Retraining the Racehorse Part 2
Retraining the Racehorse – PART 2Schooling Your Racehorse…
Renee Swanepoel
N Dip Equine Studies
SANEF Level 1
Your new arrival is settling well into his new home, gaining weight nicely and the time has come to start the next section of his education – riding and educating him for his new role in life.
It is very important that before your Thoroughbred is started on a new schooling and exercise regime, that his health is good and he is pain free, that he is gaining weight and that you have had his teeth seen to by a specialist. I have yet to see a horse that has not benefitted by having a specialist work on their teeth! If costs allow, it is also a good idea to have your horse seen to by a qualified Equine Physiotherapist. A horse off the track often has some kind of muscle injury or strain which could put quite a damper on any schooling process! Before the training commences, it is always a great idea to get the small niggles out of the way first. The Physio will also be able to show you how to do a number of stretches with your new horse which will not only be of benefit under saddle, but will also be a super way to get physical and bond with your new horse right away!
When planning my training program with any new horse, I like to use the following guidelines:
You will note that the foundation of the training pyramid is a mental one. The levels are progressions – so you would probably find it harder to train the physical aspects of the horse if the mental aspect has not been dealt with. If you approach the reschooling of your new Thoroughbred off the track in this way, it makes it much easier for you to reach the ultimate goal – a well-schooled, obedient horse that performs at the top of his chosen discipline. The tools I use to achieve my goals are listed in the blocks, but really, you could include any method that you know works to achieve that goal. I have listed mine.
Each level has its own progression too, as will be discussed later. Sure, you could train the heck out of the horse physically and with a beating or two, take a shortcut to the top, but in the end you will not have what you started out to achieve – a SAFE, pleasurable ride. You will end up with a horse that requires force to ride it and is probably fearful and distrusts you. This applies to the schooling of any horse.
Not all horses are the same – some are very tense, very unwilling and can take a lot of know-how to get going. Some have physical problems that they have picked up on the track and can take very specialized physical training before they come into their full potential. Others are loveable puppy dogs that have no problem trusting and will do anything to gain your approval. If the horse is secure in one area, move on to the next!
I should also state that training any horse is a great responsibility and that a beginner rider on a beginner horse is a bit like the blind leading the blind – it may go well for a while but you will eventually hit that wall! Retraining racehorses is something that I would not recommend to anyone who does not have some kind of experience in TRAINING horses – being a good rider does not make you a good trainer! Never be afraid to ask for help and get guidance and know when to hand your horse over to a professional who knows what they are doing. You may just be saving your own life!
Not all horses are the same – some are very tense, very unwilling and can take a lot of know-how to get going. Some have physical problems that they have picked up on the track and can take very specialized physical training before they come into their full potential. Others are loveable puppy dogs that have no problem trusting and will do anything to gain your approval. If the horse is secure in one area, move on to the next!
I should also state that training any horse is a great responsibility and that a beginner rider on a beginner horse is a bit like the blind leading the blind – it may go well for a while but you will eventually hit that wall! Retraining racehorses is something that I would not recommend to anyone who does not have some kind of experience in TRAINING horses – being a good rider does not make you a good trainer! Never be afraid to ask for help and get guidance and know when to hand your horse over to a professional who knows what they are doing. You may just be saving your own life!
1. MENTAL TRAINING (Alter the Adrenaline Response)
As mentioned in Part One, the key to understanding your Thoroughbred off the track is to remember how his brain has been wired. Racing is an Adrenaline response.
One of the phrases that is often bandied about when discussing the animal kingdom is the ‘fight or flight’ response. When faced with danger, the two main options open to any living being are fighting (when you perceive the enemy to be weaker than you, or when defending your cubs or herd) or running away (when your enemy is perceived as being stronger than you or you have the advantage of speed). When faced with a perceived ‘threat’, the body undergoes physical and hormonal changes to enable the desired reaction.
When the brain interprets a scenario as a threat, it causes various chemicals to be released in the body, such as adrenaline and other stress hormones, as well as endorphins. These chemicals have the following effects on the body:
- Increased heart rate and respiratory rate (this supplies more oxygen carrying blood to the muscles and speeds up the removal of waste products from the muscles enabling physical exertion)
- Increased levels of blood sugar (this allows an increased and rapid energy use and increases metabolism for emergency actions)
- Increase of red blood cells in the blood as well as a general thickening of the blood (this increases the oxygen carrying capacity of blood, as well as an increase in platelets to enable clotting and white cells to protect from infection)
- Blood supply is increased to the heart and peripheral muscle groups and to the motor and basic function areas of the brain. Less blood moves to the digestive system, non-essential pats of the brain.
- Adrenaline causes a sharpening of the senses – pupils dilate, hearing is sharpened, etc.
- Endorphins are released as natural pain killers and supply an instant defence against pain.
The Thoroughbred has evolved over centuries to respond to the race day and more specifically the starter’s bell and running in a group with a surge of adrenaline that elicits a flight response. The horses with the best response to this adrenaline rush were often champions and were selectively bred for this trait. (whether knowingly or unknowingly) This is why they have earned the reputation of being ‘difficult, spooky and flighty’ by some people – they really are only reacting in the way they have been selectively bred and in the way they have been trained to in their formative years!
An important thing to remember is that when the horse is in this state of adrenaline response, the small ‘learning’ part of the brain shuts down and the body merely reacts. In order to help your horse learn, and for him to be receptive to you and your training, he needs to learn to override his inbred ‘flight’ response and not react with bursts of adrenaline.
There are a few ways in which a horse off the track can be helped to move away from the ‘react by adrenaline’ response and into a more relaxed, non-threat state. Each horse is different and while one method may work well for one, it may not work well for another.
Traditionally, horses off the track are turned out for a period of a few months in order to settle down, gain weight and detox. Why this works for some horses is because it removes them from their stressful, adrenaline pumped environment into a completely new one which is slower in pace, where they have the opportunity to interact with other horses and revert to a more ‘natural’ state. A period of at least 3 months is often recommended. Once the horses are relaxed, have gained weight and seem more at ease, they are then started on a training program. This method has its benefits and also its downfalls, depending on the individual’s unique situation. Firstly, in a setup where horses are being purchased cheaply off the track, schooled and resold, there is often neither the time nor the space to turn the horses out for such a prolonged period. Time is money – the horses need to recuperate and get sold as quickly as possible in order for the dealer to make any money.
Also, some horses do not adapt well to the sudden slowing down of pace and can even become depressed by the lack of stimulation and excitement. Perhaps this is also a type of ‘withdrawal’ symptom from the lack of adrenaline stimulation – almost like the adrenaline junkie who gets locked up in a room for months and is told to entertain himself! These types of horses do better with a bit more stimulation and a bit less ‘holiday’. Often these horses will refuse to eat, spend all day running up and down the fence and may even show some type of stereotypy like weaving, windsucking, crib biting and pawing. They struggle to gain weight and seem restless. Creativity is called for here, and games should be invented as well as ways of keeping the horse busy and stimulated!
Herbal remedies can be of use to calm the horse and help him get over the excitement phase after leaving the track. Mixes containing chamomile, Vervain herb, Valerian Root, Hops flowers, Passiflora, rosehips, dandelion and skullcap can be of great use. Bach Flower remedies are also of great use when dealing with stress and anxiety. Other products known to assist the horse in winding down include the B Vitamins and Magnesuim.
Lock on (also called join up) is a wonderful way of helping the horse understand that the trainer is to be trusted and that the horse can take his cue from the trainer. There are a number of very good books and websites explaining this principle.
In order for the horse to override his flight response, he will often take cue from the dominant horses in the herd, mostly the alpha individual. If the trainer can take the role of alpha leader, the horse will learn to take his cues from the trainer and this will help overcome the confusion/fear/adrenaline rush that may otherwise take place. Desesitization is a way of doing this. There are many ways in which the horse can be desesitized, but the main idea is to put the horse in a situation where it brings him close to the flight response and then work then through it.
A feed bag is usually a good way of doing this. The trainer remains ultra patient and ultra calm and asks the horse to approach the object of his fear, one very small step at a time. If the horse does so, he is rewarded by ending the session or taking a walk away from the scary object. Once the horse can be enticed to face the scary object head on and he comes to no harm, and there are no tigers that jump out and eat him up, you will see signs such as licking the lips, chewing, lowering the head and blowing out. (We call that ‘letting out the butterflies’!) This is the point where the horse is relaxed and submissive. Things that can be done are stepping onto feed bags, rubbing the body all over with feed bags, stepping up to quivering bushes, standing with feet in water, approaching scary objects like umbrellas, balloons, noises and so on. Use your creativity and come up with different tests for your horse and soon you will notice that he starts enjoying it as much as you do.
Be very careful when doing this exercise that you do not get to the point where the horse is operating under the adrenaline response – the typical Thoroughbred ‘freak-out’. You need to back down before he gets to that point. Once you are in the adrenaline response, the horse will not respond to any cues, will not ‘listen to reason’ and will only be looking for an escape route as quickly as possible. If this does happen, take him right away from the exercise and let him walk around, calm down, do something familiar to him, and only when he is calm again, go back to the exercise.
This exercise takes us to the next level of our training scale – the formation of trust between the horse and trainer.
As mentioned in Part One, the key to understanding your Thoroughbred off the track is to remember how his brain has been wired. Racing is an Adrenaline response.
One of the phrases that is often bandied about when discussing the animal kingdom is the ‘fight or flight’ response. When faced with danger, the two main options open to any living being are fighting (when you perceive the enemy to be weaker than you, or when defending your cubs or herd) or running away (when your enemy is perceived as being stronger than you or you have the advantage of speed). When faced with a perceived ‘threat’, the body undergoes physical and hormonal changes to enable the desired reaction.
When the brain interprets a scenario as a threat, it causes various chemicals to be released in the body, such as adrenaline and other stress hormones, as well as endorphins. These chemicals have the following effects on the body:
- Increased heart rate and respiratory rate (this supplies more oxygen carrying blood to the muscles and speeds up the removal of waste products from the muscles enabling physical exertion)
- Increased levels of blood sugar (this allows an increased and rapid energy use and increases metabolism for emergency actions)
- Increase of red blood cells in the blood as well as a general thickening of the blood (this increases the oxygen carrying capacity of blood, as well as an increase in platelets to enable clotting and white cells to protect from infection)
- Blood supply is increased to the heart and peripheral muscle groups and to the motor and basic function areas of the brain. Less blood moves to the digestive system, non-essential pats of the brain.
- Adrenaline causes a sharpening of the senses – pupils dilate, hearing is sharpened, etc.
- Endorphins are released as natural pain killers and supply an instant defence against pain.
The Thoroughbred has evolved over centuries to respond to the race day and more specifically the starter’s bell and running in a group with a surge of adrenaline that elicits a flight response. The horses with the best response to this adrenaline rush were often champions and were selectively bred for this trait. (whether knowingly or unknowingly) This is why they have earned the reputation of being ‘difficult, spooky and flighty’ by some people – they really are only reacting in the way they have been selectively bred and in the way they have been trained to in their formative years!
An important thing to remember is that when the horse is in this state of adrenaline response, the small ‘learning’ part of the brain shuts down and the body merely reacts. In order to help your horse learn, and for him to be receptive to you and your training, he needs to learn to override his inbred ‘flight’ response and not react with bursts of adrenaline.
