HEY RAY! How can I calm my horse down again after he blows up? Unless we’re doing normal patterns, he panics and his mind slips into another world – and he won’t listen to me anymore. Lead changes trigger his blow-ups, too.
–Kathleen, San Jose

HEY KATHLEEN: The answer to your challenge lies within your question. If the only time your horse doesn’t panic is when he’s doing normal patterns, then start creating patterns with everything he does in order to settle his mind. You do this with repetition and an understanding that there is value waiting for him at the end of each choice.

HEY RAY! How do you get a horse to tolerate water on the face when bathing in the wash-rack?
—SANDIE TAYLOR, Winchester

HEY SANDIE: The hardest part of this challenge is to recognize how truly simple the solution really is. What we need to do first is to separate getting his face wet with having to be tied and holding his ground. I suggest that you work on the latter first by tying him up away from the wash rack to a tie ring or some sort of a connection that will give in a pen or arena. Keeping him on a line attached to your hand will also work providing you feel safe while doing it.

Try to unsettle him any way you can. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as he recognizes that when he does evade the fear by pulling away he is still going to be attached.

HEY RAY: I own a big 3-year-old Friesian colt that will not trot next to me when asked. He either drags behind me at the walk or when pushed will erupt into a dead-run — kicking, rearing and playing while dragging me. I’d like to show him in halter, but I’m afraid he’ll get away and hurt himself or someone.
— Jacquelyn Anderson, Fresno

HEY JACQUELYN: The challenge that you are up against is very common. Once your horse is clear about what is expected and sees the value in it, it won’t matter whether he’s a big colt or an old pony.

The first thing we need to do is break your question down into the six individual issues in hand:

1) Your horse is big and lazy.
2) He would prefer to run away from you, than to follow and stay with you.
3) He doesn’t know how to give to the pressure of the line.
4) He doesn’t know how to lead well.
5) He needs to recognize that rearing, kicking and playing — although normal and natural for a horse — is absolutely unacceptable around you.
6) Lastly, your horse needs to focus on committing to the gaits (walk and trot, without breaking).
All of these challenges need to be addressed before we can expect your Friesian to perform at halter safely and correctly at the show.

I suggest you start by turning your horse loose into a small pen or arena. The shape is not as important as the size. You should be able to chase him off and keep moving without exhausting yourself. Use whatever aids you feel appropriate. You won’t want to use scary sounds like rocks in a can or cracking of the whip because he would eventually become desensitized. At the show, the adrenaline produced from those aids will work in your favor, creating a bigger trot. This is a good time to introduce your clucks and kisses to the mix. This will help your horse visualize what’s expected if distracted.

Secondly, as soon as your horse begins to look spent, offer him to stop and face you. If he does, let him catch his breath. If not, move him around some more then try again. Once he begins to face you, move laterally from him and see if he’ll follow you first with his head and later with his feet. If he chooses to turn and run, chase him and then try again. Once he begins to follow you around, you can attach a line to your halter.

Thirdly, pull on your line laterally and don’t release until he steps sideways — then immediately release and praise him. It’s important to “keep it tight until it’s right before going light.” If you find that he is being strong with you and not giving to the pressure, getting his hind quarters to move away from you will get his face light.

Next, we test him under pressure. Unsettle him and see if he gives easily. If control is difficult for you, use a tie ring on the fence with a long line — let the fence do the holding! Unsettle him from behind so that he moves side to side (roll-backs) on the fence. Do not tie him solid for this exercise. Pay close attention to the give to the line on the part of your horse before moving on.

Fourth, set up poles and cones around the arena in order to challenge your horse’s accelerator, brakes and steering around and through the props. He should be able to move forward, sideways and backward with ease before working around the obstacles. Previous Hey Ray! columns have touched on these points. Use an insulated wand instead of a sharp whip to help get your point across without insulting your horse and creating resentment. Once he understands, your horse will be more accepting of the whip. If your horse becomes “mulely” when asked to walk or trot while leading, keep the line tight while pulling over to the side and move his hindquarters until he gives his face and moves around the forehand. Practice this until he’s timely and light.

