Tap his shoulder, neck, or any part of his body you can reach. You want him to be uncomfortable standing still after you have given him the combination of signals to go. When he has oriented himself in the other direction, again threaten his rear end by doing the same series of actions you did to get him going in the beginning. You could use the “come about” command you used when you were teaching him to be caught. Doing so may help him get acquainted with this new exercise, as he is familiar with that command already. On the other hand, he will quickly learn what you want from reading your body language. Once you have him reversing directions on command or body language, you can give him a nice little workout without causing yourself a similar amount of cardiovascular activity. The point of the exercise is to keep his feet moving. Never let him go in one direction more than three revolutions. You want him to know he as doing what you want: to wit, not evading you. As you begin this lesson, the horse will have a tendency to want to look outside the circle, presumably as an avenue of escape. When he does, give gentle, or not so gentle, yanks on the

Chapter 4: Longing for Respect

To teach the horse to yield his hindquarters, pull his nose in your direction while making a threatening gesture toward his rear end.

lead rope. You want to keep his nose tipped toward you and his attention on you. Once you have these maneuvers operating dependably and smoothly, teach the horse to yield his hindquarters. Pull his nose in your direction, though not directly at you, while making threatening gestures toward his rear end with your head and shoulder. Then use your stick to threaten his rear end, in the same manner you were using it to get him to move. The difference is that now you are holding his nose so his only choice is to yield. Because you have his nose pointed in your direction, he cannot move away. Teach this lesson in both directions. If, in one session, you are able to send the horse out, reverse direction, and get him to give his hindquarters, you might consider putting him up. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of learning for a young horse. In fact, due either to your inexperience, the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slow wittedness, or unfortunate experiences he has had in the past, he may not learn all these things in one session. Not to worry. When you think he has had enough and might be turning sour, find a positive note to quit on and quit. Tomorrow is another day.

Chapter 4: Longeing for Respect

The horse yields his hindquarters and rivets his attention on the guy with the stick.

Chapter 5

Backing on Command The most unnatural thing a horse can do is back up. While most animals have a fight or flight instinct, the last thing most horses will do is become aggressive when frightened. Given an opportunity, they prefer to run. It does not occur to them to back out of a situation. Having a 2,000-pound animal capable of only forward motion, however, is inconvenient, so we must help the horse develop the capacity to move backward. Your animal is now comfortable being sent out on a longe line, reversing direction, and yielding his hindquarters. The purpose of teaching a horse to longe, reverse directions, and yield his hindquarters is to get him accustomed to paying attention to you and to respond quickly to your commands. When he does these things, he has become respectful. You will be able to identify the postures of a respectful horse. He will generally have his head down and an alert, but not wild, look in his eyes. He will not snort or stomp his feet. You will be able to touch him anywhere with your hands or your stick without the least bit of alarm. He knows what you mean when you say â&#x20AC;&#x153;whoaâ&#x20AC;? or give the signal to reverse direction, be it a verbal or body language command. Now that he is comfortable with these things and is

Chapter 5: Backing On Command

attentive to your wishes, you can readily back him. With the animal facing In this lesson, you must you on a slack lead line and make the stick an impassive paying attention to you, participant — the stick just happened to be waving and begin wagging the slack in just happened to bump the the rope so the horse can feel horse when he got in the way. the sensation in his halter. Using a fixed rhythm as you This action will puzzle him swing it and a calm attitude creates this impression. You until you start waving the do not want the horse to stick under the rope and say, become frightened of your in a clear voice, “back.” training tools. Wave the stick in wide Your primary tool for getting a horse’s attention and arc (120 degrees around you) holding it is your stick. If he between you and him and in flinches and bolts away every a reasonably slow cadence, time you pick it up, it will be maybe two seconds per cycle. of little use to you. After every lesson where you use the Then, still wagging the rope stick, spend a few minutes and calmly saying “back,” letting the horse know it can move toward him until the give him pleasure as well as displeasure. stick hits his chest or shoulder. Rub the stick on the Avoid hitting him in the face horse’s back, side and neck. unless he puts his face in the Be sure to rub both sides. A arc of the stick himself. He will horse desensitized on both sides can be easily at peace step back to avoid the stick. with the treatment. By the Immediately stop the motion time you have finished your and let the horse know it has training regimen, you should pleased you by saying, “Good be able to rub him anywhere, including his legs and feet, boy, Dan,” or “Good girl, while he stands calmly. Tinkerbell.” Then do the same thing again. Repeat this process not more than 10 times. Then quit. Do the same thing at the end of each session you spend with the horse. Within a few lessons, you will be able to invoke backing simply by shaking the rope or by saying, “back.”

The Stick

Chapter 6

Promoting Suppleness When you begin to drive or ride a horse, you want him to have a natural inclination to respond to your requests for change of direction without a lot of pulling. A horse is a good deal more powerful than you are. By convincing him to give to pressure easily, you are less likely to get into a tug of war. A horse that readily gives to pressure on three axes is supple. He can flex his neck so his nose easily may be pulled around to his side. His head may be pulled down by light pressure to the top of his poll. He will give to back pressure by bending at the poll. These lessons, and all lessons in this series, are taught with a rope halter. Attempting them with a strap halter would be daunting, indeed. Lateral flexion, or suppleness, is accomplished by standing at the horse’s shoulder. Clasp the halter at or just below the fiador knot at the horse’s chin; that is the knot through which your lead rope is attached. Apply firm pressure on the halter toward you. The horse’s natural response is to pull in the opposite direction. Maintain pressure. The pressure of the hard rope and the double overhand knots at the edge of the horse’s nose will immediately begin to cause him discomfort. To relieve that discomfort, he will attempt to move his rear end away from you