In This Chapter
- Knowing how horses should act
- Approaching horses confidently
- Putting a halter on your horse
- Leading and tying horses correctly
- Longeing a horse with ease
- Dealing with naughty horses
Most people associate horses with
riding, and understandably so. Nearly every equine image they’re exposed to
depicts a human sitting on a horse. But what most people don’t think about is
that before you can get up on the horse, you have to handle him from the
ground.
Because horses are such large
creatures — weighing nearly 10 times as much as most humans — you need skill
and tact (not to mention the tack!) to handle them from the ground. The fact
that most horses are gentle and enjoy human company makes the job easier, but
accidents still occur whenever humans are careless. Even though most people
worry about falling off when they ride, humans actually are more vulnerable to
horse-related injury while on the ground.
In this chapter, we give you a
crash course in horse handling from the ground up. You’ll find out the safest
and most effective ways to deal with your horse before you get up on his back.
As you discover how to handle your horse, you’ll also explore the deep bond
that develops between a human and a horse just from hanging out together.
Establishing the Right Manners
Understanding your responsibilities
Before you begin handling your
horse from the ground, know that you have certain responsibilities. As the
leader of your small herd, you must hold up your end of the bargain by being
firm, consistent, and confident. If you aren’t, your horse will dismiss you as
leader and take over the job himself. Or, if you’re too rough, your horse may
come to think of you as a predator rather than a benevolent leader.
Remember
To help you establish the right tone with your horse, do the following:
- Be firm. When you handle your horse from the ground, remember that you’re the one in charge, not the horse. Don’t allow your horse to push you around — literally or figuratively. Don’t ever let the horse think that he is the one making the decisions. If he ever tries to boss you around, a firm jerk on the lead rope and a loud “Quit!” should get the message across.
- Be fair. Require the horse to do your bidding, but do so in a way that shows compassion and understanding. For example, if you’re leading your horse and he’s walking obediently beside you until a bale of hay falls from a nearby rafter, scares the heck out of him, and makes him pull away and nearly knock you off your feet, don’t punish the horse. He’s merely reacting in a normal way to something outside of his control. Instead, understand the circumstances of your horse’s misbehavior.
- Be patient. Think of your horse as a 1,000-pound toddler. Sometimes he knows what he needs to do but doesn’t feel like doing it. Sometimes he’s at a total loss and can’t figure out what you want. Have some compassion for your horse; he’d much rather be out in a pasture eating with other horses rather than doing things that make no sense to him. Think before you react, make sure that your horse understands what you want before you assume that he doesn’t, and above all, be patient.
- Be anger-free. Unfortunately, taking anger out on the ones who can’t defend themselves is an all-too-human trait. Despite the horse’s large size, he’s a rather gentle creature, quite vulnerable to the abuses of humankind. (If you ever saw or read Black Beauty, you know what we mean.) Never lose your temper with your horse and never take out your daily frustrations on him.
- Be calm. Because horses are prey animals, they tend to be nervous sorts. Whenever you’re around your horse, move slowly and speak quietly. Loud voices and quick movements make horses nervous. And whatever you do, avoid waving your arms over your head when you’re around a horse. For some reason, waving arms scare the daylights out of some horses.
- Be consistent. Don’t be wishy-washy when you deal with your horse. Expect the same behavior from him day in and day out. The more consistent you are when you handle him, the more consistent he’ll be in his responses to you.
Recognizing your horse’s responsibilities
Humans aren’t the only ones
expected to act a certain way during on-the-ground interactions. Horses need to
have “good ground manners,” which means they need to behave themselves when a
human is handling them on the ground. Horses that do not have good
ground manners are a hazard and a liability, and need to be trained.
Remember
Good ground manners that you must expect from your horse include
- Standing still: When your horse is being haltered or tacked up, he needs to stand quietly until you signal him that it’s time for him to move.
- Being nice: While you’re working around your horse, he needs to have a pleasant attitude, meaning no attempts to bite or kick you and no threatening facial expressions.
- Walking alongside: As you lead your horse, he should walk quietly beside you, taking your cue as to speed and which direction to turn.
- Respecting your space: Your horse should always respect your physical space, never intruding on it. He should respond immediately to your requests for more space (see “Your horse crowds you” later in this chapter for more about asking your horse for space).