There are a few ways in which a horse off the track can be helped to move away from the ‘react by adrenaline’ response and into a more relaxed, non-threat state. Each horse is different and while one method may work well for one, it may not work well for another.
Traditionally, horses off the track are turned out for a period of a few months in order to settle down, gain weight and detox. Why this works for some horses is because it removes them from their stressful, adrenaline pumped environment into a completely new one which is slower in pace, where they have the opportunity to interact with other horses and revert to a more ‘natural’ state. A period of at least 3 months is often recommended. Once the horses are relaxed, have gained weight and seem more at ease, they are then started on a training program. This method has its benefits and also its downfalls, depending on the individual’s unique situation. Firstly, in a setup where horses are being purchased cheaply off the track, schooled and resold, there is often neither the time nor the space to turn the horses out for such a prolonged period. Time is money – the horses need to recuperate and get sold as quickly as possible in order for the dealer to make any money.
Also, some horses do not adapt well to the sudden slowing down of pace and can even become depressed by the lack of stimulation and excitement. Perhaps this is also a type of ‘withdrawal’ symptom from the lack of adrenaline stimulation – almost like the adrenaline junkie who gets locked up in a room for months and is told to entertain himself! These types of horses do better with a bit more stimulation and a bit less ‘holiday’. Often these horses will refuse to eat, spend all day running up and down the fence and may even show some type of stereotypy like weaving, windsucking, crib biting and pawing. They struggle to gain weight and seem restless. Creativity is called for here, and games should be invented as well as ways of keeping the horse busy and stimulated!
Herbal remedies can be of use to calm the horse and help him get over the excitement phase after leaving the track. Mixes containing chamomile, Vervain herb, Valerian Root, Hops flowers, Passiflora, rosehips, dandelion and skullcap can be of great use. Bach Flower remedies are also of great use when dealing with stress and anxiety. Other products known to assist the horse in winding down include the B Vitamins and Magnesuim.
Lock on (also called join up) is a wonderful way of helping the horse understand that the trainer is to be trusted and that the horse can take his cue from the trainer. There are a number of very good books and websites explaining this principle.
In order for the horse to override his flight response, he will often take cue from the dominant horses in the herd, mostly the alpha individual. If the trainer can take the role of alpha leader, the horse will learn to take his cues from the trainer and this will help overcome the confusion/fear/adrenaline rush that may otherwise take place. Desesitization is a way of doing this. There are many ways in which the horse can be desesitized, but the main idea is to put the horse in a situation where it brings him close to the flight response and then work then through it.
A feed bag is usually a good way of doing this. The trainer remains ultra patient and ultra calm and asks the horse to approach the object of his fear, one very small step at a time. If the horse does so, he is rewarded by ending the session or taking a walk away from the scary object. Once the horse can be enticed to face the scary object head on and he comes to no harm, and there are no tigers that jump out and eat him up, you will see signs such as licking the lips, chewing, lowering the head and blowing out. (We call that ‘letting out the butterflies’!) This is the point where the horse is relaxed and submissive. Things that can be done are stepping onto feed bags, rubbing the body all over with feed bags, stepping up to quivering bushes, standing with feet in water, approaching scary objects like umbrellas, balloons, noises and so on. Use your creativity and come up with different tests for your horse and soon you will notice that he starts enjoying it as much as you do.
Be very careful when doing this exercise that you do not get to the point where the horse is operating under the adrenaline response – the typical Thoroughbred ‘freak-out’. You need to back down before he gets to that point. Once you are in the adrenaline response, the horse will not respond to any cues, will not ‘listen to reason’ and will only be looking for an escape route as quickly as possible. If this does happen, take him right away from the exercise and let him walk around, calm down, do something familiar to him, and only when he is calm again, go back to the exercise.
This exercise takes us to the next level of our training scale – the formation of trust between the horse and trainer.
2. RELATIONSHIP TRAINING (Establish the Trainer as an Ally)
As mentioned before, the trainer’s relationship with the horse is vital when helping him override the fight or flight instinct. Too many people misunderstand their role in the relationship with the horses in their care and try to become the horse’s ‘mother’ rather than the alpha leader and the person setting boundaries for the horses. To many people the relationship they have with their horses is likened to a Hollywood movie – feed him up with treats and ride off into the sunset! The reality is that this type of relationship can become fraught with problems and can be counter-productive to training. I am not in any way saying that treats are not allowed or are not important, they are. What I am saying is that too often horses become confused because their trainers and riders make the horse believe that they are only there to provide food and treats and the horse is left with the impression that the human is in fact the submissive partner while they are the alpha leader. Once the rider enters the arena, a power struggle ensues because now the horse does not want to take cues from the rider, and why should he, being the alpha leader!
Basic groundwork exercises form the foundation of my training program. Exercises in hand can be used to teach commands, understand cues that will be used later under saddle and that establish the trainer as the alpha leader. Horses should be taught to walk correctly next to the trainer, shoulder to shoulder, halt even though the trainer keeps walking, stand even though nobody is holding him and trot, rein back and yield to pressure from the ‘legs’ (in other words, move away from pressure applied to the sides). This is done by reward and repetition and horses are very receptive to this type of training. Another groundwork exercise which seems very insignificant, but has huge implications for the horse is to ask for halt, and then proceed to lift and hold up each leg. In the wild, a horse on three legs is a dead horse! B
y allowing you to lift each leg the horse shows you that he trusts your leadership and is confident that you will protect him. Racehorses can be notoriously difficult from the ground, mostly because they have never been taught to lead well, stand quietly and so forth, as well as not having confidence in their trainers. You will need to spend time teaching them to walk calmly, not barge past you in the stable and out the door, stand quietly and so forth.The key to success in training is patience and consistency. You have to be consistent 100% of the time. If your horse is allowed to do something on one day but not the next, you confuse him and break his trust in you. One loss of patience during a sensitive moment in the training process will mean that you will have to work ten times as hard to regain it.
Obstacle courses done in hand are a super way of building trust was well as teaching the horse to become more aware of where his feet are. Remember, the racehorse has not developed his sense of proprioception and has no idea of where his feet and body are in space. He is used to running on flat ground in a straight(ish) line. These can include walking over poles, raised and on the ground, weaving in and out of cones or barrels, jumping over a small crate or stand in water. Anything you can think of that will help him think about where his feet are.
A short word on grooming your new horse. When you get your Thoroughbred, he may not like being groomed very much and may even want to bite or strike you if you do. The first thing you should know is that he has an extremely thin and sensitive skin and is probably not covered by much of a fat layer to protect his bony bits underneath. He also probably wasn’t very sensitively handled in his days as a racehorse. Firstly, throw away all those hard bristled brushes and combs and invest in the softest brush you can find. Add to that a sheepskin mitt and you are now better equipped to groom your ticklish horse! Try to find a very soft, squishy rubber comb to act as a curry comb. Start him off gently and stick to areas he does not mind as such. Slowly progress to the rest of his body and if you do it properly, in no time at all he will enjoy the process. Be aware that your groom also knows what to do and does not ruin your good work with the first brush! If he does try to bite or kick, do not shout or slap him. Turn him around in the stable and ask him to stand again. In that way you are in control and emphasizing your dominance. (Although sometimes a well timed slap does make you feel much better!) By making a fuss, you are feeding his nerves and pushing him closer to the adrenaline takeover – he thinks ‘if she is shouting and going crazy, there must be some threat around here somewhere!’
Finally, we get to the last and most exciting part – schooling your horse under saddle!
(More great groundwork training methods to try include Parelli Horsemanship and Clicker Training)
3. PHYSICAL TRAINING (The Part Where He Learns to Carry You!)
There are so many theories and methods when it comes to schooling horses under saddle, I would need a book to explain even half of them, but I am going to focus on a few of the areas of schooling that are important to the horse off the track. Summarized, the problem areas you are likely to encounter include the following:
- Won’t stand still for the rider to mount and may even rear up if restrained
- No idea of any aids such as hands, legs, seat, voice
- No brakes – no idea of what ‘stop’ means
- Poor balance and even worse suppleness – they are very ‘one-sided’
- A hollow, upside-down musculature that makes working correctly impossible
- No idea of legs hanging next to the sides – may even panic at the feel
- Panic attacks when confused – including standing in one spot and refusing to move
The first issue you will encounter when riding your new horse is that he probably won’t stand still when you mount. This is because on the track, horses keep walking or trotting and jockeys or grooms are given a leg up as they go. You will need to teach your new horse to stand still when you mount. I would recommend that for the first couple of riding sessions you have someone at the horse’s head asking him to stand and that you use a mounting block. If you have done your groundwork properly, your horse will understand the ‘stand’ command, which you will give every time you ask him to stand still when you mount. Be very aware of your own body when you mount (as you always should) so that you do not dig him in the sides, pull on his mouth or bang down on his back, as you will make it unpleasant and reinforce his belief that standing still just is not any fun at all! Once you are in the saddle, keep him standing for a little while longer. He will probably want to rush off at once – what he has been taught to do – and by asking him to stand just a little longer, you are reinforcing the idea of standing still. Let your handler do the stopping. If the horse wants to move off, don’t yank up on the reins and pull him in the mouth to bring him to a halt (as I so often see) – he doesn’t understand that. Leave his mouth, sit still and give your ‘stand’ command again while your handler places a hand over his nose, applying a little pressure and one on his chest to reinforce the stop. When he stops, reward him with a gentle rub, (don’t slap!) have him stand a moment longer and then ask for the walk. By simply reinforcing this with every session, he will quickly understand what is expected. Be very aware whenever you are working with your new horse – he may very well rear up if he is restrained, which is normal on the track!
Your new horse has no idea of aids. He has been taught that ‘forward means go’ – remember that. It is too common to see a novice rider on a novice TB, when the horse suddenly goes faster, the rider instinctively leans forward and of course to the horse this means ‘go faster’ so he does… and the rider panics even more and ends up around the neck… and the horse panics even more… and so on! This is where proper groundwork is essential! If you don’t build a solid foundation with groundwork (which was discussed before and also includes lunging and long reining) you are setting yourself up for a fight, possible injury and many months of frustration! Do not underestimate the value of the basics! Too often riders want to run before they can walk. Your work begins with teaching the voice aids from the ground, progressing to lunge work and finally long reining. Only after I am happy with this work do I even consider getting on the horse’s back. I do not regard him as safe to ride until then.
Lunging correctly is a skill that every good trainer should master. If your horse cannot carry himself correctly on the lunge, there is no way he can carry you on his back and work correctly! Lunging a horse is not about chasing him in a circle at the trot for 20 minutes – it is much more than that. This is where he must master transitions, lengthening and shortening his frame and develop the correct musculature. Your workout on the lunge should include walk, trot, lengthening the stride and coming back to the working pace, halt, rein back, and even lateral work! Polework is vital for developing balance and proprioception. Canter should only be introduced when the horse is advanced in his lunging. People often introduce canter too soon, which causes more problems than it fixes. Once the horse is able to canter in a balanced frame, transitions like walk - canter –walk - halt – walk should be done to encourage engagement of the hindquarter. Lunging aids such as side reins, de gouges, chambons, German elastics may be used to encourage correct work, however they should be fitted correctly and used for the correct purpose.
