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Discipline needs to your first concern. You must be able to determine when discipline becomes abuse. Young horses have short attention spans. Your corrections must be done immediately of bad behavior. To do so later would defeat the purpose as the horse wont understand as be interpreted as abuse. Be patient and take it one step at a time for your safety and the horse's. Always direct yourself with authority and a clear loud vice. Work begins the moment you catch the horse in it's stall or paddock. After lunging, this is the next step. Tie the horse with about 6 inches of play between the halter and post. Get an empty feed bag or an old heavy shirt. Stand near the horse so that you can reach it with the object that you havein your hands. Do not stand so close that if the horse moves around you do not have time to move away. Proceed to sack by gently swinging the bag back and forth touching him in different parts of its body. The horse may make all kinds of noises and rear around. Every time the horse has stopped its reaction, stroke him with the bag. Do this from both sides and again to every part along its side and legs. ON his head, only gently put it over the face and ears. Slowly remove it from the head. After all of this has been accepted, do the same all over but this time do it gently with your bare hands. Still maintain a position so that you can move away easily. Then untie the horse and take him back to the stall. (recap from page1) |
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Do the above only at this time you will use a set of hobbles to introduce the saddle.
Once tied to the post apply the hobbles. Make sure the horse is standing square so that the ropes of the hobbles will do their job. Once secured, untie the rope and ask the horse to move. Some may fight and fall over. Do not get alarmed, the horse will actually stop when he realizes he is only fighting himself. do not try to interfere as then the horse will be fighting with you instead of himself.
Once the horse is standing up, walk him towards the pole and tie him back. Then slowly start using the saddle pad you plan to use on a regular basis. Let him smell it, and after sacking with it, place it on his back. Now it is time to introduce the saddle
Let him smell the saddle then move back to his side to slowly place the saddle on his back. Do not throw or swing the stirrup and girth over his back. Slowly and lightly place it on his back.
When tightening the girth, do it gently and slowly. some horses are more sensitive than others when this is done. When the saddle is secured, turn the horse loose from the post and make him move so that he feels the saddle. Once settled, tie again.
If you do not have someone else to help, make sure the horse has no room to move. If you have help, have them wrap the rope around the post one full circle and then some. Make sure your helper is always facing the horse with the post in between them. The time to mount has come.
Slowly approach the horse from the front to his side. Move the saddle around before placing your foot in the stirrup. Every move must ve slow and cautious. Place your foot in the stirrup and stand without swinging your leg over once so the horse can see you above him and feel the weight before it is on his back. Now mount completly. The first few times make sure they feel your leg rub their side and rump until settled in the saddle.
After both feet are in the stirrups move around some. Touch the hourse on the neck, rump, and alog his sides. Next stand to dismount on the other side following the same format as mounting. Remount on the other side. Do this several times.
When you are accepted on his back take the hobbles off. Try to lunge him at a WALK in both directions. If the horse tries to take off bucking make sure you are prepared to pull the horse to the post and lunge him aroud a couple of times with nothing on him.
To finish the first day, ties the horse back to the pole and mount and dismount both ways once more without the hobbles. This will let him know that you didn't try to hurt him. Now unsaddle at the post and lunge him a couple times bare.
During each step, it is a good idea to reward the horse with a pat and a voice of reassurance. The purpose of all these steps are to ensure that the horse understands what the saddle is and to accept you on his back without bucking.
You can start by tying the horse to the post and slowy start saddling. Very rearely, you will have to use the hobbles twice.
Start lunging the horse for about 10 minutes. Remember that their attention span is short. The idea is to build up there attention, at the same time that they learn with discipline. Return the horse to the pole, tie the horse, and mount and dismount several times from the right and from the left. As you do so, make sure the horse feels your leg on his side and rump so that later on if you accidentally kick your horse in the hindquarters as you mount or dismount, he will not spook and bolt away form you. Again touch the horse on the neck, sides and rump with your hands. This reinforecs the idea that you can mount and sit on the horse and dismount without cause for the horse's concrn. MOve around in the saddle when on his back so he is used to your movements on his back standing still so this does not startle the horse when he feels you moving as he moves on.
The sign for the next step, riding, is when you are lunging the horse at any speed that you ask and the horse does not offer to buck or hunch its back in discomfort with the saddle when it moves.
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