Good Equine Citizen

Only a portion of this book is available to be published on this site. It is in its raw manuscript form.

Day 1
April 6, 2008
Phil’s Journal Day 1. When I first met Phil he was absolutely stunning, a real eye catcher. I was in awe of his stature and magnificent beauty. My “awe” quickly was replaced with “oh, no” as soon as the human element entered the picture. While Phil was magnificent in his world, he didn’t quite fit into the human world. Phil was pushy, mouthy, and did not know there were rules when interacting with humans. This was only because he is a bottom of the pecking order kind of guy and desperately wanted someone to tell him the human rules. I was informed that Phil had some training issues
such as balking, not walking through gates, and rearing. I’m sure I’ll uncover some more “holes” as I begin our journey. Phil was labeled a stubborn horse. In reality, Phil is not stubborn and this is far from the truth. When Phil becomes overwhelmed and unsure he shuts down. He will plant his feet. Phil demonstrated this behavior when he was asked to load onto the trailer. Since Phil had not been exposed to my handling techniques I had to find a way to communicate to him in a way that he would understand that he was being asked to go on the trailer. I had to set him up for success, use a method he could easily understand. I used a very basic method. I tapped him on the hindquarters with a lunge whip with rhythmic tapping and only stopped tapping when he made an attempt to think about loading. The goal was to teach Phil that standing outside the trailer was an irritating experience and inside the trailer he will have peace. I tapped for 40 minutes until he moved away from the annoying tapping. This is a very safe method for horse and handler. Do not hit your horse with the lunge whip, crack the whip, wrap the lunge line behind his hindend, or try to pull him on the trailer. I will say that if you try to pull and he does not move be prepared to keep the tension on the rope until he releases himself with a step forward. Most of the time, he will find the release by rearing or stepping backwards and when this happens you have no choice but to release your tension on the lead…you have now taught your horse this is appropriate. The next time he does this he is only doing it because he was rewarded with a release in the past.

Food For Thought: The first time the seed is planted. The second time it becomes a planted thought. The third time it blossums into a habit.

Once Phil was on the trailer, he kicked, pawed, and rocked the trailer back and forth. This was not only poor manners, but he could get hurt or damage the trailer. I let Phil stay on the trailer for quite a while and only unloaded him when he was quiet.

Phil unloaded in a rush. I hung the lead around his neck and let him unload himself. I did not want to put myself between him and the trailer. I ignored Phil’s excited state of mind because he was in a new place. Pick your battles wisely. If you cannot win, don’t ensue the fight. You are not going to be able to communicate with a horse that is in the excited state of mind. I did step in when he was pushing me and jumping to close to me. He can jump around at 6ft away from me in his own space. I spent 1/2 hour ground work session. It was pretty intense. I rewarded Phil when he became soft and light on the lead and made an attempt to stay out of my 3 foot bubble. When I refer to light, I mean
I can tip his nose and move his feet by just holding on to the lead with fingertips. It was time to put him away. Phil planted his feet and refused to go through the gate. That is ok; he didn’t have to go through the gate head first. His backward gear worked just fine, so I backed him through the gate. I repeatedly walked in and out of the gate until he didn’t give the gate another thought. I use this technique on all the foals.

All new horses live in a quarantined round pen. It is a large round pen that is set up next to our house. Phil can see all the horses around him. I can see him from my dining room windows. This allows me to monitor a new horse for stress. The time spent alone in quarantine is a valuable training opportunity. This is the time I can set up my own herd pecking order with him. I am the Alpha mare. I do not have to compete for Phil’s attention if I take the horse herd hierarchy out of the equation. The corral is small enough he has to interact with me. This is my chance to show him I feed him, I give him water, I keep him
safe, and I also can move his feet in any direction. This would be impossible in our 5 acre pastures, because Phil would just run away from me and I would create some other issues such as not being able to be caught.

Feeding: Phil was not aware that proper horse manners are for the horse to stand quietly away from the food dish until the handler was done pouring feed and invited him to eat. In order for Phil to succeed with this task I sent him to the far end of the corral. I would have plenty of time to pour the feed and stop him in his tracks before he reached the dish. As I predicted, Phil headed straight for the dish, but I stopped him and drove him in circles around the dish. If he stopped, I sent him on again. I gave a submissive posture to Phil and he stopped, turned in to face me. I did not let him go to his dish until he acknowledged me (with both eyes), even if it was for a brief second. He also had to be in a submissive posture (look for head lowered, licking lips, blinking eyes, or lowering head with floppy ears). Any aggressive posture, keep
your horse moving.

Phil whinnied all night long. He is looking for the support of the herd. Each day he will gain confidence. This same technique is used for weaning the foals. I do not recommend isolating horses from other horses completely. As long as, other horses are in sight your horse will be ok. If your horse learns that being by himself is ok, then you will never have to deal with separation issues. Phil will join a herd once we have established my herd dynamics.

I include daily aspects of my schedule to show that training doesn’t have to be working your horse for hours, or taking you horse to the arena. Training is done in little increments starting with the foundation basics such as haltering, catching, leading, food/de worming/vaccination manners. If these day to day activities are not built into your horse it will show up under saddle. You may wonder how de worming etiquette can show up under saddle? Well, just read on about my journey with Phil’s Courage.

While these techniques are working for Phil they may not work for your horse. Every horse has a different learning style. If anyone has any questions please,
feel free to email me. www.sweetironfarm@windstream.net Smiles to everyone, Kara Hoefer

Day 2
April 7, 2008
Today, I had to teach from 7:45am to 12:45pm. I am college faculty. I
left school to pick up my kids from school and returned home around 3:00pm. The
kids had 2 hours of homework. We fed the horses at 5:00pm. We are a breeding
farm and have 20-30 horses at any given time. I handle all the breeding and
foaling. My family helps out tremendously. They are the only employees at Blue
Steel Quarter Horses and they are paid poorly. My schedule did not allow me to
ride or formally school any horse today. However, every interaction you have
with your horse you are either teaching or un-teaching a behavior.

Feeding routine:My husband fed this morning and reported Phil was dead set on
eating. He sent Phil away until Phil acknowledged him (with both eyes) and let him pet his
forehead. I fed Phil and sent him to the far end of the round pen this evening.
I let him approach to eat and used this time to groom him. Phil will begin to
associate me with good feelings during eating and the physical stimulation of
grooming like his Dam used to do. If you don’t have brushes with you, rub your
body on your horse. This not only brings back memories of your horse’s Dam, but
puts your sent on him. While Phil was eating I asked him to move out of his
feed dish and go to the end of the round pen. When Phil gave me a submissive
posture, I let him follow me to the feed dish and let him resume eating. I
repeated this several times. I am imitating the Alpha mare. If you have ever
observed a herd eating together you’ll notice the Alpha mare eating out of
every food dish. The herd will move out of her way even if they are desperately
hungry. The mare may not even be hungry, but this is a strategic move to
maintain her status as leader in the group. I imitate the leader mare with
Phil.

Phil did swat his tail and cow kicked as I was brushing his hindquarters. This
not only is rude, but it is dangerous. This is a game the young colts like to
play. He was testing me to see if I would move away. It is kind of like tag,
you’re it! I grabbed his tail and shouted a firm “NO”. Phil is very immature
and this was not an aggressive move on his part. However, it could easily
escalate into a power tactic to get the humans away from him if not corrected
quickly. All corrections must be made within 3 seconds or you loose your
teaching window. His own Dam would have bit him if he did that to her. I cannot
bite him, but I do have my stern voice and the ability to move his feet around
the round pen.

 

I de wormed Phil (routine for all new horses). This was a great teaching moment
when I introduced the head down cue. I found Phil is very sensitive on his poll
and ears. He could have been twitched. He can lift his head higher than I can
maintain contact with the poll, so I had to use a different approach. Using a
rope halter I initiated downward pressure on the end of the lead. Phil lowered
his head only a tiny bit, but he was rewarded with total release. This was
repeated over and over until Phil’s head was at the ground. I was able to de
worm without having to stand on a mounting block. I ended our time together on
that good note. Always finish your interaction with your horse on a good note
even if it has been a rough day for you and your horse. Pick some task your
horse is really good at such as backing or turn on haunches etc.

Food For Thought: Phil was eventually diagnosed with arthritis in his poll and jaw. Always make sure there isn’t a physical reason your horse is displaying an unwanted behavior.

Day 3
April 8,2008
This morning’s breakfast routine was repeated. Phil was a little less pushy.
This is a huge step for him. I asked for the head down cue and let him go to
his food dish. He did dance around a bit, but I did not let up on my head down
request.

We worked on walking through the gate again. I insist Phil stands slightly
behind me while I open the gate. I will walk through with Phil following. Well,
at least that was the plan. Phil feels so much pressure from the gate he
rushes. This is very common, it is a natural survival instinct not to be in a
position where there is no escape from a predator. In Phil’s mind there is a
definite possibility he could be trapped. He also could have had a bad
experience in the starting gate. I can’t put too much human emotion into Phil’s
reaction. He thought about planting his feet on the way back through. I saw his
head go up and felt a little bit of tension on my rope lead. Timing is
everything as he half halted I used the word “NO” and backed him. My tone of
voice was the warning and the backing was the consequence. It takes a lot of
effort for a horse to back. You will also never see the Alpha mare back. It is
a submissive move. When I refer to “back” I do not mean a leisurely step
backward. I mean back up with a purpose. It only took a few steps backward
compared to our first day backing all through the front yard. The next time it
may only take my “No.” You have to catch them before thinking portion of the
brain switches to the instinct part.

Phil was introduced to my son’s go-cart. Phil was a little alarmed at first. We
have a huge circular drive that my son uses as a race track. After an afternoon
with that go-cart whizzing by Phil didn’t even lift his head as it zoomed
past.

Feeding dinner: I was running a little behind on the evening feeding schedule.
Phil was anxious to eat. He stood at the gate and pawed. Pawing is a rude
behavior. I bypassed his pen and fed the broodmares. If I feed him while he is
pawing then I just told him this was an ok behavior. Give your horse a task if
he won’t stop pawing. Once his brain switches to the task and he is polite, go
ahead and feed. I sent him away from the gate when I returned. He stood and
faced me. I waited for acknowledgement (both eyes) and fed. I asked him to move away from
his food several times. Each time required less and less pressure. I can wave
my arm and he’ll move. The goal is to get him so tuned in to my body language
he’ll move with a wave of my finger; yes, this can be done! The secret is the
Alpha mare language. I walked straight towards the food dish with a purpose and
literally claimed it in my mind before I even reached the dish. Phil felt my
energy and moved away from it. The wave of my arm projects energy and gives
Phil a visual. In the next few lessons I will ask Phil to move away from his
food and then I will ask him to stay when I approach. You don’t want your horse
to move away from you every time you come close.

I noticed Phil’s manure was a little dry. I mixed him up a very soupy bran
mash. I was expecting Phil to turn up his
nose, but instead he loved it!

Day 4
April 9, 2008
The same routine and requests were made at breakfast. I had to teach this morning so my husband fed. He reported Phil did move away from the food dish willingly, but still bobbed his head around when my husband, Dan, attempted to pet his forehead. The head bobbing is not from head shyness, it is from impatience. Dan has implemented a rub on the forehead when Phil acknowledges him (both eyes). I will make sure I follow up the routine and do the same. It is so important when teaching new tasks (and keeping the old tasks) that everyone who interacts with your horse does the exact same thing.

Today’s lesson: Haltering. I really would like to take the time to write about this overlooked task. I would say that almost everyone halters their horse incorrectly. Haltering incorrectly is essentially very disrespectful to your horse. I talk a lot about the horse respecting humans; however humans must also respect their horses. Let me give you the usual scenario: The handler unsnaps the convenient throat latch snap, lurches the halter up to their horses muzzle, the horse usually is lifting his head to get away from the noseband of the halter that is being shoved into his nostril at this point. The handler reaches, stretches on their tiptoes and finally shoves the crownpiece over the horse’s ears, completely smashing his ears. Now, take a minute, and imagine a really tight turtleneck that you are trying to pull down over your head. An ear is caught and pulled down as the unforgiving fabric squeezes your head. That is really uncomfortable, isn’t it? Your thoroughbred may have been ear twitched at the track or just may be really sensitive like Phil. This is really rude to your horse. Here is how handlers should respectfully halter. I’ll use Phil for my example. Phil, like your thoroughbreds stand very tall, they can crane their necks even higher. I have been teaching Phil the head down cue. We practice this exercise every day. Today I looped the lead over his neck, tied the ends into a calvary knot so he could not step on the lead. Using the lead behind his ears I applied gentle pressure and lowered my body to signal head down. He lowered his head and I held the halter out in front of his nose. The crown buckle was unbuckled. Standing on Phil’s left side I reached under his cheek with my right arm and tipped his nose towards me. I am teaching Phil to lower his head into the halter and reach for in coming into my space. Yes, I did stay I invited him into my space. If you chase your horse’s head and have to reach for him, you have just put your horse in control of the situation. Your horse should tip his nose to you and drop his head into the halter. It is easy to buckle the crown piece on a horse with a lowered head. Phil was pretty obliging to this today; I was impressed. As you can see, I build on all the little exercises everyday to perform the basic daily tasks. Head down cue is used for everything from de worming to calming your horse. Don’t forget to also halter your horse on the right side.

 I brought Phil out of his round pen to groom him. I have an outbuilding that I use as my tack room. It has a covered grooming bay with cross ties. I was told Phil didn’t have any issues with cross ties, but I approached the situation like I would be introducing this restraint for the first time. I attached one tie with a panic strap and held the lead. Phil pawed, jumped around, and pulled on the cross tie. I untied him and started driving him around, changing directions frequently. I used this to get Phil to focus on me. Once he stopped and acknowledged (both eyes) me I stopped. I walked him back to the grooming bay. Phil balked and I immediately sent him moving backward with a purpose. He balked 3 more times and each time I sent him back a further distance. Remember, the better your horse backs up, the better he does everything else. As I mentioned previously backing is a submissive move. The 5th attempt to go back to the bay Phil quietly walked behind me and stood like a gentleman. Phil figured out it was much more difficult to scurry backwards down my driveway than to leisurely walk to the bay going forward. This was a huge break through.

Since Phil was fairly anxious being tied I tied him to a tie blocker outside the arena. He pulled on the lead, jigged, and tossed his head. My conclusion is that Phil is NOT halter broke. A halter broke horse is a breeze to halter, will lead willingly under any condition, and stands quiet while tied. Most horses are not halter broke. You may have been riding your horse for years and he is not halter broke. I know I may have “stepped on some toes” with that statement.

I asked him to walk through a narrow chute and he didn’t even think about it. Phil is validating my original diagnosis that the key to Phil is earning his respect. Phil and I did some ground exercises for the photos and I was very happy with his willingness and lightness. I even let my 10 year old daughter do some ground work with Phil.

While we were in the arena Phil took every opportunity to jerk his head to snack on grass. This is a personal choice for owners. I feel my horses get to graze all day and the least they can do is work for me on the end of the lead rope or reins. This is also an annoying behavior to me because I don’t like the lead or reins jerked from my hands.

Dinner time: What a break through today at dinner! I entered Phil’s pen and he backed away from the dish allowed me to pour the feed and pet him on the forehead. I walked out of the gate and then returned. Phil immediately lifted his head, acknowledged (both eyes) me (with both eyes) and backed from the dish! Awesome! The biggest reward I could give Phil was to leave him alone.

Phil has given me several long glances today and I can see his eye softening. This is absolutely wonderful. He hardly whinnies for the herd. I heard him only twice today.

 

Day 5
April 10, 2008

Phil gave me the middle finger this morning! Yes, you read this correctly.

The breakfast routine was followed. Phil lined up behind me (this was good) and waited for me to rub his head (this was better). As I turned back towards the food dish Phil trotted ahead of me (this was bad). I expect Phil to follow behind me to the dish. I drove Phil off around the round pen with a loud squeal and kicked dirt at him. He kicked at me while I drove him off. Essentially, in horse language, he gave me the middle finger. I kept his feet moving, changing directions, squealing and kicking dirt at him until I noticed a little change in his posture. He softened his eye. I asked him to stand and face me while I circled his food dish. Every time he made a move towards the food I drove him off with a squeal and a kick of dirt. I was imitating an Alpha mare claiming her food and space. A mare when she means business will+ flatten her ears, lower her head, and if this warning is ignored, she will squeal, lunge, and bite. Phil stood like a gentleman while I claimed my space. I also put my hands in his food and rubbed his dish to leave my scent.

It is important to really know the difference between a kick that is from build up energy, a playful kick, or a kick that is meant to send you a disrespectful message. Any kicking near humans should not be tolerated. The intent of the kick needs to be dealt with correctly. It is unfair to a horse that has lots of play energy to be corrected when he is released into the pasture and takes off kicking. This kick is not meant to be disrespectful. Releasing your horse properly into the pasture will be addressed when Phil meets his new herd.

I want to remind everyone that Phil is acting just like a weanling. This is his education level even though physically he will turn 7 years old next month. You will notice that once Phil believes I am the Alpha he will not question my requests and the training will progress faster. I cannot let him down at any time. I have to make sure he is always set up for success. This means I make it difficult to do the wrong thing, and easy for him to choose the correct option. You will see some regression at some points, this is to be expected.

11:00am: As I was returning from a trail ride I heard Phil desperately calling to the mares. I bet the mares wet down the hill to graze for the morning and Phil could not see them. Sure enough the mares were out of his sight. It was interesting to see that the other horses in a near by pasture were still in Phil’s sight, but he has identified himself with one particular herd. My heart wants to put him with a herd, but my brain says this is a very bad idea. Even though I hate to see Phil upset I know he is learning that the mares will disappear out of sight, but will always come back. A big part of Phil’s agitation is that he needs exercise. This was a perfect opportunity to introduce Phil to the training round pen. Now, I know he is full of energy so I’m not going to think for one minute he is going to lead politely. I am going to set us up for success. I put the rope halter on using proper halter techniques. Phil is getting better with the head down cue. I sent him out to the end of the lead and asked him to move his feet forwards, backwards, up, down, right, left. He was trying to avoid my pressure and was trotting through his hay, on top of his feed dish, whatever was in his path. I stayed in position right behind his girth and kept him moving. As long as I was going forward I was in charge. I will say I have seen many people ground driving and if an obstacle gets in the horse’s path the person stops and tries to navigate the horse out of the path of the obstacle. This is incorrect. As long as the obstacle is safe for your horse and safe for you, keep moving. When you stop, you reward. Phil was not going to hurt himself on the rubber dish or the hay. He did bunny jump (with good scope) the dish which was new to me since my QHs usually just stomp on it.

Intro to training round pen: The walk to the round pen was actually enjoyable. Phil was polite (look for proper leading in upcoming journal entries). I took the halter off and released Phil in the 60ft pen. Since he is familiar with ground driving, I extended my arm and pointed in the direction I wanted him to travel. This is a big visual and a way to project my energy. I asked him to trot. He wanted to canter a little and that was fine as he burned off a little energy. I just did not drive him. When he settled down I worked him in at a trot, changing directions frequently. I always let my young horses trot at least 2-3 times around before asking for a change of direction. I use big slow movements. Phil can easily see me switching the halter into my opposite hand, this is a cue to him that I am about to ask for a change in direction. When Phil changes direction he turns into the panel. He wants to get as far away from the pressure as possible. When I have Phil’s respect he will turn into me to change directions. The entire time Phil stretched his neck out as far as he could over the round pen panels. This was to be expected because I do not mean much to Phil at this point. When he looked at me I immediately curled up, drew him in and asked for a Whoa. He circled in and faced me. I kept my head down and my shoulders rounded, but watched his hooves out of the corner of my eye. As soon as hooves began to move I stood up and drove him around (you have less than 3 seconds). I asked for a Whoa again and he circled in to me. This was repeated several more times until Phil came up to me, lowered his head, blinked, and licked his lips. I did not look at him, I let him relax. I felt he was ready to “join up or hook on.” Phil did “join up” and followed me around the round pen (no halter, no lead)….forward, backward, up, down, right, left. He followed on his own free will. I had him follow me over to the water trough and let him get a drink. I keep a water trough in the round pen. At this moment, I meant something to Phil. This was a great time to stop, hose him off, and put him back with his hay (even though he trampled it all over his pen). Notice I did not stuff his face full of treats to reward him. His reward was that I was going to leave him alone. I will address treats and training in a later entry. Don’t think for one minute I do not love to give treats to my horses! This is an incorrect assumption. I have a HUGE container of horse nibblets in my tack room.

Phil still looked for the mares after his was put away, but stopped whinnying and pacing. Most horses are overfed and under exercised. This leads to a lot of behavior issues that are NOT the horse’s fault.

I do want to point out the round pen is not to be used to run your horse around in aimless circles to tire him out. You will see I do a lot of different exercises at various gaits in the pen. Even though Phil and I spent 30 minutes in the round pen, we stood in the shade for most of the time. He was learning that standing by me means rest and relaxation. Remember, to let your horse rest if he isn’t fit. Your horse will build up lactic acid quickly in their muscles. Most of us cannot keep our horses in racetrack condition; including me.

When I returned home from picking up the kids from school, Phil was standing contently under a tree with a back leg cocked…..and the mares were still at the other end of the pasture. Boy, exercise sure does some great things for the body and mind!

Evening Feeding: Phil was an absolute gentleman at dinner. Yippee! My son drove his go-cart and my husband removed trees that had fallen during the storm that brought tornadoes to South Carolina with the tractor during feeding. Phil is getting some great desensitizing.

For reference I’ll try to reinforce to you that when your horse truly acknowledges you he has to have BOTH EYES on you; not one eye on you and one eye on another horse or his food, etc. If you have ever attended a Clinton Anderson clinic then you’ll remember Clinton’s mantra “Two Eyes.”

Day 6
April 11, 2008
Morning feeding: I continue to mix his feed with my bare hands to put my scent on his food (soaked beet pulp, pellets). Phil met me at the gate. I asked him to back with an authoritative BACK voice request. This was my pre-cue. Then I told him with a wave of my arm. If he had ignored me I would have lunged, squealed, and kicked dirt at him. Always ask, tell, promise (credit to Pat Parelli). Phil backed and moved out of my way. Remember the Alpha mare never alters her path; the herd will move out of her way. I see a lot of handlers walk around their horses so they don’t disturb them. What they have unknowingly done is they have shown their horse that they are not the leader. When I walk into my pastures all of my horses pick up their heads to acknowledge me and willingly clear a path.

Phil politely waited for his breakfast to be served. I groomed him while he ate. I discovered another “hole” in Phil’s education. He is very wary about the area under his tail. He squeezes his tail as tight as he can between his butt cheeks. This is very common because this is a vulnerable spot. I will work on desentizing this area because in the future I will need Phil’s cooperation if I have to take his temp, wrap, or braid his tail.

I am also very concerned about Phil’s front shoes. His toes are a little long. The shoes are loose and I see a quarter crack extending beyond the nail hole on his left hoof. He seems to have a pretty decent hoof wall. The hoof is very brittle. My farrier is due out in 2 weeks, but I hate to see the shoe come off and take a big portion of the hoof wall, so I’ll call my awesome farrier to see if he could come out. I am pleased that Phil has super nice farrier manners. As a side note, I treat my farrier better than royalty. I will not ask him to work on a rank horse. I always tip him. My horses (all 13) are always prepared with halters on and lead ropes handy. I am always outside waiting for him to arrive. In return, he has always made emergency trips to my farm without extra cost. He has come out to check questionable lameness and has never charged me. He always does a very professional job.

I have started Phil on biotin and Omega Horseshine (Omega fatty acids).

We went back to the round pen this morning. Now, that Phil had some idea of what is expected from him in the round pen I stepped up my requests. First, on the lead, forward, backward, up, down, right, left, turn on haunches, turn on forehand. Then I let him loose in the pen. He was more responsive today and had his inside ear on me most of the time. I only carry a rope halter/lead in my driving hand, no lunge whip. Phil still doesn’t completely believe I’m the Alpha (this will take a lot more time). He didn’t feel like he had to travel around with his neck craned over the panels today which is an improvement. He still looked to the herd most of the time. Phil has not become a spoiled horse (HURRAY), so it is much easier to reward him with rest. I only had to drive him around a few minutes before I got a “change” from him. This was the appropriate time to stop the lesson. When I refer to “change”, I mean a mental and physical change. This is the area I have the most difficult time explaining. I can FEEL a change in a horse. To me, the horse feels soft; the energy becomes low and flowing: I feel relaxed. Physically, you will see a softening of the eye, loose ears, head/neck/shoulder softening. Your horse will travel with his nose slightly tipped towards you. His tail will be relaxed. This “change” may take 3 hours or 30 seconds. Whenever “change” does occur STOP your lesson, reward with a rest. If you miss this window, you’ll have to keep going until the “change” occurs again. Many people feel they have to school their horse for a certain period of time. This is totally a human concept. Time doesn’t mean anything to horses. Even though I only worked with Phil a few minutes in the round pen (human concept), Phil told me “Ok, I get it.” The lesson was accomplished.

I had 25 minutes before I had to leave to pick up the kids. I had Phil employed mowing the grass in the arena. I sat down on a bucket in the corner of the arena. He was grazing at the other end. Phil raised his head and walked over to me. He offered me his head and I gave him a good rub. I then asked him to back away and it only took a wave of my hand to move him off. He continued to graze near me. This was a breakthrough. I was really able to see a sweet horse.

Evening meal was uneventful. Phil was polite.

April 12, 2008
Day 7
Morning routine was completed: food was poured; I claimed the food dish and the space around it, rubbed Phil’s head, and let him follow me to the food.

The farrier arrived at 8am. Phil’s front shoes were pulled. Phil has a little bit of a seedy toe on his left front. I will keep a close eye on this and keep him out of the wet as much as possible. The soil here is sandy so I’m going to let Phil go barefoot.

At lunchtime, I went to go get Phil to take him to the arena to mow the lawn some more. He didn’t acknowledge (with both eyes) me. He was focused on the herd. I drove him around the pen to switch his brain to the thinking side by giving him a task. After a few minutes he was ready to be haltered. I haltered and he again focused on the herd. As you can see we have made one step forward and two steps back. This is ok. Phil and I had an intense ground work session. We both were sweating and out of breath. When he really began to focus on me I stopped, took off the halter and left the pen. The best reward I could give him was to leave completely; to take away all pressure. So many people want to stay, pet, coo, and tell their horse what a good boy he is…..you are not rewarding your horse, you are keeping the pressure on him. By leaving completely he has time to digest what just happened.

I want to mention petting: when you pet your horse use long petting strokes, rubs, or scratches. It is insulting to your horse to give him a big pat. Horses rub, stroke, and scratch each other; this is enjoyable. They do not swat each other on the neck with their muzzles unless teeth were coming with the “pat.” Think of the last time someone gave you a big “pat” on the back. The gesture, I’m sure was well intended, however it was rather uncomfortable wasn’t it? Please, be respectful to your horses. “Patting” is a human behavior, not a horse behavior.

I moved Phil up to the barn. He still hasn’t joined a herd yet because I need to spend more one on one time. At the barn he can visit the other horses over the fence.

Evening meal went really well. I see a lot of progress.

My family and I returned home around 10pm. I went out to check and blanket the horses. I looked at Phil’s paddock and could not see him. I panicked. Of course, crazy thoughts of him jumping the fence ran though my mind. As I approached the fence Phil nickered softly and I could see the outline of his ears. He was lying down. This was a wonderful sign that he was comfortable and secure in his environment. Horses will never lie down if they do not feel safe; they are very vulnerable on the ground.

Day 8
April 13, 2008

Morning feeding: When I pour feed I keep Phil in my peripheral view so I can keep tabs on his position, his ears, and his eyes. This morning he tried to inch his way into my 16 foot feeding “bubble.” Every move he made forward I kicked a little bit of dirt at him to warn him to back away. He was testing me to see if I was still going to hold up to my end of the bargain. To the novice eye this behavior seems harmless and even “cute”, but at this stage of the learning process “if you give an inch, they’ll take a mile.” If I would have ignored Phil’s “test” I would have given him proof that I am not worthy to be a leader. I know all of this sounds so “nit-picky”, however these are the building blocks to a trusting partnership with your horse. You have to work as hard as he does.

I could see he was a little tender on his front feet this morning (to be expected), so I gave him bute in his breakfast.

Even though Phil had ouchy feet I still worked with him this afternoon. I am emphatic and sympathetic (human thought processes) to Phil’s sore feet, but I am still going to uphold my end of the bargain. If Phil was rude in any way then yes, I will move his feet. If I were to say “oh, poor Phil, I am so sorry your feet hurt, don’t worry about moving out of my space or “I know your feet hurt today so, its ok to jerk the lead out of my hand…you don’t feel well” Ah, hogwash!!! These are human thoughts and emotions. In reality, the Alpha mare doesn’t care if Phil were to have broken leg, an ear torn off, or one eye….he better move out of her way. I know this is a little dramatic, but I’m trying to make a point.

In order to set us up for a successful lesson together I chose to work on things that can be done standing still. I brought him up to the grooming bay. I started with stretching exercises. I then introduced Phil to lateral flexion. I put tension on the lead and immediately released (dropping the lead) as soon as Phil made an effort to tip his nose towards his shoulder. I ended the lesson when I could ask with just fingertip pressure on both sides. I introduced Phil to the lead tossed on his neck, back, hindquarters, and under his tail. He swished his tail at first because he was uncomfortable. I stopped as soon as he cocked a back leg indicating the rope no longer bothered him. Phil was also introduced to a lariat today. I rubbed him all over with the rope, smacked the ground all around him, swung it around, and let the rope bump into his legs. I will use the lariat later on with teaching him not to panic when he gets a foot caught and to hobble. These are 2 basic foundations that should be solid on EVERY horse.

Evening meal: Phil is getting the hang of mealtime manners. I am still moving him out of his feed and mixing the feed with my hands. I was able to back Phil with just a wave of my hand.

Day 9
April 14, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan fed this morning. He reported Phil stayed out of his space, but he tried to evade the head rub. Dan stood his ground and would not let Phil eat until he submitted to a head rub. Note that the SAME routine and SAME requests are followed at every meal. It would not be fair to Phil if we changed the rules.

I returned from work and brought Phil his lunch time hay. I checked his sore feet for heat and a digital pulse. He does have a strong pulse on both front legs, but it was not racing. The vet is scheduled to come out tomorrow to float teeth and draw Coggins. I’ll have her evaluate Phil and ask her if it is ok to paint Venice Turpentine on his soles. It would be a shame if Phil could not go barefoot on our soft, sandy soil. I haltered Phil using this opportunity to practice polite haltering and show Phil that the halter does not always equal work. I petted and rubbed Phil all over (especially ears and under tail) to put my scent on him and simulate his Dam rubbing on him. I took the halter off (used head down cue) and left him to eat his hay. Even though I did not take Phil out of his pen, we had a team building session.

I like to use Bruce Tuckman’s (1965) group dynamics model to explain team building with your horse. Many of you who have taken a college sociology or psychology class have studied this model, so it may look familiar. Even if you have not studied this model, I think it is easy to relate to your own relationship you have with your horse. What are your group dynamics?

The model: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing.
Forming: The team meets for the very first time, members behave independently.
Storming: This is necessary for growth, can be uncomfortable and sometimes painful, many power struggles.
Norming: Members adjust their behavior, begin to trust
Performing: Members function as a unit, the job gets done smoothly without conflict

When Phil unloaded off the trailer we were in the forming stage. Last week we had many storming sessions. Today, I saw a glimpse of our team norming during feeding. Each interaction I have with Phil will fit into one of these categories.

Evening feeding: I groomed Phil while he was eating. He was polite.

Phil lifted his head out of his food dish to acknowledge me several times as I walked in and out of the barn past his pen. This was wonderful!

Day 10
April 15, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was more alert this morning. His feet were feeling a little better. The digital pulse was normal.

Today’s lesson: Tying

This morning I tacked Phil up with a heavy roping saddle. Phil was unconcerned about the saddle, so I did not have to desensitize him to the saddle. I did not “tip toe” around Phil, just because he has never had such a big, heavy saddle on his back. If I was concerned, then Phil would feel he needed to be concerned. I was respectful not to just plop the saddle on his back. I checked for fit and tightened the cinch only tight enough to hold the saddle in place. Phil was “girthy”. He sank to his knees as I gently tightened the girth. I did not panic I just kept cinching and told him “NO!”. He stood right up. I know this could be a frightening experience for a handler, but if you back off, pet your horse, or feel sorry for him because he just won the game and he will repeat….GUARANTEED. Now, with that said, it is your responsibility to be gentle and have tack that fits. Although, I respect the fact that cinching or girthing up is probably not on Phil’s top ten list of things he would like to do, it is part of his job.

With Phil tacked up, I asked him for w-t-c transitions on the lead. I was checking to see if Phil accepted the saddle; he did. He humped his back at first and tried shaking the sports boots off, but quickly became comfortable. I normally don’t use sport boots unless there is a need for protection such as a strenuous workout, rough terrain, a young horse that doesn’t have good control over his feet, or in this case learning to tie. This is one of my favorite lessons because I can pull up a chair and watch Phil teach himself how to disengage his hindquarters, side pass, and release pressure. Even though Phil’s feet were not moving per se, he was still working mentally. I use the saddle and its weight to put Phil in “work mode.” I use a tie blocker, so Phil will never hit tension in the rope. Phil did sit back on the rope twice. Both times I watched him find a release. I did not run up to him to comfort him, as long as he was safe I let him make his own discovery. He did a lot of blinking and licking lips. The tie blocker is mounted to a mature hickory tree. The tree provides nice shade and it is in an enclosed area. As a safety note, if you tie to a tree with a tie blocker you must supervise your horse at all times. If he wraps himself around the tree and pulls back the lead would not release through the tie blocker, it would tighten around the tree and your horse would panic. I left Phil tied for 30 minutes and untied when he cocked a back leg and was unconcerned about his environment. Do not think for one minute he is trained to tie. This lesson will have to be repeated in many environments, under many different circumstances.

Upon returning Phil to his pen he balked at the gate. My timing was off and I wasn’t paying close attention to his cues. I was thinking about getting the horses ready for the vet. Phil knew my attention was not on him; my fault. As soon as I felt the tension of the balk I immediately backed him in a hurry. I stopped and walked him to the gate and I felt a hesitation and immediately backed him and then ground drove him for respect. He still was tense on the lead as we approached the gate, so I backed him around the entire barn, through the brush, through the downed branches at the back of the paddock. If a tree appeared in our path, it was up to Phil to navigate his hindend around the tree. I could not take a step backward. I know this sounds intense, but I had to take it to a level that would mean something to Phil. To give you an idea of the pace of Phil’s backing; I was running. Phil softened and I quit. He walked peacefully through the gate. Many of you are probably thinking I am being mean, because poor Phil is probably scared of the gate. Phil has shown me he is not scared of the gate. For whatever reason, Phil has this behavior. The only way Phil is going to overcome this issue is for me to earn his respect; with respect comes trust. I ABSOLUTELY will not put my foot in the stirrup until I have this behavior under control.

The vet arrived at noon. Phil had his teeth floated and a new Coggins drawn. He was polite for the vet. She checked his hooves and gave me the ok to paint on the Venice Turpentine. She recommended giving Phil 4-6 weeks to toughen his soles before deciding to go back into shoes. I want to mention Phil’s teeth. He has several baby teeth that are out of alignment due to an apparent mouth injury. Prior to having Phil’s mouth propped open I could not see the roof of his mouth. He has a deep scar running across the roof of his mouth. Some of the front permanent teeth are broken, so the injury had to have happened around the age of 2 or 3 years. The permanent teeth were not able to push out the baby teeth. He will definitely need routine dental floating.

Evening feeding: Phil and I are “norming.” Our relationship at mealtime was better.

Day 11
April 16, 2008

Morning feeding: All the horses around the barn where a little excitable this morning. They all had a very interesting night. One of our mares foaled last night. Phil could not see the event from his pen, but he felt the excitement from all the other horses.

I led Phil to the pasture to see the new foal. This was a great opportunity to once again practice haltering, leading, going through gates, and exposing Phil to a new situation. You may think horses recognize foals as their own kind, however it is amazing to see the reaction of a horse that has not been exposed to foals become frightened. Phil was absolutely mesmerized by the filly. It was interesting to see Momma tell Phil to back off from across the paddock.

Evening feeding: uneventful

Day 12
April 17, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

Great Training Day! I worked Phil in the round pen to help him focus on me for our upcoming adventure. He is less worried about the herd and a little more focused on me.
Once Phil’s brain was switched to “learning mode” I took him out on the trail for a team building session. This is my version of a Rope’s Course. I’m sure many of you have attended this workshop with your coworkers. As Phil and I were walking away from the barn I uncovered another “hole.” I could feel Phil’s energy drop and the rope began to get heavy in my hand. Phil was thinking about balking. He is codependent upon the herd and the comfort of the barn. I gave him a very simple task to focus on me. I was able to avoid Phil planting his feet. As we walked a little further down the trail I noticed Phil’s energy picked up. He was very motivated and forward flowing. He was “two fingertips” light in my hands on a slack lead. He stayed in his space and did not try to walk ahead of me. We walked through all kinds of thick brush, up/down hills, over fallen trees. If I saw something interesting to walk over or through I didn’t hesitate to plow through deer trails to reach the obstacle. This was great for Phil to take responsibility for his feet and pick them up. I also was able to show Phil I could be “the leader” and keep him safe in such a stimulating environment. I saw a completely different horse. Now, I must say that some of the low energy in the arena may come from me. I am bored to death in the arena and I’m sure my low energy is picked up by the horses. Phil and I had great energy out on the trail. I am definitely going to take our classes to the trails in the future. I did not take the hunting dogs with me. The dogs provide an extra stimulus and add the surprise ambush to the lesson.

Day 13
April 18, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil’s energy was a bit pushy. Although he did not come into my space his posture was very “pushy.” His head was high, his eye was hard. The Alpha mare would not tolerate this disrespectful posture and would “put Phil back into his place” in the herd hierarchy. This is typical young colt behavior, but must be corrected. I waved Phil off and put his feet in action. I drove him around 2 times and he softened. His demeanor was submissive. I asked him to come into my 16ft circle and rubbed his head. He followed me to the food dish. You see there isn’t a “quick fix” with horses. You have to be on top of your game at all times especially during the time you are establishing the “pecking order” between you and your horse. Training is not glamorous. It is tiring work, takes so much time and patience. You have to celebrate the little victories.

Herd punishment: The worst punishment the Alpha mare could administer is to isolate the belligerent one from the protection of the herd. Out in the open the horse is very vulnerable to predators. This is the concept behind sending Phil far away from my space is that I want to make my message clear “if you are in my space you are going to get sent far away from me.” At this point, I am Phil’s herd.

This morning I took Phil out to see the fertilizer being spread on our new Costal Bermuda pastures. The truck is loud, it clanks and creaks. It throws fertilizer in all directions. This sounds like the perfect recipe for a teaching lesson. Phil was only somewhat fascinated by the truck. Great, one more thing I can cross off the desensitizing list! A thanks to the racetrack environment!

Phil and I went out exploring in the woods. My kids have a secret fort deep in the woods. Phil and I went to check out the fort. We traveled down a steep ravine, through a small creek, up the ravine and through thick brush. Phil had to really keep track of his feet. When Phil started to inch his way into the leader position, I waved him back. I was the navigator. There were several huge tree trunks that I asked Phil to step over. I did not let him jump. The purpose was that I was going to tell his feet where, when, and how fast to go over the log. If you can control the feet, you have control of the mind. Moving the feet with a direct, soft feel will be used under saddle.

I introduced Phil to the electric clippers. I was prepared to start to desensitize him, however Phil was unconcerned about the clippers. Ahhh, one more item that can be checked off the training list. Using the head down cue, I clipped Phil’s bridle path in one clean sweep with the clippers. I also trimmed the outside of Phil’s ears mostly to find any areas that may concern Phil. I don’t trim muzzles, inside of ears, or fetlocks unless we are attending an “A” or “AA” rated show. Horses need the hair in these areas to fend off flies, burs, insects, etc. The hair on the muzzle and eyes serve as “feelers” for the horse since they don’t have sight below their muzzle.

Trailer Loading: If you remember my first meeting with Phil his trailer manners did not impress me one bit. I have spent the past 13 days building on the little pieces that cement the training/learning foundation. Today was an assessment to see how we have been doing on the basics. To set us up for success I did use the 38 foot stock trailer. This trailer is 7’6” tall and 8’ wide. Though this trailer is awful to pull with its length and width, it is awesome to teach trailer loading. I waited for my husband to come home, so I had someone to help me if I needed some “gas” on the other end to get Phil moving. As I approached the trailer I could feel a little tension on the lead as Phil raised his head. I immediately backed him in a hurry; he was about to switch into instinct mode and balk. I returned to the trailer and I felt tension again, so this time I had to raise the level of intensity to make an impression on Phil. I backed Phil so fast down our driveway I was running like the ground was opening up to swallow me. Phil and I returned to the trailer and he walked right up the ramp like a complete gentleman. I repeated this many, many times until I could walk with two fingertips on the lead. Ok, we were making progress walking up the ramp, now for backing into the standing stall. In the back of our trailer there are 3 standing stalls. These are tricky to back into. Using the head down cue and the backing cue I asked Phil to back step by step. Each step was rewarded with a complete release of the rope. He was even rewarded for thinking about backing and rocking back even if he didn’t move a foot. If he wanted to look behind him that was fine as long as his focus was still on me. Phil tried really hard and not once was he ugly. He had every opportunity to bite, kick, or push me; my persistent work is paying off. He has enough respect for me now that biting, kicking, or pushing are not options.

Evening meal: Phil was super polite.

Day 14
April 19, 2008

Phil has a show record! Read on!

Since Phil did so well loading/unloading last night I decided to bring him with to the show we were attending today for a day long lesson on tying. It was dark and Phil loaded like a professional. He was very quite and well mannered on the trailer with the other horses. The show was almost an hour and a half away, so it was a great experience for Phil to ride with our horses that are experienced haulers.

*Note* Once I asked Phil to load I was prepared to follow through with my request even if it meant I was going to be late to the show or not attend at all if Phil had trouble loading. I have seen so many of my clients and friends attempt to load their horse unsuccessfully and give up; or worse get into an awful struggle. Wrong Answer! They just taught their horse that if he doesn’t want to load all he has to do is throw a tantrum and “Mom” will put him back in his stall/pasture. If you start it, you must finish it with horses. Horses do not have time schedules.
The show grounds were hustle and bustle. The horses were tied to the trailer with safety knots. Phil was tied with his rope halter. I do not recommend EVER tying your horse with a rope halter for periods of time unless you have taught your horse how to find a release. Phil understands the pressure points on his halter and can easily find a release.

Phil was introduced to the show grounds and I did a little ground work. He was quiet and well mannered, so well mannered I decided to enter him in halter classes. I felt this would be a fantastic assessment on our training together. Well, guess what? Phil and I showed in halter geldings, showmanship, and hunter in hand. While our competition pushed on their handlers, pawed, and danced around; Phil did his job. Phil brought home a CHAMPIONSHIP in his division! The judge even commented “nice manners” on his score card. If she only could have seen Phil and I two weeks ago!

Show tip: If your horse is anxious use the head down cue. You must teach this cue at home in order to use it at the show and have it work. I used head down cue prior to entering the ring and even in the line up while the judge was judging the other exhibitors. The head down is a relaxed, submissive posture.

Phil spent 8 hours tied to the trailer. Tying is a very IMPORTANT foundation skill. How many times have you seen loose horses at a show because they pulled on their halters and broke loose from the trailer? How many times have you seen a horse drag a parked trailer when his halter did not break? Those horses are not halter broke. Yes, horses will spook while tied, but if they are properly halter broke they will spook in place or at least recognize the tension on the halter as they pull and find their own release. I do not typically rent stalls, I prefer to ship in, so all of my horses learn to stand patiently at the trailer (they do have hay/water at all times). There were two loose horses yesterday.

Phil had no problem drinking water or eating at the show. It is always a concern when a horse is so worried about being away from home that he won’t eat or drink. Phil emptied his water bucket several times. He had no problem urinating either. Some horses will not urinate if they are not in their familiar stall or pasture.

Day 15
April 20, 2008

Morning feeding: no problems.
I vaccinated Phil today. When I vaccinate a horse for the first time I am always prepared to do some ground work, or desensitize the horse to the needle. I haltered Phil and he dropped his head right into the halter and I asked him for head down. I pinched his skin on his neck and shook the skin while I injected the vaccine. No problem. I didn’t even hold onto the lead; Phil was ground tied. I administered 3 injections without any questions from Phil. I had epi with me just in case he had a reaction. I groomed him while I watched for a reaction. If your horse is going to have a reaction to the injection it will show up within 20 minutes or sooner! Always have epi drawn up in a syringe with you just in case. You may not have time to run to the barn and draw up a syringe. You should also be comfortable injecting via IV in case of an emergency. Your vet will be more than happy to show you how to do the injection. Phil did not have a reaction.

As I was grooming Phil I checked his sheath. This is an area that you do need to desensitize. Phil is due for a cleaning. A gelding’s sheath needs to be cleaned often. If your vet does this service for you, then you need to desensitize your horse before your vet comes out. I just wanted to remind everyone that it is OUR responsibility to train our horses to accept veterinary care not our vet’s responsibility. I love my vet and I want her to be available to come out to my farm when I have an emergency. It is not necessary to sedate your horse for routine care if you take the time to train him.

Day 16
April 21, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan reported no problems with Phil.

After the kids finished their homework we decided to go out on the trails. The kids decided they were going to ride their bikes while walking the dogs. I saw a perfect teaching opportunity and brought Phil along. Phil has a tendency to kick at the dogs or anything moving behind him. I respect Phil’s instinctual behavior however, this is something we will have to work through if he is ever going to foxhunt or be around children and pets. You can just imagine the commotion going on with the kids, bikes, and dogs out on the trail. As soon as Phil locked an ear on a bike or kid I gently tugged on the lead rope to prevent his brain from switching from thinking to instinct (timing is everything). The rope halter has pressure knots that convey a clear signal and will quickly get a horse’s attention if used with proper timing and quickness. Phil understands my message based on the energy I send down the rope. He knows how fast he has to move his feet according to my energy and posture. There isn’t a need to call Department of Social Services, my kids have been raised around horses, so they know how to be safe and stay far away . We went to the sand pile behind the back pastures. This is a huge (think sand dune) pile of sand we use to fill in holes, level pastures, put in stalls etc. I walked up the sand pile and Phil followed right behind. This can be a very scary experience for a horse, but Phil took my lead and we went up and over the pile. This was just another experience to prove to Phil I can keep him safe; mission accomplished. Tackling new obstacles is a fun way to learn with your horse, however always use good judgment to keep you and your horse safe.

When we returned home my daughter helped with an exercise that needs 2 people. My daughter held Phil while I roped his back leg. I secured the rope around his left hind pastern and lifted his leg while standing a good distance out of kicking range. Phil resisted, shook his leg, danced around while I kept the tension on the rope. As soon as Phil relaxed I released. Expect to hold the tension on the first several tries for quite a while and let your horse find his release. Practice this exercise in a safe enclosure like an arena or round pen. If you drop the rope you have now taught your horse that if he struggles he will be released. The purpose of the exercise is to teach your horse that if he gets a leg caught he is to stand still and he will be released. I am sure everyone knows of at least one story where a horse got caught in wire, fence, underbrush, etc. and severely damaged muscle, tendons, or ligaments because he fought to free himself. Again, I repeated lifting his leg and released as soon as he relaxed. This was repeated on all legs. Please be very careful when attempting this exercise because you can easily cause a rope burn on you and your horse. I will repeat this every chance I get with Phil. THIS IS FOUNDATIONAL SKILL ALL HORSES SHOULD BE TAUGHT. For example, even if you are by yourself you can pick your horse’s leg up with the lead rope and hold the tension until he relaxes; look for lowering of head, blinking eyes, or floppy ears. This can even be done as a modified chiropractic stretch.

On the way back to Phil’s pen I passed the trailer. I couldn’t let this obstacle pass us up. In the trailer we walked, turned around, and walked out. Ta-Da!

Day 17
April 22, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil backed away and let me pour his feed. As I approached to rub his head he swung his head in circles and danced in place. His body posture told me he was not being aggressive or pushy; he wanted to play. Phil is still very much a colt. This is behavior that needs to be addressed. I am a human; I am not his play buddy. The biggest mistake handlers make, in my opinion, is they think their horse is their buddy and encourage this playful behavior because it “is cute.” It is not cute when a 1200 lb. horse escalates the play behavior by rearing, charging, biting, or kicking. This should not be tolerated! In the herd the Alpha mare does not have a buddy. Sure, she will graze and engage with the other horses, but she does not have a “best friend” or ‘buddy.” This statement is reflecting a true wild herd. The lower members of the herd buddy up. My goal with Phil is to establish in his mind that there is no doubt I’m the Alpha mare. I didn’t even have to send Phil around the pen, a stern “NO” and raising my hand to block him (kind of like “talk to the hand”) switched his behavior mode immediately.

