It Depends
By Rob Pliskin, Trainer, Wild Horse Adopter,
and BLM Volunteer
This article is to help you be safe and effective in gentling your mustang. You will read about several goals that make sense for you and your horse, and some
specific kinds of gentling methods to begin to accomplish your goals.
As you accomplish your goals, you will create your own safe and enjoyable work relationship with your wild horse. Both you and your mustang are starting a new way of life. As your animal’s new leader, you are now responsible for his safety, security, nutrition, and care. You help him find food and water. You tell him when to walk, run, stop, and turn. In exchange, he gives you complete attention, willingness, swift feet, and his unique personality. This is a necessity for your horse, a way of life. It is how your animal survived in the wild. Now it is your turn to teach him how to live in our world, the human world.
“How long will training take?” You have probably already asked yourself this question, or had friends and family ask. The answer, of course, is “it depends.” That’s gentling - “it depends.” The simple message here is: do not, by any means, get in a hurry. Nevertheless, don’t let it go, either. Let’s get to specifics, and then you can see for your? self, once you are out in the pen.
Please note -- no two adopters are exactly alike. That also goes for your pens, and of course, your mustangs. No matter what your horse or setup, I have tried to provide everyone with some learning tools. I have tried to keep the writing direct and short to cover as much ground as possible.
Four Basic Gentling Goals
Achieve these goals before ever putting anything on the horse, including a blanket pad, saddle, or human.
1. Movement of the horse in a direction you choose at a safe, smooth, and quiet gait with his inside hind feet crossing under the body while circling.
2. A relaxed neck and head that will flex toward you while the horse is comfortably circling as well as standing.
3. Loose feet that can be picked up for trimming or leg and foot care. There should be no kicking, tossing a foot, balking, or moving around.
4. a. Getting the “feel” between you and your horse, made of your intent, the horse’s intent, your position in relation to the horse’s body, and your move? ment and distance from the horse. Without touching, youwill use this feel to hold, move, and RELEASE him.
b.The feel on a rope that con? nects you and your horse, made up of tension and RELEASE. A floppy rope has no feel. A rope whining through your hands or pulling you off your feet as the horse and your session head for the hills has no feel either. LET GO if this happens, and begin where you left off. This feel will help you have control of the horse’s head and feet and leads to successful haltering.
Here are some first basic beginning methods of session work you can use towards accomplishing the basic gentling goals in future training sessions.
MOVEMENT
The horse will move freely and smoothly in a circle around you in one direction, then the other, at your request.
Do not use a pen that is too small. A 24’ square or round is the minimum-size pen. With you in the middle of the pen, you are less than 12’ away. That is barely a safe distance when you consider the horse’s instinct to flight or fight. Try to have at least one pen for work and another where the horse lives.
There needs to be secure passage between them through which you can drive the horse (very lightly) from behind, if needed.
A round pen is best to use for accomplishing the intended goal. You can train in a square pen, but the horse can stall out in a corner, turn its head away from you and its hindquarters toward you in an attempt to change direction. It is a challenge you will have to anticipate in a square pen. If you have extra panels, you can fashion them across the corners to make your square pen more round. However, it is important not to compromise the original size of your pen if it is not large enough for this. To keep you and the horse safe you will need a pen bigger than 24’ to round the corners with extra panels.
Begin by entering the pen with your eyes on the horse, always. Do not turn your back on the horse. This is a safety concern. Enter at a part of the pen where you are giving the horse space. You don’t have to cower or whisper sweet things. You are the leader; remember? Be natural and relaxed. Breathe fully. This is a work session. You are the leader, relax and lead. This does not have to be a long and hard session.
Try to move your horse while you remain in the middle of the pen. Do not chase him. If your horse comes at you, not towards you, but at you, do one of two things; get big, throw your arms up, stomp, yell, and menace your horse away from you. At the same time, be ready to dodge away. If your horse appears to be confrontational, stay away from front feet that turn and kick. Be prepared and ready, but not afraid. If you are handy at carrying a lead rope, rope, or lariat in the pen, use the coils to back the horse off, too.
If your horse is sluggish or afraid, turning away or head down, get his attention by stomping, kicking dust, lightly slapping your hip, etc. The least amount of drive is best.