Finally, since your Friesian would rather run, buck and play than trot, it’s important to make a clear impression that it is not a good idea while on the line. This step and the last step, committing to the gait, needs to happen while lunging. Ask your horse to trot, and if he stays in the trot allow him to go at whatever speed he chooses. Make no attempt to speed up or slow down the gate. Allow him to go around until he idles at the trot (trotting as slow as he can without breaking). If he breaks down to the walk, simply jumpstart him back to the trot. If he breaks into a canter, bucks or kicks, reverse him (go back the other way) at the walk. If he trots instead of walks after the reverse, continue to reverse him until he walks. Offer your horse to trot again until he locks into the gate. Now challenge him to lengthen the trot. If he breaks, simply reverse him and try again. You will be surprised how pretty he will move when all of his efforts are willingly applied to the trot.

Jacquelyn, now that your horse has been better prepared to understand what you want, the chances of success go up. You should walk and halt repeatedly while keeping your horse between you and the rail. Practice until your Friesian is calm, straight and consistent. Later you can work on your walk-trot-walk transitions before adding energy into it. It won’t be long before you’ll be able to show off your horse in the middle of the ring, proudly.

As always, and above all, trust your instincts and think safe,

Ray

HEY RAY: How do I approach my mare, Koda, and train her not to bite or kick the heck out of our other horse, Eddie, while eating?
— Ryla Haday, Sonora

HEY RYLA: The easy way to resolve this problem is to stop feeding Eddie. That way you take care of the biting, the kicking and the other thing.

All kidding aside, I understand that not taken care of, this problem can result in one or both horses getting hurt — as well as yourself. First, please understand that what Koda and Eddie are going through is absolutely normal and natural. This kind of thing happens with horses all the time, especially in the wild. This is how the species has evolved and preserved itself — survival of the fittest.

Having said that, the moment you bring a horse from a “wild environment” to the “stable environment”, the rules of survival change. Because you, the caretaker, are now in the mix, the horse’s role needs to change. You have a role in this — it’s your responsibility to help him realize he needs to act differently than the way he feels he should since he doesn’t need to fight for food and water anymore. Your horse will “evolve” into a more civilized horse. I suggest you do this in 10 easy steps:

HEY RAY: How do I stop my horse from pulling back and breaking halters?
–Laura Lane, Yuba City, Calif.

HEY LAURA: The good news is that there’s a simple way to handle this. The quick fix? Just stop tying your horse — and I guarantee he’ll never break another lead line or halter again. I know this sounds like a joke, but I’m completely sincere – let me explain a little further.

What I really mean is you need to stop tying your horse “solid”, (tied to anything fixed) until he understands and learns a few things first. Begin by holding your haltered horse in one hand and with your other hand try to unsettle him so that he startles and moves. You can accomplish this by waving your hand in front of his face, twirling the end of your lead line or even waving your hat or cap in front of him. It’s important that you keep a connection (continuous pressure) the whole time that your horse is moving. Continue to do whatever you were doing with your other hand

HEY RAY: When I try to flex my horse and he gives to the rein, the minute I give release he grabs and pulls. Do you have any suggestions?
–Francessa Loftis, Placerville, Ca.

HEY FRANCESSA: The good news is that he already gives to the rein, so we might not have to start from the very beginning. For folks who may have a horse that pulls on the rein but doesn’t flex well, they might want to try this:

I’ve talked in the past about patting the horse’s head and or neck until they flex without moving their feet. You can simply use your hand or any extension of your hand that you may see fit to teach them this. It’s important that when the horse is flexing away from you, he makes contact with his belly as if he is going for a target. There are a few reasons why this exercise is valuable.

1. It becomes a clear destination for the horse’s nose.

2. The horse will learn not to overreact to a stimulus that may be unsettling to him. (“desensitization”)

3. This is an opportunity to put meaning to sensation while having the horse trust your hand.

4. It introduces the notion of setting his head in a specific spot, continuously.

These experiences will carry over nicely when you go back to asking for the flexion with the bridle.

