Training Off-the-Track-Thoroughbreds

Morning feeding: It was a fairly cool morning and many of the other horses were a bit rowdy, but Phil remained level headed and super polite.

Still very much a colt…..

I tacked Phil up. The “girthy” behavior has disappeared and bridling is a pleasure using the head down cue. I used a different bridle on Phil today. It was one of my custom made training bridles w/yacht braid reins and a sweet iron snaffle bit. Phil could not resist shaking the tassels (from the yacht braid reins) under his chin. The leather chin strap/bit hobble (used to prevent the snaffle from pulling through his mouth) and slobber straps were a new added weight/feel.

We headed out on the trail and Phil shaking his head trying to grab the tassels was really annoying. About half of the colts I start under saddle find the tassels very fascinating. I did not correct Phil and just held the reins steady so I would not teach him that when he jerks his head he gets a release from me when I lose the reins. The lesson was on me today. I had to remain cool and stay focused on a steady grip on the reins. When Phil jerked the reins to flip the tassels I held steadfast and let him bump against himself. It is a human reaction to jerk the reins back from your horse; instead train yourself to let your horse bump against himself. Previously, I noticed Phil had a hard mouth/face in the bridle. I wanted to work on flexion, but clearly this was not the time when Phil was in “colt mode.”

When we returned home we went to the round pen. His focus was better in the round pen. I did a lot of flex and release to soften up his neck and work on softening his mouth. He softened faster and faster. He even would soften, bend and stay in position until I rubbed his nose. His head was low and relaxed. He easily gave me his nose, but he was stiff through the shoulder and he didn’t offer his face. This is ok, celebrate the little victories.

Note: I refuse to bit up a horse to get a quicker response. I feel that this is just like sticking a band aid on a sucking chest wound. I feel if a restraining device is the chosen method to get the desired results then most likely there is a HOLE in your horse’s education or yours. Instead of using tie downs, martingales, torture bits, etc. I’ll go back to ground work and try to figure out where I went wrong with my teaching. I know everyone is anxious to “work their horse on the bit” (I say this loosely) and it is tempting to rig up a martingale, but the reality is once the martingale is off your horse’s head pops back up and his back is hollow again. A long term strategy would be to slowly build your horse’s top line, promise him you’ll stay out of his mouth and ride with soft hands, ride with an independent seat, and teach him to reach for a release with vertical flexion. The goal with my lesson today was to ask Phil to become soft in the bridle and “give me his face” with only 2 fingertips pressure or less than 2 ounces.

I had a different halter on Phil. This particular halter has a lot of adjustments and rings under the chin for the lead that make noise. Phil stood on cross ties shaking his head and making all kinds of noise with the rings. He was driving me crazy, but I chose not to fight this battle; he was not misbehaving in my book in any way. The halter kept him busy while I cleaned his sheath, so it all worked out.

Head shaking: I do want to mention head shaking. This was something that Phil’s previous owner commented about to Elizabeth. Young colts will typically chomp on the bit, shake their heads, travel with their heads cocked to the side, and even travel in zig zag lines. This is completely normal. If you ignore it you’ll find within weeks these behaviors disappear. Just do not let your horse yank the reins from you. Hold steady and let your horse bump himself. If the behavior worsens and is accompanied by crow hopping, bucking, ducking, bolting, etc. you may want to check tack fit. You may also want to rule out any health issues or rider inadequacies.

Evening feeding: During feeding I was catching up on chores. Every time I entered Phil’s pen he acknowledged me with “two eyes.” This is wonderful!

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Morning feeding: Dan said Phil was very agitated this morning. He reported Phil was very respectful and polite, but tossed his head and danced around at the furthest end of his pen. As long as Phil was having a mini meltdown in his own space and showed no disrespectful behavior towards Dan there wasn’t a need for a correction. Dan said Phil was very submissive when he asked him to come to his food dish. Phil spent the night in the rain and is having a rough time learning how to be a horse.

Does Phil know how to be a horse completely? Since I do not know how much time Phil spent in a herd situation before weaning or after, I can only make some assumptions based on Phil’s current “horse knowledge.” Phil’s previous owner reported that Phil was repeatedly kicked by the other horse he was pastured with. The owner reported that “Phil wanted to play and the other horse did not.” What I really think was going on was that Phil lacks some horse social skills and he did not respect the other horse’s space or Alpha position.

In a herd situation it only takes one good kick to send the message to a lower subordinate because the one receiving the message knows what will come next. Phil did not seem to get this message. This behavior is often seen in orphan, nurse maid colts, colts that weren’t raised with other colts and colts hand raised by humans.

From observing Phil I note that he doesn’t know how to face his back to the wind and tuck his head. He is the only horse out in the rain that is standing face into the storm while all my horses are hunkered down into back towards wind position (no wonder why he had such an awful night). I hope that my herd can teach him. If you think about it for a minute our OTTBs have lived a unique life away from a herd for the most part. As far as horse behavior, we cannot rehabilitate our horses if they have never been habilitated in the first place.