Approaching Your Horse in the Stall or Pasture
Before you can do anything with your horse, you have to catch him. This expression means approaching him in his stall or pasture, placing a halter over his head, securing it, and leading him out. If your horse is well behaved in this regard, this part is pretty easy. If he isn’t well behaved, you may have a real tough job on your hands. Either way, handle the situation with safety first and foremost in your mind.
Retrieving your horse from a stall
Tip
Horses are much easier to catch when they’re in a stall or small paddock. The horse realizes he has nowhere to go and rarely puts up a fight. The exception to this rule is a horse that fears his handlers or simply hates to be handled, both of which are the result of mistreatment.
Assuming that your horse likes
you and doesn’t mind being caught, attach the lead rope to your horse’s halter
by snapping the lead rope clip onto the ring of the halter (see Figure 13-1)
and follow these steps when you go to retrieve him from his stall:
1. Speak to your horse to let him know you’ve arrived before you enter the stall or paddock.
2. Enter the stall or paddock.
3. Approach the horse at his left shoulder rather than directly at his face. Horses can’t see directly under their noses or directly behind them. If the horse’s hindquarters are facing you as you enter the stall or paddock, make sure that the horse knows you’re there before you get too close.
4. As you get closer to the horse, extend your hand, palm down, and let the horse sniff you. This greeting assures the horse that you’re friend, not foe.
5. Loop the other end of the lead rope around the horse’s neck and slip the halter over his head. See “All Strapped In: Haltering Your Horse” later in this chapter for details on how to put a halter on your horse.
Figure 13-1: Stand at your
horse’s left shoulder when you put on a halter.
Heading toward your horse in a pasture
Catching a horse in a pasture can
be tricky if the horse doesn’t want to be caught. Fortunately, most horses
don’t mind it and will cooperate, provided the human handler approaches the
horse in the right way.
Catching a horse in a pasture is
different from catching him in a stall, because in a pasture, the horse has
much more room to move away from you. Follow these steps for the best way to
approach a horse that is loose in a pasture with other horses:
1. Walk quietly toward the horse with your hands at your side and your halter and lead rope in hand, making sure that he sees you.
2. Approach the horse at his left shoulder, never directly from the front or back. As you make contact with the horse, gently pat or scratch his neck, speaking softly.
3. Place the lead rope around the horse’s neck in a loop as you continue speaking to him. Holding the noosed lead rope, proceed to put on the halter as we describe in the next section.
Remember
Whatever you do, don’t let your horse get away without being caught. After you make an attempt to catch the horse, keep trying until you succeed. If you don’t, the horse quickly learns that capture can be easily eluded.
Warning!
Some people take treats out in a pasture to help catch a horse, but we don’t recommend doing so when other horses are in the pasture. The group may get nasty and competitive with one another over the treats, leaving you vulnerable to a misplaced bite or kick.
Turning your horse loose in the
pasture after you’re finished with him requires some finesse, too, so that he
doesn’t develop the habit of bolting away right after you remove his halter.
Take these precautions for a safe release:
- Noose the lead rope around the horse’s neck before you take the halter off.
- Secure the horse with the lead rope with your hand, and then slip the halter off the horse’s head.
- Release the noose and allow the horse to walk away.
All Strapped In: Haltering Your Horse
The fundamental tool for
controlling a horse on the ground is the halter. Most horses are amenable to
having a halter placed on their heads because they’ve been wearing one since
they were foals.
Tip
Before placing the halter on your horse, check to make sure that the crown strap of the halter is unbuckled and that the lead rope is attached. The hardest thing about learning to halter a horse is visualizing where all those straps are supposed to go. Study horses wearing halters before you attempt to put one on your horse. Become familiar with the way the straps sit on a horse, and then hold a halter in your hand, imagining the horse’s head inside it. See Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for more details about halters.
Remember
Your horse needs to stand quietly as you halter him. If he doesn’t, you have a behavior problem on your hands — one that a professional trainer or experienced horseperson needs to deal with.
To halter your horse, follow
these steps:
1. Facing the same direction as your horse while standing at his left shoulder, place the lead rope in a loose loop around the middle of the horse’s neck. Don’t tie the rope, but hold it together with your right hand. Doing so secures the horse and keeps him from walking away from you. When the lead rope is over the horse’s neck and the horse is standing still, you can release it momentarily so that your hands are free to put on the halter.
2. With the buckle side of the strap in your left hand and the crown strap in your right hand, slip the horse’s nose through the noseband of the halter by reaching your right hand underneath the horse’s neck, as shown in Figure 13-1.