As a rule of thumb, the outline you are trying to achieve on the lunge looks as follows:
The most important things to look out for is that the horse is moving well forward, through a relaxed and swinging back, accepting the bridle and maintaining a good rhythm. The contact should remain steady – in other words not reaching and coming up, reaching and coming up as is often noticed. This is usually caused when the horse is forced into an outline before he is physically ready to maintain that outline. You will also notice, that as the sessions progress to include more advanced movements like transitions, polework and other exercises, that the outline changes. The horse will still be stepping well underneath himself but the shoulder and neck will lift in front. This is exactly what we would like the horse to do. Watch for contracting of the abdominal muscles, which will not only mean the back is rounding, but also that the hind legs are stepping up well.
Another thing to keep in mind is that before any training aid is attached, the horse should be allowed to
warm up without it first. This includes plenty of work in walk and trot with lots of transitions between. (Can include a little canter if the horse is balanced and if the training has progressed that far.) Training aids often impede or spoil the walk if forward movement is not maintained, so try to do some work first before attaching the training aid. Generally speaking, I have found the following guide useful when it comes to training aids (although I must stress that every horse responds differently to a training aid and a qualified person’s assistance is vital!):If the horse seems to be rather average and responds well on the lunge, side reins may be fitted normally. Also, fitting side reins in the normal position is advised when doing work on long reins, as well as work including canter.
If the horse tends to work too low to avoid using his back and hindquarter properly, the side reins should be lifted slightly. This has the effect of raising the front end. I would also introduce Polework and small jumps if applicable to encourage lifting the front end. Transitions are very important for the horse who likes to hang too low in front.
For a very hollow horse with a dry, open mouth, the side reins can be lowered to just behind the elbow. The effect of this is that the side reins will move the bit slightly as the horse works and thus encourage softening of the mouth and a lowering of the outline. Care should be taken because the action can become ‘sawing’ on the mouth if the reins are fitted too tightly. Once the mouth starts to soften and the horse understands what is expected, the reins can be lifted or another aid used.
For a horse who tends to hollow (as most horses off the track tend to do) with an underdeveloped topline, the following training aids may be used with great effect:
The chambon encourages the horse to drop lower in front and stretch through his back. It encourages development of the topline. It can only be used in walk and trot and should not be used when jumping or cantering. The main point to take into consideration with the chambon is that it ends on the bit. This makes it less kind than the next aid, which also works in a similar fashion.
The de Gouge works in a very similar fashion to the chambon and also encourages a lowering of the neck and rounding of the back. The main difference is that the de Gouge forma a triangle between the poll, bit and ring, so that the horse is more able to adjust his head position inside the triangle. There is more of an indirect pressure on the bit, which in some cases can be kinder on the horse’s mouth. Work should also only be in walk and trot.
The German elastic is another useful lunging aid, and van be fitted in a variety of ways depending on the effect to be produced. Care should be taken with this aid that the horse is not allowed to ‘break’ behind the poll, thereby avoiding the contact. Watch that the nose does not become tucked in to the chest, as this is another common form of evasion with this aid.
The Pessoa Training System is another useful training aid to be used on the lunge. It can be fitted on a number of settings, again, depending on the effect. The major advantage is that the strap behind the hindquarter encourages the horse to step deeper underneath himself, thereby encouraging a good outline. This aid should be fitted correctly, as it can cause damage to the horse’s mouth if fitted too tightly! I have found that lunging with two lunge lines, one at the normal position, and another going around the horse’s hind end through the inside rind and back to the hand, has the same effect and can be controlled and loosened or tightened depending on the horse. As a quick example of how the training aids affect each horse differently, let’s take a look at the following example:
This horse is working in side reins, and by all accounts looks very pretty on the lunge. Look closer… you will notice that the horse is hanging behind the bit slightly, tipping his head to the outside and is not tracking up as well as he should. He is working over his right shoulder and seems to be rushing into the side reins slightly.
Again, we have the horse working in balancing reins. He is not tracking up well at all and is using the rein as a support in front. The neck is way too low and the chin tucked in. The horse is not using his shoulder at all, but is merely leaning on the balancing rein for support and to aid in the bend.
Here is the same horse on a Chambon. Notice how his outline has changed – he is moving straighter through his neck and head, is tracking up better and is stretching through his neck and back. There is more control of the action too.
I am not suggesting that every horse be lunged on a chambon! In fact, I barely use mine at all. What I am highlighting is that every horse is an individual and that a close evaluation be done of the horse when lungeing to see what would suit him best. I also want to illustrate how important it is that the trainer be aware of what the horse is doing.
The difference is very subtle, however I trust that this will illustrate how important it is that the trainer understands the use of the lunging aids and the importance of choosing the correct one for the individual horse.
Lunging correctly is going to assist the horse in understanding the aids, developing musculature to correctly carry the rider and improve suppleness and balance. Once the horse is lunging well, long reining can be introduced to further solidify the aids.
Once the rider has progressed to the stage where the horse is being ridden, the horse should better understand the aids (remember to use your voice commands with your physical aids and your horse will soon understand what is expected of him) and work should progress quickly. Hillwork will improve balance as will Polework. Obstacles courses will further strengthen the bond between horse and rider. The horse should only be taken out if he is listening and responding well to the aids and at first it may be wise to take an older, calmer and bombproof companion. This will reassure your horse and help him when out.
You may need to find a quiet arena to work your horse in, as he may get very excited or upset if there are other horses working with him. Often this becomes a problem at the first show – the atmosphere ups his adrenaline levels and sometimes your young Thoroughbred will become a different horse at his first show! The best way to train your new horse to relax at shows is to take him to a few local training shows and simply ride him around. This will give him a chance to realize that he can relax and does not put as much pressure on him to perform which may stress him even further.
At this stage of the training, I would suggest that a qualified instructor be called in to guide the rider in the chosen discipline and give more feedback as per the progress that has been made.
Working with Thoroughbred horses off the track can be one of the most rewarding things and it is always fantastic to take a horse that is really a wobbly, skinny, nervous wreck and transform it in a few months to a relaxed, obedient horse that is eager to please. Starting your new horse correctly can mean all the difference in his working life. I wish you and your new horse all the best of luck!
I am not suggesting that every horse be lunged on a chambon! In fact, I barely use mine at all. What I am highlighting is that every horse is an individual and that a close evaluation be done of the horse when lungeing to see what would suit him best. I also want to illustrate how important it is that the trainer be aware of what the horse is doing.
The difference is very subtle, however I trust that this will illustrate how important it is that the trainer understands the use of the lunging aids and the importance of choosing the correct one for the individual horse.
Lunging correctly is going to assist the horse in understanding the aids, developing musculature to correctly carry the rider and improve suppleness and balance. Once the horse is lunging well, long reining can be introduced to further solidify the aids.
Once the rider has progressed to the stage where the horse is being ridden, the horse should better understand the aids (remember to use your voice commands with your physical aids and your horse will soon understand what is expected of him) and work should progress quickly. Hillwork will improve balance as will Polework. Obstacles courses will further strengthen the bond between horse and rider. The horse should only be taken out if he is listening and responding well to the aids and at first it may be wise to take an older, calmer and bombproof companion. This will reassure your horse and help him when out.
You may need to find a quiet arena to work your horse in, as he may get very excited or upset if there are other horses working with him. Often this becomes a problem at the first show – the atmosphere ups his adrenaline levels and sometimes your young Thoroughbred will become a different horse at his first show! The best way to train your new horse to relax at shows is to take him to a few local training shows and simply ride him around. This will give him a chance to realize that he can relax and does not put as much pressure on him to perform which may stress him even further.
At this stage of the training, I would suggest that a qualified instructor be called in to guide the rider in the chosen discipline and give more feedback as per the progress that has been made.
Working with Thoroughbred horses off the track can be one of the most rewarding things and it is always fantastic to take a horse that is really a wobbly, skinny, nervous wreck and transform it in a few months to a relaxed, obedient horse that is eager to please. Starting your new horse correctly can mean all the difference in his working life. I wish you and your new horse all the best of luck!
Exercise Bandages
Question:
Hi there.I was just wondering what exactly are exercise bandages used for?any advice will be appreciated thanx
Answer:
Answer:
What a super question. Exercise bandages are made from an elastic, stretchy type fabric and are typically applied from below the knee to the fetlock.
Some form of padding should ALWAYS be used under the bandages, as incorrectly bandaged legs become damaged and more harm is caused than the good the bandage was trying to do in the first place. They should only be fitted by experienced individuals and only with a particular goal in mind. Unfortunately it is true that bandages can sometimes become quite the fash
ion and many inexperienced riders apply them because they want to look good or fit in. Often these horses are bandaged incorrectly and very often without any padding underneath which causes injury to the horse. Bandages can not only be fitted too tightly, but can also be fitted too loosely by the novice rider, causing it to unravel as the horse is worked. A shocking example was once encountered by an American coach, who was called into the arena by a client to check that her horse’s bandages were tight enough. Upon enquiry as to why the horse was being bandaged, the rider replied, “he is a little sore today and I want to work him a little bit, so the bandages will keep his legs supported while I do so…” He noticed that there was no padding underneath the bandage, so immediately began to remove them. Upon removing the bandages, it was discovered that the horse had two very bad bowed tendons underneath… Ever heard of a ‘bandage bow’? He wasn’t sure what was worse – the fact that the bandages had caused such damage to the tendons, or the fact that his client was about to work a lame horse!
There is great debate on whether a boot or bandage actually offers some form of ‘support’ to the legs, although studies seem to show that in order to have any kind of support function, the bandage or boot would have to be fitted so tightly and restrictively that blood flow and movement would be severely impeded!
Exercise bandages have been very useful as a means of offering extra protection to the lower limbs. Examples of this include the schooling or lungeing of young horses that are not balanced yet, and often strike themselves with their legs, causing injury. Other situations where extra support may be required are in sports where extra protection of the lower limbs is needed, such as eventing (fixed jumps do not fall, so a hard knock can cause injury) and polo/polocrosse (high speeds and the risk of injury are greater than other disciplines).
My suggestion would be that if you are looking to bandage your horse, be sure you know how to do so correctly and that you are doing it for the correct reason. In many cases boots are a safer option and they do the job of protecting the limbs quite well enough on the average horse.
Some form of padding should ALWAYS be used under the bandages, as incorrectly bandaged legs become damaged and more harm is caused than the good the bandage was trying to do in the first place. They should only be fitted by experienced individuals and only with a particular goal in mind. Unfortunately it is true that bandages can sometimes become quite the fash
ion and many inexperienced riders apply them because they want to look good or fit in. Often these horses are bandaged incorrectly and very often without any padding underneath which causes injury to the horse. Bandages can not only be fitted too tightly, but can also be fitted too loosely by the novice rider, causing it to unravel as the horse is worked. A shocking example was once encountered by an American coach, who was called into the arena by a client to check that her horse’s bandages were tight enough. Upon enquiry as to why the horse was being bandaged, the rider replied, “he is a little sore today and I want to work him a little bit, so the bandages will keep his legs supported while I do so…” He noticed that there was no padding underneath the bandage, so immediately began to remove them. Upon removing the bandages, it was discovered that the horse had two very bad bowed tendons underneath… Ever heard of a ‘bandage bow’? He wasn’t sure what was worse – the fact that the bandages had caused such damage to the tendons, or the fact that his client was about to work a lame horse!There is great debate on whether a boot or bandage actually offers some form of ‘support’ to the legs, although studies seem to show that in order to have any kind of support function, the bandage or boot would have to be fitted so tightly and restrictively that blood flow and movement would be severely impeded!
