Horse Pulls Back? Part 2

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP A HORSE THAT PULLS BACK?

(Part 2 of 2) By Glenn Stewart

It is much more difficult to teach a horse not to pull after he has started pulling than to learn some exercises and then use them with your horse to avoid the pulling in the first place. We continue our article from the February issue after following the feel… and yielding to pressure…

Another thing to make sure that it is working is to use steady pressure on the poll. Use your fingertips to ask the head down, and use steady pressure with the lead line to ask the head down. Ask with light but steady pressure. If there is no response do not release, add a little pressure and wait 2 or 3 seconds and add a bit more pressure. The moment you get any kind of a yield downwards immediately release the pressure, rub him to say thanks and start again. Teach him to put his head down each day for a few days in a row until the response you get from your horse is positive. Think about how much pressure it would take to push on the hair or to just get to the skin and his head goes down. He also needs to be confident enough to keep it down. If he is in a big rush to lift his head up you are not finished with the exercise. He might not put his head down at all at first he might even go up but if you hold the pressure until you get downwards even a half inch, release and start again his understanding, respect and confidence will grow.

Pressure motivates and the release of pressure teaches. Your timing of the release and effectiveness of the phases you use to apply the pressure is what will teach your horse wanted and unwanted behaviour. The better our timing and effectiveness; the better the behaviours.

A light, calm, soft, brave and responsive horse is what we are after, but he might not be that way to begin with. If he has a pulling issue it is doubtful that pushing on the hair is going to get his attention so to be affective you may have to apply firmer pressure. Don’t be in a hurry to get firmer and as you add pressure give him time to think. We are not stronger and don’t want to try to be. What I tell people is a fly can move a horse so if you are pushing your fingers in him to his muscle he definitely knows you are there, so you might just hold and wait. Be more persistent than the horse. Teach him how to move off of pressure.

Teaching your horse to follow a feel and yield to pressure is something to be aware of any

time you are with your horse. Notice if you are applying any type of pressure and if you are what was his response. An example of pressure being applied accidently and no response is being asked for is holding the lead line short. It is something I see often. The owner/rider of the horse is standing beside their horse holding the clip or very close to it which often puts slight or considerable pressure on the horse’s head. They’re not asking him to do anything they are just standing visiting with a friend. The whole time the horse is feeling pressure on the bit or halter but isn’t being asked to do anything. The horse gets used to holding the weight of the person’s arm with his head. So they become desensitized to the pressure. Then when asked to do something the pressure means little. It is like driving to town with your foot on the brake a little, sooner or later you don’t have any brakes or they don’t work very well. There are many times and ways to be accidently dulling our horses to the feel of our halters. Be sure to teach your horse not to pull, and be careful not to be a puller yourself.

One more thing to check on is your horse’s overall confidence. Does he get worried easily? If he does, then use approach and retreat again and desensitize him to things, sounds and objects. For example if he is scared of a flag on a stick, and even more scared if you wave it around. If he is scared of the sound or look of it then lots of other things might be scary to him as well.

Being tied makes them feel a bit trapped and then if he is scared of things moving and/or sounds, one thing fuels the other and the pulling begins. Understanding what makes a horse a horse helps us prepare them better for things we want them to do and helps us undo things that have already been created.

In the meantime when you need to tie your horse, wrap the rope rather than tying hard. If the horse pulls and the rope will slide it is much less frightening to the horse. Wrap the rope around enough times that if you really pull hard it will slide. This way it is uncomfortable for the horse to pull, but it has a bit of give which will help him feel less trapped.

A long lead line will give him time to think before the rope comes completely unwrapped. Doing this in a smaller pen helps because the other edge of the pen also causes the horse to stop pulling. If he gets stopped and comes forward to find the release this will speed his understanding of the situation.

All these exercises are creating a new behaviour and may take you some time. Horses that pull can be taught not to, but the people who do the teaching need to possess some skills and understanding.

So remember: 1. Desensitize to your touch and rubbing. 2. Desensitize to your halter and lead. 3. Build their confidence with things, sounds and objects. 4. Make sure they understand to yield to pressure with your fingers and your lead line for bringing the head down. 5. Make sure they can follow a feel. 6. Help them become less claustrophobic. 7. Wrap your lead.

If you are having limited success, get some help from a professional that has helped other horses and people with pulling issues and that understands that horses are not pulling because they like it; they need their confidence, respect, and understanding developed.

I was told for years that: “Once a puller always a puller.” I have since proven that statement wrong with numerous horses. Pulling is not easy to fix but is fixable. If the human and horse understands these concepts and puts them to practice your horse will stand quietly tied. Once you get him standing quietly tied you will have other things working better as well and probably notice improvement overall.

Enjoy playing with your horse and developing their unending potential.

Glenn Stewart travels extensively conducting clinics, demonstrations, and colt starting sessions, and also offers Camps and a 3 month Horsemanship Course at his home The Horse Ranch, as well as the Horsemanship Learning Adventure Series; two completely different experiences, High & Wild in the Northern BC Rockies, and Working Equitation with Lusitanos in Brazil. He rides 30-60 client horses per year, including young horses, restarts, challenging horses, and foundation training. For more information visit www.thehorseranch.com.

(See his listing in our Business Services section under TRAINERS)