From: Richard
I surfed the net several days ago and found your archives and copied some do's and don'ts from "round pen work". I am training several colts (non-restraint) and the owners daughter took one of the colts ( 9 months) and ran him hard in a round pen at 35'... Of course I was very upset....so I found some back-up on your site. Her mother did as well from an article written by John Lyons. His article backed "us" up as well........in summation: working a horse in a round pen under 2 is wrong.
So as to my question, I have a yearling Paint and he is a little
different. He has never been handled until 2 months ago. He is also
a yearling. I just got a halter on him with a lead connected at 5' in length.
He is in a good sized holding area (safe I might add) and for a week now
some days even with the lead and halter still on, he still does not want
to be caught. Some days are better. He has his bonded friends outside his
holding area in full view ( 2 more colts the same age) to keep him company.
I don't want him to go through separation anxiety. At what point can I
remove his halter? I am used to starting weanlings not colts that haven't
been handled. I don't like leaving halters on either!.....can you give
me step by step. I am not a seasoned trainer however, I am a sensitive
person...I want to let him back into the main area so he can enjoy being
a baby. My main reason for catching him to begin with was to vaccinate,
worm and have his feet checked.
Sincerely concerned,
Richard Glimpse
Hi Richard, welcome to HORSE-SENSE! I understand your concern about those young horses, and you were right to worry about what would happen to a young colt being run around a tiny round pen. I hope that this never happens again.
There is nothing wrong with a 35' round pen if it is used only for teaching a horse and handler how to communicate with one another calmly -- at a standstill and at a walk. It's like teaching a horse in a large stall with no corners! But it's not the place for an amateur (or professional!) trainer to be chasing any horse in circles at the canter. The only result of that will be mental and physical damage to the horse.
If you have a large enough round pen -- at least 60' in diameter -- then walk and trot work shouldn't present a problem, and balanced, adult horses may be asked for a brief canter. Even a yearling may be allowed to volunteer a few steps of canter, which isn't the same thing as circling endlessly at high speed.
As for your Paint yearling, I would suggest the following: if he is going to wear a halter in turnout, make it a breakaway halter (one designed to break open and release the horse if he gets caught on something). This is the only safe way to turn a horse out in a halter, and your concern is entirely justified.
In the meantime, while he is still in the holding area, it might be a good time to use some treats to help convince him that handling is not bad, and halters are not traps. If you approach him, talk to him quietly, and offer him a treat but do not attempt to catch him, then turn and walk away quietly, he will think about following you instead of trying to escape.
If you repeat this several times -- or many times, you'll have to be the judge of how well he is progressing -- you can then add some patting and stroking (in the neck and shoulder area, stay away from his face), then walk away, etc.
By doing this over and over, you're invading his personal "comfort zone", showing him that his bravery (not running off) is being rewarded (treats and nice talk and caresses), then YOU are leaving so that he can relax. Each time you do this, he will relax a little more, be a little less reluctant to let you approach, and be a little more reluctant to see you leave.
When he is relaxed about petting, bring a stiff scratchy brush with you, show it to him, let him sniff it, and then, while he is eating his treat, use the brush on his neck and shoulder and withers. It's a sensation he will enjoy, and he'll be more interested in staying with you longer.
When he is relaxed about this, you should be able to take hold of his halter rope and hold it while you continue to brush and talk to him -- if he pulls away, just move WITH him, keep talking and keep brushing, and release the rope as soon as he relaxes even a tiny bit. You can repeat this at intervals, holding the rope for longer periods.
This is the hardest part of the lesson, because until this moment, there was contact but no restraint! Now there are moments of restraint, but the point is to teach him that restraint is not threatening, and that you are holding him but with no intention of harming him. Once he understands this, you'll be able to teach him to lead, just as you would a foal. The difference, though, is that it will take longer -- he is much bigger than a foal. But he doesn't have any more handling experience than a foal -- and in fact he has less experience than many foals do! So you should be able to teach him what you want him to know in just a few weeks. It may take less time if he has already taught himself about restraint by stepping on the end of his own halter-rope
You have a terrific training advantage already in place: the other colts -- his friends in full view! Since they are accustomed to handling, then by all means go and work with them. Put halters on them and take them off, praise and pat them, over and over again. Lead them, praise them, take of their halters, praise them again. Your Paint will watch and learn, and draw the right conclusions.
Good luck, and have fun!
Jessica
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