This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 10/17/01 12:28:25 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< I have a question - what is the best way to teach a horse to square up? This weekend I went to a local horse show and most people were walking around their horses, picking up and placing feet. Is this the best way to start training? I've also tried backwards pressure on the halter to move a foot back, but often this ends up in the horse-on-a-beachball look. At the Libby evaluation, Gayle Ware, I notice you tapped the ground w/your toe a couple inches in front of the hoof you wanted moved forward. How do you begin to train this? Do you use a dressage whip to tap the back of the hoof simultaniously to start out? This method looks really professional. I would like to be able to eventually square up my horse by staying near the head and directing feet. I would be interested in any comments on this. Thanks! Karen Haines Hi Karen, As I pondered your question this AM, I discovered that there is quite a bit of detail that goes into explaining the process of teaching a horse to set up for halter! This is the method that works best for me. I'll try to be as brief as possible. As with any type of training, this takes lots of practice AT HOME - do your HOMEWORK before you get to the show! To start with, whenever you have your horse in a halter (by the way, have a chain over their nose. That's far more effective than trying to accomplish this with just a rope lead.) stop, face them, and work on teaching them to move their feet when asked. By doing this you are teaching them that whenever you face them, they will be required to move feet. The very FIRST thing the horse needs to learn is WHOA and not to move until asked. Set the back feet first. Very often the horse will tend to stand in a 'toed out' position. You can direct the placement of a hind foot by moving the head to one side or the other. In other words, when you need to move the right hind foot, pull the horse's head slightly to his left and push backward. That will cause the right hind foot to move to the right. Then, to set his left hind foot, push his head to his right and back him a step or two. Most likely, in the beginning, the horse will step too far. Be patient and keep on keepin' on. It is your job to figure out how much pressure is 'enough' and how much is too much, causing the horse to take too big of a step backward. The more you practice, the better the two of you will get. To set the front feet, I actually ask verbally as well as reinforcing that request with a physical cue. No, I don't carry a dressage whip to accomplish this. Ask by saying fffffoot and tap your toe. To set the horse's left front foot, stand on the left of his head. Again, you can 'steer' the placement of that foot by pulling or pushing slightly with the lead. Obviously, in the beginning, the horse won't have a clue as to what you want. After you have asked verbally and tapped your toe toward the foot you want to reposition, you will need to use that toe to tap the leg until the horse picks it up. At that point, gush all over and tell him what a good boy (or girl) they are. Let them know that lifting that foot is what you wanted. Then move to the off side and start that whole process again on that side. Again, if you practice setting them up everytime you turn to face them, they eventually get the idea that they need to move some feet around. When the feet are where you want them, take a step back and tell the horse WHOA. If they move, reprimand them by a snatch on the chain and a gruff WHOA and start all over setting the feet again. It takes patience and persistence on your part, but they will eventually 'get it'. I hope this helps. It is very early and I'm not sure I'm awake yet. Gayle Ware Field of Dreams Eugene, OR www.fjordhorse.com
