The fix for the lazy horse can be done while doing any riding exercise. The first thing that makes a horse responsive or lighter is having a clear cue. A cue is something that you ask the horse and can get the horse to do. That means a cue to stop will be picking up the reins. That would be a cue to stop. A pre-cue is something you do before the cue. A pre-cue is "ho." If I go forward and I say "ho," and he doesn't stop, I'm going to say "ho" and pick up the reins to say "That meant stop." So pretty soon, when I go forward and I say "ho" the horse stops. So a pre-cue is something you do before a cue that makes a horse lighter and more responsive. It's the same thing with your legs. What do you do before you use your legs? You sit forward, pick up the reins, kiss to them. But what's the first that you do before you squeeze or kick your horse? You take your legs out. You take your legs out, then you bring them together. So practice that. Practice taking your legs off and if he doesn't move, then tell the horse "Hey, that meant move" with a kick. And when you bring them together, be prepared to kick them until something happens. So practice that and pretty soon, when you take your legs away from the horse's side (as if to kick), that'll mean "move forward." So I'm not using my legs to keep kicking my horse. Practice this and remember, when you bring them together, bring them together hard enough to get a change of leg speed. If you kick him and you just kick him to keep him going, then...
If you can't lay a hand on him yet, if he keeps dodging your approach, then use what you've learned to repeatedly drive the horse toward you , making him stand there, "his eyes glued to you": Stand to the side and drive his hips away (remember to get the back foot closest to you to cross in front of the other), then move to the other side of the horse and do the same. Use this simple technique to keep "edging him forward," toward you. As when you taught the horse to come to you, you may also try sending him back around the pen a few times or asking for several quick inside turns in order to motivate him to come up with a proper answer. (In this case: Be near me; don't move away.) Either method works great to make the horse think that standing and being petted is easier than working. If, despite your work, the horse won't let you touch it, ask yourself objectively if you aren't scaring it by coming at it too rapidly, it you're not petting it enough, if you might be "creeping about," or, even taking things too gingerly. Don't be afraid, if things seem to be stagnating, to try something completely the opposite of what you've been doing.
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Issue Twenty-nine, Part 1 of 1
Horses That Won't Go
What we'll address here: Horses that stop moving and stubbornly refuse to take another step. Two things we won't address here (at least not in depth or specifically): Horses that have gradually become "dead-sided" and crossing obstacles. To train a horse who ignores your speed-up cues, to install speed control or wake up a sluggish mover, read the article called "Speed Up Your Slow Horse." (It's free to print out and take to the barn. Find it at Horsemanship101.com/Articles.)
Warning 1): Putting pressure on a resistant horse's mouth, especially evenly with two reins, just might cause them to rear. Rearing is bad, real bad. It's one of the most dangerous things they can do - so don't ever foster that thought in your horse's head, not even for an instant. If you've got a horse that refuses to move forward, then you've got a potential rearing candidate. How and why? Because rearing is the ultimate case of "not moving forward." With this in mind, if you even sense that anything described here might cause your horse to get lighter in the front end, DON'T DO IT. Read articles about getting better with your hands (like "Tips to Improve Your Use of the Reins" and "How to Pick Up Your Reins Like a Pro."). Attend a clinic. Best bet: Hire a pro. Hiring a professional horse trainer for several months is much cheaper than even a single trip to the emergency room.
Trail Riding Series - Training From The Heart, The
• Catching Your Horse
• Calm Down Cue
• Stand for Mounting
• Leading; Jigging
• see more
Warning 2): Horses that lock up are sometimes signaling that the next step they take will be explosive. The methods described below pertain not so much to green horses with their nervous energy (or horses with a history of any dangerous habits, for that matter) as it does stubborn war horses who just seem to be playing you. You'll need to decide which horse you're riding, factor in common sense, and go forward accordingly. Again, hire a pro if there's a doubt.
"How do I get my horse to move when it freezes up?" I've heard this same question many times at clinics all over the US - and world, for that matter. (Odd but true: Every where I go to conduct a clinic, from the US, to Germany, even the Czech Republic... their citizens have the same horse-training issues as we do here in America. Funny that!)