3. When the horse’s nose is through the halter, bring the crown piece up behind the horse’s ears and buckle it so the halter fits comfortably — not too tight and not too loose.
4. Take the lead rope from around the horse’s neck and fold the excess in your left hand while holding the attached rope just below the halter with your right hand. You’re now ready to lead your horse out of his stall or paddock.
On the Ropes: Leading Your Horse
Your role as your horse’s leader
is never more literal than when you’re actually, physically leading him.
Provided your horse is well trained and well behaved and you’re confident and
adept, leading a horse can be fun and easy.
Leading the right way
Remember
For safety reasons, you need to lead a horse the right way, and that means standing on your horse’s left side and holding the end of the rope closest to your horse’s head in your right hand as described in the previous section. Some other tips that can help you lead your horse the right way:
- Hold onto the lead rope with your right hand about 6 inches from the halter. If your lead rope has a chain at the end, hold the rope just below the chain so you don’t injure your hand if the horse pulls back.
If you find you need more control when leading your horse, gain it by moving your hand closer to the halter.
- Never coil the remaining lead rope around your left hand. If you do and the horse pulls back, the coil can tighten, trapping your hand.
- Always lead your horse from his left side. See Figure 13-2 for the correct position for leading a horse.
- Give the lead rope a gentle pull with your right hand as you begin to walk forward. The horse should begin walking, keeping pace with you so you remain at his shoulder.
- Turn the wrist on your right hand either left or right to turn your horse in either direction. Turning the horse away from you is always best because it keeps your toes away from his big clumsy hooves and reinforces to the horse that he should stay out of your space Your horse should follow your lead.
- Stop your horse by saying, “Whoa!” and by stopping yourself and giving a backward tug on the rope with your right hand.
Figure 13-2: You should stay
at your horse’s left shoulder when you lead.
When leading your horse, keep in
mind that he doesn’t know which way you intend to go at any given moment.
Remember that your horse is much heavier and longer than you, and can’t turn as
fast or stop as quickly as you can without warning. You know that you’re about
to turn or stop, but your horse doesn’t.
Refraining from bad habits
Try not to forget just how big
your horse really is when you’re leading him. It’s important, because if
something should something happen — like your horse spooks or starts to
misbehave (see “Handling Problems from the Ground” later in this chapter) — you
can be in serious physical danger if you aren’t leading the proper way.
Warning!
Make sure you “don’t” fall into these bad habits when leading your horse:
- Don’t lead a horse by anything other than a halter and lead rope, or the reins of a bridle. If leading by the reins, don’t loop them over the horse’s neck while leading but rather hold them free instead. Don’t loop them around your hand, either.
- Don’t coil or wrap the lead rope around your hand. If the horse pulls back or runs off, the rope may tighten around your hand, and you can be dragged.
- Don’t wrap your hand around the chain part of a lead rope (if your lead rope has a chain, that is — not all do). If the horse pulls back, your hand can be injured.
- Don’t put your hand in the halter to lead your horse in place using a lead rope. If the horse bolts and your hand gets caught in the halter, you may be dragged.
- Don’t walk in front of your horse with him trailing behind you. If your horse suddenly bolts forward, you can be trampled.
- Don’t trot your horse when you’re leading him, unless someone is evaluating the animal for lameness. Leading a trotting horse is difficult.
In Knots: Tying Your Horse
To tie up a horse so that he’s
immobile while you’re saddling him, grooming him, or doing anything else that
requires him to stand still, you just take a rope and tie him to a post. Right?
Wrong. Although it may seem that simple, tying a horse is anything but. Horses
must be secured in just the right way or they can get themselves into all kinds
of trouble.
Warning!
Pulling back when frightened is one of the most common and dangerous problems that occurs when a horse is tied (see “Your horse pulls back when tied” later in this chapter for solutions to this problem). Another problem involves the horse getting tangled up in the lead rope.
Remember
When tying a horse, follow these rules to ensure safety:
- Whenever possible, tie a horse in crossties, which are two ropes on either side of the horse that attach to the sides of the horse’s halter. Crossties need to be about the same height as the top of the horse’s shoulders. (See Figure 13-3 to see what crossties look like.) Tying a horse in crossties is much safer than tying a horse to a hitching post or other object.
Make sure that your horse is familiar with the feeling of being crosstied before you tie him this way. Gradually get him used to the idea by attaching one crosstie to his halter first and your lead rope to the other. That way, he gets used to the pull that comes from the crosstie without being completely confined in it.