Exercise bandages have been very useful as a means of offering extra protection to the lower limbs. Examples of this include the schooling or lungeing of young horses that are not balanced yet, and often strike themselves with their legs, causing injury. Other situations where extra support may be required are in sports where extra protection of the lower limbs is needed, such as eventing (fixed jumps do not fall, so a hard knock can cause injury) and polo/polocrosse (high speeds and the risk of injury are greater than other disciplines).My suggestion would be that if you are looking to bandage your horse, be sure you know how to do so correctly and that you are doing it for the correct reason. In many cases boots are a safer option and they do the job of protecting the limbs quite well enough on the average horse.
Stable Bandages
Question:
Hi Renee / Larize,
i think that was a good question,i also didnt know that and i have been with horses for many years... i can feel my cheeks going red...
Renee, while on the topic would you be able to please also advise the uses of stable banadages, because this is also something that I have never used, and dont know really why anyone would.. hope I dont sound too ignorrant now!
thanks :-)
Hi Renee / Larize,
i think that was a good question,i also didnt know that and i have been with horses for many years... i can feel my cheeks going red...
Renee, while on the topic would you be able to please also advise the uses of stable banadages, because this is also something that I have never used, and dont know really why anyone would.. hope I dont sound too ignorrant now!
thanks :-)
Answer:
Stable bandages differ from exercise bandages in that they are less elastic and are sometimes a little broader. They are often made of a felt-type material. While a little less elastic than exercise bandages, the need for padding under stable bandages is no less important. The same dangers apply to stable bandages, and injury can be caused by overtight, unevenly applied bandages, as it can with stretchy exercise bandages. They are applied to more of the limb - often running from the knee or hock to just below the fetlocks or lower.
Stable bandages have a broader use and are useful in the following cases:
- Horses that injure one limb will naturally place more weight on the healthy limb, which often causes the healthy leg to swell. Stable bandages apply pressure to the legs, causing less filling. Ideally, they can be applied to both legs and will reduce filling. Horses confined to their stables will also get filled legs because they are not moving around as much. Bandages will help prevent this. Also, in the situation where a knee or hock is bandaged, stable bandages serve as an anchor and prevent swelling below the knee or hock bandage.
- Stable bandages offer a measure of protection in the stable. Often useful with horses that get tend to get cast in the stable or horses that like to fight with their neighbors and injure their legs in the process.
- They are often used in the case of injury, where dressings or gauze must be held in place. Also after surgery to the limbs. It also keeps wounds clean, as the bedding can get into a wound and irritate it. (Keeps flies off a wound too!)
- Stable bandages are useful when transporting horses. They are a little more secure than travelling boots and can offer more protection to the legs.
- In very cold areas, especially in Europe, stable bandages are used at night to keep horses warm.
I hope that helps a little. Again, for pictures, please go to http://encyclopediaequestria.blogspot.com/ Let me know if you have any more questions
Stable bandages differ from exercise bandages in that they are less elastic and are sometimes a little broader. They are often made of a felt-type material. While a little less elastic than exercise bandages, the need for padding under stable bandages is no less important. The same dangers apply to stable bandages, and injury can be caused by overtight, unevenly applied bandages, as it can with stretchy exercise bandages. They are applied to more of the limb - often running from the knee or hock to just below the fetlocks or lower.
Stable bandages have a broader use and are useful in the following cases:
- Horses that injure one limb will naturally place more weight on the healthy limb, which often causes the healthy leg to swell. Stable bandages apply pressure to the legs, causing less filling. Ideally, they can be applied to both legs and will reduce filling. Horses confined to their stables will also get filled legs because they are not moving around as much. Bandages will help prevent this. Also, in the situation where a knee or hock is bandaged, stable bandages serve as an anchor and prevent swelling below the knee or hock bandage.
- Stable bandages offer a measure of protection in the stable. Often useful with horses that get tend to get cast in the stable or horses that like to fight with their neighbors and injure their legs in the process.
- They are often used in the case of injury, where dressings or gauze must be held in place. Also after surgery to the limbs. It also keeps wounds clean, as the bedding can get into a wound and irritate it. (Keeps flies off a wound too!)
- Stable bandages are useful when transporting horses. They are a little more secure than travelling boots and can offer more protection to the legs.
- In very cold areas, especially in Europe, stable bandages are used at night to keep horses warm.
I hope that helps a little. Again, for pictures, please go to http://encyclopediaequestria.blogspot.com/ Let me know if you have any more questions
HORSE FOR HALF BAIT
Horse Up For Half Bait! (September 2007)
Gandalf the Grey is looking for a kind, loving rider who is looking for a great ride! His owner is pregnant and is hoping there is someone who can give him more attention than carrots and lunging! He is a very sweet ride, and is great fun. Super outrides in the area. The yard is situated in Mnandi. If you are interested in a super horse to love, give Angie a call on 084 400 6399.
Send Your Pic!
Send 2 - 3 photo's of you and your horse in action, with a brief description, for a constructive critique! rswanepoel@dexani.co.za
Help With Saddler!
Question:
Renee, I will confess, I have not read your article on retraining the THB; I will confess again that I don’t like THBs – that being the reason I did not read the article (sorry if I offend you by saying this).
Now I need a bit of advice (ironic isn’t it). I was progressing very nicely with my dressage lessons (leg yields, half pass, shoulder in the works!), but now my mare got too much pregnant and my trainer felt she should rest now in preparation for foaling. The owner of the (very small) stable yard is very good to me. He and the trainer decided to put me on the owner’s Saddler gelding. The horse is quite handsome, with a lovely long, arched neck. He is well mannered and friendly in his stable. The owner keeps the horses very relaxed in the “open – plan” stables; the dividing walls in the barn style stable block is only about 1.8m high; so the horses can see each other all the time (except when they lay down to sleep)
Now for the crunch: the gelding has been through a few Saddler trainers. They all did their “weird” training methods on him. He then was trained by a flashy, “windgat” dressage trainer that taught him things he was far from ready for (passage, few beat flying changes canter etc.). We now have the following problems: 1.] The horse is very tense. He was taught the Saddler walk – and it is difficult to get him to walk “flat footed”. 2.] He canters at break – neck speed, and does flying changes by himself. 3.] He anticipates: sometimes he thinks he will canter now, and turns side ways in anticipation of being asked for the canter (as Saddler trainers do turn the horses towards the rail to “throw” the horse into the correct lead canter) – it is then difficult to get him to walk straight again. 4.] He hates legs on him. With the Lane Fox saddle the legs are away from the saddle; when the legs are put on him, it means “go harder / faster”. This means he doesn’t want to take leg yields (just rushes forward faster & faster), and it is difficult to bend him “around the leg” in a circle / half circle.
We are spending a lot of time to try and get him to relax. We do a lot of walk work (also in patters). We have worked the head lower and neck rounder. He is starting to relax, but sometimes tenses up and goes into the “jog” / Saddler walk; then it is difficult to get back to a pure walk. The trot is much better (given that my legs don’t touch him, difficult with a Wintec dressage saddle!). The canter needs a lot of work still. The problem is that he needs a lot of patience; usually I am someone who doesn’t get angry easily. But after “begging” him for a pure walk for half an hour I sometimes get angry – I hide it away from my trainer and the owner. But the other day I worked him alone – and when he started with his jogging again, and then wanted to canter, I smacked him. I regretted it straight away – but the horse, after the freight it got, settled down a bit (!!!). I made a resolution that I will never do it again, he is not the type of horse where this will work – it will tense him more. I will work more on my patience. We also have done a lot of work on my seat to control speed – something wonderfully new for me!
Question: what else can I do? If you don’t have any more answers, and only feel sorry for me, I will understand…
We have also started backing my SA Boerperd mare. Fortunately no “farms were bought” (although I was shown in no uncertain terms that it could happen any moment if she felt like it). She is quite “hot” (and obviously still very inexperienced) but is progressing nicely. A lot of walk work (patters) with a bit of trotting (patters), desensitising, and long lines etc. What I have learned on the “seat” with the Saddler gelding helps a lot with her. Why am I relating this: please feel sorry for me, currently I have no settled, “lekker ryperd”…!
Answer:
Charles, Charles, Charles. I will start off by feeling sorry for you. The last time I got off to a rip-roaring start with a superb horse I got pregnant.. Hee hee. You have taken on quite a challenge in this horse but if you see it like that, a challenge, it may help out with the patience… who am I kidding. You did not miss anything in my article as I am still madly trying to finish Part 2, which discusses the actual training so none taken! (Offense I mean) The last time I sat on a Saddler, we got as far as the arena gate and then she exploded into a mass of quivering jelly and refused to move – even after her owner got on her and tried to beat the daylights out of her. I get the tension thing – they get spoiled like that, and it is such a pity.
This problem has taken a few years to evolve I would imagine, so know it is going to take a few years to correct! That is the first and most important thing to remember when a horse needs re-schooling and especially one that is this tense. Generally speaking, people try to teach their horses things too fast, before they are ready physically and mentally to do the job being asked. That results in the horse knowing all sorts of ‘tricks’ but they are not executing them properly. I cannot even count how many pupils I have had telling me that their horses are doing wonderful half passes, when upon further inspection, they are doing no more than a simple leg yield and the horse is most definitely not bent in the direction of movement! There is a definite ‘scale’ of training and the achievement of one tier will lead to the next, along with the exercises that go along with that. Schooling a horse is measured in years, not months. Often riders try to teach their horse one movement after the other, but the basics are not in place. Now it sounds to me like this poor gelding has had that happen to him. He has been scared out of his wits, been taught one ‘trick’ after the other, and still has no idea of what is expected of him.
Have you ever sat in class, perhaps at Varsity or at a lecture or a conference, and had no idea of what the lecturer was on about and everyone else seems to be totally absorbed and all you are praying for is ..’please don’t ask me a question… please don’t ask me a question…’ and your palms are sweaty and you are in an adrenaline overdose..? I think this boy is so scared to be asked a question because he is not really sure of what humans want from him. He knows there is punishment coming if he does not get it right, but he is not sure what the question was. He has been taught so many conflicting things that he is not sure what answer you want. Horses like that will often explode into an entire repertoire of things that they know when asked the most simple thing – exploding into flying changes, leg yields, canter strike-offs and the whole lot, one after the other, because they are hoping one of those tricks was what you were asking…!
There is definitely a balance issue here – by cantering faster and faster and changing legs, he is telling you that he is so tense it is unbalancing him and that is also why he is doing that. Think of tension in the canter like running downhill fast – you speed up and speed up until you can’t stop even if you wanted to. That’s what he is feeling in the canter. He speeds up and then must change legs in order to regain his balance. I have seen it often.
So, what to do! There are two aspects to the type of work you are going to need to do with him, and the first and most important part is a trust issue. This horse is going to have to learn to trust you. Now, that does not mean you fatten him up on carrots and the two of you stroll of into the sunset! First, he must realize that you are in charge. I use lock on for that (also called ‘join up’ by Monty Roberts). The horse must understand that you in control. When you are in control, it means you are not afraid and that you know what is going on, in his language.
