1962-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1962 April Voice

11 Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse Steve Hill Tells More About Training Fundamentals-Part Two Shoe Your Colts Before Riding, Says Noted Trainer (Continued from Issue No. I) This helps the colt get accustomed to having bits in its mouth, reins on its neck, having something on his back and also gets him used to a girth. This also helps make it easier tor the rider to set the youngster’s head when this part of his training arrives. About one hour each day is long enough for the average colt to have on a bitting rig as we do not want to tire the colt. Shoe Colls Before Riding We shoe our colts just before we begin to ride them with plain keg shoes; the size of the shoe depends on the size of the hoof. After the colt has worn a set of shoes for about two months his feet might have grown too long and will need shortening. We use a regular bridle equipped with a snaffle bit in his mouth in order for him to become more used to having it in his mouth. We ride our colts the first few days without a saddle. Get on his back gently and be as quiet as possible until he realizes that you intend to ride him. It is a good idea lo have an attendant lead the colt around with you on his back. He will soon become used to the idea and will not mind having you there. Colt’s Mouth Is Tender Follow the above procedure for a short time each day until the colt is absolutely at ease with you on his back. After a week or so take him to a place where there is level ground, and hold the reins in your own hands. Be very careful not to snatch the colt or pull up on the reins quickly or hard. A colt’s mouth is very tender and you may scare and hurt him without meaning to in the early stages of his training. Allow him to walk in one direction then another, and he will soon learn how to respond to your handling of the reins. When you are sure the colt is accustomed to having you on his back, he is ready to be ridden with a saddle. around. He will soon find out that the saddle is not going to hurt him and he will not be afraid of it. When the colt has ceased to pay any atten tion to saddle being on his back mount and ride him. As it is generally known, the Ten nessee Walkin g Horse has three dis tinctive gaits, the flatfoot walk, the running walk and the canter. Each of these gaits should be thoroughly un derstood and recognized by every Ten nessee Walking Horse owner and handler. The Tennessee Walking Horse is a born walker and while at his mother’s side he can be seen per forming each of the gaits. To improve and separate these gaits and to change from one to the other, at the will of the rider, is the sole task which the trainer finds before him. The flatfoot walk is the slowest of the three, and is the first gait Tennes see Walking Horse perform. We ride our colts in a flatfoot walk for about 30 or 40 days, around parked auto mobiles, tractors, other horses and around othe objects with whidi we want them to become accustomed. The Tennessee Walking Horse is fearless and level headed, and once he has learned an object he is not afraid and does not shy away from it. When we are sure he is not afraid of these things, we ride him farther away from the barn and in other surroundings that soon become familiar sights to him. He can be ridden around over the farm, along the roadside and other places where he will see moving ve hicles. He will soon learn not to be afraid of anything. Ride At Flat-Foot Walk After riding our colts four to six weeks in a flat-foot walk they are fairly bridle-wise. We then remove the snaffle bit, because the colt is ready for a curb bit. Still using a regular bridle with a curb bit and a loose chin strap, we ride our colts over new territory, often in soft ground. If they feel that they are going some where they will start striding and want to go on. The flat-foot walk has a speed of from four to five miles an hour, and is performed with much comfort to his rider. With the diago Let Colt Smell Saddle It is a good idea to let the colt smell nally-opposed movement of his feet, the saddle before it is placed on his he strikes the ground with his right- back, so that he will not be afraid of fore and left-rear, and left-fore and it. After you have placed the saddle right-rear. We now allow our colts to go into gently on the colt’s back, let him stand for a few minutes, then lead him a running walk. Mount your colt and ride him in the flat-foot walk for about 10 minutes, or until the colt begins to relax and take hold. Then add a little more to his walk by gently urging him on and taking hold of his head by slightly tightening up on the reins. The running walk is a faster movement of the flat-foot walk and is obtained by simply making the colt “go on.” Do not ride the colt in the running walk too long at a time. We ride the average colt only 30 or 40 minutes each day. The running walk is the most popu lar and leading gait that the Tennes see Walking Horse performs. It is a four-cornered gait and is started like the flat-foot walk, but as the speed is increased the horse oversteps the back foot over the front track by from a few to 18 or even 24 inches. It takes the jar or jolt from his back by the spring of his legs, the motion of his feet and the nod of his head. When your horse is walking his best you will notice him relaxing certain muscles that cause him to nod his head, in more pronounced move ments, as he lengthens his stride, takes hold and gets down to work. The Tennessee Walking Horse nods his head with his every stride and brings each fore-foot to the ground a mere second before he does his diagonally opposite hind foot. The fox trotter does just the opposite or reverse. In other words, he strikes the ground with his rear foot a second before he does with his diagonally opposite fore-foot. This is the only difference between a running walk and a fox-trot, and is also the reason that our Tennessee Walking Horses are born walkers and never man made. A horse doing a stepping pace springs from the ground with his right fore-foot and right rear-foot, then with his left fore-foot and left rear- foot, going a one-sided gait. He usually shows a kind of hopping motion with his tail and not too much motion with his head. The Tennessee Walking Horse must stay on his four corners and not on two sides as the horse that does the amble or stepping pace. When our colts are inclined to want to pace we use trotting balls on their front feet to help square them up. This extra weight helps to start them to reaching, or in other words to lengthen their stride. It also makes them fold their knees a little more. (Continued on Page 12)

1962-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1962 April Voice | Page 13