And make sure that the crossties have a breakaway feature so the horse won’t get hung up in the ties if he panics and thrashes around. Quick-release snaps are a good feature to have on crossties, so a frightened horse can be turned loose if he’s in danger of hurting himself or someone else. Consider buying a cotton lead rope that’s affixed to a panic or quick-release snap that you can release whenever the horse pulls back or gets tangled up. This rope is the safest kind for tying. You can also tie a piece of baling twine between the crosstie and the ring that attaches it to the post. In the event of an emergency, the twine will break instead of the halter or crosstie.
- Tie a horse only by a halter and lead rope, or halter and crossties. Never tie a horse by the reins of a bridle. If the horse pulls back, the reins can break and the bit may damage the horse’s jaw.
- Tie a horse only to an immovable object. Horses need to be tied to solid fence posts, hitching posts made for this purpose, horse trailers hooked to a truck, crossties, or, if on the trail, to strong, secure tree trunks. The rope needs to be tied so that its height is stable and won’t slip down toward the ground. Horses are strong, and if they spook and pull back when tied to something that isn’t secure, they can drag the object or pull it right out of the ground.
- When tying a horse with a lead rope, use a safety, or quick-release, knot. The knot can be released in an emergency by pulling on the loose end. Practice tying a safety knot and make sure you know precisely how to tie it before you use it to secure a horse. See Figure 13-4 for instructions on tying a safety knot.
Figure 13-3: When you secure
a horse with crossties, you attach ropes on either side of the halter.
- Always tie a horse with the knot at about the level of the horse’s withers, with no more than 3 feet of rope from the post to the halter. Doing so keeps the horse from getting the rope over his head or from getting a leg caught in it. See Figure 13-5 for a drawing of a horse safely tied.
- Never tie a horse with a chain shank run through his halter. If the horse pulls back, the chain can injure him.
- Never leave a horse alone and unsupervised when tied up. You’d be amazed at how quickly a tied horse can get into trouble.
Figure 13-4: You need to practice
tying a safety, or quick-release, knot.
Figure 13-5: A horse is safely
tied when there is no more than 3 feet of rope between the halter and a hitching
post.
Circle Around: Longeing Your Horse
Riding is only one way of
exercising your horse. You can also do something called longeing, where
you stand in the center of an imaginary 60-foot circle as your horse, attached
to a rope that you’re holding, moves around you.
Remember
Why longe your horse? Can’t you just ride the horse for exercise? You can, but then you’d be passing up on all the benefits that longeing provides you and your horse. For example:
- Longeing is a way of providing controlled exercise to your horse on days that you can’t ride. It’s safer than turning a horse out to run around on his own because with longeing, you can control the horse’s behavior and keep him from doing something to hurt himself.
- Longeing before riding helps a horse get rid of excess energy that can create problems when you’re in the saddle.
- Longeing teaches your horse to respect your authority and respond to voice commands.
The following sections tell you
what you need to know to prepare your horse for longeing and longe your horse
the right way.
Readying your horse for longeing
Before you can longe your horse,
you must have the proper tools. These include:
- A 25- to 30-foot long cotton longe line to attach to the horse and hold in your hand
- A halter, longeing cavesson, or English snaffle bridle to go over the horse’s head and attach to the longe line. Figure 13-6 shows how to rig up a horse for longeing (see Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for more about these pieces of gear):
- If you’re longeing your horse with a halter, attach the longe line to the halter by running the clip end of the longe line through the ring on the left side of the halter, pulling the longe line up over the horse’s ears, and then clipping it to the ring on the right side of the halter. Make sure that the halter is snug so that it doesn’t slide sideways on the horse’s head when you begin longeing.
- If you’re using a longeing cavesson, outfit the horse with the cavesson and attach the longe line to the cavesson, by clipping the longe line to the ring on the cavesson in the center of the top of the noseband, which should be about 4 inches above the horse’s nostrils. Make sure that the cavesson is snug on the horse’s head so that it doesn’t slide around.
- If you use a snaffle bridle, outfit the horse in the bridle, prepare the reins, and attach the longe line to the bridle. Secure the reins by putting them over the horse’s head as if you were going to ride, twisting them a few times, unbuckling the throatlatch, and then rebuckling the throatlatch with the reins underneath so they don’t swing when the horse moves. Attach the longe line to the bridle by running the clip end of the longe line through the left bit ring and up over the horse’s head behind the ears. Clip the longe line to the bit ring on the other side of the bridle.
