As mentioned in an earlier blog, we got a new horse in the barn named “Halo” that we have been working on in the round pen. Yesterday, I was planning on riding her for the first time, but after saddling her up, I saw another issue that I figured we should solve before getting in the saddle.
It started with her walking all over the place while I was trying to put the saddle on, and went further when I attempted to put my foot in the stirrup. These are common problems and fairly easy to solve if you’re willing to forgo the ride for a few days and focus on the root issues.
The first issue is moving around while trying to put the saddle on and to fix this, I placed Halo in the round pen and removed her halter and lead line. I wanted her to feel as free as possible during this exercise. The reason is pretty simple, we want the horse to think she has the ability to flee if she wants so that when she finally does the right thing, it will be her deciding to do it instead of us forcing her to do it. She is an 800lb horse after all, and me making her do something she doesn’t want to do might not end well for me.
So the exercise started with me attempting to tighten the saddle and if she moved her feet I made her lope around the pen a few times in each direction. Keep in mind that we’ve already been working her in the pen, and she is already joining up and paying pretty good attention. If you haven’t done this step yet then you’ll need to learn about that first. The point is, this is not the first time she’s ever been in a round pen.
It didn’t take long before I was able to loosen and tighten the saddle without her moving around, so that step went pretty quickly. Next, we attempt to get on her without her moving her feet. The goal here is simple, I want to be able to get on the horse and sit as long as I want without her moving. Too many people jump in the saddle and take off, and it teaches the horse that this is what you want to do every time. We’re attempting to break this cycle and from now on, when we get in the saddle we’re going to let the horse stand there a few seconds or even a minute before we walk off.
To do this, we’re going to fake getting on the horse from both sides but won’t actually get up in the stirrup yet. We need to break the movement on the ground before we attempt to get on their back. Again, we’re going to simply put weight in each stirrup, and if she moves, other than to get her balance, we’re going to send her around the pen for a few trips. Eventually, they will realize that every time they move their feet, they really have to move their feet and that isn’t so much fun.
Once we have them staying put for us to move around them and play with the stirrups, the next step is to stand in the stirrups. I’m still not going to swing my leg over yet because any movement is going to require me to get down and send her on her way again. There are no physical attacks if she does the wrong thing. I am simply expecting her to stand still and if she doesn’t she runs. Eventually, the horse will figure out that running is no fun and they’ll stop moving around so much.
Again, the goal here is not to get on the horse. Our goal is to have the horse stand still while we do whatever we’re wanting to do. They shouldn’t walk off unless we ask them to walk off. We’re also going to be getting on and off the horse from both sides. We should be able to climb all over our horses and have them just stand there. There should be no anticipation about running, walking, or anything else until we ask for it.
So the last step in this process is to be able to get on the left side and off the right. Then reverse the process. Sometimes sitting in the saddle for a few minutes without them moving, sometimes get right off once you sit down. The end goal is that by the time we’re done, we want the horse to be bored and just stand there while we do whatever we want. You’ll also notice that at no time did I put anything on her head. I want her to make the decision on her own to stand still.
I hear your next statement already, but Glenn, you were going to ride the horse and you never did. I think one of the worst things we do to our horses is getting in our heads a goal before we see where the horse’s head is. Yes, I was planning on riding, and if I had hauled my horse to the trails that is exactly what I would have done. But for most rides, I’m around the barn and I chose that day’s lessons based on what I think the horse is deficient at, and today, it was standing still. Halo got plenty of exercise running around the pen and I have a horse that will be much safer and more enjoyable to get on and off of in the future. Keep in mind that any time in the future that she moves, we’re going to come back and do this again.
So don’t just go for a ride. Go to the barn to work on making your relationship with your horse stronger and safer. My horse “Rain” is scared to death of everything that moves. Some days she and I just stand in the yard on a lead while I lasso things, touching her with the rope along the way. At first, it was a total wreck, but today, she just stood there bored.
Try it…