06.17.08
Training the horse to stand quietly
A rope halter is typically associated with natural horse training. Ideally the attached 10-12 ft. leadline should have some heft and weight to it, and not be flimsy and light. It is through the leadline that your signals are communicated to the horse.
For working around, grooming, saddling and harnessing, the natural horse trainer’s goal is for the horse to learn to stand quietly and not move his feet unless asked. This should apply whether the horse is in the barn, in an arena, or out in a field. The method is to control the horse’s feet, which controls his mind. If you tell him where to place his feet, he becomes relaxed in accepting YOU as the herd leader, and he develops a respect for you as such.
Joanne Gelinas Snow explains teaching the horse to stand quietly by stopping the stimulus BEFORE he moves his feet. Handler must be very alert to the tiniest reactions of the horse to the stimulus, and must break down the actions applied into very small increments to deal with each step one at a time. Ground work preparation for saddling and riding, using rope halter with long, firm lead rope as training aid. [Horse is our own Glendale at age two.]
The horse can only be taught through instant adjustment of incorrect responses AND through leaving him alone when he is doing the desired thing. He will be uncomfortable at first and want to move his feet; because he is young, insecure and inexperienced, he needs to move his feet, so you allow him to move but you DIRECT where he is moving to. Then you stop him, square him up so that he won’t have to catch his balance by moving a foot, then signal him to stand. Joanne does this by the slightest subtle tug on his leadline.
Here natural horse trainer Joanne Gelinas Snow helps young horse learn to stand for saddling. She practices approaching him with the saddle blanket because he was initially spooky about the blanket being thrown up from his left front.
You have already trained him to lead and yield to leadrope pressure, and to move his body away from pressure touch. You have already taught him to back away from a leadrope cue (see Horse training with rope halter– back away). By directing him where to move his feet, ie. allowing him to move when he has to but getting him to move where YOU want him to, you teach him that when you DON’T ask him to move is the time when he is allowed to stand quietly.
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