- A longe whip to encourage the horse to move forward (see Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for details on this tool)
- A secure, fenced area with good footing (not wet and slippery, and not hard) big enough to longe your horse
Remember
- Leather gloves to help you keep a good grip on the longe line and to protect your hands
Before you start longeing the
horse, you need to properly prepare and fit the previously listed equipment.
Have an experienced horse person who knows how to longe help you the first few
times you try.
If you plan to ride your horse after longeing him, you want to tack up the horse in his saddle, tightening the girth or cinch securely. Likewise, if you ride in an English saddle, be sure that the stirrup irons are run up to the top of the leathers so the irons don’t bounce against the horse when he’s moving. Wrap the leathers tightly around the irons to secure them. See Chapter Getting
Ready Before You Mount for more about tacking up your horse.
Figure 13-6: The correct way
to rig up a horse for longeing with a saddle and snaffle bridle, and using a halter.
Warning!
Before you attempt to longe your horse, make sure that the horse has been trained to longe. If you’re not sure whether he’s been longed, ask an experienced horse person to try longeing the horse to see whether the animal knows what’s expected of him.
Longeing your horse properly and safely
If your horse is trained to longe
and obedient, longeing can be an easy task, after you know what you’re doing.
Realize, though, that longeing takes practice.
Remember
We strongly recommend having an experienced horse person help you the first few times you longe your horse to make sure that you and the horse are doing it right.
Take these steps when longeing
your horse (Figure 13-7 shows the proper lunging position):
1. Prepare your horse as described in the previous section, and take your horse to a secure area with plenty of room to work.
2. Imagine a large circle, and position your horse so that he’s prepared to move in a clockwise direction on that circle. Hold the part of the longe line attached to the horse’s head in your right hand. Fold up the excess longe line in your left hand. Hold the longe whip in your left hand, too.
3. Tell your horse “Whoa!” and step away from the animal. As you back up, feed out some of the excess longe line loosely so you don’t pull on the horse’s head. If your horse tries to follow you, tell him “Whoa!” until he stops.
Figure 13-7: In the correct
position for longeing, keep your longe line in one hand and your whip in the other.
4. Back up until you’re about 4 feet from the horse. Point the longe whip toward the horse’s hindquarters. If your horse knows voice commands, tell him to “walk out.” If not, cluck to the horse to get him to walk forward. As the horse starts to move, slowly back up until you’re about 10 feet away from him.
5. Adjust your position relative to the horse. You should be standing at the top of an imaginary triangle in which the horse’s body serves as the base, with the longe line and longe whip as the other two sides. Your body should at an angle that puts you behind the horse’s eye. Staying in this position keeps the horse moving forward.
Keep the horse walking in a clockwise direction for five minutes.
6. Change directions. Point the whip upright and tell the horse “Whoa!” When the horse stops, slowly approach his head, taking up the slack in the longe line as you go. Be sure to keep the whip pointing up so you don’t confuse the horse.
7. Place your hand on the longe line about 4 inches from where it attaches to the horse’s head. Turn the horse around so he faces the opposite direction. Reverse the position of the longe line and whip. You now should be holding the part of the longe line attached to the horse in your left hand and the excess longe line and whip in your right.
8. Ask the horse to “walk out” again, adjusting your position as in Step 5. Work your horse at different speeds, changing direction every five minutes. To get the horse to go faster, tell the horse “Trot on” and then “Canter.” If the horse doesn’t know voice commands, cluck until the horse speeds up to the gait you’re looking for. Cluck to the horse again if he breaks into a slower gait.
9. To stop, step slightly out of your position so that you are even with the horse’s head, and say “Whoa!” The horse should halt on command.
10. If your horse has worked up a sweat on the longe line, cool him down by walking him for at least 10 to 15 minutes, either on the longe line or by leading him, using the longe line as a lead rope.
Remember
Safety issues abound on the subject of longeing. Keep all of these points in mind when exercising your horse this way:
- Longe your horse only in an enclosed area in case he somehow gets away from you.
- Get help while you’re new to longeing. Make sure that your horse is quiet and well behaved while longeing before you start doing it on your own.
- Don’t longe for long periods (20 minutes is more than enough), or too often (twice a week maximum). Exercising in a tight circle is hard on the horse’s legs. Give your horse plenty of walking breaks, especially if he’s out of shape. If your horse isn’t used to being longed, build up slowly to longer work periods, starting out with a 10-minute session and gradually moving up in 5-minute increments per week.
