I have been a horse nut for as long as I can remember. I had owned a number of horses which I had some training to do on each horse after my purchase. But it wasn't until I purchased a totally untouched horse, raised in the wild that I had the challenge to correct a horse that was prone to flight. It took me a while to correct and thankfully my horse, myself and others around him never got hurt in the process. I hope this article will help you correct this problem in your horse, quickly and without injuries.
I was tired of retraining horses and tired of trying to fix a problem that someone else had created in a horse that I purchased for my own. So in order to fix this problem I found a yearling that had been field bred and spent the first year of his life in the Cascade mountains. He was untouched and totally wild. I negotiated his price, and an agreement to get him to the sellers home and the understanding that I have the use of her round pen for 2 weeks.
The first four to five days it seemed as though there was little to no progress made, but on day 6 I started to see improvement and by day 14 I had him in a straight load trailer without a fight. I was truly amazed that an animal so wild just 2 weeks before could be transformed in 14 days with just 2 to 3 hours a day of slow gentle work on my part.
This was just the beginning of many years of training. He is now 12 years old and is a wonderful trail horse and a true companion of mine. He is not fully trained as I don't think any horse, at least any of my horses ever are. I believe in the saying, "always be training", and I always will be. He is smart and gentle now but he was a problem to get the flight instinct out of him and make him use his brain. I would work with him and think I had him fixed until a turkey would fly up on the trail and suddenly I was without a horse under me!
A flighty horse has to be fixed and until he is, the horse will be dangerous to handler, rider and the people that are around him as well as dangerous to himself. The final straw was when I was camping, I got two horses saddled and ready to go for a ride, I tried them to a hitching post and went to the outhouse. When I came out I noticed that something was bothering my horse, I don't know what, could have been a horsefly or something. I started over to him at a quick walk so I could untie him and find out what was going on. As I got to him, and before I could get the quick release knot untied he exploded. Now this is a big horse, about 1400 pounds, at a standing position he sprung off the ground like he sprouted wings. He came down on the hitching post which broke off at each end and was now a log tied to him which scared him more and he took off. Now my other horse is still tied to the log and as he takes off she has no choice but to follow. There I was watching my two horses running off in the camp with a log between them. What a wreck!
From this story you can see that something very slight can create a terrible situation and a flighty horse needs to be corrected before these things happen. This was the hardest thing to correct in this horse and I attribute it to the first year of his life when he had real predators like bears and mountain lions. It took a lot to get him to think before flight but I did get that result and so can you.
Here is the horse training lesson in my online library that will fix this problem and a few others in the process. As with most things in horses, fix one thing and it will have an effect on other problems and other benefits to your horse training. Click here to leave a comment....
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Comment
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I like the main concepts you have for teaching a horse to accept being tied. I would have a few prior lessons on the horse before going to the post. 1) Head down 2) Go forward off the pressure to the poll 3) Send off and come back with the bridle and rope 4) Spook work in the round pen and in hand. Then go to the tie post and it will be easier and quicker for the horse as he will not panic when he feels the pressure as he has learned to come off the pressure even when scared. - by Jodi Wilson, 02-01-2010, 7:05 PM
6.
Training to Trailer Load
I have tried a new method for trailer training that I really love and works great. The problem I have always had with trailer training is that I eventually win and they go in but its not like they really want to, they do it because I bug them enough that they go in so that I will leave them alone. The problem with the trailer is that it resembles a cave and caves are where a horse’s predator lives. Horses are basically claustrophobic and it is against all their instincts to go in a trailer. If you have ever ridden in a horse trailer (an experience I think everyone should do once) you would wonder, if they ever went in once, why would they ever go back. It is not a fun ride, noisy, rough and hard to keep your balance on easy turns. So the challenge has been to make it a place where they want to be, a place they will willingly and eagerly go into. So here is the best method I have ever tried and one I will always use from now on. It makes it their choice and the trailer becomes their sanctuary. Here is what to do.... Horse Trailer Training
A person I really look up to is my friend and neighbor and horse trainer " Jackie". She has taught me almost everything I know about horses and riding. I train with "my" horse Katz (which I have adopted from Jackie and her husband Bob) Katz is a great horse to train with. Jackie has been working with me for about 2 years and I enjoy it so much!! Last summer she started a Centered Riding Program and almost all of our neighbors with horses is involved with this program. It has helped both Katz and me. In the summer it's really fun to go trail riding with Jackie and my horse always likes to take the lead, but Jackie has taught me to control her. I also look forward to several horse camping trips with her family and my family and of course our horses this summer. I went with Jackie to a horse show and helped her and learn so much from her as she showed her new horse Maddie. It was a great experience, seeing different horses and types of riding. My favorite type of riding is Western. My dream is to show Katz within the next year. I enjoy riding her in the round pen and Jackie sets up obstacles which are fun to go through. Jackie has taught me SO much, she has helped build my confidence, my strength, and my knowledge of my dream "Horses" . I fell off Katz once, I cried a little bit, but Jackie got me back on the horse cause she told me that all good riders get thrown off now and then, but you get right back on, and I did. I am so happy that Jackie is such a great trainer. Thank you Jackie.