A little insight: I love my horses. I do not love on them. My horses are not my best friends. I do have great partnerships and relationships with all of them. I respect the horses for what they are and what they are capable of doing. I try not to put human thoughts or emotions on their behavior. All of my horses are extremely well balanced animals. They are mentally and physically happy. I do not have “behavior issues” with any of my established herd; not even the foals. My horses are happy because they know what is expected of them and are comforted knowing that I am the leader. Sure, I pet them, talk to them, wish them a happy birthday, and bring them treats from the kitchen, but this is purely for my fulfillment. I provide a safe, clean, stimulating environment and a nutritionally sound diet. They are not fat. In fact, I adjust the weight of their pellets and hay continually to keep them at a body condition score of 5-7. My husband says I cook for them, and he is right. I never change the rules and am always consistent in my expectations. Yes, I do have days where a horse may be a little pushy or doesn’t want to get caught right away, and I will drop everything and address the issue ASAP even if I have a million other tasks/responsibilities to finish (horses do not have schedules to keep). I have even been late to teach a class before because I had a horse that was rude and needed a refresher course in respect. In return, for my dedication and honesty, my horses are very easy to work with and a joy to be around. Ok, I’m off my soapbox.

I worked Phil in the round pen. He is usually stiff in his hind end so I let him warm up a bit before I ask him to move out. He was goofy today. Phil wanted to canter and shake his head. This was fine as long as he was out of my space and responded to my cues. Phil now circles in to me to change direction about 50% of the time: Celebrate the little victories! Phil also kept one ear on me the entire time even though I had loose horses around the outside of the round pen. I did not have to compete with those horses for Phil’s attention!

I find it interesting that Phil chooses his right lead. The round pen is good for him to learn that it is easier to canter on the correct lead without the weight of me on his back. I am teaching pre cues before I ride Phil. For example, a cluck is trot and a kiss is canter. I have found it is easier to teach lead changes when your horse knows what a kiss means. This way I only have to use a leg cue to signal which lead I want him to take. I left Phil in the round pen for a change of scenery and give him a chance to soak up the lesson. Remember, I always keep water in the round pen.

I have really worked on sensitizing Phil to pressure. Ok, now I’m sure I’m going to confuse everyone. There are many things that I have desensitized Phil to, but Phil’s lack of motivation stemmed from he didn’t see a need for humans (no respect). He was already desensitized to humans. I have made an impression on Phil by putting uncomfortable pressure on him and then I magically hold the power to take the pressure off. Only by making Phil very uncomfortable have I been able to sensitize him to my presence. I see the results as Phil hustles his feet to change directions with a point of my finger. You may think by putting Phil in an uncomfortable position I may make him scared of me or not like me. These are human thoughts and emotions. What I do is make it very difficult to choose the wrong option and easy to choose the correct one. Horses understand the feeling of pressure; they want the pressure gone. When I put Phil in his pen he follows me to the gate in a submissive manner. If he was scared of me or didn’t like me (human thought/emotion) he would run away from me as fast as he can and may even “give me the middle finger” by kicking in my direction. Quite the contrary, Phil finds me comforting and prey animals are comfort seekers.

I am about to touch on a subject that you will not hear much about from the “traveling trainers/clinicians” because it elicits a lot of emotion out of people and is very taboo. You will see these clinicians use the leather popper, stick, or whatever tool they use, but they will never really talk about it. However, this is it “the good, the bad, and the ugly”. As I have said previously, training horses is not glamorous. If you have any questions please ask.

Sensitizing to pressure: To sensitize a horse is to cause them to become responsive to a specific cue or stimulus. I do not think I need to explain that abusive behavior (verbal/physical) is never to be used on your horse. The reality is I think I need to persuade most of you to become more firm with your horses and quit nagging them; step up to the plate and fulfill your end of the bargain. Your horse will be happier. Horses communicate through posture and contact; plain and simple. When posture is ignored, immediate contact is made. When you add the human and the human’s emotions simple communication through contact is often escalated into abuse. If you have no choice but to take your communication to the next level you must do so within 3 seconds, communicate in a quick and clear fashion. If you miss your 3 second window your correction is considered a sucker punch or low blow. I only use a rope halter/lead combo with leather poppers under the chin and on the end of the rope. I do not use lunge whips, stud chains, twitches, or harsh bits, etc.

When I first met Phil I could yell, scream, stomp my feet and he would not even put an ear on me much less an eye. I could wave a lunge whip all around him and he would just ignore me. Many people would say Phil is bombproof; this is what gets people hurt. Phil did not have any respect for me or any other human. This meant when I asked (hold lead up in direction I want him to travel), then told (swing rope to promote visual and increase my energy) and still no response I will follow through with a promise (step in his space and spank w/popper). The promise or follow up could be kicking dirt at him or administering an accurate spank or pop with the popper on his rump. I have set Phil up for success by asking, then telling, and then following through. He has learned through repetition “to know what is going to happen before it happens”. DO NOT NAG YOUR HORSE. Nagging doesn’t work with your children and it won’t work with your horse. Do not ask, ask, ask, beg, plead, ask, beg, pretty please, beg, and then out of frustration pop him like there is no tomorrow. This is completely unfair and you don’t deserve any respect. I will not hesitate to spank/pop (one quick, clear, concise spank/pop) a horse on his rump with the leather popper on my lead rope after I have politely asked, then firmly told and blatantly ignored. This “pop” sends my energy directly to the horse. The “pop” from the lead is merely an annoyance to the horse; you can’t hurt him on his rump. If you use the end of your lead (nylon, leather, cotton, rope, NEVER the stud chain) make sure you always use a downward motion. If you swing the rope up you may catch your gelding or mare in a sensitive area and you deserve to be kicked. With Phil I had to lunge at him, pop him with the popper, squeal and move his feet backwards around his pen or down my driveway countless of times to sensitize him. Each time I had to increase the distance and my energy level (this was only done when I was completely ignored). Do what ever it takes to move your horse as long as you and your horse are safe; you are being fair to your horse; you are setting him up for success (meaning when he makes an effort you reward immediately) and most importantly you will follow up consistently. Pick your battles.
Pick your battles: Know when you have the ability to follow through with something. Rather than flail away aimlessly with something that you have never worked through before or are having problems with; know your limits and abilities. Most of all make sure that you correct a horse for a response you are after, not for something you did wrong.

Phil is beginning to understand that I will always follow through with my requests. He knows what is going to happen before it happens. I have not had to follow up with any requests in several days. Throughout our training together he will continually test me to see if I am going to hold up my end of the bargain. Once I have his respect I will just have to suggest pressure to get a response.

Day 18
April 23, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan reported feeding went well.

Ground Tying: I think this is really a neat concept. Ground tying gives your horse a say so in the situation. Think about it, if your horse is truly your partner then he will accept bridling, saddling, mounting, etc. by standing still. If your horse moves away from you during any of these activities he is telling you “hey, I’m not ready yet” or “I don’t respect you .” Ground tying is an easy lesson to teach, but it takes time and lots and lots of patience.

Before asking Phil to ground tie I set him up for success. I asked him for a little ground work to warm up his muscles and to get his brain focused on me. It took less than 5 minutes to warm Phil up physically and mentally.

I have been working on ground tying from day one with Phil. Today, I haltered standing on his right side today to mix things up with rope halter/lead and led him (right side) to the round pen. I squared him up in the middle of the round pen. Note: I square Phil up in front and place his hind legs in a hunter stance. This way I can teach showmanship in hand and ground tying in one lesson. I asked for head down and then backed away from Phil. Phil turned and faced me with two eyes. This is exactly what I have been teaching him, but now I must dramatically change my posture to a low energy, submissive one to tell him “it’s ok to stand and rest”. I continued to approach and retreat 360 degrees around him. At first, he wanted to turn on his forehand to face me (two eyes). I did reward this effort. Each time he moved I submissively approached and squared him up and asked for head down. I do want to make a note that when you approach your horse you should never approach in a straight line. This is predator behavior. Prey animals approach in serpentines. Next time your horse walks up to you in the pasture observe how he doesn’t walk in a straight line to you. He may look like a drunk. Several times Phil felt pressure and moved off. I believe he was trying to either anticipate a request to move off or I was using too much pressure via my body language. He stepped on his own lead and stopped himself in his tracks. It didn’t take many repeats of this sudden jerk on his halter caused by his own feet to stop him from moving off. As Phil was standing I groomed him (associate me with rest, warm fuzzy feelings, security). When I switch sides I do not walk around him instead I slide my hand under his chin and guide his head to the side so my feet never move when I switch sides. This is a psychological move going back to the theory “he who moves his feet is the follower or subservient one.” I ask for Phil to ground tie again only this time I try some distracters like messing with the gate, digging in the sand, splashing water in the trough etc. Each time Phil moves out of position I set him up again. Phil is pretty content to stand. When get further along in our relationship I’ll try ground tying in the arena, pasture, and eventually on the trail.

I passed the trailer again. Phil and I took a detour up the ramp, into the trailer, and back down again before returning to his pen. No hesitation from Phil.

Evening feeding: I am still mixing feed with my hands. I just looked at the feed dish and he moved away. I rewarded him with a rub and left him to eat. Wow, that was communication.

Day 19
April 24, 2008

Morning feeding: I exercised Phil’s brain a little this morning. I asked him to back, turn on forehand and disengage his hindquarters. All of this was done with NO halter or lead and I had the distracting temptation of the food bucket in my hand. Phil respected the pressure from just my hand. Now, I do not want you to think that the backing or the turning was pretty. As long as Phil made the effort to lift his feet and move in the general direction I was asking him he was rewarded with a complete release of pressure. Have you ever wondered how the clinicians trained their horses to “dance” with them without halter or lead rope? This is how the training began; little by little.

I haltered Phil this morning and left him to eat. I am teaching Phil that he does not have to leave his pen and “work” or receive a shot or get de wormed every time the halter makes an appearance. Even though it doesn’t look like it I am building the foundation to be able to catch (actually he is going to catch me because I teach my horses to come to me) and halter Phil anywhere, anytime, anyplace.

Round pen: Each time I teach in the round pen I set the bar a little higher meaning I expect quicker responses, departures with a purpose, more softness, an ear on me and of course “two eyes” when I ask Phil in to my space. I don’t have to use the lead in my hand to motivate any more, but have it handy. Phil is starting to turn in to me and turn away from me to change directions at my request. This is fantastic. When Phil’s posture starts to get stiff I know he is thinking about getting frustrated. I keep his feet moving but ask him for something he is good at like circling in to me for a reassuring rub. Phil has perfected the rest request.

Out of the round pen I set up an obstacle course for fun. I have all kinds of jump standards that my husband built. One set of standards are palm trees with leaves on the top and pink flamingos that spin their wings on the bottom. I have a mailbox and tons of kid toys such as balls, hula hoops, pool noodles, etc. I had Phil on the end of the lead as I dragged and arranged the standards. Phil remained light in my hand. When all was set up I navigated Phil through, around, over, under obstacles and tried to direct him with just a suggestion of the lead rope. If Phil got stuck I directed him on the lead. This meant he had to turn on forehand, haunches, and back with the suggestion of the lead. I rewarded every effort. I started to teach side pass; this took more energy on my part. Phil at this point is “stiff as a board.”

I hosed Phil off and put him in his pen to roll.

Evening feeding: My son fed Phil. He asked Phil to move away from the dish and Phil did so without question. In fairness to our horses it is so important that all care takers follow the same rules (whatever rules you establish). In the equine world there are only one set of rules followed by all horses. In the human world we change the rules on a whim and incorporate emotions, agendas, priorities, time schedules, moods, etc. so essentially we confuse our horses.

I understand it is difficult to do this for our horses at a boarding facility. I used to board my horses and different people fed them all the time. My horses were allowed to be extremely rude during feeding. If I happened to feed them I changed the rules and sent them off if they were rude. Essentially, I was not being fair to my horses because I changed the rules. Pick your battles.

Day 20
April 25, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil did what he was supposed to do this morning only he told me “hurry it up”. He lowered his head for the head rubbing ritual and before I took my hand off his head he took his head away from me and took a step towards the dish. Immediately my posture straightened and let out a firm “NO”. I didn’t even have to wave Phil off; he did it on his own and circled back in with a completely different body posture. I invited him in to my space, rubbed his head for a lengthy time and let me go to the food dish.

Side note: I use certain words like “NO” or “BACK” to help me raise my energy and change my facial expression, not necessarily to teach Phil to respond to the words. Eventually, he will make the connection between the words and my actions. These words are always said in the same authoritative tone.

Phil and I attempted the obstacle course backwards today. It was tough on both of us, but it was a neat way to do something different. Yes, we mowed over some obstacles, but it was fun. Be creative with your horse. As you can see my training style is very different. I teach all the same lessons and introduce new ones in different environments. For example, I took Phil off our property down the road. I practiced all the things I have been building on only with different scenery. I also was able to see Phil’s reaction to cars whizzing by. Cars do not bother Phil.

I will give you a visual of what I looked like walking Phil down the road. Note: When hand walking your horse on side of the road you are considered a pedestrian and should walk against the flow of traffic. Upon horseback you travel with the flow of traffic in most states. I am a safety nerd. I wear a helmet (even on the ground) and an orange hunting vest. I know I looked like a complete dork, but I have many healed broken bones, including a fractured vertebra L3, from “horse accidents”. I started wearing a helmet during ground work recently when one day working with a client’s rank horse my timing was off just slightly and this mare kicked me in the cheek. Thank goodness my position was correct or she would have let me have it with both barrels. She gave me a concussion, fractured cheek bone, and 3 bulging disks in my neck. I ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET when riding. It doesn’t matter if I’m riding English or Western. I look back at those times (20 years ago) and almost all of the “accidents” could have been avoided if I had my horse’s respect. Back then I was taught to dominate your horse into submission.

Day 21
April 26, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

I tacked Phil up this morning and we headed out on the trail for a warm up. I am still working on the ground and will not step foot in the stirrup until I am assured I can direct Phil’s feet and have earned his respect. By securing a solid foundation on the ground you will avoid many in the saddle “accidents” or “frustrating moments” with your horse. I invited the dogs along and they, of course, made quite a commotion on the trail. Phil is still weary about the dogs. I give him tasks to do instead of letting him react to the dogs wrestling or jumping in and out of the bushes. The tasks are not corrections; they are merely to keep Phil from switching into instinct mode. When we return we went to the round pen. I asked Phil for transitions to see if there are any worries about the heavy roping saddle on his back. He was very attentive in the pen. He transitioned nicely, turned in and away from me, and he actually had his nose tipped towards me. This is a wonderful sign of comfort, trust, and respect. I asked him to circle in. I walked around the pen and he kept “two eyes” on me the entire time. Even though we were in the round pen for only 10 minutes Phil’s lesson for the day was complete. If I had kept a time schedule for “schooling” him I would have ruined the entire lesson and probably created some new issues. Remember time is a human concept. Your horse will tell you when it is time to stop. You must know the difference between your horse accepting your cues and your horse outwardly refusing to accept your cues. Stop and reward for acceptance. Keep the lesson going if your horse is ignoring you. Take your watch off your wrist! Do not get this stage of Phil’s training confused with conditioning. When Phil moves to the under saddle phase we will start conditioning and spend longer periods of time together. If I have done my homework correctly, Phil will want to school and look forward to our time together under saddle. I end the lesson by tying a soft lead around Phil’s front right pastern and lift his leg. I hold the lead until Phil stops trying to free his leg. I have been working on this with Phil for some time now, so Phil only mildly resists. I repeat on all 4 legs while he is ground tied. I am preparing Phil to hobble.

Day 22
April 26, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

Mother Nature stepped in an offered a wonderful lesson….rain. Phil was very agitated with the big rain drops falling on him. He tensed his body, shook his head, tucked his tail, and humped his back. Phil’s pen has thick, mature tree cover, but doesn’t completely shelter him from the aggravating rain. As long as Phil was not in distress the best lesson he could learn is how to be a horse. If I am at a show or on a trail ride far from home and it rains or storms I want to have a steadfast mount. The footing and slick saddle are difficult enough to deal with I personally don’t want to have to negotiate with a horse that is having a mental meltdown due to rain. Phil stayed out in the pouring rain all day. He was still alive at feeding.

Evening feeding: Phil was already irritated at having to stay in the rain and he showed a little “ugly” at feeding. I sent him off around the pen and he trotted in the most peculiar fashion. He tucked his head between his front legs and arched his back. I also was wearing a big, yellow rain jacket that most horses do not really like. I pulled the hood down so he could see that it was me and he snorted (snort is fear or excitement). I sent him off again and asked him to circle in. I walked around him and he kept “two eyes” on me. I asked him to back, turn on haunches, disengage hindquarters. He softened and I rubbed his head. Note: Some breeds like the thoroughbred cannot regulate their body temps as well as other breeds. It is best to keep your horse outside as much as possible, but if he is in distress such as shivering he needs to get out of the weather. I’ll check Phil tonight to see if he needs to come in to a stall. If he is ok, I’ll give him more hay and let him learn to tolerate Mother Nature. Hay will help increase body heat.

Day 23
April 27, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

After haltering Phil I asked him to move up, down, back, right, left to see where his mind is this morning. I felt he was ready for a lesson on leading by the front leg. This morning I secured a soft lead around Phil’s front fetlock. The lead was not tied, it was merely looped behind his fetlock. With the leg caught I applied pressure by pulling the leg forward and asking Phil to step. When Phil stepped I released pressure and praised him. Phil was very reluctant at first and I had to hold the tension for quite a while. Once Phil figured out how to find his release he caught on fairly quickly. I did this to both front legs until I could lead Phil around the round pen by just his feet. I have found that these preparatory exercises for hobbling really build trust between you and your horse. Essentially, you are taking away his ability to flee from a predator and he really has to trust you to give up this option of flight. You will use this exercise under saddle. By being “in tune” with your horse you will be able to communicate so clearly that you will be able to place your horse’s feet with a soft feel on a direct rein.

More rain this afternoon. Phil was not a happy camper.

Evening feeding: Phil was polite and respectful, but I could tell by his body language he was not comfortable in the rain.

Day 24
April 28, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan said Phil was very agitated this morning. He reported Phil was very respectful and polite, but tossed his head and danced around at the furthest end of his pen. As long as Phil was having a mini meltdown in his own space and showed no disrespectful behavior towards Dan there wasn’t a need for a correction. Dan said Phil was very submissive when he asked him to come to his food dish. Phil spent the night in the rain and is having a rough time learning how to be a horse.

Does Phil know how to be a horse completely? Since I do not know how much time Phil spent in a herd situation before weaning or after, I can only make some assumptions based on Phil’s current “horse knowledge.” Phil’s previous owner reported that Phil was repeatedly kicked by the other horse he was pastured with. The owner reported that “Phil wanted to play and the other horse did not.” What I really think was going on was that Phil lacks some horse social skills and he did not respect the other horse’s space or Alpha position. In a herd situation it only takes one good kick to send the message to a lower subordinate because the one receiving the message knows what will come next. Phil did not seem to get this message. This behavior is often seen in orphan, nurse maid colts, colts that weren’t raised with other colts and colts hand raised by humans. From observing Phil I note that he doesn’t know how to face his back to the wind and tuck his head. He is the only horse out in the rain that is standing face into the storm while all my horses are hunkered down into back towards wind position (no wonder why he had such an awful night). I hope that my herd can teach him. If you think about it for a minute our OTTBs have lived a unique life away from a herd for the most part. As far as horse behavior, we cannot rehabilitate our horses if they have never been habilitated in the first place.

Evening feeding: I saw what Dan saw this morning with Phil tossing his head in an agitated manner. At first I was puzzled because it had stopped raining and there weren’t any gnats or flies. I watched Phil for a few minutes and noticed the breeze carried off the water on the leaves and a brief shower hit Phil on the head. I put Phil’s fly mask back on (previously taken off due to rain) and Phil was content.

Day 25
April 29, 2008

Morning feeding: It was a fairly cool morning and many of the other horses were a bit rowdy, but Phil remained level headed and super polite.

Still very much a colt…..

I tacked Phil up. The “girthy” behavior has disappeared and bridling is a pleasure using the head down cue. I used a different bridle on Phil today. It was one of my custom made training bridles w/yacht braid reins and a sweet iron snaffle bit. Phil could not resist shaking the tassels (from the yacht braid reins) under his chin. The leather chin strap/bit hobble (used to prevent the snaffle from pulling through his mouth) and slobber straps were a new added weight/feel. We headed out on the trail and Phil shaking his head trying to grab the tassels was really annoying. About half of the colts I start under saddle find the tassels very fascinating. I did not correct Phil and just held the reins steady so I would not teach him that when he jerks his head he gets a release from me when I lose the reins. The lesson was on me today. I had to remain cool and stay focused on a steady grip on the reins. When Phil jerked the reins to flip the tassels I held steadfast and let him bump against himself. It is a human reaction to jerk the reins back from your horse; instead train yourself to let your horse bump against himself. Previously, I noticed Phil had a hard mouth/face in the bridle. I wanted to work on flexion, but clearly this was not the time when Phil was in “colt mode.” When we returned home we went to the round pen. His focus was better in the round pen. I did a lot of flex and release to soften up his neck and work on softening his mouth. He softened faster and faster. He even would soften, bend and stay in position until I rubbed his nose. His head was low and relaxed. He easily gave me his nose, but he was stiff through the shoulder and he didn’t offer his face. This is ok, celebrate the little victories.

Note: I refuse to bit up a horse to get a quicker response. I feel that this is just like sticking a band aid on a sucking chest wound. I feel if a restraining device is the chosen method to get the desired results then most likely there is a HOLE in your horse’s education or yours. Instead of using tie downs, martingales, torture bits, etc. I’ll go back to ground work and try to figure out where I went wrong with my teaching. I know everyone is anxious to “work their horse on the bit” (I say this loosely) and it is temping to rig up a martingale, but the reality is once the martingale is off your horse’s head pops back up and his back is hollow again. A long term strategy would be to slowly build your horse’s top line, promise him you’ll stay out of his mouth and ride with soft hands, ride with an independent seat, and teach him to reach for a release with vertical flexion. The goal with my lesson today was to ask Phil to become soft in the bridle and “give me his face” with only 2 fingertips pressure or less than 2 ounces.

I had a different halter on Phil. This particular halter has a lot of adjustments and rings under the chin for the lead that make noise. Phil stood on cross ties shaking his head and making all kinds of noise with the rings. He was driving me crazy, but I chose not to fight this battle; he was not misbehaving in my book in any way. The halter kept him busy while I cleaned his sheath, so it all worked out.

Head shaking: I do want to mention head shaking. This was something that Phil’s previous owner commented about to Elizabeth. Young colts will typically chomp on the bit, shake their heads, travel with their heads cocked to the side, and even travel in zig zag lines. This is completely normal. If you ignore it you’ll find within weeks these behaviors disappear. Just do not let your horse yank the reins from you. Hold steady and let your horse bump himself. If the behavior worsens and is accompanied by crow hopping, bucking, ducking, bolting, etc. you may want to check tack fit. You may also want to rule out any health issues or rider inadequacies.

Evening feeding: During feeding I was catching up on chores. Every time I entered Phil’s pen he acknowledged me with “two eyes.” This is wonderful!
As of 5-22-08 Have Not Sent
Day 26
April 30, 2008

Morning feeding: We had a record setting low last night for this time of the year. I was expecting a lot of “freshness” from my group. As I entered Phil’s pen he started hopping up and down with all four legs off the ground at once. He was very animated. Since he was being polite and hopping in his own space I left him alone. He circled in and I gave him the ritual rub. I brought in his hay and asked him to leave his food dish to clear a path for me to reach his hay rack. He backed with only a wave of 2 fingers. Talking about communicating! Remember the Alpha never walks around the subordinates; they clear a path for her.

Treating. Ok, I’m a stickler for not stuffing my horse’s face full of treats. If you have not established respect in your relationship, treating will lead to a pushy, demanding, mouthy horse that may even bite or strike when a treat is not presented upon demand. I like to treat my horses. It makes me feel good. I feel Phil and I have come to an agreement that I am the Alpha. At this point I can introduce treats. If you absolutely must give treats I would recommend giving them in a bowl. I have a large plastic bowl I purchased from Dollar Tree. Your horse will know the treat is from you because your scent is on the treats. If your horse is demanding a treat then I would suggest skipping the treat or give him a task and then treat….on your terms, not his. I promise your horse will not hold a grudge against you if you do not treat him. The best treat a horse can get is to be left alone.

I used the treats (I like baby carrots and apple nibblets) to ask Phil to stretch. This way Phil stretched on his own without me interfering with what degree he was to stretch. This worked really well. I was able to get Phil to track the treat with his eyes. I started to teach him to bow. Incorporated into this “game” I Phil was ground tied, he used head down cue, vertical/lateral flexion, backing, and disengaging the haunches. The best part was this is bonding time. We are learning how to communicate in a relaxed, non “classroom” setting, no pressures.

Evening feeding: I forgot to feed Phil his hay! As I rounded the barn after feeding and scrubbing troughs down the hill I saw Phil as polite as can be standing in front of his hay rack. He acknowledged me with “two eyes” and I saw the empty hay rack. Wow, this is a breakthrough. In the past, Phil would pace at the gate and paw if his hay rack was empty. Of course, I have been consistent in my requests and follow troughs that he needs to be a gentleman until I get to him. Phil is really starting to “get it.”

Day 27
May 1, 2008

Morning feeding: uneventful.

Releasing your horse: This is a lesson I learned quite well when I was younger. First let me tackle the basics and then I’ll tell the story. Using the correct haltering and leading techniques I led Phil to his new pasture to meet his new friends. They have been nose to nose for 2 weeks now, so I have been able to get a good idea of personality matches. When Phil and I walked through the gate my horses stood far back; they have been taught not to crowd me. I asked Phil to turn on his forehand to face the gate, asked for head down and took off his halter. He has been taught to stay with me (ground tie) until I give him the signal he can leave. I build this into all my horses so I can always exit safely. When I am a safe distance I wave him off. Phil runs to join his new friends. It is a good match. I have chosen to keep Phil in a smaller pasture near the barn, so I can continue to interact with him throughout the day. Also, I can correct unwanted behavior more efficiently in a smaller area. He can still run from me in a 2 acre pasture, but it is easier than the 5-6 acre pastures. He can always catch me (notice he is going to catch me; I’m not going to catch him) and I can put him in the round pen for some thought provoking foot work.

My story. On Christmas Eve 1988, in Chicago, I let my horse, Ptarmigan (Phil looks a lot like him only think Appendix QH not TB), out on a crisp, snowy eve. He was excited to play in the snow. I opened the gate, took off the lead, and just let him take off. Of course he let out a huge rodeo broncing buck and he kicked me in the arm with a shod hind foot. I was wearing several heavy layers of clothing, thank goodness. I stood there watching him play and felt warmness down my right arm. I went back to the barn and peeled off the layers of clothing to see blood soaking everything. I felt ok, so I thought maybe he just broke the skin. I ended up putting Ptarmigan away and driving home. I had no idea I was in shock. When I got home I felt sick and had to confess to my Mother what had happened. I was rushed to the ER and had fractured my humorous and required many, many stitches. If I had known how to properly release Ptarmigan and have his respect I would not have been injured. The ER physicians said it was my heavy clothing that prevented me from going to surgery. Can you imagine if his kick was just 1 foot higher?

Releasing Summary: Face your horse towards the gate. In this position he has to turn around to run or let out a kick. This will give you a window to go to safe distance. Keep other horses away from you. It is dangerous to have your horse’s buddies on top of you wanting to initiate play with your horse. Don’t be afraid to carry a whip to shoo his anxious buddies off. Use head down cue for proper de-haltering technique and to relax your horse. If your horse is rude take him back out of his pasture and ask him to work for you….that means move his feet like he has a purpose. Try again. Repeat until he is polite and you feel safe.

Day 28
May 2, 2008

Catching your horse. Since Phil comes in to eat he comes to me and I halter, lead, and release him a minimum of twice daily. When I catch Phil I have actually taught him to catch me. The last thing I want to do is walk to the end of a 5 acre pasture to catch a horse. Through ground work for respect I have taught Phil to catch me.

First Ride.
Pre-ride checks. I have had 27 days to establish my relationship with Phil. The time spent on the ground will reflect how well we work together under saddle. I tacked Phil up using my roping saddle. I want as much leather under me as possible with the young horses. I did use the snaffle bridle instead of the training headstall with the distracting tassels (chose not to fight that battle). I did some ground work to see where Phil’s mental attitude was before I even attempted to mount. I was prepared to scratch my plan if Phil’s focus wasn’t on me and go back to ground work. Phil passed all “pre ride” checks. One thing I’ve noticed about horse owners is that they catch their horse, groom, tack and ride off without asking their horses “how do you feel today?’ Many “accidents” can be prevented if humans would just take the time to do a little ground work before mounting. If you have established ground work for respect with your horse, like I have with Phil, this may only be a pass to the left and right and maybe a back up from the ground. If Phil was distracted, spooky, or silly, etc. I would postpone my ride and chose to do something else constructive. Unfortunately, humans are so schedule/agenda conscious if they have made the trip to the barn, then by golly they are going to ride.
Mounting: I always use a mounting block no matter how tall the horse. Mounting blocks are the polite way to mount your horse. Now with that said you should be able to easily mount from the ground in case you are in a situation where you cannot stand on a block or tree stump. Phil stood politely as I mounted. I returned the politeness by not jabbing my toe into his side, by swinging my leg over his back gracefully and gently sitting my weight in the saddle. It is very rude to grab the saddle to pull yourself up, haul yourself onto your horse, kick him instead of lifting your leg, and plopping all of your weight into the saddle. We expect our horses to be physically fit enough to carry us, so we owe it to them to be physically able to gently mount and dismount. I purposely fiddled with the stirrups and reins. Phil stood still. Please, do not ever mount a horse that is moving. This is very unsafe. With that said, our OTTBs have to be taught to stand still for mounting. On the track the jockeys are hoisted onto a moving horse’s back; this is what our OTTBs
know.
Flexion. I started by picking up one rein and asked for a soft flex. Phil, like all young horses, took this cue to move his feet. This is ok. He can turn in circles. To make the lesson correct I disengaged his hindquarters and asked him to step over until he makes an effort to give to me. As soon as Phil gives me a hint of his nose, I immediately dropped the reins. I mean I dropped them out of my hands to reward. Phil stopped turning. I continued to ask, Phil stopped turning and starting flexing without moving his feet. When he was doing this consistently I asked him to walk and flex. To reward him quicker as soon as he softened I let him change direction. An observer would accuse Phil of being drunk because we were swerving all over the arena. I was even able to pick up his foot through the feel of the rein and place it several times; this is an advanced move.
Circles. Circles, circles, circles. Since Phil is unbalanced and tends to dip his shoulder into a bend I have to really keep him between my legs. This means at all times I am supporting or directing with legs and/or hands. I make sure I am only supporting with my legs and hands and not nagging. I like to ride along the rail and turn into the rail and then turn back into the middle of the arena. Essentially I am doing figure eights along the rail. I make sure I plan, look where I am going, slightly shift my weight and support with legs/reins. I did have to modify my requests for Phil to accommodate his body build and conditioning. He cannot get under his hocks like my Quarter Horses and roll back, so I execute a little larger circle along the rail.
Test Ride: Once Phil was warmed up and fairly soft I tried out all gears. I was really surprised at how easy it was to post his trot. I didn’t have to work very hard since his trot provided the momentum. I would rate (1 being the worst and 10 the best) his canter a 10 and his hand gallop a 10+. He made an effort to turn on forehand, turn on haunches, and side pass. He even reached for the bit several times and was rewarded by a complete release.
Impulsion. Phil’s previous owner wrote Elizabeth several times about Phil’s lack of impulsion. I was even told that Phil was stubborn because he didn’t have impulsion. I want to take the time to discuss this since it is so easy to label a horse as uncooperative or stubborn. If you can’t get impulsion from your horse it is because your horse is emotionally out of control because he does not respect you. Remember, when I first met Phil I felt he was unstable. This is one of the most frustrating problems humans have with their horses. Plain and simple; Impulsion comes from respect. Respect is something you get on the ground or you don’t. You achieve impulsion by balancing your horse’s mental and physical needs. Many people will stick a band aid on a sucking chest wound and use crops, whips, or spurs to bully their horses. (NOTE: I use training spurs on some of my young prospects so I can communicate a “promise” clearly. One tap from the spur equals 100 exhausting leg kicks which only teach your horse to ignore you. I have developed a very independent leg and seat so the spur will only make contact if the ask and tell have been completely ignored). This will create dangerous habits such as rearing, bolting, ducking, bucking, as your horse will start to out think you to get away from the pressure and find a way to rid you off his back. The first time he tosses you or scares you enough to dismount you have just given him the release he was searching for and he will find his release quicker and quicker each time. Our horses are recreation for us, can we be recreation for them? As I mentioned in an earlier entry I am bored riding in circles in the arena. I try to entertain myself by trying out new things such as instead of riding along the rail going forward, I back my horse around the ring or I look at my surroundings and ask “Can I ride through, under, over, or around it”? Use your imagination.

Day 29
May 3, 2008

We were at a local schooling show today and hauled Phil along. He did not hesitate to load in the trailer even though it was dark.

Phil was shown exhibition in HUS, English Equitation,Western Equitation, Barrels, and Poles. He placed 2rd in hunter in hand and 4th in halter geldings. If we keep up this pace Phil may be eligible for a Year End Reserve In Hand.

Day 30
May 4, 2008

Morning feeding: Even though Phil stood out of my way to pour feed, his posture was very upright and braced. He came within my 16ft feeding space. I asked him with two fingers of pressure to get out of my space; he ignored me. I told him with a stern “BACK” and a wave; he half-heartedly made an effort to back. I immediately promised by up-righting my posture, squealing, and kicking dirt at him. He moved off and knew the drill. He would try to circle in at every opportunity, but I kept the pressure on him until I saw a submissive body posture. I circled the pen and he kept “two eyes” on me (a sign of respect). I asked for a back and turn on haunches with just a suggestion from my finger. I moved him in and out of his feeding dish just to reinforce I am Alpha. You must be on your game at all times. Phil must have sensed I wasn’t completely focused on him and he let me know it….Lesson on me this morning.

After breakfast Paige, my 10 yr. old daughter, and I tacked up for a morning ride. Phil was a little snotty about bridling this morning. I insisted on head down and would not remove the bridle from his face until he lowered his head. A mistake many people make when a horse is acting rude about bridling is they take away the bridle to reposition themselves each time the horse moves his head. This rewards the horse and teaches him that as long as head his is moving he is going to get a release. I held the bit in position and held the crownpiece with some mane so the bridle would not slip. It didn’t take Phil long at all to comply and he was rewarded with gentle bridling.

I did a little ground work and Phil said he was “ok.” I warmed up in the arena with asking for softness through flexion. Paige and I had set up barrels. I love using the barrels to teach bending. The barrel acts as a visual for me to gage how Phil is bending. It also gives Phil an incentive not to drop a shoulder into the barrel. The barrels are also a fun way to teach softness, bending, and circling. Paige and I like to play follow the leader and race against each other by weaving around the barrels at a trot. I asked Phil for a left lead canter departure from a trot. He gave me the right lead. This is ok. I just circled tighter and tighter on the incorrect lead to see if he would be willing to change. Phil said “no thank you”. I asked for another canter departure while circling to the left and he let out several sissy bucks. Phil was telling me he emotionally isn’t ready to learn lead changes. Since I started the left lead request I wanted to him to at least give it a try. He finally did give me a left lead and after 3 strides I dropped the reins for a reward and dismounted.

I will sometimes spend up to 30 days just walking and trotting. I will not move on to the canter or correct lead departures until I have complete control over the feet at a walk/trot. I have found that if a solid foundation is made at the walk and trot gaits, the canter seems to just fall in place. I also spend a lot of time working on leads in the round pen un-mounted teaching the “kiss” pre-cue. This means less work for me in the saddle.

First trail ride. Paige and I headed out for a short trail ride. The dogs were with us. Phil was ok with the dogs running up on us and jumping in and out of the woods. When we returned we spent a few more minutes in the arena. I asked Phil to step over the 18” jumps set up. He was hesitant about stepping over the oxer. I dropped the reins and gave him his head. I only kept a supporting leg on him and took my leg off immediately every time he thought about stepping over. I do want to mention with the young horses if you keep constant pressure on them either physical or mental they will find their own release by rearing and this can easily lead to habit. As soon as Phil stepped over the oxer I jumped off him and loosened the cinch. This was a good time to stop.

Day 31
May 5, 2008

Tacked Phil up only today I used a haltermore. A haltermore is a rope halter made into a bridle only there is no bit. It does not use poll pressure like the bitless bridles that can create dangerous habits such as rearing in uneducated hands. The noseband is wrapped so it doesn’t have the “bite” of the rope halter. I had this custom made with a 22 foot mecate. I use this to start the colts, so there isn’t any worry about a bit in the mouth. I also like the mecate available so I can dismount and do ground work if I need to work through a situation from the ground. Phil has a hard mouth, so I hope to soften him by creating a trust that I’m going to stay out of his mouth. I can easily see OTTBs developing hard mouths since the horse balances himself on his jockey’s hands. A horse with a soft mouth is very important to me. He has done fairly well with my soft hands, but I wanted to see if I could get more relaxation, a lowered head, and rounded back without the worry of the bit. Since Phil has had 30 days of ground work he is familiar with pressure/release, so the haltermore will not be that difficult for him to figure out. Many clients always ask “Aren’t you worried your horse is going to run away from you without a bit?” The answer is no. If I have done my homework correctly my horse has enough respect for me that running away is not an option. I have also built in “spook in place” and I have the ability to disengage the hindquarters at any time. Any horse can be ridden without a bit or bridle if you have put in the time on the ground properly. I did some ground work and worked Phil through his transitions in the round pen. When I felt he was focused I mounted and started with flexion.
More colt behavior. I am asking Phil to flex further and further. I am now asking him to flex to my toe. He still is only flexing at the neck and hasn’t given me his shoulder yet. This will come as he becomes conditioned. Phil took this as an invitation to grab my toe with his lips. I returned with a quick jab of my toe to his mouth. I did not hurt him, I just made him uncomfortable. Many people think this game is cute until their horse takes the game a little too far and bites their foot. It is best to discourage this behavior on the first attempt. Make sure you do hit your target or it does become a game to your horse if you miss his nose. He will be quicker and smarter than you next time. It only took one discouraging jab on each side and Phil got back to business.

I navigated Phil in figure eights again. This time the turns had to be tighter since we were in the round pen. I also had loose horses around the pen which is a good test to see if Phil was going to focus on me or the other horses. Phil stayed focused on me which shows I have made great progress developing myself as Phil’s Alpha. No impulsion issues, no focus issues…..time to stop. I dismounted, loosened the cinch and let Phil relax in the shade as he was ground tied.

Day 32
May 6, 2008

Hobbles. Most of the traveling clinicians will not discuss hobbling because it brings about strong emotions from those that do not understand the value or concept of hobbling. Hobbling in inexperienced hands can be a disaster for horse and handler, but in the proper hands it is invaluable training. If you have done your homework with ground work for respect and desensitizing your horse’s legs, hobbling will not concern your horse one bit. Hobbling teaches patience and builds the ultimate trust between horse and handler. Think about it for a minute. If you take away your horse’s ability to flee your horse must have 100% respect and trust in you. Hobbling comes in handy if you need to leave your horse. The following is a true story which happened at the barn where I used to board: Two ladies were enjoying the trails during hunting season one winter afternoon. A gunshot spooked one horse and threw his rider. The rider broke her hip and her friend had to go back to the barn immediately to call for help. The spooked horse had to be tied up by his reins. The horse tied by his reins wrapped himself around the tree and pulled back. The reins snapped and he took off. This caused the hurt owner to absolutely panic. She now was in complete emotional and physical distress because she was so worried about her loose horse. The horse was caught hours later running down the highway. If the spooked horse would have been trained to hobble, the second rider could have easily unbuckled one rein and hobbled the horse. The rider who broke her hip was told by the surgeon that she would not ride again. Three months later she was riding and is still riding to this day.

I hobbled Phil in the grass arena. It took him a few minutes to get the hang of the hobbles. He was content to inch along eating grass. I put some pressure on him so he could really give the hobbles a try. This is where the experience comes in. I only put enough pressure on him to make him hop. Too much pressure and you can have a horse with hobble burns or worse a broken leg. Hobbling is taught over many sessions. A good time is when your horse is cooling off.

As you can see I spent 27 days on the ground with Phil before I attempted to ride. I did not have a prescribed amount of days of ground work. I schooled on the ground until I felt I had Phil’s respect and that his balking was under control. I will continue my journal entries on a weekly basis. The ground work will continue along with schooling under saddle. Phil will be educated in the Western, English, and Halter disciplines. He obviously will have talents suited for one discipline over another, however the education of the all around horse is valuable. The one piece of advice I want to give about training is don’t develop tunnel vision. There is a lot to learn from the other disciplines. Go out and run barrels with your OTTB, chase some cows, try saddle seat, or a side saddle, or a trail obstacle course. You’ll be amazed at how much better he’ll clock around the course or improve his dressage scores. You’ll also become a better rider.

Days 33-39

The ground work is reinforced every day whether it is actual moving Phil’s feet in the round pen or by simply leading him from pasture to barn. I try to be creative and my have him serpentine or walk backwards while going from barn to pasture.

In the arena I have been focusing on softening and lateral flexion at walk and trot. Phil and I have been bending around the barrels, trees and every single corner in the arena. Tuesday Phil did have a mini meltdown and wanted to drift to the gate. I held him steady and just kept riding. When Phil became ugly I shouted a firm” NO” and kept the outside leg pressure on until he figured out his own release. As long as I had control of his nose and feet he could not rear, buck, or bolt. He did briefly think about rearing and I kept him to task. Contrary to popular belief if your horse is giving you a warning (they always do) instead of stopping their motion, push them into the motion by switching directions every two-three steps, ask for a roll back, drive them into a tight circle, etc . Remember stopping their feet is a reward. By stopping them you are allowing them to collect and thus have more power to buck, rear, bolt, etc. Instead, get control of their nose using the built in foundation of lateral flexion, keep the head up, and disengage the hindquarters. A horse cannot buck if his hindend is disengaged. A horse cannot rear if his feet are in motion. A horse cannot bolt if you control his nose. These are just basic theories of physics. I let Phil work through his mini tantrum while continuing to bend around the barrels until he softened in my hands. I released the reins and let him rest. After the meltdown, Phil was a soft, relaxed horse and I even had to check him with halt halts every once in a while. His work ethic was renewed.

Days 40-47

Phil was muscle sore in his shoulder area on Monday. He has been in a larger pasture and playing a bit wreckless. I thought it would be fun to teach Phil some tricks such as bowing and shaking. In this lesson, ground manners (my space/your space, no eating grass, lateral flexion 2 oz. of pressure) and head down cue were reinforced. Chiropractic stretching was accomplished along with teaching to bow. It was a win-win situation. It was fun for both of us.

Phil recovered from his muscle soreness by Tuesday. The remainder of the week I worked him on the ground in the round pen until he was soft and responsive before riding. This week we were working on the left lead. Phil will pick up the right lead every time from a walk or trot. I choose to teach the canter in the 60ft round pen because I don’t have to worry about keeping Phil in a circle. I can concentrate on rewarding him for picking the correct lead and not worry about Phil scooting off in another direction to avoid my leg. It also gives Phil a visual/ physical guide to circling and bending. Phil knows the pre cue to a canter as a “kiss”, so I only have to use a little leg for support.

I am starting to see a completely different horse. Phil is now trying to please me. We are starting to communicate.

This past weekend Phil participated in another show. He brought home ribbons in Halter, Showmanship, Equitation and even tried out pole bending and cloverleaf barrels. He was a gentleman the entire day.

Days 48-54
Week of May 25th

I have a funny story to tell about Phil this week. I am back teaching this summer semester, so Dan is feeding again in the mornings I teach. Dan told me that he poured Phil’s feed and headed to the gate without giving Phil the ritual head rub. Dan said Phil kept dancing around in front of him as he headed to the gate. He thought Phil was acting really strange until it dawned on him Phil was looking for his head rub. Dan rubbed Phil’s head and Phil trotted off to his feed. Like many OTTBs our horses thrive on a constant routine. We must always hold up our end of the bargain.

Emergency dismount. This week I worked on the emergency dismount. If you ride, you are going to have a fall. It happens to everyone, eventually. A fall doesn’t have to be scary or dangerous if you have taught yourself and your horse what to do in such a situation. You may be jolted out of your seat by a few rough strides, your horse may trip, you may have a sudden sliding stop due to a terrifying, horse-eating monster (possibly a rabbit or a bird, or a flapping plastic bag). The last thing I want to do is scare Phil, have Phil trample me, or have to go catch him after a jolting fall. So, I am going to give myself a plan and desensitize Phil to me jumping off his back. Ultimately, I am going to teach him to stop if I ever fall off.

Safety First. There are several safety measures you can take, to minimize the effect of any fall. You always must wear a helmet; you don’t know when you are going to fall, and you don’t have enough time to zip over to the tack room and grab your helmet on the way down. You may feel dorky wearing a helmet, but think how much more dorky it would feel to wear a wheelchair. I will tell you I was once bucked off so hard by a youngster that my helmet cracked when I hit the soft grass. Food for thought.

This lesson was to benefit the both of us. I wanted to teach Phil that if I ever fell off he is to stop. It was also important to desensitize Phil to me coming out of the saddle. Starting with ground work I asked Phil if he was ready and his ear on me and quick responses to my requests told me he was ready to get to work. Using the haltermore (I didn’t want to risk pulling at his mouth) and riding bareback I practiced a dismount off the right and left sides at a stand still. Phil doesn’t seem bothered by this. I dismounted at a walk and then a trot. Phil was somewhat bothered by me swinging off at the trot on the right side. This may be because I was uncoordinated dismounting off the right side. I need more practice; Phil was fine. Each time I dismounted I said “Whoa.” I used the mecate that was tucked in my belt loop to back him once I was on the ground if he didn’t come to a complete halt. Once he halted he immediately got a release.

Leading without a halter or lead rope. Phil is now leading to and from his pasture and the barn without a halter or lead rope. I am looping the lead around his neck, but will eventually not even use the lead. Phil will eagerly follow me without me holding on to the lead. The lead is just a prop. Watch a herd follow the Alpha mare and you will see them follow her without asking any questions.

More ground work. I introduced Phil to a new ground work exercise. I put the lead rope around his hips. I pulled the rope until it disengaged his hindquarters and Phil moved around 180 degrees facing me. He was very worried about the rope behind him. I observed this “hole” and went back a few lessons to desensitize him to the rope behind his hocks and hips. This is a good example of how I started with a planned lesson on disengaging the hindquarters and ended up going back a few lessons to basic desensitizing based on Phil’s behavior. This is what I call student directed learning. Phil told me he was not ready to move on and needed a refresher on rope desensitizing. I reviewed our previous lessons of tossing the rope over his back, shoulder, and head. I ended the lesson when Phil stood relaxed with a cocked hind foot. It was a good confidence builder for him.

Riding lesson. My 10 year old daughter, Paige, rode Phil in a lesson this week (see pictures) She walked, trotted, cantered, and jumped some 18” crossrails during her lesson. Phil took both his leads correctly for Paige. I was impressed.

May 31, 2008
Day 55
Another horse show!
Southern Hospitality Mini-Circuit. Phil loaded on the trailer like a professional. He was well behaved at the show. Phil brought home more ribbons in Hunter In Hand, Equitation, and Open English Pleasure. Phil and I even tried a pattern class! In the Equitation class I had to drop my irons. The irons were tapping Phil on his sides and he did not let those irons bother him one bit.

Week of June 1st-7th
Days 56-62

Hauled to Hitchcock Woods for a group trail ride. Phil loaded and unloaded on to an unfamiliar trailer without any fuss. We had a very relaxed (on the buckle) and enjoyable trail ride. Phil crossed water and wooden bridges. He was a little excited with the new surroundings and new horses, but I did a little bit of ground work before mounting and when he focused on me I mounted. I asked for lateral flexion until Phil was super soft and then headed out for the trails.

One Rein Stop. Last week Phil and I worked on the emergency dismount. This week I want to talk about the controversial one rein stop. There are two philosophies about the one rein stop. The first one is if you teach your horse to immediately stop and soften every time you pick up one rein, you have a better chance of gaining control if your horse suddenly spooks or takes off. This would be his “warm, soft, cozy place of comfort.” The other philosophy is that the one rein stop can be dangerous. By unbalancing your horse while he is moving could result in your horse running into an obstacle such as a tree or fence at a high speed or worse flipping over on you. Both of these situations have happened to me. I have built the one rein stop into Phil from day one by teaching flexing and softening every time I pick up the lead or reins. I have not necessarily used this technique to stop Phil, so this week I will put our work to the test. Phil was responsive to the one rein stop at a walk, but was unbalanced at the trot and had a hard time disengaging his hindend. Phil is not built like my QHs, so I have to work more on tight circles which would improve his balance. I am also going to start working on modified roll backs to improve his balance and build up muscle in his hindquarters. I do not expect him to dig in and roll over his hocks, but I do want him to lift his front feet over and across. He already does this when I ground drive him in the pen. I rode in the round pen for this exercise. Phil smacked his head a lot on the panels, but finally figured out how to clumsily roll over his hocks and get his nose out of the way. I used my weight as a pre cue to signal I was going to ask for a chance of direction. I also used a gracious direct rein that Phil could visualize to guide him. When doing this exercise you have to have your horse really moving his feet and be prepared for a feeling of a mini rear as your horse rolls over and back. Stay relaxed, stay out of your horse’s mouth, and only use your legs as a directional guide, or your horse will rear to release the pressure. Although, I am not crazy about this as an emergency brake, I do like the exercise because it incorporates a lot of little lessons into one and improves the rider’s balance and timing. It also works on lateral flexion. Remember lateral flexion is the key to vertical flexion, not martingales, tie downs, or harsh bits (in my opinion).