- Never loop, coil, or wrap the excess longe line around your hand. You can be seriously injured if the horse pulls away from you.
- Some horses get spunky when they’re longeing, so stay far enough away that you won’t be kicked if the horse start frolicking on the longe line.
- Be cautious with the longe whip. Don’t use it to strike your horse, and be careful not to wave it around, especially in the horse’s direction.
- Try not to talk while you’re longeing except to give voice commands to your horse. That way you won’t confuse your horse.
- When giving voice commands, carefully enunciate and differentiate each command so the horse can distinguish between them.
Handling Problems from the Ground
Sometimes, no matter how hard you
try to do things right, your horse may make handling from the ground difficult
for you. Horses are much like small children — they easily develop bad habits
and often test you to see what they can get away with. At times, their
misbehavior comes from fear; other times, it stems from sheer boredom or lack
of training.
Remember
The way you handle problem behaviors on the ground is important. If your horse discovers that he can get away with naughty behavior, he will keep doing it, and eventually, you’ll have a serious problem on your hands. Conversely, if you let your horse know that you’re wise to these shenanigans and you’re consistent in correcting the bad behaviors, he soon gives up that bad behavior.
The following sections cover some
typical stunts that horses pull when you’re handling them on the ground and
ways you can combat these behaviors.
Your horse resists being caught
Refusing to be caught is a much
bigger problem with horses that live out in a pasture with other horses. Horses
who have been worked hard or don’t enjoy being around humans all that much,
because they’ve been mistreated in the past, may come to associate being caught
with something unpleasant. Horses that that experience pain or discomfort when
being ridden often resist capture.
Tip
If your horse is hard to catch, consider having him checked out by a veterinarian to make sure the he isn’t experiencing pain somewhere in his body that is being exacerbated with riding. If your horse refuses to be caught — or at least gives you a good run for your money before allowing you to get close (even though you’ve tried catching him by using the method we describe earlier “Heading toward your horse in a pasture”), the horse needs to be reconditioned to associate being caught with something pleasant. If he has a health problem, it needs to be resolved before you can begin retraining him.
Practice catching him alone in a
small enclosure by using this method:
1. Arm yourself with a favorite treat like a carrot or slice of apple.
2. Attempt to approach the horse by using the method described in the earlier “Heading toward your horse in a pasture” section. Don’t bring a halter with you because you’re only practicing right now. Be nonchalant about your approach, and don’t look the horse right in the eye.
3. As you get closer to the horse, extend your hand so the horse sees the treat. The horse probably will let you approach or may even walk toward you to get the treat.
4. When you make contact with the horse, give him the treat, scratch him on the withers or in his favorite spot, and then walk away before he has a chance to leave. Practice this a number of times over a period of a few days until the horse seems comfortable with your approach.
5. Begin placing the halter on the horse after you give him the treat. Don’t take him out of the enclosure, though. Simply halter him, give him his treat, scratch him where he likes it, then remove the halter and leave.
When you get the feeling that the horse is comfortable with this routine, move the horse to a larger enclosure and practice the same method for a couple of weeks, alternating times that you take him out of his enclosure to ride him, and times that you just halter him and remove the halter and leave him alone.
Remember
Make sure that you don’t overwork or mistreat the horse after you take him out of the enclosure. Many horses don’t like to be caught because they’re unhappy about what happens to them after they leave their pasture.
6. After several weeks of practice, you can move your horse back to the original pasture and try this method in this larger area. If other horses share the pasture, you have to skip the treats, because things can get dangerous if the other horses start fighting over the food. Instead of treats, give lots of scratches and kind words.
If, after a month or so of
working on this problem, you’re not getting anywhere with your
difficult-to-catch horse, you need to call in a professional trainer for help.
Jailbreak! Catching a runaway horse
Nothing can disrupt the quiet atmosphere of a stable
like a horse that has gotten loose from his handler. The cry “loose horse!”
makes human heads go up in a flash.
Something strange happens when a horse gets loose
at a stable. After they realize what’s going on, other horses get excited and
start bucking, whinnying, and dancing around. Here are some pointers on how
to cope when an errant horse makes a bid for freedom.