-Horse Lover (Haley) age 11
Hi Rich the Farrier....
Thanks for this interesting comment. I found the technique for the older horse very interesting and one I have not heard of before. It sounds like it would work well.
The youngsters that you tie and let them work it out....I have tried this. Especially with the horse I got that was totally wild and I could not get close to him. I placed a post in the middle of the round pen. Then I attached a inner tube to the post. I made sure the inner tube was attached really well. I got a long rope attached to his halter and ran it through the inner tube. I then pulled the rope up enough that he could not get his leg over it and tied him off. I left him there overnight and the next day I could lead him. As soon as I applied a little pressure he stepped forward to get the release just as he had done with the inner tube. It also put a lot less stress to his neck rather than an immoveable object to tie him to with no give. This worked great. The next day I could lead him but I still could not touch him.
I have a way of teaching a horse to tie. With a young horse I will just tie him to something solid and let him work it out. They learn very quickly and I have never had a problem. I did have an older horse that pulled back when tied so I attached a long rope to the halter and passed it through the tie ring. The other end of the rope had a metal ring on it which I made in to a noose and passed it through the front legs. The noose was placed around the belly of the horse so that when the horse pulled back the noose squeezed the belly and the horse jumped forward. Again they learn very quickly and even a proven 'puller backer' will stop. The good thing with this is the horse will train its self so it will be much quicker. - by RichTheFarrier, 05-02-2009, 2:43 AM
10.
I would like to leave a comment to all of Jackie's readers.
There is a great story I have heard of Jackie. When she was young she was bucking around like a horse before she had even seen a real horse! As I was told she didn't have any family that was into horses. As her kids say "she was born with 'horses on the brain'."
I have only known her a short time but I can say that she loves horses and everything to with those beautiful creatures more than anything. I say anything because she does have family and they come first but horses are definitely second.
I had the amazing experience to recently ride a horse for the first time. To my benefit, Jackie personally taught me on one of her own, Katz. The most trustworthy but the most high strung of them all. She was a barrel racing horse. Jackie told me I did beautifully and that I rode like a natural.
I used to be scared of that big beautiful creature. Jackie taught me so well in combination with her so incredibly well trained horses to have no fear. I thank her profusely for that.
It is incredible that you all have this vast amount of information at your fingertips and I surely hope you recognize and thank Jackie personally for that.
In the beginning you want to run the rope through the ring and hold the end. When you first begin he will pull a long way back and you will pull him up as soon as his feet stop. Once he is back where he should be, start the stimulus again. Each time he pulls back he won't go as far. He will stop sooner. Soon he will stand and not pull back at all. Remember to work both sides the same way. Expect him to respond as if you were starting from the beginning when you change sides. We have to train both sides of the horse. Once he stands on both sides without pulling is when you want to take a wrap or two on the rope. This will put some resistance if he does pull back and it will free you up to find other stimulus like plastic, balls, umbrella or whatever you can come up with. You want to apply the stimulus and watch him as you do. If he seems like he is about to move his feet, back off on the stimulus and then gradually increase it. You are not trying to get his feet to move but if they do he is not tied and can move. There is resistance so that he will feel the resistance and hopefully change his mind. Keep doing this until you can't come up with anymore items and whatever you throw at him he will not pull back. Now he is fixed and he'll use his brain instead of flight. He has also learned to stand tied.
Thanks so much for the clarification. I can see the value of everything you said, especially about making it harder for him to pull some slack, but not impossible. Would it work the same if you would just hold the end of the rope and put whatever pressure you thought the horse could handle at the time? If you had a long enough rope, the horse could move his feet without getting away, but it wouldn't be as easy as if you just let the rope pull through. Just thinking it through . . .