I do want to mention that I took a video of my daughter riding Phil in her lesson. Phil did not travel with his nose in the air and a hollow back like he did when he first started with me. The video shows Phil traveling in a more relaxed way and even working on the bit for a few strides. My daughter did not ask Phil to school on the bit, he did this on his own. I wish I had video of Phil when he first arrived and traveled with his nose to the sky. The difference is remarkable and he has only had 30 days under saddle with me. I really want to stress that I DID NOT use any restraining devices (martingales, side reins, tie downs, flex/neck stretch reins, harsh bits). Our horses can learn to relax, round, track up, and work on the bit without those band aids. Lateral flexion is the secret, plain and simple.

Phil is enjoying farm life. It is only the first week of June and here in South Carolina we have already hit 98 degrees. The kids and I wear our bathing suits for afternoon chores. My daughter’s job is to fill up all the water tanks. She particularly likes to spray the horses with the hose and horses really appreciate the cool shower. I was really surprised to see Paige spraying Phil as he presented his front, sides, and rear for a nice hose down. Phil promptly rolled and stood up caked with mud; at least he’ll have clean pores. It was so nice to see him really enjoy himself. He is slowly emerging from his shell and a fun-loving horse is coming forth.

Week of June 8th-June 14th
Days 63-69

At the show last weekend I witnessed a horse rubbing his head on his handler. I over heard the handler comment that her horse was “loving” on her. This is an all too common scenario. When I first met Phil I saw him rub his head on his owner; this was a very calculated move to dominate his owner. I would like to discuss this rude, dominating, obnoxious behavior. A horse rubbing his head on you is telling you he’s in control. He is not only in your space, but he views you as he would a fence post or tree, not a leader. Think about it. You will absolutely never see the subordinate herd members rub their heads on the Alpha mare. You may occasionally see a subordinate rubbing his head on a lower ranking member. Clearly, this behavior is not to be tolerated. Phil has never attempted to rub his head on me, but I work every day to remain the Alpha. Another common occurrence I see is a horse bumping his handler with his shoulder when he is led or moving a hip towards his handler during grooming. I have yet to see any handler correct their horse for this threatening behavior. If a horse can feel a fly land on them, they sure know they have bumped into you. It is these little infractions that build up over time into big problems. Many times people say “I don’t know what happened, he just one day charged and reared at me when I brought him his food”. No, what happened is all the infractions went unnoticed and uncorrected until the horse felt he was now in control. This is how horses get labeled as “bad” or “dangerous” horses and end up passing from owner to owner or worse get sent to auction. In reality, the behavior was never the horse’s fault; it was the uneducated owner or handler that is to blame. This is why I am so passionate about passing on the knowledge.

A good example is Phil. He had aggressive behavior that stemmed from his lack of confidence, like the bully at school. He was mislabeled because he was misunderstood.

A minor set back. Phil appears to have a sole bruise on his left hoof. He shows all the classic signs. I have started to pack his hoof twice a day. Through my many years of observations many owners stop working with their horse when he is recuperating or worse let their horse get away with more “pet behaviors” than ever because they feel sorry for their horse. I am emphatic and sympathetic to Phil’s soreness; I don’t believe our learning has to stop. In fact, I tacked up Phil today, led him to the round pen, and mounted, even with his wrapped hoof. I am not heavy enough to cause any discomfort to Phil. I asked for lateral flexion. This exercise we can work on standing in the shade. Phil ignored my requests and even closed his eyes in a lazy way. I asked him to disengage his hindquarters; this caused him some hoof discomfort and he woke up. I spent 30 minutes flexing. Phil only half heartedly flexed, but I was tenacious and kept up my requests. The bar has been raised, so I expect Phil to give me his face, neck and shoulder at this point. Phil finally worked through his mental block and as soon as he was soft as melted butter in my hands, I jumped down and loosened the girth.

I walk Phil to and from the barn twice daily without a halter. Phil goes into a stall during the heat of the day. Phil and I feel comfortable enough with each other that I can climb up on his back while he is in his stall.

The farrier was out on Saturday. It was apparent that Phil has typical TB dropped soles. This is just a generic description of a soft sole that grows faster than the hoof wall. I opted to go ahead and put some light front shoes on Phil since I have been hauling him where the terrain isn’t always sand. Phil jogged out sound after shoeing.

Days 70-76
June 15th-21st

Phil is back in training. To regain some lost conditioning from the past 2 weeks I have gone back to the round pen. Remember the round pen is not used to chase your horse around in circles to exercise him. I think up creative ways to move Phil’s feet right, left, back, forward, sideways. Phil was really tuned in to me and moved with just a suggestion from my finger. Now, that is communication. He did get a bit silly and wanted to canter when I was only asking for a trot, but he wasn’t doing anything disrespectful, so I stood submissive in the center of the pen and let him play. He only cantered 3 laps and circled right in to me; Phil was telling me he was ready to focus. I walked around the pen and he happily hooked on/joined up. I set up a raised cavalletti for him to trot over. I also introduced Phil to a beach ball using approach and retreat method. The ball was left in our yard by the kids and I thought it would be neat to introduce the ball to Phil. When Phil nosed the ball and it rolled I thought that I may try clicker training to teach more tricks (read introducing new objects). Phil wasn’t really concerned with the ball, so I was able to toss it over his back and head, roll it under his belly, and roll it off his hindend. He was ground tied, so he did have the option to say “No thank you”. I am always looking at my surroundings and thinking “How can I incorporate this into a lesson?” Be creative!

Introducing a new object. When introducing a new object to your horse whether it is a ball, a garbage can, trash bag, a jump, or tarp you must ditch the human thinking and think like he does. Horses are prey animals, their predators ambush and attack from behind, so any new object should be displayed in front of him at a comfortable distance. If he is concerned about the object let him look at it and think the situation over. He may be surveying for the quickest escape route, so keep his attention with rhythmic tugs on the rope halter when he tips his nose away from you and be sure to immediately release for any effort to acknowledge you. If he feels like he needs to move his feet, give him a task such as backing. If he is snorting then he is really concerned or excited and he may need to burn off some freshness before you ask him to focus. If the object poses no threat to him, his curiosity will take over and he’ll inch closer to investigate. Remember, he will serpentine to the object, you should do the same. Many times I have seen handlers either lead their horse directly to the object or bring the object to their horse; this is human thinking. Let your horse make his own decisions. You are there as his cheerleader. If your horse will not make any attempt to investigate you can pull the object away from him and let him follow (for example if you are riding and your friend is pulling the object away from your horse) or you can go up to the object as if you were a horse and bend down to smell the object. I always say “Monkey see, monkey do”. I sometimes have to teach the newly weaned foals how to eat pellets out of a dish. I bend down and pretend I’m investigating and eating the pellets. It doesn’t take long before the foal’s nose is in the dish checking out what I am doing. This technique works well if you aren’t worried about what you look like to the public.

Tail swatting and flatulence. Yes, you read correctly. I don’t know about you, but I cannot stand to be swatted in the face by a horse’s tail when I am bent over picking out back feet or grooming a hindquarter. In my opinion, this is a very disrespectful behavior. Over the years I have witnessed handlers take the abuse from their horses in the form of pseudo fly kicking, violet tail whipping, leaning on the handler when picking feet or grooming. I’m sure everybody can relate to the feeling of a violet tail lashing across their sweaty face at one time or another.

When Phil first arrived he showed me all of his rude tricks. One of the best tricks was Phil’s accuracy to swat me in the face at the precise moment I was bending down to pick up a hoof. I also endured Phil’s flatulence when I was bent over in a vulnerable position. I could easily see a pile of poop dropped on my head like a B12 bomber releasing a bomb on the intended target as Phil’s encore. In a herd, it is not uncommon for a higher ranking member to poop on or in close proximity to a lower ranking member to show dominance. This is especially true with stallions when they mark their territory with stud piles. Each time Phil attempted to swat me I grabbed his tail and said “NO!” Sometimes I would hold his tail and lift a hind leg and say “NO!” (you have a 3 second window). By lifting his leg I was mentally taking away his ability to flee. Obviously, I couldn’t physically hold him. I released when he gave a submissive posture like flopping his ears to the side, softening his eye, lowering his head, blinking, or licking his lips. Here is my secret to this exercise. First, I did ground work for respect, second, I sprayed Phil with plenty of fly spray, and third, I never altered the game plan. My goal was to set him up for success, so no excuses to swat at flies. I reinforce this exercise every time I am working near or around his hindquarters. Today, Phil politely keeps his tail still until I move out of swatting range. I no longer am threatened by flatulence or B12 bombings. You may be laughing and that is OK. This was a behavior I chose to rehabilitate.

Days 77-83
June 22-28

Training Tid Bit. I work a lot with lateral flexion. Since I do not school everyday under saddle I incorporate flexion into my daily routine. I have made it a habit to ask for lateral flexion every time I halter. If Phil is stiff, I grab hold of mane near his withers to keep tension until he gives. I set a fairly easy goal of flexing 5 times on each side. If I feel Phil is particularly stiff on one side I will flex until he is soft.

Everytime you are within eyesight of your horse you are either training or undoing the training.

Our family was on vacation this week, so no training entries.

Days 84-90
June 29-July 5

90 Day Progress report
• Extremely well behaved in all aspects of daily interaction from de worming to under saddle
• Balking has disappeared
• No problem with impulsion
• Rearing was not an issue and no signs of rearing present
• Ear sensitivity has disappeared
• Head shyness has disappeared
• Girthy behavior has disappeared
• Polite and patient on cross ties
• Stands quietly for bathing
• No snacking on grass while working for handler
• Trailer loads and hauls politely
• Tolerates lifting tail and taking temp
• No problem cleaning sheath
• Absolutely no threats of biting or kicking
• Halter broke-comes to be caught even in a large pasture, puts head enthusiastically in halter, tips nose towards handler, lowers head, ties patiently, ground ties patiently, can be lead anywhere and light on end of lead
• Enthusiastically accepts bit during bridling
• Rides in haltermore (no bit)
• Yields to less than 4 oz of pressure
• Responds to slightest cue from handler in round pen (I just look in the direction I want him to travel)
• Feeding manners are excellent
• De worms without halter or lead
• Rain no longer bothers him
• Comfortable with 24/7 turnout
• Noticeably more free movement from shoulder
• Increased flexibility
• Still tight in hindend, but improved
• Does not travel with nose in the air anymore or hollow back-still needs improvement
• Responds to pre cues such as cluck (trot), kiss (canter), whoa
• Absolutely loves the trails and has never spooked, bucked, or bolted
• Tolerates the hunting dogs on the trail and in his pasture
• Bending improved
• Backing softly
• Takes correct leads
• Free jumps 3’ with tons of scope and room to spare, nice tightly tucked knees, ears always alert and forward
• Turns on haunches and front end
• Beginning to side pass at walk
• Will open gate with rider in saddle
• Will walk through cattle chute with rider
• Tolerates rope thrown off of him
• Natural flying changes, but not consistent under saddle yet-more advanced work and haven’t pushed
• Is ridden by a 10 year old on flat and over cross rails
• Ridden by non riding 13 year old independently at walk and over ground poles
• Show Record!

One of my most significant benchmarks for my clients when I am training a horse is if I my kids do not ride their horse during the time he is with me then they shouldn’t be riding him either. Phil passed the child test.

Safety Concerns

We attended an AQHA show at Clemson this week and I made several observations that I felt were worth mentioning.

Stall Safety. We had a stall neighbor that had a horse that would spin his hindend to his handler as she entered the stall. I watched as she confidently walked in the stall as her horse pinned his ears and spun his head away from her to evade the halter (she was a brave soul). At one point, her horse spun and pinned her against the stall wall. This handler was a statistic waiting to happen.

Never enter a stall with your horse’s head facing away from you. This is not only dangerous, but it is disrespectful. Always insist your horse turn to face you and give you two eyes. How would you feel if you greeted a friend and they turned their back to you and ignored you? First, set him up for success and let him know you are approaching. If you just walk up to him and throw open the stall door and shout “Surprise!” you deserve a kick. You may have to call to him or cluck if he is facing the back of the stall. If you have to put some pressure on him to move him, do so. If you need to, use a lunge whip as a visual aid to wave or if you have to tap him on top on his hindquarters to get his attention, do so (don’t stand behind him, he can’t see you). Phil used to present me with his hindend in the beginning. I used to have to cluck and wave my arm to drive him around the stall to face me. Now, I call to him as I am walking down the aisle and he turns to face the stall door.

Leading your horse between an object. In the warm up arena I saw several handlers walking their horses and putting their own safety at risk. I noticed the handlers walking between their horse and the rail even though they were on the left side. This is extremely dangerous especially in a ring full of riders with questionable horsemanship skills and/or horses that may kick, bolt, spook, or throw their rider. I know we have all been in a situation where a rider came off and their horse ran wild terrorizing every horse and rider in the arena. Those handlers could easily be pinned up against the rail by their horse in an unexpected moment. This is why I advocate teaching your horse to lead on his right and left sides. Always put your horse between you and the object. You will always have an escape route.

Leading manners for the handler. The relationship goes both ways. We expect our horses to be polite and respectful to us and we must do the same for them, so don’t set your horse up for failure. I also saw too many handlers dragging their horses around at this show. I saw one handler pull her horse on top of her to turn him around. I watched as her horse stepped on her foot and she reached up and slapped him in the face. When you are leading your horse either with a lead rope or the reins and want to turn around or change directions, ask your horse to yield away from you. This method prevents your horse from stepping on you, bumping into you, and keeps him out of your space. This is the safe and polite way to maneuver your horse. If you were a Pony Clubber then I’m sure you practiced this every time you jogged out before a rally. I had to teach Phil to yield to my hand to turn away. Essentially, he was pivoting on his hindend. Now, I just hold up the lead or reins at cheek level (so he can see my request) and cluck if he needs some momentum. I never pull him to me because I have worked so hard at establishing my space, your space and it would be unfair to him if I were to change the rules.

Focus on your horse. We expect our horses to focus on us and be ready for the next cue, so hold up your end of the bargain and stay focused on him. All over the show grounds I witnessed handlers ignoring what their horses were trying to tell them. Handlers were busy catching up on stories while their horses were pinning their ears back at each other until one horse decided the other horse needed to move and swung his hindend around and kicked the other horse. The handlers were taken by surprise and both lashed out at their horses unfairly. This was not only a dangerous situation for the handlers, but both horses were unfairly punished due to their handler not holding up their end of the bargain.

If I have a horse on the end of the lead or reins, he is working for me and I am working for him. If I am engaged in conversation I keep my horse in my peripheral view. He will be standing about 4-6 feet away from me depending upon where his education is at the time. If my horse tells me he is not comfortable standing still I will excuse myself, usually in a hurry (3 seconds), and ask my horse to perform a task. The task will depend upon his education level and the situation. For example, the ones in the early stages of learning may need a minute or two of ground driving to switch their thinking and a more educated one may need just to back a step or two.

Wear A Helmet! Ok, I don’t want to sound like your mother, but I am a super advocate for helmets. I don’t care if you ride saddle seat, western, english, bareback, etc. Every time you get on a horse, even if you are just going to sit on your friend’s horse as he is cooling out, WEAR A HELMET. If no helmet is available then skip the invitation to climb aboard. I really would like to see the AQHA pass a regulation requiring all riders to wear a helmet. What is the difference between jumping where helmets are part of the dress code and barrel racing where a flimsy western hat is worn? Both are fast and dangerous sports. How about those derby hats worn by the saddleseat/country seat riders? I would hate to take a tumble from a fast racking horse and get stepped on by those extremely heavy stacked shoes. I am taking helmet use to the next step and encourage helmet use every time you sit on a horse. Wearing a helmet is also a wise idea when ground driving for respect. Re read my story of how I broke a cheek bone and now have 3 budging disks in my neck from ground work with a rank horse.

I can’t remember how many sightings I had at the show of riders and their family members without helmets. The moment the riders left the ring, off came the helmet.

I didn’t always wear a helmet. I was enlightened several years ago when my daughter came running up to me with my helmet when I was going to ride. Paige said “Mommy, don’t forget your helmet”! She must have been 4 or 5 years old and she was just frantic that I forgot my helmet. It was so clear to me at that moment that I must set the example for not only my children, but for other people. Many times at clinics and shows I am the only one in my class wearing a helmet. I have never been penalized, only complimented from the judges at the AQHA/NFQHA shows. If real men (and women) wear pink then how come they can’t wear an ASTM/SEI certified helmet? Food for thought.

Days 91-97
July 6-12

If it ain’t raining, you ain’t training. This is an old military saying that echoes in my ears when it rains from my time on active duty (Army). It was very applicable to this week’s training. It seemed every time I tacked up Phil and started some warm up ground work the sky would just open up. Phil and I schooled in the down pours on several occasions. Holding up to my end of the bargain Phil and I used this opportunity to review basic lessons and try new ones such as w-t-c through puddles. It only took a reinforcing leg to encourage Phil to navigate through the puddle. If I wasn’t on top of my game he side passed or jumped the puddle.

Now, playing devil’s advocate, I could have easily un tacked Phil when it started to rain and put him up. However, I would have taught Phil that when it rains he is going in his stall. As you can see I would create a huge training issue in the future. If riding in the pouring rain isn’t your cup of tea and you’ve made the trip to the barn already, then I would suggest tacking up (to give sense of work) and work on previous lessons that can be done safely in the barn aisle (head down cue, haltering, backing, leading etc.). This would also be a great opportunity to teach a trick such as bowing or shaking. Use your imagination and be creative.

Gymkhana Under the Stars.
We showed at night under the lights. This was a new experience for Phil. He handled the new situation like a professional. We did show in pole bending, cloverleaf barrels, key hole, and arena race at walk-trot. Phil and I also tried our skills with the egg and spoon race. Phil brought home a few ribbons, but his future career is not that of a gaming horse; he is too slow.

Lessons for Phil at gymkhana. Phil had to bend and really listen to my cues in these games. He also was the model of good behavior for the geared up, excitable gaming horses that charged at full speed down the alley way. While the other horses were wild eyed and full of nervous energy, Phil was not the least bit interested in wasting his energy acting so ridiculous. I was very proud of him.

Whipper In Training
Fly whisk and Hunting Whip. Phil was introduced to a fly whisk and a hunting whip this week. Humorous note: The hunting whip was actually home décor turned training aid. The things we do for our horses. During the summer I ride with a fly whisk and experience has taught me that you don’t just grab the whisk and start shooing flies out on the trail on a horse that hasn’t had a formal acquaintance with the whisk. Not much bothers Phil, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. All of my homework building trust and establishing a relationship with Phil has allowed easy introduction of new objects. If I am not concerned then Phil isn’t concerned. After our trail ride, when Phil was cooling out, I brought out a hunting whip. I desensitized the air and cracked the whip just like I do with any new object until Phil was unconcerned. When I felt Phil was relaxed I mounted and asked for softness. When Phil was soft I swung the whip on each side and above his head. If Phil felt like he had to move his feet that was ok, he was just going to move his feet under my direction. It didn’t take Phil long to figure out that moving his feet was just too much work and it was easier to just stand still. I cracked the whip in using rhythmic timing (the best I could) until Phil cocked a back leg and relaxed. As soon as he relaxed I stopped and released. Now, are the Aiken Hounds going to hire me as a whipper in, probably not, but it was great exposure for Phil when we do hunt with our friends this fall.

Fox Hunting

If you love to trail ride, jump, and enjoy the company of other horse crazy folks, but don’t want to compete, then Fox Hunting just may be your kind of recreation. The first time I was introduced to hunting, I had the preconceived idea that hunting was a glorified trail ride. Well, I was in for a huge surprise when I learned that there is a whole sub culture to fox hunting to include their own Bible; The Hunt Bible. To avoid any faux pas on your part, I’m going to suggest reading Riding To Hounds In America, An Introduction For Foxhunters, written by William P. Wadsworth, MFH. It is an oldie, but goodie filled with humorous illustrations. For those of you hunting with inexperienced horses, please tie a GREEN ribbon into your horse’s tail to alert other riders that your horse is a “newbie.”

Training isn’t glamorous. I was thinking to myself as Phil and I were working on more bending, flexion, and softness that I don’t want folks to envision Phil and I cantering off into the sunset learning lead changes. No, in fact, I hardly do any of the fun, exciting stuff. I rarely canter at this stage of learning. The time I do spend in the saddle I walk and trot. I would probably put an audience to sleep. For example, I spend a lot of time bending into the round pen panel and away from the panel. Phil has to almost hug my inside leg with in these tight circles. I have found that if you put a lot of time into your walk and trot everything else seems to fall into place.

Do I finally have Phil’s respect? The answer is NO. I feel Phil has about 50% respect for me as a human. In some situations I mean more to him than other times. A good example is when I was cooling Phil out on the trail and I rode by the broodmare pastures. The mares came running up to see Phil and I knew what was going to happen before it happened because I was listening to Phil. Long before the mares appeared, Phil’s head was high, back hollow, and his body stiff. He wasn’t even giving me a thought. Just as the mares came thundering to the fence I emergency dismounted and as quick as I could get the reins over Phil’s head I backed him down the trail with a purpose (I was running, he was backing). I was trying to get his brain to switch from instinct to thinking by giving him a purposeful task. Once he softened (he was thinking now) I brought him back to the barn. To avoid creating a barn sour issue I backed him (notice I did not lead him, I backed him) to the round pen and put his feet into motion (going back to the barn doesn’t always mean it’s quitting time). Once I had “two eyes” on me. I put the rope halter on him and untacked. I wanted to make sure the last experience Phil had on the trail was one of relaxation, not excitement over greeting the mares. I purposefully went by the broodmare pastures and gave Phil a good tug every time he put an ear on the mares or tried to tip his nose in their direction. He was still distracted, so I put his feet in motion and let him choose to side pass or back in a hurry down the trail until we were out of view of the mares. Away from the mares we had a relaxing walk and returned home for bath.

Note that I did not reward Phil by dismounting. I put him to work ASAP. I also did not reward him when we returned to the barn. I did reward him when he was quiet on the trail and this was his last experience before going back to his stall.

Phil wasn’t excited by the mares because they were mares (not a stallion behavior), he was just excited because the mares were excited (somebody new was visiting and my mares are very nosy). If I had Phil’s respect 100% I would have been able to redirect Phil and ride past without much fuss. The herd still has a strong influence on Phil. I still have to work hard to prove my worth to Phil. It is easy to be fooled into believing the hard work is done because Phil has become so easy to work around. This is the most difficult part of the journey…..time invested into a relationship.

Days 98-104
July 13-19

It’s time to de worm once again. I asked Phil to lower his head and tip his nose towards me. I let him smell the de wormer (Yum, fruit flavor) and I gently inserted the syringe into the corner of his mouth. Ta-Da! De worming complete…using no halter, no lead and Phil was in his big pasture. He had the option to say “No, thank you” and trot away, but he respected me enough to stay. This really was mutual communication at its finest.

Paige, my 10 year old, wanted to earn some money, so she offered to ride Phil. As a side note: I do not advocate young children riding young, green horses. I am very against parents buying a young horse for their child, so they can grow up and learn together. Paige is one of the exceptions. She is a very experienced rider, for her age, and I closely supervise her. I also would not ever have her ride a horse that has proven to me that he has unsafe behaviors. It is true a horse, is a horse, and a prey animal, so they are never bombproof and there is always potential for something to happen. The fact that I feel comfortable having Paige ride Phil says a lot about Phil’s true character; he is just a good guy.

Another minor set back. Phil lost a front shoe, bummer! Phil was free jumping 3’ feet with absolute ease. I could tell by his body language that he was having fun. I caught a glimmer from his front hoof as he sailed over the jump and I noticed his shoe was crooked. Thank goodness I keep farrier tools on hand because the shoe needed to be pulled immediately to prevent a nail penetrating the sole. Phil calmly stood and let me tug and clumsily rasp the clinches off the nails to remove the shoe. Awe, Shucks! We were having so much fun! I called my awesome farrier and if he is in town he’ll stop by within a day or two to help me out. In the meantime, Phil is back in his stall and we’ll find something creative pass the time until the farrier arrives.

Side Note: Please take the time to learn how to pull a shoe properly. Your farrier will be happy to show you how in case of an emergency. You can purchase an inexpensive farrier kit through the various catalogs such as Valley Vet Supply. If you have a weekend, I would suggest attending a farrier workshop for horse owners. Casey & Son Horseshoeing School in Georgia offer these courses all year. This particular course isn’t designed to certify you as a farrier.

I have witnessed Phil’s true talent. He is a jumper. He has the slow legged movement (super hunter canter and hand gallop) for hunters and the scope, tight knees, and attitude for jumpers (ears forward, alert expression, no thought of refusal). Since Phil absolutely loves the trails, he would be a perfect fox hunter, too. Some “wet blankets” and Phil would be an exceptional children’s hunter with his calm demeanor.

Phil’s shoe was easily put back on by the farrier and we were back in business. Since I caught the loose shoe so quickly and removed it, there wasn’t any damage to the hoof wall.

Lets Play Polo!
I was sweeping the feed room and I had one of my creative moments. I thought it would be great to use a broom to hit the beach ball through two cones set up as the goal. My idea was launched and I recruited my daughter and her wonder pony to help me out. Phil and I started out with our regular routine (ground work, grooming, tacking up). I led Phil and carried the broom out in front of me, swinging it back and forth. NOTE: I couldn’t accomplish this exercise if I hadn’t taught Phil how to properly lead. Phil didn’t mind the broom, so I twirled it like a baton. Phil gave me the A-OK sign (head down, soft eye, floppy ears) and I progressed to hitting the ball with the broom (away from him). At this point, I am no longer leading Phil; he has joined up and is a willing participant in my game. I feel Phil has no concerns about the broom or ball. I mounted up to quickly find that I distinctly had a disadvantage. Phil was too tall and I have to bend to my toes to hit the ball. What a great exercise for my balance. Phil and I had to have confidence in each other, too. Phil had an opportunity to ditch me, but he had enough respect for me to keep me aboard. I had enough respect for him to not to put all my weight in one stirrup (could make his back sore) and stay out of his mouth. Now, I really had a true appreciation for those tiny polo ponies. My daughter on her pony continually scored goals and cried out “G-O-A-L!” like the announcers do on Spanish TV.

Dragging objects

When out on trail or in other busy environments, a horse should overcome his natural instinct to flee from following objects. He needs to be comfortable with the decisions of his rider. As you establish a trusting relationship with your horse through the respect system, your horse will look to you for comfort, safety, and respond willingly to your requests. Dragging an object is another piece of foundational training that every horse should have built into their education.
I like to let all my horses experience a variety of obstacles and problems, including learning to calmly drag objects. From a practical standpoint, I may need to drag a branch or other object off a trail or pony an injured horse. From a behavioral standpoint, I want my horse to suppress his flight instinct if he perceives something spooky. Any object which moves directly toward the horse at whatever speed the horse is traveling can be spooky.
Teaching a horse to pull objects can be tricky. You need a safe area to practice and a safe object to pull. You can be creative. An old car tire is good to drag around because it is soft, has no sharp edges and can’t “dig” into the ground. I pull tires with an old worn out lariat which is still stiff enough that it won’t twist into loops when it goes slack like some softer ropes can, which could be dangerous if the horse steps into it. Considering the horse might spin during the first couple of attempts, I always use a properly fitting saddle and riding gear. I also use a snaffle bit for this exercise as we expect to do a lot of direct rein bending in order to keep the horse “in position”.
The objective in this exercise is to get Phil comfortable with pulling an object; perceiving that it is following him, but keeping him relaxed enough so he doesn’t succumb to the desire to scurry away or wheel around to face the object. Therefore I always start with ground work and introduce dragging from the ground before I hop up into the saddle and pretend I’m dragging cows to the branding fire.
Phil is always game for new things. He wasn’t concerned about the tire as I dragged it next to him as I led him. He did want to wheel around to take a better look, but within a few minutes his was dragging the tire like a seasoned ranch horse.
Hobbling pays off and prevents panic.
As I was hosing Phil off he was munching on grass (he was not working, so snacking was ok) and before you know it he had tangled his back legs in the hose. As soon as he felt the pressure of the hose around his legs his head shot up briefly and then he went back to eating and calmly shook the hose loose from his legs. His instinct to flee hit him, but the time spent on his foundation training gave him the ability to surpass the instinct and allow him to think the situation over. I knew what was going to happen before it happened. I continued to spray Phil with the hose and watched how he was going to handle the situation. I could read his body language, so I knew the situation was safe. If he did panic, I would let him work through the situation and keep a submissive posture at a safe distance. It is when the handler gets worried and excited the situation escalates to danger. Your horse feeds off of your confidence. Phil could read my non concern.
Days 105-111 July 20-27
Training Tid Bit.
Make it difficult for him to pick the wrong option and make it easy to pick the correct one, but always give him options. Set him up for success.
Our family was on vacation this week, so no training entries.
Days 112-118 July 28- Aug 2
Training Level Dressage
I believe wholeheartedly that every horse and rider, no matter what breed (Quarter Horse, Hackney Pony, Draft, etc) or riding discipline (Reining, Rodeo, Saddleseat, Driving, etc) can benefit from learning training level dressage movements. There isn’t a horse or rider out there that can’t benefit from rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection. Think about it, training level dressage incorporates the basics in various degrees of difficulty from the free walk to the 10-15-20 meter circle. Dressage also requires the rider to actively communicate with their horse and they really have to have an independent seat and hands required of all riding disciplines. You do not have to ride in a dressage saddle or in a dressage ring to perform these movements. You do need at least a simple snaffle if you are going to ride in a bit. I do not recommend using a shank bit due to its purpose and design. I get many bewildered looks from clients when I tell them their western pleasure hopeful just completed a dressage training level test.
Phil is ready to start fine tuning the basics. The first lesson was the transition from a working walk to a halt. This sounds easy enough, huh? Well, the idea was not to just HALT, but to do it gracefully, and with a little luck (and much practice) squarely. It was a challenge not to let Phil just “die” on me the minute I asked for a whoa. Phil has perfected the Whoa where all I have to do is just suggest a stop, his engine quits, and he goes into sleep mode. It is my job to teach him that when I raise my energy through my seat, legs, and hands, he is to mimic my energy (this comes from respect not threats). Now, I am not a big advocate of spurs and whips, but if used correctly and fairly, these aids can be extremely useful. I utilized a dressage whip for this exercise. Side note: Spurs encourage a horse to step higher with his front legs which will shorten his stride. Whips will encourage a horse to lengthen his stride. This is why jockeys use whips, not spurs when racing. You do not have to have fancy dressage letters or a dressage ring to work on these exercises. If I don’t have the dressage markers out, I use fence posts, trees, or bushes. Make a game plan ahead of time and execute. For example, I am going to enter at the bumblebee jump and ask for a free walk to the pear tree, gather up my reins at the ground poles, and halt in the center of the ring which happens to lined up with the Oak tree in the joining pasture, and salute the judge, which happens to be a towering pine tree. Have a horsey friend watch you or even better video tape you (most of us do not have access to large arena mirrors, but even then the rider has to be their own critic), so you can get some feedback. If you aren’t well versed in knowing which hoof is hitting the ground at what time, it is difficult to tell if you are squarely halted without leaning down to take a peek under your horse’s belly to see his legs. For example, Phil steps 1, 2, 3, swings hindend slightly, 4 cocks a leg…..Oh, Phil, you silly goose! Young, unbalanced horses will have difficulty squaring up at the halt.
After warming up with some ground work (I don’t have to do much ground work prep at this stage) Phil was ready to go to work. Phil is not a forward mover (not to be confused with lack of impulsion) due to his temperament and conformation ( typical TB with straight shoulder), so I am fair with my expectations. He needed the encouragement from the whip. I did not nag him with my legs. When he moved out, he was rewarded. I set him up for success and chose short distances to teach him how to move out from the whip (just one clear spank). I was impressed with how he stretched down and low, but have to work on when I gather the reins he tends to pop his head up and anticipate a trot; this is normal for all inexperienced horses. Phil also tends to swing his hip out when asked for a halt; this is also normal for inexperienced horses. I have to keep him between my legs and hands to guide him into a straight halt; a lot of work on my part at this stage.
Training Tid Bit.
Most of our OTTBs are young, fairly inexperienced, unbalanced, and do not have a developed topline. Believe it or not he doesn’t have much muscle power in his hindend either to perform movements (roll backs, sliding stops, collection, spins, pivoting, etc) other than rocketing out of the starting gate. Your OTTB’s muscles have been conditioned to go in one direction: FORWARD. This is why your horse will shift his weight on one leg or swing his hindend to the side when halting. To encourage a square halt, meaning equal distribution of weight on all four legs, ask your horse to halt (think half halt and back) and then back up a step of two to encourage him to redistribute his weight from front end to hindend. This should be done as if one motion. It is kind of like a rolling or California stop in reverse with your car at a stop sign; you don’t stop completely. When he gets more conditioned and seasoned you won’t have to back when halting.
OTTB’s conditioning
Note of interest about Phil. When Phil first arrived he couldn’t use his hindend for anything but propelling himself forward. You will find this with most all OTTBs. He couldn’t change direction in the round pen without smacking his head into the panels; he couldn’t pivot, spin, or perform any other athletic movements other than FORWARD. This was very interesting to me since I am accustomed to my naturally athletic Quarter Horses that leave holes in the sand when they dig in and roll over their hocks to change directions in the round pen. I had to modify my conditioning/training with Phil. Today, it is amazing to see Phil lower his head, tuck his hindend, dig in to the dirt and roll over his hocks. Phil no longer smacks his head on the panels; he can tuck his nose in a blink of an eye.
It will take about a year for the average horse owner to condition their OTTB’s muscles for their new career. A professional trainer may be able to condition a horse in about 6 months.
Phil has taken on a new appearance. He has bulked up his hindend and even appears to have junk in the trunk. His neck, chest, and shoulder area appear thicker. He has lost his lean race horse appearance. His neck muscles have developed and his mane has even flipped to the other side. NOTE: There has been research suggesting that the neck muscles have an influence on mane direction. For example: an unconditioned horse will have half mane on right and half on left. The jury is still out on this hypothesis, but it is interesting. His coat has a show ring shine even living outdoors. His mane, tail, and hooves have been growing so fast. I just pulled his mane 3 months ago and it needs to be pulled again. He is not pudgy or overweight. I keep him a little leaner than the QH’s just due to his breed, his natural muscling (long, lean muscles of TB vs. short, bunchy muscles of QHs), and his body frame. Our TB’s are healthiest with a “tid-tad” of rib showing. Yes, I said the taboo words “rib showing.” If you can’t easily feel his ribs, then he is too heavy. Consult your vet for the healthiest body condition score for your OTTB. A pudgy or even slightly overweight horse is a sick horse. We must hold up to our end of the bargain and make sure he receives the proper nutrition, not necessarily the MOST nutrition.
Ground tying and manners come in handy
Phil decided to venture into the bushes and got himself caught in the brush. He showed up for breakfast with several fresh skin abrasions. I dropped everything and brought him into the barn to get a closer look and clean the abrasions. Since I was in the middle of feeding, I didn’t want to take the time to walk to the cross ties and secure him in the grooming bay. Instead, I hung a lead rope around his neck and asked him to ground tie in the barn aisle while I went to get the supplies needed to clean him up. Phil needed a quick refresher on ground tying, but after correcting him only twice he stood patiently. Now, picture this…it is feeding time, horses around Phil are eating in their stalls, the hay is stacked within reach, and there are filled buckets of pellets on the floor at his feet….and I walk away. What would your horse do in this situation? Phil stood still. He leaned over to visit one stall and I turned to him and said “NO!” He immediately went back to minding his own business. I returned to a politely standing horse and cleaned him up; only minor abrasions. Oh, did I mention the barn gate was open? He had an opportunity to leave, but chose to stay put because that was expected of him.
Aug 3-9 Days 119-125
We had typical afternoon thunderstorms for South Carolina, along with the stifling humidity this week. The horses are miserable and the people are miserable. Training has come to a major slow down. This is the most dangerous type of weather to ride in due to dehydration of horse and rider.
One particular afternoon, a severe thunderstorm seemed to come out of nowhere. The storm was right above our farm and we had lighting strikes around the barn pastures. I went to bring Phil in the barn and he was in his instinct mode; head high, back hollow, and he was frightened. I haltered Phil and asked him to back. He backed several steps and “click” he started thinking. He quieted down and calmly followed me to the barn, even with the crash of thunder right above our heads and the flash of lightening reaching the ground behind us he remained calm and polite (to tell you the truth, the kids and I were scared). This good behavior was the result of ground work for respect. I have been teaching him that if he follows my lead, he will always be safe. I must always keep up my end of the bargain.
Training Tid Bit
Add table salt to your horse’s feed. One ounce per 1000lbs. This will encourage your horse to drink and help replace lost sodium due to summer sweating. Be sure to check to see if any of the supplements or feed you are using doesn’t have sodium in it already. Too much sodium will throw off other mineral levels. I add table salt to the evening feed all year and free choice salt/mineral blocks are available to the horses in every pasture, paddock, pen and stall. The drawback to salt blocks is that a horse’s tongue can’t lick the block as efficiently as a cow, so your horse may not be getting enough salt. Please consult your vet before adding anything to your horse’s feed and use common sense.
Phil is side-passing and starting to two track. Phil is conditioned enough to be able to start working on basic collection. Before, you can start teaching your horse to collect he has to 1)have developed the muscles to support such a physical task 2)mastered lateral flexion.
At first, Phil just yielded to my leg, so I added a half halt to the outside rein, a generous direct rein for a visual and outside spur which resulted in vertical flexion. The flexion really helped Phil cross his feet under him. Once I was off the rail, using the exact cues, I asked Phil to side pass back to the rail. I made an exaggerated release (reward) to show him he was doing exactly what I asking. In the arena corners, I asked for a big bend on loose rein and then gathered up the reins and continued side passing on and off the rail. Phil got the hang of it pretty quick, so I asked him to perform the same exercise at a trot. Several lessons were going on here: 1)lateral flexion 2)vertical flexion 3)bending 4)yielding 5)loose rein at walk 6)rein with contact at walk. The newest lesson was to teach Phil that when I gather the reins it doesn’t always mean I am going to ask for a trot.
Moving on to the two tracking exercise proved to be a little more difficult for Phil due to his straight shoulder. He can bend his neck, but has difficulty with bending his shoulder. I loosened him up with more lateral flexion and the vertical flexion became easier for him, therefore two tracking became easier. He had an easier time on the right side, which is his preferred side.
A note of interest: Many believe that OTTBs only are balanced or conditioned on the left side due to the direction they run on the track. The higher level tracks condition their horses in both directions, alternating days in which direction to run. For example: Monday everyone tracks to the left and on Tuesday everyone tracks to the right.
With temperatures in the 100’s, Phil and I school early in the morning before breakfast. After a workout, I turn him out in the round pen to finish cooling down before he eats. He is fed absolute last. He politely stands at the gate watching me pass by with hay and feed buckets. When it is his turn, I ask him if he is ready to eat and he starts to nicker and nod his head (a conditioned response). He moves away from the gate and goes to his feed dish. He will give me plenty of room and only goes to his feed after a head rub and I invite him to eat. I am so impressed with his manners.
Aug 10-16 Days 126-132
Phil helps with farm chores and checks the mail.
Phil earns his keep on the farm. The tree branches around the round pens and riding arena were in desperate need of pruning. Instead of firing up the tractor and burning diesel I saddled up my tallest horse, which just happens to be Phil, and pruned the branches from his back. What a great training opportunity! Phil and I had to communicate clearly and he needed to stand patiently while I stretched and reached above my head with the large loppers. The branches sometimes fell on us and Phil had to trust that I was not going let him get hurt. Our dragging lesson came in handy as I dragged the branches to a central pile. Think about all the training exercises that Phil and I have done together that were being utilized in this task. When we were finished pruning I rode Phil down the driveway and checked the mail. Training, to me, doesn’t mean riding in circles in the arena.
Phil has a new buddy. One afternoon I came out of the barn and noticed Phil standing very peculiar at his hay rack. He was parked out like a Tennessee Walker. As I approached the hay rack I saw right away why Phil was standing in such a protective stance; our barn cat, Spooky, was resting in Phil’s shade. This cat is very particular about whom he befriends and up until now, he has only befriended one other horse. I think Spooky’s trust says a lot about Phil’s true character.
Phil was turned out with the herd on one particular hot afternoon. As I walked by the pasture to top off the water troughs, the herd lifted their heads and gave me a brief acknowledgement. Phil was the only one to come up to me for a personal “hello”. He was not being rude or nosy. He did not crowd me. Phil politely came up for a head rub. I rubbed his head and he returned to the herd. Remember when Phil wouldn’t even acknowledge me for a brief second? Look how far he has progressed!
Aug. 17-23 Days 133-139
Phil attends his first clinic!
Sunday was spent packing the trailer and more importantly reviewing trailer loading and unloading with Phil. Notice I did not wait until the morning of the clinic to see if Phil would remember how to load at O’dark-thirty in the morning. Phil caught me in the pasture. I haltered him and led him right up to the trailer. No ground work needed. Phil knew what he needed to do and walked right up the ramp. We are not at the stage of self loading just yet. Phil still needs a little bit of the gas pedal from behind. A little bit of clucking from my husband is all the “gas” Phil needed. Remember when it took 40 minutes for Phil to lurch onto the trailer from pure irritation from the lunge whip tapping on his hindquarters? Today, he just quietly walks right in the trailer; no questions asked. Da-Ta! My goal is to be able to point Phil at the trailer and have him self load because I can’t always count on having an extra person around to “cluck”. This is also the safest way to load a horse. Today I will celebrate our victory.
This clinic is held every Monday during the school year for local trainers in my area. Yes, trainers do take lessons too! I feel an expert eye from the ground can keep me on top of my game and help me help my horses. It is a little intimidating riding in front of other professional trainers (we all feel this way), but their input and ideas are very helpful and encouraging. We meet during the school year to accommodate those barns that teach school age children and run summer horse camps.
To start the clinic off we started with the most difficult gait, the walk. Yes, the walk is the most difficult gait to master. Phil likes to mosey along and smell the roses at the walk. I was expected to ride Phil at a forward, free flowing walk, keep his nose and shoulder ever so slightly bent to the inside along the rail (an onlooker should not be able to see this) while staying straight (very hard task for any horse/rider), and deep bend in the corners. I had to use all hands and legs independently cueing for bend here, support there, lift shoulder here, etc. This was a lot for Phil to digest. He tried his best to please, but isn’t at the education level yet to handle all the aids at one time. I gave him frequent breaks and strokes of encouragement. Out of the group he leg yielded down the center line the best. Kudos to Phil! Note: a leg yield sounds easy, but to truly have your horse leg yield correctly he needs to be soft and supple so he can move his rib cage out of the way so he has freedom the to move his shoulder and legs. We also worked on upward and downward transitions from trot to canter. I was having difficultly with a smooth transition down from canter to a trot and it was brought to my attention that I quit riding and just “threw him away” from the canter to the trot. Ahhh, the light bulb just went off and I have gotten in the habit of total release as a reward (throwing the reins or my contact away). Phil did better when I asked for a half halt (the half halt lets your horse rebalance) and gave him light support with hands and legs when transitioning down. Think forward even in the down transition. I also had to work on my timing when I asked for the transition. Remember when I talked about knowing which foot is hitting the ground at all times during all gaits? This is when this skill is used. Ask for the transition when your horse’s foot is in the wrong position and your transition will be bouncy at best. I count the beats in my head and envision the transition in my head before I ask. It was apparent that all of our horses needed more lateral work. We were asked to turn on the forehand. I asked Phil step by step and broke it down not only for myself, but for Phil. I had already taught Phil how to pick up a foot and follow the rein, so I accomplished this exercise by lifting the rein up and out. It was not pretty, but the job was done. Phil can pivot on the forehand just beautifully, but we were instructed not to pivot. After every lateral exercise, your horse should be walked out straight according to our trainer. I learned a new exercise called walking the box. At each corner of your large square or box you turn on the forehand and walk out to the next corner. By the end of the lesson Phil was definitely lighter in my hands and more attentive to my cues.
Well, we had quite an audience. We were all exhausted (you could see it on our faces) and I know the crowd couldn’t believe we could be so tired from “just walking around” I had to chuckle to myself.

Day 1
April 6, 2008
Phil’s Journal Day 1. When I first met Phil he was absolutely stunning, a real eye catcher. I was in awe of his stature and magnificent beauty. My “awe” quickly was replaced with “oh, no” as soon as the human element entered the picture. While Phil was magnificent in his world, he didn’t quite fit into the human world. Phil was pushy, mouthy, and did not know there were rules when interacting with humans. This was only because he is a bottom of the pecking order kind of guy and desperately wanted someone to tell him the human rules. I was informed that Phil had some training issues
such as balking, not walking through gates, and rearing. I’m sure I’ll uncover some more “holes” as I begin our journey. Phil was labeled a stubborn horse. In reality, Phil is not stubborn and this is far from the truth. When Phil becomes overwhelmed and unsure he shuts down. He will plant his feet. Phil demonstrated this behavior when he was asked to load onto the trailer. Since Phil had not been exposed to my handling techniques I had to find a way to communicate to him in a way that he would understand that he was being asked to go on the trailer. I had to set him up for success, use a method he could easily understand. I used a very basic method. I tapped him on the hindquarters with a lunge whip with rhythmic tapping and only stopped tapping when he made an attempt to think about loading. The goal was to teach Phil that standing outside the trailer was an irritating experience and inside the trailer he will have peace. I tapped for 40 minutes until he moved away from the annoying tapping. This is a very safe method for horse and handler. Do not hit your horse with the lunge whip, crack the whip, wrap the lunge line behind his hindend, or try to pull him on the trailer. I will say that if you try to pull and he does not move be prepared to keep the tension on the rope until he releases himself with a step forward. Most of the time, he will find the release by rearing or stepping backwards and when this happens you have no choice but to release your tension on the lead…you have now taught your horse this is appropriate. The next time he does this he is only doing it because he was rewarded with a release in the past.

Once Phil was on the trailer, he kicked, pawed, and rocked the trailer back and forth. This was not only poor manners, but he could get hurt or damage the trailer. I let Phil stay on the trailer for quite a while and only unloaded him when he was quiet.

Phil unloaded in a rush. I hung the lead around his neck and let him unload himself. I did not want to put myself between him and the trailer. I ignored Phil’s excited state of mind because he was in a new place. Pick your battles wisely. If you cannot win, don’t ensue the fight. You are not going to be able to communicate with a horse that is in the excited state of mind. I did step in when he was pushing me and jumping to close to me. He can jump around at 6ft away from me in his own space. I spent 1/2 hour ground work session. It was pretty intense. I rewarded Phil when he became soft and light on the lead and made an attempt to stay out of my 3 foot bubble. When I refer to light, I mean
I can tip his nose and move his feet by just holding on to the lead with fingertips. It was time to put him away. Phil planted his feet and refused to go through the gate. That is ok; he didn’t have to go through the gate head first. His backward gear worked just fine, so I backed him through the gate. I repeatedly walked in and out of the gate until he didn’t give the gate another thought. I use this technique on all the foals.

All new horses live in a quarantined round pen. It is a large round pen that is set up next to our house. Phil can see all the horses around him. I can see him from my dining room windows. This allows me to monitor a new horse for stress. The time spent alone in quarantine is a valuable training opportunity. This is the time I can set up my own herd pecking order with him. I am the Alpha mare. I do not have to compete for Phil’s attention if I take the horse herd hierarchy out of the equation. The corral is small enough he has to interact with me. This is my chance to show him I feed him, I give him water, I keep him
safe, and I also can move his feet in any direction. This would be impossible in our 5 acre pastures, because Phil would just run away from me and I would create some other issues such as not being able to be caught.

Feeding: Phil was not aware that proper horse manners are for the horse to stand quietly away from the food dish until the handler was done pouring feed and invited him to eat. In order for Phil to succeed with this task I sent him to the far end of the corral. I would have plenty of time to pour the feed and stop him in his tracks before he reached the dish. As I predicted, Phil headed straight for the dish, but I stopped him and drove him in circles around the dish. If he stopped, I sent him on again. I gave a submissive posture to Phil and he stopped, turned in to face me. I did not let him go to his dish until he acknowledged me (with both eyes), even if it was for a brief second. He also had to be in a submissive posture (look for head lowered, licking lips, blinking eyes, or lowering head with floppy ears). Any aggressive posture, keep
your horse moving.

Phil whinnied all night long. He is looking for the support of the herd. Each day he will gain confidence. This same technique is used for weaning the foals. I do not recommend isolating horses from other horses completely. As long as, other horses are in sight your horse will be ok. If your horse learns that being by himself is ok, then you will never have to deal with separation issues. Phil will join a herd once we have established my herd dynamics.

