“My Horse Won’t Stand Still!”
First – I got a nice note form Lucy:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“I’ve been getting your daily emails for a while now and i
just wanted to say what help they have been.
i have a 4 (nearly 5) year old welsh who is lovely in
every way but is sometimes a bit spooky out hacking and some
times forgets who’s the owner.
with your emails, i have learnt a lot on how to control him
and teaching him new things. as i was told before, a horse
never stops learning.
he’s come on leaps and bounds and i wanted to thank you once again.
keep it up and a note to other horse owners with problem horses:
Keep trying. a dream is the hardest thing to achieve. but
when you have it, it’s Amazing.
thanks again, Lucy and Toby x”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A common question I get is:
“What do I do when my horse won’t stand still?”
Horse won’t stand when mounting and, in many cases,
the horse won’t stand still for anything – mounting,
grooming, saddling, picking up his feet, etc.
This is a common problem and may have a few different causes:
1. First – training, or lack of training. I’m not trying
to be cute but many horses simply haven’t been trained to
stand still when mounting. They start to move once you
place weight on the stirrup or start to put the saddle
blanket on, etc. If you continue to let them get away
with it then it forms a bad habit and they will always do it.
In short – they have conditioned YOU to put up with it!
2. The second cause could be due to discomfort. If your
horse has sore muscles, saddle sores, poor-fitting tack,
etc. then the horse may be reacting to the discomfort.
Remember – horses will tend to move away from pressure
or pain. (Wouldn’t you?) If they’re moving when you mount
it might be due to discomfort.
Make sure your tack fits right, the horse doesn’t have
lumps or sores, and that the girth and cinch are done properly.
Mounting, especially when using a Western saddle, puts a
lot of pressure on the horse and the twisting and pulling
is throwing the horse out of balance. You can imagine
that it’s somewhat natural for the horse to react to those
pressures if not trained to stand.
So… assuming it’s not a physical problem with the
horse and not a tack problem, let’s examine how we
can keep your horse from moving while mounting:
Remember – teaching a horse anything is the process of
forming good habits and impressing upon them what is right
and wrong through positive feedback or working them.
If you ask a horse to do something and they do it, you
reward them with good words, pats and gentle strokes.
If they do not do what you ask, you have them do work
or inflict pressure and then try it again. This is basic
horse training 101.
After they do the work or you let up the pressure, you
ask them (or lead them) to what you want them to do again.
If they do it, you reward them. If they don’t, you work
them again.
Sort of like ‘wash – rinse – repeat’.
Some horses require more work than others. They all have
different dispositions and react to different training
methods (just like my 5 kids!).
If your horse starts to move when mounting then one
way to handle it is to not finish mounting, take the
horse and work it in the round pen a minute or two and
then try to mount again. If the horse continues to move,
work the horse again. Eventually, the horse will get
the message – if I move, I get worked. (Wash – rinse – repeat).
However, at the point the horse doesn’t move then
reward him right away. You can do this in steps –
put your foot in the stirrup and start to apply weight,
then get off and reward him. Next, put more weight on,
but don’t fully mount, dismount and reward him.
Again – reward positive actions.
This process works for many horses but takes time. And
you have to continue to reward the horse each time
you mount to fix the positive habit.
But what do you do with the horse that won’t stand
for anything due to his disposition or past problems?
Prof. Beery’s Pulley Bridle – it is so effective for
so many problems it is worth having. It is adjustable
for almost any size horse and is simple to use.
Using the pulley bridle, you can quickly cure a horse
from multiple negative habits. The method is so effective
due to applying pressure on top of the neck right behind
the ears. There are exposed nerves there that will
literally stop a horse in his tracks if the pressure is
applied properly (and MUST be used properly).
In many cases only a couple quick jerks on the lead rope
of the pulley bridle will completely cure the horse. And,
it works great to teach a horse to let you lift its feet,
from shying at various things, teaching it to follow you,
backup, etc. It’s a tremendous training aid.
I would suggest most first-time users to have an assistant
with them when using the Pulley Bridle for the first time.
The pulley bridle is a great time saver since it
is so effective.
You can read about the pulley bridle here:
http://www.horsetrainingresources.com/bridle.html
The bridle comes with full instructions and examples of
use for various bad habits. Be sure to read the instructions
before using the pulley bridle. It is to be used for
training purposes only.
Honestly, with the combination of the “Jesse Beery 8 Volume
Course on Horsemanship” and the Pulley Bridle, you can solve
95% of your common horse problems.
If you will take the time to read and study the horse
training methods in the Beery manuals and use his
methods as he describes, you WILL be able to solve
your horse problems. Guaranteed.
http://www.horsetrainingresources.com/bridle.html
Take time to train your horse… your efforts will be
well-rewarded. Both you and your horse will enjoy each
other so much more. How long will you continue to put
up with a horse that has many bad habits?
Enjoy your horses….please do it safely.
Charlie
P.S. Did you know that you can get 20% off our books, bridles,
and bits (including all bundles) and 30% off DVDs when you
subscribe to The Horse Library?
http://www.thehorselibrary.com/
The primary reason to subscribe is to access the online videos,
all the books, articles and misc things there. And it will be
growing each month.
Check it out – click on the all the menus to see what’s there.
Get in now and you’ll be locked in to that price as long as
you stay a member.
http://www.thehorselibrary.com/
“Nothing positive changes with horses (or life in general)
until you take action.”