While on the ground, work with your horse in a halter. Try not to influence the flexion with the rope — pull until he flexes easily and calmly with the patting. Later, you can transition this into the bridle. When the horse touches his side, rub his nose or the side of his face, but immediately pat again if his nose stops touching his belly. The horse needs to feel that the hand not only initiates the flexion but also finishes the exercise as soon as he gives to it, followed by praise. The horse needs a hand to give to in order to reward himself. The hand teaches the horse the concept of a self-rewarding system that carries over into situations that do not include the hand (i.e. being tied, the constraint of a side rein, or the accidental stepping on his own rein when ground tied. We, as humans, need the hand to influence, but the horse needs our hand to know when he has gotten it right.

Remember that the horse should continue to touch his belly with his nose while you’re rubbing. If he takes his nose off, then go back to the patting until he learns the lesson. Now it’s time to ask for flexion by pulling on the lead rope to a specific spot on his side. While anchoring it, wait for the horse to give. If he does give, release immediately at first, but prolong the release as he gets better. This will teach him the patience that he will need, so that he will stop snatching the rein from you as before. The benefit of patting on the opposite side of the horses face (as opposed to jerking the face back to you with the bit and rein) is that he will learn the lesson without being resentful of your hand, rein and bit. In essence, what you are doing is taking the opportunity away from your horse to pull on you. He cannot pull on a rein that is not there. The new rein aid will simply suggest, not reinforce. The reinforcement will be the job of the patting.

When the horse has no issue maintaining the flexion — for however long you want by this approach — the next step will be to bridle your horse. Ask for the flexion with the rein to a specific spot on the belly of your horse. Francessa, since flexion is not an issue with your horse, this step should go easy. The key here is to remember that as soon as your horse makes the attempt to grab and pull, you should restrain yourself from snatching the rein and pulling back yourself, because he will be expecting that. Instead, proceed with patting as you have been practicing before. Continue this until you have clearly broken the pattern in his mind of pulling and grabbing the rein. Then, and only then, should you attempt to ask for the flexion more assertively with the rein. Initially, the sudden increased pressure may cause your horse to react by resisting or throwing his head. It won’t be long before he will recognize that you are asking him to target that spot on his belly by trying to beat you to the pull. The exercise of patting has prepared him for this step. As he gets better, you will find that he will flex sooner and sooner with less and less resistance. The moment you flex and anchor the rein, your horse should do two things:

1. He should give to the rein and keep his head there without pulling.

2. When he tries to check if it’s okay to straighten himself out (by feeling the hold of the rein against your hand), he should bounce off of it towards his belly.

At that precise moment, give him his head and throw a party. You have both just graduated to another level. You can now move the lesson under saddle.

Francessa, you have given your horse a whole new meaning to the term give and take. This lesson will carry over nicely into many challenges that will include your hand. Have fun with it!

As always, trust your instincts and think safe,

RAY

Horsetrader columnist Ray Ariss, husband to Pippa Ariss and father of six, shares his insight into the relationship of horseand human twice each month, in print and on www.horsetrader.com. He lives and trains in “Horsetown USA”, Norco, Calif., at his bustling Starbrite Riding Academy, where he currently has 50 horses in various stages of training, including Andalusians, Friesians, Quarter Horses, Paints, Thoroughbreds, Arabs, Mustangs and more. Ray attributes his training success to the support of his wife and partner, Pippa, and a system he calls S.W.A.P., to which he credits his multiple championships in several disciplines. His passionate understanding of the “human-horse” relationship was evident when he took on the challenge of training a wild Mustang and — in just 100 days — produced the highest-priced adopted Mustang ever — $50,000. Does your “horse-human relationship” leave you with a question for Ray? Click here to submit one!