I include daily aspects of my schedule to show that training doesn’t have to be working your horse for hours, or taking you horse to the arena. Training is done in little increments starting with the foundation basics such as haltering, catching, leading, food/de worming/vaccination manners. If these day to day activities are not built into your horse it will show up under saddle. You may wonder how de worming etiquette can show up under saddle? Well, just read on about my journey with Phil’s Courage.

While these techniques are working for Phil they may not work for your horse. Every horse has a different learning style. If anyone has any questions please,
feel free to email me. www.sweetironfarm@windstream.net Smiles to everyone, Kara Hoefer

Day 2
April 7, 2008
Today, I had to teach from 7:45am to 12:45pm. I am adjunct college faculty. I
left school to pick up my kids from school and returned home around 3:00pm. The
kids had 2 hours of homework. We fed the horses at 5:00pm. We are a breeding
farm and have 20-30 horses at any given time. I handle all the breeding and
foaling. My family helps out tremendously. They are the only employees at Blue
Steel Quarter Horses and they are paid poorly. My schedule did not allow me to
ride or formally school any horse today. However, every interaction you have
with your horse you are either teaching or un-teaching a behavior.

Feeding routine:My husband fed this morning and reported Phil was dead set on
eating. He sent Phil away until Phil acknowledged him (with both eyes) and let him pet his
forehead. I fed Phil and sent him to the far end of the round pen this evening.
I let him approach to eat and used this time to groom him. Phil will begin to
associate me with good feelings during eating and the physical stimulation of
grooming like his Dam used to do. If you don’t have brushes with you, rub your
body on your horse. This not only brings back memories of your horse’s Dam, but
puts your sent on him. While Phil was eating I asked him to move out of his
feed dish and go to the end of the round pen. When Phil gave me a submissive
posture, I let him follow me to the feed dish and let him resume eating. I
repeated this several times. I am imitating the Alpha mare. If you have ever
observed a herd eating together you’ll notice the Alpha mare eating out of
every food dish. The herd will move out of her way even if they are desperately
hungry. The mare may not even be hungry, but this is a strategic move to
maintain her status as leader in the group. I imitate the leader mare with
Phil.

Phil did swat his tail and cow kicked as I was brushing his hindquarters. This
not only is rude, but it is dangerous. This is a game the young colts like to
play. He was testing me to see if I would move away. It is kind of like tag,
you’re it! I grabbed his tail and shouted a firm “NO”. Phil is very immature
and this was not an aggressive move on his part. However, it could easily
escalate into a power tactic to get the humans away from him if not corrected
quickly. All corrections must be made within 3 seconds or you loose your
teaching window. His own Dam would have bit him if he did that to her. I cannot
bite him, but I do have my stern voice and the ability to move his feet around
the round pen.

I de wormed Phil (routine for all new horses). This was a great teaching moment
when I introduced the head down cue. I found Phil is very sensitive on his poll
and ears. He could have been twitched. He can lift his head higher than I can
maintain contact with the poll, so I had to use a different approach. Using a
rope halter I initiated downward pressure on the end of the lead. Phil lowered
his head only a tiny bit, but he was rewarded with total release. This was
repeated over and over until Phil’s head was at the ground. I was able to de
worm without having to stand on a mounting block. I ended our time together on
that good note. Always finish your interaction with your horse on a good note
even if it has been a rough day for you and your horse. Pick some task your
horse is really good at such as backing or turn on haunches etc.

Day 3
April 8,2008
This morning’s breakfast routine was repeated. Phil was a little less pushy.
This is a huge step for him. I asked for the head down cue and let him go to
his food dish. He did dance around a bit, but I did not let up on my head down
request.

We worked on walking through the gate again. I insist Phil stands slightly
behind me while I open the gate. I will walk through with Phil following. Well,
at least that was the plan. Phil feels so much pressure from the gate he
rushes. This is very common, it is a natural survival instinct not to be in a
position where there is no escape from a predator. In Phil’s mind there is a
definite possibility he could be trapped. He also could have had a bad
experience in the starting gate. I can’t put too much human emotion into Phil’s
reaction. He thought about planting his feet on the way back through. I saw his
head go up and felt a little bit of tension on my rope lead. Timing is
everything as he half halted I used the word “NO” and backed him. My tone of
voice was the warning and the backing was the consequence. It takes a lot of
effort for a horse to back. You will also never see the Alpha mare back. It is
a submissive move. When I refer to “back” I do not mean a leisurely step
backward. I mean back up with a purpose. It only took a few steps backward
compared to our first day backing all through the front yard. The next time it
may only take my “No.” You have to catch them before thinking portion of the
brain switches to the instinct part.

Phil was introduced to my son’s go-cart. Phil was a little alarmed at first. We
have a huge circular drive that my son uses as a race track. After an afternoon
with that go-cart whizzing by Phil didn’t even lift his head as it zoomed
past.

Feeding dinner: I was running a little behind on the evening feeding schedule.
Phil was anxious to eat. He stood at the gate and pawed. Pawing is a rude
behavior. I bypassed his pen and fed the broodmares. If I feed him while he is
pawing then I just told him this was an ok behavior. Give your horse a task if
he won’t stop pawing. Once his brain switches to the task and he is polite, go
ahead and feed. I sent him away from the gate when I returned. He stood and
faced me. I waited for acknowledgement (both eyes) and fed. I asked him to move away from
his food several times. Each time required less and less pressure. I can wave
my arm and he’ll move. The goal is to get him so tuned in to my body language
he’ll move with a wave of my finger; yes, this can be done! The secret is the
Alpha mare language. I walked straight towards the food dish with a purpose and
literally claimed it in my mind before I even reached the dish. Phil felt my
energy and moved away from it. The wave of my arm projects energy and gives
Phil a visual. In the next few lessons I will ask Phil to move away from his
food and then I will ask him to stay when I approach. You don’t want your horse
to move away from you every time you come close.

I noticed Phil’s manure was a little dry. I mixed him up a very soupy bran
mash. I was expecting Phil to turn up his
nose, but instead he loved it!

Day 4
April 9, 2008
The same routine and requests were made at breakfast. I had to teach this morning so my husband fed. He reported Phil did move away from the food dish willingly, but still bobbed his head around when my husband, Dan, attempted to pet his forehead. The head bobbing is not from head shyness, it is from impatience. Dan has implemented a rub on the forehead when Phil acknowledges him (both eyes). I will make sure I follow up the routine and do the same. It is so important when teaching new tasks (and keeping the old tasks) that everyone who interacts with your horse does the exact same thing.

Today’s lesson: Haltering. I really would like to take the time to write about this overlooked task. I would say that almost everyone halters their horse incorrectly. Haltering incorrectly is essentially very disrespectful to your horse. I talk a lot about the horse respecting humans; however humans must also respect their horses. Let me give you the usual scenario: The handler unsnaps the convenient throat latch snap, lurches the halter up to their horses muzzle, the horse usually is lifting his head to get away from the noseband of the halter that is being shoved into his nostril at this point. The handler reaches, stretches on their tiptoes and finally shoves the crownpiece over the horse’s ears, completely smashing his ears. Now, take a minute, and imagine a really tight turtleneck that you are trying to pull down over your head. An ear is caught and pulled down as the unforgiving fabric squeezes your head. That is really uncomfortable, isn’t it? Your thoroughbred may have been ear twitched at the track or just may be really sensitive like Phil. This is really rude to your horse. Here is how handlers should respectfully halter. I’ll use Phil for my example. Phil, like your thoroughbreds stand very tall, they can crane their necks even higher. I have been teaching Phil the head down cue. We practice this exercise every day. Today I looped the lead over his neck, tied the ends into a calvary knot so he could not step on the lead. Using the lead behind his ears I applied gentle pressure and lowered my body to signal head down. He lowered his head and I held the halter out in front of his nose. The crown buckle was unbuckled. Standing on Phil’s left side I reached under his cheek with my right arm and tipped his nose towards me. I am teaching Phil to lower his head into the halter and reach for in coming into my space. Yes, I did stay I invited him into my space. If you chase your horse’s head and have to reach for him, you have just put your horse in control of the situation. Your horse should tip his nose to you and drop his head into the halter. It is easy to buckle the crown piece on a horse with a lowered head. Phil was pretty obliging to this today; I was impressed. As you can see, I build on all the little exercises everyday to perform the basic daily tasks. Head down cue is used for everything from de worming to calming your horse. Don’t forget to also halter your horse on the right side.

Elizabeth has asked for some pictures. I brought Phil out of his round pen to groom him. I have an outbuilding that I use as my tack room. It has a covered grooming bay with cross ties. I was told Phil didn’t have any issues with cross ties, but I approached the situation like I would be introducing this restraint for the first time. I attached one tie with a panic strap and held the lead. Phil pawed, jumped around, and pulled on the cross tie. I untied him and started driving him around, changing directions frequently. I used this to get Phil to focus on me. Once he stopped and acknowledged (both eyes) me I stopped. I walked him back to the grooming bay. Phil balked and I immediately sent him moving backward with a purpose. He balked 3 more times and each time I sent him back a further distance. Remember, the better your horse backs up, the better he does everything else. As I mentioned previously backing is a submissive move. The 5th attempt to go back to the bay Phil quietly walked behind me and stood like a gentleman. Phil figured out it was much more difficult to scurry backwards down my driveway than to leisurely walk to the bay going forward. This was a huge break through.

Since Phil was fairly anxious being tied I tied him to a tie blocker outside the arena. He pulled on the lead, jigged, and tossed his head. My conclusion is that Phil is NOT halter broke. A halter broke horse is a breeze to halter, will lead willingly under any condition, and stands quiet while tied. Most horses are not halter broke. You may have been riding your horse for years and he is not halter broke. I know I may have “stepped on some toes” with that statement.

I asked him to walk through a narrow chute and he didn’t even think about it. Phil is validating my original diagnosis that the key to Phil is earning his respect. Phil and I did some ground exercises for the photos and I was very happy with his willingness and lightness. I even let my 10 year old daughter do some ground work with Phil.

While we were in the arena Phil took every opportunity to jerk his head to snack on grass. This is a personal choice for owners. I feel my horses get to graze all day and the least they can do is work for me on the end of the lead rope or reins. This is also an annoying behavior to me because I don’t like the lead or reins jerked from my hands.

Dinner time: What a break through today at dinner! I entered Phil’s pen and he backed away from the dish allowed me to pour the feed and pet him on the forehead. I walked out of the gate and then returned. Phil immediately lifted his head, acknowledged (both eyes) me (with both eyes) and backed from the dish! Awesome! The biggest reward I could give Phil was to leave him alone.

Phil has given me several long glances today and I can see his eye softening. This is absolutely wonderful. He hardly whinnies for the herd. I heard him only twice today.

Day 5
April 10, 2008

Phil gave me the middle finger this morning! Yes, you read this correctly.

The breakfast routine was followed. Phil lined up behind me (this was good) and waited for me to rub his head (this was better). As I turned back towards the food dish Phil trotted ahead of me (this was bad). I expect Phil to follow behind me to the dish. I drove Phil off around the round pen with a loud squeal and kicked dirt at him. He kicked at me while I drove him off. Essentially, in horse language, he gave me the middle finger. I kept his feet moving, changing directions, squealing and kicking dirt at him until I noticed a little change in his posture. He softened his eye. I asked him to stand and face me while I circled his food dish. Every time he made a move towards the food I drove him off with a squeal and a kick of dirt. I was imitating an Alpha mare claiming her food and space. A mare when she means business will+ flatten her ears, lower her head, and if this warning is ignored, she will squeal, lunge, and bite. Phil stood like a gentleman while I claimed my space. I also put my hands in his food and rubbed his dish to leave my scent.

It is important to really know the difference between a kick that is from build up energy, a playful kick, or a kick that is meant to send you a disrespectful message. Any kicking near humans should not be tolerated. The intent of the kick needs to be dealt with correctly. It is unfair to a horse that has lots of play energy to be corrected when he is released into the pasture and takes off kicking. This kick is not meant to be disrespectful. Releasing your horse properly into the pasture will be addressed when Phil meets his new herd.

I want to remind everyone that Phil is acting just like a weanling. This is his education level even though physically he will turn 7 years old next month. You will notice that once Phil believes I am the Alpha he will not question my requests and the training will progress faster. I cannot let him down at any time. I have to make sure he is always set up for success. This means I make it difficult to do the wrong thing, and easy for him to choose the correct option. You will see some regression at some points, this is to be expected.

11:00am: As I was returning from a trail ride I heard Phil desperately calling to the mares. I bet the mares wet down the hill to graze for the morning and Phil could not see them. Sure enough the mares were out of his sight. It was interesting to see that the other horses in a near by pasture were still in Phil’s sight, but he has identified himself with one particular herd. My heart wants to put him with a herd, but my brain says this is a very bad idea. Even though I hate to see Phil upset I know he is learning that the mares will disappear out of sight, but will always come back. A big part of Phil’s agitation is that he needs exercise. This was a perfect opportunity to introduce Phil to the training round pen. Now, I know he is full of energy so I’m not going to think for one minute he is going to lead politely. I am going to set us up for success. I put the rope halter on using proper halter techniques. Phil is getting better with the head down cue. I sent him out to the end of the lead and asked him to move his feet forwards, backwards, up, down, right, left. He was trying to avoid my pressure and was trotting through his hay, on top of his feed dish, whatever was in his path. I stayed in position right behind his girth and kept him moving. As long as I was going forward I was in charge. I will say I have seen many people ground driving and if an obstacle gets in the horse’s path the person stops and tries to navigate the horse out of the path of the obstacle. This is incorrect. As long as the obstacle is safe for your horse and safe for you, keep moving. When you stop, you reward. Phil was not going to hurt himself on the rubber dish or the hay. He did bunny jump (with good scope) the dish which was new to me since my QHs usually just stomp on it.

Intro to training round pen: The walk to the round pen was actually enjoyable. Phil was polite (look for proper leading in upcoming journal entries). I took the halter off and released Phil in the 60ft pen. Since he is familiar with ground driving, I extended my arm and pointed in the direction I wanted him to travel. This is a big visual and a way to project my energy. I asked him to trot. He wanted to canter a little and that was fine as he burned off a little energy. I just did not drive him. When he settled down I worked him in at a trot, changing directions frequently. I always let my young horses trot at least 2-3 times around before asking for a change of direction. I use big slow movements. Phil can easily see me switching the halter into my opposite hand, this is a cue to him that I am about to ask for a change in direction. When Phil changes direction he turns into the panel. He wants to get as far away from the pressure as possible. When I have Phil’s respect he will turn into me to change directions. The entire time Phil stretched his neck out as far as he could over the round pen panels. This was to be expected because I do not mean much to Phil at this point. When he looked at me I immediately curled up, drew him in and asked for a Whoa. He circled in and faced me. I kept my head down and my shoulders rounded, but watched his hooves out of the corner of my eye. As soon as hooves began to move I stood up and drove him around (you have less than 3 seconds). I asked for a Whoa again and he circled in to me. This was repeated several more times until Phil came up to me, lowered his head, blinked, and licked his lips. I did not look at him, I let him relax. I felt he was ready to “join up or hook on.” Phil did “join up” and followed me around the round pen (no halter, no lead)….forward, backward, up, down, right, left. He followed on his own free will. I had him follow me over to the water trough and let him get a drink. I keep a water trough in the round pen. At this moment, I meant something to Phil. This was a great time to stop, hose him off, and put him back with his hay (even though he trampled it all over his pen). Notice I did not stuff his face full of treats to reward him. His reward was that I was going to leave him alone. I will address treats and training in a later entry. Don’t think for one minute I do not love to give treats to my horses! This is an incorrect assumption. I have a HUGE container of horse nibblets in my tack room.

Phil still looked for the mares after his was put away, but stopped whinnying and pacing. Most horses are overfed and under exercised. This leads to a lot of behavior issues that are NOT the horse’s fault.

I do want to point out the round pen is not to be used to run your horse around in aimless circles to tire him out. You will see I do a lot of different exercises at various gaits in the pen. Even though Phil and I spent 30 minutes in the round pen, we stood in the shade for most of the time. He was learning that standing by me means rest and relaxation. Remember, to let your horse rest if he isn’t fit. Your horse will build up lactic acid quickly in their muscles. Most of us cannot keep our horses in racetrack condition; including me.

When I returned home from picking up the kids from school, Phil was standing contently under a tree with a back leg cocked…..and the mares were still at the other end of the pasture. Boy, exercise sure does some great things for the body and mind!

Evening Feeding: Phil was an absolute gentleman at dinner. Yippee! My son drove his go-cart and my husband removed trees that had fallen during the storm that brought tornadoes to South Carolina with the tractor during feeding. Phil is getting some great desensitizing.

For reference I’ll try to reinforce to you that when your horse truly acknowledges you he has to have BOTH EYES on you; not one eye on you and one eye on another horse or his food, etc. If you have ever attended a Clinton Anderson clinic then you’ll remember Clinton’s mantra “Two Eyes.”

Day 6
April 11, 2008
Morning feeding: I continue to mix his feed with my bare hands to put my scent on his food (soaked beet pulp, pellets). Phil met me at the gate. I asked him to back with an authoritative BACK voice request. This was my pre-cue. Then I told him with a wave of my arm. If he had ignored me I would have lunged, squealed, and kicked dirt at him. Always ask, tell, promise (credit to Pat Parelli). Phil backed and moved out of my way. Remember the Alpha mare never alters her path; the herd will move out of her way. I see a lot of handlers walk around their horses so they don’t disturb them. What they have unknowingly done is they have shown their horse that they are not the leader. When I walk into my pastures all of my horses pick up their heads to acknowledge me and willingly clear a path.

Phil politely waited for his breakfast to be served. I groomed him while he ate. I discovered another “hole” in Phil’s education. He is very wary about the area under his tail. He squeezes his tail as tight as he can between his butt cheeks. This is very common because this is a vulnerable spot. I will work on desentizing this area because in the future I will need Phil’s cooperation if I have to take his temp, wrap, or braid his tail.

I am also very concerned about Phil’s front shoes. His toes are a little long. The shoes are loose and I see a quarter crack extending beyond the nail hole on his left hoof. He seems to have a pretty decent hoof wall. The hoof is very brittle. My farrier is due out in 2 weeks, but I hate to see the shoe come off and take a big portion of the hoof wall, so I’ll call my awesome farrier to see if he could come out. I am pleased that Phil has super nice farrier manners. As a side note, I treat my farrier better than royalty. I will not ask him to work on a rank horse. I always tip him. My horses (all 13) are always prepared with halters on and lead ropes handy. I am always outside waiting for him to arrive. In return, he has always made emergency trips to my farm without extra cost. He has come out to check questionable lameness and has never charged me. He always does a very professional job.

I have started Phil on biotin and Omega Horseshine (Omega fatty acids).

We went back to the round pen this morning. Now, that Phil had some idea of what is expected from him in the round pen I stepped up my requests. First, on the lead, forward, backward, up, down, right, left, turn on haunches, turn on forehand. Then I let him loose in the pen. He was more responsive today and had his inside ear on me most of the time. I only carry a rope halter/lead in my driving hand, no lunge whip. Phil still doesn’t completely believe I’m the Alpha (this will take a lot more time). He didn’t feel like he had to travel around with his neck craned over the panels today which is an improvement. He still looked to the herd most of the time. Phil has not become a spoiled horse (HURRAY), so it is much easier to reward him with rest. I only had to drive him around a few minutes before I got a “change” from him. This was the appropriate time to stop the lesson. When I refer to “change”, I mean a mental and physical change. This is the area I have the most difficult time explaining. I can FEEL a change in a horse. To me, the horse feels soft; the energy becomes low and flowing: I feel relaxed. Physically, you will see a softening of the eye, loose ears, head/neck/shoulder softening. Your horse will travel with his nose slightly tipped towards you. His tail will be relaxed. This “change” may take 3 hours or 30 seconds. Whenever “change” does occur STOP your lesson, reward with a rest. If you miss this window, you’ll have to keep going until the “change” occurs again. Many people feel they have to school their horse for a certain period of time. This is totally a human concept. Time doesn’t mean anything to horses. Even though I only worked with Phil a few minutes in the round pen (human concept), Phil told me “Ok, I get it.” The lesson was accomplished.

I had 25 minutes before I had to leave to pick up the kids. I had Phil employed mowing the grass in the arena. I sat down on a bucket in the corner of the arena. He was grazing at the other end. Phil raised his head and walked over to me. He offered me his head and I gave him a good rub. I then asked him to back away and it only took a wave of my hand to move him off. He continued to graze near me. This was a breakthrough. I was really able to see a sweet horse.

Evening meal was uneventful. Phil was polite.

April 12, 2008
Day 7
Morning routine was completed: food was poured; I claimed the food dish and the space around it, rubbed Phil’s head, and let him follow me to the food.

The farrier arrived at 8am. Phil’s front shoes were pulled. Phil has a little bit of a seedy toe on his left front. I will keep a close eye on this and keep him out of the wet as much as possible. The soil here is sandy so I’m going to let Phil go barefoot.

At lunchtime, I went to go get Phil to take him to the arena to mow the lawn some more. He didn’t acknowledge (with both eyes) me. He was focused on the herd. I drove him around the pen to switch his brain to the thinking side by giving him a task. After a few minutes he was ready to be haltered. I haltered and he again focused on the herd. As you can see we have made one step forward and two steps back. This is ok. Phil and I had an intense ground work session. We both were sweating and out of breath. When he really began to focus on me I stopped, took off the halter and left the pen. The best reward I could give him was to leave completely; to take away all pressure. So many people want to stay, pet, coo, and tell their horse what a good boy he is…..you are not rewarding your horse, you are keeping the pressure on him. By leaving completely he has time to digest what just happened.

I want to mention petting: when you pet your horse use long petting strokes, rubs, or scratches. It is insulting to your horse to give him a big pat. Horses rub, stroke, and scratch each other; this is enjoyable. They do not swat each other on the neck with their muzzles unless teeth were coming with the “pat.” Think of the last time someone gave you a big “pat” on the back. The gesture, I’m sure was well intended, however it was rather uncomfortable wasn’t it? Please, be respectful to your horses. “Patting” is a human behavior, not a horse behavior.

I moved Phil up to the barn. He still hasn’t joined a herd yet because I need to spend more one on one time. At the barn he can visit the other horses over the fence.

Evening meal went really well. I see a lot of progress.

My family and I returned home around 10pm. I went out to check and blanket the horses. I looked at Phil’s paddock and could not see him. I panicked. Of course, crazy thoughts of him jumping the fence ran though my mind. As I approached the fence Phil nickered softly and I could see the outline of his ears. He was lying down. This was a wonderful sign that he was comfortable and secure in his environment. Horses will never lie down if they do not feel safe; they are very vulnerable on the ground.

Day 8
April 13, 2008

Morning feeding: When I pour feed I keep Phil in my peripheral view so I can keep tabs on his position, his ears, and his eyes. This morning he tried to inch his way into my 16 foot feeding “bubble.” Every move he made forward I kicked a little bit of dirt at him to warn him to back away. He was testing me to see if I was still going to hold up to my end of the bargain. To the novice eye this behavior seems harmless and even “cute”, but at this stage of the learning process “if you give an inch, they’ll take a mile.” If I would have ignored Phil’s “test” I would have given him proof that I am not worthy to be a leader. I know all of this sounds so “nit-picky”, however these are the building blocks to a trusting partnership with your horse. You have to work as hard as he does.

I could see he was a little tender on his front feet this morning (to be expected), so I gave him bute in his breakfast.

Even though Phil had ouchy feet I still worked with him this afternoon. I am emphatic and sympathetic (human thought processes) to Phil’s sore feet, but I am still going to uphold my end of the bargain. If Phil was rude in any way then yes, I will move his feet. If I were to say “oh, poor Phil, I am so sorry your feet hurt, don’t worry about moving out of my space or “I know your feet hurt today so, its ok to jerk the lead out of my hand…you don’t feel well” Ah, hogwash!!! These are human thoughts and emotions. In reality, the Alpha mare doesn’t care if Phil were to have broken leg, an ear torn off, or one eye….he better move out of her way. I know this is a little dramatic, but I’m trying to make a point.

In order to set us up for a successful lesson together I chose to work on things that can be done standing still. I brought him up to the grooming bay. I started with stretching exercises. I then introduced Phil to lateral flexion. I put tension on the lead and immediately released (dropping the lead) as soon as Phil made an effort to tip his nose towards his shoulder. I ended the lesson when I could ask with just fingertip pressure on both sides. I introduced Phil to the lead tossed on his neck, back, hindquarters, and under his tail. He swished his tail at first because he was uncomfortable. I stopped as soon as he cocked a back leg indicating the rope no longer bothered him. Phil was also introduced to a lariat today. I rubbed him all over with the rope, smacked the ground all around him, swung it around, and let the rope bump into his legs. I will use the lariat later on with teaching him not to panic when he gets a foot caught and to hobble. These are 2 basic foundations that should be solid on EVERY horse.

Evening meal: Phil is getting the hang of mealtime manners. I am still moving him out of his feed and mixing the feed with my hands. I was able to back Phil with just a wave of my hand.

Day 9
April 14, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan fed this morning. He reported Phil stayed out of his space, but he tried to evade the head rub. Dan stood his ground and would not let Phil eat until he submitted to a head rub. Note that the SAME routine and SAME requests are followed at every meal. It would not be fair to Phil if we changed the rules.

I returned from work and brought Phil his lunch time hay. I checked his sore feet for heat and a digital pulse. He does have a strong pulse on both front legs, but it was not racing. The vet is scheduled to come out tomorrow to float teeth and draw Coggins. I’ll have her evaluate Phil and ask her if it is ok to paint Venice Turpentine on his soles. It would be a shame if Phil could not go barefoot on our soft, sandy soil. I haltered Phil using this opportunity to practice polite haltering and show Phil that the halter does not always equal work. I petted and rubbed Phil all over (especially ears and under tail) to put my scent on him and simulate his Dam rubbing on him. I took the halter off (used head down cue) and left him to eat his hay. Even though I did not take Phil out of his pen, we had a team building session.

I like to use Bruce Tuckman’s (1965) group dynamics model to explain team building with your horse. Many of you who have taken a college sociology or psychology class have studied this model, so it may look familiar. Even if you have not studied this model, I think it is easy to relate to your own relationship you have with your horse. What are your group dynamics?

The model: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing.
Forming: The team meets for the very first time, members behave independently.
Storming: This is necessary for growth, can be uncomfortable and sometimes painful, many power struggles.
Norming: Members adjust their behavior, begin to trust
Performing: Members function as a unit, the job gets done smoothly without conflict

When Phil unloaded off the trailer we were in the forming stage. Last week we had many storming sessions. Today, I saw a glimpse of our team norming during feeding. Each interaction I have with Phil will fit into one of these categories.

Evening feeding: I groomed Phil while he was eating. He was polite.

Phil lifted his head out of his food dish to acknowledge me several times as I walked in and out of the barn past his pen. This was wonderful!

Day 10
April 15, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was more alert this morning. His feet were feeling a little better. The digital pulse was normal.

Today’s lesson: Tying

This morning I tacked Phil up with a heavy roping saddle. Phil was unconcerned about the saddle, so I did not have to desensitize him to the saddle. I did not “tip toe” around Phil, just because he has never had such a big, heavy saddle on his back. If I was concerned, then Phil would feel he needed to be concerned. I was respectful not to just plop the saddle on his back. I checked for fit and tightened the cinch only tight enough to hold the saddle in place. Phil was “girthy”. He sank to his knees as I gently tightened the girth. I did not panic I just kept cinching and told him “NO!”. He stood right up. I know this could be a frightening experience for a handler, but if you back off, pet your horse, or feel sorry for him because he just won the game and he will repeat….GUARANTEED. Now, with that said, it is your responsibility to be gentle and have tack that fits. Although, I respect the fact that cinching or girthing up is probably not on Phil’s top ten list of things he would like to do, it is part of his job.

With Phil tacked up, I asked him for w-t-c transitions on the lead. I was checking to see if Phil accepted the saddle; he did. He humped his back at first and tried shaking the sports boots off, but quickly became comfortable. I normally don’t use sport boots unless there is a need for protection such as a strenuous workout, rough terrain, a young horse that doesn’t have good control over his feet, or in this case learning to tie. This is one of my favorite lessons because I can pull up a chair and watch Phil teach himself how to disengage his hindquarters, side pass, and release pressure. Even though Phil’s feet were not moving per se, he was still working mentally. I use the saddle and its weight to put Phil in “work mode.” I use a tie blocker, so Phil will never hit tension in the rope. Phil did sit back on the rope twice. Both times I watched him find a release. I did not run up to him to comfort him, as long as he was safe I let him make his own discovery. He did a lot of blinking and licking lips. The tie blocker is mounted to a mature hickory tree. The tree provides nice shade and it is in an enclosed area. As a safety note, if you tie to a tree with a tie blocker you must supervise your horse at all times. If he wraps himself around the tree and pulls back the lead would not release through the tie blocker, it would tighten around the tree and your horse would panic. I left Phil tied for 30 minutes and untied when he cocked a back leg and was unconcerned about his environment. Do not think for one minute he is trained to tie. This lesson will have to be repeated in many environments, under many different circumstances.

Upon returning Phil to his pen he balked at the gate. My timing was off and I wasn’t paying close attention to his cues. I was thinking about getting the horses ready for the vet. Phil knew my attention was not on him; my fault. As soon as I felt the tension of the balk I immediately backed him in a hurry. I stopped and walked him to the gate and I felt a hesitation and immediately backed him and then ground drove him for respect. He still was tense on the lead as we approached the gate, so I backed him around the entire barn, through the brush, through the downed branches at the back of the paddock. If a tree appeared in our path, it was up to Phil to navigate his hindend around the tree. I could not take a step backward. I know this sounds intense, but I had to take it to a level that would mean something to Phil. To give you an idea of the pace of Phil’s backing; I was running. Phil softened and I quit. He walked peacefully through the gate. Many of you are probably thinking I am being mean, because poor Phil is probably scared of the gate. Phil has shown me he is not scared of the gate. For whatever reason, Phil has this behavior. The only way Phil is going to overcome this issue is for me to earn his respect; with respect comes trust. I ABSOLUTELY will not put my foot in the stirrup until I have this behavior under control.

The vet arrived at noon. Phil had his teeth floated and a new Coggins drawn. He was polite for the vet. She checked his hooves and gave me the ok to paint on the Venice Turpentine. She recommended giving Phil 4-6 weeks to toughen his soles before deciding to go back into shoes. I want to mention Phil’s teeth. He has several baby teeth that are out of alignment due to an apparent mouth injury. Prior to having Phil’s mouth propped open I could not see the roof of his mouth. He has a deep scar running across the roof of his mouth. Some of the front permanent teeth are broken, so the injury had to have happened around the age of 2 or 3 years. The permanent teeth were not able to push out the baby teeth. He will definitely need routine dental floating.

Evening feeding: Phil and I are “norming.” Our relationship at mealtime was better.

Day 11
April 16, 2008

Morning feeding: All the horses around the barn where a little excitable this morning. They all had a very interesting night. One of our mares foaled last night. Phil could not see the event from his pen, but he felt the excitement from all the other horses.

I led Phil to the pasture to see the new foal. This was a great opportunity to once again practice haltering, leading, going through gates, and exposing Phil to a new situation. You may think horses recognize foals as their own kind, however it is amazing to see the reaction of a horse that has not been exposed to foals become frightened. Phil was absolutely mesmerized by the filly. It was interesting to see Momma tell Phil to back off from across the paddock.

Evening feeding: uneventful

Day 12
April 17, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

Great Training Day! I worked Phil in the round pen to help him focus on me for our upcoming adventure. He is less worried about the herd and a little more focused on me.
Once Phil’s brain was switched to “learning mode” I took him out on the trail for a team building session. This is my version of a Rope’s Course. I’m sure many of you have attended this workshop with your coworkers. As Phil and I were walking away from the barn I uncovered another “hole.” I could feel Phil’s energy drop and the rope began to get heavy in my hand. Phil was thinking about balking. He is codependent upon the herd and the comfort of the barn. I gave him a very simple task to focus on me. I was able to avoid Phil planting his feet. As we walked a little further down the trail I noticed Phil’s energy picked up. He was very motivated and forward flowing. He was “two fingertips” light in my hands on a slack lead. He stayed in his space and did not try to walk ahead of me. We walked through all kinds of thick brush, up/down hills, over fallen trees. If I saw something interesting to walk over or through I didn’t hesitate to plow through deer trails to reach the obstacle. This was great for Phil to take responsibility for his feet and pick them up. I also was able to show Phil I could be “the leader” and keep him safe in such a stimulating environment. I saw a completely different horse. Now, I must say that some of the low energy in the arena may come from me. I am bored to death in the arena and I’m sure my low energy is picked up by the horses. Phil and I had great energy out on the trail. I am definitely going to take our classes to the trails in the future. I did not take the hunting dogs with me. The dogs provide an extra stimulus and add the surprise ambush to the lesson.

Day 13
April 18, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil’s energy was a bit pushy. Although he did not come into my space his posture was very “pushy.” His head was high, his eye was hard. The Alpha mare would not tolerate this disrespectful posture and would “put Phil back into his place” in the herd hierarchy. This is typical young colt behavior, but must be corrected. I waved Phil off and put his feet in action. I drove him around 2 times and he softened. His demeanor was submissive. I asked him to come into my 16ft circle and rubbed his head. He followed me to the food dish. You see there isn’t a “quick fix” with horses. You have to be on top of your game at all times especially during the time you are establishing the “pecking order” between you and your horse. Training is not glamorous. It is tiring work, takes so much time and patience. You have to celebrate the little victories.

Herd punishment: The worst punishment the Alpha mare could administer is to isolate the belligerent one from the protection of the herd. Out in the open the horse is very vulnerable to predators. This is the concept behind sending Phil far away from my space is that I want to make my message clear “if you are in my space you are going to get sent far away from me.” At this point, I am Phil’s herd.

This morning I took Phil out to see the fertilizer being spread on our new Costal Bermuda pastures. The truck is loud, it clanks and creaks. It throws fertilizer in all directions. This sounds like the perfect recipe for a teaching lesson. Phil was only somewhat fascinated by the truck. Great, one more thing I can cross off the desensitizing list! A thanks to the racetrack environment!

Phil and I went out exploring in the woods. My kids have a secret fort deep in the woods. Phil and I went to check out the fort. We traveled down a steep ravine, through a small creek, up the ravine and through thick brush. Phil had to really keep track of his feet. When Phil started to inch his way into the leader position, I waved him back. I was the navigator. There were several huge tree trunks that I asked Phil to step over. I did not let him jump. The purpose was that I was going to tell his feet where, when, and how fast to go over the log. If you can control the feet, you have control of the mind. Moving the feet with a direct, soft feel will be used under saddle.

I introduced Phil to the electric clippers. I was prepared to start to desensitize him, however Phil was unconcerned about the clippers. Ahhh, one more item that can be checked off the training list. Using the head down cue, I clipped Phil’s bridle path in one clean sweep with the clippers. I also trimmed the outside of Phil’s ears mostly to find any areas that may concern Phil. I don’t trim muzzles, inside of ears, or fetlocks unless we are attending an “A” or “AA” rated show. Horses need the hair in these areas to fend off flies, burs, insects, etc. The hair on the muzzle and eyes serve as “feelers” for the horse since they don’t have sight below their muzzle.

Trailer Loading: If you remember my first meeting with Phil his trailer manners did not impress me one bit. I have spent the past 13 days building on the little pieces that cement the training/learning foundation. Today was an assessment to see how we have been doing on the basics. To set us up for success I did use the 38 foot stock trailer. This trailer is 7’6” tall and 8’ wide. Though this trailer is awful to pull with its length and width, it is awesome to teach trailer loading. I waited for my husband to come home, so I had someone to help me if I needed some “gas” on the other end to get Phil moving. As I approached the trailer I could feel a little tension on the lead as Phil raised his head. I immediately backed him in a hurry; he was about to switch into instinct mode and balk. I returned to the trailer and I felt tension again, so this time I had to raise the level of intensity to make an impression on Phil. I backed Phil so fast down our driveway I was running like the ground was opening up to swallow me. Phil and I returned to the trailer and he walked right up the ramp like a complete gentleman. I repeated this many, many times until I could walk with two fingertips on the lead. Ok, we were making progress walking up the ramp, now for backing into the standing stall. In the back of our trailer there are 3 standing stalls. These are tricky to back into. Using the head down cue and the backing cue I asked Phil to back step by step. Each step was rewarded with a complete release of the rope. He was even rewarded for thinking about backing and rocking back even if he didn’t move a foot. If he wanted to look behind him that was fine as long as his focus was still on me. Phil tried really hard and not once was he ugly. He had every opportunity to bite, kick, or push me; my persistent work is paying off. He has enough respect for me now that biting, kicking, or pushing are not options.

Evening meal: Phil was super polite.

Day 14
April 19, 2008

Phil has a show record! Read on!

Since Phil did so well loading/unloading last night I decided to bring him with to the show we were attending today for a day long lesson on tying. It was dark and Phil loaded like a professional. He was very quite and well mannered on the trailer with the other horses. The show was almost an hour and a half away, so it was a great experience for Phil to ride with our horses that are experienced haulers.

*Note* Once I asked Phil to load I was prepared to follow through with my request even if it meant I was going to be late to the show or not attend at all if Phil had trouble loading. I have seen so many of my clients and friends attempt to load their horse unsuccessfully and give up; or worse get into an awful struggle. Wrong Answer! They just taught their horse that if he doesn’t want to load all he has to do is throw a tantrum and “Mom” will put him back in his stall/pasture. If you start it, you must finish it with horses. Horses do not have time schedules.
The show grounds were hustle and bustle. The horses were tied to the trailer with safety knots. Phil was tied with his rope halter. I do not recommend EVER tying your horse with a rope halter for periods of time unless you have taught your horse how to find a release. Phil understands the pressure points on his halter and can easily find a release.

Phil was introduced to the show grounds and I did a little ground work. He was quiet and well mannered, so well mannered I decided to enter him in halter classes. I felt this would be a fantastic assessment on our training together. Well, guess what? Phil and I showed in halter geldings, showmanship, and hunter in hand. While our competition pushed on their handlers, pawed, and danced around; Phil did his job. Phil brought home a CHAMPIONSHIP in his division! The judge even commented “nice manners” on his score card. If she only could have seen Phil and I two weeks ago!

Show tip: If your horse is anxious use the head down cue. You must teach this cue at home in order to use it at the show and have it work. I used head down cue prior to entering the ring and even in the line up while the judge was judging the other exhibitors. The head down is a relaxed, submissive posture.

Phil spent 8 hours tied to the trailer. Tying is a very IMPORTANT foundation skill. How many times have you seen loose horses at a show because they pulled on their halters and broke loose from the trailer? How many times have you seen a horse drag a parked trailer when his halter did not break? Those horses are not halter broke. Yes, horses will spook while tied, but if they are properly halter broke they will spook in place or at least recognize the tension on the halter as they pull and find their own release. I do not typically rent stalls, I prefer to ship in, so all of my horses learn to stand patiently at the trailer (they do have hay/water at all times). There were two loose horses yesterday.

Phil had no problem drinking water or eating at the show. It is always a concern when a horse is so worried about being away from home that he won’t eat or drink. Phil emptied his water bucket several times. He had no problem urinating either. Some horses will not urinate if they are not in their familiar stall or pasture.

Day 15
April 20, 2008

Morning feeding: no problems.
I vaccinated Phil today. When I vaccinate a horse for the first time I am always prepared to do some ground work, or desensitize the horse to the needle. I haltered Phil and he dropped his head right into the halter and I asked him for head down. I pinched his skin on his neck and shook the skin while I injected the vaccine. No problem. I didn’t even hold onto the lead; Phil was ground tied. I administered 3 injections without any questions from Phil. I had epi with me just in case he had a reaction. I groomed him while I watched for a reaction. If your horse is going to have a reaction to the injection it will show up within 20 minutes or sooner! Always have epi drawn up in a syringe with you just in case. You may not have time to run to the barn and draw up a syringe. You should also be comfortable injecting via IV in case of an emergency. Your vet will be more than happy to show you how to do the injection. Phil did not have a reaction.

As I was grooming Phil I checked his sheath. This is an area that you do need to desensitize. Phil is due for a cleaning. A gelding’s sheath needs to be cleaned often. If your vet does this service for you, then you need to desensitize your horse before your vet comes out. I just wanted to remind everyone that it is OUR responsibility to train our horses to accept veterinary care not our vet’s responsibility. I love my vet and I want her to be available to come out to my farm when I have an emergency. It is not necessary to sedate your horse for routine care if you take the time to train him.

Day 16
April 21, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan reported no problems with Phil.

After the kids finished their homework we decided to go out on the trails. The kids decided they were going to ride their bikes while walking the dogs. I saw a perfect teaching opportunity and brought Phil along. Phil has a tendency to kick at the dogs or anything moving behind him. I respect Phil’s instinctual behavior however, this is something we will have to work through if he is ever going to foxhunt or be around children and pets. You can just imagine the commotion going on with the kids, bikes, and dogs out on the trail. As soon as Phil locked an ear on a bike or kid I gently tugged on the lead rope to prevent his brain from switching from thinking to instinct (timing is everything). The rope halter has pressure knots that convey a clear signal and will quickly get a horse’s attention if used with proper timing and quickness. Phil understands my message based on the energy I send down the rope. He knows how fast he has to move his feet according to my energy and posture. There isn’t a need to call Department of Social Services, my kids have been raised around horses, so they know how to be safe and stay far away . We went to the sand pile behind the back pastures. This is a huge (think sand dune) pile of sand we use to fill in holes, level pastures, put in stalls etc. I walked up the sand pile and Phil followed right behind. This can be a very scary experience for a horse, but Phil took my lead and we went up and over the pile. This was just another experience to prove to Phil I can keep him safe; mission accomplished. Tackling new obstacles is a fun way to learn with your horse, however always use good judgment to keep you and your horse safe.

When we returned home my daughter helped with an exercise that needs 2 people. My daughter held Phil while I roped his back leg. I secured the rope around his left hind pastern and lifted his leg while standing a good distance out of kicking range. Phil resisted, shook his leg, danced around while I kept the tension on the rope. As soon as Phil relaxed I released. Expect to hold the tension on the first several tries for quite a while and let your horse find his release. Practice this exercise in a safe enclosure like an arena or round pen. If you drop the rope you have now taught your horse that if he struggles he will be released. The purpose of the exercise is to teach your horse that if he gets a leg caught he is to stand still and he will be released. I am sure everyone knows of at least one story where a horse got caught in wire, fence, underbrush, etc. and severely damaged muscle, tendons, or ligaments because he fought to free himself. Again, I repeated lifting his leg and released as soon as he relaxed. This was repeated on all legs. Please be very careful when attempting this exercise because you can easily cause a rope burn on you and your horse. I will repeat this every chance I get with Phil. THIS IS FOUNDATIONAL SKILL ALL HORSES SHOULD BE TAUGHT. For example, even if you are by yourself you can pick your horse’s leg up with the lead rope and hold the tension until he relaxes; look for lowering of head, blinking eyes, or floppy ears. This can even be done as a modified chiropractic stretch.

On the way back to Phil’s pen I passed the trailer. I couldn’t let this obstacle pass us up. In the trailer we walked, turned around, and walked out. Ta-Da!

Day 17
April 22, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil backed away and let me pour his feed. As I approached to rub his head he swung his head in circles and danced in place. His body posture told me he was not being aggressive or pushy; he wanted to play. Phil is still very much a colt. This is behavior that needs to be addressed. I am a human; I am not his play buddy. The biggest mistake handlers make, in my opinion, is they think their horse is their buddy and encourage this playful behavior because it “is cute.” It is not cute when a 1200 lb. horse escalates the play behavior by rearing, charging, biting, or kicking. This should not be tolerated! In the herd the Alpha mare does not have a buddy. Sure, she will graze and engage with the other horses, but she does not have a “best friend” or ‘buddy.” This statement is reflecting a true wild herd. The lower members of the herd buddy up. My goal with Phil is to establish in his mind that there is no doubt I’m the Alpha mare. I didn’t even have to send Phil around the pen, a stern “NO” and raising my hand to block him (kind of like “talk to the hand”) switched his behavior mode immediately.

A little insight: I love my horses. I do not love on them. My horses are not my best friends. I do have great partnerships and relationships with all of them. I respect the horses for what they are and what they are capable of doing. I try not to put human thoughts or emotions on their behavior. All of my horses are extremely well balanced animals. They are mentally and physically happy. I do not have “behavior issues” with any of my established herd; not even the foals. My horses are happy because they know what is expected of them and are comforted knowing that I am the leader. Sure, I pet them, talk to them, wish them a happy birthday, and bring them treats from the kitchen, but this is purely for my fulfillment. I provide a safe, clean, stimulating environment and a nutritionally sound diet. They are not fat. In fact, I adjust the weight of their pellets and hay continually to keep them at a body condition score of 5-7. My husband says I cook for them, and he is right. I never change the rules and am always consistent in my expectations. Yes, I do have days where a horse may be a little pushy or doesn’t want to get caught right away, and I will drop everything and address the issue ASAP even if I have a million other tasks/responsibilities to finish (horses do not have schedules to keep). I have even been late to teach a class before because I had a horse that was rude and needed a refresher course in respect. In return, for my dedication and honesty, my horses are very easy to work with and a joy to be around. Ok, I’m off my soapbox.

I worked Phil in the round pen. He is usually stiff in his hind end so I let him warm up a bit before I ask him to move out. He was goofy today. Phil wanted to canter and shake his head. This was fine as long as he was out of my space and responded to my cues. Phil now circles in to me to change direction about 50% of the time: Celebrate the little victories! Phil also kept one ear on me the entire time even though I had loose horses around the outside of the round pen. I did not have to compete with those horses for Phil’s attention!

I find it interesting that Phil chooses his right lead. The round pen is good for him to learn that it is easier to canter on the correct lead without the weight of me on his back. I am teaching pre cues before I ride Phil. For example, a cluck is trot and a kiss is canter. I have found it is easier to teach lead changes when your horse knows what a kiss means. This way I only have to use a leg cue to signal which lead I want him to take. I left Phil in the round pen for a change of scenery and give him a chance to soak up the lesson. Remember, I always keep water in the round pen.

I have really worked on sensitizing Phil to pressure. Ok, now I’m sure I’m going to confuse everyone. There are many things that I have desensitized Phil to, but Phil’s lack of motivation stemmed from he didn’t see a need for humans (no respect). He was already desensitized to humans. I have made an impression on Phil by putting uncomfortable pressure on him and then I magically hold the power to take the pressure off. Only by making Phil very uncomfortable have I been able to sensitize him to my presence. I see the results as Phil hustles his feet to change directions with a point of my finger. You may think by putting Phil in an uncomfortable position I may make him scared of me or not like me. These are human thoughts and emotions. What I do is make it very difficult to choose the wrong option and easy to choose the correct one. Horses understand the feeling of pressure; they want the pressure gone. When I put Phil in his pen he follows me to the gate in a submissive manner. If he was scared of me or didn’t like me (human thought/emotion) he would run away from me as fast as he can and may even “give me the middle finger” by kicking in my direction. Quite the contrary, Phil finds me comforting and prey animals are comfort seekers.

I am about to touch on a subject that you will not hear much about from the “traveling trainers/clinicians” because it elicits a lot of emotion out of people and is very taboo. You will see these clinicians use the leather popper, stick, or whatever tool they use, but they will never really talk about it. However, this is it “the good, the bad, and the ugly”. As I have said previously, training horses is not glamorous. If you have any questions please ask.

Sensitizing to pressure: To sensitize a horse is to cause them to become responsive to a specific cue or stimulus. I do not think I need to explain that abusive behavior (verbal/physical) is never to be used on your horse. The reality is I think I need to persuade most of you to become more firm with your horses and quit nagging them; step up to the plate and fulfill your end of the bargain. Your horse will be happier. Horses communicate through posture and contact; plain and simple. When posture is ignored, immediate contact is made. When you add the human and the human’s emotions simple communication through contact is often escalated into abuse. If you have no choice but to take your communication to the next level you must do so within 3 seconds, communicate in a quick and clear fashion. If you miss your 3 second window your correction is considered a sucker punch or low blow. I only use a rope halter/lead combo with leather poppers under the chin and on the end of the rope. I do not use lunge whips, stud chains, twitches, or harsh bits, etc.