When you throw a group of people into a stressful situation, you will notice that they will gravitate towards the person who seems to quickly gain an understanding of the situation, seems to know exactly what to do and shows the least fear. Suddenly the group gets quiet and the ‘leader’ tells them what is going on, what they need to do and who is going to do it. Suddenly they are less afraid and they focus their combined energy on the task at hand. That is what you are trying to achieve with a lock on. You are trying to focus the horse’s nervous energy on you and make him understand that you know what is going on and what he needs to do. Once you have achieved that, a small measure of trust is built.
With that trust, you are now going to ask him to step out of his comfort zone and learn that you are not going to ask him to do anything he cannot do. An easy way of doing this with the nervous wreck is to put a feed bag on the floor, with him on a lead. A pressure halter can also be used if the horse is very difficult and tends to explode. Of course the plastic bag becomes a monster and he will snort and prance and not want to go near it (being a saddler.. hee hee). If he is happy with bags, find something he is scared of – a sheet of blue plastic on the floor might be a monster to him. Be creative! You are going to ask him to step up to the bag. Then move away. Then step up to the bag, then move away. With each forward step, use lots of praise. If he backs up, keep backing him up and ask him to stand. In that way, you are still in control. Ask him to step up again. Keep your voice low, keep your body language quiet. When he finally steps up to the bag, praise. (you can use food if you want, but often nervous horses will not eat anyway!)A good reward is once he steps up to the bag and stands for even a split second, turn him away, walk him right away and around before coming back. That is a mental reward for him. He may need a small tap on the rear end with a crop to move forward the first time. If he moves forward after that, no more taps. If you are scared you may lose your temper, rather leave the crop. (I use a dressage crop.) This is the kind of work that can be done with him every day, even twice a day if you possibly can. Once he steps onto the bag (or the thing is scared of) you will see him make the connection – it is so acute you can almost hear the penny drop! He suddenly realizes that you are right, and that you will never ask him to do anything that you are not sure he can. A strong trust will be built on that. Keep up with the ‘trust games’ and keep reinforcing his understanding that you are to be trusted. Parelli Horsemanship is an excellent tool that helps the horse in exactly this area. The different ‘games’ are in fact carefully chosen exercises to reinforce trust and obedience issues. A clear warning though – once you have gained this horse’s trust, be very careful that you do not do anything to compromise it! It is a fine thread that is easily snapped! Once lost, you will find the horse reverts back to his old ways, and usually even worse!
The second part of your training program will need to address the issues under saddle. The first thing you should do is to stop the canters until you have improved the walk and trot. If you keep riding the canters as he is now, you are not teaching him anything, not improving anything and all that happens is the poor way of going is reinforced until it becomes habit. Stick to walk at first, because you are going to have to teach him all about leg. Very basically, start in halt, apply your leg aid softly, if he walks on praise him and repeat. When he understands the walk aid, move on to ‘walk faster’ – in walk, apply your leg aid and if he walks faster, praise. Same for trot. This is a process that happens over weeks, not minutes please. The slower you take it, the more eager he will be to learn and the better your results. I would introduce a good lungeing program, starting with leading him and teaching him the voice commands. Also, when leading him, you can teach him to move away from pressure by applying it to his side and asking him to step away from it. (I use the vocal command ‘siiide’ and always ask my horses to do that when I take them into the stable.) Once he understands the voice commands (include ‘slooowly’ and ‘move on!’)you will be able to translate that into the riding part, giving the voice command as well as the leg aid. Slowly he will begin to understand what you want. Once his walk and trot improves, and he is starting to understand the aids, you can introduce canter. Exercises to improve his balance are vital – polework, uphills, downhills, volte’s and serpentines and plenty of transitions will improve his balance. That will improve the work under saddle vastly.
The trick is really patience. Hard I know but it is vital. When he jogs, bring him back gently and ask again. Try to vary the work so that by the time he wants to evade one exercise, he is already onto the other.
This is a long road and there are no quick fixes that are going to help – only time and patience. The reason he reacted so well to the smack, was because he understands ‘no’ so well! What you need to teach him is to focus on the ‘yes’. People spend so much time ‘fixing’ while on their horses, they forget to focus on what they want that is right. The horses learn what NOT to do, but are never really sure of what they SHOULD be doing.
That help? I hope so.
Commiserations on the whole having a nice riding horse thing – the best part about working with my previous horse was that finally I could get on and NOT FIGHT! Having worked with problem horse after problem horse, I forgot what a superb horse feels like! I get it!
Let me know how things go!
Response:
Wow, thank you Renee! It almost feels as if you were standing next to our practice arena the way you explain the horse!
I understand the Varsity thing – Maths 1; had to do it twice…! Got a distinction the second time around! The poor gelding is giving Biology answers to Accounting questions at the moment – it is as if he understands questions different to what is asked; and gives answers that were fought / beaten into him. I want to be a good equestrian, that is why I take on challenges like these (sometimes without thinking about it first); sometimes it challenges my (usually very long) patience too the extreme. But if I get help and advice (as I have with the owner, my trainer and now with your input too) it does help a lot!
I am glad you answered another question I was afraid to ask. I heard a lot of people talking about “lock on” and “join up”; not knowing what it actually meant…! Unknowingly the owner of the gelding taught me many aspects of it with my young mare, without naming it; reading it here now has put a name to what we “just did”.
I was hoping for a short fix (not necessarily a short cut) for the problem. Unfortunately we don’t have years to fix the problem; the owner wants to sell the horse. We might have 6 months (we want to attempt to show him in December, and sell him shortly there after). My trainer (and the horse’s owner) reckons he has started to trust me more than he has just about anybody else – I hope it is truthful and not only to encourage me to continue since they are glad they got a sucker to take one the horse (ha – ha; just joking the owner and trainer are both to bluntly - straight forward honest to do something like that). That scares me a lot; if I have these problems with the horse, and he trusts me (even just a bit) – how did his previous riders manage? The horse used to be trained at the previous stables where I had my horses stabled and trained; although also a Saddler yard – he was quite O.K. there (as best as it can go under Saddler training). In the in – between 2 – 3 years I don’t know where he was and or how he was handled. Something just went wrong.
He is the typical Saddler trained horse: if something (anything) is asked he just wants to perform and “show”. It makes it difficult: legs are understood as “pick yourself up and GO, GO, GO!” I just got my legs (and seat) right with my pregnant mare – now I must take my legs off again (imagine riding Saddle Seat on a dressage saddle – not easy). Even the slightest touch sends him off in a tizz; I will try working on it from the ground as you described. I haven’t cantered again during the last 2 riding sessions.
My main problem is time. My main focus currently is backing my young mare – which is making great progress; she is starting to understand the legs as aids and doesn’t want to “plant” me as much anymore. She is feisty and hot – which I like in my show horses, but also clever and quick to learn. But she requires constant work – she is at a critical age (3 years 9 months) and point in training. We need to work through the “mounting issue” (she is still uneasy / jittery with me mounting her – it was started by Saddler grooms, and became a problem we now need to fix; which takes a lot of continuous, constant work). That is what happens if you are too scared to do things yourself – you end up with different problems. I have a 7 – 4 work, I arrive at the stables at 5. After I worked with the young mare it is starting to get dark. Fridays we work shorter ours, I get to the stables at 4 and then get lesson on the gelding. Saturdays are basically the only day I can work both. When I work the gelding 2 days in a row, he works much better the second day; he settles easier and faster. Maybe later on in the summer when it gets dark later (and it isn’t so cold anymore), I will be able to work more with the gelding too. When he relaxes and works with me he is actually a very nice ride – working softly has worked a bit, but he still tense up easily when asked to do something. One thing going for him is that he is very (almost too) eager to please – be it from himself of from being forced to “perform” all the time.
In the mean time I will try and fit in some of the advice you have given me. I am sure you could deduct from my original subject; I am actually feeling sorry for myself most at the moment. Talking about it, and finding some one that can understand and help, helps a LOT. Fortunately the young mare is giving me glimmers of hope that in the not too distant future I will have a nice riding (and show) horse again…!
Thanks a million for your advice and understanding – will let you know how it goes!
Renee, I will confess, I have not read your article on retraining the THB; I will confess again that I don’t like THBs – that being the reason I did not read the article (sorry if I offend you by saying this).
Now I need a bit of advice (ironic isn’t it). I was progressing very nicely with my dressage lessons (leg yields, half pass, shoulder in the works!), but now my mare got too much pregnant and my trainer felt she should rest now in preparation for foaling. The owner of the (very small) stable yard is very good to me. He and the trainer decided to put me on the owner’s Saddler gelding. The horse is quite handsome, with a lovely long, arched neck. He is well mannered and friendly in his stable. The owner keeps the horses very relaxed in the “open – plan” stables; the dividing walls in the barn style stable block is only about 1.8m high; so the horses can see each other all the time (except when they lay down to sleep)
Now for the crunch: the gelding has been through a few Saddler trainers. They all did their “weird” training methods on him. He then was trained by a flashy, “windgat” dressage trainer that taught him things he was far from ready for (passage, few beat flying changes canter etc.). We now have the following problems: 1.] The horse is very tense. He was taught the Saddler walk – and it is difficult to get him to walk “flat footed”. 2.] He canters at break – neck speed, and does flying changes by himself. 3.] He anticipates: sometimes he thinks he will canter now, and turns side ways in anticipation of being asked for the canter (as Saddler trainers do turn the horses towards the rail to “throw” the horse into the correct lead canter) – it is then difficult to get him to walk straight again. 4.] He hates legs on him. With the Lane Fox saddle the legs are away from the saddle; when the legs are put on him, it means “go harder / faster”. This means he doesn’t want to take leg yields (just rushes forward faster & faster), and it is difficult to bend him “around the leg” in a circle / half circle.
We are spending a lot of time to try and get him to relax. We do a lot of walk work (also in patters). We have worked the head lower and neck rounder. He is starting to relax, but sometimes tenses up and goes into the “jog” / Saddler walk; then it is difficult to get back to a pure walk. The trot is much better (given that my legs don’t touch him, difficult with a Wintec dressage saddle!). The canter needs a lot of work still. The problem is that he needs a lot of patience; usually I am someone who doesn’t get angry easily. But after “begging” him for a pure walk for half an hour I sometimes get angry – I hide it away from my trainer and the owner. But the other day I worked him alone – and when he started with his jogging again, and then wanted to canter, I smacked him. I regretted it straight away – but the horse, after the freight it got, settled down a bit (!!!). I made a resolution that I will never do it again, he is not the type of horse where this will work – it will tense him more. I will work more on my patience. We also have done a lot of work on my seat to control speed – something wonderfully new for me!
Question: what else can I do? If you don’t have any more answers, and only feel sorry for me, I will understand…
We have also started backing my SA Boerperd mare. Fortunately no “farms were bought” (although I was shown in no uncertain terms that it could happen any moment if she felt like it). She is quite “hot” (and obviously still very inexperienced) but is progressing nicely. A lot of walk work (patters) with a bit of trotting (patters), desensitising, and long lines etc. What I have learned on the “seat” with the Saddler gelding helps a lot with her. Why am I relating this: please feel sorry for me, currently I have no settled, “lekker ryperd”…!
