|
|
|
|
|
|
-
- Click to view or download
a printable PDF version
of this below "Sylvia Training Doc"
article:
- CLICK
HERE
-
Note: If you don't already have it,
you'll
need to
download the free
Adobe Reader to view and print this PDF article:
Get Adobe Reader
|
|
|
Sylvia Training Her
Two-Year-Old
Tri-Colored Buckskin
Paint, Doc
Catching
in Pasture/Haltering the horse
- Horses are "Prey
Animals," so when approaching a horse
in pasture, don't approach like a "predator"
(i.e., a predator stares directly and intensely
at the "prey" when approaching).
Instead, keep your eyes averted, your eyes
and head down,
stature bent/lowered, if necessary, to appear
less threatening, but approach confidently
and casually. You’ll find your horse much
easier to approach and halter or bridle, if you
approach him on the side, at the point of the
shoulders, and make the first touch of communication
there, rather than going to the head first. Horses
don't see as well in front of them as they do from
the side, so stand off to his side instead of directly
in front of him or else he will invariably
raise his head out of your reach. When you reach the horse,
bring the rope confidently under
his neck and around so that if the horse
moves off, you've still got control, and
the horse contained, with the rope around
the neck. To read more about horse
vision, which will help you tremendously in approaching
a pastured horse CLICK
HERE.
|
|
|
|
When haltering the horse,
teach him to lower his head and bend his
neck towards you before tying the halter
on. Have him put his own nose into
the halter himself. You can use your right
hand on the opposite side of the horse's
head and face to help with the bending pressure,
or you can use the rope, as I'm doing here,
to apply pressure and then release the pressure
the second he gives a bend-try. All
of natural horsemanship is pressure and
release (from pressure). The horse learns
through the release of pressure what it
is you want, not from the pressure itself.
Here I'm holding the pressure
until Doc gives me a bend again, and then
I release when he gives it. Be careful of
your own stature when asking with
pressure. Always keep soft eyes, soft
body. The "pressure/release
dance" should go like this at all
times in every training situation: Ask,
Anticipate (it happening), Compliance
(on the horse's part), Release (the
pressure), Reward.
|
- Take
the try. Look for the smallest
try, the slightest change, and then
reward instantly with the release. Here Doc is holding his head
patiently still, inviting the halter, so
I'm "taking the try" for this
early-on-in-his-training learning curve, and am
tying
the halter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Doing better. The
goal is to have the horse keep his
head lower than yours and to bring
his head all the way over to the
side, remaining in that position until the
halter is on, but I'm "taking the try"
for this time. Accept Baby Steps.
|
|
Reward
for getting it right! Reward Baby Steps
always. Rewarding the horse every
time he gets things right speeds up the
learning process by 60%!
|
|
|
- More
Training Doc Photos
|
|
|
Sylvia Training Doc