When I first met Phil I could yell, scream, stomp my feet and he would not even put an ear on me much less an eye. I could wave a lunge whip all around him and he would just ignore me. Many people would say Phil is bombproof; this is what gets people hurt. Phil did not have any respect for me or any other human. This meant when I asked (hold lead up in direction I want him to travel), then told (swing rope to promote visual and increase my energy) and still no response I will follow through with a promise (step in his space and spank w/popper). The promise or follow up could be kicking dirt at him or administering an accurate spank or pop with the popper on his rump. I have set Phil up for success by asking, then telling, and then following through. He has learned through repetition “to know what is going to happen before it happens”. DO NOT NAG YOUR HORSE. Nagging doesn’t work with your children and it won’t work with your horse. Do not ask, ask, ask, beg, plead, ask, beg, pretty please, beg, and then out of frustration pop him like there is no tomorrow. This is completely unfair and you don’t deserve any respect. I will not hesitate to spank/pop (one quick, clear, concise spank/pop) a horse on his rump with the leather popper on my lead rope after I have politely asked, then firmly told and blatantly ignored. This “pop” sends my energy directly to the horse. The “pop” from the lead is merely an annoyance to the horse; you can’t hurt him on his rump. If you use the end of your lead (nylon, leather, cotton, rope, NEVER the stud chain) make sure you always use a downward motion. If you swing the rope up you may catch your gelding or mare in a sensitive area and you deserve to be kicked. With Phil I had to lunge at him, pop him with the popper, squeal and move his feet backwards around his pen or down my driveway countless of times to sensitize him. Each time I had to increase the distance and my energy level (this was only done when I was completely ignored). Do what ever it takes to move your horse as long as you and your horse are safe; you are being fair to your horse; you are setting him up for success (meaning when he makes an effort you reward immediately) and most importantly you will follow up consistently. Pick your battles.
Pick your battles: Know when you have the ability to follow through with something. Rather than flail away aimlessly with something that you have never worked through before or are having problems with; know your limits and abilities. Most of all make sure that you correct a horse for a response you are after, not for something you did wrong.

Phil is beginning to understand that I will always follow through with my requests. He knows what is going to happen before it happens. I have not had to follow up with any requests in several days. Throughout our training together he will continually test me to see if I am going to hold up my end of the bargain. Once I have his respect I will just have to suggest pressure to get a response.

Day 18
April 23, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan reported feeding went well.

Ground Tying: I think this is really a neat concept. Ground tying gives your horse a say so in the situation. Think about it, if your horse is truly your partner then he will accept bridling, saddling, mounting, etc. by standing still. If your horse moves away from you during any of these activities he is telling you “hey, I’m not ready yet” or “I don’t respect you .” Ground tying is an easy lesson to teach, but it takes time and lots and lots of patience.

Before asking Phil to ground tie I set him up for success. I asked him for a little ground work to warm up his muscles and to get his brain focused on me. It took less than 5 minutes to warm Phil up physically and mentally.

I have been working on ground tying from day one with Phil. Today, I haltered standing on his right side today to mix things up with rope halter/lead and led him (right side) to the round pen. I squared him up in the middle of the round pen. Note: I square Phil up in front and place his hind legs in a hunter stance. This way I can teach showmanship in hand and ground tying in one lesson. I asked for head down and then backed away from Phil. Phil turned and faced me with two eyes. This is exactly what I have been teaching him, but now I must dramatically change my posture to a low energy, submissive one to tell him “it’s ok to stand and rest”. I continued to approach and retreat 360 degrees around him. At first, he wanted to turn on his forehand to face me (two eyes). I did reward this effort. Each time he moved I submissively approached and squared him up and asked for head down. I do want to make a note that when you approach your horse you should never approach in a straight line. This is predator behavior. Prey animals approach in serpentines. Next time your horse walks up to you in the pasture observe how he doesn’t walk in a straight line to you. He may look like a drunk. Several times Phil felt pressure and moved off. I believe he was trying to either anticipate a request to move off or I was using too much pressure via my body language. He stepped on his own lead and stopped himself in his tracks. It didn’t take many repeats of this sudden jerk on his halter caused by his own feet to stop him from moving off. As Phil was standing I groomed him (associate me with rest, warm fuzzy feelings, security). When I switch sides I do not walk around him instead I slide my hand under his chin and guide his head to the side so my feet never move when I switch sides. This is a psychological move going back to the theory “he who moves his feet is the follower or subservient one.” I ask for Phil to ground tie again only this time I try some distracters like messing with the gate, digging in the sand, splashing water in the trough etc. Each time Phil moves out of position I set him up again. Phil is pretty content to stand. When get further along in our relationship I’ll try ground tying in the arena, pasture, and eventually on the trail.

I passed the trailer again. Phil and I took a detour up the ramp, into the trailer, and back down again before returning to his pen. No hesitation from Phil.

Evening feeding: I am still mixing feed with my hands. I just looked at the feed dish and he moved away. I rewarded him with a rub and left him to eat. Wow, that was communication.

Day 19
April 24, 2008

Morning feeding: I exercised Phil’s brain a little this morning. I asked him to back, turn on forehand and disengage his hindquarters. All of this was done with NO halter or lead and I had the distracting temptation of the food bucket in my hand. Phil respected the pressure from just my hand. Now, I do not want you to think that the backing or the turning was pretty. As long as Phil made the effort to lift his feet and move in the general direction I was asking him he was rewarded with a complete release of pressure. Have you ever wondered how the clinicians trained their horses to “dance” with them without halter or lead rope? This is how the training began; little by little.

I haltered Phil this morning and left him to eat. I am teaching Phil that he does not have to leave his pen and “work” or receive a shot or get de wormed every time the halter makes an appearance. Even though it doesn’t look like it I am building the foundation to be able to catch (actually he is going to catch me because I teach my horses to come to me) and halter Phil anywhere, anytime, anyplace.

Round pen: Each time I teach in the round pen I set the bar a little higher meaning I expect quicker responses, departures with a purpose, more softness, an ear on me and of course “two eyes” when I ask Phil in to my space. I don’t have to use the lead in my hand to motivate any more, but have it handy. Phil is starting to turn in to me and turn away from me to change directions at my request. This is fantastic. When Phil’s posture starts to get stiff I know he is thinking about getting frustrated. I keep his feet moving but ask him for something he is good at like circling in to me for a reassuring rub. Phil has perfected the rest request.

Out of the round pen I set up an obstacle course for fun. I have all kinds of jump standards that my husband built. One set of standards are palm trees with leaves on the top and pink flamingos that spin their wings on the bottom. I have a mailbox and tons of kid toys such as balls, hula hoops, pool noodles, etc. I had Phil on the end of the lead as I dragged and arranged the standards. Phil remained light in my hand. When all was set up I navigated Phil through, around, over, under obstacles and tried to direct him with just a suggestion of the lead rope. If Phil got stuck I directed him on the lead. This meant he had to turn on forehand, haunches, and back with the suggestion of the lead. I rewarded every effort. I started to teach side pass; this took more energy on my part. Phil at this point is “stiff as a board.”

I hosed Phil off and put him in his pen to roll.

Evening feeding: My son fed Phil. He asked Phil to move away from the dish and Phil did so without question. In fairness to our horses it is so important that all care takers follow the same rules (whatever rules you establish). In the equine world there are only one set of rules followed by all horses. In the human world we change the rules on a whim and incorporate emotions, agendas, priorities, time schedules, moods, etc. so essentially we confuse our horses.

I understand it is difficult to do this for our horses at a boarding facility. I used to board my horses and different people fed them all the time. My horses were allowed to be extremely rude during feeding. If I happened to feed them I changed the rules and sent them off if they were rude. Essentially, I was not being fair to my horses because I changed the rules. Pick your battles.

Day 20
April 25, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil did what he was supposed to do this morning only he told me “hurry it up”. He lowered his head for the head rubbing ritual and before I took my hand off his head he took his head away from me and took a step towards the dish. Immediately my posture straightened and let out a firm “NO”. I didn’t even have to wave Phil off; he did it on his own and circled back in with a completely different body posture. I invited him in to my space, rubbed his head for a lengthy time and let me go to the food dish.

Side note: I use certain words like “NO” or “BACK” to help me raise my energy and change my facial expression, not necessarily to teach Phil to respond to the words. Eventually, he will make the connection between the words and my actions. These words are always said in the same authoritative tone.

Phil and I attempted the obstacle course backwards today. It was tough on both of us, but it was a neat way to do something different. Yes, we mowed over some obstacles, but it was fun. Be creative with your horse. As you can see my training style is very different. I teach all the same lessons and introduce new ones in different environments. For example, I took Phil off our property down the road. I practiced all the things I have been building on only with different scenery. I also was able to see Phil’s reaction to cars whizzing by. Cars do not bother Phil.

I will give you a visual of what I looked like walking Phil down the road. Note: When hand walking your horse on side of the road you are considered a pedestrian and should walk against the flow of traffic. Upon horseback you travel with the flow of traffic in most states. I am a safety nerd. I wear a helmet (even on the ground) and an orange hunting vest. I know I looked like a complete dork, but I have many healed broken bones, including a fractured vertebra L3, from “horse accidents”. I started wearing a helmet during ground work recently when one day working with a client’s rank horse my timing was off just slightly and this mare kicked me in the cheek. Thank goodness my position was correct or she would have let me have it with both barrels. She gave me a concussion, fractured cheek bone, and 3 bulging disks in my neck. I ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET when riding. It doesn’t matter if I’m riding English or Western. I look back at those times (20 years ago) and almost all of the “accidents” could have been avoided if I had my horse’s respect. Back then I was taught to dominate your horse into submission.

Day 21
April 26, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

I tacked Phil up this morning and we headed out on the trail for a warm up. I am still working on the ground and will not step foot in the stirrup until I am assured I can direct Phil’s feet and have earned his respect. By securing a solid foundation on the ground you will avoid many in the saddle “accidents” or “frustrating moments” with your horse. I invited the dogs along and they, of course, made quite a commotion on the trail. Phil is still weary about the dogs. I give him tasks to do instead of letting him react to the dogs wrestling or jumping in and out of the bushes. The tasks are not corrections; they are merely to keep Phil from switching into instinct mode. When we return we went to the round pen. I asked Phil for transitions to see if there are any worries about the heavy roping saddle on his back. He was very attentive in the pen. He transitioned nicely, turned in and away from me, and he actually had his nose tipped towards me. This is a wonderful sign of comfort, trust, and respect. I asked him to circle in. I walked around the pen and he kept “two eyes” on me the entire time. Even though we were in the round pen for only 10 minutes Phil’s lesson for the day was complete. If I had kept a time schedule for “schooling” him I would have ruined the entire lesson and probably created some new issues. Remember time is a human concept. Your horse will tell you when it is time to stop. You must know the difference between your horse accepting your cues and your horse outwardly refusing to accept your cues. Stop and reward for acceptance. Keep the lesson going if your horse is ignoring you. Take your watch off your wrist! Do not get this stage of Phil’s training confused with conditioning. When Phil moves to the under saddle phase we will start conditioning and spend longer periods of time together. If I have done my homework correctly, Phil will want to school and look forward to our time together under saddle. I end the lesson by tying a soft lead around Phil’s front right pastern and lift his leg. I hold the lead until Phil stops trying to free his leg. I have been working on this with Phil for some time now, so Phil only mildly resists. I repeat on all 4 legs while he is ground tied. I am preparing Phil to hobble.

Day 22
April 26, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

Mother Nature stepped in an offered a wonderful lesson….rain. Phil was very agitated with the big rain drops falling on him. He tensed his body, shook his head, tucked his tail, and humped his back. Phil’s pen has thick, mature tree cover, but doesn’t completely shelter him from the aggravating rain. As long as Phil was not in distress the best lesson he could learn is how to be a horse. If I am at a show or on a trail ride far from home and it rains or storms I want to have a steadfast mount. The footing and slick saddle are difficult enough to deal with I personally don’t want to have to negotiate with a horse that is having a mental meltdown due to rain. Phil stayed out in the pouring rain all day. He was still alive at feeding.

Evening feeding: Phil was already irritated at having to stay in the rain and he showed a little “ugly” at feeding. I sent him off around the pen and he trotted in the most peculiar fashion. He tucked his head between his front legs and arched his back. I also was wearing a big, yellow rain jacket that most horses do not really like. I pulled the hood down so he could see that it was me and he snorted (snort is fear or excitement). I sent him off again and asked him to circle in. I walked around him and he kept “two eyes” on me. I asked him to back, turn on haunches, disengage hindquarters. He softened and I rubbed his head. Note: Some breeds like the thoroughbred cannot regulate their body temps as well as other breeds. It is best to keep your horse outside as much as possible, but if he is in distress such as shivering he needs to get out of the weather. I’ll check Phil tonight to see if he needs to come in to a stall. If he is ok, I’ll give him more hay and let him learn to tolerate Mother Nature. Hay will help increase body heat.

Day 23
April 27, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

After haltering Phil I asked him to move up, down, back, right, left to see where his mind is this morning. I felt he was ready for a lesson on leading by the front leg. This morning I secured a soft lead around Phil’s front fetlock. The lead was not tied, it was merely looped behind his fetlock. With the leg caught I applied pressure by pulling the leg forward and asking Phil to step. When Phil stepped I released pressure and praised him. Phil was very reluctant at first and I had to hold the tension for quite a while. Once Phil figured out how to find his release he caught on fairly quickly. I did this to both front legs until I could lead Phil around the round pen by just his feet. I have found that these preparatory exercises for hobbling really build trust between you and your horse. Essentially, you are taking away his ability to flee from a predator and he really has to trust you to give up this option of flight. You will use this exercise under saddle. By being “in tune” with your horse you will be able to communicate so clearly that you will be able to place your horse’s feet with a soft feel on a direct rein.

More rain this afternoon. Phil was not a happy camper.

Evening feeding: Phil was polite and respectful, but I could tell by his body language he was not comfortable in the rain.

Day 24
April 28, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan said Phil was very agitated this morning. He reported Phil was very respectful and polite, but tossed his head and danced around at the furthest end of his pen. As long as Phil was having a mini meltdown in his own space and showed no disrespectful behavior towards Dan there wasn’t a need for a correction. Dan said Phil was very submissive when he asked him to come to his food dish. Phil spent the night in the rain and is having a rough time learning how to be a horse.

Does Phil know how to be a horse completely? Since I do not know how much time Phil spent in a herd situation before weaning or after, I can only make some assumptions based on Phil’s current “horse knowledge.” Phil’s previous owner reported that Phil was repeatedly kicked by the other horse he was pastured with. The owner reported that “Phil wanted to play and the other horse did not.” What I really think was going on was that Phil lacks some horse social skills and he did not respect the other horse’s space or Alpha position. In a herd situation it only takes one good kick to send the message to a lower subordinate because the one receiving the message knows what will come next. Phil did not seem to get this message. This behavior is often seen in orphan, nurse maid colts, colts that weren’t raised with other colts and colts hand raised by humans. From observing Phil I note that he doesn’t know how to face his back to the wind and tuck his head. He is the only horse out in the rain that is standing face into the storm while all my horses are hunkered down into back towards wind position (no wonder why he had such an awful night). I hope that my herd can teach him. If you think about it for a minute our OTTBs have lived a unique life away from a herd for the most part. As far as horse behavior, we cannot rehabilitate our horses if they have never been habilitated in the first place.

Evening feeding: I saw what Dan saw this morning with Phil tossing his head in an agitated manner. At first I was puzzled because it had stopped raining and there weren’t any gnats or flies. I watched Phil for a few minutes and noticed the breeze carried off the water on the leaves and a brief shower hit Phil on the head. I put Phil’s fly mask back on (previously taken off due to rain) and Phil was content.

Day 25
April 29, 2008

Morning feeding: It was a fairly cool morning and many of the other horses were a bit rowdy, but Phil remained level headed and super polite.

Still very much a colt…..

I tacked Phil up. The “girthy” behavior has disappeared and bridling is a pleasure using the head down cue. I used a different bridle on Phil today. It was one of my custom made training bridles w/yacht braid reins and a sweet iron snaffle bit. Phil could not resist shaking the tassels (from the yacht braid reins) under his chin. The leather chin strap/bit hobble (used to prevent the snaffle from pulling through his mouth) and slobber straps were a new added weight/feel. We headed out on the trail and Phil shaking his head trying to grab the tassels was really annoying. About half of the colts I start under saddle find the tassels very fascinating. I did not correct Phil and just held the reins steady so I would not teach him that when he jerks his head he gets a release from me when I lose the reins. The lesson was on me today. I had to remain cool and stay focused on a steady grip on the reins. When Phil jerked the reins to flip the tassels I held steadfast and let him bump against himself. It is a human reaction to jerk the reins back from your horse; instead train yourself to let your horse bump against himself. Previously, I noticed Phil had a hard mouth/face in the bridle. I wanted to work on flexion, but clearly this was not the time when Phil was in “colt mode.” When we returned home we went to the round pen. His focus was better in the round pen. I did a lot of flex and release to soften up his neck and work on softening his mouth. He softened faster and faster. He even would soften, bend and stay in position until I rubbed his nose. His head was low and relaxed. He easily gave me his nose, but he was stiff through the shoulder and he didn’t offer his face. This is ok, celebrate the little victories.

Note: I refuse to bit up a horse to get a quicker response. I feel that this is just like sticking a band aid on a sucking chest wound. I feel if a restraining device is the chosen method to get the desired results then most likely there is a HOLE in your horse’s education or yours. Instead of using tie downs, martingales, torture bits, etc. I’ll go back to ground work and try to figure out where I went wrong with my teaching. I know everyone is anxious to “work their horse on the bit” (I say this loosely) and it is temping to rig up a martingale, but the reality is once the martingale is off your horse’s head pops back up and his back is hollow again. A long term strategy would be to slowly build your horse’s top line, promise him you’ll stay out of his mouth and ride with soft hands, ride with an independent seat, and teach him to reach for a release with vertical flexion. The goal with my lesson today was to ask Phil to become soft in the bridle and “give me his face” with only 2 fingertips pressure or less than 2 ounces.

I had a different halter on Phil. This particular halter has a lot of adjustments and rings under the chin for the lead that make noise. Phil stood on cross ties shaking his head and making all kinds of noise with the rings. He was driving me crazy, but I chose not to fight this battle; he was not misbehaving in my book in any way. The halter kept him busy while I cleaned his sheath, so it all worked out.

Head shaking: I do want to mention head shaking. This was something that Phil’s previous owner commented about to Elizabeth. Young colts will typically chomp on the bit, shake their heads, travel with their heads cocked to the side, and even travel in zig zag lines. This is completely normal. If you ignore it you’ll find within weeks these behaviors disappear. Just do not let your horse yank the reins from you. Hold steady and let your horse bump himself. If the behavior worsens and is accompanied by crow hopping, bucking, ducking, bolting, etc. you may want to check tack fit. You may also want to rule out any health issues or rider inadequacies.

Evening feeding: During feeding I was catching up on chores. Every time I entered Phil’s pen he acknowledged me with “two eyes.” This is wonderful!
As of 5-22-08 Have Not Sent
Day 26
April 30, 2008

Morning feeding: We had a record setting low last night for this time of the year. I was expecting a lot of “freshness” from my group. As I entered Phil’s pen he started hopping up and down with all four legs off the ground at once. He was very animated. Since he was being polite and hopping in his own space I left him alone. He circled in and I gave him the ritual rub. I brought in his hay and asked him to leave his food dish to clear a path for me to reach his hay rack. He backed with only a wave of 2 fingers. Talking about communicating! Remember the Alpha never walks around the subordinates; they clear a path for her.

Treating. Ok, I’m a stickler for not stuffing my horse’s face full of treats. If you have not established respect in your relationship, treating will lead to a pushy, demanding, mouthy horse that may even bite or strike when a treat is not presented upon demand. I like to treat my horses. It makes me feel good. I feel Phil and I have come to an agreement that I am the Alpha. At this point I can introduce treats. If you absolutely must give treats I would recommend giving them in a bowl. I have a large plastic bowl I purchased from Dollar Tree. Your horse will know the treat is from you because your scent is on the treats. If your horse is demanding a treat then I would suggest skipping the treat or give him a task and then treat….on your terms, not his. I promise your horse will not hold a grudge against you if you do not treat him. The best treat a horse can get is to be left alone.

I used the treats (I like baby carrots and apple nibblets) to ask Phil to stretch. This way Phil stretched on his own without me interfering with what degree he was to stretch. This worked really well. I was able to get Phil to track the treat with his eyes. I started to teach him to bow. Incorporated into this “game” I Phil was ground tied, he used head down cue, vertical/lateral flexion, backing, and disengaging the haunches. The best part was this is bonding time. We are learning how to communicate in a relaxed, non “classroom” setting, no pressures.

Evening feeding: I forgot to feed Phil his hay! As I rounded the barn after feeding and scrubbing troughs down the hill I saw Phil as polite as can be standing in front of his hay rack. He acknowledged me with “two eyes” and I saw the empty hay rack. Wow, this is a breakthrough. In the past, Phil would pace at the gate and paw if his hay rack was empty. Of course, I have been consistent in my requests and follow troughs that he needs to be a gentleman until I get to him. Phil is really starting to “get it.”

Day 27
May 1, 2008

Morning feeding: uneventful.

Releasing your horse: This is a lesson I learned quite well when I was younger. First let me tackle the basics and then I’ll tell the story. Using the correct haltering and leading techniques I led Phil to his new pasture to meet his new friends. They have been nose to nose for 2 weeks now, so I have been able to get a good idea of personality matches. When Phil and I walked through the gate my horses stood far back; they have been taught not to crowd me. I asked Phil to turn on his forehand to face the gate, asked for head down and took off his halter. He has been taught to stay with me (ground tie) until I give him the signal he can leave. I build this into all my horses so I can always exit safely. When I am a safe distance I wave him off. Phil runs to join his new friends. It is a good match. I have chosen to keep Phil in a smaller pasture near the barn, so I can continue to interact with him throughout the day. Also, I can correct unwanted behavior more efficiently in a smaller area. He can still run from me in a 2 acre pasture, but it is easier than the 5-6 acre pastures. He can always catch me (notice he is going to catch me; I’m not going to catch him) and I can put him in the round pen for some thought provoking foot work.

My story. On Christmas Eve 1988, in Chicago, I let my horse, Ptarmigan (Phil looks a lot like him only think Appendix QH not TB), out on a crisp, snowy eve. He was excited to play in the snow. I opened the gate, took off the lead, and just let him take off. Of course he let out a huge rodeo broncing buck and he kicked me in the arm with a shod hind foot. I was wearing several heavy layers of clothing, thank goodness. I stood there watching him play and felt warmness down my right arm. I went back to the barn and peeled off the layers of clothing to see blood soaking everything. I felt ok, so I thought maybe he just broke the skin. I ended up putting Ptarmigan away and driving home. I had no idea I was in shock. When I got home I felt sick and had to confess to my Mother what had happened. I was rushed to the ER and had fractured my humorous and required many, many stitches. If I had known how to properly release Ptarmigan and have his respect I would not have been injured. The ER physicians said it was my heavy clothing that prevented me from going to surgery. Can you imagine if his kick was just 1 foot higher?

Releasing Summary: Face your horse towards the gate. In this position he has to turn around to run or let out a kick. This will give you a window to go to safe distance. Keep other horses away from you. It is dangerous to have your horse’s buddies on top of you wanting to initiate play with your horse. Don’t be afraid to carry a whip to shoo his anxious buddies off. Use head down cue for proper de-haltering technique and to relax your horse. If your horse is rude take him back out of his pasture and ask him to work for you….that means move his feet like he has a purpose. Try again. Repeat until he is polite and you feel safe.

Day 28
May 2, 2008

Catching your horse. Since Phil comes in to eat he comes to me and I halter, lead, and release him a minimum of twice daily. When I catch Phil I have actually taught him to catch me. The last thing I want to do is walk to the end of a 5 acre pasture to catch a horse. Through ground work for respect I have taught Phil to catch me.

First Ride.
Pre-ride checks. I have had 27 days to establish my relationship with Phil. The time spent on the ground will reflect how well we work together under saddle. I tacked Phil up using my roping saddle. I want as much leather under me as possible with the young horses. I did use the snaffle bridle instead of the training headstall with the distracting tassels (chose not to fight that battle). I did some ground work to see where Phil’s mental attitude was before I even attempted to mount. I was prepared to scratch my plan if Phil’s focus wasn’t on me and go back to ground work. Phil passed all “pre ride” checks. One thing I’ve noticed about horse owners is that they catch their horse, groom, tack and ride off without asking their horses “how do you feel today?’ Many “accidents” can be prevented if humans would just take the time to do a little ground work before mounting. If you have established ground work for respect with your horse, like I have with Phil, this may only be a pass to the left and right and maybe a back up from the ground. If Phil was distracted, spooky, or silly, etc. I would postpone my ride and chose to do something else constructive. Unfortunately, humans are so schedule/agenda conscious if they have made the trip to the barn, then by golly they are going to ride.
Mounting: I always use a mounting block no matter how tall the horse. Mounting blocks are the polite way to mount your horse. Now with that said you should be able to easily mount from the ground in case you are in a situation where you cannot stand on a block or tree stump. Phil stood politely as I mounted. I returned the politeness by not jabbing my toe into his side, by swinging my leg over his back gracefully and gently sitting my weight in the saddle. It is very rude to grab the saddle to pull yourself up, haul yourself onto your horse, kick him instead of lifting your leg, and plopping all of your weight into the saddle. We expect our horses to be physically fit enough to carry us, so we owe it to them to be physically able to gently mount and dismount. I purposely fiddled with the stirrups and reins. Phil stood still. Please, do not ever mount a horse that is moving. This is very unsafe. With that said, our OTTBs have to be taught to stand still for mounting. On the track the jockeys are hoisted onto a moving horse’s back; this is what our OTTBs
know.
Flexion. I started by picking up one rein and asked for a soft flex. Phil, like all young horses, took this cue to move his feet. This is ok. He can turn in circles. To make the lesson correct I disengaged his hindquarters and asked him to step over until he makes an effort to give to me. As soon as Phil gives me a hint of his nose, I immediately dropped the reins. I mean I dropped them out of my hands to reward. Phil stopped turning. I continued to ask, Phil stopped turning and starting flexing without moving his feet. When he was doing this consistently I asked him to walk and flex. To reward him quicker as soon as he softened I let him change direction. An observer would accuse Phil of being drunk because we were swerving all over the arena. I was even able to pick up his foot through the feel of the rein and place it several times; this is an advanced move.
Circles. Circles, circles, circles. Since Phil is unbalanced and tends to dip his shoulder into a bend I have to really keep him between my legs. This means at all times I am supporting or directing with legs and/or hands. I make sure I am only supporting with my legs and hands and not nagging. I like to ride along the rail and turn into the rail and then turn back into the middle of the arena. Essentially I am doing figure eights along the rail. I make sure I plan, look where I am going, slightly shift my weight and support with legs/reins. I did have to modify my requests for Phil to accommodate his body build and conditioning. He cannot get under his hocks like my Quarter Horses and roll back, so I execute a little larger circle along the rail.
Test Ride: Once Phil was warmed up and fairly soft I tried out all gears. I was really surprised at how easy it was to post his trot. I didn’t have to work very hard since his trot provided the momentum. I would rate (1 being the worst and 10 the best) his canter a 10 and his hand gallop a 10+. He made an effort to turn on forehand, turn on haunches, and side pass. He even reached for the bit several times and was rewarded by a complete release.
Impulsion. Phil’s previous owner wrote Elizabeth several times about Phil’s lack of impulsion. I was even told that Phil was stubborn because he didn’t have impulsion. I want to take the time to discuss this since it is so easy to label a horse as uncooperative or stubborn. If you can’t get impulsion from your horse it is because your horse is emotionally out of control because he does not respect you. Remember, when I first met Phil I felt he was unstable. This is one of the most frustrating problems humans have with their horses. Plain and simple; Impulsion comes from respect. Respect is something you get on the ground or you don’t. You achieve impulsion by balancing your horse’s mental and physical needs. Many people will stick a band aid on a sucking chest wound and use crops, whips, or spurs to bully their horses. (NOTE: I use training spurs on some of my young prospects so I can communicate a “promise” clearly. One tap from the spur equals 100 exhausting leg kicks which only teach your horse to ignore you. I have developed a very independent leg and seat so the spur will only make contact if the ask and tell have been completely ignored). This will create dangerous habits such as rearing, bolting, ducking, bucking, as your horse will start to out think you to get away from the pressure and find a way to rid you off his back. The first time he tosses you or scares you enough to dismount you have just given him the release he was searching for and he will find his release quicker and quicker each time. Our horses are recreation for us, can we be recreation for them? As I mentioned in an earlier entry I am bored riding in circles in the arena. I try to entertain myself by trying out new things such as instead of riding along the rail going forward, I back my horse around the ring or I look at my surroundings and ask “Can I ride through, under, over, or around it”? Use your imagination.

Day 29
May 3, 2008

We were at a local schooling show today and hauled Phil along. He did not hesitate to load in the trailer even though it was dark.

Phil was shown exhibition in HUS, English Equitation,Western Equitation, Barrels, and Poles. He placed 2rd in hunter in hand and 4th in halter geldings. If we keep up this pace Phil may be eligible for a Year End Reserve In Hand.

Day 30
May 4, 2008

Morning feeding: Even though Phil stood out of my way to pour feed, his posture was very upright and braced. He came within my 16ft feeding space. I asked him with two fingers of pressure to get out of my space; he ignored me. I told him with a stern “BACK” and a wave; he half-heartedly made an effort to back. I immediately promised by up-righting my posture, squealing, and kicking dirt at him. He moved off and knew the drill. He would try to circle in at every opportunity, but I kept the pressure on him until I saw a submissive body posture. I circled the pen and he kept “two eyes” on me (a sign of respect). I asked for a back and turn on haunches with just a suggestion from my finger. I moved him in and out of his feeding dish just to reinforce I am Alpha. You must be on your game at all times. Phil must have sensed I wasn’t completely focused on him and he let me know it….Lesson on me this morning.

After breakfast Paige, my 10 yr. old daughter, and I tacked up for a morning ride. Phil was a little snotty about bridling this morning. I insisted on head down and would not remove the bridle from his face until he lowered his head. A mistake many people make when a horse is acting rude about bridling is they take away the bridle to reposition themselves each time the horse moves his head. This rewards the horse and teaches him that as long as head his is moving he is going to get a release. I held the bit in position and held the crownpiece with some mane so the bridle would not slip. It didn’t take Phil long at all to comply and he was rewarded with gentle bridling.

I did a little ground work and Phil said he was “ok.” I warmed up in the arena with asking for softness through flexion. Paige and I had set up barrels. I love using the barrels to teach bending. The barrel acts as a visual for me to gage how Phil is bending. It also gives Phil an incentive not to drop a shoulder into the barrel. The barrels are also a fun way to teach softness, bending, and circling. Paige and I like to play follow the leader and race against each other by weaving around the barrels at a trot. I asked Phil for a left lead canter departure from a trot. He gave me the right lead. This is ok. I just circled tighter and tighter on the incorrect lead to see if he would be willing to change. Phil said “no thank you”. I asked for another canter departure while circling to the left and he let out several sissy bucks. Phil was telling me he emotionally isn’t ready to learn lead changes. Since I started the left lead request I wanted to him to at least give it a try. He finally did give me a left lead and after 3 strides I dropped the reins for a reward and dismounted.

I will sometimes spend up to 30 days just walking and trotting. I will not move on to the canter or correct lead departures until I have complete control over the feet at a walk/trot. I have found that if a solid foundation is made at the walk and trot gaits, the canter seems to just fall in place. I also spend a lot of time working on leads in the round pen un-mounted teaching the “kiss” pre-cue. This means less work for me in the saddle.

First trail ride. Paige and I headed out for a short trail ride. The dogs were with us. Phil was ok with the dogs running up on us and jumping in and out of the woods. When we returned we spent a few more minutes in the arena. I asked Phil to step over the 18” jumps set up. He was hesitant about stepping over the oxer. I dropped the reins and gave him his head. I only kept a supporting leg on him and took my leg off immediately every time he thought about stepping over. I do want to mention with the young horses if you keep constant pressure on them either physical or mental they will find their own release by rearing and this can easily lead to habit. As soon as Phil stepped over the oxer I jumped off him and loosened the cinch. This was a good time to stop.

Day 31
May 5, 2008

Tacked Phil up only today I used a haltermore. A haltermore is a rope halter made into a bridle only there is no bit. It does not use poll pressure like the bitless bridles that can create dangerous habits such as rearing in uneducated hands. The noseband is wrapped so it doesn’t have the “bite” of the rope halter. I had this custom made with a 22 foot mecate. I use this to start the colts, so there isn’t any worry about a bit in the mouth. I also like the mecate available so I can dismount and do ground work if I need to work through a situation from the ground. Phil has a hard mouth, so I hope to soften him by creating a trust that I’m going to stay out of his mouth. I can easily see OTTBs developing hard mouths since the horse balances himself on his jockey’s hands. A horse with a soft mouth is very important to me. He has done fairly well with my soft hands, but I wanted to see if I could get more relaxation, a lowered head, and rounded back without the worry of the bit. Since Phil has had 30 days of ground work he is familiar with pressure/release, so the haltermore will not be that difficult for him to figure out. Many clients always ask “Aren’t you worried your horse is going to run away from you without a bit?” The answer is no. If I have done my homework correctly my horse has enough respect for me that running away is not an option. I have also built in “spook in place” and I have the ability to disengage the hindquarters at any time. Any horse can be ridden without a bit or bridle if you have put in the time on the ground properly. I did some ground work and worked Phil through his transitions in the round pen. When I felt he was focused I mounted and started with flexion.
More colt behavior. I am asking Phil to flex further and further. I am now asking him to flex to my toe. He still is only flexing at the neck and hasn’t given me his shoulder yet. This will come as he becomes conditioned. Phil took this as an invitation to grab my toe with his lips. I returned with a quick jab of my toe to his mouth. I did not hurt him, I just made him uncomfortable. Many people think this game is cute until their horse takes the game a little too far and bites their foot. It is best to discourage this behavior on the first attempt. Make sure you do hit your target or it does become a game to your horse if you miss his nose. He will be quicker and smarter than you next time. It only took one discouraging jab on each side and Phil got back to business.

I navigated Phil in figure eights again. This time the turns had to be tighter since we were in the round pen. I also had loose horses around the pen which is a good test to see if Phil was going to focus on me or the other horses. Phil stayed focused on me which shows I have made great progress developing myself as Phil’s Alpha. No impulsion issues, no focus issues…..time to stop. I dismounted, loosened the cinch and let Phil relax in the shade as he was ground tied.

Day 32
May 6, 2008

Hobbles. Most of the traveling clinicians will not discuss hobbling because it brings about strong emotions from those that do not understand the value or concept of hobbling. Hobbling in inexperienced hands can be a disaster for horse and handler, but in the proper hands it is invaluable training. If you have done your homework with ground work for respect and desensitizing your horse’s legs, hobbling will not concern your horse one bit. Hobbling teaches patience and builds the ultimate trust between horse and handler. Think about it for a minute. If you take away your horse’s ability to flee your horse must have 100% respect and trust in you. Hobbling comes in handy if you need to leave your horse. The following is a true story which happened at the barn where I used to board: Two ladies were enjoying the trails during hunting season one winter afternoon. A gunshot spooked one horse and threw his rider. The rider broke her hip and her friend had to go back to the barn immediately to call for help. The spooked horse had to be tied up by his reins. The horse tied by his reins wrapped himself around the tree and pulled back. The reins snapped and he took off. This caused the hurt owner to absolutely panic. She now was in complete emotional and physical distress because she was so worried about her loose horse. The horse was caught hours later running down the highway. If the spooked horse would have been trained to hobble, the second rider could have easily unbuckled one rein and hobbled the horse. The rider who broke her hip was told by the surgeon that she would not ride again. Three months later she was riding and is still riding to this day.

I hobbled Phil in the grass arena. It took him a few minutes to get the hang of the hobbles. He was content to inch along eating grass. I put some pressure on him so he could really give the hobbles a try. This is where the experience comes in. I only put enough pressure on him to make him hop. Too much pressure and you can have a horse with hobble burns or worse a broken leg. Hobbling is taught over many sessions. A good time is when your horse is cooling off.

As you can see I spent 27 days on the ground with Phil before I attempted to ride. I did not have a prescribed amount of days of ground work. I schooled on the ground until I felt I had Phil’s respect and that his balking was under control. I will continue my journal entries on a weekly basis. The ground work will continue along with schooling under saddle. Phil will be educated in the Western, English, and Halter disciplines. He obviously will have talents suited for one discipline over another, however the education of the all around horse is valuable. The one piece of advice I want to give about training is don’t develop tunnel vision. There is a lot to learn from the other disciplines. Go out and run barrels with your OTTB, chase some cows, try saddle seat, or a side saddle, or a trail obstacle course. You’ll be amazed at how much better he’ll clock around the course or improve his dressage scores. You’ll also become a better rider.

Days 33-39

The ground work is reinforced every day whether it is actual moving Phil’s feet in the round pen or by simply leading him from pasture to barn. I try to be creative and my have him serpentine or walk backwards while going from barn to pasture.

In the arena I have been focusing on softening and lateral flexion at walk and trot. Phil and I have been bending around the barrels, trees and every single corner in the arena. Tuesday Phil did have a mini meltdown and wanted to drift to the gate. I held him steady and just kept riding. When Phil became ugly I shouted a firm” NO” and kept the outside leg pressure on until he figured out his own release. As long as I had control of his nose and feet he could not rear, buck, or bolt. He did briefly think about rearing and I kept him to task. Contrary to popular belief if your horse is giving you a warning (they always do) instead of stopping their motion, push them into the motion by switching directions every two-three steps, ask for a roll back, drive them into a tight circle, etc . Remember stopping their feet is a reward. By stopping them you are allowing them to collect and thus have more power to buck, rear, bolt, etc. Instead, get control of their nose using the built in foundation of lateral flexion, keep the head up, and disengage the hindquarters. A horse cannot buck if his hindend is disengaged. A horse cannot rear if his feet are in motion. A horse cannot bolt if you control his nose. These are just basic theories of physics. I let Phil work through his mini tantrum while continuing to bend around the barrels until he softened in my hands. I released the reins and let him rest. After the meltdown, Phil was a soft, relaxed horse and I even had to check him with halt halts every once in a while. His work ethic was renewed.

Days 40-47

Phil was muscle sore in his shoulder area on Monday. He has been in a larger pasture and playing a bit wreckless. I thought it would be fun to teach Phil some tricks such as bowing and shaking. In this lesson, ground manners (my space/your space, no eating grass, lateral flexion 2 oz. of pressure) and head down cue were reinforced. Chiropractic stretching was accomplished along with teaching to bow. It was a win-win situation. It was fun for both of us.

Phil recovered from his muscle soreness by Tuesday. The remainder of the week I worked him on the ground in the round pen until he was soft and responsive before riding. This week we were working on the left lead. Phil will pick up the right lead every time from a walk or trot. I choose to teach the canter in the 60ft round pen because I don’t have to worry about keeping Phil in a circle. I can concentrate on rewarding him for picking the correct lead and not worry about Phil scooting off in another direction to avoid my leg. It also gives Phil a visual/ physical guide to circling and bending. Phil knows the pre cue to a canter as a “kiss”, so I only have to use a little leg for support.

I am starting to see a completely different horse. Phil is now trying to please me. We are starting to communicate.

This past weekend Phil participated in another show. He brought home ribbons in Halter, Showmanship, Equitation and even tried out pole bending and cloverleaf barrels. He was a gentleman the entire day.

Days 48-54
Week of May 25th

I have a funny story to tell about Phil this week. I am back teaching this summer semester, so Dan is feeding again in the mornings I teach. Dan told me that he poured Phil’s feed and headed to the gate without giving Phil the ritual head rub. Dan said Phil kept dancing around in front of him as he headed to the gate. He thought Phil was acting really strange until it dawned on him Phil was looking for his head rub. Dan rubbed Phil’s head and Phil trotted off to his feed. Like many OTTBs our horses thrive on a constant routine. We must always hold up our end of the bargain.

Emergency dismount. This week I worked on the emergency dismount. If you ride, you are going to have a fall. It happens to everyone, eventually. A fall doesn’t have to be scary or dangerous if you have taught yourself and your horse what to do in such a situation. You may be jolted out of your seat by a few rough strides, your horse may trip, you may have a sudden sliding stop due to a terrifying, horse-eating monster (possibly a rabbit or a bird, or a flapping plastic bag). The last thing I want to do is scare Phil, have Phil trample me, or have to go catch him after a jolting fall. So, I am going to give myself a plan and desensitize Phil to me jumping off his back. Ultimately, I am going to teach him to stop if I ever fall off.

Safety First. There are several safety measures you can take, to minimize the effect of any fall. You always must wear a helmet; you don’t know when you are going to fall, and you don’t have enough time to zip over to the tack room and grab your helmet on the way down. You may feel dorky wearing a helmet, but think how much more dorky it would feel to wear a wheelchair. I will tell you I was once bucked off so hard by a youngster that my helmet cracked when I hit the soft grass. Food for thought.

This lesson was to benefit the both of us. I wanted to teach Phil that if I ever fell off he is to stop. It was also important to desensitize Phil to me coming out of the saddle. Starting with ground work I asked Phil if he was ready and his ear on me and quick responses to my requests told me he was ready to get to work. Using the haltermore (I didn’t want to risk pulling at his mouth) and riding bareback I practiced a dismount off the right and left sides at a stand still. Phil doesn’t seem bothered by this. I dismounted at a walk and then a trot. Phil was somewhat bothered by me swinging off at the trot on the right side. This may be because I was uncoordinated dismounting off the right side. I need more practice; Phil was fine. Each time I dismounted I said “Whoa.” I used the mecate that was tucked in my belt loop to back him once I was on the ground if he didn’t come to a complete halt. Once he halted he immediately got a release.

Leading without a halter or lead rope. Phil is now leading to and from his pasture and the barn without a halter or lead rope. I am looping the lead around his neck, but will eventually not even use the lead. Phil will eagerly follow me without me holding on to the lead. The lead is just a prop. Watch a herd follow the Alpha mare and you will see them follow her without asking any questions.

More ground work. I introduced Phil to a new ground work exercise. I put the lead rope around his hips. I pulled the rope until it disengaged his hindquarters and Phil moved around 180 degrees facing me. He was very worried about the rope behind him. I observed this “hole” and went back a few lessons to desensitize him to the rope behind his hocks and hips. This is a good example of how I started with a planned lesson on disengaging the hindquarters and ended up going back a few lessons to basic desensitizing based on Phil’s behavior. This is what I call student directed learning. Phil told me he was not ready to move on and needed a refresher on rope desensitizing. I reviewed our previous lessons of tossing the rope over his back, shoulder, and head. I ended the lesson when Phil stood relaxed with a cocked hind foot. It was a good confidence builder for him.

Riding lesson. My 10 year old daughter, Paige, rode Phil in a lesson this week (see pictures) She walked, trotted, cantered, and jumped some 18” crossrails during her lesson. Phil took both his leads correctly for Paige. I was impressed.

May 31, 2008
Day 55
Another horse show!
Southern Hospitality Mini-Circuit. Phil loaded on the trailer like a professional. He was well behaved at the show. Phil brought home more ribbons in Hunter In Hand, Equitation, and Open English Pleasure. Phil and I even tried a pattern class! In the Equitation class I had to drop my irons. The irons were tapping Phil on his sides and he did not let those irons bother him one bit.

Week of June 1st-7th
Days 56-62

Hauled to Hitchcock Woods for a group trail ride. Phil loaded and unloaded on to an unfamiliar trailer without any fuss. We had a very relaxed (on the buckle) and enjoyable trail ride. Phil crossed water and wooden bridges. He was a little excited with the new surroundings and new horses, but I did a little bit of ground work before mounting and when he focused on me I mounted. I asked for lateral flexion until Phil was super soft and then headed out for the trails.

One Rein Stop. Last week Phil and I worked on the emergency dismount. This week I want to talk about the controversial one rein stop. There are two philosophies about the one rein stop. The first one is if you teach your horse to immediately stop and soften every time you pick up one rein, you have a better chance of gaining control if your horse suddenly spooks or takes off. This would be his “warm, soft, cozy place of comfort.” The other philosophy is that the one rein stop can be dangerous. By unbalancing your horse while he is moving could result in your horse running into an obstacle such as a tree or fence at a high speed or worse flipping over on you. Both of these situations have happened to me. I have built the one rein stop into Phil from day one by teaching flexing and softening every time I pick up the lead or reins. I have not necessarily used this technique to stop Phil, so this week I will put our work to the test. Phil was responsive to the one rein stop at a walk, but was unbalanced at the trot and had a hard time disengaging his hindend. Phil is not built like my QHs, so I have to work more on tight circles which would improve his balance. I am also going to start working on modified roll backs to improve his balance and build up muscle in his hindquarters. I do not expect him to dig in and roll over his hocks, but I do want him to lift his front feet over and across. He already does this when I ground drive him in the pen. I rode in the round pen for this exercise. Phil smacked his head a lot on the panels, but finally figured out how to clumsily roll over his hocks and get his nose out of the way. I used my weight as a pre cue to signal I was going to ask for a chance of direction. I also used a gracious direct rein that Phil could visualize to guide him. When doing this exercise you have to have your horse really moving his feet and be prepared for a feeling of a mini rear as your horse rolls over and back. Stay relaxed, stay out of your horse’s mouth, and only use your legs as a directional guide, or your horse will rear to release the pressure. Although, I am not crazy about this as an emergency brake, I do like the exercise because it incorporates a lot of little lessons into one and improves the rider’s balance and timing. It also works on lateral flexion. Remember lateral flexion is the key to vertical flexion, not martingales, tie downs, or harsh bits (in my opinion).

I do want to mention that I took a video of my daughter riding Phil in her lesson. Phil did not travel with his nose in the air and a hollow back like he did when he first started with me. The video shows Phil traveling in a more relaxed way and even working on the bit for a few strides. My daughter did not ask Phil to school on the bit, he did this on his own. I wish I had video of Phil when he first arrived and traveled with his nose to the sky. The difference is remarkable and he has only had 30 days under saddle with me. I really want to stress that I DID NOT use any restraining devices (martingales, side reins, tie downs, flex/neck stretch reins, harsh bits). Our horses can learn to relax, round, track up, and work on the bit without those band aids. Lateral flexion is the secret, plain and simple.

Phil is enjoying farm life. It is only the first week of June and here in South Carolina we have already hit 98 degrees. The kids and I wear our bathing suits for afternoon chores. My daughter’s job is to fill up all the water tanks. She particularly likes to spray the horses with the hose and horses really appreciate the cool shower. I was really surprised to see Paige spraying Phil as he presented his front, sides, and rear for a nice hose down. Phil promptly rolled and stood up caked with mud; at least he’ll have clean pores. It was so nice to see him really enjoy himself. He is slowly emerging from his shell and a fun-loving horse is coming forth.

Week of June 8th-June 14th
Days 63-69

At the show last weekend I witnessed a horse rubbing his head on his handler. I over heard the handler comment that her horse was “loving” on her. This is an all too common scenario. When I first met Phil I saw him rub his head on his owner; this was a very calculated move to dominate his owner. I would like to discuss this rude, dominating, obnoxious behavior. A horse rubbing his head on you is telling you he’s in control. He is not only in your space, but he views you as he would a fence post or tree, not a leader. Think about it. You will absolutely never see the subordinate herd members rub their heads on the Alpha mare. You may occasionally see a subordinate rubbing his head on a lower ranking member. Clearly, this behavior is not to be tolerated. Phil has never attempted to rub his head on me, but I work every day to remain the Alpha. Another common occurrence I see is a horse bumping his handler with his shoulder when he is led or moving a hip towards his handler during grooming. I have yet to see any handler correct their horse for this threatening behavior. If a horse can feel a fly land on them, they sure know they have bumped into you. It is these little infractions that build up over time into big problems. Many times people say “I don’t know what happened, he just one day charged and reared at me when I brought him his food”. No, what happened is all the infractions went unnoticed and uncorrected until the horse felt he was now in control. This is how horses get labeled as “bad” or “dangerous” horses and end up passing from owner to owner or worse get sent to auction. In reality, the behavior was never the horse’s fault; it was the uneducated owner or handler that is to blame. This is why I am so passionate about passing on the knowledge.

A good example is Phil. He had aggressive behavior that stemmed from his lack of confidence, like the bully at school. He was mislabeled because he was misunderstood.

A minor set back. Phil appears to have a sole bruise on his left hoof. He shows all the classic signs. I have started to pack his hoof twice a day. Through my many years of observations many owners stop working with their horse when he is recuperating or worse let their horse get away with more “pet behaviors” than ever because they feel sorry for their horse. I am emphatic and sympathetic to Phil’s soreness; I don’t believe our learning has to stop. In fact, I tacked up Phil today, led him to the round pen, and mounted, even with his wrapped hoof. I am not heavy enough to cause any discomfort to Phil. I asked for lateral flexion. This exercise we can work on standing in the shade. Phil ignored my requests and even closed his eyes in a lazy way. I asked him to disengage his hindquarters; this caused him some hoof discomfort and he woke up. I spent 30 minutes flexing. Phil only half heartedly flexed, but I was tenacious and kept up my requests. The bar has been raised, so I expect Phil to give me his face, neck and shoulder at this point. Phil finally worked through his mental block and as soon as he was soft as melted butter in my hands, I jumped down and loosened the girth.

I walk Phil to and from the barn twice daily without a halter. Phil goes into a stall during the heat of the day. Phil and I feel comfortable enough with each other that I can climb up on his back while he is in his stall.

The farrier was out on Saturday. It was apparent that Phil has typical TB dropped soles. This is just a generic description of a soft sole that grows faster than the hoof wall. I opted to go ahead and put some light front shoes on Phil since I have been hauling him where the terrain isn’t always sand. Phil jogged out sound after shoeing.

