Preface
BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO TRAIN A HORSE, familiarize yourself with the basics of good horsemanship and be aware of general safety practices. You should also be a good rider and adept at handling horses. The first two chapters of this book are an overview of the fundamentals of good horsemanship and safety and a discussion of horse psychology — essentials a trainer must know to properly handle and understand an equine pupil.
Next, the book covers training the horse, starting when he is a baby and moving step-by-step through his growing years. You will learn the manners and habits he should be taught as he grows and as you begin his education as a riding or driving horse. Finally, further schooling and retraining of a spoiled horse are discussed.
You can use this book as a basic training manual for starting any horse: the child’s riding or driving pony; horses for Western pleasure or trail riding; horses for working a farm or ranch; horses for English riding and jumping; and horses for any other sport or competition. You’ll also get advice on how to handle and correct an older horse with bad habits.
It’s always nice to start with a young, unspoiled horse, but sometimes you acquire a horse who is already ill mannered or afraid of people and you must figure out ways to correct his bad habits or overcome his phobias. It’s also important that you do not spoil a young horse as you train him, or create more bad manners or problems in an older horse. This book can help you avoid common mistakes that novice horse owners often make.
Many methods of handling and training horses are discussed, and some may seem contradictory. There are a number of approaches to training a horse or dealing with a specific problem; some work well for certain horses but not for others, and sometimes you must resort to something completely different.
As a trainer, you don’t always have ideal conditions or the ideal horse. You don’t always have the opportunity to imprint a newborn foal or a chance to trailer-train a young horse before you have to haul him somewhere. You may acquire a yearling or two-year-old who had no early training and have to start “kindergarten” lessons with a horse who is bigger and stronger than you.
To help you, this book will cover the basics, provide some alternatives to traditional training styles, and offer encouragement to be creative and, if necessary, occasionally come up with some approaches on your own. The important thing is to be in tune with your pupil, constantly evaluating what is best for him in each phase of his training and in each lesson. If you always put the horse first — choosing methods that will work best for him and moving forward at his individual pace — you will do a good job. Your ultimate goal is to see how well you can train your horse, not how far you can progress within a certain time frame. Be patient, and progress at a speed that’s right for him.
Horses are often our best teachers. We shouldn’t force a horse to conform to our favorite method but instead should strive to accommodate his needs, adapting our training programs to whatever it takes to gain his trust and respect.
Some advice and some discussion of methods will be repeated in various chapters, as they apply to different phases of training or working with a horse under different circumstances. The goal of this book is to help you with all of these phases or circumstances to create a positive and willing partnership.
Author’s note: For simplicity, in this text a horse is always referred to as “he,” unless the discussion specifically focuses on work with mares or fillies.
THE TRAINING PRINCIPLES THAT FOLLOW and that are discussed in detail in this volume will help you provide your horse with a solid foundation for lifelong learning. Consider them touchstones to be relied on and returned to each time you work with your horse.
Develop correct patterns of behavior. A horse reacts to your actions. When you make the right thing easy and the wrong thing more difficult, he will choose the proper response. If his reaction reduces the pressure he feels from your legs, hands, rope, or bit, in the future he will keep doing whatever it was he did that relieved the pressure. If, however, pressure is not reduced or is increased, his reaction is either to try to get away from it or to fight it. Always try to help him make the correct response.
Practice makes perfect. The horse learns through repetition. He may make the correct response to your cue accidentally when first learning, but gradually he will learn that the stimulus (the cue or pressure given by his trainer) is removed or released when he gives the correct response. Through the repetition of this cue-and-response process, he soon learns what he is supposed to do. He becomes comfortable with it — giving the correct response more quickly the next time he receives that same stimulus. You can refine your cues, to a slight pull on the rope rather than a firm tug, for example, and a slight press with your leg when riding, because he has learned what is being asked of him. If you are consistent in your requests, repetition reinforces good habits.
Work progressively. There is much a horse must learn before he can perform advanced maneuvers. Start with the basics, and build a foundation for the next steps. If you skip some of the early steps, the foundation won’t be as solid, nor will the end result. The shaky foundation will eventually reveal itself and your horse will develop a problem.
Building on what he already knows gives your horse a sense of security. He is at ease and confident with the tasks you require of him. He knows what to expect from you because you have been consistent in your requests, and he knows that when he gives the correct response, he will be rewarded. He is willing to try new things because he has confidence from earlier lessons that were accomplished without trauma or confrontation. If he accepts a new step and finds the new response equally nonconfrontational, he will do it willingly from then on. Work step-by-step.
Master each detail. Take one thing at a time; you’ll be less apt to confuse your horse or to alarm him. A horse becomes confused or upset when you go too quickly and proceed before he is ready. If this happens, drop back to something your horse already knows, so you can both feel good about the lesson. If you try to do something difficult before he has mastered earlier steps, you may create problems that are time-consuming to correct.
Some days you’re better off not to try any new steps at all but just to concentrate on things he already knows. To insist on a new step when the horse is not ready may set back your training several steps. Always wait for the right time to ask for something new.
Quit before he gets bored. If you can sense your pupil’s mood and always stop before the horse does, you’ll keep him fresh and willing in his lessons rather than sour and resentful. Be alert to any signs of overtraining, whether mental or physical. This will usually show up as resistance or reluctance. If the horse starts resenting lessons, back off and do something easier or do it more slowly. Generally, the younger the horse, the shorter his attention span and the shorter the lessons should be.
Don’t overdo lessons. This advice is repeated elsewhere in this book, but it is always important. Take your time. Occasionally, you must be content with a small amount of progress or even just holding ground. Your horse is the best judge of how long or intense a lesson should be. There are no timetables for training or for how long any specific lesson should last. A lesson is always a good one if you end it on a positive note.
The benefits of a positive approach to training over one that uses harsh punishment cannot be overstated. How you teach the basics makes a big difference in how solidly the horse learns them. If a training relationship is built on trust rather than trauma, the horse will accept a lesson more quickly and remember it better. If he is compelled to do something through pain and punishment, he’ll remember the pain instead of the lesson. Always, always favor a positive approach.
Let’s get started!