HEY RAY: We have brought back ranch horses from Wyoming twice now who refused to back out of our 3-horse LQ trailer –- before we bought them, they had always been hauled in big stock trailers and they just turned around to get out. Our new addition, 5-year-old gelding, needs to get over this refusal to back out. We have to trailer to ride.
–Dan Weyand, Fallbrook

HEY DAN: This is more common than you might think. Unloading a horse from a trailer can be almost as challenging as loading him into one if he doesn’t want to go because the motivation for him to stay put is “the fear of death.” We know we can force a horse in or out of a trailer if we have enough muscle. But anytime we go against a horse’s will, there’s the chance of everyone involved breaking a sweat as well as getting hurt. So, let’s assume your horse is NOT in the trailer, and you don’t plan on putting him back in, until he first understands a few things . This is definitely a better scenario than trying to teach your horse the lesson while still in the trailer.

Remember, it’s the preparation before the challenge that counts. There are many ways to ask horses to back up: Startle him while standing directly in front of him; push him back by pulling on the halter toward his chest or pushing on his chest; use a voice command “BACK” and twirl the end of a rope toward him with the intention of slapping him on the neck or shoulder if he doesn’t respond. You might even resort to using a stud chain on him in many creative ways. If all else fails, you might pull out the old sharp dressage whip and tap him on his chest or maybe his legs until he breaks loose away from it. All these are approaches have been tried at one time or another to get the job done with success. I’d like to share an approach that seems to be easily accepted by horses and people alike.

1. You need to introduce to your horse all of the aids that you will be using in order to help him understand clearly the picture you want him to see. That will include the rope, wand or stick (preferably insulated), poles, a tarp etc. You should be able to swing around, throw over, and retrieve your rope all around your horse without unsettling him. He should equally feel comfortable with you patting him all over with the stick or wand before moving on. Shaking a tarp as well as walking over it calmly is a must.
2. Make sure you can move your horse forward, backward, sideways (hip and shoulder) as well as flexing his neck and head from side to side without moving his feet. You also should be able to pat him under his chin with your hand, rope, or wand and make him back up freely without him being upset over it. All this will play a big role in the trailer if he refuses to back out.
3. He should be able to back up straight under your guidance. Place two poles side by side (parallel to each other), three feet apart. Walk him through and back him through repeatedly, until it’s easy.
4. Walk him over a tarp on the ground forward and back as well. Backing over a sheet of plywood is also a nice challenge before backing out of the trailer.
5. Place the tarp over half of the length of the parallel poles on the ground. Work on this until there is no issue. This challenges most horses. If he refuses or evades by jumping out, simply move his hind quarters around his front end (turn on the forehand), and try again. If he shuts down (not wanting to move back into and over the tarp), try tapping him under the chin, starting off light and gradually intensifying the sensation. When he finally moves back, rub him under the chin with whatever aid you used (hand, rope or stick). We are trying to achieve a simulation of a refusal while backing up in the trailer. Jerking on him with a chain or tapping him with a whip on his chest or legs may not only cause rearing or lunging forward, but aggressive striking as well. This is definitely not something you want to experiment with when you have no escape while in the trailer.
6. This might be a good time to bridge an audio aid or voice command to the mix (You can say “BACK” or use a series of clucks, at least five, for backing). This will help him get a clear picture if he becomes confused.
7. We are now ready to attempt loading — and more importantly, unloading — your horse in the trailer. Because the loading part is not an issue, the aids we will be practicing will be the backup aids. Bring your horse to the back of the trailer to where only his head is in the trailer. Ask him to stop and then back up a few steps and then praise him.
8. This time ask him to walk in, front legs only. Again, stop and back him out to the same spot as before and praise him once again. You should be using your audio cues as well as patting him under the chin. The patting should cause him to lower his hindquarters and back out.
9. We have now approached the point of no return. You will ask your horse to load all the way in, and without any delay, complete the pattern of backing out same as before, by saying back or clucking, tapping under the chin, and gradually intensifying the volume of the tapping until he is all the way out. There cannot be any second guessing at this point. He will and should back out, if your timing and feel are correct. Allow him to replay and digest the experience outside of the trailer as long as you feel is needed. This is strictly a judgment call on your part. You may even want to stop at this point and put him away until another day. On the other hand, you may want to repeat step 9 if your instincts motivate you.

