Never Quit Learning
We learn from experiences both good and bad, and with horses we'll never quit learning. I used to believe that once you embarked on a sacking out or desensitizing routine you absolutely had to carry it through until the horse's fear dissipated. So did Wayne, apparently, if you recall his comment about slapping the stirrup
leather all night if necessary.
I still think it's best to carry such an action all the way through, but things happen. You might be called away because of an emergency. Usually, all is not lost. You can normally back up a step with the horse next time and work your way to the point at which you quit, then beyond. Yes, some time is lost, but more time spent means a better, safer horse in the long run.
Similarly, I believe that many quickie demonstrations by clinicians in front of audiences are destructive, not instructive. The clinician performs marvelous things on a stage-struck horse in a very short time, tells you not to do this at home, but shows that it's okay to skip steps. You don't see what happens Monday morning, whether the training had any permanence, whether learning actually took place. And thus you're tempted to try too much too soon.
I've also become more tolerant, less convinced that every tiny spook really has to be trained out of a horse. Some horses, like some people, are jumpier than others. My old gelding Rockytop (who's on the cover of my book, The Complete Trail Horse) always hated hook-and-loop fasteners. I had both jackets and vests with such closures, and I could count on a sharp but harmless little start from him every single time I ripped one of these open. It became a family joke, because Rockytop had done virtually everything a horse could be expected to do. He'd packed in camps, herded cows, won stand-offs with charging bulls, and tolerated the sound of gunfire during hunting season. But when the morning sun warmed and you opened your jacket, you could count on a little jump.
I suppose I could've sat on Rockytop in a round pen and ripped open hook-and-loop fasteners all day. Maybe he would've quit being affected by it, but maybe not, too. He hated the sound, and since his reaction was harmless, I allowed it.
But many reactions to stimuli carry danger with them, and these we must train out of the horse, whether he's a new colt or an old hand that dislikes a new experience. If possible, use the tool or the situation that scares your horse, but in a safe, controlled environment (such as a round pen or arena with good footing). If he's afraid of tree branches rubbing his rump, rub him with a tree branch. If that's impractical, a long lead rope or a lunge whip scraping his body might do the trick. Stay safe, bite off little chunks, and try to stick with each step until your horse relaxes. That's what Wayne would tell you if he were still around.