I actually had this exchange once: A guy asked me "What do I do when I'm out on the trail and the horse just freezes up and won't walk off and I'm stuck miles from home?" I asked "How did you deal with it last time?" He answered: "It's my wife's horse. I took out my cell phone, called her and told her to come get me and her (bleeping) horse." So this article, then, is for those of you who get caught out on the trail with your lover's horse and no cell phone.
Important: Horses that pull this stunt are signaling that they need you to fall back and teach or re-teach some basics. Well-trained horses don't flip you the metaphorical bird. (Duh.) You need to dedicate yourself to getting better with your hands and going easier on those reins, to bluff more often than you actually kick and to look for and capitalize upon tiny improvements. (Those teachings are beyond the scope of this article. Once again, I suggest you visit Horsemanship101.com/Articles for step-by-step how-to info that you can print out and pack along when you ride.) So, when or if this happens to you, try one of today's quick masking-tape fixes, and make a mental note to spend some genuine training time tomorrow. Your horse's training has sprung a leak - and what I give you today are patches - not long-lasting fixes.
First I'll offer some tips more advanced riders might have heard before. It'll be new to the novice riders, so hang in there, my more accomplished equestrians. I'll finish up by offering a real trick to get your horse moving, one you've probably not heard before. I picked it up from Josh Lyons. It's kinda cool in its simplicity and works on older, stubborn horses as well as the young green ones.
When an older, experienced horse freezes up and won't move off, I think we can chalk that up to stubbornness. Don't you? Shouldn't it be safe to assume that your horse sees you up there kicking, screaming and flailing your arms and realizes you want some kind of movement? Taking a step certainly seems like the logical thing to do. But, well, he doesn't care. Why? Because you have a horse that, as John Lyons has said many times, has learned that you give him the devil whether he's standing or moving. So, all things considered, he might as well just stand there. Besides, if you really think about the physics involved in your kicking, you'd realize that you're really not delivering much "oopmph" with those kicks anyway. (And sure, spurs will get them moving - but perhaps a little faster than you'd care for.)
You have two choices with a stopped-up horse: 1) Hit him, 2) Outsmart him. Now, the great problem with #1 (beyond the obvious) is that they can gradually become desensitized and accustomed to "anything you can dish out." Ride enough horses and you'll sooner-rather-than-later find one that will just plain stop and ignore virtually anything you "bring on." (Hello, you appaloosa owners, you!) Then you find yourself in a situation where the only way to make a difference just might border on abuse (and/or, might deliver "too much" movement, as previously mentioned). No, the best way to deal with such a situation is 3) Don't get into this mess in the first place. Get your horse well-schooled in the basics and keep that training consistent. Oh - sorry, I promised quick fixes here... Okay, then let's choose #2, Outsmart the Bugger. Don't sweat this. There's an excellent chance you're smarter than the average horse. To outsmart it you simply have to: Consistently be more stubborn, capitalize on the hand the horse deals you, and consciously build on small improvements.
Something you need to keep in mind here if you're looking for magic in the next few paragraphs: The older the horse is, the longer he's been pulling such shenanigans, the more beginners he's trucked about, the more stubborn he's proven to be in the past, the more any of these experiences factor into this horse's background, the longer it'll take you to make any real difference, let alone put an end to this sort of behavior in such a recalcitrant horse. Worse news still: The more entrenched this bad behavior has become, the harder you'll have to work using the tools I'm about to describe. (Ha-ha. I told you these were quick fixes.) Relax, we'll get you home - but I'm a firm believer in prevention being worth a pound of trips to the emergency ward.
Okay, should you be headed out on the trail (heading away from the barn) and your horse begins to walk ever slower... most likely because he's thinking about heading home to his stall with or without you... and you think there's a good chance he's about to freeze up completely... then try the following: As he next begins to slow up, oblige him by turning 90 degrees back toward the barn. You'll feel him speed up, figuring he's chumped you. (If 90 degrees doesn't speed him up, try 100, 110, etc. but only as much as it takes for him to speed up and travel more openly on his own.) You'll next take a single rein and direct him back a few degrees toward the direction you'd like to go. Quit thinking in black and white. Quit thinking about either going away from the barn or to the barn, start moving back and forth like a snake at right angles to the trail. Your job is to get him moving - not to "go down the trail." Moving freely down the trail is a goal, moving smoothly is the immediate task at hand. Remember, and this is important, get off his mouth, quit kicking and RELAX anytime he improves by even one half of one percent.