Dan, if you prepare your horse in such a way where he trusts you and he understands what you are asking of him without fear, you will be surprised how smooth and easy this process will go.

As always, trust your instincts and think safe,

RAY

Horsetrader columnist Ray Ariss, husband to Pippa Ariss and father of six, shares his insight into the relationship of horseand human twice each month, in print and on www.horsetrader.com. He lives and trains in “Horsetown USA”, Norco, Calif., at his bustling Starbrite Riding Academy, where he currently has 50 horses in various stages of training, including Andalusians, Friesians, Quarter Horses, Paints, Thoroughbreds, Arabs, Mustangs and more. Ray attributes his training success to the support of his wife and partner, Pippa, and a system he calls S.W.A.P., to which he credits his multiple championships in several disciplines. His passionate understanding of the “human-horse” relationship was evident when he took on the challenge of training a wild Mustang and — in just 100 days — produced the highest-priced adopted Mustang ever — $50,000. Does your “horse-human relationship” leave you with a question for Ray? Click here to submit one!

HEY RAY!: How do you get a “chargey” Mustang to rate at the canter? Mine does everything well at the walk and trot, just not the canter.
–Dennis Parker, Zamora Calif.

HEY DENNIS: The good news is you have 66 percent of your horse under control! I assume you didn’t have a stuck accelerator issue with the other two gaits. If you did, I would simply advise you to use the same approach and technique for the canter. The simplest way to get your horse to understand that racing at the canter is something he can do — but not necessarily a good idea — is to allow him to lunge around you at whatever speed he chooses until he slows down. The keys here are:

A. Be sure you don’t encourage or motivate him to move in any way unless he breaks out of the gait. (This means hands down, quiet and little-or-no foot movement at all.)

B. If and when he breaks, remember to jump start him back into the canter assertively and then back off immediately to a passive state on your part.

It’s important to recognize that when the horse breaks out of the canter, it is actually a good thing in this situation. The horse realizes that he can canter at any speed, but he is now aware that his choice is also taxing on him. If you purposely try to correct his speed, you run the risk of making him nervous and therefore introducing adrenaline into the mix. Because horses run away from their fears, you the rider/handler become the reason for the problem.

What we are achieving with this exercise is an encouragement to the horse to make choices that are smart and in his best interest. The horse will recognize that if he is going to be cantering for a while, (in the horse’s mind, possibly forever) the smart choice would be to pace himself, introducing the concept of being efficient. The horse will almost feel like he’s cheating the system by slowing the canter down to almost nothing because he really doesn’t know what speed we want him to go. He is motivated to stay in the canter and not break simply because he sees value in keeping you, the handler, still. In the horse’s mind, you are not controlling him; he is controlling you. The slowing down becomes his idea as a way to cope with his rapid diminishing level of energy, and as a result the horse will learn a second important lesson with this exercise: “COMMITMENT TO THE GAIT”.

At this moment, the horse will have learned the value of working “smart” as opposed to working “hard” –- this happens because he learns consciously on his own instead of as a result from a reaction while confused and afraid. Your horse will soon appreciate the options given to him by you and the time that he needed to figure this out without negative consequence. This will only strengthen the bond in the relationship between you and your horse. This is a perfect example of applying the S.W.A.P. (Sweet, Willing And Predictable) approach that is based on the opportunity to reward — not to punish. The moment you perceive the effort on the part of your horse to continue to canter as slow as he can — especially when he looks like he’s ready to break at any moment but doesn’t — is when you should transition him to the walk or halt. This is a great time to walk up to him and reward him any way you like.

Now that the horse understands that cantering slow is not only valuable to him but also to you, he will gladly slow down the canter when you request it.

Practice this exercise several times, from what I like to call an “idling canter” to the walk or trot, until it seems effortless to your horse.

Now it’s time to reverse your horse and start all over again. As soon as your horse is equally clear about what he should do mentally as well as physically on both sides, it’s a good idea to introduce a rider to this lunging experience. Take note: This approach does not only slow down the gait, but also the horse’s mind. Not only will this give the horse confidence in what he is doing, but in you, too.