Move your horse in a circle around you by your position in relation to his inside shoulder. This is your horse's “balance point." Move behind the balance point, a step or so toward the horse's hindquarters and you will drive him forward.Move in front of the balance point a bit toward its head, and you will slow, stop, or even turn him. It depends, right? Work this out between you and your horse from the center of the pen, with the horse on the outside rail. You want a relaxed trot that is even and smooth.
There are three levels to asking your animal to move:
Request:
Your own body is up, motivated, and expecting the result. Step behind the balance point and cluck or kiss, ONE TIME. If the horse is unresponsive, DO NOT WAIT or request again. Go directly to:
Stronger Asking:
Keep your posture straight, chest out, and intent strong. Wave your “driving” arm a little, or slap your hip lightly with it. Your driving arm is your arm that is closest to the horse's hip. Point forward with your hand that is closest to the horse's head, and take a step toward the horse's hip. If the horse does not respond, move directly to:
Demand:
Slap your hip loudly. Take two or three stomps toward the hind of the horse and toward the horse on the rail. Kick dust if you have to and raise your voice.
If you are handy enough with a 14' lead rope, longer rope or lariat, you may use this as an extension of your driving hand. Throw the end out towards the hinds of the horse as soon as he fails to respond to your demand. Gather and recoil the rope once the horse moves. If a rope is unhandy for you, you may want to think twice about using it. Use your body and your intent instead.
As soon as the horse moves, RELEASE! Go back to the center of the pen, stay slightly behind the balance point, and get the horse to stay at an even, easy trot. Relax your body , and regulate the horse's movement by your position to his balance point. If he turns around the other direction, that's OK, you and the horse will work it out. Get it smooth one direction for a while, then the other.
You should have your goal identified prior to beginning a new training session. You also need to know when you have reached it. Once you have reached your goal, quit. Right then! The last thing the horse does is what it will remember. Quit at a good spot. Take the time to get through to a good spot if you have to. How long will it take? Again, it depends.
When your horse circles around you and you notice the inside ear cupping towards you, or his head slightly turning in and becoming relaxed and lowering, as his trot becomes more even and smooth, you have reached your goal. When your horse has achieved this, release him by backing away from the horse to the other side of the pen, relaxing your body, and letting the horse know your intent is to give him a break. This can all be done without words.
With all those things accomplished, you have achieved something with your horse. If your animal is spinning around like a top, excessively fast, you may need to re-assess your goal. If your horse is sluggish, you may have to make it move. Stay committed to your goal.
If your horse is extreme in either of these ways, achieving this goal may take more than one session. Break down your goal into smaller, more achievable steps that you will be able to see. For a quick horse in a small square pen, you may have to get to the other side of the pen where the horse will do a smooth trot around half of the pen then look at you. It may be that the pen is top small for this energetic horse to work in and be relaxed with you in it, also. For a sluggish horse, you may have to take several threatening stomps out of the center toward its hind. Remember, horses have their own ways, too. He might be thinking he wants to be above you in the pecking order. You do not want that! So again, stay committed to your goal. Be firm, but play fair. That is very important. As soon as you reach your goal, release the animal for that day.
About "Side 2:" Make sure you reach your goal going both directions. Do Side 2, unless it has already been a long tiring session. If so, review Side 1 next session, and then move on to Side 2.
About "Release:" This is how the horse learns what to do. That is why you must quit at a good time. As soon as you and the horse have reached your goal, release it by moving to the other side of the pen. Increasing the distance between you and the horse is a BIG reward for him. Remember, right now he wants a safe distance between the two of you. Be careful with your temper. Do not let there be any left over hard feelings on your part if things don't go just right. You will cease being an effective leader if you do. Remember, when you release the horse with your body position and distance from the horse, or with a rope, a halter and lead rope, reins or lines: it is how you show the horse what you want and that the horse has accomplished it. You need to know this and get handy at it, so you can deliver the message to the horse that he did what you asked. This is called timing.
