You've read plenty of articles on how to solve different problems, and perhaps you've worked through various training exercises. But what's missing in your mind is the framework - the overall plan - so that you know how to fit all that training together. Well, here it is.
John uses this same system with every horse. It will give you control if you have a horse who's difficult to lead or who gets too frisky on the trail. But doing a thorough job with this lesson will also give you more sophisticated control, whether you're headed to the show pen or the back country. And when you run into a training problem, you'll have a back-to-basics plan to rely on.
The Plan
• We work with just one part of the horse at a time, such as the horse's hip or nose.
• We teach the horse a rein language that says when there's pressure on the rein, we want the horse to move one part of his body. When he moves it in the direction we want, we release the rein.
• The bridle is the main means of communicating with the horse. Even though you might ordinarily use body language, voice cues or weight changes, when you really need control, you'll use the bridle. So that's what we want to get our horse more responsive to.
This lesson will be fun, because you'll find that by the time you're ready to do a step, the horse will already be doing it correctly about 50% of the time. Imagine how much fun spelling would have been if you already knew half of the words.
We're going to teach this lesson on the ground first, because it's easiest for the trainer (you) to learn it that way. After you've seen how the horse responds and where his legs move with each cue, you'll be able to translate that to a feel from the saddle.
First, the Tail
Start out by putting a snaffle bit on your horse. Be sure that your reins are at least a medium length. Short, roping reins won't work easily. If you don't have long reins, attach a lead rope to the bit ring.
Stand facing the horse's shoulder, with your left hand on the left rein just a few inches from the bit. Hold a stiff whip (about 36 inches long) in your right hand.
Raise the whip until you can rest it on your horse's left hip. Look at the hip and begin tapping it lightly. Keep tapping until he begins to walk forward, then immediately stop tapping and let your right arm relax.
If the horse doesn't move forward after about six taps, then tap harder. Keep tapping until he moves a step forward. When he does, go along with him without pulling on the rein unless he tries to pull away from you.
When the horse is walking along well (usually about five or six strides), allow him to walk slightly past you, then look at his tail and pull the left rein toward his left hip. The moment he takes a big step to the right - that is, his tail is moving away from you - release the rein. It will take a few times for you to feel the timing. The sooner you release when the horse is actually making a big step over, the quicker the horse will learn the lesson.
At first, the horse may pull against your rein, or he may throw his head. Ignore that and concentrate on the tail. As soon as the horse figures out that you're talking to his tail, he'll relax his head.
When the tail moves away from you, the horse will probably stop. That's fine. Pet him. Begin the exercise again.
After you've done this five times, then switch sides. You'll have to teach the "go forward" cue from the right side, since the horse won't automatically know it. Take your time and do one thing at a time.
Position yourself and look at the horse's right hip. Tap the hip with the whip in your left hand. After a few steps, look at his tail. Pull the right rein back toward his tail. The moment the tail moves away from you, release the rein. The horse will have turned almost 90 degrees to face you. Do the exercise five times from this side.
