10.31.07

Earliest riding prep, green horse training videos

Posted in Horses for the horse crazy at 4:29 pm by petArtist Cmoses

Using natural horsemanship training techniques, Joanne Gelinas Snow (Gelinas Farm in Pembroke NH) shows me how my 2 yr.old Glendale has been prepared for riding, to help him and his rider be as safe as possible. Joanne’s training assistant Loretta gets on the horse. (Turn up your sound to hear Joanne better. Shown are two different sessions.) Please see my Horse training disclaimer

DESENSITIZING LEGS TO ROPE

Desensitizing the horse’s legs to the lead rope. Once the horse has learned to yield each leg to rope pressure by stepping forward, he is much less likely to injure himself by panicking at some future time when he might get entangled in equipment, his lead rope, or wire.

Note that Joanne does not pull on the foot, but maintains a steady tension until Glen yields to the rope by stepping forward. Most horses’ first reaction is to pull backwards against this pressure, as was Glen’s initially.

DRAGGING SCARY OBJECT

Joanne desensitizing Glen to things dragging, noises behind and beside him, things touching his body and legs, as part of starting under saddle. Using rope with sack tied to it.

At first you may think Glen is ignoring the drag, but watch how he keeps one ear turned towards it almost continually. Then, he startles when Joanne throws it out in front of him. Noting this, Joanne spends extra time repeating shorter versions of tossing it in front, by simply swinging it back and forth to desensitize him to that motion. She also puts it over his rump several times and lets it slide off.

This sort of thing is so invaluable in early training. Things happen out in the real world, and such controlled exposure in a training situation, to build the horse’s confidence and acceptance level, cannot be stressed enough!

STAND TRAINING, CONTROLLING HORSE’S FEET

Joanne explains concepts of groundwork, training to stand still vs. asking horse to move his feet, using rope halter as a tool. Prep work for grooming, saddling, mounting horse without tying, and also establishes paying attention, respect and trust.

WORKING ABOVE HORSE, FROM FENCE

Working above youngster in round pen, Loretta moves around from the fence in preparation to mounting from the ground. This accustoms Glen to sights and sounds of a person above him. He has been backed (mounted) only twice before, both times in the round pen.

MOUNTING FROM GROUND

After mounting from fence, Loretta mounts from ground in round pen. Once aboard, she rubs his neck a lot and does head yielding to both sides, which relaxes him and teaches him softness to the bit.

WALK/TROT IN ROUND PEN FROM HALTER, THIRD RIDE EVER

Using rope halter and saddle in round pen. Natural horse training concept is horse learning to walk and trot willingly with a person on his back. No real steering is attempted at this point, rather the horse is allowed and encouraged to move around on his own, and not DIScouraged ever from moving his feet. Some light tapping with the legs is used to ask him to walk, beginning to teach leg aids. Trainer Joanne Gelinas Snow, Gelinas Farm Pembroke NH, is coaching Loretta. Loretta uses her legs and body action so Glen will associate the leg aids with moving forward. He is learning he can move forward freely with a rider on his back, at different gaits.

CANTER PREPARATION

Preparation for canter… horse is urged faster by Joanne’s free lunging cues (flag on stick signals horse) to JUST START to break into canter, in order to test for a buck. Loretta’s job is to actively ask him for more speed beyond the trot, making her leg aids bigger, and to ride whatever he gives her.

FIRST CANTER UNDER SADDLE

After the canter prep in both directions, Joanne and Loretta urge Glendale on into a canter. It will be only the briefest of canter strides, so that he won’t get nervous or overly excited. If he was going to buck, it would be just as he starts to canter.

After this, the practice at cantering (and walk and trot) will be done on the trail, which is more natural for the horse when all his buddies are going fast too. In the round pen, the first-broke horse sees no reason to be cantering, and you don’t want to cause him to be balky or confused!

GLENDALE’S FIRST RIDEOUT on trail (LORETTA)

After round pen checkout, our young bay Glendale is ridden out on his third time mounted, with other horses for natural horse training on the trail. Trainer Joanne Gelinas Snow on black colt, Loretta on Glen, Artie Snow on the sorrel.

See a few somewhat later videos of Glendale’s under saddle training posted as Natural horse training on October 24.

For more related posts, search petArtistWithPeaches (at top right) on:
Glendale
natural training
ground driving
carriage driving

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