POLING
You can get a lot done with a 10' - 12' bamboo pole or other lightweight but rigid pole. Poling usually works better in a regulation square pen. Getting the horse to the pen and getting yourself safely inside are the same as for the session on Movement. The length of the pole keeps you a safe distance from the horse, and gives the horse a safety distance too, which helps calm the horse. That is how you can use the pole to do what it does best: allow the horse freedom and a safety distance, while allowing you to touch him with the pole.
You will quickly see how you can use the pole as an extension of your arms and body. Do not forget using the balance point, too. For example, if you want the horse to move up a step or two, move the pole behind it, extending it horizontally behind the horse out of kicking distance.
Sometimes the horse will come unglued when you bring in the pole. Lay it down under one of the outside panel rails while you enter the pen. Then pick it up, holding it vertically beside you like a staff, as you move to the center of the pen. Remember, this is a work session. It is natural for your horse to be anxious at something new. Your job here is to relax, stay business like, breathe easy, and let the horse stay out on the rail, moving and calming. The horse may find its own little zone on the rail where it is more comfortable, and rest. As long as a neighbor horse or another distraction is not present, you can start moving toward touching the horse with the pole there. Whether it is a corner or straight along a side, start with one side of the horse to you, not a head and certainly not a tail. Don't ever let that one-eye draw a bead on you.
So here you are in the center of the pen with the pole next to you, one end resting on the ground. Lift it up, hold it at the near end with both hands, extending the other end up, and out towards the rail in front of the horse. Start by making a slow arching motion back and forth high over the horse from a point about 3-6' in front of it to 3-6' behind it. This should be done two or three times. If the horse moves or bolts, let him settle. Guide him to settling with your body language and the pole. Start over until he can stay quiet on the rail while you do this. For some horses, this might be the first session, and where you would quit. It depends. If you do continue on, don't forget Side 2.
As you start another arch, slowly bring the pole closer over the head and neck of the horse, to rest the end on his neck, just in front of the withers. This is the "sweet spot," where the mother first nuzzles the horse as a foal, and where you see horses grooming each other. The horse may flinch or bolt, but either hang in or start over. If you are coordinated enough, you can keep the pole on the horse with one hand as it moves around until it stops. This is good for the horse to learn: "It isn't killing me, and it's not going away."
A couple of other points about the pole:
1. Do not use the far end of the pole to jab or poke the horse. Use the underside of the pole to start, with the end, one or two inches over the opposite side of the horse's neck. You don't want to risk injuring the horse with the end of the pole.
2. Don't push the end of the pole too far to the outside of the horse. You can get it stuck in the panels or fencing, break the end off, or cause a ruckus. Don't worry, no one's perfect and you will get handy with this if you practice.
3. You will be having a "feel" with the horse through the pole. This feel should be light but firm. Relax your body and your hands. This might be a time to start talking softly to the horse as a comfort. You can recite the National Anthem or your shopping list if you want, just make it easy.
Your goal is to rest the pole on the sweet spot of the neck. Don't waste time, but be sensitive to the horse. If he needs to move, just go back and start again. Make your actions relaxed and deliberate. It might look like this: You get the pole on the sweet spot for two seconds, the horse almost dances away, but you take it off and the horse stays. RELEASE! Timing! Take a couple of steps back and bring the pole to your side. Then repeat, and go for three seconds. Keep going.
When you get the pole on the sweet spot for just a second or two, start "fiddling." Move the pole back forth towards and away from you, like a bow, with the horse's neck as the neck of the fiddle and the sweet spot as where the bow plays the strings. Remember, light but firm, don't tickle the horse, but don't wear a hole in him either. It depends. Do this for a few seconds or as long as the horse is calm, you are calm, you can talk to him easily, and fiddle at the same time. Then, RELEASE! Remember, stop at a good spot! Take a couple of steps back. One of these times, the horse will lower his head, lick his lips, and turn his head to you. That is a sure sign: Your horse is learning.
Use the sweet spot as the safety zone for your feel of the horse. Start moving the pole as you fiddle now, a couple of inches back towards the withers, and back to the sweet spot, and then a couple of inches forward towards the ears, and back to the sweet spot. Give your horse a release whenever it is calm. Extend your distance from the sweet spot. Anticipate how far you can go and release back to the sweet spot before your horse gets uncomfortable and moves. You want the horse to learn that what is happening is OK. If you take him past his comfort zone a lot, he won't learn this. So again, your feel and timing are important.