Evening feeding: I saw what Dan saw this morning with Phil tossing his head in an agitated manner. At first I was puzzled because it had stopped raining and there weren’t any gnats or flies. I watched Phil for a few minutes and noticed the breeze carried off the water on the leaves and a brief shower hit Phil on the head. I put Phil’s fly mask back on (previously taken off due to rain) and Phil was content.

Take the time to really observe your horse in his environment without the human directing his actions and you’ll learn so much about your horse.

Morning feeding: Phil was polite.

After haltering Phil I asked him to move up, down, back, right, left to see where his mind is this morning. I felt he was ready for a lesson on leading by the front leg. This morning I secured a soft lead around Phil’s front fetlock. The lead was not tied, it was merely looped behind his fetlock. With the leg caught I applied pressure by pulling the leg forward and asking Phil to step.

When Phil stepped I released pressure and praised him. Phil was very reluctant at first and I had to hold the tension for quite a while. Once Phil figured out how to find his release he caught on fairly quickly. I did this to both front legs until I could lead Phil around the round pen by just his feet.

I have found that these preparatory exercises for hobbling really build trust between you and your horse. Essentially, you are taking away his ability to flee from a predator and he really has to trust you to give up this option of flight. You will use this exercise under saddle. By being “in tune” with your horse you will be able to communicate so clearly that you will be able to place your horse’s feet with a soft feel on a direct rein.

More rain this afternoon. Phil was not a happy camper.

Evening feeding: Phil was polite and respectful, but I could tell by his body language he was not comfortable in the rain.

Morning feeding: Phil was polite. Mother Nature stepped in an offered a wonderful lesson…rain. Phil was very agitated with the big rain drops falling on him. He tensed his body, shook his head, tucked his tail, and humped his back. Phil’s pen has thick, mature tree cover, but doesn’t completely shelter him from the aggravating rain. As long as Phil was not in distress the best lesson he could learn is how to be a horse.

If I am at a show or on a trail ride far from home and it rains or storms I want to have a steadfast mount. The footing and slick saddle are difficult enough to deal with I personally don’t want to have to negotiate with a horse that is having a mental meltdown due to rain. Phil stayed out in the pouring rain all day. He was still alive at feeding.

Evening feeding: Phil was already irritated at having to stay in the rain and he showed a little “ugly” at feeding. I sent him off around the pen and he trotted in the most peculiar fashion. He tucked his head between his front legs and arched his back. I also was wearing a big, yellow rain jacket that most horses do not really like. I pulled the hood down so he could see that it was me and he snorted (snort is fear or excitement). I sent him off again and asked him to circle in. I walked around him and he kept “two eyes” on me. I asked him to back, turn on haunches, disengage hindquarters. He softened and I rubbed his head.

Note: Some breeds like the thoroughbred cannot regulate their body temps as well as other breeds. It is best to keep your horse outside as much as possible, but if he is in distress such as shivering he needs to get out of the weather. I’ll check Phil tonight to see if he needs to come in to a stall. If he is ok, I’ll give him more hay and let him learn to tolerate Mother Nature. Hay will help increase body heat.

Morning feeding: Phil was polite. I tacked Phil up this morning and we headed out on the trail for a warm up. I am still working on the ground and will not step foot in the stirrup until I am assured I can direct Phil’s feet and have earned his respect. By securing a solid foundation on the ground you will avoid many in the saddle “accidents” or “frustrating moments” with your horse.

I invited the dogs along and they, of course, made quite a commotion on the trail. Phil is still weary about the dogs. I give him tasks to do instead of letting him react to the dogs wrestling or jumping in and out of the bushes. The tasks are not corrections; they are merely to keep Phil from switching into instinct mode.

When we return we went to the round pen. I asked Phil for transitions to see if there are any worries about the heavy roping saddle on his back. He was very attentive in the pen. He schooled nicely, turned in and away from me, and he actually had his nose tipped towards me. This is a wonderful sign of comfort, trust, and respect. I asked him to circle in. I walked around the pen and he kept “two eyes” on me the entire time. Even though we were in the round pen for only 10 minutes Phil’s lesson for the day was complete. If I had kept a time schedule for “schooling” him I would have ruined the entire lesson and probably created some new issues. Remember time is a human concept. Your horse will tell you when it is time to stop. You must know the difference between your horse accepting your cues and your horse outwardly refusing to accept your cues. Stop and reward for acceptance. Keep the lesson going if your horse is ignoring you. Take your watch off your wrist! Do not get this stage of Phil’s training confused with conditioning.When Phil moves to the under saddle phase we will start conditioning and spend longer periods of time together. If I have done my homework correctly, Phil will want to school and look forward to our time together under saddle.

I end the lesson by tying a soft lead around Phil’s front right pastern and lift his leg. I hold the lead until Phil stops trying to free his leg. I have been working on this with Phil for some time now, so Phil only mildly resists. I repeat on all 4 legs while he is ground tied. I am preparing Phil to hobble.