The idling canter that you will teach your horse to commit to is, in essence, more difficult to do than moving fast. It is the difference between you climbing down a rope slowly or doing it quickly. When you do it slowly, you require more focus, strength, coordination, stamina and character needed to endure the burn. Your horse is also going through the same experience. Because your horse is learning to slow down and travel on a loose rein without being pulled on, in this lunging exercise, we want to carry this over to your riding as well. Once you feel that you are ready to try this exercise under saddle, you should make sure that your walk and your trot are rated consistently to the level of your standard. If not, simply flex your horse down to a halt until he totally stops, stands quietly, and gives to the rein. Let him stand on a loose rein for a couple of seconds before starting up again. Continue this process of going through the gaits and evaluating how well your horse is rating himself on a completely loose rein. Allow the horse to break into the next gait before flexing to a stop. By the time you get to the canter, you will understand the importance of teaching him how to idle at the canter first. You will be simply asking him not only something he now clearly understands, but something that he sees value in as well. If you find him going faster than you wish or feel threatened in any way, simply flex to a stop like you did in the other gaits and give him another chance.

Don’t try to help rate your horse in any way until he learns to rate himself through this approach. The best way to empower your horse and elevate the appreciation he has for you will be through: (a) the suggestions you share with him and (b) the freedom of choice you offer to accept them. Dennis, there is a formula here in this exercise that may be useful in other situations if you think about it long enough. It is only limited to your own creativity and application. Enjoy the process, but above all, trust your instincts and think safe!

RAY

Horsetrader columnist Ray Ariss, husband to Pippa Ariss and father of six, shares his insight into the relationship of horseand human twice each month, in print and on www.horsetrader.com. He lives and trains in “Horsetown USA”, Norco, Calif., at his bustling Starbrite Riding Academy, where he currently has 50 horses in various stages of training, including Andalusians, Friesians, Quarter Horses, Paints, Thoroughbreds, Arabs, Mustangs and more. Ray attributes his training success to the support of his wife and partner, Pippa, and a system he calls S.W.A.P., to which he credits his multiple championships in several disciplines. His passionate understanding of the “human-horse” relationship was evident when he took on the challenge of training a wild Mustang and — in just 100 days — produced the highest-priced adopted Mustang ever — $50,000. Does your “horse-human relationship” leave you with a question for Ray? Click here to submit one!

HEY RAY!: We’ve got a pair of retired Quarter Horse reiners (mares) and a pony (gelding) for the grandkids. We also have a Quarter Horse stallion that we may bring home for the first time from a breeding facility. What is your advice on this arrangement as far as safety and preparation, since the kids right now have a safe and friendly place to ride and be with their horses?
–Jon McClennan, Redmond, Ore.

HEY JON: It’s nice to hear that you have another generation of horsemen coming up the ranks. We need to make sure that they stay safe, happy and interested for the next half century. I guess the first question to ask is: What type of breeding stallion do you intend to bring home. Assuming that all stallions are pretty much a game of Russian roulette, my question to you is how many rounds are in the cylinder? There is a big difference between a stallion and a stud that has bred. There’s a good chance that your stallion will be hypersensitive to horses around him. Some stallions may also be quite aggressive towards humans with behaviors such as rearing, striking, biting and crowding. There’s always the chance that your stallion will be passive, sweet, willing and predictable. But, we need to think responsibly on the off chance that things go wrong. So, we should ask ourselves, what is the worst possible scenario that can happen?

1. We need to guard against the stallion getting loose. One way is to make sure that he is in a secure stallion pen or barn stall. Securing stallions should be no different than securing birds in an aviary. A sure way to do this is to have a catch pen in case they got loose while trying to enter their stall to halter, clean or feed them. Some stallions are quite the escape artists. So having an extra fence and gate separating or catch pen is sure to keep your grandkids safe.

2. Installing a yoke/stall guard on the inside of his stall door is also a good precaution in the event that a stall mysteriously becomes open.

3. Educating all people that come on to your property including your grandchildren is a must. They all need to know about the dangers previously mentioned above when coming close or around the stallion area. Signs are not a bad idea.

