From: Sandra
Hi Jessica,
First of all, thank you for taking the time to answer everyone's questions! I'm learning a lot of things I never knew to ask about!
I have a question regarding ground manners. A little background--I started riding in 1991, at a barn where the horse was tacked up and ready to go when I got there (and taken away by the grooms as soon as I was done). Then I rode for a while at a dressage barn, on their nice placid lesson horses who know all about standing still etc. Then I got Scotch in 1993 as a green 3 year old. He had been raised by a family as an oh-lets-have-a-cute-foal project (despite the stallion owner's attempts to talk them out of it). Fortunately he was foaled at the stallion owner's place and she imprint trained him and kept tabs on him, then when he got too big to be cute she started his training. He has a fantastic temperament and isn't spooky.
For the first two years we had frequent lessons and a more experienced lessor, so the riding part is going very well despite our mutual inexperience. However, I haven't the foggiest idea of what to teach him about ground manners (never having been taught myself). . . he's gotten into some bad habits, particularly head tossing when I remove his bridle and wiggling a lot in the crossties. The books I've read on training all say, 'first teach the horse to stand still, then. . . . ' without explaining HOW to teach them to stand still. Do you have any suggestions? I'm most concerned about the bridle-on bridle- off, he isn't fighting me, just not really paying attention. . . he wants to wiggle free so he can go see if the horse next door (to the wash stall) has any carrots to share. In fact, he's inattentive to me on the ground most of the time (unless I have carrots, then he's a little TOO attentive). He also likes to walk faster than the person leading him (more inattention I think). And I don't know if he's ever been taught to tie other than in crossties. Thank goodness, he's totally calm about clippers!
Hmm, let me boil that down. . . what is he supposed to know about ground manners, and what do I need to learn so I can teach him? I know this is a broad question. . . please feel free to give me a reference or two (is this in your book? I've been looking but haven't seen a copy yet).
Thanks,
--Sandra and Scotch (sorry didn't mean to step on you. . . i know we re going to my stall anyway just meet me there)
Here are some things he ought to know how to do:
- lead correctly, head level with your shoulder, on a slack leadrope, stopping when you stop, slowing down when you slow down, turning right or left when you turn
- enter and leave his stall calmly, without barging out past you or charging in past you
These all basically come down to the same issue: he needs to accept your leadership, pay attention to your body language, and respect your personal space. I didn't mention "shouldn't step on your feet" for two reasons: one, if he's close enough to step on your feet, see above! And two, if you allow him close enough to step on your feet, you can't complain about it, because he can't see his feet, or your feet next to (and under!) them.
Scotch needs to be aware of TWO bodies: yours, and his own. You can teach him to be much more aware of where he is and where you are.
Before you begin, though, remember: he hasn't been taught these things, and he's been doing things another way. The only way to teach him a DIFFERENT way is to get and keep his attention, and be absolutely consistent. He's walked over you, well, how many times now? He'll need to learn to walk WITH you, and then do it correctly (with you reinforcing it) several hundred times AT LEAST before it becomes a confirmed habit. So be patient.
When you teach him ANYTHING, try to avoid yelling or saying NO unless the specific behaviour is not just incorrect (e. g. , getting too close to you) but completely unacceptable (e. g. , biting). Save "NO!" for those times when nothing else will do, and the rest of the time, your job will be to stay one step ahead of him and correct his behaviour by asking him to DO what you want him to (rather than by telling him NOT to do what he is doing).
Okay: leading 101.
Equipment: leadrope (10' for preference), soft cotton is best. NO CHAINS. A halter that fits him VERY well, or a correctly-designed longeing cavesson -- the kind with the hinged steel plates on the noseband (this is one of the best items you can have in your tack trunk, IMO, not just for longeing but for remedial lessons like these, because the cavesson gives you safe leverage without causing pain or damage to the horse). A whip around 3' long -- something with a good hard piece of rubber on the handle end. A pocket full of treats (carrot sticks?)
Stand at his left shoulder, with the leadrope folded in your left hand. Put your right hand on the leadrope about eight inches under his chin. The whip will be in your back pocket on the side away from the horse, or stuck down the back of your breeches if you haven't a pocket. It's just there in case you need it to remind him not to crowd you.
Pay attention to him, but stand straight and look ahead (you can still watch him, that's what your peripheral vision is for). When he is standing quietly, jiggle the leadrope under his chin with your right hand, tell him "And walk" or "Scotch, walk".
Then start walking. At first, pick a pace that you know is going to be comfortable for him, and that is comfortable for YOU so that you can walk out with a very steady, regular rhythm. If he speeds up, tell him "Easy" and give a sharp tug on the leadrope with your right hand, then resume your steady rhythm. You may have to do this every two or three strides for the first week -- just do it, don't worry about it. He'll figure it out. Talk to him and praise him when he is where you want him to be; tug, release, and say NOTHING when he moves out of position.
If he slows down, cluck to him; if he doesn't keep up, put the excess leadrope in your right hand, reach around with your left hand, and grab your whip (still behind your back). Then cluck to him again, and follow that immediately with a whip- tap (STILL behind your back). He can't see the whip, and you are still looking and moving forward, so he won't be quite sure WHAT happened, but he'll get the idea that a cluck doesn't mean "please move forward if you don't mind", but "please move forward NOW. "
As you walk along, practice stopping -- again, if he is paying attention to you, he will notice your body language. If you are leading an attentive horse, and you vibrate your right hand on the leading rein, straighten your shoulders, and STOP, he will too. You may have to tell him "Scotch, WHOA" at first, but as he learns to pay more attention, you'll be able to say it more and more softly, and he'll eventually learn to listen to your position as much as your voice. When you ask him to stop and he does, say "Good boy" -- but don't change your position! If you drop your shoulders and lean forward when you praise him for stopping, he will think he's supposed to start moving again (and this holds true under saddle also, BTW)!
