Dear Jim,
  I have a mare that breaks out of her halter by rearing up when she is tied. This 10 year old mare has exhibited this same behavior in a single tie , a cross tie and when she is ties to a trailer.  She has even flipped over backwards.  How can I stop the behavior?

Dear Reader,
  This problem is very common.  It is important that you have decided to deal with this problem because it is very dangerous for your horse.  As you well know it can also get expensive if you have to buy a new halter or a poll strap every time you want to tie your horse up.  The reason this problem is so common, I believe, is that often horses are not intentionally trained to be tied.  Then they get tied to some immovable object and many times we get lucky and the horse doesn’t struggle too much and he teaches himself that it is easier not to struggle.  Since, however horses are naturally claustrophobic, many of them will panic when there head is restrained and they pull back and hopefully break the halter and then they are free of the restraint. This is why I hate cross ties.  They really make a horse feel trapped.  One thing that I do is, I suspend a single tie from the ceiling so that the only time the horse will feel pressure is when he puts his head down.  This arrangement also makes it better to work around the horse.  No more ducking under the cross ties to change sides.
  Now we need to talk about how to teach the horse to give to pressure on the poll and not to pull back when tied. We need to show the horse that when he feels pressure on the poll he is NOT to struggle and he is to give to the pressure and move toward the pressure. There are several things that we can do in our daily handling of the horse that will help this problem. First, is every time we pick up on the lead rope and we put pressure on the poll, the instant that the horse moves forward release the pressure from the lead rope and always keep slack in the lead until you ask the horse to move forward again.  Another exercise is to apply slight downward pressure on the lead and the moment that your horse drops his head towards the ground release all pressure on the lead.  These two exercises done consistently will help but they won’t fix confirmed puller.  For this you need to go to a small fenced in area such as a round pen or small corral.  Have your horse fitted with a full cheek snaffle bit. Twist the reins up and put them inside the throat latch or take them off all together.  You can also us a rope halter or just a plain halter put starting out with the bit or rope halter will help your horse learn more quickly.  Now you need a long lead such as a lariat or a lunge line.  Attach the line to the halter or bit and drive your horse away from you out to the end of the line.  Just let him run into the end of the line and he will turn to face you and when he does that he  will relieve the pressure on  the halter himself.  Repeat this lesson in both directions until your horse  turns before he runs into the pressure from the line on the halter and he turns toward you and steps forward toward you  Now you want to switch to your regular halter and do this exercise until he is responsive with the regular halter.   Now take him over to the rail and run the line around the post and back into the middle of the round pen.  Take care NOT to tie the horse at this point.  You want to only have the post replace you as the object that the horse will turn into and step towards when he feels the pressure from the rope.  If your horse pulls back at this point he is not ready. Go back and work on the previous exercise until he is turning in towards you and steps in toward you when he feels the pressure from the rope.  Now remember if your horse gets scared just let go of the rope and he will pull it out of the rail and you can start over again. So with the line around the post drive your horse away from you as you did in the middle of the pen and let the horse feel the pressure on the line increase and again let him run into the pressure from the line. Because it is attached to the post he will learn to turn and face the post and step toward to post thus getting relief of the pressure on the poll by stepping toward the thing that he thinks he is attached to.  Keep repeating this exercise until the part of the line between the horse and the post is only two or three feet.  Remember to leave your horse alone for a few moments after each successful give to pressure. That will tell him that he did the right thing.  Your horse will be ready to tie when he consistently moves in toward the fence every time that he feels the pressure from the rope and he moves in toward the post. Well the only thing More that I want you to do is take your time.  Your horse has learned to pull back and this may take some time.
  Remember above all else be safe.  If you are not comfortable with any of this don’t do it and get some help.  If you do decide to do this relax, have fun and enjoy your horse.

  If you or someone you know has a training question just llet me know by e-mail 
jimmcdonald@Traininginharmonywithhorses.com or just give me a call.
Jim McDonald  TrainingInHarmonyWithHorses.com 410-627-4243
 

Dear Jim,
       I have a question about my horse that constantly runs up on the horse in front of him when we are on a trail ride.  His ground manners are good and he is a very affectionate on the ground.  He is also good at home except that he doesn’t really like to leave his pasture mate.  He will scream a few times but doesn’t try to get back to the barn.  The biggest problem we have is that he runs right up on the horse in front of him when we are on these trail rides. Horses have kicked at him and once they missed and got me.  How should we deal with this annoying and dangerous habit?

