06.16.08
Horse training with rope halter– back away
This cue is most effective using a rope halter with an 11-14 foot knotted-in leadrope attached. The leadrope should have some stiffness and a little heft to it. The halter is fit snugly on the horse’s face and around his nose.
To teach the backup, you start by facing the horse, holding the leadline about 6 feet long with about a foot of slack in it. Raise the leadline by lifting your hand briskly up and back down, just enough to put a roll through the line like a wave, traveling to the horse’s nose through the rope halter. He will feel the smallest movement because of the direct connection between the halter and leadrope.
Do this action gently at first, looking for the slightest reaction from the horse. The reaction you want to reward (by stopping the rope movement, ie. Releasing of pressure) is for him to THINK about backing up; you want to notice when he just STARTS to shift his weight backwards. You repeat the wave roll action, gradually increasing the force or pressure you put into the rope, until you get a backing response from him. You use only as much pressure as necessary to get the response.
The next time you ask, you start out very gently again. Your goal is not to force the horse backwards out of fear or avoidance of pain (there should never be any pain,) but to help him understand that the slighted upward roll of the rope is a signal for him to move his feet backwards.
In the training, it may be necessary as your strongest signal to make a rolling loop catch him in his chin once, sharply if needed. The horse will raise his head high in the air from this because it is very attention-getting. This extreme adjustment should be used only rarely, such as to redirect the horse’s attention to your cues, or as the strongest level of asking for a backing response. This action is NOT a snapping of the halter against the top of the horse’s nose, which would be pulling his head down and forward. Catching him under the chin activates his natural reaction, which is to back away.
As the horse learns to back away, you ask for only one step at a time, with one foot. He is rewarded for the step by you stopping the rope waves for a moment and holding it slack. As he backs, you let out the rope longer; you do NOT follow him, otherwise he will feel that he is backing away from your body. You can get him to back all the way to the end of the leadline.
Alternate the backing with light leadrope pressure to bring him back towards you a step or two.
Please see my Horse training disclaimer