Something to consider: The same horse that wants to drag on the way out, most likely will want to race the others home. So, that's actually two things that need to be fixed and in a way you're addressing the "sluggish walk away from the barn" by focusing on the "race home" behavior. (Note: Horse's that are slow in both directions are a different situation; you need to read that article I mentioned earlier, "Speed Up Your Slow Horse." We're primarily dealing with stubborn horses here.)
Make your corrections when you're moving at a 90 degree angle relative to the trail. Use that time to teach. He'll be far more likely to react positively to your kicks when not directed 180 degrees away from where he'd really rather be. Concentrate on fluid motion and kick or correct only when you feel a slower "noticeable change of leg speed." Walk (or trot) a slalom pattern, like a skier and try to put some life, electricity and rhythm into your travel.
Two hints: A) As you create your slalom pattern, you may find that he really slows down if you turn him from left to right by turning him away from the barn. Experiment and try turning him in the direction of home in order to make use of his natural impulsion. Do what it takes to "get smooth." B) Try this work at a trot if you feel safe doing so. Walking through this work runs the risk of a "bog down," with the two of you moving slower and slower. Don't ever forget: The energy you put into your ride is the energy you'll get out of your ride.
Also, be very aware that once you begin kicking, you're locked into kicking at that strength at that same pace from now until something hot freezes over or he moves. So think before you kick and pick your battles carefully. As previously stated, your job now is to get the horse moving smoothly - in any direction - in a controlled manner and to capitalize on that: When he moves fluidly, you try turning him a degree or two away from the barn. When he slows up, you move him a degree or two back toward the barn. (Remember, he's supposed to be moving at a steady pace - speeding up when turning toward the barn is as obnoxious as dragging himself away from it. It just happens to help us out here, as we use his little "stunt" against him.) Basically, you've gotta be more stubborn than the horse. It doesn't take them long to recognize an inexperience rider, right? Well, it doesn't take the savvy horse long to realize when you've got his number either.
As an aside: Sorry to tell you, but if you're thinking "But my rider friends are moving away and it's only my horse that wants to stop. Dick, Jane and Sally won't wait for me to train." Uh, sorry - get more understanding friends or stay in the arena till you get this licked. You're putting yourself in a dangerous situation if you force the horse through this. Take the time to deal with this correctly and your insurance agent will thank me.
Here's a very big warning: This article addresses horses that stop moving on flat and even ground, not horses that balk when asked to cross something like water or a downed tree. To train a horse to cross obstacles one would borrow many of these concepts - but this is no time to mix and match; you may very likely end up sitting in that water.
Okay, next situation: What do we do with the horse that has already frozen up and won't budge? We're miles from home and the batteries are dead in the cell phone and heck, we don't have the number for that guy's wife anyway. First, we'll try the age-old method of pulling the horse's head off to the side. This is classic. Now, it bears stating again that this is more quick-fix than "what's proper." We John Lyons trainers are not big on simply pulling the head to the side on a horse that's not moving. Ideally, you never turn the horse's head without a corresponding change in the horse's legs (either in direction or speed or both). The reasoning is that if you simply move the head (without the feet) then very quickly the connection you've worked so hard to establish between that rein and the horse's leg begins to dissipate. You want to instill "I pick up the rein, you do this with your feet." You don't want to pick up the rein and the horse does... nothing. We're describing a special situation here, though where your legs are burnt out and you're beyond exasperated, so I'm willing to look away... just this once.
