GETTING HORSES TO HANDLE without fighting them is what
this series is all about. Getting them to stop once they
begin moving is a mighty important cue in anybody's training
system
But before we get to the cue let me introduce you to an
old-timer who really pushed me to smarten myself about horse
handling - "Pig" Hall. You would think that any man with a
name like Pig would have been a B-I-G man. He wasn't. He
stood barely over five-feet-two even in his custom made
boots. I also doubt that he ever weighed over 100 pounds. He
taught me that size has nothing to do with horsemanship.
Pig Hall was one of a vanishing breed of horsemen and I
was determined to learn all I could from him. But Pig was
not one to "smarten people.” He flatly said that people
ought to "smarten" themselves and he made no exceptions, not
even for his own nephew.
He rarely made an attempt to answer my questions. When he
did, I never seemed to get a straight answer. Anecdotes were
his favorite replies and although the answer was often
there, it was usually hidden.
Like most kids, I had a million questions. One day, when
I was about 15, he did something that took me by surprise.
We were out checking cattle on a ranch just outside of
Nacogdoches, Texas, and I was harping on my current topic of
the week - the hackamore. I wanted to know everything there
was to know about how it worked, why it worked . . . .
Finally, after my endless barrage of questions he turned
to me and said, "Hell, all that stuff about hackamores ain't
important. I can ride this SOB without anything on his
head". With that, he reached up and pulled the hackamore off
the young son of Bill Cody he was riding and then he proceed
on with the job at hand - stopping and turning - working
cattle without any headgear on his three year old stallion.
I knew better than to ask any more questions. I 'd been
shown. It was up to me to figure out how he did it.
For the next two years I tried riding without reins on
every horse I could get a saddle on. Unfortunately, none
were young or green. Most were old spoiled horses - long
past the point of doing anything unless they were forced.
But I never gave up. My grandfather, a horse trader of
sorts, always had a different horse for me to practice on.
First I tried to do "riding without reins" with the
hackamore reins tied up. Then I'd get to thinking I was real
smart and leave the hackamore off. I can't remember the
number of times the horse ran off or dumped me on the
ground. Yet the bruises and busted ego were not enough to
make me quit - for then I'd have to admit Uncle Pig was one
up on me.
And besides, the idea really had a lot of merit, if for
no other reason than it freed both of my hands. Imagine the
things that become possible. You could have both hands free
to work a rope, shoot a gun or even roll your own
cigarettes. At such a young age, my imagination ran wild!
It probably was a blessing in disguise, but it wasn't
until I was 17, when I broke the first horse I ever raised,
that I realized any of the fruits of my labor.
Now I didn't break this mare like we have been discussing
in this series on breaking without force. Nope, I threw a
saddle on her with a hackamore on her head, cheeked her
down, stepped up and turned her loose.
Boy, could she buck! She could sun-fish with the best of
them, turn back through her cinch and jump as high as the
moon. This little saltwater pony was a real snaky mama.
By the time she was three , I figured I had the buck out
of her and I was ready to try riding her without reins. One
morning I got on bareback and rode out into the catch pen.
Removing her hackamore, I began to jog her around.
I cued her to turn and SHE DID. But every time I used my
leg on her, she sped up. Soon we were going round 'n round,
faster and faster. I wanted to stop her or at least slow her
down but I hadn't got that part figured out yet. Finally we
were going so fast that I just couldn't keep my balance.
When she made a quick turn, I landed belly first against the
snubbing post.
After that I decided that no matter how useful an idea
riding without reins might appear, it just wasn't going to
be any good unless I could figure out how to stop.
I didn't worry much about it at the time. I was sure that
I put a stop on one with reins. Besides, by then, my point
of view had changed. Sure, riding without reins a good way
to impress some of the young ladies in the area. But being
practical, there weren't any classes for horses without
reins.
So I filed away the idea of bridle-less riding - that is,
until I got my PhD and began teaching university students to
train horses. What a great way, I thought, to encourage
students to want to understand the horse. But before
I could perfect the technique I needed the final piece of
the puzzle - the stop.
With a group of "game" students and some green horses we
worked on this problem. Quickly the answers began to click
into place. Within a matter of weeks the puzzle solved.
Although I can now tell you how to do it - it still
remains for you to master one of the most important cues in
horse training - the stop.
The stop cue is built from a series of moves. Each in its
own way tells the horse to stop. Each move in sequence helps
to strengthen the meaning of the previous one. On a green
colt, I have never seen the three maneuvers fail to get a
stop, when put together right. In fact, most of the time the
main cue - the roll-up - is enough to do the job. Addition
of the hands and legs is needed only when the horse is not
paying enough attention.