Dear Reader:
       I agree that this is not only annoying, it is in fact down right dangerous.  I have seen this many times while on trail rides and it is a problem that needs to be addressed.  I applaud your efforts to understand this and to do what you can to turn this dangerous behavior around.
       The good news is that it is very fixable.  The bad news is that there is no quick fix.  This is a relationship problem.  Your horse is not looking to you for leadership.  You are basically going along for the ride (pun intended).  The way to solve this problem is to re-establish yourself as the leader in this partnership.  You need to own 51% of the partnership.
       This all starts with how you lead your horse on the ground.   When you walk away from your horse he should follow behind you. When you walk toward your horse he should move away from you. When you stop he should stop.  If your horse doesn’t do these things you need to work on this.  When leading your horse, every time your horse gets out of position calmly ask he to step back into the proper position.  The proper position is wherever you decide that he needs to be. It is not acceptable for him to be out of position even if he is just calmly walking along. Constantly and consistently asking your horse to stay where you put him will get him to tune into you and develop his need to look to you for direction. You would be surprised how much proper leading manners helps with your problem out on the trail.
       Next you need to be able to communicate effectively with your horse from his back.  This is done by what is called giving to the bit.  That means that you are able to pick up on the reins and ask your horse to move his hips, for example, to the side. Or you might ask him to move his shoulder over.  The idea is that you and your horse are talking and if your horse is listening he will do what you ask and not be worrying about where the other horses are.  The time to practice these two approaches is every time you lead or ride your horse.  Patient persistence that is consistent will in the long run pay off.  I hope this helps and today you can begin your new relationship with your horse both he and you will be happier and more comfortable!
       If you have a question about your please e-mail or call me and I will address it in the ask the Trainer column.  Have fun and be safe.

Jim McDonald
Training In Harmony with Horses
Woodbine Farm
P.O. Box 218
Upper Falls, MD 21156
410-627-4243

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Dear Jim,

  I would like to know how to get my horse to back up.  He really has a lot of trouble backing up while I am mounted.  He seems to do well from the ground but when I ask him to back up from the saddle he first throws his head up and then he struggles.  I am afraid that he might rear up and so I just stop.

 Dear Reader,
  You are right to see if your horse will back up from the ground first.  I would try to get this better by asking your horse to backup at every opportunity.  Have him back into his stall by leading him half way out and then back in.  Ask him to back up at a gate and use your imagination to look for opportunities to have him back up.

  Now for the mounted work!  As always find a day when you don’t have anything else to do with your horse so you can avoid the pressure of time.  Take your horse to a small enclosure, coral etc. and you will need him to be saddled and bridled. 

  While mounted, gather up your reins and make the absolute least amount of contact with his mouth.  This light contact should be a steady, even and consistent contact.  If he puts his head up maintain the light contact (don’t pull harder )and the instant the horse starts to lower his head drop your reins on his neck, rub his neck and give him a kind word!  Pick up your reins again and wait with light contact for him to lower his head.  Light contact is extremely important because if you are too heavy handed your horse will feel trapped and he will struggle against you.  This is particularly true if you are using a shank bit with a curb chain.  When he is consistently lowering his head when you pick up on the reins start to ask for him to break at the poll.  With his head down at the level of the withers, when he breaks at the poll release the reins.  Once he is consistently moving his chin towards his chest, hold the light contact until he takes a step back and then release the reins.  When he consistently steps back one step then ask for two before you release the reins.  Then ask for three steps and so on until he will back up for twenty feet or so.  Once you get him going be sure to give him little releases with each step that he takes. Then when you want him to stop just drop you reins which will be his cue to stop backing up.

This is a lot of fun and fairly easy to accomplish in a session.  Then the important thing is to be consistent and remember LIGHT!! contact with the mouth in a steady even consistent pressure with a release when he backs up will be the cue to back up calmly and safely.

  Well have fun and be safe. Take your time and go slow.

If you have a question please send me an e-mail or just give me a call I will be happy to address your training question in the Ask the Trainer column. 

Jim McDonald
CHA Certified Instructor
Training in Harmony with Horses
410-627-4243

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO JIM: Woodbine3@aol.com