4. Keeping all perimeter gates closed will help in the event the stallion gets loose and tries to leave the property. You do not want to think what can happen if a stallion gets out into a horsey neighborhood.

5. When you plan on taking your stallion out of the stall for the first time, make sure that you know what you are doing and that you are on top of your game. You need to have an extra long lead line in the event that you need to put some distance between you and the stallion as well as any other equipment to keep you safe and confident. Clearing the area from any obstacles, horses and people may be a good idea the first time out. Making a mental note on any and every situation relative to your horse will be helpful each and every time you handle him.

6. Handling and riding your stallion should not be a “hopefully safe” occurrence. If the overall feeling of handling and housing your stallion is an accident waiting to happen, find a different facility in order to preserve the safe and happy haven you have created for your family.

7. If all goes well, and you feel like handling and riding your horse is safe, you might want to attempt the following:

(A) Bring over one of your other horses to the stallion’s stall. Get a feeling whether or not you are comfortable doing this. All you are trying to accomplish is seeing how your stallion is going to react, and whether or not you can handle it. It’s important that you feel you can handle whatever situation arises from this encounter. By then, you should clearly see whether or not keeping the stallion on the premises is a good idea.

(B) If the answer is “yes, I’m comfortable!”, then try taking the stallion in hand over to one of the other horses’ stalls. If you are able to handle whatever arises from that, you may want to ride the horse around the property, including all the stabled horses while in their stalls before attempting to ride in the ring. Unless you’ve trained and handled many stallions, and you feel your judgment is that of experience, keep your stallion away from all humans and horses.

Jon, I live on a training facility that always has breeding stallions and mares and children and riders of all levels. Over the past 2 decades, I’ve enjoyed handling and riding various stallions of all breeds and ages without any incidents (knock on wood!) — because I have ALWAYS expected the worst possible scenario and prepared for it by making anything short of that a pleasant surprise. Unless you possess the experience and the judgment to handle this situation, you’re better off keeping the stallion out of the mix.

Remember to always trust your instincts and think safe,

RAY

Horsetrader columnist Ray Ariss, husband to Pippa Ariss and father of six, shares his insight into the relationship of horseand human twice each month, in print and on www.horsetrader.com. He lives and trains in “Horsetown USA”, Norco, Calif., at his bustling Starbrite Riding Academy, where he currently has 50 horses in various stages of training, including Andalusians, Friesians, Quarter Horses, Paints, Thoroughbreds, Arabs, Mustangs and more. Ray attributes his training success to the support of his wife and partner, Pippa, and a system he calls S.W.A.P., to which he credits his multiple championships in several disciplines. His passionate understanding of the “human-horse” relationship was evident when he took on the challenge of training a wild Mustang and — in just 100 days — produced the highest-priced adopted Mustang ever — $50,000. Does your “horse-human relationship” leave you with a question for Ray? Click here to submit one!

HEY RAY!: I was working with my 4-year-old Mustang mare, “Cowgirl,” and tried to get her to go over a “teeter-totter” obstacle. She would walk around it, but as soon as I would try to get her to step onto it, she refused. I tried going over the side of it, and the most she would do is jump it and mess around. I stayed out there for a long time, and it didn’t help. How can I fix this?
— Jacky Hare, Silverado, Calif.

HEY JACKY: This is the perfect example of when “minimizing your loss” is the right thing to do. As long as Cowgirl didn’t become stressed out during her experience, this obstacle shouldn’t be that difficult to face again. It boils down to preparing your horse ahead of time with other “walk-ons” and “walk- overs” away from the teeter-totter before coming back to it.

You should have a good handle on your horse before you return to that obstacle. Make sure you can move your horse easily forward, backward and sideways — front-end and hind-end alike. It doesn’t matter what tools you use — hand, rope, stick or wand. Try not to use a sharp whip if you can avoid it because you don’t want to add to the fear and stress she may already be feeling about this challenge. To start, place a pole on the ground about two feet from –and perpendicular to — the fence. Ask your horse to walk in the 2-foot space between the pole and the fence until she feels comfortable and relaxed. You should be positioned as if you were lunging and reversing, over and over again. Next, close the gap between the pole and the fence until she either jumps or walks over the pole, and continue until she walks calmly over it.