The most critical part of the roll-up cue is the
hollowing inward of the small of the back. By
hollowing the back the point of balance is
projected through the horse to a position well
behind the horse's front legs. In order to regain
balance, the horse must stop and theoretically -
back up. While this is just conjecture - it must
not be too farfetched. Quite often, if the rider
continues to hold the position after the horse
stops, the horse will start to back up.
As the rider rolls up on his thighs, hollowing
inward the small of the back, the upper body leans
slightly forward. This takes the weight of the
rider off the horse's loin.
As a horse comes into the stop, he naturally
wants to drive his hind legs up under him. This
causes the muscles in his coupling or loin area to
flex -rounding out his back. By freeing his back
from the weight of your seat you allow him to move
naturally and freely into the stop.
Horses seem to understand the stop cue so well that
in no time at all they become so light that the cue is
hardly visible to the unsuspecting eye.
Because of this, we now go out of our way not to teach
this cue to young horses headed for any sort of racetrack.
The first time an inexperience exercise rider gets on and
rolls his back the wrong way, the colt slams on the brakes
and the rider ends up on the ground. I used to get too many
calls from race track trainers complaining that the colts
stopped too hard. "Get better riders", I used to naively
suggest.
But that is a long way from the problems that you are
going to have to deal with the first few days. The biggest
problem you are going to have is that you give the cue
correctly and the youngster continues to walk around. This
usually happens because the horse is too relaxed - he's just
not paying enough attention to what you are doing up
there.
Now is the time to add the hands. Push down
firmly on the neck in front of the withers and hold
the roll up cue. This spot seems to have a special
meaning for a horse.
A stallion will often grab a mare with his teeth
in this location especially if she tries to walk
off while he is interested in breeding her.
The young tend to reach for each other there
when they want to subdue their playmates.
In addition it seems to quiet a horse and
encourages them to stand still.
Because of the special meaning of this area we often rub
the withers as a form of reward. It is one of those natural
communication aids that the horse instinctly understands.
However, placing the hands in front the withers for a
stop aid does not involve rubbing. Instead, by locking your
thumbs over the crest of the neck, you can apply steady
pressure to the area. The results are usual same. The horse
becomes quiet and his pace slows until he stops.
The final move that we put on a sleepy-headed colt is to
bring in both legs simultaneously. How you do this is
extremely important!. You never jump at a horse with
your legs or grab him all at once.
If you do, you can count on having a horse that wakes up
way too quickly! Instead, slowly bring in the legs, starting
with the thighs and then the lower calves. Gently but firmly
hold the squeeze. It is as are softly closing the door on
his forward movement.
When you do it wrong, the reverse action will occur - the
youngster will want to move faster. He will want to begin to
pick up the pace. Instantly relax legs. Remember, you are
still holding the roll-up cue and pressing down on his neck
your hands. Wait for him to settle back down. Often, the
very fact that you got his attention - even though it
produced the wrong response - will cause him to acknowledge
your body position. He will stop. If he doesn't and become
doggy again bring in the legs and hold the entire cue until
he stops.
It won't take many times for him to get the cue down.
Each time you cue for the stop, it should take less and less
time for him to respond. In fact in the early training
sessions each time we feel the horse begin to stop we give
the body cue followed by a generous reward. From the very
beginning the horse is taught that stopping is the time for
a moment of rest and relaxation. Stopping becomes associated
with a quiet and peaceful feeling .
Spend the time and work with your horse till you find the
right combination of stop cue parts and intensities that
tell him to stop. It will be well worth the effort. Not only
can it save you from a lot of bumps and bruises, but the
stop cue serves as the foundation for many important
maneuvers: for example, breaking down to a slower gait, the
sliding stop and the hindquarter pivot.
Depending upon your expertise as a rider, there is
another problem you might encounter with the stop cue. As
you are riding around on your horse bareback without a
saddle and bridle, you might get out of balance and
accidentally lean forward. To the still-green horse, this
unplanned move resemble the stop cue. So he stops.
Don't get mad at the horse! He was just trying to figure
out what you wanted him to do. Urge him to move on. Soon he
will be able to figure out the difference between the stop
cue and when you lose your balance. This experience should
also encourage you to become a better rider. Staying in
balance with the horse's body is the basis for all good
horsemanship. But it is nice to know that if you should lose
your balance the horse will more than likely stop and wait
for you.
I know this must seem really out of character for the
wild-eyed, squealing bronc-busting image so long associated
with breaking horses, but given the opportunity to
understand everything being asked of them, young horses have
nothing to fear - nothing to escape from. Learning becomes a
challenge. Success and reward build the bond of trust
between horse and human.
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