- Don’t panic. Stay calm and shout “loose horse!” at the top of your lungs to warn other people that an escapee is on the premises. - If the escapee isn’t your charge, but you’re leading, riding, or standing next to your own horse when the culprit gets loose, be aware that your horse is probably going to react with excitement when he discovers what’s happening. Stop in your tracks and dismount or untie your horse quickly. Hold on to your horse tightly and be prepared for some dancing around. - If a horse you’re handling gets away from you, don’t chase him. Chasing the horse only makes him run away from you with increasing speed. - Walk slowly in the direction your horse ran to see where he’s gone. Most horses that escape from a handler in a familiar setting don’t go far — usually to the nearest food storage area. If you find that he stopped somewhere to eat, speak softly and walk up to him slowly, placing a lead rope around his neck to secure him. Remember not to give off any vibes that you’re angry — if you do, the horse won’t let you get close. - If your loose horse is not eating but just milling around, get a handful of hay or a carrot and slowly walk in his direction. After the horse sees you, stand still and offer him the food in an outstretched hand as you speak softly to him. Most horses are more than happy to exchange their newfound freedom for a bite of something tasty. While the sellout is happily munching away, slowly place a lead rope around his neck. - If your loose horse has stopped to eat, but takes off again when he sees you approaching, you need the help of one or two other people. Arm yourselves with halters, and walk in different directions with the idea of surrounding him by blocking all his exits. Most horses will realize their defeat and allow themselves to be caught. |
Your horse drags you when you lead
Few things are as aggravating as
having a horse drag you when you lead him. Plenty of horses demonstrate this
bad habit, and it requires work to correct. Try the following techniques to
cope with a horse that likes to drag you:
- Lead the horse in a bridle instead of a halter and lead rope. The bridle gives you more control and makes the horse less likely to rush forward.
- Keep the horse’s head bent slightly to the left to keep the horse from pushing into you.
- Repeatedly ask your horse to stop, then walk, on your command. This repetition reinforces that he must stay with you and not drag you.
- Ask an experienced horse person to help you affix a stud chain (an 8-inch chain made for use on horses) to the horse’s halter that goes over the bridge of the nose. This chain makes pulling you along as you lead him uncomfortable for the horse.
Warning!
If you’re a newcomer to horses and find yourself handling a horse that repeatedly drags you whenever you try to walk alongside him, you have a serious problem. Have someone experienced handle this horse and work on solving the problem before you try to lead the horse. The experienced handler can teach the horse not to drag and can teach you what to do to avoid being dragged. Horses that are prone to dragging tend to pull this stunt even more with inexperienced horse people.
Your horse pulls back when tied
Horses that are in the habit of
pulling back when tied create terrible problems for owners. Some horses are so
bad about pulling back that they can’t be tied at all and must be held by hand
whenever they need to be secured.
Occasionally, a horse pulls back
when something frightens him at the tie rack. You can’t miss it when this
happens: The horse gets a terrified look in his eye and throws all of his
weight on his haunches, practically sitting down as he pulls with all his might
against his halter. If the horse breaks loose once or twice during such an
incident, it can be the beginning of a bad habit — the horse has discovered
that pulling back means freedom. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your
horse doesn’t develop the terrible habit of pulling back:
- Always tie your horse to something secure, using a lead rope or crossties. See the earlier section “In Knots: Tying Your Horse.”
- Tie your horse securely with a safety knot, using an unbreakable halter and lead rope.
- Don’t tie your horse with too little rope. If the horse feels he can’t move his head much, he may become claustrophobic and pull back.
- Be careful about how you approach your horse when he’s tied. Don’t come at the horse suddenly with a strange object, spray the horse in the face or upper body with water or fly spray, or do anything else that may spook him and make him pull to get away.
- Anticipate what’s likely to scare your horse. If you have to do something to the horse’s head that frightens or upsets him — applying eye medicine, for example — untie the rope first and hold the horse yourself so he doesn’t have an opportunity to pull back when tied.
If a horse pulls back when tied to a hitching post or other object, try the following to get the horse to stop pulling:
- Pull on the loose end of the safety knot to release the horse from being tied. Be sure to take hold of the rope so the horse can’t run away. Don’t allow the horse to break the halter.
- Step behind the horse (well out of kicking range) and shout at him. The horse will move forward to get away from you.
Remember
Be aware that when one horse pulls back, the other horses tied with him at the same post often pull back, too.
If you have a horse that is a
chronic puller, enlist the help of a professional horse trainer to break this
difficult-to-change habit.
