Photo by Heidi Nyland Melocco
With halter in hand, you open the gate to your horse’s paddock. You are in a rush for the reason that farrier will arrive any minute. Your horse is considering operating. When you’re taking one other step towards him, your hard-to-catch horse turns once more—then he’s off. You’ve seen this conduct earlier than and know you’re in for a protracted session of enjoying catch.
This hard-to-catch conduct might begin as a sport or just as a means in your horse to let you recognize he’d quite not work. Without a plan to vary your horse’s response when he sees you method with the halter, the vice might make you are feeling irritated and even defeated.
Here, coach Jessica Dabkowski of Pony Peak Stangmanship in Laporte, Colo., shares her optimistic reinforcement approach. Dabkowski focuses on pure horsemanship strategies whereas coaching Mustangs and all breeds of horses.
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For horses which might be vulnerable to operating away, or don’t wish to face you, the next approach may help your horse be taught to suppose quite than react. You’ll train your hard-to-catch horse that touching the halter—and in the end placing his nostril into the halter—is way more rewarding than operating. Dabkowski makes use of treats to encourage her horses to behave out the behaviors she requests.
“You’re shaping your horse’s behavior using food rewards, but your end goal is to not need the food,” says Dabkowski. “One of the great things about using food for training—as long as the training is structured—is that you can help your horse get out of the freeze-fight-flight mode and you can encourage him to seek and think.”
Positive Reinforcement Basics
When you’re utilizing optimistic reinforcement, you aren’t lavishing treats in your horse for no motive. You are “marking” a conduct that you simply wish to see once more as you verbally say “good” after which observe up with a deal with.
Choose treats that aren’t stuffed with sugar. Dabkowski suggests breaking apart a hay dice, utilizing hay pellets, or in search of natural-based treats. You’ll additionally want a hip pack to maintain treats on the prepared.
When it’s time to deal with your horse, be certain that to present the deal with away out of your physique. The horse solely will get a deal with when he’s within the right impartial place. If you’re not asking your horse to method the “target” for the time being, he shouldn’t get a profit from a deal with.
Eventually, you’ll need to have the ability to put the halter on without having meals. If you say “good,” you’ll create such a robust reinforcement historical past that your horse could have the identical neurological response as when he receives meals.
Getting Started
Confine your horse in a small space in order that he can’t run throughout a big area. Remove the lead from a rope halter so that you don’t have an excessive amount of to carry. Walk in to the pen with a relaxed presence, and resist the urge to stroll ahead quick. If your horse appears to be like on the halter, say “good” and supply a deal with.
Initially, the horse will get a reward for merely wanting on the halter and staying in a impartial place. Photo by Heidi Nyland Melocco
Our mannequin horse, Charlie, allowed Dabkowski to be shut however tensed when she held up the halter. She held up the halter and stated “good” and gave a deal with when he merely regarded on the halter. Soon, he realized he might get treats and was prepared to the touch the halter as she held it in a single hand.
Work by means of the next steps slowly. You might solely work 10 to fifteen minutes per day, at all times ending on a great observe. Don’t rush it, and at all times return to fundamentals in case your horse seems anxious, confused, or will get caught.
Reward Forward Motion
Hold the halter in entrance of you and wait in your horse to the touch it. Reward the contact or “target” conduct.
If your horse will persistently contact the halter, change your grasp. Hold the halter in order that the noseband is spherical and he has a “hole” the place he can put his nostril. Now, you gained’t mark when he touches the halter, however solely when he reaches his nostril farther into the outlet. Be affected person and anticipate the horse to succeed in out and contact it. You might even maintain it in order that your horse has to maneuver ahead to the touch it. If that is an excessive amount of, return to a earlier coaching degree.
If your horse will get caught at this level, change it up. Play “follow the halter” to bolster his halter-touching conduct across the paddock. Your horse will be taught to the touch the halter after you could have walked just a few steps. If your horse is strolling with you and permitting you to method his left aspect (the place you wish to be to placed on a halter on the finish of coaching), return to the nose-in thought.
Move the halter farther away, and wait in your horse to maneuver ahead to the touch the halter. Make positive to reward any ahead movement towards the halter till your horse persistently targets the halter. Holding the halter out away from additionally, you will assist your horse be taught that it’s touching the halter, and never looking for the treats from the pouch, that will get the reward.
Open Armed
Once your horse will put his nostril into the halter, transfer on to the subsequent step. Now, you’ll maintain the best (lengthy) piece of the rope halter in your proper arm and maintain the noseband rounded together with your left hand. Keep your proper elbow up and bent to make a large open window. You’ll ask your horse to place his nostril by means of the circle created by your arm and the halter.
Reward your horse, at first, for not shifting away. Then request extra from him. Only reward him when he places his nostril by means of the outlet. Then solely reward him when he places his nostril by means of the outlet and down into the noseband.
Teach your horse to place his nostril into the halter’s noseband gap to get a reward. Photo by Heidi Nyland Melocco
All In
If your usually hard-to-catch horse is prepared to place his nostril in and maintain it there, he could also be prepared so that you can transfer the crownpiece again to tie. Proceed slowly; don’t get keen. If your horse pulls away in any respect, or appears to be like tense, return to one thing simpler, then proceed on one other day. Keep utilizing your marking phrase, and provides treats persistently.
Moving your hand as much as transfer the lengthy halter piece over his head might take time. If your horse accepts the halter, merely take it off and provides treats. Make positive your horse is aware of that placing the halter on doesn’t result in work. Help your horse really feel calm and rewarded.
Then connect the lead rope to the halter. Some horses might discover that one thing is completely different and turn into anxious once more. Start again on the early levels of halter touching to construct confidence once more.
If your horse stays calm and allows you to tie the halter, take it again off once more and reward with a deal with. The halter shouldn’t equate with work at this level. Photo by Heidi Nyland Melocco
Even with the lead rope in place and the halter on, be certain that to not put your horse to work immediately. Take the halter off and reward your horse.
Continuing the Plan
Practice your new haltering plan every day. Once your horse will let you halter him simply, present him that being haltered results in one thing good. Halter him and take him at hand graze for a couple of minutes earlier than turning him free. Help your horse affiliate you with not solely deal with rewards, however with actions he enjoys.
Eventually, you’ll wish to get out of this awkward halter-targeting place and maintain the halter as you’ll with any horse. Approach your horse from the aspect and see if he tenses. If you see any resistance or he strikes away, return to your earlier work and maintain working in your aspect method over time.
This article about coaching a hard-to-catch horse appeared within the November/December 2020 concern of Horse Illustrated journal. Click right here to subscribe!