Now you can replace the pole with a tarp or sheet of plywood and position them like you did with the pole , leaving a couple feet between the fence and the obstacle. It may be helpful to have one of the corners pointing toward the fence initially since the horse will have an easier time jumping over the corner as opposed to jumping the entire width of the obstacle. As she becomes more accepting of this challenge, close the gap between the obstacle and the fence until she walks calmly over the obstacle.

Jacky, you are on the right track when you proceeded to attempt Cowgirl to cross over the short side of the teeter-totter. Now that we have allowed Cowgirl to hop and skip and jump over these various obstacles along the fence, this will be a perfect time to slip in the teeter-totter. Have her repeat exactly what she has accomplished before. Remember, leave a couple of feet between the obstacle and the fence, and as soon as she becomes comfortable and relaxed, begin closing the gap. Be sure to have the end of the teeter-totter that is facing the fence down. Understand that even though we want her to step on the obstacle, jumping over it is not a refusal — it is actually a good thing. As you repeatedly ask her to go from one side of the obstacle to the other, she will eventually get tired of jumping. Eventually, it will be her idea to put a foot down onto the board and test its safety. Then, one foot will turn into two, than three, and later four — until she will stand on it, stop, rest, and feel as confident as a circus elephant on its platform. You should be rewarding for any effort — as slight as it may be — by stopping, resting, rubbing and scratching. But when she finally stands with at least two feet quietly, make sure you throw a party of praise.

This will be a good time to put her away and have her sleep on it. By the time you take her out for another session, her memory of this experience will have grown. She won’t remember whether she stood on it sideways or long ways. Simply pull the teeter-totter away from the fence and ask her to walk up as if she were going to walk straight through. You can stand on the side of the teeter-totter as if you were loading her into a trailer by sending her in, or you can stand in front of her on the plank and ask her to follow you through. Take great care not to get jumped on or run over the moment the teeter-totter shifts from up to down. I’ve seen horses simply walk all the way through as if they have done it before, and I’ve seen them jump off cat-like in nine different directions. If the first option happens, praise them and give them a moment to understand what they have accomplished, then create a positive pattern by doing it a couple more times before putting her away. If they do a triple back-summersault with a twist in your direction, you do not want to punish them for it, but by the same token you can’t reward them either. So, find a rewardable exercise for Cowgirl, like turning her on the forehand by moving her front end around her hind end two or three times around. Tell her, “Good girl!” and give her as many chances as needed. Eventually, she will prefer to be rewarded for staying on the plank, as scary as it may be, instead of working her butt off at the other rewardable exercise. You need to have faith that this process will work like a charm — it’s not a matter of IF it will work, but a matter of WHEN. It will be sooner than you think. This challenge will be to build a tremendous amount of trust in you and confidence in Cowgirl that will carry over into other challenges in her life. Jacky, I assure you that you will feel much pride in yourself and your horse after going through this experience.

Remember to always trust your instincts and think safe.

RAY

Horsetrader columnist Ray Ariss, husband to Pippa Ariss and father of six, shares his insight into the relationship of horseand human twice each month, in print and on www.horsetrader.com. He lives and trains in “Horsetown USA”, Norco, Calif., at his bustling Starbrite Riding Academy, where he currently has 50 horses in various stages of training, including Andalusians, Friesians, Quarter Horses, Paints, Thoroughbreds, Arabs, Mustangs and more. Ray attributes his training success to the support of his wife and partner, Pippa, and a system he calls S.W.A.P., to which he credits his multiple championships in several disciplines. His passionate understanding of the “human-horse” relationship was evident when he took on the challenge of training a wild Mustang and — in just 100 days — produced the highest-priced adopted Mustang ever — $50,000. Does your “horse-human relationship” leave you with a question for Ray? Click here to submit one!