Days 70-76
June 15th-21st

Phil is back in training. To regain some lost conditioning from the past 2 weeks I have gone back to the round pen. Remember the round pen is not used to chase your horse around in circles to exercise him. I think up creative ways to move Phil’s feet right, left, back, forward, sideways. Phil was really tuned in to me and moved with just a suggestion from my finger. Now, that is communication. He did get a bit silly and wanted to canter when I was only asking for a trot, but he wasn’t doing anything disrespectful, so I stood submissive in the center of the pen and let him play. He only cantered 3 laps and circled right in to me; Phil was telling me he was ready to focus. I walked around the pen and he happily hooked on/joined up. I set up a raised cavalletti for him to trot over. I also introduced Phil to a beach ball using approach and retreat method. The ball was left in our yard by the kids and I thought it would be neat to introduce the ball to Phil. When Phil nosed the ball and it rolled I thought that I may try clicker training to teach more tricks (read introducing new objects). Phil wasn’t really concerned with the ball, so I was able to toss it over his back and head, roll it under his belly, and roll it off his hindend. He was ground tied, so he did have the option to say “No thank you”. I am always looking at my surroundings and thinking “How can I incorporate this into a lesson?” Be creative!

Introducing a new object. When introducing a new object to your horse whether it is a ball, a garbage can, trash bag, a jump, or tarp you must ditch the human thinking and think like he does. Horses are prey animals, their predators ambush and attack from behind, so any new object should be displayed in front of him at a comfortable distance. If he is concerned about the object let him look at it and think the situation over. He may be surveying for the quickest escape route, so keep his attention with rhythmic tugs on the rope halter when he tips his nose away from you and be sure to immediately release for any effort to acknowledge you. If he feels like he needs to move his feet, give him a task such as backing. If he is snorting then he is really concerned or excited and he may need to burn off some freshness before you ask him to focus. If the object poses no threat to him, his curiosity will take over and he’ll inch closer to investigate. Remember, he will serpentine to the object, you should do the same. Many times I have seen handlers either lead their horse directly to the object or bring the object to their horse; this is human thinking. Let your horse make his own decisions. You are there as his cheerleader. If your horse will not make any attempt to investigate you can pull the object away from him and let him follow (for example if you are riding and your friend is pulling the object away from your horse) or you can go up to the object as if you were a horse and bend down to smell the object. I always say “Monkey see, monkey do”. I sometimes have to teach the newly weaned foals how to eat pellets out of a dish. I bend down and pretend I’m investigating and eating the pellets. It doesn’t take long before the foal’s nose is in the dish checking out what I am doing. This technique works well if you aren’t worried about what you look like to the public.

Tail swatting and flatulence. Yes, you read correctly. I don’t know about you, but I cannot stand to be swatted in the face by a horse’s tail when I am bent over picking out back feet or grooming a hindquarter. In my opinion, this is a very disrespectful behavior. Over the years I have witnessed handlers take the abuse from their horses in the form of pseudo fly kicking, violet tail whipping, leaning on the handler when picking feet or grooming. I’m sure everybody can relate to the feeling of a violet tail lashing across their sweaty face at one time or another.

When Phil first arrived he showed me all of his rude tricks. One of the best tricks was Phil’s accuracy to swat me in the face at the precise moment I was bending down to pick up a hoof. I also endured Phil’s flatulence when I was bent over in a vulnerable position. I could easily see a pile of poop dropped on my head like a B12 bomber releasing a bomb on the intended target as Phil’s encore. In a herd, it is not uncommon for a higher ranking member to poop on or in close proximity to a lower ranking member to show dominance. This is especially true with stallions when they mark their territory with stud piles. Each time Phil attempted to swat me I grabbed his tail and said “NO!” Sometimes I would hold his tail and lift a hind leg and say “NO!” (you have a 3 second window). By lifting his leg I was mentally taking away his ability to flee. Obviously, I couldn’t physically hold him. I released when he gave a submissive posture like flopping his ears to the side, softening his eye, lowering his head, blinking, or licking his lips. Here is my secret to this exercise. First, I did ground work for respect, second, I sprayed Phil with plenty of fly spray, and third, I never altered the game plan. My goal was to set him up for success, so no excuses to swat at flies. I reinforce this exercise every time I am working near or around his hindquarters. Today, Phil politely keeps his tail still until I move out of swatting range. I no longer am threatened by flatulence or B12 bombings. You may be laughing and that is OK. This was a behavior I chose to rehabilitate.

Days 77-83
June 22-28

Training Tid Bit. I work a lot with lateral flexion. Since I do not school everyday under saddle I incorporate flexion into my daily routine. I have made it a habit to ask for lateral flexion every time I halter. If Phil is stiff, I grab hold of mane near his withers to keep tension until he gives. I set a fairly easy goal of flexing 5 times on each side. If I feel Phil is particularly stiff on one side I will flex until he is soft.

Everytime you are within eyesight of your horse you are either training or undoing the training.

Our family was on vacation this week, so no training entries.

Days 84-90
June 29-July 5

90 Day Progress report
• Extremely well behaved in all aspects of daily interaction from de worming to under saddle
• Balking has disappeared
• No problem with impulsion
• Rearing was not an issue and no signs of rearing present
• Ear sensitivity has disappeared
• Head shyness has disappeared
• Girthy behavior has disappeared
• Polite and patient on cross ties
• Stands quietly for bathing
• No snacking on grass while working for handler
• Trailer loads and hauls politely
• Tolerates lifting tail and taking temp
• No problem cleaning sheath
• Absolutely no threats of biting or kicking
• Halter broke-comes to be caught even in a large pasture, puts head enthusiastically in halter, tips nose towards handler, lowers head, ties patiently, ground ties patiently, can be lead anywhere and light on end of lead
• Enthusiastically accepts bit during bridling
• Rides in haltermore (no bit)
• Yields to less than 4 oz of pressure
• Responds to slightest cue from handler in round pen (I just look in the direction I want him to travel)
• Feeding manners are excellent
• De worms without halter or lead
• Rain no longer bothers him
• Comfortable with 24/7 turnout
• Noticeably more free movement from shoulder
• Increased flexibility
• Still tight in hindend, but improved
• Does not travel with nose in the air anymore or hollow back-still needs improvement
• Responds to pre cues such as cluck (trot), kiss (canter), whoa
• Absolutely loves the trails and has never spooked, bucked, or bolted
• Tolerates the hunting dogs on the trail and in his pasture
• Bending improved
• Backing softly
• Takes correct leads
• Free jumps 3’ with tons of scope and room to spare, nice tightly tucked knees, ears always alert and forward
• Turns on haunches and front end
• Beginning to side pass at walk
• Will open gate with rider in saddle
• Will walk through cattle chute with rider
• Tolerates rope thrown off of him
• Natural flying changes, but not consistent under saddle yet-more advanced work and haven’t pushed
• Is ridden by a 10 year old on flat and over cross rails
• Ridden by non riding 13 year old independently at walk and over ground poles
• Show Record!

One of my most significant benchmarks for my clients when I am training a horse is if I my kids do not ride their horse during the time he is with me then they shouldn’t be riding him either. Phil passed the child test.

Safety Concerns

We attended an AQHA show at Clemson this week and I made several observations that I felt were worth mentioning.

Stall Safety. We had a stall neighbor that had a horse that would spin his hindend to his handler as she entered the stall. I watched as she confidently walked in the stall as her horse pinned his ears and spun his head away from her to evade the halter (she was a brave soul). At one point, her horse spun and pinned her against the stall wall. This handler was a statistic waiting to happen.

Never enter a stall with your horse’s head facing away from you. This is not only dangerous, but it is disrespectful. Always insist your horse turn to face you and give you two eyes. How would you feel if you greeted a friend and they turned their back to you and ignored you? First, set him up for success and let him know you are approaching. If you just walk up to him and throw open the stall door and shout “Surprise!” you deserve a kick. You may have to call to him or cluck if he is facing the back of the stall. If you have to put some pressure on him to move him, do so. If you need to, use a lunge whip as a visual aid to wave or if you have to tap him on top on his hindquarters to get his attention, do so (don’t stand behind him, he can’t see you). Phil used to present me with his hindend in the beginning. I used to have to cluck and wave my arm to drive him around the stall to face me. Now, I call to him as I am walking down the aisle and he turns to face the stall door.

Leading your horse between an object. In the warm up arena I saw several handlers walking their horses and putting their own safety at risk. I noticed the handlers walking between their horse and the rail even though they were on the left side. This is extremely dangerous especially in a ring full of riders with questionable horsemanship skills and/or horses that may kick, bolt, spook, or throw their rider. I know we have all been in a situation where a rider came off and their horse ran wild terrorizing every horse and rider in the arena. Those handlers could easily be pinned up against the rail by their horse in an unexpected moment. This is why I advocate teaching your horse to lead on his right and left sides. Always put your horse between you and the object. You will always have an escape route.

Leading manners for the handler. The relationship goes both ways. We expect our horses to be polite and respectful to us and we must do the same for them, so don’t set your horse up for failure. I also saw too many handlers dragging their horses around at this show. I saw one handler pull her horse on top of her to turn him around. I watched as her horse stepped on her foot and she reached up and slapped him in the face. When you are leading your horse either with a lead rope or the reins and want to turn around or change directions, ask your horse to yield away from you. This method prevents your horse from stepping on you, bumping into you, and keeps him out of your space. This is the safe and polite way to maneuver your horse. If you were a Pony Clubber then I’m sure you practiced this every time you jogged out before a rally. I had to teach Phil to yield to my hand to turn away. Essentially, he was pivoting on his hindend. Now, I just hold up the lead or reins at cheek level (so he can see my request) and cluck if he needs some momentum. I never pull him to me because I have worked so hard at establishing my space, your space and it would be unfair to him if I were to change the rules.

Focus on your horse. We expect our horses to focus on us and be ready for the next cue, so hold up your end of the bargain and stay focused on him. All over the show grounds I witnessed handlers ignoring what their horses were trying to tell them. Handlers were busy catching up on stories while their horses were pinning their ears back at each other until one horse decided the other horse needed to move and swung his hindend around and kicked the other horse. The handlers were taken by surprise and both lashed out at their horses unfairly. This was not only a dangerous situation for the handlers, but both horses were unfairly punished due to their handler not holding up their end of the bargain.

If I have a horse on the end of the lead or reins, he is working for me and I am working for him. If I am engaged in conversation I keep my horse in my peripheral view. He will be standing about 4-6 feet away from me depending upon where his education is at the time. If my horse tells me he is not comfortable standing still I will excuse myself, usually in a hurry (3 seconds), and ask my horse to perform a task. The task will depend upon his education level and the situation. For example, the ones in the early stages of learning may need a minute or two of ground driving to switch their thinking and a more educated one may need just to back a step or two.

Wear A Helmet! Ok, I don’t want to sound like your mother, but I am a super advocate for helmets. I don’t care if you ride saddle seat, western, english, bareback, etc. Every time you get on a horse, even if you are just going to sit on your friend’s horse as he is cooling out, WEAR A HELMET. If no helmet is available then skip the invitation to climb aboard. I really would like to see the AQHA pass a regulation requiring all riders to wear a helmet. What is the difference between jumping where helmets are part of the dress code and barrel racing where a flimsy western hat is worn? Both are fast and dangerous sports. How about those derby hats worn by the saddleseat/country seat riders? I would hate to take a tumble from a fast racking horse and get stepped on by those extremely heavy stacked shoes. I am taking helmet use to the next step and encourage helmet use every time you sit on a horse. Wearing a helmet is also a wise idea when ground driving for respect. Re read my story of how I broke a cheek bone and now have 3 budging disks in my neck from ground work with a rank horse.

I can’t remember how many sightings I had at the show of riders and their family members without helmets. The moment the riders left the ring, off came the helmet.

I didn’t always wear a helmet. I was enlightened several years ago when my daughter came running up to me with my helmet when I was going to ride. Paige said “Mommy, don’t forget your helmet”! She must have been 4 or 5 years old and she was just frantic that I forgot my helmet. It was so clear to me at that moment that I must set the example for not only my children, but for other people. Many times at clinics and shows I am the only one in my class wearing a helmet. I have never been penalized, only complimented from the judges at the AQHA/NFQHA shows. If real men (and women) wear pink then how come they can’t wear an ASTM/SEI certified helmet? Food for thought.

Days 91-97
July 6-12

If it ain’t raining, you ain’t training. This is an old military saying that echoes in my ears when it rains from my time on active duty (Army). It was very applicable to this week’s training. It seemed every time I tacked up Phil and started some warm up ground work the sky would just open up. Phil and I schooled in the down pours on several occasions. Holding up to my end of the bargain Phil and I used this opportunity to review basic lessons and try new ones such as w-t-c through puddles. It only took a reinforcing leg to encourage Phil to navigate through the puddle. If I wasn’t on top of my game he side passed or jumped the puddle.

Now, playing devil’s advocate, I could have easily un tacked Phil when it started to rain and put him up. However, I would have taught Phil that when it rains he is going in his stall. As you can see I would create a huge training issue in the future. If riding in the pouring rain isn’t your cup of tea and you’ve made the trip to the barn already, then I would suggest tacking up (to give sense of work) and work on previous lessons that can be done safely in the barn aisle (head down cue, haltering, backing, leading etc.). This would also be a great opportunity to teach a trick such as bowing or shaking. Use your imagination and be creative.

Gymkhana Under the Stars.
We showed at night under the lights. This was a new experience for Phil. He handled the new situation like a professional. We did show in pole bending, cloverleaf barrels, key hole, and arena race at walk-trot. Phil and I also tried our skills with the egg and spoon race. Phil brought home a few ribbons, but his future career is not that of a gaming horse; he is too slow.

Lessons for Phil at gymkhana. Phil had to bend and really listen to my cues in these games. He also was the model of good behavior for the geared up, excitable gaming horses that charged at full speed down the alley way. While the other horses were wild eyed and full of nervous energy, Phil was not the least bit interested in wasting his energy acting so ridiculous. I was very proud of him.

Whipper In Training
Fly whisk and Hunting Whip. Phil was introduced to a fly whisk and a hunting whip this week. Humorous note: The hunting whip was actually home décor turned training aid. The things we do for our horses. During the summer I ride with a fly whisk and experience has taught me that you don’t just grab the whisk and start shooing flies out on the trail on a horse that hasn’t had a formal acquaintance with the whisk. Not much bothers Phil, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. All of my homework building trust and establishing a relationship with Phil has allowed easy introduction of new objects. If I am not concerned then Phil isn’t concerned. After our trail ride, when Phil was cooling out, I brought out a hunting whip. I desensitized the air and cracked the whip just like I do with any new object until Phil was unconcerned. When I felt Phil was relaxed I mounted and asked for softness. When Phil was soft I swung the whip on each side and above his head. If Phil felt like he had to move his feet that was ok, he was just going to move his feet under my direction. It didn’t take Phil long to figure out that moving his feet was just too much work and it was easier to just stand still. I cracked the whip in using rhythmic timing (the best I could) until Phil cocked a back leg and relaxed. As soon as he relaxed I stopped and released. Now, are the Aiken Hounds going to hire me as a whipper in, probably not, but it was great exposure for Phil when we do hunt with our friends this fall.

Fox Hunting

If you love to trail ride, jump, and enjoy the company of other horse crazy folks, but don’t want to compete, then Fox Hunting just may be your kind of recreation. The first time I was introduced to hunting, I had the preconceived idea that hunting was a glorified trail ride. Well, I was in for a huge surprise when I learned that there is a whole sub culture to fox hunting to include their own Bible; The Hunt Bible. To avoid any faux pas on your part, I’m going to suggest reading Riding To Hounds In America, An Introduction For Foxhunters, written by William P. Wadsworth, MFH. It is an oldie, but goodie filled with humorous illustrations. For those of you hunting with inexperienced horses, please tie a GREEN ribbon into your horse’s tail to alert other riders that your horse is a “newbie.”

Training isn’t glamorous. I was thinking to myself as Phil and I were working on more bending, flexion, and softness that I don’t want folks to envision Phil and I cantering off into the sunset learning lead changes. No, in fact, I hardly do any of the fun, exciting stuff. I rarely canter at this stage of learning. The time I do spend in the saddle I walk and trot. I would probably put an audience to sleep. For example, I spend a lot of time bending into the round pen panel and away from the panel. Phil has to almost hug my inside leg with in these tight circles. I have found that if you put a lot of time into your walk and trot everything else seems to fall into place.

Do I finally have Phil’s respect? The answer is NO. I feel Phil has about 50% respect for me as a human. In some situations I mean more to him than other times. A good example is when I was cooling Phil out on the trail and I rode by the broodmare pastures. The mares came running up to see Phil and I knew what was going to happen before it happened because I was listening to Phil. Long before the mares appeared, Phil’s head was high, back hollow, and his body stiff. He wasn’t even giving me a thought. Just as the mares came thundering to the fence I emergency dismounted and as quick as I could get the reins over Phil’s head I backed him down the trail with a purpose (I was running, he was backing). I was trying to get his brain to switch from instinct to thinking by giving him a purposeful task. Once he softened (he was thinking now) I brought him back to the barn. To avoid creating a barn sour issue I backed him (notice I did not lead him, I backed him) to the round pen and put his feet into motion (going back to the barn doesn’t always mean it’s quitting time). Once I had “two eyes” on me. I put the rope halter on him and untacked. I wanted to make sure the last experience Phil had on the trail was one of relaxation, not excitement over greeting the mares. I purposefully went by the broodmare pastures and gave Phil a good tug every time he put an ear on the mares or tried to tip his nose in their direction. He was still distracted, so I put his feet in motion and let him choose to side pass or back in a hurry down the trail until we were out of view of the mares. Away from the mares we had a relaxing walk and returned home for bath.

Note that I did not reward Phil by dismounting. I put him to work ASAP. I also did not reward him when we returned to the barn. I did reward him when he was quiet on the trail and this was his last experience before going back to his stall.

Phil wasn’t excited by the mares because they were mares (not a stallion behavior), he was just excited because the mares were excited (somebody new was visiting and my mares are very nosy). If I had Phil’s respect 100% I would have been able to redirect Phil and ride past without much fuss. The herd still has a strong influence on Phil. I still have to work hard to prove my worth to Phil. It is easy to be fooled into believing the hard work is done because Phil has become so easy to work around. This is the most difficult part of the journey…..time invested into a relationship.

Days 98-104
July 13-19

It’s time to de worm once again. I asked Phil to lower his head and tip his nose towards me. I let him smell the de wormer (Yum, fruit flavor) and I gently inserted the syringe into the corner of his mouth. Ta-Da! De worming complete…using no halter, no lead and Phil was in his big pasture. He had the option to say “No, thank you” and trot away, but he respected me enough to stay. This really was mutual communication at its finest.

Paige, my 10 year old, wanted to earn some money, so she offered to ride Phil. As a side note: I do not advocate young children riding young, green horses. I am very against parents buying a young horse for their child, so they can grow up and learn together. Paige is one of the exceptions. She is a very experienced rider, for her age, and I closely supervise her. I also would not ever have her ride a horse that has proven to me that he has unsafe behaviors. It is true a horse, is a horse, and a prey animal, so they are never bombproof and there is always potential for something to happen. The fact that I feel comfortable having Paige ride Phil says a lot about Phil’s true character; he is just a good guy.

Another minor set back. Phil lost a front shoe, bummer! Phil was free jumping 3’ feet with absolute ease. I could tell by his body language that he was having fun. I caught a glimmer from his front hoof as he sailed over the jump and I noticed his shoe was crooked. Thank goodness I keep farrier tools on hand because the shoe needed to be pulled immediately to prevent a nail penetrating the sole. Phil calmly stood and let me tug and clumsily rasp the clinches off the nails to remove the shoe. Awe, Shucks! We were having so much fun! I called my awesome farrier and if he is in town he’ll stop by within a day or two to help me out. In the meantime, Phil is back in his stall and we’ll find something creative pass the time until the farrier arrives.

Side Note: Please take the time to learn how to pull a shoe properly. Your farrier will be happy to show you how in case of an emergency. You can purchase an inexpensive farrier kit through the various catalogs such as Valley Vet Supply. If you have a weekend, I would suggest attending a farrier workshop for horse owners. Casey & Son Horseshoeing School in Georgia offer these courses all year. This particular course isn’t designed to certify you as a farrier.

I have witnessed Phil’s true talent. He is a jumper. He has the slow legged movement (super hunter canter and hand gallop) for hunters and the scope, tight knees, and attitude for jumpers (ears forward, alert expression, no thought of refusal). Since Phil absolutely loves the trails, he would be a perfect fox hunter, too. Some “wet blankets” and Phil would be an exceptional children’s hunter with his calm demeanor.

Phil’s shoe was easily put back on by the farrier and we were back in business. Since I caught the loose shoe so quickly and removed it, there wasn’t any damage to the hoof wall.

Lets Play Polo!
I was sweeping the feed room and I had one of my creative moments. I thought it would be great to use a broom to hit the beach ball through two cones set up as the goal. My idea was launched and I recruited my daughter and her wonder pony to help me out. Phil and I started out with our regular routine (ground work, grooming, tacking up). I led Phil and carried the broom out in front of me, swinging it back and forth. NOTE: I couldn’t accomplish this exercise if I hadn’t taught Phil how to properly lead. Phil didn’t mind the broom, so I twirled it like a baton. Phil gave me the A-OK sign (head down, soft eye, floppy ears) and I progressed to hitting the ball with the broom (away from him). At this point, I am no longer leading Phil; he has joined up and is a willing participant in my game. I feel Phil has no concerns about the broom or ball. I mounted up to quickly find that I distinctly had a disadvantage. Phil was too tall and I have to bend to my toes to hit the ball. What a great exercise for my balance. Phil and I had to have confidence in each other, too. Phil had an opportunity to ditch me, but he had enough respect for me to keep me aboard. I had enough respect for him to not to put all my weight in one stirrup (could make his back sore) and stay out of his mouth. Now, I really had a true appreciation for those tiny polo ponies. My daughter on her pony continually scored goals and cried out “G-O-A-L!” like the announcers do on Spanish TV.

Dragging objects

When out on trail or in other busy environments, a horse should overcome his natural instinct to flee from following objects. He needs to be comfortable with the decisions of his rider. As you establish a trusting relationship with your horse through the respect system, your horse will look to you for comfort, safety, and respond willingly to your requests. Dragging an object is another piece of foundational training that every horse should have built into their education.
I like to let all my horses experience a variety of obstacles and problems, including learning to calmly drag objects. From a practical standpoint, I may need to drag a branch or other object off a trail or pony an injured horse. From a behavioral standpoint, I want my horse to suppress his flight instinct if he perceives something spooky. Any object which moves directly toward the horse at whatever speed the horse is traveling can be spooky.
Teaching a horse to pull objects can be tricky. You need a safe area to practice and a safe object to pull. You can be creative. An old car tire is good to drag around because it is soft, has no sharp edges and can’t “dig” into the ground. I pull tires with an old worn out lariat which is still stiff enough that it won’t twist into loops when it goes slack like some softer ropes can, which could be dangerous if the horse steps into it. Considering the horse might spin during the first couple of attempts, I always use a properly fitting saddle and riding gear. I also use a snaffle bit for this exercise as we expect to do a lot of direct rein bending in order to keep the horse “in position”.
The objective in this exercise is to get Phil comfortable with pulling an object; perceiving that it is following him, but keeping him relaxed enough so he doesn’t succumb to the desire to scurry away or wheel around to face the object. Therefore I always start with ground work and introduce dragging from the ground before I hop up into the saddle and pretend I’m dragging cows to the branding fire.
Phil is always game for new things. He wasn’t concerned about the tire as I dragged it next to him as I led him. He did want to wheel around to take a better look, but within a few minutes his was dragging the tire like a seasoned ranch horse.
Hobbling pays off and prevents panic.
As I was hosing Phil off he was munching on grass (he was not working, so snacking was ok) and before you know it he had tangled his back legs in the hose. As soon as he felt the pressure of the hose around his legs his head shot up briefly and then he went back to eating and calmly shook the hose loose from his legs. His instinct to flee hit him, but the time spent on his foundation training gave him the ability to surpass the instinct and allow him to think the situation over. I knew what was going to happen before it happened. I continued to spray Phil with the hose and watched how he was going to handle the situation. I could read his body language, so I knew the situation was safe. If he did panic, I would let him work through the situation and keep a submissive posture at a safe distance. It is when the handler gets worried and excited the situation escalates to danger. Your horse feeds off of your confidence. Phil could read my non concern.
Days 105-111 July 20-27
Training Tid Bit.
Make it difficult for him to pick the wrong option and make it easy to pick the correct one, but always give him options. Set him up for success.
Our family was on vacation this week, so no training entries.
Days 112-118 July 28- Aug 2
Training Level Dressage
I believe wholeheartedly that every horse and rider, no matter what breed (Quarter Horse, Hackney Pony, Draft, etc) or riding discipline (Reining, Rodeo, Saddleseat, Driving, etc) can benefit from learning training level dressage movements. There isn’t a horse or rider out there that can’t benefit from rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection. Think about it, training level dressage incorporates the basics in various degrees of difficulty from the free walk to the 10-15-20 meter circle. Dressage also requires the rider to actively communicate with their horse and they really have to have an independent seat and hands required of all riding disciplines. You do not have to ride in a dressage saddle or in a dressage ring to perform these movements. You do need at least a simple snaffle if you are going to ride in a bit. I do not recommend using a shank bit due to its purpose and design. I get many bewildered looks from clients when I tell them their western pleasure hopeful just completed a dressage training level test.
Phil is ready to start fine tuning the basics. The first lesson was the transition from a working walk to a halt. This sounds easy enough, huh? Well, the idea was not to just HALT, but to do it gracefully, and with a little luck (and much practice) squarely. It was a challenge not to let Phil just “die” on me the minute I asked for a whoa. Phil has perfected the Whoa where all I have to do is just suggest a stop, his engine quits, and he goes into sleep mode. It is my job to teach him that when I raise my energy through my seat, legs, and hands, he is to mimic my energy (this comes from respect not threats). Now, I am not a big advocate of spurs and whips, but if used correctly and fairly, these aids can be extremely useful. I utilized a dressage whip for this exercise. Side note: Spurs encourage a horse to step higher with his front legs which will shorten his stride. Whips will encourage a horse to lengthen his stride. This is why jockeys use whips, not spurs when racing. You do not have to have fancy dressage letters or a dressage ring to work on these exercises. If I don’t have the dressage markers out, I use fence posts, trees, or bushes. Make a game plan ahead of time and execute. For example, I am going to enter at the bumblebee jump and ask for a free walk to the pear tree, gather up my reins at the ground poles, and halt in the center of the ring which happens to lined up with the Oak tree in the joining pasture, and salute the judge, which happens to be a towering pine tree. Have a horsey friend watch you or even better video tape you (most of us do not have access to large arena mirrors, but even then the rider has to be their own critic), so you can get some feedback. If you aren’t well versed in knowing which hoof is hitting the ground at what time, it is difficult to tell if you are squarely halted without leaning down to take a peek under your horse’s belly to see his legs. For example, Phil steps 1, 2, 3, swings hindend slightly, 4 cocks a leg…..Oh, Phil, you silly goose! Young, unbalanced horses will have difficulty squaring up at the halt.
After warming up with some ground work (I don’t have to do much ground work prep at this stage) Phil was ready to go to work. Phil is not a forward mover (not to be confused with lack of impulsion) due to his temperament and conformation ( typical TB with straight shoulder), so I am fair with my expectations. He needed the encouragement from the whip. I did not nag him with my legs. When he moved out, he was rewarded. I set him up for success and chose short distances to teach him how to move out from the whip (just one clear spank). I was impressed with how he stretched down and low, but have to work on when I gather the reins he tends to pop his head up and anticipate a trot; this is normal for all inexperienced horses. Phil also tends to swing his hip out when asked for a halt; this is also normal for inexperienced horses. I have to keep him between my legs and hands to guide him into a straight halt; a lot of work on my part at this stage.
Training Tid Bit.
Most of our OTTBs are young, fairly inexperienced, unbalanced, and do not have a developed topline. Believe it or not he doesn’t have much muscle power in his hindend either to perform movements (roll backs, sliding stops, collection, spins, pivoting, etc) other than rocketing out of the starting gate. Your OTTB’s muscles have been conditioned to go in one direction: FORWARD. This is why your horse will shift his weight on one leg or swing his hindend to the side when halting. To encourage a square halt, meaning equal distribution of weight on all four legs, ask your horse to halt (think half halt and back) and then back up a step of two to encourage him to redistribute his weight from front end to hindend. This should be done as if one motion. It is kind of like a rolling or California stop in reverse with your car at a stop sign; you don’t stop completely. When he gets more conditioned and seasoned you won’t have to back when halting.
OTTB’s conditioning
Note of interest about Phil. When Phil first arrived he couldn’t use his hindend for anything but propelling himself forward. You will find this with most all OTTBs. He couldn’t change direction in the round pen without smacking his head into the panels; he couldn’t pivot, spin, or perform any other athletic movements other than FORWARD. This was very interesting to me since I am accustomed to my naturally athletic Quarter Horses that leave holes in the sand when they dig in and roll over their hocks to change directions in the round pen. I had to modify my conditioning/training with Phil. Today, it is amazing to see Phil lower his head, tuck his hindend, dig in to the dirt and roll over his hocks. Phil no longer smacks his head on the panels; he can tuck his nose in a blink of an eye.
It will take about a year for the average horse owner to condition their OTTB’s muscles for their new career. A professional trainer may be able to condition a horse in about 6 months.
Phil has taken on a new appearance. He has bulked up his hindend and even appears to have junk in the trunk. His neck, chest, and shoulder area appear thicker. He has lost his lean race horse appearance. His neck muscles have developed and his mane has even flipped to the other side. NOTE: There has been research suggesting that the neck muscles have an influence on mane direction. For example: an unconditioned horse will have half mane on right and half on left. The jury is still out on this hypothesis, but it is interesting. His coat has a show ring shine even living outdoors. His mane, tail, and hooves have been growing so fast. I just pulled his mane 3 months ago and it needs to be pulled again. He is not pudgy or overweight. I keep him a little leaner than the QH’s just due to his breed, his natural muscling (long, lean muscles of TB vs. short, bunchy muscles of QHs), and his body frame. Our TB’s are healthiest with a “tid-tad” of rib showing. Yes, I said the taboo words “rib showing.” If you can’t easily feel his ribs, then he is too heavy. Consult your vet for the healthiest body condition score for your OTTB. A pudgy or even slightly overweight horse is a sick horse. We must hold up to our end of the bargain and make sure he receives the proper nutrition, not necessarily the MOST nutrition.
Ground tying and manners come in handy
Phil decided to venture into the bushes and got himself caught in the brush. He showed up for breakfast with several fresh skin abrasions. I dropped everything and brought him into the barn to get a closer look and clean the abrasions. Since I was in the middle of feeding, I didn’t want to take the time to walk to the cross ties and secure him in the grooming bay. Instead, I hung a lead rope around his neck and asked him to ground tie in the barn aisle while I went to get the supplies needed to clean him up. Phil needed a quick refresher on ground tying, but after correcting him only twice he stood patiently. Now, picture this…it is feeding time, horses around Phil are eating in their stalls, the hay is stacked within reach, and there are filled buckets of pellets on the floor at his feet….and I walk away. What would your horse do in this situation? Phil stood still. He leaned over to visit one stall and I turned to him and said “NO!” He immediately went back to minding his own business. I returned to a politely standing horse and cleaned him up; only minor abrasions. Oh, did I mention the barn gate was open? He had an opportunity to leave, but chose to stay put because that was expected of him.
Aug 3-9 Days 119-125
We had typical afternoon thunderstorms for South Carolina, along with the stifling humidity this week. The horses are miserable and the people are miserable. Training has come to a major slow down. This is the most dangerous type of weather to ride in due to dehydration of horse and rider.
One particular afternoon, a severe thunderstorm seemed to come out of nowhere. The storm was right above our farm and we had lighting strikes around the barn pastures. I went to bring Phil in the barn and he was in his instinct mode; head high, back hollow, and he was frightened. I haltered Phil and asked him to back. He backed several steps and “click” he started thinking. He quieted down and calmly followed me to the barn, even with the crash of thunder right above our heads and the flash of lightening reaching the ground behind us he remained calm and polite (to tell you the truth, the kids and I were scared). This good behavior was the result of ground work for respect. I have been teaching him that if he follows my lead, he will always be safe. I must always keep up my end of the bargain.
Training Tid Bit
Add table salt to your horse’s feed. One ounce per 1000lbs. This will encourage your horse to drink and help replace lost sodium due to summer sweating. Be sure to check to see if any of the supplements or feed you are using doesn’t have sodium in it already. Too much sodium will throw off other mineral levels. I add table salt to the evening feed all year and free choice salt/mineral blocks are available to the horses in every pasture, paddock, pen and stall. The drawback to salt blocks is that a horse’s tongue can’t lick the block as efficiently as a cow, so your horse may not be getting enough salt. Please consult your vet before adding anything to your horse’s feed and use common sense.
Phil is side-passing and starting to two track. Phil is conditioned enough to be able to start working on basic collection. Before, you can start teaching your horse to collect he has to 1)have developed the muscles to support such a physical task 2)mastered lateral flexion.
At first, Phil just yielded to my leg, so I added a half halt to the outside rein, a generous direct rein for a visual and outside spur which resulted in vertical flexion. The flexion really helped Phil cross his feet under him. Once I was off the rail, using the exact cues, I asked Phil to side pass back to the rail. I made an exaggerated release (reward) to show him he was doing exactly what I asking. In the arena corners, I asked for a big bend on loose rein and then gathered up the reins and continued side passing on and off the rail. Phil got the hang of it pretty quick, so I asked him to perform the same exercise at a trot. Several lessons were going on here: 1)lateral flexion 2)vertical flexion 3)bending 4)yielding 5)loose rein at walk 6)rein with contact at walk. The newest lesson was to teach Phil that when I gather the reins it doesn’t always mean I am going to ask for a trot.
Moving on to the two tracking exercise proved to be a little more difficult for Phil due to his straight shoulder. He can bend his neck, but has difficulty with bending his shoulder. I loosened him up with more lateral flexion and the vertical flexion became easier for him, therefore two tracking became easier. He had an easier time on the right side, which is his preferred side.
A note of interest: Many believe that OTTBs only are balanced or conditioned on the left side due to the direction they run on the track. The higher level tracks condition their horses in both directions, alternating days in which direction to run. For example: Monday everyone tracks to the left and on Tuesday everyone tracks to the right.
With temperatures in the 100’s, Phil and I school early in the morning before breakfast. After a workout, I turn him out in the round pen to finish cooling down before he eats. He is fed absolute last. He politely stands at the gate watching me pass by with hay and feed buckets. When it is his turn, I ask him if he is ready to eat and he starts to nicker and nod his head (a conditioned response). He moves away from the gate and goes to his feed dish. He will give me plenty of room and only goes to his feed after a head rub and I invite him to eat. I am so impressed with his manners.
Aug 10-16 Days 126-132
Phil helps with farm chores and checks the mail.
Phil earns his keep on the farm. The tree branches around the round pens and riding arena were in desperate need of pruning. Instead of firing up the tractor and burning diesel I saddled up my tallest horse, which just happens to be Phil, and pruned the branches from his back. What a great training opportunity! Phil and I had to communicate clearly and he needed to stand patiently while I stretched and reached above my head with the large loppers. The branches sometimes fell on us and Phil had to trust that I was not going let him get hurt. Our dragging lesson came in handy as I dragged the branches to a central pile. Think about all the training exercises that Phil and I have done together that were being utilized in this task. When we were finished pruning I rode Phil down the driveway and checked the mail. Training, to me, doesn’t mean riding in circles in the arena.
Phil has a new buddy. One afternoon I came out of the barn and noticed Phil standing very peculiar at his hay rack. He was parked out like a Tennessee Walker. As I approached the hay rack I saw right away why Phil was standing in such a protective stance; our barn cat, Spooky, was resting in Phil’s shade. This cat is very particular about whom he befriends and up until now, he has only befriended one other horse. I think Spooky’s trust says a lot about Phil’s true character.
Phil was turned out with the herd on one particular hot afternoon. As I walked by the pasture to top off the water troughs, the herd lifted their heads and gave me a brief acknowledgement. Phil was the only one to come up to me for a personal “hello”. He was not being rude or nosy. He did not crowd me. Phil politely came up for a head rub. I rubbed his head and he returned to the herd. Remember when Phil wouldn’t even acknowledge me for a brief second? Look how far he has progressed!
Aug. 17-23 Days 133-139
Phil attends his first clinic!
Sunday was spent packing the trailer and more importantly reviewing trailer loading and unloading with Phil. Notice I did not wait until the morning of the clinic to see if Phil would remember how to load at O’dark-thirty in the morning. Phil caught me in the pasture. I haltered him and led him right up to the trailer. No ground work needed. Phil knew what he needed to do and walked right up the ramp. We are not at the stage of self loading just yet. Phil still needs a little bit of the gas pedal from behind. A little bit of clucking from my husband is all the “gas” Phil needed. Remember when it took 40 minutes for Phil to lurch onto the trailer from pure irritation from the lunge whip tapping on his hindquarters? Today, he just quietly walks right in the trailer; no questions asked. Da-Ta! My goal is to be able to point Phil at the trailer and have him self load because I can’t always count on having an extra person around to “cluck”. This is also the safest way to load a horse. Today I will celebrate our victory.
This clinic is held every Monday during the school year for local trainers in my area. Yes, trainers do take lessons too! I feel an expert eye from the ground can keep me on top of my game and help me help my horses. It is a little intimidating riding in front of other professional trainers (we all feel this way), but their input and ideas are very helpful and encouraging. We meet during the school year to accommodate those barns that teach school age children and run summer horse camps.
To start the clinic off we started with the most difficult gait, the walk. Yes, the walk is the most difficult gait to master. Phil likes to mosey along and smell the roses at the walk. I was expected to ride Phil at a forward, free flowing walk, keep his nose and shoulder ever so slightly bent to the inside along the rail (an onlooker should not be able to see this) while staying straight (very hard task for any horse/rider), and deep bend in the corners. I had to use all hands and legs independently cueing for bend here, support there, lift shoulder here, etc. This was a lot for Phil to digest. He tried his best to please, but isn’t at the education level yet to handle all the aids at one time. I gave him frequent breaks and strokes of encouragement. Out of the group he leg yielded down the center line the best. Kudos to Phil! Note: a leg yield sounds easy, but to truly have your horse leg yield correctly he needs to be soft and supple so he can move his rib cage out of the way so he has freedom the to move his shoulder and legs. We also worked on upward and downward transitions from trot to canter. I was having difficultly with a smooth transition down from canter to a trot and it was brought to my attention that I quit riding and just “threw him away” from the canter to the trot. Ahhh, the light bulb just went off and I have gotten in the habit of total release as a reward (throwing the reins or my contact away). Phil did better when I asked for a half halt (the half halt lets your horse rebalance) and gave him light support with hands and legs when transitioning down. Think forward even in the down transition. I also had to work on my timing when I asked for the transition. Remember when I talked about knowing which foot is hitting the ground at all times during all gaits? This is when this skill is used. Ask for the transition when your horse’s foot is in the wrong position and your transition will be bouncy at best. I count the beats in my head and envision the transition in my head before I ask. It was apparent that all of our horses needed more lateral work. We were asked to turn on the forehand. I asked Phil step by step and broke it down not only for myself, but for Phil. I had already taught Phil how to pick up a foot and follow the rein, so I accomplished this exercise by lifting the rein up and out. It was not pretty, but the job was done. Phil can pivot on the forehand just beautifully, but we were instructed not to pivot. After every lateral exercise, your horse should be walked out straight according to our trainer. I learned a new exercise called walking the box. At each corner of your large square or box you turn on the forehand and walk out to the next corner. By the end of the lesson Phil was definitely lighter in my hands and more attentive to my cues.
Well, we had quite an audience. We were all exhausted (you could see it on our faces) and I know the crowd couldn’t believe we could be so tired from “just walking around” I had to chuckle to myself.

Day 1
April 6, 2008
Phil’s Journal Day 1. When I first met Phil he was absolutely stunning, a real eye catcher. I was in awe of his stature and magnificent beauty. My “awe” quickly was replaced with “oh, no” as soon as the human element entered the picture. While Phil was magnificent in his world, he didn’t quite fit into the human world. Phil was pushy, mouthy, and did not know there were rules when interacting with humans. This was only because he is a bottom of the pecking order kind of guy and desperately wanted someone to tell him the human rules. I was informed that Phil had some training issues
such as balking, not walking through gates, and rearing. I’m sure I’ll uncover some more “holes” as I begin our journey. Phil was labeled a stubborn horse. In reality, Phil is not stubborn and this is far from the truth. When Phil becomes overwhelmed and unsure he shuts down. He will plant his feet. Phil demonstrated this behavior when he was asked to load onto the trailer. Since Phil had not been exposed to my handling techniques I had to find a way to communicate to him in a way that he would understand that he was being asked to go on the trailer. I had to set him up for success, use a method he could easily understand. I used a very basic method. I tapped him on the hindquarters with a lunge whip with rhythmic tapping and only stopped tapping when he made an attempt to think about loading. The goal was to teach Phil that standing outside the trailer was an irritating experience and inside the trailer he will have peace. I tapped for 40 minutes until he moved away from the annoying tapping. This is a very safe method for horse and handler. Do not hit your horse with the lunge whip, crack the whip, wrap the lunge line behind his hindend, or try to pull him on the trailer. I will say that if you try to pull and he does not move be prepared to keep the tension on the rope until he releases himself with a step forward. Most of the time, he will find the release by rearing or stepping backwards and when this happens you have no choice but to release your tension on the lead…you have now taught your horse this is appropriate. The next time he does this he is only doing it because he was rewarded with a release in the past.

Once Phil was on the trailer, he kicked, pawed, and rocked the trailer back and forth. This was not only poor manners, but he could get hurt or damage the trailer. I let Phil stay on the trailer for quite a while and only unloaded him when he was quiet.

Phil unloaded in a rush. I hung the lead around his neck and let him unload himself. I did not want to put myself between him and the trailer. I ignored Phil’s excited state of mind because he was in a new place. Pick your battles wisely. If you cannot win, don’t ensue the fight. You are not going to be able to communicate with a horse that is in the excited state of mind. I did step in when he was pushing me and jumping to close to me. He can jump around at 6ft away from me in his own space. I spent 1/2 hour ground work session. It was pretty intense. I rewarded Phil when he became soft and light on the lead and made an attempt to stay out of my 3 foot bubble. When I refer to light, I mean
I can tip his nose and move his feet by just holding on to the lead with fingertips. It was time to put him away. Phil planted his feet and refused to go through the gate. That is ok; he didn’t have to go through the gate head first. His backward gear worked just fine, so I backed him through the gate. I repeatedly walked in and out of the gate until he didn’t give the gate another thought. I use this technique on all the foals.

All new horses live in a quarantined round pen. It is a large round pen that is set up next to our house. Phil can see all the horses around him. I can see him from my dining room windows. This allows me to monitor a new horse for stress. The time spent alone in quarantine is a valuable training opportunity. This is the time I can set up my own herd pecking order with him. I am the Alpha mare. I do not have to compete for Phil’s attention if I take the horse herd hierarchy out of the equation. The corral is small enough he has to interact with me. This is my chance to show him I feed him, I give him water, I keep him
safe, and I also can move his feet in any direction. This would be impossible in our 5 acre pastures, because Phil would just run away from me and I would create some other issues such as not being able to be caught.

Feeding: Phil was not aware that proper horse manners are for the horse to stand quietly away from the food dish until the handler was done pouring feed and invited him to eat. In order for Phil to succeed with this task I sent him to the far end of the corral. I would have plenty of time to pour the feed and stop him in his tracks before he reached the dish. As I predicted, Phil headed straight for the dish, but I stopped him and drove him in circles around the dish. If he stopped, I sent him on again. I gave a submissive posture to Phil and he stopped, turned in to face me. I did not let him go to his dish until he acknowledged me (with both eyes), even if it was for a brief second. He also had to be in a submissive posture (look for head lowered, licking lips, blinking eyes, or lowering head with floppy ears). Any aggressive posture, keep
your horse moving.

Phil whinnied all night long. He is looking for the support of the herd. Each day he will gain confidence. This same technique is used for weaning the foals. I do not recommend isolating horses from other horses completely. As long as, other horses are in sight your horse will be ok. If your horse learns that being by himself is ok, then you will never have to deal with separation issues. Phil will join a herd once we have established my herd dynamics.

I include daily aspects of my schedule to show that training doesn’t have to be working your horse for hours, or taking you horse to the arena. Training is done in little increments starting with the foundation basics such as haltering, catching, leading, food/de worming/vaccination manners. If these day to day activities are not built into your horse it will show up under saddle. You may wonder how de worming etiquette can show up under saddle? Well, just read on about my journey with Phil’s Courage.

While these techniques are working for Phil they may not work for your horse. Every horse has a different learning style. If anyone has any questions please,
feel free to email me. www.sweetironfarm@windstream.net Smiles to everyone, Kara Hoefer

Day 2
April 7, 2008
Today, I had to teach from 7:45am to 12:45pm. I am adjunct college faculty. I
left school to pick up my kids from school and returned home around 3:00pm. The
kids had 2 hours of homework. We fed the horses at 5:00pm. We are a breeding
farm and have 20-30 horses at any given time. I handle all the breeding and
foaling. My family helps out tremendously. They are the only employees at Blue
Steel Quarter Horses and they are paid poorly. My schedule did not allow me to
ride or formally school any horse today. However, every interaction you have
with your horse you are either teaching or un-teaching a behavior.

Feeding routine:My husband fed this morning and reported Phil was dead set on
eating. He sent Phil away until Phil acknowledged him (with both eyes) and let him pet his
forehead. I fed Phil and sent him to the far end of the round pen this evening.
I let him approach to eat and used this time to groom him. Phil will begin to
associate me with good feelings during eating and the physical stimulation of
grooming like his Dam used to do. If you don’t have brushes with you, rub your
body on your horse. This not only brings back memories of your horse’s Dam, but
puts your sent on him. While Phil was eating I asked him to move out of his
feed dish and go to the end of the round pen. When Phil gave me a submissive
posture, I let him follow me to the feed dish and let him resume eating. I
repeated this several times. I am imitating the Alpha mare. If you have ever
observed a herd eating together you’ll notice the Alpha mare eating out of
every food dish. The herd will move out of her way even if they are desperately
hungry. The mare may not even be hungry, but this is a strategic move to
maintain her status as leader in the group. I imitate the leader mare with
Phil.

Phil did swat his tail and cow kicked as I was brushing his hindquarters. This
not only is rude, but it is dangerous. This is a game the young colts like to
play. He was testing me to see if I would move away. It is kind of like tag,
you’re it! I grabbed his tail and shouted a firm “NO”. Phil is very immature
and this was not an aggressive move on his part. However, it could easily
escalate into a power tactic to get the humans away from him if not corrected
quickly. All corrections must be made within 3 seconds or you loose your
teaching window. His own Dam would have bit him if he did that to her. I cannot
bite him, but I do have my stern voice and the ability to move his feet around
the round pen.

I de wormed Phil (routine for all new horses). This was a great teaching moment
when I introduced the head down cue. I found Phil is very sensitive on his poll
and ears. He could have been twitched. He can lift his head higher than I can
maintain contact with the poll, so I had to use a different approach. Using a
rope halter I initiated downward pressure on the end of the lead. Phil lowered
his head only a tiny bit, but he was rewarded with total release. This was
repeated over and over until Phil’s head was at the ground. I was able to de
worm without having to stand on a mounting block. I ended our time together on
that good note. Always finish your interaction with your horse on a good note
even if it has been a rough day for you and your horse. Pick some task your
horse is really good at such as backing or turn on haunches etc.

Day 3
April 8,2008
This morning’s breakfast routine was repeated. Phil was a little less pushy.
This is a huge step for him. I asked for the head down cue and let him go to
his food dish. He did dance around a bit, but I did not let up on my head down
request.

We worked on walking through the gate again. I insist Phil stands slightly
behind me while I open the gate. I will walk through with Phil following. Well,
at least that was the plan. Phil feels so much pressure from the gate he
rushes. This is very common, it is a natural survival instinct not to be in a
position where there is no escape from a predator. In Phil’s mind there is a
definite possibility he could be trapped. He also could have had a bad
experience in the starting gate. I can’t put too much human emotion into Phil’s
reaction. He thought about planting his feet on the way back through. I saw his
head go up and felt a little bit of tension on my rope lead. Timing is
everything as he half halted I used the word “NO” and backed him. My tone of
voice was the warning and the backing was the consequence. It takes a lot of
effort for a horse to back. You will also never see the Alpha mare back. It is
a submissive move. When I refer to “back” I do not mean a leisurely step
backward. I mean back up with a purpose. It only took a few steps backward
compared to our first day backing all through the front yard. The next time it
may only take my “No.” You have to catch them before thinking portion of the
brain switches to the instinct part.

Phil was introduced to my son’s go-cart. Phil was a little alarmed at first. We
have a huge circular drive that my son uses as a race track. After an afternoon
with that go-cart whizzing by Phil didn’t even lift his head as it zoomed
past.