Thanks. - by Caren, 10-01-2009, 7:19 PM
13.
Thanks for the feedback, Caren, I really enjoyed your comments. Just a few things I want to comment on your comments. First, on tying the horse, where you did not like "kind of tie him". This is used when you are not sure your horse is tie safe. You don't what to tie a horse that will possibly pull back in panic and find himself trapped and can't move his feet. I find if I run the rope though the ring and put a few twists on the rope it will make it so it is harder to pull slack but will still allow it if your horse pulls back. As you start to increase the intensity of whatever stimulus you are doing the horse will probably pull back in the beginning, you let him and don't try to hold him. Once his feet stop you pull up the slack in the rope and repeat what you were doing. It is good to decrease the intensity because I agree that you are not trying to get him to pull back. So once you pull up the slack, do what you were doing but not with as much intensity. Gradually increase the intensity and at some point he will probably pull back again, but probably not as far this time. Keep repeating this until he stand quiet and does not move his feet even with increased intensity. Once you have achieved this you want to go on to something different and more difficult. The pulling slack in the rope does not teach your horse that pulling back is okay. It teaches that the rope won't trap him and eventually he will get the idea that pulling back is not needed. He does not have to flee because if you throw enough at him in intensity and difficulty he will eventually think about the scary thing rather than exert the extra energy to flight. What we are trying to achieve is getting the horse to think before fleeing. When his natural instinct says flee, then check it out. I think a horse raised with natural predators has this flight instinct much stronger and it wasn't until I trained a totally wild untouched horse that I realized this. My normal sacking out and desensitizing was not enough for this horse because the flight instinct was so strong. I really like the special ring that Clinton Anderson has developed for this exercise that allows you to increase the difficulty that the rope will release.
I really like your suggestion to carry a knife. I think this is a good practice if you are around horses. It is good to try and carry it all the time because I had an intense that it was in my pocket but because it was never there any other time in the panic I forgot it was there. Now I try to always carry a pocketknife in my pants pocket so I get in the habit of knowing I have a knife always handy. I think women need to practice this more than men. Men are more used to having a knife in their pocket.
Your second point about the rope halter is a good place to start. This is good for general sacking out and the beginning of this exercise but when you start taking it to the next level and teaching him to be tie safe you want to start with a nylon halter and long rope. You should never tie your horse with a rope halter. Rope halters are strictly for in hand work and are wonderful tools for this work.
I understand that the horse I am referring to in this example is an extreme example. He taught me so much on how to correct this problem. Now I will put all my horses though these same exercises because I want to assure myself, as much as possible, that my horse won't panic. That he will use his brain before flight with the most difficult situations we might get into. This exercise can take a day, days or weeks. And with each new riding season I remind them of how to use their brain before flight. I figure it can't hurt and can only help to make them safer for them and me. With this training I think it will achieve that goal. Now, all my horses get this type of desensitizing in my training with great success.
This is mostly a good article on how to help a horse that pulls back when tied, is scared of ropes, and gets panicked over things that scare him. However, there are a couple of things that bothered me.
First, I don't think it would be necessary to "kind of" tie him. If he is OK with you doing things with the rope with it looped throught the ring, he should be OK to tie. "Kind of" tying him shows him that if he pulls hard enough, he can put slack in the rope. That's the opposite of what we want him to learn. Either loop the rope through the ring or tie him if he's ready. Also, you could mention that you should always have a knife handy when you tie a horse and it's a good idea to stay nearby while the horse is learning about tying.
The second thing that bothers me is when you show the horse potentially scary things while tied. I find it's easier for the horse to learn to accept things like this while it's possible for him to move his feet. I like to put a rope halter & lead on him when I show him scary stuff. I try not to push him to the point when he feels he must leave, but if he does feel that way, I bend him in a circle around me until he feels safe enough to stop. Allowing him to move his feet when he needs to keeps him from feeling trapped. The halter and lead make sure he doesn't leave the county! After he's OK with the scary item while being held by the halter rope, then you can tie him and show him again.
I really like the last part where you write about taking it easy and slow and how important this training is for the horse and the people who are near him. Thanks for the reminder! I'm going to do more of this with my long yearling this winter! - by Caren, 04-01-2009, 3:21 PM