Answer:
Charles, Charles, Charles. I will start off by feeling sorry for you. The last time I got off to a rip-roaring start with a superb horse I got pregnant.. Hee hee. You have taken on quite a challenge in this horse but if you see it like that, a challenge, it may help out with the patience… who am I kidding. You did not miss anything in my article as I am still madly trying to finish Part 2, which discusses the actual training so none taken! (Offense I mean) The last time I sat on a Saddler, we got as far as the arena gate and then she exploded into a mass of quivering jelly and refused to move – even after her owner got on her and tried to beat the daylights out of her. I get the tension thing – they get spoiled like that, and it is such a pity.
This problem has taken a few years to evolve I would imagine, so know it is going to take a few years to correct! That is the first and most important thing to remember when a horse needs re-schooling and especially one that is this tense. Generally speaking, people try to teach their horses things too fast, before they are ready physically and mentally to do the job being asked. That results in the horse knowing all sorts of ‘tricks’ but they are not executing them properly. I cannot even count how many pupils I have had telling me that their horses are doing wonderful half passes, when upon further inspection, they are doing no more than a simple leg yield and the horse is most definitely not bent in the direction of movement! There is a definite ‘scale’ of training and the achievement of one tier will lead to the next, along with the exercises that go along with that. Schooling a horse is measured in years, not months. Often riders try to teach their horse one movement after the other, but the basics are not in place. Now it sounds to me like this poor gelding has had that happen to him. He has been scared out of his wits, been taught one ‘trick’ after the other, and still has no idea of what is expected of him.
Have you ever sat in class, perhaps at Varsity or at a lecture or a conference, and had no idea of what the lecturer was on about and everyone else seems to be totally absorbed and all you are praying for is ..’please don’t ask me a question… please don’t ask me a question…’ and your palms are sweaty and you are in an adrenaline overdose..? I think this boy is so scared to be asked a question because he is not really sure of what humans want from him. He knows there is punishment coming if he does not get it right, but he is not sure what the question was. He has been taught so many conflicting things that he is not sure what answer you want. Horses like that will often explode into an entire repertoire of things that they know when asked the most simple thing – exploding into flying changes, leg yields, canter strike-offs and the whole lot, one after the other, because they are hoping one of those tricks was what you were asking…!
There is definitely a balance issue here – by cantering faster and faster and changing legs, he is telling you that he is so tense it is unbalancing him and that is also why he is doing that. Think of tension in the canter like running downhill fast – you speed up and speed up until you can’t stop even if you wanted to. That’s what he is feeling in the canter. He speeds up and then must change legs in order to regain his balance. I have seen it often.
So, what to do! There are two aspects to the type of work you are going to need to do with him, and the first and most important part is a trust issue. This horse is going to have to learn to trust you. Now, that does not mean you fatten him up on carrots and the two of you stroll of into the sunset! First, he must realize that you are in charge. I use lock on for that (also called ‘join up’ by Monty Roberts). The horse must understand that you in control. When you are in control, it means you are not afraid and that you know what is going on, in his language.
When you throw a group of people into a stressful situation, you will notice that they will gravitate towards the person who seems to quickly gain an understanding of the situation, seems to know exactly what to do and shows the least fear. Suddenly the group gets quiet and the ‘leader’ tells them what is going on, what they need to do and who is going to do it. Suddenly they are less afraid and they focus their combined energy on the task at hand. That is what you are trying to achieve with a lock on. You are trying to focus the horse’s nervous energy on you and make him understand that you know what is going on and what he needs to do. Once you have achieved that, a small measure of trust is built.
With that trust, you are now going to ask him to step out of his comfort zone and learn that you are not going to ask him to do anything he cannot do. An easy way of doing this with the nervous wreck is to put a feed bag on the floor, with him on a lead. A pressure halter can also be used if the horse is very difficult and tends to explode. Of course the plastic bag becomes a monster and he will snort and prance and not want to go near it (being a saddler.. hee hee). If he is happy with bags, find something he is scared of – a sheet of blue plastic on the floor might be a monster to him. Be creative! You are going to ask him to step up to the bag. Then move away. Then step up to the bag, then move away. With each forward step, use lots of praise. If he backs up, keep backing him up and ask him to stand. In that way, you are still in control. Ask him to step up again. Keep your voice low, keep your body language quiet. When he finally steps up to the bag, praise. (you can use food if you want, but often nervous horses will not eat anyway!)A good reward is once he steps up to the bag and stands for even a split second, turn him away, walk him right away and around before coming back. That is a mental reward for him. He may need a small tap on the rear end with a crop to move forward the first time. If he moves forward after that, no more taps. If you are scared you may lose your temper, rather leave the crop. (I use a dressage crop.) This is the kind of work that can be done with him every day, even twice a day if you possibly can. Once he steps onto the bag (or the thing is scared of) you will see him make the connection – it is so acute you can almost hear the penny drop! He suddenly realizes that you are right, and that you will never ask him to do anything that you are not sure he can. A strong trust will be built on that. Keep up with the ‘trust games’ and keep reinforcing his understanding that you are to be trusted. Parelli Horsemanship is an excellent tool that helps the horse in exactly this area. The different ‘games’ are in fact carefully chosen exercises to reinforce trust and obedience issues. A clear warning though – once you have gained this horse’s trust, be very careful that you do not do anything to compromise it! It is a fine thread that is easily snapped! Once lost, you will find the horse reverts back to his old ways, and usually even worse!
The second part of your training program will need to address the issues under saddle. The first thing you should do is to stop the canters until you have improved the walk and trot. If you keep riding the canters as he is now, you are not teaching him anything, not improving anything and all that happens is the poor way of going is reinforced until it becomes habit. Stick to walk at first, because you are going to have to teach him all about leg. Very basically, start in halt, apply your leg aid softly, if he walks on praise him and repeat. When he understands the walk aid, move on to ‘walk faster’ – in walk, apply your leg aid and if he walks faster, praise. Same for trot. This is a process that happens over weeks, not minutes please. The slower you take it, the more eager he will be to learn and the better your results. I would introduce a good lungeing program, starting with leading him and teaching him the voice commands. Also, when leading him, you can teach him to move away from pressure by applying it to his side and asking him to step away from it. (I use the vocal command ‘siiide’ and always ask my horses to do that when I take them into the stable.) Once he understands the voice commands (include ‘slooowly’ and ‘move on!’)you will be able to translate that into the riding part, giving the voice command as well as the leg aid. Slowly he will begin to understand what you want. Once his walk and trot improves, and he is starting to understand the aids, you can introduce canter. Exercises to improve his balance are vital – polework, uphills, downhills, volte’s and serpentines and plenty of transitions will improve his balance. That will improve the work under saddle vastly.
The trick is really patience. Hard I know but it is vital. When he jogs, bring him back gently and ask again. Try to vary the work so that by the time he wants to evade one exercise, he is already onto the other.
This is a long road and there are no quick fixes that are going to help – only time and patience. The reason he reacted so well to the smack, was because he understands ‘no’ so well! What you need to teach him is to focus on the ‘yes’. People spend so much time ‘fixing’ while on their horses, they forget to focus on what they want that is right. The horses learn what NOT to do, but are never really sure of what they SHOULD be doing.
That help? I hope so.
Commiserations on the whole having a nice riding horse thing – the best part about working with my previous horse was that finally I could get on and NOT FIGHT! Having worked with problem horse after problem horse, I forgot what a superb horse feels like! I get it!
Let me know how things go!
Response:
Wow, thank you Renee! It almost feels as if you were standing next to our practice arena the way you explain the horse!
I understand the Varsity thing – Maths 1; had to do it twice…! Got a distinction the second time around! The poor gelding is giving Biology answers to Accounting questions at the moment – it is as if he understands questions different to what is asked; and gives answers that were fought / beaten into him. I want to be a good equestrian, that is why I take on challenges like these (sometimes without thinking about it first); sometimes it challenges my (usually very long) patience too the extreme. But if I get help and advice (as I have with the owner, my trainer and now with your input too) it does help a lot!
I am glad you answered another question I was afraid to ask. I heard a lot of people talking about “lock on” and “join up”; not knowing what it actually meant…! Unknowingly the owner of the gelding taught me many aspects of it with my young mare, without naming it; reading it here now has put a name to what we “just did”.
I was hoping for a short fix (not necessarily a short cut) for the problem. Unfortunately we don’t have years to fix the problem; the owner wants to sell the horse. We might have 6 months (we want to attempt to show him in December, and sell him shortly there after). My trainer (and the horse’s owner) reckons he has started to trust me more than he has just about anybody else – I hope it is truthful and not only to encourage me to continue since they are glad they got a sucker to take one the horse (ha – ha; just joking the owner and trainer are both to bluntly - straight forward honest to do something like that). That scares me a lot; if I have these problems with the horse, and he trusts me (even just a bit) – how did his previous riders manage? The horse used to be trained at the previous stables where I had my horses stabled and trained; although also a Saddler yard – he was quite O.K. there (as best as it can go under Saddler training). In the in – between 2 – 3 years I don’t know where he was and or how he was handled. Something just went wrong.
He is the typical Saddler trained horse: if something (anything) is asked he just wants to perform and “show”. It makes it difficult: legs are understood as “pick yourself up and GO, GO, GO!” I just got my legs (and seat) right with my pregnant mare – now I must take my legs off again (imagine riding Saddle Seat on a dressage saddle – not easy). Even the slightest touch sends him off in a tizz; I will try working on it from the ground as you described. I haven’t cantered again during the last 2 riding sessions.
My main problem is time. My main focus currently is backing my young mare – which is making great progress; she is starting to understand the legs as aids and doesn’t want to “plant” me as much anymore. She is feisty and hot – which I like in my show horses, but also clever and quick to learn. But she requires constant work – she is at a critical age (3 years 9 months) and point in training. We need to work through the “mounting issue” (she is still uneasy / jittery with me mounting her – it was started by Saddler grooms, and became a problem we now need to fix; which takes a lot of continuous, constant work). That is what happens if you are too scared to do things yourself – you end up with different problems. I have a 7 – 4 work, I arrive at the stables at 5. After I worked with the young mare it is starting to get dark. Fridays we work shorter ours, I get to the stables at 4 and then get lesson on the gelding. Saturdays are basically the only day I can work both. When I work the gelding 2 days in a row, he works much better the second day; he settles easier and faster. Maybe later on in the summer when it gets dark later (and it isn’t so cold anymore), I will be able to work more with the gelding too. When he relaxes and works with me he is actually a very nice ride – working softly has worked a bit, but he still tense up easily when asked to do something. One thing going for him is that he is very (almost too) eager to please – be it from himself of from being forced to “perform” all the time.
In the mean time I will try and fit in some of the advice you have given me. I am sure you could deduct from my original subject; I am actually feeling sorry for myself most at the moment. Talking about it, and finding some one that can understand and help, helps a LOT. Fortunately the young mare is giving me glimmers of hope that in the not too distant future I will have a nice riding (and show) horse again…!
Thanks a million for your advice and understanding – will let you know how it goes!
Cantering Problems
Question:
I no longer work my horse in an arena as he is arena sore, so we work out. I am having the constant problem with cantering. I can only get him to canter in a straight line, the minute I want to go around a bend he resumes a trot (or walk, if he had his way). All he does is bend his head in and his body carries on straight. How can I solve this problem?
