by Jeff Cook
I
am often asked how I start training a wild horse when I get him home. It actually starts as soon as they come out of the trailer. I can usually go into the 30 ft. x 30 ft. pen with them and just stand in the middle until they get used to me being there. The fence is 6 ft. high so that they won’t jump out. If the horse moves away from me, I will put a little pressure on him by looking at him and maybe moving slightly towards him. I don’t want to make him bolt, but
rather just show him that I can make him move his feet. If the horse faces me, I immediately release the pressure on him by turning away from him and sometimes even backing up. As long as he keeps his attention on me, I will keep the pressure off. At this point it can be very tempting to try to approach the horse, but don’t do it.
The object is to engage his curiosity and get him to move towards you. If he chooses to look away, I will move him again, and once again
look away and release him when he faces me. As we work together, I look for signs that he wants to be in my herd or “join up”. Those signs are: Both eyes on me, head down, licking his lips or chewing. If he wants to move towards me, I try to turn sideways and just let him move in. Sometimes I will reach my hand back and let him touch my hand with his nose. Once again, I try to resist the urge to touch him. If he does touch me, I will retreat by moving my hand away leaving him curious for more. The object is always to get your horse to respond and not react. Be patient and take as long as it takes to turn your wild animal into your willing partner. Horses learn the most when they can find the correct answer themselves. A horse doesn’t learn from pressure, he learns from the release of pressure.
Jeff Cook and his wife Kelsey own Dream Horse Az in Tucson, Arizona •
dreamhorseaz@hotmail.com and Dream Horse Az on Face- book
HORSE & AG MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2017 17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
