Timing is important for helping the horse get comfortable with handling. Our training objective is to get the horse to do something for a split second.
If the horse is not accepting of you petting his ears, for instance, then start by petting his forehead. When you feel he's okay with that, then zoom your hand lightly but firmly up over his head. He's likely to shoot his head up with a "What was that?" type of response. That's okay, because your hand will have been long gone by then.
A few times like that and he learns that he can live through his ears being stroked. If you use the opposite approach, creeping up to try to touch his ear, you'll be all day with him playing "keep away."
When we first ask the horse to stand, we'll accept him standing for a moment or two. We can teach the horse to stand for longer periods by not trying to make him stand for longer than he's comfortable.
For instance, if you think that your horse will stand quietly for four seconds, then ask him to move after three seconds. He'll realize that he's not trapped, that you're not going to make him stand forever.
After a few steps, offer him the chance to stop and stand again. This time, you may feel that he'll stand for five seconds. Rather than test it and have him make a mistake, ask him to move in four seconds. Pet him and tell him that he did a great job. Don't ask him to do something for so long that he makes a mistake.
The same principle applies to handling the horse's head or holding up his feet. Begin by petting the horse's head for just a stroke or two. Then withdraw your hand. Pet his face and let your hand run quickly over his forehead and up over his ears. Don't worry if he raises his head. Your hand will have already been gone by the time he raises his head. Work with the idea that you are going to get him comfortable with having his head handled.
Ask the horse to drop his head again. Pause a moment before you pet him if he's not really comfortable with having his head petted. That way, you reward his obedience by not fussing with his head. If you pet him as soon as he dropped his head, he might be reluctant to drop his head the next time you ask, knowing that you'll immediately pet him.
This is just a stage in the training. After a few minutes, he'll get comfortable with you petting his head.
When it comes time to pick up the horse's feet, don't hold the foot so long that the horse pulls it away. Initially, horses may only tolerate you lifting the heel off the ground momentarily. That's fine because if you put the foot down before the horse feels he has to pull it away, he'll begin to wait longer and longer periods for you to put it down, which means he's allowing you to pick it up more often and to hold it for longer periods.
Use the same strategy with handling any part of the horse's body. For instance, pet his tail, lifting it a half-inch and for just a split second the first time. Or to brush his belly, stroke down his shoulder and under his belly just one quick stroke, then return to petting his head. Whatever the objective, combine the familiarity of a pattern with good timing, releasing the horse from the unfamiliar sensation before he feels so uncomfortable that he has to wiggle around.
When the Horse Messes Up
Notice that we said "when," not "if." Training is a process, and we're looking for improvement. Your horse will seem to understand what you want, and then seem to not have a clue. That's normal, and he's not being ornery. It's just part of the learning cycle.
You can minimize the times the horse makes a mistake by setting him up to be successful, as we've described. You can also watch closely for improvements and reward the horse's good efforts.
Allow minor corrections to just seem to happen naturally. Let's say that your horse reaches around to give you an ugly look as you brush his belly. (Of course, be sure you're standing so he can't "cow-kick" you.) Unless he's threatening to bite, ignore the ugly look and continue with the lesson. If he swings his nose around, raise your elbow to hit his nose, as if it just happened naturally and you had nothing to do with it.
The idea is to discourage the behavior, not scold the horse for it. Don't let the horse change your focus from what you're trying to do (brush his belly).
Operate on the idea that if the horse has enough time to grump at you, he doesn't have enough to do. Ask more of him. Perhaps ask him to move forward a few steps and then reposition him. Ask him to drop his head. Do something that has him obeying your signals and getting a reward from you for his effort. Remember that you're trying to build a partnership.
If you're picking his feet and he pulls his foot away, forget about it. You misjudged when to put the foot down. Pick it up again, and put it down right away. Reteach the lesson until the horse is comfortable with you handling his feet.
Keep your grooming sessions short, perhaps grooming for a minute or two, then do some leading work, then groom again. Remember that for the moment, you are training. Actually getting the horse groomed is secondary.
It only takes a few training sessions to overcome the grooming grumpies, but it does take dedicated effort and positive training. Your horse doesn't want to be a grump, so help him learn to be a happy camper