It will help if you stop him when he's balanced -- and he may have to LEARN to stop balanced and not all sprawled out. If you keep him standing for a few seconds -- vary the time -- and then start forward again ("Scotch, walk"), he'll figure out that standing square is a good idea, because he won't have to lurch and feel insecure when he moves forward again.
Turning: going to the left, keep your whip in front of you, positioned across your body with the handle toward the horse. If he crowds in toward you, don't lean away -- just keep walking, vibrate your right hand on the leading-rein, and with your left hand, push the butt end of the whip into his shoulder. If you don't have the whip with you, you can keep your hand in the same place, keep walking forward, bring up your right elbow and and push THAT into his shoulder to show him that he's too close. If he REALLY crowds you, add a noise like a "WRONG ANSWER!" buzzer on a television game show. It's a very useful noise; horses learn VERY quickly that it means "that wasn't it, you'd better think again". And it's unlikely to be confused with any other noise you might make, or anything else you might say -- plus, it definitely captures a horse's attention!
Going to the right, you'll have to make yourself as tall and large as possible, and Scotch will have to learn to slow his pace a little bit while you increase yours, so that your relative positions will remain the same (his head at your shoulder) during the turn. Positioning the whip in the same way will let you use the butt end to push him away, and you'll also have the option of putting it in front of his chest to slow him down. You may not need it, but keep it with you for the first week or two of training. After that, your elbow will do. Scotch needs you to be very clear with him, and if you can coordinate body language, voice, leading rein, and whip, it will be much easier for him to understand. Your body position has a tremendous influence on Scotch, and the whip lets you make yourself clear without getting out of position.
The treats are useful -- whenever he gets a little worried, ask him to stop and stand (two separate commands, two separate ideas), and reward him, but not EVERY time. Intermittent reinforcement works best.
Okay, on to the crossties!
- standing reasonably quietly on crossties -- assuming that the footing has good traction, and the crossties aren't too long, and the crosstie area isn't full of biting flies, and he is never left alone on crossties (those can be VALID reasons for a horse to fidget)
The best way to get a horse standing quietly on crossties is to be sure that all of the above conditions are met -- and then ASK for your horse's attention. Don't just put him there -- put him there and groom him, clean out his feet, tack him up. Talk to him, praise him when he stands quietly, and when he wriggles and you say "Scotch, STAND" and he stops wriggling. The buzzer noise will help. Keep his attention, and don't ask him to stand on crossties forever. Short lessons, repeated often, are MUCH more effective than one long one.
If he's tossing his head when you take off the bridle, there's probably a reason for it. The first and easiest thing to check is whether you are pulling the bridle off or waiting for HIM to spit out the bit. I don't know what sort of bridle you use, but when you're ready to remove it, undo the cavesson, the throatlatch, and the curb chain if you use one. Then take the crownpiece and bring it smoothly over his ears, but DON'T drop your hand -- if the bit falls down in his mouth faster than he can open his mouth, it will hit his teeth, and he will jerk his head up; if it happens several times in a row, he will begin jerking his head up WHILE you take the bridle off, because he knows it will hurt. So just hold your hand steady, and then lower it very slowly and let him open his mouth and drop the bit.
Things to check on your bridle:
Is the cavesson too tight? Keep it fairly loose.
Is the bit in good shape, or has it developed sharp edges or pitting? If it's a loose- ring, do the arms have sharp edges on the holes where the bit rings pass through? Does the bit FIT?
Things to check on Scotch:
Does he have long hairs on his muzzle that could be catching in the cavesson buckle or on the bit or in the curbchain? If so, trim them!
Does he have wolf teeth? Have your vet check this! He's the right age. . . if he has them and they haven't been removed, have them removed. They are tiny, but terribly sensitive, and no matter how careful you are with that bit, he's likely to get hurt. Horses with wolf teeth frequently learn to throw their heads UP as their bridles are being removed -- they're trying to keep that upper jaw, and those pesky wolf teeth, out of the way of the bit.
If he doesn't have wolf teeth, does he have sharp edges and hooks that need to be floated? Those can cause bridling/unbridling problems too.
Things to think about:
While you're looking for a physical cause, remember that there could also be an anticipation factor. If he always gets turned loose or put right back into his own stall after a ride, he may be trying to rush things along. Try removing the bridle, putting on his halter, and putting him on crossties while you take your time about unsaddling and grooming.
If he knows that he is simply going to stand on crossties for a few moments wearing his halter, while you take off his saddle and brush him down, he'll be calmer about spitting out the bit. A few treats may help here too -- if he's expecting to get a carrot stick or peppermint as soon as the bridle is off, he'll learn to put his head DOWN and open wide to drop the bit and get the treat.
Okay Sandra, this should be enough to start with -- let me know how you get along! The most important thing to remember is that your horse's attention span is EXACTLY the same length as yours, and if you lead him or bridle him inattentively, he won't pay attention to you either. . . . but if you stay focused on him, he'll return the favour.
Jessica
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