Answer:
You have posed a good question that is a very common problem amongst riders out there. Going back to the lunge is a good start, as there you will be able to help your horse find his sense of balance and strengthen his back without you on top!
The first thing I would tell you to do is simply – STOP! What he is doing is telling you his body is not able or ready to do what you are asking. By running faster in the trot, all he is doing is lengthening his frame, hollowing his back and falling onto his forehand and by doing that, it is physically impossible for him to step in underneath himself properly in order to make the strike-off. If one keeps chasing him along until he breaks into a canter from a runny trot, he will not learn to do the strike-off properly and will probably learn to run into the transition and you will have a hard time ‘un-learning’ him!
The best way to improve your canter work is by fixing your walk and trot work first! Sounds strange I know, but the problems he is showing are a symptom of an underlying problem that needs to be ironed out first.
In order for your horse to strike off in the canter, he needs to bring his inside hind leg deep underneath his body to bear weight and strike off. In order for that to happen, his back must be round; he should be bearing as much weight on his rear end as possible and must be light in front. If he is not able to achieve this, he will not be able to bring that leg underneath him and instead of a ‘bang’ transition, he will run faster and faster until he either has to canter (think of running downhill fast!) or until you slow him back down. The key to the transition is for him to slow down so that he can bear more weight behind and flex that hindleg. For that to happen he needs strength and balance!
Firstly, it sounds like your horse is not only unbalanced but also very stiff laterally and longitudinally. (I use these terms to explain two types of suppleness in the horse that need work – lateral suppleness is the left/right bend through his body, longitudinal suppleness is the suppleness from head to tail that allows him to round his back and absorb movement etc.) Work on the lunge at walk and trot will help with this, but do not ask for canter yet – his muscles are not strong enough and as I said before, all you will end up doing is reinforcing bad work. Only if you know what you are doing, work in a De Gogue or Chambon will encourage him to round his back and will help develop the muscles he needs in order to flex from head to tail. He must learn to obey voice commands like halt, walk, trot, lengthen trot, and even rein back. When he can do that well, you will be able to run through many transitions like walk to halt, halt to trot, trot to walk and so on in one session. This type of work balances and strengthens a horse very quickly. (So you see, lungeing is NOT all about running in a circle for 20 min at the trot!) Once the horse is doing that comfortably, polework on the ground can be introduced – trot and canter poles, raised trotting poles, zig-zags and so on. This will teach him balance. Only when the horse is at this stage and working correctly, I introduce the canter on the lunge. Again, teach him to respond to the voice command – this means you can give him the aids he understands when you ride him and thus get a better transition and gradually teach him your other aids until he understands. (It usually only takes one or two riding sessions for them to understand this!)
When riding him, hillwork is very important for developing balance and suppleness. When going downhill, pay special attention to slow him down and get him to ‘sit’ on his bum, not run down. This is exactly the motion he needs to learn in order to work in a good frame. Work on good quality transitions, circles, serpentines, voltes, and lateral movement (like leg yielding) to supple laterally and get those hind legs working. You want him to push from behind, not drag from the front, which is what he is probably doing now. A few lessons from a qualified professional will be very beneficial to you as it will get you on the right track, give you ideas and will mean there is someone who can tell you if your riding is contributing to the problem. (It usually is unfortunately – bit like the chicken or the egg!)
I hope this is of help to you. You mention that he is ‘arena sore’ – I suspect you mean sour. Lunge work, polework, riding out and doing hillwork and the right work in the arena means he really will never get bored. Also, a big mistake people make is to spend hours riding around and around in an arena. Rather spend 25 mins on quality excercises, go in with a plan and go out with a happy horse, than wander around aimlessly not focusing on anything in particular.
I hope this gives you some ideas – good luck and really, this is a relatively easy problem to tackle and will get better quickly if you do it right. A few sessions with a physio or a vet will iron out any physical discomfort he may be suffering that are compounding the problem. I would recommend it! Teeth too can have a big impact! Do have them all checked out – you may be surprised to discover there is something small like a hook in his mouth that is causing some of the problem!
I no longer work my horse in an arena as he is arena sore, so we work out. I am having the constant problem with cantering. I can only get him to canter in a straight line, the minute I want to go around a bend he resumes a trot (or walk, if he had his way). All he does is bend his head in and his body carries on straight. How can I solve this problem?
Answer:
You have posed a good question that is a very common problem amongst riders out there. Going back to the lunge is a good start, as there you will be able to help your horse find his sense of balance and strengthen his back without you on top!
The first thing I would tell you to do is simply – STOP! What he is doing is telling you his body is not able or ready to do what you are asking. By running faster in the trot, all he is doing is lengthening his frame, hollowing his back and falling onto his forehand and by doing that, it is physically impossible for him to step in underneath himself properly in order to make the strike-off. If one keeps chasing him along until he breaks into a canter from a runny trot, he will not learn to do the strike-off properly and will probably learn to run into the transition and you will have a hard time ‘un-learning’ him!
The best way to improve your canter work is by fixing your walk and trot work first! Sounds strange I know, but the problems he is showing are a symptom of an underlying problem that needs to be ironed out first.
In order for your horse to strike off in the canter, he needs to bring his inside hind leg deep underneath his body to bear weight and strike off. In order for that to happen, his back must be round; he should be bearing as much weight on his rear end as possible and must be light in front. If he is not able to achieve this, he will not be able to bring that leg underneath him and instead of a ‘bang’ transition, he will run faster and faster until he either has to canter (think of running downhill fast!) or until you slow him back down. The key to the transition is for him to slow down so that he can bear more weight behind and flex that hindleg. For that to happen he needs strength and balance!
Firstly, it sounds like your horse is not only unbalanced but also very stiff laterally and longitudinally. (I use these terms to explain two types of suppleness in the horse that need work – lateral suppleness is the left/right bend through his body, longitudinal suppleness is the suppleness from head to tail that allows him to round his back and absorb movement etc.) Work on the lunge at walk and trot will help with this, but do not ask for canter yet – his muscles are not strong enough and as I said before, all you will end up doing is reinforcing bad work. Only if you know what you are doing, work in a De Gogue or Chambon will encourage him to round his back and will help develop the muscles he needs in order to flex from head to tail. He must learn to obey voice commands like halt, walk, trot, lengthen trot, and even rein back. When he can do that well, you will be able to run through many transitions like walk to halt, halt to trot, trot to walk and so on in one session. This type of work balances and strengthens a horse very quickly. (So you see, lungeing is NOT all about running in a circle for 20 min at the trot!) Once the horse is doing that comfortably, polework on the ground can be introduced – trot and canter poles, raised trotting poles, zig-zags and so on. This will teach him balance. Only when the horse is at this stage and working correctly, I introduce the canter on the lunge. Again, teach him to respond to the voice command – this means you can give him the aids he understands when you ride him and thus get a better transition and gradually teach him your other aids until he understands. (It usually only takes one or two riding sessions for them to understand this!)
When riding him, hillwork is very important for developing balance and suppleness. When going downhill, pay special attention to slow him down and get him to ‘sit’ on his bum, not run down. This is exactly the motion he needs to learn in order to work in a good frame. Work on good quality transitions, circles, serpentines, voltes, and lateral movement (like leg yielding) to supple laterally and get those hind legs working. You want him to push from behind, not drag from the front, which is what he is probably doing now. A few lessons from a qualified professional will be very beneficial to you as it will get you on the right track, give you ideas and will mean there is someone who can tell you if your riding is contributing to the problem. (It usually is unfortunately – bit like the chicken or the egg!)
I hope this is of help to you. You mention that he is ‘arena sore’ – I suspect you mean sour. Lunge work, polework, riding out and doing hillwork and the right work in the arena means he really will never get bored. Also, a big mistake people make is to spend hours riding around and around in an arena. Rather spend 25 mins on quality excercises, go in with a plan and go out with a happy horse, than wander around aimlessly not focusing on anything in particular.
I hope this gives you some ideas – good luck and really, this is a relatively easy problem to tackle and will get better quickly if you do it right. A few sessions with a physio or a vet will iron out any physical discomfort he may be suffering that are compounding the problem. I would recommend it! Teeth too can have a big impact! Do have them all checked out – you may be surprised to discover there is something small like a hook in his mouth that is causing some of the problem!
Help - My Mare has Started Rearing!
Question: My 4 year old mare has started rearing outside with the other horses and now recently under saddle and even in her stable. Should I follow my friends's advice and break an egg over her head?
Answer:
Your young mare sounds like she is becoming quite a handful! I would like to say off the bat that I believe that rearing is one of those problems that no owner should attempt to solve on their own. You must enlist the help of a qualified professional - someone who has dealt with rearers and has experience and whose judgment you trust. How tragic it would be if you discovered that she now does rear under saddle too - only she falls over onto and breaks your neck! Or rears up while you lead her and she comes down on your head. This really happens and people do die! This type of problem is dangerous and can escalate. She is young, so if you can get the correct assistance, you may be able to nip this behaviour in the bud. Please, please do not take any chances - get the professionals in!
You are quite correct in thinking that responding to her rearing by hitting her over the head, breaking bottles over her head, breaking eggs over her head, yanking her lead or any other similar behaviour will not only probably not work, it will make the behaviour worse and will only destroy the trust you are trying so hard to build up with her. What you do need to do is a bit of thinking to try and understand why she is doing this and outsmart her. (Which it seems you are starting to do quite well!)
I should also say that your mare is playing up under saddle most likely because at four years old, she is most likely not ready for the work you are asking her to do. She first showed her objection to lateral work and canter (two exercises that require supreme balance, coordination, suppleness and strength) by bucking (that was her whispering at you) but when it appeared to her that you could not hear her, she progressed to a more violent protest (she is now talking louder at you!) in the hope that you will hear what she is saying! A horse of four is rarely physically developed enough to tackle what may be seen as more advanced work like lateral work (although there are a few out there) and I would take the training down just a notch and rather work on the skills she needs developed. (like strength to carry her own body correctly, learning to round her back and work through from behind, suppleness, coordination and balance) By your own admission she is not very well balanced – she is not comfortable with the level of work you are asking. There is a range of exercises that you can do with her that are not as demanding physically but will keep her stimulated mentally and most importantly, develop the bond between you two and a good instructor will be able to give you a program that you can follow with her. With horses that seem to come on easily, it is often very tempting to progress their training at a pace faster than their bodies can handle.
Your mare sounds like the type of horse that I like to call 'a physical talker', meaning that they communicate in a very physical fashion. If something upsets them, they react by striking, rearing, biting, jumping around, etc. They often become aware of their own strength early on and when they do, it takes a special type of handler to work sympathetically and patiently with them. Often people resort to physical force in return, and that usually ends up in a fight that the human handler cannot win. They remain sweet, intelligent animals and if they can be taught what is appropriate behaviour, they make fantastic animals to keep. (They are the kinds of horses that will kill you by accident, really, and not mean it!) She is most likely a very dominant mare (they often keep to their own when out, until something changes the herd dynamic, like removing a member or feeding) and may be reacting to what she sees as you interfering with her herd. The napping would be typical behaviour of this type of horse too – objecting to leaving the herd. Some people refer to this type of behaviour as a separation anxiety and it often stems from a traumatic early separation or weaning experience, and the horse simply has difficulty with it after that. In such instances, I always wonder whether it was the horse's basic nature that caused the initial distress response to separation, or did the initial stressful separation experience set the animal up to be a lifelong separation problem? Not sure. However, she seems to be suffering from it.