All you'll do is simply pick up the rein and pull the horse's head off to one side or the other by a few inches, let's say four. Don't start by wrenching his head to your knee - because where would you go from there if you need to send a more pointed message? (Besides, such a sharp angle makes it exceedingly difficult for him to move so you'd be creating a bigger obstacle.) Start by pulling his head off to the side a bit, bring the rein against your leg to aid your leverage and wait there as if you've got all day. (You just might.) Wait long enough and what you'll (most likely) feel first, is the horse shifting his weight in order to take a step. The millisecond you feel the horse make this shift he's decided to move - so let go of the reins, thrust those hips forward (yours) and try to ride out of your morass. Really believe you're gonna go someplace. Of course, you may go absolutely nowhere - but a positive attitude will be read by your horse. It makes no difference if he moves but a quarter of an inch or even leans forward - it only matters that you reward the correct thought.
Now, you might try giving him a good swift kick should he slow down immediately in an effort to keep the sucker moving - but more of a hard "squeeze-and-release" will probably get you further. Use your best judgment, but usually in situations like this you'll find it most expedient to more or less coax the horse, (I didn't say "Become a patsy"), as opposed to sort of man-handling him with a lot of kicking. If you can get the horse consistently shifting his weight, build on that. Experiment to see what it takes to get the shift to become a "lean" and the lean to become a step taken. This simple method can often fix a horse simply because they soon realize that anytime they stop, you counter with the above. More often than not, you only have to repeat this half a dozen times or so and they'll just walk off as you ask, having learned that the freezing up gets them nowhere (literally).
Another caveat: Be careful not to pull so hard on the reins or in such a direction as to cause the horse to become off-balanced. Try lesser, wider angles. Try using less pressure and more patience. If you find yourself in a situation (using any of the methods described here on these pages) where the little voice in your head says there's a chance the horse might trip over himself, and land on top of you, let go. Live to fight another day. Really, it ain't worth it. Get off and lead the horse home.
Which leads me to a fix that you might try if you've got a horse that stops and you really believe no amount of kicking or rein finagling will every dislodge him: Pick up the rein and add pressure as described, (just a few pounds worth, your knuckles should not be white). Again, lock the rein against a part of your body or the to gain leverage. Wait till the horse parks against your hold and... get off as safely as possible, (watch those stirrups!) being careful to keep the pressure steady as you dismount. Once you're off, hold your pressure steady until you get the horse moving from the ground. (Stand at the point of his left shoulder to stay in a safer area, should he decide to push with a shoulder or kick.) You can pull on the rein by walking backwards away from him then sidestepping to your right; you can smack his butt with your hat, use your imagination - but get the horse's feet and shoulders unlocked. Move him about on the ground, quickly school him on the concept of "pressure and release," then hop back up. You're smarter getting off any horse that you see is becoming a super pill and moving him about (schooling him) on the ground. This is a workable fix because it's win-win. The horse eventually does get moving; it's quick, you've kept your pressure so he never avoided that, you stayed safe - and your neighbors didn't get to see you wailing on Ol' Dobber like a mad man.
I've described the mechanics of building thoughts into leans into steps into full-fledged walking - so I'll be able to breeze through this final cool fix from horseman Josh Lyons, as it makes use of the same concepts.
All you have to do is this: On a horse that's balking and mulishly refusing to move, try applying even pressure with both hands (just enough to let him know you're there and want something). (Don't try this on a horse that might come up on you.) Lock your fists behind the saddle for leverage and wait. Timing is critical: When the horse acts as if he's trying to petulantly thrust his head out and forward, suddenly (and very quickly) push your hands forward (coinciding with his pull), simultaneously allowing the reins to drop out of your hands and squeeze-release with your legs. Turn the power he puts into pulling his head forward into forward momentum for his entire body. Think of it as a child's toy, where the swinging motion of the head pulls the rest of the body forward. Beyond the toy-mechanic physics, this procedure also makes use of a little reverse psychology: Five minutes before, we had a horse who stubbornly refused to move. We replace that "I'm not moving and you can't make me" thought with "If you pull on my head, I can easily walk out of it." Genius! As with the other quick fixes for the stubborn horse described above, make sure you consciously look for - and build on - small improvements from your horse.
End of Issue Twenty-nine, Part 1
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