Solving Problems through Foundation Training

The answer is no. The behaviors are not at all breed-related. They occur in every breed and are commonly seen in horses that have been started without the proper foundation.  In practical terms this means the horses that have been rushed from kindergarten to high school, without all the critical schooling in between.

Without having established strong basic ground manners, and especially respect, prior to riding, aggressive behaviors will only get worse and eventually lead to similar problems in the saddle. Every horse needs to have very good ground manners and real respect for its handler/rider, before you ride.  If this has not happened, it’s time to go back to basics.

 What I mean by “Back to Basics” is this:

1)      All horses should be able to move off pressure without getting excited. They need to be taught this on the ground before they are taught to move off pressure in the saddle.

2)      All horses should be “de-spooked” (reduce their fear level) and taught not to have fear when ropes or tarps are around their feet, legs and head. They need to be comfortable with this before you get in the saddle.

3)      All horse need to be taught to soften to rein pressure without throwing their head in the air no matter what device has been used on them previously.

4)      All horses need to be able to turn on the forehand and the hindquarters.

5)      All horses need to be taught how to go over obstacles and be comfortable with it.

All of this and more is taught in basic foundation training. If you and your horse cannot do these five basic things then you should be working on these before you do any other work. It is imperative for your safety and theirs, that they have the foundation before trail riding, arena work and before pursuing any riding discipline.

Now to address the cinchiness problem. If a horse is cinchy and uneasy with pressure on its sides, why just cinch up and get on? What happens when you use a leg aid? You can’t expect a quiet soft response if the horse resents pressure in that area.  For cinchiness start with a rope around the barrel where the cinch would be placed. You need a rope with a ring on one end to allow the rope to be tightened and loosened easily. To be more specific about correcting behavior problems you are looking for a change in attitude as well as a quiet response without signs of aggression; no tail switching, ears back, feet stomping etc.

Doing this in the crossties is okay if you are not comfortable on a line in the arena.  With the rope around the barrel, take up the slack, make contact and release when you see a change and he relaxes – even for an instant. You are looking for relaxed eyes, ears forward and eventually not caring as you tighten and release. No head throwing, or pinned ears, hold the pressure lightly until you see any positive change and then immediately release. This may take minutes or many days but if you are consistent and your timing is correct with your pressure and release, your cinchiness problems will be over. You may have to give up riding time for this but when you do ride, your quiet responsive horse will be well worth all of the time you have spent working on the foundation basics listed above.

If you have any questions, please visit me online at www.charleswilhelm.com.

God Bless,

Charles Wilhelm

 It’s Never Ever the Horse’s Fault