Feeding dinner: I was running a little behind on the evening feeding schedule.
Phil was anxious to eat. He stood at the gate and pawed. Pawing is a rude
behavior. I bypassed his pen and fed the broodmares. If I feed him while he is
pawing then I just told him this was an ok behavior. Give your horse a task if
he won’t stop pawing. Once his brain switches to the task and he is polite, go
ahead and feed. I sent him away from the gate when I returned. He stood and
faced me. I waited for acknowledgement (both eyes) and fed. I asked him to move away from
his food several times. Each time required less and less pressure. I can wave
my arm and he’ll move. The goal is to get him so tuned in to my body language
he’ll move with a wave of my finger; yes, this can be done! The secret is the
Alpha mare language. I walked straight towards the food dish with a purpose and
literally claimed it in my mind before I even reached the dish. Phil felt my
energy and moved away from it. The wave of my arm projects energy and gives
Phil a visual. In the next few lessons I will ask Phil to move away from his
food and then I will ask him to stay when I approach. You don’t want your horse
to move away from you every time you come close.

I noticed Phil’s manure was a little dry. I mixed him up a very soupy bran
mash. I was expecting Phil to turn up his
nose, but instead he loved it!

Day 4
April 9, 2008
The same routine and requests were made at breakfast. I had to teach this morning so my husband fed. He reported Phil did move away from the food dish willingly, but still bobbed his head around when my husband, Dan, attempted to pet his forehead. The head bobbing is not from head shyness, it is from impatience. Dan has implemented a rub on the forehead when Phil acknowledges him (both eyes). I will make sure I follow up the routine and do the same. It is so important when teaching new tasks (and keeping the old tasks) that everyone who interacts with your horse does the exact same thing.

Today’s lesson: Haltering. I really would like to take the time to write about this overlooked task. I would say that almost everyone halters their horse incorrectly. Haltering incorrectly is essentially very disrespectful to your horse. I talk a lot about the horse respecting humans; however humans must also respect their horses. Let me give you the usual scenario: The handler unsnaps the convenient throat latch snap, lurches the halter up to their horses muzzle, the horse usually is lifting his head to get away from the noseband of the halter that is being shoved into his nostril at this point. The handler reaches, stretches on their tiptoes and finally shoves the crownpiece over the horse’s ears, completely smashing his ears. Now, take a minute, and imagine a really tight turtleneck that you are trying to pull down over your head. An ear is caught and pulled down as the unforgiving fabric squeezes your head. That is really uncomfortable, isn’t it? Your thoroughbred may have been ear twitched at the track or just may be really sensitive like Phil. This is really rude to your horse. Here is how handlers should respectfully halter. I’ll use Phil for my example. Phil, like your thoroughbreds stand very tall, they can crane their necks even higher. I have been teaching Phil the head down cue. We practice this exercise every day. Today I looped the lead over his neck, tied the ends into a calvary knot so he could not step on the lead. Using the lead behind his ears I applied gentle pressure and lowered my body to signal head down. He lowered his head and I held the halter out in front of his nose. The crown buckle was unbuckled. Standing on Phil’s left side I reached under his cheek with my right arm and tipped his nose towards me. I am teaching Phil to lower his head into the halter and reach for in coming into my space. Yes, I did stay I invited him into my space. If you chase your horse’s head and have to reach for him, you have just put your horse in control of the situation. Your horse should tip his nose to you and drop his head into the halter. It is easy to buckle the crown piece on a horse with a lowered head. Phil was pretty obliging to this today; I was impressed. As you can see, I build on all the little exercises everyday to perform the basic daily tasks. Head down cue is used for everything from de worming to calming your horse. Don’t forget to also halter your horse on the right side.

Elizabeth has asked for some pictures. I brought Phil out of his round pen to groom him. I have an outbuilding that I use as my tack room. It has a covered grooming bay with cross ties. I was told Phil didn’t have any issues with cross ties, but I approached the situation like I would be introducing this restraint for the first time. I attached one tie with a panic strap and held the lead. Phil pawed, jumped around, and pulled on the cross tie. I untied him and started driving him around, changing directions frequently. I used this to get Phil to focus on me. Once he stopped and acknowledged (both eyes) me I stopped. I walked him back to the grooming bay. Phil balked and I immediately sent him moving backward with a purpose. He balked 3 more times and each time I sent him back a further distance. Remember, the better your horse backs up, the better he does everything else. As I mentioned previously backing is a submissive move. The 5th attempt to go back to the bay Phil quietly walked behind me and stood like a gentleman. Phil figured out it was much more difficult to scurry backwards down my driveway than to leisurely walk to the bay going forward. This was a huge break through.

Since Phil was fairly anxious being tied I tied him to a tie blocker outside the arena. He pulled on the lead, jigged, and tossed his head. My conclusion is that Phil is NOT halter broke. A halter broke horse is a breeze to halter, will lead willingly under any condition, and stands quiet while tied. Most horses are not halter broke. You may have been riding your horse for years and he is not halter broke. I know I may have “stepped on some toes” with that statement.

I asked him to walk through a narrow chute and he didn’t even think about it. Phil is validating my original diagnosis that the key to Phil is earning his respect. Phil and I did some ground exercises for the photos and I was very happy with his willingness and lightness. I even let my 10 year old daughter do some ground work with Phil.

While we were in the arena Phil took every opportunity to jerk his head to snack on grass. This is a personal choice for owners. I feel my horses get to graze all day and the least they can do is work for me on the end of the lead rope or reins. This is also an annoying behavior to me because I don’t like the lead or reins jerked from my hands.

Dinner time: What a break through today at dinner! I entered Phil’s pen and he backed away from the dish allowed me to pour the feed and pet him on the forehead. I walked out of the gate and then returned. Phil immediately lifted his head, acknowledged (both eyes) me (with both eyes) and backed from the dish! Awesome! The biggest reward I could give Phil was to leave him alone.

Phil has given me several long glances today and I can see his eye softening. This is absolutely wonderful. He hardly whinnies for the herd. I heard him only twice today.

Day 5
April 10, 2008

Phil gave me the middle finger this morning! Yes, you read this correctly.

The breakfast routine was followed. Phil lined up behind me (this was good) and waited for me to rub his head (this was better). As I turned back towards the food dish Phil trotted ahead of me (this was bad). I expect Phil to follow behind me to the dish. I drove Phil off around the round pen with a loud squeal and kicked dirt at him. He kicked at me while I drove him off. Essentially, in horse language, he gave me the middle finger. I kept his feet moving, changing directions, squealing and kicking dirt at him until I noticed a little change in his posture. He softened his eye. I asked him to stand and face me while I circled his food dish. Every time he made a move towards the food I drove him off with a squeal and a kick of dirt. I was imitating an Alpha mare claiming her food and space. A mare when she means business will+ flatten her ears, lower her head, and if this warning is ignored, she will squeal, lunge, and bite. Phil stood like a gentleman while I claimed my space. I also put my hands in his food and rubbed his dish to leave my scent.

It is important to really know the difference between a kick that is from build up energy, a playful kick, or a kick that is meant to send you a disrespectful message. Any kicking near humans should not be tolerated. The intent of the kick needs to be dealt with correctly. It is unfair to a horse that has lots of play energy to be corrected when he is released into the pasture and takes off kicking. This kick is not meant to be disrespectful. Releasing your horse properly into the pasture will be addressed when Phil meets his new herd.

I want to remind everyone that Phil is acting just like a weanling. This is his education level even though physically he will turn 7 years old next month. You will notice that once Phil believes I am the Alpha he will not question my requests and the training will progress faster. I cannot let him down at any time. I have to make sure he is always set up for success. This means I make it difficult to do the wrong thing, and easy for him to choose the correct option. You will see some regression at some points, this is to be expected.

11:00am: As I was returning from a trail ride I heard Phil desperately calling to the mares. I bet the mares wet down the hill to graze for the morning and Phil could not see them. Sure enough the mares were out of his sight. It was interesting to see that the other horses in a near by pasture were still in Phil’s sight, but he has identified himself with one particular herd. My heart wants to put him with a herd, but my brain says this is a very bad idea. Even though I hate to see Phil upset I know he is learning that the mares will disappear out of sight, but will always come back. A big part of Phil’s agitation is that he needs exercise. This was a perfect opportunity to introduce Phil to the training round pen. Now, I know he is full of energy so I’m not going to think for one minute he is going to lead politely. I am going to set us up for success. I put the rope halter on using proper halter techniques. Phil is getting better with the head down cue. I sent him out to the end of the lead and asked him to move his feet forwards, backwards, up, down, right, left. He was trying to avoid my pressure and was trotting through his hay, on top of his feed dish, whatever was in his path. I stayed in position right behind his girth and kept him moving. As long as I was going forward I was in charge. I will say I have seen many people ground driving and if an obstacle gets in the horse’s path the person stops and tries to navigate the horse out of the path of the obstacle. This is incorrect. As long as the obstacle is safe for your horse and safe for you, keep moving. When you stop, you reward. Phil was not going to hurt himself on the rubber dish or the hay. He did bunny jump (with good scope) the dish which was new to me since my QHs usually just stomp on it.

Intro to training round pen: The walk to the round pen was actually enjoyable. Phil was polite (look for proper leading in upcoming journal entries). I took the halter off and released Phil in the 60ft pen. Since he is familiar with ground driving, I extended my arm and pointed in the direction I wanted him to travel. This is a big visual and a way to project my energy. I asked him to trot. He wanted to canter a little and that was fine as he burned off a little energy. I just did not drive him. When he settled down I worked him in at a trot, changing directions frequently. I always let my young horses trot at least 2-3 times around before asking for a change of direction. I use big slow movements. Phil can easily see me switching the halter into my opposite hand, this is a cue to him that I am about to ask for a change in direction. When Phil changes direction he turns into the panel. He wants to get as far away from the pressure as possible. When I have Phil’s respect he will turn into me to change directions. The entire time Phil stretched his neck out as far as he could over the round pen panels. This was to be expected because I do not mean much to Phil at this point. When he looked at me I immediately curled up, drew him in and asked for a Whoa. He circled in and faced me. I kept my head down and my shoulders rounded, but watched his hooves out of the corner of my eye. As soon as hooves began to move I stood up and drove him around (you have less than 3 seconds). I asked for a Whoa again and he circled in to me. This was repeated several more times until Phil came up to me, lowered his head, blinked, and licked his lips. I did not look at him, I let him relax. I felt he was ready to “join up or hook on.” Phil did “join up” and followed me around the round pen (no halter, no lead)….forward, backward, up, down, right, left. He followed on his own free will. I had him follow me over to the water trough and let him get a drink. I keep a water trough in the round pen. At this moment, I meant something to Phil. This was a great time to stop, hose him off, and put him back with his hay (even though he trampled it all over his pen). Notice I did not stuff his face full of treats to reward him. His reward was that I was going to leave him alone. I will address treats and training in a later entry. Don’t think for one minute I do not love to give treats to my horses! This is an incorrect assumption. I have a HUGE container of horse nibblets in my tack room.

Phil still looked for the mares after his was put away, but stopped whinnying and pacing. Most horses are overfed and under exercised. This leads to a lot of behavior issues that are NOT the horse’s fault.

I do want to point out the round pen is not to be used to run your horse around in aimless circles to tire him out. You will see I do a lot of different exercises at various gaits in the pen. Even though Phil and I spent 30 minutes in the round pen, we stood in the shade for most of the time. He was learning that standing by me means rest and relaxation. Remember, to let your horse rest if he isn’t fit. Your horse will build up lactic acid quickly in their muscles. Most of us cannot keep our horses in racetrack condition; including me.

When I returned home from picking up the kids from school, Phil was standing contently under a tree with a back leg cocked…..and the mares were still at the other end of the pasture. Boy, exercise sure does some great things for the body and mind!

Evening Feeding: Phil was an absolute gentleman at dinner. Yippee! My son drove his go-cart and my husband removed trees that had fallen during the storm that brought tornadoes to South Carolina with the tractor during feeding. Phil is getting some great desensitizing.

For reference I’ll try to reinforce to you that when your horse truly acknowledges you he has to have BOTH EYES on you; not one eye on you and one eye on another horse or his food, etc. If you have ever attended a Clinton Anderson clinic then you’ll remember Clinton’s mantra “Two Eyes.”

Day 6
April 11, 2008
Morning feeding: I continue to mix his feed with my bare hands to put my scent on his food (soaked beet pulp, pellets). Phil met me at the gate. I asked him to back with an authoritative BACK voice request. This was my pre-cue. Then I told him with a wave of my arm. If he had ignored me I would have lunged, squealed, and kicked dirt at him. Always ask, tell, promise (credit to Pat Parelli). Phil backed and moved out of my way. Remember the Alpha mare never alters her path; the herd will move out of her way. I see a lot of handlers walk around their horses so they don’t disturb them. What they have unknowingly done is they have shown their horse that they are not the leader. When I walk into my pastures all of my horses pick up their heads to acknowledge me and willingly clear a path.

Phil politely waited for his breakfast to be served. I groomed him while he ate. I discovered another “hole” in Phil’s education. He is very wary about the area under his tail. He squeezes his tail as tight as he can between his butt cheeks. This is very common because this is a vulnerable spot. I will work on desentizing this area because in the future I will need Phil’s cooperation if I have to take his temp, wrap, or braid his tail.

I am also very concerned about Phil’s front shoes. His toes are a little long. The shoes are loose and I see a quarter crack extending beyond the nail hole on his left hoof. He seems to have a pretty decent hoof wall. The hoof is very brittle. My farrier is due out in 2 weeks, but I hate to see the shoe come off and take a big portion of the hoof wall, so I’ll call my awesome farrier to see if he could come out. I am pleased that Phil has super nice farrier manners. As a side note, I treat my farrier better than royalty. I will not ask him to work on a rank horse. I always tip him. My horses (all 13) are always prepared with halters on and lead ropes handy. I am always outside waiting for him to arrive. In return, he has always made emergency trips to my farm without extra cost. He has come out to check questionable lameness and has never charged me. He always does a very professional job.

I have started Phil on biotin and Omega Horseshine (Omega fatty acids).

We went back to the round pen this morning. Now, that Phil had some idea of what is expected from him in the round pen I stepped up my requests. First, on the lead, forward, backward, up, down, right, left, turn on haunches, turn on forehand. Then I let him loose in the pen. He was more responsive today and had his inside ear on me most of the time. I only carry a rope halter/lead in my driving hand, no lunge whip. Phil still doesn’t completely believe I’m the Alpha (this will take a lot more time). He didn’t feel like he had to travel around with his neck craned over the panels today which is an improvement. He still looked to the herd most of the time. Phil has not become a spoiled horse (HURRAY), so it is much easier to reward him with rest. I only had to drive him around a few minutes before I got a “change” from him. This was the appropriate time to stop the lesson. When I refer to “change”, I mean a mental and physical change. This is the area I have the most difficult time explaining. I can FEEL a change in a horse. To me, the horse feels soft; the energy becomes low and flowing: I feel relaxed. Physically, you will see a softening of the eye, loose ears, head/neck/shoulder softening. Your horse will travel with his nose slightly tipped towards you. His tail will be relaxed. This “change” may take 3 hours or 30 seconds. Whenever “change” does occur STOP your lesson, reward with a rest. If you miss this window, you’ll have to keep going until the “change” occurs again. Many people feel they have to school their horse for a certain period of time. This is totally a human concept. Time doesn’t mean anything to horses. Even though I only worked with Phil a few minutes in the round pen (human concept), Phil told me “Ok, I get it.” The lesson was accomplished.

I had 25 minutes before I had to leave to pick up the kids. I had Phil employed mowing the grass in the arena. I sat down on a bucket in the corner of the arena. He was grazing at the other end. Phil raised his head and walked over to me. He offered me his head and I gave him a good rub. I then asked him to back away and it only took a wave of my hand to move him off. He continued to graze near me. This was a breakthrough. I was really able to see a sweet horse.

Evening meal was uneventful. Phil was polite.

April 12, 2008
Day 7
Morning routine was completed: food was poured; I claimed the food dish and the space around it, rubbed Phil’s head, and let him follow me to the food.

The farrier arrived at 8am. Phil’s front shoes were pulled. Phil has a little bit of a seedy toe on his left front. I will keep a close eye on this and keep him out of the wet as much as possible. The soil here is sandy so I’m going to let Phil go barefoot.

At lunchtime, I went to go get Phil to take him to the arena to mow the lawn some more. He didn’t acknowledge (with both eyes) me. He was focused on the herd. I drove him around the pen to switch his brain to the thinking side by giving him a task. After a few minutes he was ready to be haltered. I haltered and he again focused on the herd. As you can see we have made one step forward and two steps back. This is ok. Phil and I had an intense ground work session. We both were sweating and out of breath. When he really began to focus on me I stopped, took off the halter and left the pen. The best reward I could give him was to leave completely; to take away all pressure. So many people want to stay, pet, coo, and tell their horse what a good boy he is…..you are not rewarding your horse, you are keeping the pressure on him. By leaving completely he has time to digest what just happened.

I want to mention petting: when you pet your horse use long petting strokes, rubs, or scratches. It is insulting to your horse to give him a big pat. Horses rub, stroke, and scratch each other; this is enjoyable. They do not swat each other on the neck with their muzzles unless teeth were coming with the “pat.” Think of the last time someone gave you a big “pat” on the back. The gesture, I’m sure was well intended, however it was rather uncomfortable wasn’t it? Please, be respectful to your horses. “Patting” is a human behavior, not a horse behavior.

I moved Phil up to the barn. He still hasn’t joined a herd yet because I need to spend more one on one time. At the barn he can visit the other horses over the fence.

Evening meal went really well. I see a lot of progress.

My family and I returned home around 10pm. I went out to check and blanket the horses. I looked at Phil’s paddock and could not see him. I panicked. Of course, crazy thoughts of him jumping the fence ran though my mind. As I approached the fence Phil nickered softly and I could see the outline of his ears. He was lying down. This was a wonderful sign that he was comfortable and secure in his environment. Horses will never lie down if they do not feel safe; they are very vulnerable on the ground.

Day 8
April 13, 2008

Morning feeding: When I pour feed I keep Phil in my peripheral view so I can keep tabs on his position, his ears, and his eyes. This morning he tried to inch his way into my 16 foot feeding “bubble.” Every move he made forward I kicked a little bit of dirt at him to warn him to back away. He was testing me to see if I was still going to hold up to my end of the bargain. To the novice eye this behavior seems harmless and even “cute”, but at this stage of the learning process “if you give an inch, they’ll take a mile.” If I would have ignored Phil’s “test” I would have given him proof that I am not worthy to be a leader. I know all of this sounds so “nit-picky”, however these are the building blocks to a trusting partnership with your horse. You have to work as hard as he does.

I could see he was a little tender on his front feet this morning (to be expected), so I gave him bute in his breakfast.

Even though Phil had ouchy feet I still worked with him this afternoon. I am emphatic and sympathetic (human thought processes) to Phil’s sore feet, but I am still going to uphold my end of the bargain. If Phil was rude in any way then yes, I will move his feet. If I were to say “oh, poor Phil, I am so sorry your feet hurt, don’t worry about moving out of my space or “I know your feet hurt today so, its ok to jerk the lead out of my hand…you don’t feel well” Ah, hogwash!!! These are human thoughts and emotions. In reality, the Alpha mare doesn’t care if Phil were to have broken leg, an ear torn off, or one eye….he better move out of her way. I know this is a little dramatic, but I’m trying to make a point.

In order to set us up for a successful lesson together I chose to work on things that can be done standing still. I brought him up to the grooming bay. I started with stretching exercises. I then introduced Phil to lateral flexion. I put tension on the lead and immediately released (dropping the lead) as soon as Phil made an effort to tip his nose towards his shoulder. I ended the lesson when I could ask with just fingertip pressure on both sides. I introduced Phil to the lead tossed on his neck, back, hindquarters, and under his tail. He swished his tail at first because he was uncomfortable. I stopped as soon as he cocked a back leg indicating the rope no longer bothered him. Phil was also introduced to a lariat today. I rubbed him all over with the rope, smacked the ground all around him, swung it around, and let the rope bump into his legs. I will use the lariat later on with teaching him not to panic when he gets a foot caught and to hobble. These are 2 basic foundations that should be solid on EVERY horse.

Evening meal: Phil is getting the hang of mealtime manners. I am still moving him out of his feed and mixing the feed with my hands. I was able to back Phil with just a wave of my hand.

Day 9
April 14, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan fed this morning. He reported Phil stayed out of his space, but he tried to evade the head rub. Dan stood his ground and would not let Phil eat until he submitted to a head rub. Note that the SAME routine and SAME requests are followed at every meal. It would not be fair to Phil if we changed the rules.

I returned from work and brought Phil his lunch time hay. I checked his sore feet for heat and a digital pulse. He does have a strong pulse on both front legs, but it was not racing. The vet is scheduled to come out tomorrow to float teeth and draw Coggins. I’ll have her evaluate Phil and ask her if it is ok to paint Venice Turpentine on his soles. It would be a shame if Phil could not go barefoot on our soft, sandy soil. I haltered Phil using this opportunity to practice polite haltering and show Phil that the halter does not always equal work. I petted and rubbed Phil all over (especially ears and under tail) to put my scent on him and simulate his Dam rubbing on him. I took the halter off (used head down cue) and left him to eat his hay. Even though I did not take Phil out of his pen, we had a team building session.

I like to use Bruce Tuckman’s (1965) group dynamics model to explain team building with your horse. Many of you who have taken a college sociology or psychology class have studied this model, so it may look familiar. Even if you have not studied this model, I think it is easy to relate to your own relationship you have with your horse. What are your group dynamics?

The model: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing.
Forming: The team meets for the very first time, members behave independently.
Storming: This is necessary for growth, can be uncomfortable and sometimes painful, many power struggles.
Norming: Members adjust their behavior, begin to trust
Performing: Members function as a unit, the job gets done smoothly without conflict

When Phil unloaded off the trailer we were in the forming stage. Last week we had many storming sessions. Today, I saw a glimpse of our team norming during feeding. Each interaction I have with Phil will fit into one of these categories.

Evening feeding: I groomed Phil while he was eating. He was polite.

Phil lifted his head out of his food dish to acknowledge me several times as I walked in and out of the barn past his pen. This was wonderful!

Day 10
April 15, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was more alert this morning. His feet were feeling a little better. The digital pulse was normal.

Today’s lesson: Tying

This morning I tacked Phil up with a heavy roping saddle. Phil was unconcerned about the saddle, so I did not have to desensitize him to the saddle. I did not “tip toe” around Phil, just because he has never had such a big, heavy saddle on his back. If I was concerned, then Phil would feel he needed to be concerned. I was respectful not to just plop the saddle on his back. I checked for fit and tightened the cinch only tight enough to hold the saddle in place. Phil was “girthy”. He sank to his knees as I gently tightened the girth. I did not panic I just kept cinching and told him “NO!”. He stood right up. I know this could be a frightening experience for a handler, but if you back off, pet your horse, or feel sorry for him because he just won the game and he will repeat….GUARANTEED. Now, with that said, it is your responsibility to be gentle and have tack that fits. Although, I respect the fact that cinching or girthing up is probably not on Phil’s top ten list of things he would like to do, it is part of his job.

With Phil tacked up, I asked him for w-t-c transitions on the lead. I was checking to see if Phil accepted the saddle; he did. He humped his back at first and tried shaking the sports boots off, but quickly became comfortable. I normally don’t use sport boots unless there is a need for protection such as a strenuous workout, rough terrain, a young horse that doesn’t have good control over his feet, or in this case learning to tie. This is one of my favorite lessons because I can pull up a chair and watch Phil teach himself how to disengage his hindquarters, side pass, and release pressure. Even though Phil’s feet were not moving per se, he was still working mentally. I use the saddle and its weight to put Phil in “work mode.” I use a tie blocker, so Phil will never hit tension in the rope. Phil did sit back on the rope twice. Both times I watched him find a release. I did not run up to him to comfort him, as long as he was safe I let him make his own discovery. He did a lot of blinking and licking lips. The tie blocker is mounted to a mature hickory tree. The tree provides nice shade and it is in an enclosed area. As a safety note, if you tie to a tree with a tie blocker you must supervise your horse at all times. If he wraps himself around the tree and pulls back the lead would not release through the tie blocker, it would tighten around the tree and your horse would panic. I left Phil tied for 30 minutes and untied when he cocked a back leg and was unconcerned about his environment. Do not think for one minute he is trained to tie. This lesson will have to be repeated in many environments, under many different circumstances.

Upon returning Phil to his pen he balked at the gate. My timing was off and I wasn’t paying close attention to his cues. I was thinking about getting the horses ready for the vet. Phil knew my attention was not on him; my fault. As soon as I felt the tension of the balk I immediately backed him in a hurry. I stopped and walked him to the gate and I felt a hesitation and immediately backed him and then ground drove him for respect. He still was tense on the lead as we approached the gate, so I backed him around the entire barn, through the brush, through the downed branches at the back of the paddock. If a tree appeared in our path, it was up to Phil to navigate his hindend around the tree. I could not take a step backward. I know this sounds intense, but I had to take it to a level that would mean something to Phil. To give you an idea of the pace of Phil’s backing; I was running. Phil softened and I quit. He walked peacefully through the gate. Many of you are probably thinking I am being mean, because poor Phil is probably scared of the gate. Phil has shown me he is not scared of the gate. For whatever reason, Phil has this behavior. The only way Phil is going to overcome this issue is for me to earn his respect; with respect comes trust. I ABSOLUTELY will not put my foot in the stirrup until I have this behavior under control.

The vet arrived at noon. Phil had his teeth floated and a new Coggins drawn. He was polite for the vet. She checked his hooves and gave me the ok to paint on the Venice Turpentine. She recommended giving Phil 4-6 weeks to toughen his soles before deciding to go back into shoes. I want to mention Phil’s teeth. He has several baby teeth that are out of alignment due to an apparent mouth injury. Prior to having Phil’s mouth propped open I could not see the roof of his mouth. He has a deep scar running across the roof of his mouth. Some of the front permanent teeth are broken, so the injury had to have happened around the age of 2 or 3 years. The permanent teeth were not able to push out the baby teeth. He will definitely need routine dental floating.

Evening feeding: Phil and I are “norming.” Our relationship at mealtime was better.

Day 11
April 16, 2008

Morning feeding: All the horses around the barn where a little excitable this morning. They all had a very interesting night. One of our mares foaled last night. Phil could not see the event from his pen, but he felt the excitement from all the other horses.

I led Phil to the pasture to see the new foal. This was a great opportunity to once again practice haltering, leading, going through gates, and exposing Phil to a new situation. You may think horses recognize foals as their own kind, however it is amazing to see the reaction of a horse that has not been exposed to foals become frightened. Phil was absolutely mesmerized by the filly. It was interesting to see Momma tell Phil to back off from across the paddock.

Evening feeding: uneventful

Day 12
April 17, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

Great Training Day! I worked Phil in the round pen to help him focus on me for our upcoming adventure. He is less worried about the herd and a little more focused on me.
Once Phil’s brain was switched to “learning mode” I took him out on the trail for a team building session. This is my version of a Rope’s Course. I’m sure many of you have attended this workshop with your coworkers. As Phil and I were walking away from the barn I uncovered another “hole.” I could feel Phil’s energy drop and the rope began to get heavy in my hand. Phil was thinking about balking. He is codependent upon the herd and the comfort of the barn. I gave him a very simple task to focus on me. I was able to avoid Phil planting his feet. As we walked a little further down the trail I noticed Phil’s energy picked up. He was very motivated and forward flowing. He was “two fingertips” light in my hands on a slack lead. He stayed in his space and did not try to walk ahead of me. We walked through all kinds of thick brush, up/down hills, over fallen trees. If I saw something interesting to walk over or through I didn’t hesitate to plow through deer trails to reach the obstacle. This was great for Phil to take responsibility for his feet and pick them up. I also was able to show Phil I could be “the leader” and keep him safe in such a stimulating environment. I saw a completely different horse. Now, I must say that some of the low energy in the arena may come from me. I am bored to death in the arena and I’m sure my low energy is picked up by the horses. Phil and I had great energy out on the trail. I am definitely going to take our classes to the trails in the future. I did not take the hunting dogs with me. The dogs provide an extra stimulus and add the surprise ambush to the lesson.

Day 13
April 18, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil’s energy was a bit pushy. Although he did not come into my space his posture was very “pushy.” His head was high, his eye was hard. The Alpha mare would not tolerate this disrespectful posture and would “put Phil back into his place” in the herd hierarchy. This is typical young colt behavior, but must be corrected. I waved Phil off and put his feet in action. I drove him around 2 times and he softened. His demeanor was submissive. I asked him to come into my 16ft circle and rubbed his head. He followed me to the food dish. You see there isn’t a “quick fix” with horses. You have to be on top of your game at all times especially during the time you are establishing the “pecking order” between you and your horse. Training is not glamorous. It is tiring work, takes so much time and patience. You have to celebrate the little victories.

Herd punishment: The worst punishment the Alpha mare could administer is to isolate the belligerent one from the protection of the herd. Out in the open the horse is very vulnerable to predators. This is the concept behind sending Phil far away from my space is that I want to make my message clear “if you are in my space you are going to get sent far away from me.” At this point, I am Phil’s herd.

This morning I took Phil out to see the fertilizer being spread on our new Costal Bermuda pastures. The truck is loud, it clanks and creaks. It throws fertilizer in all directions. This sounds like the perfect recipe for a teaching lesson. Phil was only somewhat fascinated by the truck. Great, one more thing I can cross off the desensitizing list! A thanks to the racetrack environment!

Phil and I went out exploring in the woods. My kids have a secret fort deep in the woods. Phil and I went to check out the fort. We traveled down a steep ravine, through a small creek, up the ravine and through thick brush. Phil had to really keep track of his feet. When Phil started to inch his way into the leader position, I waved him back. I was the navigator. There were several huge tree trunks that I asked Phil to step over. I did not let him jump. The purpose was that I was going to tell his feet where, when, and how fast to go over the log. If you can control the feet, you have control of the mind. Moving the feet with a direct, soft feel will be used under saddle.

I introduced Phil to the electric clippers. I was prepared to start to desensitize him, however Phil was unconcerned about the clippers. Ahhh, one more item that can be checked off the training list. Using the head down cue, I clipped Phil’s bridle path in one clean sweep with the clippers. I also trimmed the outside of Phil’s ears mostly to find any areas that may concern Phil. I don’t trim muzzles, inside of ears, or fetlocks unless we are attending an “A” or “AA” rated show. Horses need the hair in these areas to fend off flies, burs, insects, etc. The hair on the muzzle and eyes serve as “feelers” for the horse since they don’t have sight below their muzzle.

Trailer Loading: If you remember my first meeting with Phil his trailer manners did not impress me one bit. I have spent the past 13 days building on the little pieces that cement the training/learning foundation. Today was an assessment to see how we have been doing on the basics. To set us up for success I did use the 38 foot stock trailer. This trailer is 7’6” tall and 8’ wide. Though this trailer is awful to pull with its length and width, it is awesome to teach trailer loading. I waited for my husband to come home, so I had someone to help me if I needed some “gas” on the other end to get Phil moving. As I approached the trailer I could feel a little tension on the lead as Phil raised his head. I immediately backed him in a hurry; he was about to switch into instinct mode and balk. I returned to the trailer and I felt tension again, so this time I had to raise the level of intensity to make an impression on Phil. I backed Phil so fast down our driveway I was running like the ground was opening up to swallow me. Phil and I returned to the trailer and he walked right up the ramp like a complete gentleman. I repeated this many, many times until I could walk with two fingertips on the lead. Ok, we were making progress walking up the ramp, now for backing into the standing stall. In the back of our trailer there are 3 standing stalls. These are tricky to back into. Using the head down cue and the backing cue I asked Phil to back step by step. Each step was rewarded with a complete release of the rope. He was even rewarded for thinking about backing and rocking back even if he didn’t move a foot. If he wanted to look behind him that was fine as long as his focus was still on me. Phil tried really hard and not once was he ugly. He had every opportunity to bite, kick, or push me; my persistent work is paying off. He has enough respect for me now that biting, kicking, or pushing are not options.

Evening meal: Phil was super polite.

Day 14
April 19, 2008

Phil has a show record! Read on!

Since Phil did so well loading/unloading last night I decided to bring him with to the show we were attending today for a day long lesson on tying. It was dark and Phil loaded like a professional. He was very quite and well mannered on the trailer with the other horses. The show was almost an hour and a half away, so it was a great experience for Phil to ride with our horses that are experienced haulers.

*Note* Once I asked Phil to load I was prepared to follow through with my request even if it meant I was going to be late to the show or not attend at all if Phil had trouble loading. I have seen so many of my clients and friends attempt to load their horse unsuccessfully and give up; or worse get into an awful struggle. Wrong Answer! They just taught their horse that if he doesn’t want to load all he has to do is throw a tantrum and “Mom” will put him back in his stall/pasture. If you start it, you must finish it with horses. Horses do not have time schedules.
The show grounds were hustle and bustle. The horses were tied to the trailer with safety knots. Phil was tied with his rope halter. I do not recommend EVER tying your horse with a rope halter for periods of time unless you have taught your horse how to find a release. Phil understands the pressure points on his halter and can easily find a release.

Phil was introduced to the show grounds and I did a little ground work. He was quiet and well mannered, so well mannered I decided to enter him in halter classes. I felt this would be a fantastic assessment on our training together. Well, guess what? Phil and I showed in halter geldings, showmanship, and hunter in hand. While our competition pushed on their handlers, pawed, and danced around; Phil did his job. Phil brought home a CHAMPIONSHIP in his division! The judge even commented “nice manners” on his score card. If she only could have seen Phil and I two weeks ago!

Show tip: If your horse is anxious use the head down cue. You must teach this cue at home in order to use it at the show and have it work. I used head down cue prior to entering the ring and even in the line up while the judge was judging the other exhibitors. The head down is a relaxed, submissive posture.

Phil spent 8 hours tied to the trailer. Tying is a very IMPORTANT foundation skill. How many times have you seen loose horses at a show because they pulled on their halters and broke loose from the trailer? How many times have you seen a horse drag a parked trailer when his halter did not break? Those horses are not halter broke. Yes, horses will spook while tied, but if they are properly halter broke they will spook in place or at least recognize the tension on the halter as they pull and find their own release. I do not typically rent stalls, I prefer to ship in, so all of my horses learn to stand patiently at the trailer (they do have hay/water at all times). There were two loose horses yesterday.

Phil had no problem drinking water or eating at the show. It is always a concern when a horse is so worried about being away from home that he won’t eat or drink. Phil emptied his water bucket several times. He had no problem urinating either. Some horses will not urinate if they are not in their familiar stall or pasture.

Day 15
April 20, 2008

Morning feeding: no problems.
I vaccinated Phil today. When I vaccinate a horse for the first time I am always prepared to do some ground work, or desensitize the horse to the needle. I haltered Phil and he dropped his head right into the halter and I asked him for head down. I pinched his skin on his neck and shook the skin while I injected the vaccine. No problem. I didn’t even hold onto the lead; Phil was ground tied. I administered 3 injections without any questions from Phil. I had epi with me just in case he had a reaction. I groomed him while I watched for a reaction. If your horse is going to have a reaction to the injection it will show up within 20 minutes or sooner! Always have epi drawn up in a syringe with you just in case. You may not have time to run to the barn and draw up a syringe. You should also be comfortable injecting via IV in case of an emergency. Your vet will be more than happy to show you how to do the injection. Phil did not have a reaction.

As I was grooming Phil I checked his sheath. This is an area that you do need to desensitize. Phil is due for a cleaning. A gelding’s sheath needs to be cleaned often. If your vet does this service for you, then you need to desensitize your horse before your vet comes out. I just wanted to remind everyone that it is OUR responsibility to train our horses to accept veterinary care not our vet’s responsibility. I love my vet and I want her to be available to come out to my farm when I have an emergency. It is not necessary to sedate your horse for routine care if you take the time to train him.

Day 16
April 21, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan reported no problems with Phil.

After the kids finished their homework we decided to go out on the trails. The kids decided they were going to ride their bikes while walking the dogs. I saw a perfect teaching opportunity and brought Phil along. Phil has a tendency to kick at the dogs or anything moving behind him. I respect Phil’s instinctual behavior however, this is something we will have to work through if he is ever going to foxhunt or be around children and pets. You can just imagine the commotion going on with the kids, bikes, and dogs out on the trail. As soon as Phil locked an ear on a bike or kid I gently tugged on the lead rope to prevent his brain from switching from thinking to instinct (timing is everything). The rope halter has pressure knots that convey a clear signal and will quickly get a horse’s attention if used with proper timing and quickness. Phil understands my message based on the energy I send down the rope. He knows how fast he has to move his feet according to my energy and posture. There isn’t a need to call Department of Social Services, my kids have been raised around horses, so they know how to be safe and stay far away . We went to the sand pile behind the back pastures. This is a huge (think sand dune) pile of sand we use to fill in holes, level pastures, put in stalls etc. I walked up the sand pile and Phil followed right behind. This can be a very scary experience for a horse, but Phil took my lead and we went up and over the pile. This was just another experience to prove to Phil I can keep him safe; mission accomplished. Tackling new obstacles is a fun way to learn with your horse, however always use good judgment to keep you and your horse safe.

When we returned home my daughter helped with an exercise that needs 2 people. My daughter held Phil while I roped his back leg. I secured the rope around his left hind pastern and lifted his leg while standing a good distance out of kicking range. Phil resisted, shook his leg, danced around while I kept the tension on the rope. As soon as Phil relaxed I released. Expect to hold the tension on the first several tries for quite a while and let your horse find his release. Practice this exercise in a safe enclosure like an arena or round pen. If you drop the rope you have now taught your horse that if he struggles he will be released. The purpose of the exercise is to teach your horse that if he gets a leg caught he is to stand still and he will be released. I am sure everyone knows of at least one story where a horse got caught in wire, fence, underbrush, etc. and severely damaged muscle, tendons, or ligaments because he fought to free himself. Again, I repeated lifting his leg and released as soon as he relaxed. This was repeated on all legs. Please be very careful when attempting this exercise because you can easily cause a rope burn on you and your horse. I will repeat this every chance I get with Phil. THIS IS FOUNDATIONAL SKILL ALL HORSES SHOULD BE TAUGHT. For example, even if you are by yourself you can pick your horse’s leg up with the lead rope and hold the tension until he relaxes; look for lowering of head, blinking eyes, or floppy ears. This can even be done as a modified chiropractic stretch.

On the way back to Phil’s pen I passed the trailer. I couldn’t let this obstacle pass us up. In the trailer we walked, turned around, and walked out. Ta-Da!

Day 17
April 22, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil backed away and let me pour his feed. As I approached to rub his head he swung his head in circles and danced in place. His body posture told me he was not being aggressive or pushy; he wanted to play. Phil is still very much a colt. This is behavior that needs to be addressed. I am a human; I am not his play buddy. The biggest mistake handlers make, in my opinion, is they think their horse is their buddy and encourage this playful behavior because it “is cute.” It is not cute when a 1200 lb. horse escalates the play behavior by rearing, charging, biting, or kicking. This should not be tolerated! In the herd the Alpha mare does not have a buddy. Sure, she will graze and engage with the other horses, but she does not have a “best friend” or ‘buddy.” This statement is reflecting a true wild herd. The lower members of the herd buddy up. My goal with Phil is to establish in his mind that there is no doubt I’m the Alpha mare. I didn’t even have to send Phil around the pen, a stern “NO” and raising my hand to block him (kind of like “talk to the hand”) switched his behavior mode immediately.

A little insight: I love my horses. I do not love on them. My horses are not my best friends. I do have great partnerships and relationships with all of them. I respect the horses for what they are and what they are capable of doing. I try not to put human thoughts or emotions on their behavior. All of my horses are extremely well balanced animals. They are mentally and physically happy. I do not have “behavior issues” with any of my established herd; not even the foals. My horses are happy because they know what is expected of them and are comforted knowing that I am the leader. Sure, I pet them, talk to them, wish them a happy birthday, and bring them treats from the kitchen, but this is purely for my fulfillment. I provide a safe, clean, stimulating environment and a nutritionally sound diet. They are not fat. In fact, I adjust the weight of their pellets and hay continually to keep them at a body condition score of 5-7. My husband says I cook for them, and he is right. I never change the rules and am always consistent in my expectations. Yes, I do have days where a horse may be a little pushy or doesn’t want to get caught right away, and I will drop everything and address the issue ASAP even if I have a million other tasks/responsibilities to finish (horses do not have schedules to keep). I have even been late to teach a class before because I had a horse that was rude and needed a refresher course in respect. In return, for my dedication and honesty, my horses are very easy to work with and a joy to be around. Ok, I’m off my soapbox.

I worked Phil in the round pen. He is usually stiff in his hind end so I let him warm up a bit before I ask him to move out. He was goofy today. Phil wanted to canter and shake his head. This was fine as long as he was out of my space and responded to my cues. Phil now circles in to me to change direction about 50% of the time: Celebrate the little victories! Phil also kept one ear on me the entire time even though I had loose horses around the outside of the round pen. I did not have to compete with those horses for Phil’s attention!

I find it interesting that Phil chooses his right lead. The round pen is good for him to learn that it is easier to canter on the correct lead without the weight of me on his back. I am teaching pre cues before I ride Phil. For example, a cluck is trot and a kiss is canter. I have found it is easier to teach lead changes when your horse knows what a kiss means. This way I only have to use a leg cue to signal which lead I want him to take. I left Phil in the round pen for a change of scenery and give him a chance to soak up the lesson. Remember, I always keep water in the round pen.

I have really worked on sensitizing Phil to pressure. Ok, now I’m sure I’m going to confuse everyone. There are many things that I have desensitized Phil to, but Phil’s lack of motivation stemmed from he didn’t see a need for humans (no respect). He was already desensitized to humans. I have made an impression on Phil by putting uncomfortable pressure on him and then I magically hold the power to take the pressure off. Only by making Phil very uncomfortable have I been able to sensitize him to my presence. I see the results as Phil hustles his feet to change directions with a point of my finger. You may think by putting Phil in an uncomfortable position I may make him scared of me or not like me. These are human thoughts and emotions. What I do is make it very difficult to choose the wrong option and easy to choose the correct one. Horses understand the feeling of pressure; they want the pressure gone. When I put Phil in his pen he follows me to the gate in a submissive manner. If he was scared of me or didn’t like me (human thought/emotion) he would run away from me as fast as he can and may even “give me the middle finger” by kicking in my direction. Quite the contrary, Phil finds me comforting and prey animals are comfort seekers.

I am about to touch on a subject that you will not hear much about from the “traveling trainers/clinicians” because it elicits a lot of emotion out of people and is very taboo. You will see these clinicians use the leather popper, stick, or whatever tool they use, but they will never really talk about it. However, this is it “the good, the bad, and the ugly”. As I have said previously, training horses is not glamorous. If you have any questions please ask.

Sensitizing to pressure: To sensitize a horse is to cause them to become responsive to a specific cue or stimulus. I do not think I need to explain that abusive behavior (verbal/physical) is never to be used on your horse. The reality is I think I need to persuade most of you to become more firm with your horses and quit nagging them; step up to the plate and fulfill your end of the bargain. Your horse will be happier. Horses communicate through posture and contact; plain and simple. When posture is ignored, immediate contact is made. When you add the human and the human’s emotions simple communication through contact is often escalated into abuse. If you have no choice but to take your communication to the next level you must do so within 3 seconds, communicate in a quick and clear fashion. If you miss your 3 second window your correction is considered a sucker punch or low blow. I only use a rope halter/lead combo with leather poppers under the chin and on the end of the rope. I do not use lunge whips, stud chains, twitches, or harsh bits, etc.

When I first met Phil I could yell, scream, stomp my feet and he would not even put an ear on me much less an eye. I could wave a lunge whip all around him and he would just ignore me. Many people would say Phil is bombproof; this is what gets people hurt. Phil did not have any respect for me or any other human. This meant when I asked (hold lead up in direction I want him to travel), then told (swing rope to promote visual and increase my energy) and still no response I will follow through with a promise (step in his space and spank w/popper). The promise or follow up could be kicking dirt at him or administering an accurate spank or pop with the popper on his rump. I have set Phil up for success by asking, then telling, and then following through. He has learned through repetition “to know what is going to happen before it happens”. DO NOT NAG YOUR HORSE. Nagging doesn’t work with your children and it won’t work with your horse. Do not ask, ask, ask, beg, plead, ask, beg, pretty please, beg, and then out of frustration pop him like there is no tomorrow. This is completely unfair and you don’t deserve any respect. I will not hesitate to spank/pop (one quick, clear, concise spank/pop) a horse on his rump with the leather popper on my lead rope after I have politely asked, then firmly told and blatantly ignored. This “pop” sends my energy directly to the horse. The “pop” from the lead is merely an annoyance to the horse; you can’t hurt him on his rump. If you use the end of your lead (nylon, leather, cotton, rope, NEVER the stud chain) make sure you always use a downward motion. If you swing the rope up you may catch your gelding or mare in a sensitive area and you deserve to be kicked. With Phil I had to lunge at him, pop him with the popper, squeal and move his feet backwards around his pen or down my driveway countless of times to sensitize him. Each time I had to increase the distance and my energy level (this was only done when I was completely ignored). Do what ever it takes to move your horse as long as you and your horse are safe; you are being fair to your horse; you are setting him up for success (meaning when he makes an effort you reward immediately) and most importantly you will follow up consistently. Pick your battles.
Pick your battles: Know when you have the ability to follow through with something. Rather than flail away aimlessly with something that you have never worked through before or are having problems with; know your limits and abilities. Most of all make sure that you correct a horse for a response you are after, not for something you did wrong.

Phil is beginning to understand that I will always follow through with my requests. He knows what is going to happen before it happens. I have not had to follow up with any requests in several days. Throughout our training together he will continually test me to see if I am going to hold up my end of the bargain. Once I have his respect I will just have to suggest pressure to get a response.

Day 18
April 23, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan reported feeding went well.

Ground Tying: I think this is really a neat concept. Ground tying gives your horse a say so in the situation. Think about it, if your horse is truly your partner then he will accept bridling, saddling, mounting, etc. by standing still. If your horse moves away from you during any of these activities he is telling you “hey, I’m not ready yet” or “I don’t respect you .” Ground tying is an easy lesson to teach, but it takes time and lots and lots of patience.

Before asking Phil to ground tie I set him up for success. I asked him for a little ground work to warm up his muscles and to get his brain focused on me. It took less than 5 minutes to warm Phil up physically and mentally.

I have been working on ground tying from day one with Phil. Today, I haltered standing on his right side today to mix things up with rope halter/lead and led him (right side) to the round pen. I squared him up in the middle of the round pen. Note: I square Phil up in front and place his hind legs in a hunter stance. This way I can teach showmanship in hand and ground tying in one lesson. I asked for head down and then backed away from Phil. Phil turned and faced me with two eyes. This is exactly what I have been teaching him, but now I must dramatically change my posture to a low energy, submissive one to tell him “it’s ok to stand and rest”. I continued to approach and retreat 360 degrees around him. At first, he wanted to turn on his forehand to face me (two eyes). I did reward this effort. Each time he moved I submissively approached and squared him up and asked for head down. I do want to make a note that when you approach your horse you should never approach in a straight line. This is predator behavior. Prey animals approach in serpentines. Next time your horse walks up to you in the pasture observe how he doesn’t walk in a straight line to you. He may look like a drunk. Several times Phil felt pressure and moved off. I believe he was trying to either anticipate a request to move off or I was using too much pressure via my body language. He stepped on his own lead and stopped himself in his tracks. It didn’t take many repeats of this sudden jerk on his halter caused by his own feet to stop him from moving off. As Phil was standing I groomed him (associate me with rest, warm fuzzy feelings, security). When I switch sides I do not walk around him instead I slide my hand under his chin and guide his head to the side so my feet never move when I switch sides. This is a psychological move going back to the theory “he who moves his feet is the follower or subservient one.” I ask for Phil to ground tie again only this time I try some distracters like messing with the gate, digging in the sand, splashing water in the trough etc. Each time Phil moves out of position I set him up again. Phil is pretty content to stand. When get further along in our relationship I’ll try ground tying in the arena, pasture, and eventually on the trail.

I passed the trailer again. Phil and I took a detour up the ramp, into the trailer, and back down again before returning to his pen. No hesitation from Phil.

Evening feeding: I am still mixing feed with my hands. I just looked at the feed dish and he moved away. I rewarded him with a rub and left him to eat. Wow, that was communication.

Day 19
April 24, 2008

Morning feeding: I exercised Phil’s brain a little this morning. I asked him to back, turn on forehand and disengage his hindquarters. All of this was done with NO halter or lead and I had the distracting temptation of the food bucket in my hand. Phil respected the pressure from just my hand. Now, I do not want you to think that the backing or the turning was pretty. As long as Phil made the effort to lift his feet and move in the general direction I was asking him he was rewarded with a complete release of pressure. Have you ever wondered how the clinicians trained their horses to “dance” with them without halter or lead rope? This is how the training began; little by little.

I haltered Phil this morning and left him to eat. I am teaching Phil that he does not have to leave his pen and “work” or receive a shot or get de wormed every time the halter makes an appearance. Even though it doesn’t look like it I am building the foundation to be able to catch (actually he is going to catch me because I teach my horses to come to me) and halter Phil anywhere, anytime, anyplace.