George has given some great advise on what to do if she rears with you in tow, and I do agree with him that if she is rears in the group situation, you should let her be, as she is either showing displeasure as the alpha mare, or her herd will punish her accordingly in the framework of their dynamic. I am not going to repeat everything he has suggested, suffice to say it is great advice. The thing is to keep her moving as soon as she lands to make her understand that you are still in control. What you may want to do to set your mind at ease, is protect her from potential damage by turning her out in boots (such as overreach boots and sports medicine boots) or by ‘injury-proofing’ the gate. (Such as by lining it with rubber matting to prevent her legs getting caught up in it.) Her ‘mini-rears’ in the stable are most likely only going to stay that way as there is not much space for full-blown rearing, and you can try to keep her stable as safe as possible and protect her from injury.
I would not alter the routine completely in order to accommodate her, as you will be reinforcing her belief that she is in charge and that you are interfering. What I would do is structure your interaction with her to try and minimize the reaction and reward her when she ‘tones down’! For example, if she wants to be fed first, feed her a handful of food and proceed to feed her neighbours. If she shows no reaction, make a point of rewarding her by feeding her next and make a fuss. The next time repeat and if she is not reacting as badly, try to skip the handful once and feed one neighbor, immediately feeding her next. If in that instant there is no reaction yet, praise her. Give her the handful the next day and so on. I hope that makes sense. I would also suggest some type of join-up work with her that you should repeat on a regular basis so that she begins to accept you as the dominant leader.
I wish you the best of luck and really – please never be afraid to get the professionals in! It is never a sign of weakness or stupidity!
Answer:
Your young mare sounds like she is becoming quite a handful! I would like to say off the bat that I believe that rearing is one of those problems that no owner should attempt to solve on their own. You must enlist the help of a qualified professional - someone who has dealt with rearers and has experience and whose judgment you trust. How tragic it would be if you discovered that she now does rear under saddle too - only she falls over onto and breaks your neck! Or rears up while you lead her and she comes down on your head. This really happens and people do die! This type of problem is dangerous and can escalate. She is young, so if you can get the correct assistance, you may be able to nip this behaviour in the bud. Please, please do not take any chances - get the professionals in!
You are quite correct in thinking that responding to her rearing by hitting her over the head, breaking bottles over her head, breaking eggs over her head, yanking her lead or any other similar behaviour will not only probably not work, it will make the behaviour worse and will only destroy the trust you are trying so hard to build up with her. What you do need to do is a bit of thinking to try and understand why she is doing this and outsmart her. (Which it seems you are starting to do quite well!)
I should also say that your mare is playing up under saddle most likely because at four years old, she is most likely not ready for the work you are asking her to do. She first showed her objection to lateral work and canter (two exercises that require supreme balance, coordination, suppleness and strength) by bucking (that was her whispering at you) but when it appeared to her that you could not hear her, she progressed to a more violent protest (she is now talking louder at you!) in the hope that you will hear what she is saying! A horse of four is rarely physically developed enough to tackle what may be seen as more advanced work like lateral work (although there are a few out there) and I would take the training down just a notch and rather work on the skills she needs developed. (like strength to carry her own body correctly, learning to round her back and work through from behind, suppleness, coordination and balance) By your own admission she is not very well balanced – she is not comfortable with the level of work you are asking. There is a range of exercises that you can do with her that are not as demanding physically but will keep her stimulated mentally and most importantly, develop the bond between you two and a good instructor will be able to give you a program that you can follow with her. With horses that seem to come on easily, it is often very tempting to progress their training at a pace faster than their bodies can handle.
Your mare sounds like the type of horse that I like to call 'a physical talker', meaning that they communicate in a very physical fashion. If something upsets them, they react by striking, rearing, biting, jumping around, etc. They often become aware of their own strength early on and when they do, it takes a special type of handler to work sympathetically and patiently with them. Often people resort to physical force in return, and that usually ends up in a fight that the human handler cannot win. They remain sweet, intelligent animals and if they can be taught what is appropriate behaviour, they make fantastic animals to keep. (They are the kinds of horses that will kill you by accident, really, and not mean it!) She is most likely a very dominant mare (they often keep to their own when out, until something changes the herd dynamic, like removing a member or feeding) and may be reacting to what she sees as you interfering with her herd. The napping would be typical behaviour of this type of horse too – objecting to leaving the herd. Some people refer to this type of behaviour as a separation anxiety and it often stems from a traumatic early separation or weaning experience, and the horse simply has difficulty with it after that. In such instances, I always wonder whether it was the horse's basic nature that caused the initial distress response to separation, or did the initial stressful separation experience set the animal up to be a lifelong separation problem? Not sure. However, she seems to be suffering from it.
George has given some great advise on what to do if she rears with you in tow, and I do agree with him that if she is rears in the group situation, you should let her be, as she is either showing displeasure as the alpha mare, or her herd will punish her accordingly in the framework of their dynamic. I am not going to repeat everything he has suggested, suffice to say it is great advice. The thing is to keep her moving as soon as she lands to make her understand that you are still in control. What you may want to do to set your mind at ease, is protect her from potential damage by turning her out in boots (such as overreach boots and sports medicine boots) or by ‘injury-proofing’ the gate. (Such as by lining it with rubber matting to prevent her legs getting caught up in it.) Her ‘mini-rears’ in the stable are most likely only going to stay that way as there is not much space for full-blown rearing, and you can try to keep her stable as safe as possible and protect her from injury.
I would not alter the routine completely in order to accommodate her, as you will be reinforcing her belief that she is in charge and that you are interfering. What I would do is structure your interaction with her to try and minimize the reaction and reward her when she ‘tones down’! For example, if she wants to be fed first, feed her a handful of food and proceed to feed her neighbours. If she shows no reaction, make a point of rewarding her by feeding her next and make a fuss. The next time repeat and if she is not reacting as badly, try to skip the handful once and feed one neighbor, immediately feeding her next. If in that instant there is no reaction yet, praise her. Give her the handful the next day and so on. I hope that makes sense. I would also suggest some type of join-up work with her that you should repeat on a regular basis so that she begins to accept you as the dominant leader.
I wish you the best of luck and really – please never be afraid to get the professionals in! It is never a sign of weakness or stupidity!
Using the Neck Stretcher (German Elastic)
Using A Neck Stretcher (German Elastic)
The neck-stretcher, also called a German elastic, is an auxillary training aid (or gadget) that is commonly used when riding or lunging. The item is very simple and consists of a length of elastic or bungee cord which is passed over the poll , through the bit rings and then either between the legs, secured to the girth, or on either side of the horse to the saddle or lunge roller.
The principle on which this gadget seems to work is that when the horse lifts his head up higher than he should, pressure is placed on the poll, which is uncomfortable for the horse. In order to find relief, he will lower the head and neck to escape the pressure. This then has the effect of setting the head and neck in a more ‘acceptable’ position. There is no rider influence on the elastic, and it cannot be adjusted while riding. The elastic is preferred to a solid type rein as it stretches and thereby has some ‘give’ and is supposed to encourage the horse to stretch into a contact. (see drawings below)
The neck-stretcher, also called a German elastic, is an auxillary training aid (or gadget) that is commonly used when riding or lunging. The item is very simple and consists of a length of elastic or bungee cord which is passed over the poll , through the bit rings and then either between the legs, secured to the girth, or on either side of the horse to the saddle or lunge roller.
The principle on which this gadget seems to work is that when the horse lifts his head up higher than he should, pressure is placed on the poll, which is uncomfortable for the horse. In order to find relief, he will lower the head and neck to escape the pressure. This then has the effect of setting the head and neck in a more ‘acceptable’ position. There is no rider influence on the elastic, and it cannot be adjusted while riding. The elastic is preferred to a solid type rein as it stretches and thereby has some ‘give’ and is supposed to encourage the horse to stretch into a contact. (see drawings below)
Correctly fitted, the rein should only come into play when the horse lifts his head higher than the rider feels he must, however I must sadly say that I have noticed many horses being ridden on elastics fitted way too tight.
I have used this gadget on numerous occasions in the past and I believe, as with the plethora of other auxillary aids out there, that on the right horse and under the right circumstances with an experienced rider, these aids can be of use. Unfortunately it is also sadly a fact that most people who use gadgets have no idea how they work, fit them incorrectly and ruin perfectly good horses with them.
On a horse that needs to learn to stretch down on the lunge or one that simply needs to be shown what is being asked by the rider, build a musculature that will help the horse work in a better frame, this rein can be of benefit, if the following points are kept in mind:
- The horse must be worked forward and straight from behind to front. This means that the horse should track up well from behind, the footprints of the hind feet being placed down in front of those of the front feet.
I have used this gadget on numerous occasions in the past and I believe, as with the plethora of other auxillary aids out there, that on the right horse and under the right circumstances with an experienced rider, these aids can be of use. Unfortunately it is also sadly a fact that most people who use gadgets have no idea how they work, fit them incorrectly and ruin perfectly good horses with them.
On a horse that needs to learn to stretch down on the lunge or one that simply needs to be shown what is being asked by the rider, build a musculature that will help the horse work in a better frame, this rein can be of benefit, if the following points are kept in mind:
- The horse must be worked forward and straight from behind to front. This means that the horse should track up well from behind, the footprints of the hind feet being placed down in front of those of the front feet.
- The neck should not be allowed to ‘break’ at the poll, which very commonly happens with the neckstretcher. (see pic) Instead of stretching up out of a raised shoulder with the poll the highest point, the horse simply drops behind the vertical from the 3rd vertebrae in order to escape the contact.
- The rider should pay particular attention to maintaining an even, consistent contact with the horse’s mouth, as the rider will often leave the work of the hand up to the elastic. The horse does not learn to accept a contact on the mouth, only to yield to pressure on the poll.
- Be very aware that the horse may very well learn to use the elastics to balance himself, instead of carrying himself correctly. When the rein is removed, the horse is worse than before, firstly because he has not learnt to move properly and has used the rein to steady himself around corners, through transitions and so forth, combined with the fact that he has learned only to yield to pressure from the poll, not to the rider’s aids and contact.
- The rider should realize that there is no control of the reward or pressure on the rein – it controls itself ! It works independently of the rider.
If the rider is in the habit of ‘snatching’ at the reins, or cannot maintain a consistent contact, then this elastic will enable the horse to steady the bit in the mouth slightly. In the horse’s mind, a steady pull is better than contant tugging. The problem is that the rider must learn to steady the contact, not use an aid that compensates for poor contact!
As with most auxillary aids out there, the neck stretcher is only concerned with fixing the front end of the horse, and little attention is being paid to what is happening behind the rider! Working in a correct frame begins behind, so the use of something to fix the front end seems of little concern when the front end of the horse is only reflecting what is going on behind, which is the most important part!
If a rider wishes to use this auxiliary aid, I would suggest that firstly, they assess why they wish to do so, then decide what they wish to achieve and finally, only ever use it under the guidance of a qualified instructor.
If a rider wishes to use this auxiliary aid, I would suggest that firstly, they assess why they wish to do so, then decide what they wish to achieve and finally, only ever use it under the guidance of a qualified instructor.
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