Pole the horse for a short session, and quit on a good spot. Your goal, always with a quiet horse, is to do the top line first, all the way from ears to tail and then down the back of the hind legs. Then do the underline of the neck, chest, jaw, and front of the front legs. Then get the underline at the girth, and from there down the back of the front legs and the front of the back legs. How long will this take, how many sessions? You already know the answer, don't you?
ROPE WORK
You will want to start your horse on rope work as soon as he has learned a little about movment, or poling. You should have a long enough rope to be able to toss coils from the middle of the pen over and past the outside rail of your pen. For a regulation square pen this is about 30' minimum. You can use a 50' or 60' rope or lariat in a round pen. Your goal is to have the horse move smoothly and freely or stand quietly while in contact with the rope.
Begin by letting the horse be quiet on the rail. Then put enough coils in your throwing hand to get over his back from the center of the pen. Show him by aiming the coils in front of him that you are going to throw them there first. Just like starting with the pole out in front of him. Toss the rope out there, with little tension or energy: almost like you were casting a line in a lake. Let it drop and see what the horse does. Continue as long as the horse remains quiet. Try a few tosses behind the horse. Gradually get your tosses closer to the horse: pointing out to him with the coils first where you are going to toss them. At some point, toss the coils over his back, so several feet go over and down his other side. When he quiets, repeat. Don't forget Side 2. When the horse can stand and move quietly for a bit with the rope on his back, you are there. Remember, if you are going slower with a more anxious horse to lower your expectations for goals. Quit at a good place on any horse you work.
If you have been poling, you can "fish" for the horse. Put a non-slip loop at one end of your rope, two or three inches wide. Put a very loose clove hitch or couple of loose half hitches about five feet from this end, and put them just over the far end of the pole, so the end of the rope with the loop in it is hanging off the end of the pole. Hold the rest of the rope against the pole with your other hand, which also holds the extra slack in coils. Show the horse the pole and rope as you would at the start. Then place it on his neck, but high enough and out far enough that you can fish the end of the rope hanging off the pole over to the outside of his body. Then "fiddle" the hitches off the end of the pole, so the rope hangs itself over the horse's neck onto the ground on his other side. Slide the end of the pole away from your horse's neck, down in front of it, to catch the loop you made in the end of the rope. Then pull it toward you. You will have the loop end of the rope in the end of the pole, and the other end in your hand with the slack. Get that loop end in your hand, and you will have both ends of the rope. You can put the pole down, and if you are quiet and agile, and the horse is relatively quiet, you now have a rope over his neck and you are holding both ends. Stand in front of his balance point a little bit, out in the center, and with enough pull to put tension on his head toward you, ask him to flex his neck in your direction. Put a couple of pounds of pull on it, and then hold steady. As soon as the horse "gives" you even just an inch of flex, RELEASE! You are teaching your horse to flex his neck toward you.
Successive sessions with the rope will move to rope work all over the body to get the horse used to such things, picking up the feet, leading by the foot, and preparation for haltering.
Notes : Short sessions more often makes more chances to practice your own movement, as well as your timing in asking of your horse and releasing him.
Review : Start each session with a faster progression through what you have taught the horse before. Don’t spend as much time on it, unless you find a sticky place. You can stay on it longer, or note it and come back.
HALTERING AND TOUCHING YOUR HORSE
Don't be in too much of a hurry to halter and touch your horse. If you rush it you will turn an unsure horse into a balky, resistant horse. Take your time. Guess what, it is like raising a kid. They have to crawl first. Besides that, if you hurry, you won't appreciate the task, and the little changes you will see. Haltering is a progression through all three of the methods: movement, poling and rope work.
In this short article, I've only tried to show you beginning sessions with your horse. Here are a few things to remember:
First , never compromise your own or your horse's SAFETY for what you think will advance a training session. I believe it is quite OK to make your horse sweat if he needs to for the sake of its progress. However, your demeanor should always be one of a caring leader to this animal. If something isn't working and your horse is getting worse, drop it and come up with something else. You should always have a way, without becoming upset, that you can get to a GOOD place to quit, for both you and the horse.
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