Your horse bites you
Most horses are pleasant
creatures, but you may run across one that is the equine equivalent of a crabby
2-year-old. These grumpy-grouches may be wonderful when you’re riding them, but
they try to bite you when you handle them from the ground.
Horses usually bite humans for
one of two reasons: to play or to send an aggressive message. Either way, the
results are the same — an extremely painful bite that usually leaves black and
blue marks on tender human skin.
Tip
Some horses bite because they’re in constant pain or because they’re experiencing pain when being ridden and they now associate being handled and ridden with discomfort. If your horse is a biter, have him checked out by a vet to make sure he doesn’t have a medical issue behind his bad attitude.
Most horses are taught at a young
age not to bite humans in play or out of aggressiveness. Horses that haven’t
learned this lesson, however, must be trained in adulthood. If you have a horse
that tries to bite you when you’re grooming or leading him, follow these
guidelines to break the habit:
- If your horse bites you or attempts to bite you, respond immediately by yelling “Quit!” and jerking once on the lead rope.
- Get to know your horse and anticipate when he may try to bite. If he bites when you’re grooming him, let him bang his head into your raised elbow as he turns around to bite. If he tries to bite you when you’re leading him, hold your fist up near his mouth so he bangs into your knuckles when he swings his head around to bite.
Tip
We like the idea of feeding treats to horses, because we think it helps develop the bond between horse and human. However, if your horse is the nippy type, we recommend that you don’t give him treats by hand, and instead, leave goodies for him in his feeder. Check out Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for more info about feeding your horse.
Your horse kicks you
Kicking is a maneuver that nature
gave horses to help protect them against predators. Unfortunately, it’s also a
maneuver that gets used on humans now and then (usually only with one hind leg
rather than both at the same time). Although most horses don’t go around
kicking people, enough do to make this behavior worth mentioning.
Warning!
Most horses kick only when startled from behind; others kick deliberately to keep humans from doing something the horse finds unpleasant. Whatever the cause, a well-placed kick from a shod horse can do serious damage to the human body.
Here are some pointers to avoid
getting kicked by a horse:
- Never approach a horse directly from behind, because this area is one of a horse’s blind spots. Instead approach from the side, all the while speaking to the horse so he clearly knows you’re coming.
- If you must walk past a horse from behind, give the horse plenty of room. Walk far enough away so the horse’s back leg can’t reach you. If you don’t have that much room, the next best alternative is to walk so close to the horse’s hindquarters that you’re nearly touching them. If the horse moves to kick, you’ll only be bumped by his hock and not kicked by his hoof.
- If a horse suddenly turns his rump toward you, pinning his ears at the same time, the horse is threatening to kick you. Yell “Quit!” as loud as you can and quickly get out of range.
- If you’re grooming or saddling a horse, and the horse pins his ears and kicks out at you, yell “Quit!” and slap the horse with an open hand on the shoulder or side. Don’t run away and leave the horse alone, which only reinforces the bad behavior. If your horse always reacts with a kick or kick threat when you groom a particular spot or tighten the cinch, consider whatever you’re doing as potentially causing the horse pain. Have a veterinarian check out the horse.
- If you find yourself dealing with a chronic kicker, get help from a professional trainer to fix this dangerous habit.
Your horse crowds you
Well-trained horses learn at a
young age to respect humans. They know that when a human is standing nearby,
they shouldn’t crowd or invade that person’s space.
Warning!
Horses who haven’t been taught this lesson can be downright bratty when it comes to crowding. Although most horses don’t have any intention of hurting you when they crowd, their sheer bulk can cause injury regardless of their intent.
If you find yourself dealing with
a horse who repeatedly pushes into you when you’re leading him, grooming him, or
going into his stall or pasture, you have a crowder on your hands — a horse
that needs professional help.
If your horse is generally well
behaved in this area, make sure that the horse stays that way by following
these rules:
- Make sure that your horse always gives way to you when you ask him to move. When you push on your horse’s shoulder or hindquarters from the side, he should willingly move away from you. Practice this movement with your horse every so often to remind the horse that he needs to respect your space.
- Never allow your horse to push you up against a wall or other object. If he does, yell “Quit!” at the horse and slap him with a flat palm on the shoulder or side.
- Don’t let your horse get away with crowding you when you’re leading him. If the horse starts coming into your space, use your right elbow to jab him in the shoulder.by Audrey Pavia with Janice Posnikoff,DVM
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