Round pen: Each time I teach in the round pen I set the bar a little higher meaning I expect quicker responses, departures with a purpose, more softness, an ear on me and of course “two eyes” when I ask Phil in to my space. I don’t have to use the lead in my hand to motivate any more, but have it handy. Phil is starting to turn in to me and turn away from me to change directions at my request. This is fantastic. When Phil’s posture starts to get stiff I know he is thinking about getting frustrated. I keep his feet moving but ask him for something he is good at like circling in to me for a reassuring rub. Phil has perfected the rest request.

Out of the round pen I set up an obstacle course for fun. I have all kinds of jump standards that my husband built. One set of standards are palm trees with leaves on the top and pink flamingos that spin their wings on the bottom. I have a mailbox and tons of kid toys such as balls, hula hoops, pool noodles, etc. I had Phil on the end of the lead as I dragged and arranged the standards. Phil remained light in my hand. When all was set up I navigated Phil through, around, over, under obstacles and tried to direct him with just a suggestion of the lead rope. If Phil got stuck I directed him on the lead. This meant he had to turn on forehand, haunches, and back with the suggestion of the lead. I rewarded every effort. I started to teach side pass; this took more energy on my part. Phil at this point is “stiff as a board.”

I hosed Phil off and put him in his pen to roll.

Evening feeding: My son fed Phil. He asked Phil to move away from the dish and Phil did so without question. In fairness to our horses it is so important that all care takers follow the same rules (whatever rules you establish). In the equine world there are only one set of rules followed by all horses. In the human world we change the rules on a whim and incorporate emotions, agendas, priorities, time schedules, moods, etc. so essentially we confuse our horses.

I understand it is difficult to do this for our horses at a boarding facility. I used to board my horses and different people fed them all the time. My horses were allowed to be extremely rude during feeding. If I happened to feed them I changed the rules and sent them off if they were rude. Essentially, I was not being fair to my horses because I changed the rules. Pick your battles.

Day 20
April 25, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil did what he was supposed to do this morning only he told me “hurry it up”. He lowered his head for the head rubbing ritual and before I took my hand off his head he took his head away from me and took a step towards the dish. Immediately my posture straightened and let out a firm “NO”. I didn’t even have to wave Phil off; he did it on his own and circled back in with a completely different body posture. I invited him in to my space, rubbed his head for a lengthy time and let me go to the food dish.

Side note: I use certain words like “NO” or “BACK” to help me raise my energy and change my facial expression, not necessarily to teach Phil to respond to the words. Eventually, he will make the connection between the words and my actions. These words are always said in the same authoritative tone.

Phil and I attempted the obstacle course backwards today. It was tough on both of us, but it was a neat way to do something different. Yes, we mowed over some obstacles, but it was fun. Be creative with your horse. As you can see my training style is very different. I teach all the same lessons and introduce new ones in different environments. For example, I took Phil off our property down the road. I practiced all the things I have been building on only with different scenery. I also was able to see Phil’s reaction to cars whizzing by. Cars do not bother Phil.

I will give you a visual of what I looked like walking Phil down the road. Note: When hand walking your horse on side of the road you are considered a pedestrian and should walk against the flow of traffic. Upon horseback you travel with the flow of traffic in most states. I am a safety nerd. I wear a helmet (even on the ground) and an orange hunting vest. I know I looked like a complete dork, but I have many healed broken bones, including a fractured vertebra L3, from “horse accidents”. I started wearing a helmet during ground work recently when one day working with a client’s rank horse my timing was off just slightly and this mare kicked me in the cheek. Thank goodness my position was correct or she would have let me have it with both barrels. She gave me a concussion, fractured cheek bone, and 3 bulging disks in my neck. I ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET when riding. It doesn’t matter if I’m riding English or Western. I look back at those times (20 years ago) and almost all of the “accidents” could have been avoided if I had my horse’s respect. Back then I was taught to dominate your horse into submission.

Day 21
April 26, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

I tacked Phil up this morning and we headed out on the trail for a warm up. I am still working on the ground and will not step foot in the stirrup until I am assured I can direct Phil’s feet and have earned his respect. By securing a solid foundation on the ground you will avoid many in the saddle “accidents” or “frustrating moments” with your horse. I invited the dogs along and they, of course, made quite a commotion on the trail. Phil is still weary about the dogs. I give him tasks to do instead of letting him react to the dogs wrestling or jumping in and out of the bushes. The tasks are not corrections; they are merely to keep Phil from switching into instinct mode. When we return we went to the round pen. I asked Phil for transitions to see if there are any worries about the heavy roping saddle on his back. He was very attentive in the pen. He transitioned nicely, turned in and away from me, and he actually had his nose tipped towards me. This is a wonderful sign of comfort, trust, and respect. I asked him to circle in. I walked around the pen and he kept “two eyes” on me the entire time. Even though we were in the round pen for only 10 minutes Phil’s lesson for the day was complete. If I had kept a time schedule for “schooling” him I would have ruined the entire lesson and probably created some new issues. Remember time is a human concept. Your horse will tell you when it is time to stop. You must know the difference between your horse accepting your cues and your horse outwardly refusing to accept your cues. Stop and reward for acceptance. Keep the lesson going if your horse is ignoring you. Take your watch off your wrist! Do not get this stage of Phil’s training confused with conditioning. When Phil moves to the under saddle phase we will start conditioning and spend longer periods of time together. If I have done my homework correctly, Phil will want to school and look forward to our time together under saddle. I end the lesson by tying a soft lead around Phil’s front right pastern and lift his leg. I hold the lead until Phil stops trying to free his leg. I have been working on this with Phil for some time now, so Phil only mildly resists. I repeat on all 4 legs while he is ground tied. I am preparing Phil to hobble.

Day 22
April 26, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

Mother Nature stepped in an offered a wonderful lesson….rain. Phil was very agitated with the big rain drops falling on him. He tensed his body, shook his head, tucked his tail, and humped his back. Phil’s pen has thick, mature tree cover, but doesn’t completely shelter him from the aggravating rain. As long as Phil was not in distress the best lesson he could learn is how to be a horse. If I am at a show or on a trail ride far from home and it rains or storms I want to have a steadfast mount. The footing and slick saddle are difficult enough to deal with I personally don’t want to have to negotiate with a horse that is having a mental meltdown due to rain. Phil stayed out in the pouring rain all day. He was still alive at feeding.

Evening feeding: Phil was already irritated at having to stay in the rain and he showed a little “ugly” at feeding. I sent him off around the pen and he trotted in the most peculiar fashion. He tucked his head between his front legs and arched his back. I also was wearing a big, yellow rain jacket that most horses do not really like. I pulled the hood down so he could see that it was me and he snorted (snort is fear or excitement). I sent him off again and asked him to circle in. I walked around him and he kept “two eyes” on me. I asked him to back, turn on haunches, disengage hindquarters. He softened and I rubbed his head. Note: Some breeds like the thoroughbred cannot regulate their body temps as well as other breeds. It is best to keep your horse outside as much as possible, but if he is in distress such as shivering he needs to get out of the weather. I’ll check Phil tonight to see if he needs to come in to a stall. If he is ok, I’ll give him more hay and let him learn to tolerate Mother Nature. Hay will help increase body heat.

Day 23
April 27, 2008

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

After haltering Phil I asked him to move up, down, back, right, left to see where his mind is this morning. I felt he was ready for a lesson on leading by the front leg. This morning I secured a soft lead around Phil’s front fetlock. The lead was not tied, it was merely looped behind his fetlock. With the leg caught I applied pressure by pulling the leg forward and asking Phil to step. When Phil stepped I released pressure and praised him. Phil was very reluctant at first and I had to hold the tension for quite a while. Once Phil figured out how to find his release he caught on fairly quickly. I did this to both front legs until I could lead Phil around the round pen by just his feet. I have found that these preparatory exercises for hobbling really build trust between you and your horse. Essentially, you are taking away his ability to flee from a predator and he really has to trust you to give up this option of flight. You will use this exercise under saddle. By being “in tune” with your horse you will be able to communicate so clearly that you will be able to place your horse’s feet with a soft feel on a direct rein.

More rain this afternoon. Phil was not a happy camper.

Evening feeding: Phil was polite and respectful, but I could tell by his body language he was not comfortable in the rain.

Day 24
April 28, 2008

Morning feeding: Dan said Phil was very agitated this morning. He reported Phil was very respectful and polite, but tossed his head and danced around at the furthest end of his pen. As long as Phil was having a mini meltdown in his own space and showed no disrespectful behavior towards Dan there wasn’t a need for a correction. Dan said Phil was very submissive when he asked him to come to his food dish. Phil spent the night in the rain and is having a rough time learning how to be a horse.

Does Phil know how to be a horse completely? Since I do not know how much time Phil spent in a herd situation before weaning or after, I can only make some assumptions based on Phil’s current “horse knowledge.” Phil’s previous owner reported that Phil was repeatedly kicked by the other horse he was pastured with. The owner reported that “Phil wanted to play and the other horse did not.” What I really think was going on was that Phil lacks some horse social skills and he did not respect the other horse’s space or Alpha position. In a herd situation it only takes one good kick to send the message to a lower subordinate because the one receiving the message knows what will come next. Phil did not seem to get this message. This behavior is often seen in orphan, nurse maid colts, colts that weren’t raised with other colts and colts hand raised by humans. From observing Phil I note that he doesn’t know how to face his back to the wind and tuck his head. He is the only horse out in the rain that is standing face into the storm while all my horses are hunkered down into back towards wind position (no wonder why he had such an awful night). I hope that my herd can teach him. If you think about it for a minute our OTTBs have lived a unique life away from a herd for the most part. As far as horse behavior, we cannot rehabilitate our horses if they have never been habilitated in the first place.

Evening feeding: I saw what Dan saw this morning with Phil tossing his head in an agitated manner. At first I was puzzled because it had stopped raining and there weren’t any gnats or flies. I watched Phil for a few minutes and noticed the breeze carried off the water on the leaves and a brief shower hit Phil on the head. I put Phil’s fly mask back on (previously taken off due to rain) and Phil was content.

Day 25
April 29, 2008

Morning feeding: It was a fairly cool morning and many of the other horses were a bit rowdy, but Phil remained level headed and super polite.

Still very much a colt…..

I tacked Phil up. The “girthy” behavior has disappeared and bridling is a pleasure using the head down cue. I used a different bridle on Phil today. It was one of my custom made training bridles w/yacht braid reins and a sweet iron snaffle bit. Phil could not resist shaking the tassels (from the yacht braid reins) under his chin. The leather chin strap/bit hobble (used to prevent the snaffle from pulling through his mouth) and slobber straps were a new added weight/feel. We headed out on the trail and Phil shaking his head trying to grab the tassels was really annoying. About half of the colts I start under saddle find the tassels very fascinating. I did not correct Phil and just held the reins steady so I would not teach him that when he jerks his head he gets a release from me when I lose the reins. The lesson was on me today. I had to remain cool and stay focused on a steady grip on the reins. When Phil jerked the reins to flip the tassels I held steadfast and let him bump against himself. It is a human reaction to jerk the reins back from your horse; instead train yourself to let your horse bump against himself. Previously, I noticed Phil had a hard mouth/face in the bridle. I wanted to work on flexion, but clearly this was not the time when Phil was in “colt mode.” When we returned home we went to the round pen. His focus was better in the round pen. I did a lot of flex and release to soften up his neck and work on softening his mouth. He softened faster and faster. He even would soften, bend and stay in position until I rubbed his nose. His head was low and relaxed. He easily gave me his nose, but he was stiff through the shoulder and he didn’t offer his face. This is ok, celebrate the little victories.

Note: I refuse to bit up a horse to get a quicker response. I feel that this is just like sticking a band aid on a sucking chest wound. I feel if a restraining device is the chosen method to get the desired results then most likely there is a HOLE in your horse’s education or yours. Instead of using tie downs, martingales, torture bits, etc. I’ll go back to ground work and try to figure out where I went wrong with my teaching. I know everyone is anxious to “work their horse on the bit” (I say this loosely) and it is temping to rig up a martingale, but the reality is once the martingale is off your horse’s head pops back up and his back is hollow again. A long term strategy would be to slowly build your horse’s top line, promise him you’ll stay out of his mouth and ride with soft hands, ride with an independent seat, and teach him to reach for a release with vertical flexion. The goal with my lesson today was to ask Phil to become soft in the bridle and “give me his face” with only 2 fingertips pressure or less than 2 ounces.

I had a different halter on Phil. This particular halter has a lot of adjustments and rings under the chin for the lead that make noise. Phil stood on cross ties shaking his head and making all kinds of noise with the rings. He was driving me crazy, but I chose not to fight this battle; he was not misbehaving in my book in any way. The halter kept him busy while I cleaned his sheath, so it all worked out.

Head shaking: I do want to mention head shaking. This was something that Phil’s previous owner commented about to Elizabeth. Young colts will typically chomp on the bit, shake their heads, travel with their heads cocked to the side, and even travel in zig zag lines. This is completely normal. If you ignore it you’ll find within weeks these behaviors disappear. Just do not let your horse yank the reins from you. Hold steady and let your horse bump himself. If the behavior worsens and is accompanied by crow hopping, bucking, ducking, bolting, etc. you may want to check tack fit. You may also want to rule out any health issues or rider inadequacies.

Evening feeding: During feeding I was catching up on chores. Every time I entered Phil’s pen he acknowledged me with “two eyes.” This is wonderful!
As of 5-22-08 Have Not Sent
Day 26
April 30, 2008

Morning feeding: We had a record setting low last night for this time of the year. I was expecting a lot of “freshness” from my group. As I entered Phil’s pen he started hopping up and down with all four legs off the ground at once. He was very animated. Since he was being polite and hopping in his own space I left him alone. He circled in and I gave him the ritual rub. I brought in his hay and asked him to leave his food dish to clear a path for me to reach his hay rack. He backed with only a wave of 2 fingers. Talking about communicating! Remember the Alpha never walks around the subordinates; they clear a path for her.

Treating. Ok, I’m a stickler for not stuffing my horse’s face full of treats. If you have not established respect in your relationship, treating will lead to a pushy, demanding, mouthy horse that may even bite or strike when a treat is not presented upon demand. I like to treat my horses. It makes me feel good. I feel Phil and I have come to an agreement that I am the Alpha. At this point I can introduce treats. If you absolutely must give treats I would recommend giving them in a bowl. I have a large plastic bowl I purchased from Dollar Tree. Your horse will know the treat is from you because your scent is on the treats. If your horse is demanding a treat then I would suggest skipping the treat or give him a task and then treat….on your terms, not his. I promise your horse will not hold a grudge against you if you do not treat him. The best treat a horse can get is to be left alone.

I used the treats (I like baby carrots and apple nibblets) to ask Phil to stretch. This way Phil stretched on his own without me interfering with what degree he was to stretch. This worked really well. I was able to get Phil to track the treat with his eyes. I started to teach him to bow. Incorporated into this “game” I Phil was ground tied, he used head down cue, vertical/lateral flexion, backing, and disengaging the haunches. The best part was this is bonding time. We are learning how to communicate in a relaxed, non “classroom” setting, no pressures.

Evening feeding: I forgot to feed Phil his hay! As I rounded the barn after feeding and scrubbing troughs down the hill I saw Phil as polite as can be standing in front of his hay rack. He acknowledged me with “two eyes” and I saw the empty hay rack. Wow, this is a breakthrough. In the past, Phil would pace at the gate and paw if his hay rack was empty. Of course, I have been consistent in my requests and follow troughs that he needs to be a gentleman until I get to him. Phil is really starting to “get it.”

Day 27
May 1, 2008

Morning feeding: uneventful.

Releasing your horse: This is a lesson I learned quite well when I was younger. First let me tackle the basics and then I’ll tell the story. Using the correct haltering and leading techniques I led Phil to his new pasture to meet his new friends. They have been nose to nose for 2 weeks now, so I have been able to get a good idea of personality matches. When Phil and I walked through the gate my horses stood far back; they have been taught not to crowd me. I asked Phil to turn on his forehand to face the gate, asked for head down and took off his halter. He has been taught to stay with me (ground tie) until I give him the signal he can leave. I build this into all my horses so I can always exit safely. When I am a safe distance I wave him off. Phil runs to join his new friends. It is a good match. I have chosen to keep Phil in a smaller pasture near the barn, so I can continue to interact with him throughout the day. Also, I can correct unwanted behavior more efficiently in a smaller area. He can still run from me in a 2 acre pasture, but it is easier than the 5-6 acre pastures. He can always catch me (notice he is going to catch me; I’m not going to catch him) and I can put him in the round pen for some thought provoking foot work.

My story. On Christmas Eve 1988, in Chicago, I let my horse, Ptarmigan (Phil looks a lot like him only think Appendix QH not TB), out on a crisp, snowy eve. He was excited to play in the snow. I opened the gate, took off the lead, and just let him take off. Of course he let out a huge rodeo broncing buck and he kicked me in the arm with a shod hind foot. I was wearing several heavy layers of clothing, thank goodness. I stood there watching him play and felt warmness down my right arm. I went back to the barn and peeled off the layers of clothing to see blood soaking everything. I felt ok, so I thought maybe he just broke the skin. I ended up putting Ptarmigan away and driving home. I had no idea I was in shock. When I got home I felt sick and had to confess to my Mother what had happened. I was rushed to the ER and had fractured my humorous and required many, many stitches. If I had known how to properly release Ptarmigan and have his respect I would not have been injured. The ER physicians said it was my heavy clothing that prevented me from going to surgery. Can you imagine if his kick was just 1 foot higher?

Releasing Summary: Face your horse towards the gate. In this position he has to turn around to run or let out a kick. This will give you a window to go to safe distance. Keep other horses away from you. It is dangerous to have your horse’s buddies on top of you wanting to initiate play with your horse. Don’t be afraid to carry a whip to shoo his anxious buddies off. Use head down cue for proper de-haltering technique and to relax your horse. If your horse is rude take him back out of his pasture and ask him to work for you….that means move his feet like he has a purpose. Try again. Repeat until he is polite and you feel safe.

Day 28
May 2, 2008

Catching your horse. Since Phil comes in to eat he comes to me and I halter, lead, and release him a minimum of twice daily. When I catch Phil I have actually taught him to catch me. The last thing I want to do is walk to the end of a 5 acre pasture to catch a horse. Through ground work for respect I have taught Phil to catch me.

First Ride.
Pre-ride checks. I have had 27 days to establish my relationship with Phil. The time spent on the ground will reflect how well we work together under saddle. I tacked Phil up using my roping saddle. I want as much leather under me as possible with the young horses. I did use the snaffle bridle instead of the training headstall with the distracting tassels (chose not to fight that battle). I did some ground work to see where Phil’s mental attitude was before I even attempted to mount. I was prepared to scratch my plan if Phil’s focus wasn’t on me and go back to ground work. Phil passed all “pre ride” checks. One thing I’ve noticed about horse owners is that they catch their horse, groom, tack and ride off without asking their horses “how do you feel today?’ Many “accidents” can be prevented if humans would just take the time to do a little ground work before mounting. If you have established ground work for respect with your horse, like I have with Phil, this may only be a pass to the left and right and maybe a back up from the ground. If Phil was distracted, spooky, or silly, etc. I would postpone my ride and chose to do something else constructive. Unfortunately, humans are so schedule/agenda conscious if they have made the trip to the barn, then by golly they are going to ride.
Mounting: I always use a mounting block no matter how tall the horse. Mounting blocks are the polite way to mount your horse. Now with that said you should be able to easily mount from the ground in case you are in a situation where you cannot stand on a block or tree stump. Phil stood politely as I mounted. I returned the politeness by not jabbing my toe into his side, by swinging my leg over his back gracefully and gently sitting my weight in the saddle. It is very rude to grab the saddle to pull yourself up, haul yourself onto your horse, kick him instead of lifting your leg, and plopping all of your weight into the saddle. We expect our horses to be physically fit enough to carry us, so we owe it to them to be physically able to gently mount and dismount. I purposely fiddled with the stirrups and reins. Phil stood still. Please, do not ever mount a horse that is moving. This is very unsafe. With that said, our OTTBs have to be taught to stand still for mounting. On the track the jockeys are hoisted onto a moving horse’s back; this is what our OTTBs
know.
Flexion. I started by picking up one rein and asked for a soft flex. Phil, like all young horses, took this cue to move his feet. This is ok. He can turn in circles. To make the lesson correct I disengaged his hindquarters and asked him to step over until he makes an effort to give to me. As soon as Phil gives me a hint of his nose, I immediately dropped the reins. I mean I dropped them out of my hands to reward. Phil stopped turning. I continued to ask, Phil stopped turning and starting flexing without moving his feet. When he was doing this consistently I asked him to walk and flex. To reward him quicker as soon as he softened I let him change direction. An observer would accuse Phil of being drunk because we were swerving all over the arena. I was even able to pick up his foot through the feel of the rein and place it several times; this is an advanced move.
Circles. Circles, circles, circles. Since Phil is unbalanced and tends to dip his shoulder into a bend I have to really keep him between my legs. This means at all times I am supporting or directing with legs and/or hands. I make sure I am only supporting with my legs and hands and not nagging. I like to ride along the rail and turn into the rail and then turn back into the middle of the arena. Essentially I am doing figure eights along the rail. I make sure I plan, look where I am going, slightly shift my weight and support with legs/reins. I did have to modify my requests for Phil to accommodate his body build and conditioning. He cannot get under his hocks like my Quarter Horses and roll back, so I execute a little larger circle along the rail.
Test Ride: Once Phil was warmed up and fairly soft I tried out all gears. I was really surprised at how easy it was to post his trot. I didn’t have to work very hard since his trot provided the momentum. I would rate (1 being the worst and 10 the best) his canter a 10 and his hand gallop a 10+. He made an effort to turn on forehand, turn on haunches, and side pass. He even reached for the bit several times and was rewarded by a complete release.
Impulsion. Phil’s previous owner wrote Elizabeth several times about Phil’s lack of impulsion. I was even told that Phil was stubborn because he didn’t have impulsion. I want to take the time to discuss this since it is so easy to label a horse as uncooperative or stubborn. If you can’t get impulsion from your horse it is because your horse is emotionally out of control because he does not respect you. Remember, when I first met Phil I felt he was unstable. This is one of the most frustrating problems humans have with their horses. Plain and simple; Impulsion comes from respect. Respect is something you get on the ground or you don’t. You achieve impulsion by balancing your horse’s mental and physical needs. Many people will stick a band aid on a sucking chest wound and use crops, whips, or spurs to bully their horses. (NOTE: I use training spurs on some of my young prospects so I can communicate a “promise” clearly. One tap from the spur equals 100 exhausting leg kicks which only teach your horse to ignore you. I have developed a very independent leg and seat so the spur will only make contact if the ask and tell have been completely ignored). This will create dangerous habits such as rearing, bolting, ducking, bucking, as your horse will start to out think you to get away from the pressure and find a way to rid you off his back. The first time he tosses you or scares you enough to dismount you have just given him the release he was searching for and he will find his release quicker and quicker each time. Our horses are recreation for us, can we be recreation for them? As I mentioned in an earlier entry I am bored riding in circles in the arena. I try to entertain myself by trying out new things such as instead of riding along the rail going forward, I back my horse around the ring or I look at my surroundings and ask “Can I ride through, under, over, or around it”? Use your imagination.

Day 29
May 3, 2008

We were at a local schooling show today and hauled Phil along. He did not hesitate to load in the trailer even though it was dark.

Phil was shown exhibition in HUS, English Equitation,Western Equitation, Barrels, and Poles. He placed 2rd in hunter in hand and 4th in halter geldings. If we keep up this pace Phil may be eligible for a Year End Reserve In Hand.

Day 30
May 4, 2008

Morning feeding: Even though Phil stood out of my way to pour feed, his posture was very upright and braced. He came within my 16ft feeding space. I asked him with two fingers of pressure to get out of my space; he ignored me. I told him with a stern “BACK” and a wave; he half-heartedly made an effort to back. I immediately promised by up-righting my posture, squealing, and kicking dirt at him. He moved off and knew the drill. He would try to circle in at every opportunity, but I kept the pressure on him until I saw a submissive body posture. I circled the pen and he kept “two eyes” on me (a sign of respect). I asked for a back and turn on haunches with just a suggestion from my finger. I moved him in and out of his feeding dish just to reinforce I am Alpha. You must be on your game at all times. Phil must have sensed I wasn’t completely focused on him and he let me know it….Lesson on me this morning.

After breakfast Paige, my 10 yr. old daughter, and I tacked up for a morning ride. Phil was a little snotty about bridling this morning. I insisted on head down and would not remove the bridle from his face until he lowered his head. A mistake many people make when a horse is acting rude about bridling is they take away the bridle to reposition themselves each time the horse moves his head. This rewards the horse and teaches him that as long as head his is moving he is going to get a release. I held the bit in position and held the crownpiece with some mane so the bridle would not slip. It didn’t take Phil long at all to comply and he was rewarded with gentle bridling.

I did a little ground work and Phil said he was “ok.” I warmed up in the arena with asking for softness through flexion. Paige and I had set up barrels. I love using the barrels to teach bending. The barrel acts as a visual for me to gage how Phil is bending. It also gives Phil an incentive not to drop a shoulder into the barrel. The barrels are also a fun way to teach softness, bending, and circling. Paige and I like to play follow the leader and race against each other by weaving around the barrels at a trot. I asked Phil for a left lead canter departure from a trot. He gave me the right lead. This is ok. I just circled tighter and tighter on the incorrect lead to see if he would be willing to change. Phil said “no thank you”. I asked for another canter departure while circling to the left and he let out several sissy bucks. Phil was telling me he emotionally isn’t ready to learn lead changes. Since I started the left lead request I wanted to him to at least give it a try. He finally did give me a left lead and after 3 strides I dropped the reins for a reward and dismounted.

I will sometimes spend up to 30 days just walking and trotting. I will not move on to the canter or correct lead departures until I have complete control over the feet at a walk/trot. I have found that if a solid foundation is made at the walk and trot gaits, the canter seems to just fall in place. I also spend a lot of time working on leads in the round pen un-mounted teaching the “kiss” pre-cue. This means less work for me in the saddle.

First trail ride. Paige and I headed out for a short trail ride. The dogs were with us. Phil was ok with the dogs running up on us and jumping in and out of the woods. When we returned we spent a few more minutes in the arena. I asked Phil to step over the 18” jumps set up. He was hesitant about stepping over the oxer. I dropped the reins and gave him his head. I only kept a supporting leg on him and took my leg off immediately every time he thought about stepping over. I do want to mention with the young horses if you keep constant pressure on them either physical or mental they will find their own release by rearing and this can easily lead to habit. As soon as Phil stepped over the oxer I jumped off him and loosened the cinch. This was a good time to stop.

Day 31
May 5, 2008

Tacked Phil up only today I used a haltermore. A haltermore is a rope halter made into a bridle only there is no bit. It does not use poll pressure like the bitless bridles that can create dangerous habits such as rearing in uneducated hands. The noseband is wrapped so it doesn’t have the “bite” of the rope halter. I had this custom made with a 22 foot mecate. I use this to start the colts, so there isn’t any worry about a bit in the mouth. I also like the mecate available so I can dismount and do ground work if I need to work through a situation from the ground. Phil has a hard mouth, so I hope to soften him by creating a trust that I’m going to stay out of his mouth. I can easily see OTTBs developing hard mouths since the horse balances himself on his jockey’s hands. A horse with a soft mouth is very important to me. He has done fairly well with my soft hands, but I wanted to see if I could get more relaxation, a lowered head, and rounded back without the worry of the bit. Since Phil has had 30 days of ground work he is familiar with pressure/release, so the haltermore will not be that difficult for him to figure out. Many clients always ask “Aren’t you worried your horse is going to run away from you without a bit?” The answer is no. If I have done my homework correctly my horse has enough respect for me that running away is not an option. I have also built in “spook in place” and I have the ability to disengage the hindquarters at any time. Any horse can be ridden without a bit or bridle if you have put in the time on the ground properly. I did some ground work and worked Phil through his transitions in the round pen. When I felt he was focused I mounted and started with flexion.
More colt behavior. I am asking Phil to flex further and further. I am now asking him to flex to my toe. He still is only flexing at the neck and hasn’t given me his shoulder yet. This will come as he becomes conditioned. Phil took this as an invitation to grab my toe with his lips. I returned with a quick jab of my toe to his mouth. I did not hurt him, I just made him uncomfortable. Many people think this game is cute until their horse takes the game a little too far and bites their foot. It is best to discourage this behavior on the first attempt. Make sure you do hit your target or it does become a game to your horse if you miss his nose. He will be quicker and smarter than you next time. It only took one discouraging jab on each side and Phil got back to business.

I navigated Phil in figure eights again. This time the turns had to be tighter since we were in the round pen. I also had loose horses around the pen which is a good test to see if Phil was going to focus on me or the other horses. Phil stayed focused on me which shows I have made great progress developing myself as Phil’s Alpha. No impulsion issues, no focus issues…..time to stop. I dismounted, loosened the cinch and let Phil relax in the shade as he was ground tied.

Day 32
May 6, 2008

Hobbles. Most of the traveling clinicians will not discuss hobbling because it brings about strong emotions from those that do not understand the value or concept of hobbling. Hobbling in inexperienced hands can be a disaster for horse and handler, but in the proper hands it is invaluable training. If you have done your homework with ground work for respect and desensitizing your horse’s legs, hobbling will not concern your horse one bit. Hobbling teaches patience and builds the ultimate trust between horse and handler. Think about it for a minute. If you take away your horse’s ability to flee your horse must have 100% respect and trust in you. Hobbling comes in handy if you need to leave your horse. The following is a true story which happened at the barn where I used to board: Two ladies were enjoying the trails during hunting season one winter afternoon. A gunshot spooked one horse and threw his rider. The rider broke her hip and her friend had to go back to the barn immediately to call for help. The spooked horse had to be tied up by his reins. The horse tied by his reins wrapped himself around the tree and pulled back. The reins snapped and he took off. This caused the hurt owner to absolutely panic. She now was in complete emotional and physical distress because she was so worried about her loose horse. The horse was caught hours later running down the highway. If the spooked horse would have been trained to hobble, the second rider could have easily unbuckled one rein and hobbled the horse. The rider who broke her hip was told by the surgeon that she would not ride again. Three months later she was riding and is still riding to this day.

I hobbled Phil in the grass arena. It took him a few minutes to get the hang of the hobbles. He was content to inch along eating grass. I put some pressure on him so he could really give the hobbles a try. This is where the experience comes in. I only put enough pressure on him to make him hop. Too much pressure and you can have a horse with hobble burns or worse a broken leg. Hobbling is taught over many sessions. A good time is when your horse is cooling off.

As you can see I spent 27 days on the ground with Phil before I attempted to ride. I did not have a prescribed amount of days of ground work. I schooled on the ground until I felt I had Phil’s respect and that his balking was under control. I will continue my journal entries on a weekly basis. The ground work will continue along with schooling under saddle. Phil will be educated in the Western, English, and Halter disciplines. He obviously will have talents suited for one discipline over another, however the education of the all around horse is valuable. The one piece of advice I want to give about training is don’t develop tunnel vision. There is a lot to learn from the other disciplines. Go out and run barrels with your OTTB, chase some cows, try saddle seat, or a side saddle, or a trail obstacle course. You’ll be amazed at how much better he’ll clock around the course or improve his dressage scores. You’ll also become a better rider.

Days 33-39

The ground work is reinforced every day whether it is actual moving Phil’s feet in the round pen or by simply leading him from pasture to barn. I try to be creative and my have him serpentine or walk backwards while going from barn to pasture.

In the arena I have been focusing on softening and lateral flexion at walk and trot. Phil and I have been bending around the barrels, trees and every single corner in the arena. Tuesday Phil did have a mini meltdown and wanted to drift to the gate. I held him steady and just kept riding. When Phil became ugly I shouted a firm” NO” and kept the outside leg pressure on until he figured out his own release. As long as I had control of his nose and feet he could not rear, buck, or bolt. He did briefly think about rearing and I kept him to task. Contrary to popular belief if your horse is giving you a warning (they always do) instead of stopping their motion, push them into the motion by switching directions every two-three steps, ask for a roll back, drive them into a tight circle, etc . Remember stopping their feet is a reward. By stopping them you are allowing them to collect and thus have more power to buck, rear, bolt, etc. Instead, get control of their nose using the built in foundation of lateral flexion, keep the head up, and disengage the hindquarters. A horse cannot buck if his hindend is disengaged. A horse cannot rear if his feet are in motion. A horse cannot bolt if you control his nose. These are just basic theories of physics. I let Phil work through his mini tantrum while continuing to bend around the barrels until he softened in my hands. I released the reins and let him rest. After the meltdown, Phil was a soft, relaxed horse and I even had to check him with halt halts every once in a while. His work ethic was renewed.

Days 40-47

Phil was muscle sore in his shoulder area on Monday. He has been in a larger pasture and playing a bit wreckless. I thought it would be fun to teach Phil some tricks such as bowing and shaking. In this lesson, ground manners (my space/your space, no eating grass, lateral flexion 2 oz. of pressure) and head down cue were reinforced. Chiropractic stretching was accomplished along with teaching to bow. It was a win-win situation. It was fun for both of us.

Phil recovered from his muscle soreness by Tuesday. The remainder of the week I worked him on the ground in the round pen until he was soft and responsive before riding. This week we were working on the left lead. Phil will pick up the right lead every time from a walk or trot. I choose to teach the canter in the 60ft round pen because I don’t have to worry about keeping Phil in a circle. I can concentrate on rewarding him for picking the correct lead and not worry about Phil scooting off in another direction to avoid my leg. It also gives Phil a visual/ physical guide to circling and bending. Phil knows the pre cue to a canter as a “kiss”, so I only have to use a little leg for support.

I am starting to see a completely different horse. Phil is now trying to please me. We are starting to communicate.

This past weekend Phil participated in another show. He brought home ribbons in Halter, Showmanship, Equitation and even tried out pole bending and cloverleaf barrels. He was a gentleman the entire day.

Days 48-54
Week of May 25th

I have a funny story to tell about Phil this week. I am back teaching this summer semester, so Dan is feeding again in the mornings I teach. Dan told me that he poured Phil’s feed and headed to the gate without giving Phil the ritual head rub. Dan said Phil kept dancing around in front of him as he headed to the gate. He thought Phil was acting really strange until it dawned on him Phil was looking for his head rub. Dan rubbed Phil’s head and Phil trotted off to his feed. Like many OTTBs our horses thrive on a constant routine. We must always hold up our end of the bargain.

Emergency dismount. This week I worked on the emergency dismount. If you ride, you are going to have a fall. It happens to everyone, eventually. A fall doesn’t have to be scary or dangerous if you have taught yourself and your horse what to do in such a situation. You may be jolted out of your seat by a few rough strides, your horse may trip, you may have a sudden sliding stop due to a terrifying, horse-eating monster (possibly a rabbit or a bird, or a flapping plastic bag). The last thing I want to do is scare Phil, have Phil trample me, or have to go catch him after a jolting fall. So, I am going to give myself a plan and desensitize Phil to me jumping off his back. Ultimately, I am going to teach him to stop if I ever fall off.

Safety First. There are several safety measures you can take, to minimize the effect of any fall. You always must wear a helmet; you don’t know when you are going to fall, and you don’t have enough time to zip over to the tack room and grab your helmet on the way down. You may feel dorky wearing a helmet, but think how much more dorky it would feel to wear a wheelchair. I will tell you I was once bucked off so hard by a youngster that my helmet cracked when I hit the soft grass. Food for thought.

This lesson was to benefit the both of us. I wanted to teach Phil that if I ever fell off he is to stop. It was also important to desensitize Phil to me coming out of the saddle. Starting with ground work I asked Phil if he was ready and his ear on me and quick responses to my requests told me he was ready to get to work. Using the haltermore (I didn’t want to risk pulling at his mouth) and riding bareback I practiced a dismount off the right and left sides at a stand still. Phil doesn’t seem bothered by this. I dismounted at a walk and then a trot. Phil was somewhat bothered by me swinging off at the trot on the right side. This may be because I was uncoordinated dismounting off the right side. I need more practice; Phil was fine. Each time I dismounted I said “Whoa.” I used the mecate that was tucked in my belt loop to back him once I was on the ground if he didn’t come to a complete halt. Once he halted he immediately got a release.

Leading without a halter or lead rope. Phil is now leading to and from his pasture and the barn without a halter or lead rope. I am looping the lead around his neck, but will eventually not even use the lead. Phil will eagerly follow me without me holding on to the lead. The lead is just a prop. Watch a herd follow the Alpha mare and you will see them follow her without asking any questions.

More ground work. I introduced Phil to a new ground work exercise. I put the lead rope around his hips. I pulled the rope until it disengaged his hindquarters and Phil moved around 180 degrees facing me. He was very worried about the rope behind him. I observed this “hole” and went back a few lessons to desensitize him to the rope behind his hocks and hips. This is a good example of how I started with a planned lesson on disengaging the hindquarters and ended up going back a few lessons to basic desensitizing based on Phil’s behavior. This is what I call student directed learning. Phil told me he was not ready to move on and needed a refresher on rope desensitizing. I reviewed our previous lessons of tossing the rope over his back, shoulder, and head. I ended the lesson when Phil stood relaxed with a cocked hind foot. It was a good confidence builder for him.

Riding lesson. My 10 year old daughter, Paige, rode Phil in a lesson this week (see pictures) She walked, trotted, cantered, and jumped some 18” crossrails during her lesson. Phil took both his leads correctly for Paige. I was impressed.

May 31, 2008
Day 55
Another horse show!
Southern Hospitality Mini-Circuit. Phil loaded on the trailer like a professional. He was well behaved at the show. Phil brought home more ribbons in Hunter In Hand, Equitation, and Open English Pleasure. Phil and I even tried a pattern class! In the Equitation class I had to drop my irons. The irons were tapping Phil on his sides and he did not let those irons bother him one bit.

Week of June 1st-7th
Days 56-62

Hauled to Hitchcock Woods for a group trail ride. Phil loaded and unloaded on to an unfamiliar trailer without any fuss. We had a very relaxed (on the buckle) and enjoyable trail ride. Phil crossed water and wooden bridges. He was a little excited with the new surroundings and new horses, but I did a little bit of ground work before mounting and when he focused on me I mounted. I asked for lateral flexion until Phil was super soft and then headed out for the trails.

One Rein Stop. Last week Phil and I worked on the emergency dismount. This week I want to talk about the controversial one rein stop. There are two philosophies about the one rein stop. The first one is if you teach your horse to immediately stop and soften every time you pick up one rein, you have a better chance of gaining control if your horse suddenly spooks or takes off. This would be his “warm, soft, cozy place of comfort.” The other philosophy is that the one rein stop can be dangerous. By unbalancing your horse while he is moving could result in your horse running into an obstacle such as a tree or fence at a high speed or worse flipping over on you. Both of these situations have happened to me. I have built the one rein stop into Phil from day one by teaching flexing and softening every time I pick up the lead or reins. I have not necessarily used this technique to stop Phil, so this week I will put our work to the test. Phil was responsive to the one rein stop at a walk, but was unbalanced at the trot and had a hard time disengaging his hindend. Phil is not built like my QHs, so I have to work more on tight circles which would improve his balance. I am also going to start working on modified roll backs to improve his balance and build up muscle in his hindquarters. I do not expect him to dig in and roll over his hocks, but I do want him to lift his front feet over and across. He already does this when I ground drive him in the pen. I rode in the round pen for this exercise. Phil smacked his head a lot on the panels, but finally figured out how to clumsily roll over his hocks and get his nose out of the way. I used my weight as a pre cue to signal I was going to ask for a chance of direction. I also used a gracious direct rein that Phil could visualize to guide him. When doing this exercise you have to have your horse really moving his feet and be prepared for a feeling of a mini rear as your horse rolls over and back. Stay relaxed, stay out of your horse’s mouth, and only use your legs as a directional guide, or your horse will rear to release the pressure. Although, I am not crazy about this as an emergency brake, I do like the exercise because it incorporates a lot of little lessons into one and improves the rider’s balance and timing. It also works on lateral flexion. Remember lateral flexion is the key to vertical flexion, not martingales, tie downs, or harsh bits (in my opinion).

I do want to mention that I took a video of my daughter riding Phil in her lesson. Phil did not travel with his nose in the air and a hollow back like he did when he first started with me. The video shows Phil traveling in a more relaxed way and even working on the bit for a few strides. My daughter did not ask Phil to school on the bit, he did this on his own. I wish I had video of Phil when he first arrived and traveled with his nose to the sky. The difference is remarkable and he has only had 30 days under saddle with me. I really want to stress that I DID NOT use any restraining devices (martingales, side reins, tie downs, flex/neck stretch reins, harsh bits). Our horses can learn to relax, round, track up, and work on the bit without those band aids. Lateral flexion is the secret, plain and simple.

Phil is enjoying farm life. It is only the first week of June and here in South Carolina we have already hit 98 degrees. The kids and I wear our bathing suits for afternoon chores. My daughter’s job is to fill up all the water tanks. She particularly likes to spray the horses with the hose and horses really appreciate the cool shower. I was really surprised to see Paige spraying Phil as he presented his front, sides, and rear for a nice hose down. Phil promptly rolled and stood up caked with mud; at least he’ll have clean pores. It was so nice to see him really enjoy himself. He is slowly emerging from his shell and a fun-loving horse is coming forth.

Week of June 8th-June 14th
Days 63-69

At the show last weekend I witnessed a horse rubbing his head on his handler. I over heard the handler comment that her horse was “loving” on her. This is an all too common scenario. When I first met Phil I saw him rub his head on his owner; this was a very calculated move to dominate his owner. I would like to discuss this rude, dominating, obnoxious behavior. A horse rubbing his head on you is telling you he’s in control. He is not only in your space, but he views you as he would a fence post or tree, not a leader. Think about it. You will absolutely never see the subordinate herd members rub their heads on the Alpha mare. You may occasionally see a subordinate rubbing his head on a lower ranking member. Clearly, this behavior is not to be tolerated. Phil has never attempted to rub his head on me, but I work every day to remain the Alpha. Another common occurrence I see is a horse bumping his handler with his shoulder when he is led or moving a hip towards his handler during grooming. I have yet to see any handler correct their horse for this threatening behavior. If a horse can feel a fly land on them, they sure know they have bumped into you. It is these little infractions that build up over time into big problems. Many times people say “I don’t know what happened, he just one day charged and reared at me when I brought him his food”. No, what happened is all the infractions went unnoticed and uncorrected until the horse felt he was now in control. This is how horses get labeled as “bad” or “dangerous” horses and end up passing from owner to owner or worse get sent to auction. In reality, the behavior was never the horse’s fault; it was the uneducated owner or handler that is to blame. This is why I am so passionate about passing on the knowledge.

A good example is Phil. He had aggressive behavior that stemmed from his lack of confidence, like the bully at school. He was mislabeled because he was misunderstood.

A minor set back. Phil appears to have a sole bruise on his left hoof. He shows all the classic signs. I have started to pack his hoof twice a day. Through my many years of observations many owners stop working with their horse when he is recuperating or worse let their horse get away with more “pet behaviors” than ever because they feel sorry for their horse. I am emphatic and sympathetic to Phil’s soreness; I don’t believe our learning has to stop. In fact, I tacked up Phil today, led him to the round pen, and mounted, even with his wrapped hoof. I am not heavy enough to cause any discomfort to Phil. I asked for lateral flexion. This exercise we can work on standing in the shade. Phil ignored my requests and even closed his eyes in a lazy way. I asked him to disengage his hindquarters; this caused him some hoof discomfort and he woke up. I spent 30 minutes flexing. Phil only half heartedly flexed, but I was tenacious and kept up my requests. The bar has been raised, so I expect Phil to give me his face, neck and shoulder at this point. Phil finally worked through his mental block and as soon as he was soft as melted butter in my hands, I jumped down and loosened the girth.

I walk Phil to and from the barn twice daily without a halter. Phil goes into a stall during the heat of the day. Phil and I feel comfortable enough with each other that I can climb up on his back while he is in his stall.

The farrier was out on Saturday. It was apparent that Phil has typical TB dropped soles. This is just a generic description of a soft sole that grows faster than the hoof wall. I opted to go ahead and put some light front shoes on Phil since I have been hauling him where the terrain isn’t always sand. Phil jogged out sound after shoeing.

Days 70-76
June 15th-21st

Phil is back in training. To regain some lost conditioning from the past 2 weeks I have gone back to the round pen. Remember the round pen is not used to chase your horse around in circles to exercise him. I think up creative ways to move Phil’s feet right, left, back, forward, sideways. Phil was really tuned in to me and moved with just a suggestion from my finger. Now, that is communication. He did get a bit silly and wanted to canter when I was only asking for a trot, but he wasn’t doing anything disrespectful, so I stood submissive in the center of the pen and let him play. He only cantered 3 laps and circled right in to me; Phil was telling me he was ready to focus. I walked around the pen and he happily hooked on/joined up. I set up a raised cavalletti for him to trot over. I also introduced Phil to a beach ball using approach and retreat method. The ball was left in our yard by the kids and I thought it would be neat to introduce the ball to Phil. When Phil nosed the ball and it rolled I thought that I may try clicker training to teach more tricks (read introducing new objects). Phil wasn’t really concerned with the ball, so I was able to toss it over his back and head, roll it under his belly, and roll it off his hindend. He was ground tied, so he did have the option to say “No thank you”. I am always looking at my surroundings and thinking “How can I incorporate this into a lesson?” Be creative!

Introducing a new object. When introducing a new object to your horse whether it is a ball, a garbage can, trash bag, a jump, or tarp you must ditch the human thinking and think like he does. Horses are prey animals, their predators ambush and attack from behind, so any new object should be displayed in front of him at a comfortable distance. If he is concerned about the object let him look at it and think the situation over. He may be surveying for the quickest escape route, so keep his attention with rhythmic tugs on the rope halter when he tips his nose away from you and be sure to immediately release for any effort to acknowledge you. If he feels like he needs to move his feet, give him a task such as backing. If he is snorting then he is really concerned or excited and he may need to burn off some freshness before you ask him to focus. If the object poses no threat to him, his curiosity will take over and he’ll inch closer to investigate. Remember, he will serpentine to the object, you should do the same. Many times I have seen handlers either lead their horse directly to the object or bring the object to their horse; this is human thinking. Let your horse make his own decisions. You are there as his cheerleader. If your horse will not make any attempt to investigate you can pull the object away from him and let him follow (for example if you are riding and your friend is pulling the object away from your horse) or you can go up to the object as if you were a horse and bend down to smell the object. I always say “Monkey see, monkey do”. I sometimes have to teach the newly weaned foals how to eat pellets out of a dish. I bend down and pretend I’m investigating and eating the pellets. It doesn’t take long before the foal’s nose is in the dish checking out what I am doing. This technique works well if you aren’t worried about what you look like to the public.

Tail swatting and flatulence. Yes, you read correctly. I don’t know about you, but I cannot stand to be swatted in the face by a horse’s tail when I am bent over picking out back feet or grooming a hindquarter. In my opinion, this is a very disrespectful behavior. Over the years I have witnessed handlers take the abuse from their horses in the form of pseudo fly kicking, violet tail whipping, leaning on the handler when picking feet or grooming. I’m sure everybody can relate to the feeling of a violet tail lashing across their sweaty face at one time or another.

When Phil first arrived he showed me all of his rude tricks. One of the best tricks was Phil’s accuracy to swat me in the face at the precise moment I was bending down to pick up a hoof. I also endured Phil’s flatulence when I was bent over in a vulnerable position. I could easily see a pile of poop dropped on my head like a B12 bomber releasing a bomb on the intended target as Phil’s encore. In a herd, it is not uncommon for a higher ranking member to poop on or in close proximity to a lower ranking member to show dominance. This is especially true with stallions when they mark their territory with stud piles. Each time Phil attempted to swat me I grabbed his tail and said “NO!” Sometimes I would hold his tail and lift a hind leg and say “NO!” (you have a 3 second window). By lifting his leg I was mentally taking away his ability to flee. Obviously, I couldn’t physically hold him. I released when he gave a submissive posture like flopping his ears to the side, softening his eye, lowering his head, blinking, or licking his lips. Here is my secret to this exercise. First, I did ground work for respect, second, I sprayed Phil with plenty of fly spray, and third, I never altered the game plan. My goal was to set him up for success, so no excuses to swat at flies. I reinforce this exercise every time I am working near or around his hindquarters. Today, Phil politely keeps his tail still until I move out of swatting range. I no longer am threatened by flatulence or B12 bombings. You may be laughing and that is OK. This was a behavior I chose to rehabilitate.

Days 77-83
June 22-28

Training Tid Bit. I work a lot with lateral flexion. Since I do not school everyday under saddle I incorporate flexion into my daily routine. I have made it a habit to ask for lateral flexion every time I halter. If Phil is stiff, I grab hold of mane near his withers to keep tension until he gives. I set a fairly easy goal of flexing 5 times on each side. If I feel Phil is particularly stiff on one side I will flex until he is soft.

Everytime you are within eyesight of your horse you are either training or undoing the training.

Our family was on vacation this week, so no training entries.

Days 84-90
June 29-July 5

90 Day Progress report
• Extremely well behaved in all aspects of daily interaction from de worming to under saddle
• Balking has disappeared
• No problem with impulsion
• Rearing was not an issue and no signs of rearing present
• Ear sensitivity has disappeared
• Head shyness has disappeared
•